88 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vii. 



COOTS AND MOORHENS LAYING IN THE 

 SA^IE NEST. 

 As I do not remember to liave seen any record of a Coot 

 {Fulica a. atra) and a Moorhen {Gallinula ch. chloropus) or 

 two Coots laying in the same nest, the following observations 

 may prove of interest : On May 8th, 1909, I found a nest 

 containing five Coot's eggs and one Moorhen's egg, and on 

 April 13th, 1913, I found one "\nth seven Coot's eggs and 

 one Moorhen's egg; both these nests could only be reached 

 by wachng, and had certainly not been interfered \dth. In 

 the former case the Coot's eggs were all of one type, but 

 in the second, one was quite different from the others ; also 

 this egg was fresh, whilst the other Coot's and the Moorhen's 

 eggs were well incubated, sho^^'ing that a second Coot had 

 laid an egg some time after the first Coot and the Moorhen 

 had laid. A third instance is of t^^■o Coots laying together ; 

 this nest, containing one egg, I found on April 5th, 1912, 

 and by April 14th it contained eleven eggs ; the short period 

 of time that had elapsed suggested that these were the 

 produce of two birds, and this was proved by the fact 

 that there were two distinctly different types of eggs in 

 the nest. 



These three instances, occurring on two pools ^dthin half 

 a mile of each other, suggest that it is not infrequent for 

 Coots and Moorhens to lay indiscriminately in nests of the 

 former species. A. Geoffrey Leigh. 



[Although it is ^^-ell known among field-ornithologists that 

 Coots and Moorhens, like ducks and game-birds, ^dll lay in 

 each other's nests, standard works seem to omit mention of 

 the fact. — Eds.] 



Hawfinch ix Sutherland. — Mr. F. G. Gunnis reports 

 {Scot. Nat., 1913, p. 160) that a male Coccothraustes c. 

 coccothraustes was caught in a garden at Brora on ]\Iay 8th, 

 1913. As there is no e\ddence of breeding we must regard 

 this as a straggler. 



Mealy Redpolls in Wigtownshire. — Mr. J. G. Gordon 

 states {Scot. Nat, 1913, p. 115) that he saw three Mealy 

 Redpolls {Carduelis liyiaria ? subsp.) on December 2nd, 1912, 

 at Corsemalzie. The bird is rare in the west. 



Sykes's Wagtail in Scotland. — Mr. W. Eagle Clarke 

 announces {Scot. Nat., 1913, p. 153) that an adult male 

 Blue-headed Wagtail which he obtained in Eair Isle on 

 May 18th, 1910, proves to be a specimen of Motacillaf. beema. 

 On first obtaining it Mr. Clarke had thought it was nothing 



