OCCASIONAL NOTES. 387 
little black pool, I discovered the birds we were in search of. They seemed 
not the least alarmed at our presence, being, I suppose, accustomed to the 
keeper’s boat. They swam rapidly along within ten yards of us, the old 
bird and three young. There had been five, but something had destroyed 
them; the keeper blamed the big eels, of which there are quantities in the 
pond. I left the man here, landing close by the old cottage, and walked 
across the heath down towards the harbour. About thirty Curlews got up 
from the top of the hill as I came up over the brow. ‘The keeper had 
previously informed me of their breeding in the vicinity of the pond. As 
I got within a quarter of a mile of the beach my attention was attracted by 
some small white object running rapidly along the turf, which had been cut 
for peat. I soon made it out to be a Ringed Plover, and after a little 
search discovered its four eggs, in a very poor apology for a nest, on the 
bare turf at least three hundred yards from the water. I came out upon 
the shore close to a long tongue of gravel, the end of which was absolutely 
covered with birds, of two kinds only—Herring Gulls and Cormorants. As 
I approached the Gulls flew off, while the Shags walked slowly into the 
water, swam across a small creek and waddled out on the mud, with a look 
of lazy unconcern, which was justified by the extreme heat of the day. 
A pair of Oystercatchers, with their shrill cries and prettily contrasted 
plumage, accompanied me on my walk back to the boat, while a handsome- 
looking Shieldrake, whose nest was probably in one of the numerous rabbit- 
holes near the beach, flew uneasily round my head, and was no doubt 
relieved to see the brown sail of our una-boat hoisted to a favourable 
breeze.—T. M. Pix (Westport, Wareham). 
Rine Ovzet Nustine nvark Matvern.—This bird has nested on the 
North Hills this summer, and has succeeded in rearing its young. On 
two other occasions the Ring Ouzel has nested on the hills, but in both 
cases a mishap prevented the hatching.—Isaac Harpine (10, Lansdown 
Crescent, Malvern). 
Scarcity oF THE Corn Craxe IN THE West oF Enatanp.—A few 
_ years since I wrote to ‘The Field’ on the almost complete disappearance 
of the Corn Crake in the West of England, where it used to be one of the 
commonest of our spring migrants. I was not led to do so from the 
phenomena of an exceptional season, but from the observation that year by 
year the Corn Crake was surely deserting us, and many meadows and 
clover fields which used to be vocal with its familiar “ crake, crake ” 
seemed destined to re-echo those sounds of spring no more. At Lundy 
Island Corn Crakes used to assemble in large numbers in September on 
their autumnal migration, and afforded good sport for a few days. The 
Rev. H. G. Heaven tells me that Corn Crakes are now rarely seen on that 
island. The last place where I came across these birds in any number in 
the West of England was Dartmoor, and here in August I found them on 
