36 BRITISH BIRDS. 



" Ticehurst, Tenterden," and a register number, and the ring is- 

 put round one of the legs. Should any of my birds be met 

 with by any readers of British Birds will they kindly return 

 the ring and the leg to me, stating the locality and the date 



' C. B. Ticehurst, 



Hurstbourne, Tenterden, Kent. 



^ ^ ^ 



A Timetable of Bird Song. — Mr. W. Gyngell, in a short 

 article [Nat., 1908, pp. 181-4) gives the result of his observations 

 on the duration of the song of thirty-six species of birds in 

 the Scarborough district. The results are shown by means of 

 a table of curves, which, however convenient, does not give 

 sufficient detail to make the observations as valuable as they 

 might have been. Comparing this table with the Messrs. 

 Alexander's observations lately published in this magazine 

 (c/. Vol. I., pp. 367-372) it is interesting to note that Mr. 

 Gyngell generally records a shorter song-period for resident 

 birds in Scarborough than Messrs. Alexander in Kent and 

 Sussex. Summer migrants appear to sing later in the north 

 than they do in the south. According to Mr. Gyngell, also 

 most of the resident birds make a considerable break in their 

 song in the autumn, whereas Messrs. Alexander record 

 occasional singing at this period. 



Short-eared Owls in the Isle of Man. — In connection 

 with Mr. W. J. Williams' note {ante Vol. I., p. 358) with regard 

 to the influx of Short-eared Owls {Asio accipitrinus) into 

 Ireland in the autumn of 1907. it is interesting to note that the 

 bird was common in the Isle of Man in the same season, nearly 

 a dozen being put up in one turnip field {cf. P. G. Ralfe, 

 Nat., 1908, p. 169). 



HoNEY-BuzzARD IN NoRTH Wales. — Mr. C. D. Head 

 records that he has a male Pernis apivorus shot at Abergele 

 on October 15th, 1907 {Zool, 1908, p. 156). 



Bitterns in Hampshire. — Mr. C. B. Corbin notes that 

 two or three examples of Botaurus stellaris frequented the 

 reed-beds of the Avon in the last winter {Zool., 1908, p. 157). 



Supposed Spoonbill in go. Limerigk. — Mr. H. G. O. 

 Bridgeman writes that a local farmer near Foynes described 

 a bird which he had shot on the estuary of the Shannon in 

 the frost of 1905 as being " all white, and had legs long hke 

 the crane {i.e., Heron), and had a bill what got bigger as it 

 got out, and flat like" {Irish Nat., 1908, p. 101). We can 

 but agree with Mr. Bridgeman that this sounds like a very 

 honest, if quaint, description of Platalea leucorodia. 



