330 BRITISH BIRDS. 



Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia). 

 A specimen in dirty and abraded plumage was shot near 

 Dingle, co. Kerry, on December 22nd, 1909. 



Hybrid Alias boscas X Anas strepera. 

 A beautiful male hybrid between a Mallard and a Gadwall 

 was shot near Kells, co. Meath, on February 5th, 1910. 

 Corn-Crake (Crex pratensis). 

 An example shot at Malahide, co. Dublin, on January 

 20th, 1910, was probably one of a late brood. The dark brown 

 down showed conspicuously under the feathers ; the bird was 

 in good condition but small, its wings were perfect, and it 

 was flushed from the bank of a river. 



Little Auks (Mergulus alle). 

 Several were picked up exhausted during the month of 

 January, 1910, in several counties : Queen's Co., cos. Sligo, 

 Tipperary, Mayo and Galway. 



W. J. Williams. 



ACTIONS OF THE ALPINE ACCENTOR. 



I recently watched an Alpine Accentor (Accentor collaris) 

 in Switzerland, and noticed particularly that it ran and did 

 not hop. My companion, a good observer, agreed with me. 

 I was therefore surprised on looking up the bird later in 

 Howard Saunders' " Manual " to see that he says : "... it 

 undoubtedly hops and does not run, as some writers have 

 asserted. . . ." 



It is so rare to find an apparent inaccuracy, however slight, 

 in the " Manual " that it would be interesting to know what 

 others who know the Alpine Accentor have observed. 



F. Russell. 



[The bird may possibly both walk and hop ; the Hedge- 

 Sparrow certainly hops when it wishes to traverse any 

 considerable space, but it undoubtedly frequently moves short 

 distances by putting one leg before the other and progresses 

 by a walk rather than a run. — H. F. W.] 



BREEDING-HABITS OF THE SISKIN IN IRELAND. 



In reply to the Rev. Allan Ellison's letter in the February 

 number oi British Birds (p. 300) I wish to say that I never 

 questioned the fact that the Siskin bred in April ; I have seen 

 Siskins feeding young early in May, for several years past, 

 near Dungarvan, co. Waterford ; all these were April layings. 



