ores 



A COLONY OF HOUSE-MARTINS BUILDING 

 ONE NEST. 



With reference to Mr. 0. G. Pike's note on this subject 

 {supra, p. 225), it may be mentioned that Charles Darwin 

 noticed just the same thing. Writing to the Rev. L. Jenyns, 

 in October, 1846, re his Observations in Natural History, he 

 says : "I was interested in your account of the Martins, 

 for I had just before then been utterly perplexed by noticing 

 just such a proceeding as you describe ; I counted seven one 

 day lately visit a single nest, and sticking dirt on the 

 adjoining wall." G. B. Hony. 



SHAGS INLAND IN CHESHIRE AND YORKSHIRE. 



On or about January 24th, 1911, six Shags {Phalacrocorax 

 graculus) were seen sitting together on an araucaria in the 

 park at Ashton-Hayes, some seven miles east of Chester. 

 Two of the birds were shot, and one of these, which was 

 immature, was sent to the Grosvenor Museum, Chester. On 

 the same day one alighted on the tower of NantAvich Church ; 

 it was captured, released, and subsequently shot on the 

 river Weaver. It has been secured for the museum at 

 Willaston School. On the 26th an example which had been 

 killed at Waverton, near Chester, was sent to the Grosvenor 

 Museum. Possibly these two birds were amongst the six 

 seen at Ashton-Hayes. One reached Rostherne Mere, near 

 Bowdon. The body of this bird was discovered on the margin 

 of the mere by a gamekeeper on February 10th. It had then 

 only been dead a day or two. I saw the bird, which was 

 immature, on the 17th. The incursion does not appear to 

 have been purely local, for on the 26th Mr. W. Greaves tells 

 me that he identified a Shag (supposed to have been a 

 Cormorant) which had been killed on a pond at Hebden Bridge, 

 Yorkshire. 



The identification of the five birds obtained is satisfactory. 



T. A. COWABD. 



BARNACLE-GOOSE INLAND IN CHESHIRE. 



On January 18th, 1912, the day following the blizzard, I saw 

 a Barnacle-Goose {Bernicla leucopsis) on Radnor Mere, 

 Alderley, Cheshire. The behaviour of the bird did not 

 suggest an " escape." It was very suspicious and restless, 



