VOL. vra.] NOTES. 151 



which I read in my haste as " More since 1908." I have 

 already said that I had to work out the Land-Rail report 

 with regrettable haste, and to this I must add that when the 

 proofs came I was away from home, and was not able to 

 refer to the original papers for verification of my statements. 

 All this is not, of course, intended as an excuse, but merely 

 as an explanation ; such an error is not excusable. I 

 apologize most sincerely to Mr. Wade and to all the readers 

 of British Birds. — H. G. Alexander.] 



. In Oxfordshire. 



On September 4th, after reading the Report on the Land-Rail 

 in British Birds, I asked my bailiff if he had heard or seen 

 any this year and he replied in the negative. Oddly enough, 

 in the afternoon when some oats were being cut no less 

 than five were flushed. I did not see them myself, but 

 have no doubt, from what I am told, that some at all events 

 were young birds. The field in which the birds were is in 

 the parish of Sarsden, about three miles S.S.E. from Chipping 

 Norton. Moreton. 



MOORHEN COVERING EGGS. 



I HAVE followed the correspondence on this subject with 

 much interest, as for several years I had ample opportunities 

 of observing the nesting habits of these birds in Hampshire, 

 and made special notes when the eggs were covered. It was 

 certainly not a common occurrence in the locality to which 

 my observations were confined. Unfortunately having lost 

 many of my notes, the following deals with only thirteen 

 nests which were observed with special care, so as not to 

 startle the sitting bird before she had time to cover the eggs. 

 Of these thirteen, three had the eggs covered, and a fourth 

 was doubtful, because the nest was composed of flags so 

 loosely put together that they blew about and thus made 

 it difficult to judge if the bird actually pulled them over 

 the eggs. I am sure this proportion of covered eggs in 

 nests, viz., three, or at the most four, out of thirteen, does 

 not at all represent the correct proportion, because I seldom 

 made a note of nests in which the eggs were uncovered. 

 I feel confident therefore that only a small percentage of 

 the nests were left by the birds with the eggs covered over 

 with herbage. 



Sometimes a nest was found with the eggs covered, though 

 later on during incubation the eggs were uncovered, but the 

 surrounding herbage was pulled over so as to form an arch. 



