VOL. XIV] NOTES. 270 



time, has been frequently noted, and on some occasions very 

 large gatherings have been observed. Thus F. S. Mitchell 

 {Zool., 1881, p. 193) counted 450 Pied Wagtails passing into 

 a high tree, which was already swarming with them, in 

 Lancashire. Mr. Wallis's note [antea, p. 258) reminds me 

 that similar gatherings have also been noted during earty 

 spring, though I am not aware of any published observations 

 on this point. On February 25th, 1917, Mr. G. Tickner saw 

 18 Pied Wagtails resting on the pathway by the Botanical 

 Gardens, at Oxford, at 5.20 p.m. Suddenly a stream of 

 birds descended almost perpendicularly — not less than 200 

 in number — and covered the path and the adjoining bushes. 

 They remained absolutely still on alighting, but after an 

 interval of nearly half an hour rose and flew off. Quite three- 

 quarters of these bird appeared to be males. Earl 3^ in February 

 1920 about 20 Pied \Vagtails came every evening to roost 

 in the i\'y-covered pillars which border the Clarendon Quad- 

 rangle, at Oxford. They continued to arrive in increasing 

 numbers and about February 20th over 100 were counted 

 by Mr. Tickner. From this time the numbers fluctuated 

 from day to day, but towards the end of February and in 

 March there were seldom fewer than 80 present. On March 

 14th, at 9.50 p.m., some alarm caused the birds to leave 

 their roosting place, and for a short time the street was full of 

 them, but they did not return. As on the previous occasion, 

 the greater part of these birds consisted of males. 



F. C. R. JOURDAIX, 



MARSH-HARRIER ON THE WELSH BORDER. 



Ox the afternoon of March 24th, 1921, I saw a Marsh-Harrier 

 [Circus ieruginosits) flying along a boggy hollow through 

 which runs the brook di\dding Shropshire and Montgomery- 

 shire, just below ]\Iiddletown Station. "On describing the 

 bird to the stationmaster, Mr. T. IManning, I learnt that he 

 had seen it about a week earlier in the same place. I was 

 there again on the 28th, but did not catch sight of it : the 

 weather then was cold, wet and misty. It is over thirty 

 years since the Marsh -Harrier was recorded in this district. 



H. E. Forrest. 



STONE-CURLEW IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 



The latest definite reference given in Hartert'sand Jourdain's 

 Birds of Buckinghamshire, etc., for the Stone-Curlew (Biirhiniis 

 ce. cedicnemus) in the Chilterns is 1914, when it was breeding 

 in Saunderton district {British Birds, Vol. VIII., p. 121). 



