The Zoologist— October, 1867. 947 



little doubt but that it was S. aquatica. To be sure, however, that I 

 was not mistaken, I sent the bird for examination to the Rev. H. B. 

 Tristram, who is so well acquainted with the Avifauna of Europe. 



To my note which accompanied it, his reply was as follows: — 

 " There is no doubt about your Salicaria aquatica. It is not in full 

 plumage, and therefore may be a bird of the year. The mature bird 

 in breeding plumage has not the spots on the breast and flanks. There 

 is no difference between the sexes." 



The specific characters of this bird, as pointed out by Dr. Bree, are 

 as follows: — "A large band of yellowish white or yellow over the 

 eyes; on the head two large longitudinal black bands separated by a 

 reddish yellow band; the under tail-coverts and the rump marked with 

 oblong blackish spots ; tarsi flesh-colour." 



To the history of this species which may be found in the work just 

 referred to (vol. ii., p. 80) may be added the following interesting note 

 from Mr. Tristram : — "The nest of S. aquatica, which I have several 

 times taken in Africa, is rather like that of S. luscinoides, of one 

 material throughout, not suspended like the reed warbler's, but placed 

 in the fork or leaf-joint of a big reed or cane in the centre of a swamp. 

 The nest is small, lined with horse-hair, and interlaced with the 

 stem." 



It only remains for me to add that the subject of this memoir was 

 obtained in the neighbourhood of Loughborough, Leicestershire, 

 during the summer of 1864, and was forwarded to me by a friend 

 under the impression that it was a grasshopper warbler. 



When we consider that S. aquatica is known to breed on the 

 opposite shores of Holland, and is found in the marshes about Lille 

 and Dieppe, we are only surprised that it is not a more frequent visitor 

 to Great Britain than it appears to be. On the other hand, its general 

 resemblance in size and colour to other well-known species, when seen 

 at a little distance, would naturally cause it to be overlooked. 



„. , J. E. Haktinol 



Kingsbury, Middlesex. 



August, 1867. 



Nesting of the Peregrine in Yorkshire.— It may interest some Yorkshire ornitholo- 

 gists to kuow that the peregrine has nested this year near Flamborongh. Some egg- 

 climbers that I fell in with, duiing a walking tour on the east coast in June, informed 

 me that two nests had been found, one of which contained two young ones. When I 

 spoke doubtfully, and suggested that it might be some other species, one of the men 

 described it with some emphasis as " the hunting hawk with yellow legs." One or two 



