The Zoologist— October, 1871. 2803 



with regard to the green sandpipers, which did not leave till a fortnight later 

 and ,hzch go far north to breed. The bluewinged teal iAnas quer.uedula] 

 commenced coming m durmg the first week of August : it is by far the mos 

 numerous duck .n this part of the country, comes earliest and remains 

 bnges . As the garganey has been found breeding as far south as Moul- 

 mem (Burmah), I have no doubt that its breeding-haunts may yet be 

 found n. some parts of this country. The glossy ibis ought to arrive in 

 another fortmght.-.l Anderson; FuUelujurh, N.W. ProvLes, Aurjust 20, 



JT'""^ ^fgtt Of Birds at Plymouth. -A gloomy and oppressive 

 afeinoon on the 11th mstant was followed, at nine o'clock at night, by 

 a heavy thunder storm, accompanied by torrents of rain and a fresh bree/e 

 from the south-west The storm continued for a little more than an ho^' 

 when the ram ceased, but the night was intensely dark. Between ten and ■ 



dunhn , common sandpipers, and a few redshanks, appeared to be passin.^ 

 over Plymouth m a south-westerly direction. The flights came from th^ 



ZtT\ f ' I ^f '''''' ^"^"^'""S ^^"-^ *^^^ q--^^^-' -til they 



weie directly overhead, then dying away to the south-westward as the birds 



fhe iTiT ;i f ''"f ''"' °' '''''' ""'''' "^^^ ^^^^^-^^^ attracted by 

 and f r ; ' '"' ''""'' ^^'"§ °^"- ^ ^^"^-^ they wheeled round 



and returned, and so met and mingled with other advanced flights, and 

 became confused and quarrelsome, for every now and again their cries were 

 oudei and expressed m angry and clamorous tones. Occasionally there 

 seemed to be a break in the flight, the cries dying away altogether ; this was 

 however, but for a shoi. time, as they were so°on to'be hLd again n the 

 distance. How long these flights took in passing over I cannot say: 



addition to the species mentioned above, I detected the notes of the yellow 

 wagtail.-(?.r.«.. F. Mathew ; AdmlraUy House, Devonport, Septemher SI, 



Rare Birds in Nottinghamshire.- We have had a great many hawfinches 



n the gardens here this summer: I have killed six, and my brother 



has counted eleven all at one time: they frequented the peas and 



have been three or four nests: these birds are rare in Nottinghamshire 

 An osprey was caught iii a hawk-trap at Clipstone Park; and a fine pere: 

 gme falcon shot near Mansfield. A squacco heron was caught by a keeper 

 at Bestwood Park, in this county; it had been previously bounded X 

 wing, and, after flying a httle way, was caught in someLng gra s on h 



Ztf "t;' ^^ " ^°°t ^'""'^°^' ^"' ^^"-^^^^^"^^ -th the^drscriptiL in 

 Morris. The squacco heron is rare in England, and this is the first 



