NOTES. 245 



days (E. L. Gill, Zool., 1908, p. 394). One was " lately" shot 

 near Land's End (H. Welch, Field, 24, x., 08, p. 721). 



Mallard Hatching m October. — A Wild Duck hatched 

 out thirteen young in the middle of October at Thames Ditton 

 (R. Porter, Field, 24, x., 08, p. 721). 



Probable Nesting of the Gad wall in Scotland. — Two 

 pairs of Anas strepera were under observation in a certain 

 loch in the east of Scotland this year from the middle of May 

 until the end of June, and they were doubtless nesting there 

 (W. Evans, Ann. S.N.H., 1908, p. 254). 



Increase of Shovelers in Tiree. — Reported to be 

 increasing yearly as a breeding species (P. Anderson, Ann. 

 S.N.H., 1908, p. 252). 



Marked Teal. — A hand-reared Teal marked at Netherby, 

 Cumberland, this year, was shot on Lough Derg on September 

 28th (R. Graham, Field, 24, x., 08, p. 745). 



Garganey in Shetland. — A male Querquedula circia is 

 reported from Baltasound on April 14th, 1907 {Ann. S.N.H., 

 1908, p. 200). 



Pallas's Sand-Grouse in Yorkshire. — Two records of 

 a few birds each have been reported {antea, pp. 98 and 134) 

 of Syrrhaptes paradoxus in Yorkshire during the recent 

 irruption of this bird. Mr. W. H. St. Quintin now records 

 {Naturalist, 1908, p. 420) that a flock of 30 to 40 was noticed 

 early in June near Knapton. A considerable number remained 

 at any rate until the beginning of October. The flock appears 

 never to have broken up into pairs, although it certainly 

 decreased, and there is no evidence that the birds ever 

 attempted to breed. 



Pratincole at the Flannan Islands. — An adult female 

 Glareola pratincola was obtained on July 13th, 1908, at this 

 out-of-the-way spot. It is the third example of the species 

 obtained in Scotland (W. Eagle Clarke, Ann. S.N.H., 1908, 

 p. 256). 



The Position of the Ear in the Woodcock. — In the 

 October issue of the " Ibis " Mr. W. P. Pycraft contributes 

 a short paper on the position of the ear in the Woodcock, 

 in the course of which he controverts the contention of 

 Professor D'Arcy Thomson, that the peculiar conditions which 

 prevail in the matter of the position of the ear in the Scolo- 

 pacidce are due to the shifting of the beak in relation to the 

 base of the skull. Mr. Pycraft now shows that the matter 

 is not thus to be explained ; but, on the contrary, is due to 

 the shortening of the base of the skull, which has had the 



