SOME BIRD NOTES 285 



July 3U/. Several kestrels flying about Breydon walls. 



One young bird, screaming noisily, made a 

 dash at a meadow-pipit, when just as he was 

 within a very short distance of it, a swallow 

 made a feint at him, baffling him, on which he 

 dashed at the Hirundine, which was however 

 too quick for him. 



Sept. 2^th. A Lapland bunting {Calcarius lapponicus} taken 

 by a bird-catcher on the North Denes. 



1905 



April 26th. Nine land dotterel seen on the North Denes. 



May 2Jth. The barn owl is a migratory species ; I have 

 seen it in autumn come in straight from sea 

 in the daytime. In spring the species very 

 rarely shows itself in the day. One, how- 

 ever, was observed yesterday flying across 

 St. George's Park, when a swallow dashed at 

 it and considerably upset it. The owl made 

 a stoop at the swallow, which easily enough 

 dodged it ; but it continued to harass the owl 

 until it had passed beyond its territory, 

 when the unlucky bird of night was allowed 

 to proceed on its way without further 

 molestation. 



3U/. A water-rail, in all probability migrating, struck 

 some telegraph wires in the town and fell into 

 a yard, and was found by a cat, from which it 

 was taken sadly mutilated by wire and claw. 



June \^th. A nest of the ringed plover was discovered on 

 the south beach, the eggs being hard set. Two 

 days after the spot was visited, but the "nest- 

 hole" was empty. Mr. B. Dye, who used 

 closely to watch the habits of nesting ringed 

 plovers, states that the earliest nest discovered 

 was on April I9th; the earliest hatching was 

 noted on June ist. 



24/7*. A flock of about one hundred and fifty young 

 starlings congregated on the marshes ; a re- 

 markably early " bunching " of this species. 



July 6th. About sixty jackdaws, young and old, searching 

 for grubs on a Bure-side marsh. Most of these 

 were locally-bred birds, at least a score having 

 been hatched in the parish church steeple. 



