NOTES. 319 



Continental Song-Thrush and Goldcrest at the Isle 

 OF May.— Mr. W. Evans records {Scot. Nat., 1912, pp. 43-4) 

 that among many examples of the Song-Thrush and Goldcrest 

 taken at various lighthouses in south-east Scotland onty one 

 Song-Thrush (end of December, 1910, Barnsness, Haddington), 

 and only one Goldcrest (October 20th, 1911, Isle of May) 

 were of the Continental forms, all the rest being British. 

 Mr. Evans suggests from this evidence that there must be 

 some area on the Continent where birds " indistinguishable 

 from ours are reared." There ma}^ be (the British Song- 

 Thrush in any case breeds in Holland), but because Mr. Evans 

 has had so few examples of the Continental forms from these 

 lighthouses, and because the British birds were migrating 

 with Eieldfares, Redwings, and other northern species, seems 

 to us to prove nothing. It is well known that Lights only 

 "attract" birds in certain weather, and the Continental 

 Song-Thrushes may not have been migrating at the time, 

 while the British birds were probably coasting south, and 

 there is no reason why they should not be in the company 

 described. A good many Continental Goldcrests were taken 

 at the Isle of May in the autumn of 1910, and several Con- 

 tinental Song-Thrushes in the autumn of 1909 (c/. Vol. IV.. 

 p. 291). 



Continental Redbreasts in East Ross. — ^Miss A. C. 



Jackson records {Scot. Nat., 1912, ]). 67) that she obtained 

 four Erithacus rubecula rubecula on the coast near Tarbatness 

 on September 16th, 1911. 



Lapland Bunting at Fair Isle. — A male Calcarius 

 lapponicus is recorded by the Duchess of Bedford {Scot. Nat., 

 1912, p. 15) at Fair Isle on October 6th, 1911. 



Shore-Larks in Haddingtonshire. — ^Mr. W. Evans 

 records {Scot. Nat., 1912, p. 66) that he met with a party of 

 eight Otocorys alpestris on November 14th, 1911, near North 

 Berwick. 



Barn -Owl Nesting on the Ground. — In his " Zoological 

 Record for Derbyshire for 1911 " {Derby. Arch, and Nat. 

 Hist. Soc. Journ.) the Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain records the 

 finding of a nesting -place of Strix flammea on the ground in 

 a large hollow at the foot of the trunk of an old oak tree. 



Common Sandpiper and Land-Rails in Winter in 

 Ireland. — A specimen of Totanus hypoleucus was seen in 

 December, and shot on January 11th, 1912, at Crosshaven, 

 CO. Cork. Several specimens of Crex pratensis were recorded 

 for the last half of December, 1911 (R. J. Ussher, Irish Nat., 



