VOL. XV.] NOTES. 4S 



LITTLE OWL IN LANCASHIRE. 



On April 5th, 1921, I came across a very small Owl close to the 

 sand-hills at Formby, and had a very good view of it through 

 field-glasses at about ten yards' distance, as it flitted from one 

 bush to another in broad daylight. Its back was brown, a 

 little darker than that of a Thrush [Turdus phUomelus), its 

 breast dusky, its wing-coverts barred with white and its 

 eyes golden. I conclude that it must have been a Little 

 Owl {Athene noctua mira) ; the only other Owls I know of in 

 this district are the Barn- and Long-eared Owls. 



Thos. L. S. Dooly. 



[This appears to be the first Little Owl recorded from 

 Lancashire for very many years and the first since its successful 

 introduction into England. — Eds.] 



MERLIN BREEDING IN DEVONSHIRE. 



In view of the statement in the Practical Handbook (Vol. IL, 

 p. no), that the Merlin [Falco c. cesalon) is only " said to have 

 bred Exmoor," I may mention that on June i8th, 1921, I 

 found a pair of these birds breeding in a remote upland valley 

 on Exmoor (Devon). The site chosen was an old Carrion- 

 Crow's nest in a hawthorn about 12 ft. from the ground. 

 There were two young birds a few days old, and two addled 

 eggs. The hill rose sharply behind the tree, and by climbing 

 a few yards one could look almost into the nest. Near at 

 hand in this same httle valley Buzzards, Kestrels, and two 

 pairs of Carrion-Crows were nesting in similar positions in 

 thorn trees. W. Walmesley White. 



DIVE OF THE GOOSANDER. 



The dive-periods of a Goosander {Mergus merganser), an 

 adult male, which I had under observation from May 4th to 

 1 1 th near Lancaster, were twenty-five seconds down and ten up. 

 The dives never varied more than a second either way, except 

 when the bird captured a fish which it brought to the surface 

 and dived with again immediately ; reappearing from three 

 to six seconds with the fish still in its bill it proceeded to get 

 it down its gullet, this taking various periods according to 

 the size of the fish. The water was of a considerable and 

 uniform depth, being just above a weir. Although the bird 

 was stoned every evening by local anglers, it never made any 

 attempt to escape the missiles by flying or diving, but merely 

 dodged them by swimming. " ' H. W. Robinson. 



