VOL. XIII.] ' NOTES. 161 



MIGRATION OF FIELDFARE FROM FINLAND TO 

 SOUTH OF FRANCE. 



On January 7th, 1914, a Fieldfare {Titrdus pilaris) was shot 

 west of Toulouse in the Department of Gers in south-west 

 France, which bore upon its leg one of Professor Palmen's 

 rings numbered 386. 



On making enquiries it was found that the bird was 

 marked by J. Snellman, in the Parish of Jomala on the Aland 

 Islands, Finland, on June 4th, 1913, the distance between the 

 two places being about 2,220 kilometres, and the time after 

 marking just over seven months. The information of the 

 recovery was sent by M. Gourdon Auguste, of Monguillem, 

 Gers. H. W. Robinson. 



COMBAT BETWEEN HEDGE-SPARROW AND HOUSE- 

 SPARROW. 



During this summer a scene occurred which showed the 

 comparative fighting capabilities of the House-Sparrow 

 {Passer d. domesticus) and the Hedge-Sparrow {Prunella m. 

 occidentalis) . Two of the latter regularly bathe in a pan put 

 in the garden for birds to drink from during hot weather, and 

 one day when one approached the pan it was occupied by a 

 House -Sparrow. A regular fight started, mostly in the pan 

 or on the edge of it, lasting about two minutes, which ended 

 in the defeat of the House-Sparrow, the Hedge-Sparrow's 

 beak being, it would seem, better suited for aggressive peck- 

 ing. Since then all House-Sparrows have, so far as I have 

 seen, declined battle and retired on the approach of either 

 Hedge-Sparrow. Frederick D. Welch. 



LATE THIRD BROOD OF SWALLOWS. 

 A PAIR of Swallows {Hirimdo r. rttstica) had a third brood in 

 the same nest this year (1919) in one of my out-houses at 

 Didsbury. I was away from home the week the young were 

 hatched, but on October 6th they left the nest and to-day, 

 October 15th, the five young and their parents were hawking 

 in the rain and sleet. The cold was intense and the young 

 eventually came into the house-porch for shelter, but on the 

 weather clearing up they were soon out again. 



Herbert Massey. 



NUMBERS IN SWALLOW BROODS IN 1919. 



Having published the percentage of broods of Swallows 

 {Hirundo r. rustica) for several years in British Birds, I again 



