OCCASIONAL NOTES. Q27 
On skinning and dissecting them I found that my surmise as to sex was 
incorrect, for all three proved to be females, having eggs in the ovaries 
varying in size from No.8 to B shot.—Roserr Warren (Moyview, 
Ballina, Co. Mayo). 
Tur Arrractive Power or Lieut on Brrps.—I have a very curious 
instance to give you of the attractive power of bright lights on birds. On 
or about August 29th, 1876, the officers of one of Her Majesty's regiments 
were seated at mess at Dover, and, the night being warm, the windows 
were open, when, to their great astonishment, they saw numbers of small 
birds coming in, while they were sitting at dinner. The building in which 
they were stands high up on the Castle Cliff, and any migrants journeying 
over the sea or along the shore would readily be attracted by it, when 
brilliantly lighted up, as it was on this occasion. A regular hunt ensued, 
and about a hundred birds were presently caught. Whether that was all, 
or whether any got away, my informant did not know. A few which were 
brought to him to name were Common Redstarts and Garden Warblers, 
and from the description of the officers it appeared that some of the others 
were Wagtails. On the same night the Swifts were affected in the same 
way as the small birds which flew into the officers’ mess-room. My father, 
who chanced to be passing through Dover, was sleeping at the Lord Warden 
Hotel, and in his sitting-room was a chandelier of gas, and three times 
Swifts, attracted by the glare of it, flew against the panes of glass. I have 
no doubt it was a dark night, but it was not observed to be unusually so, 
and no note was taken of the direction of the wind, or whether it was foggy 
or not.—J. H. Gurney, Jun. (Northrepps, Norwich). 
Prep Frycatcuer anp Brack Repstart 1n Somerset.—A Pied Fly- 
catcher was killed near Williton in April, and brought to me for identification 
in September last. Perhaps I should have heard of it sooner had there not 
been some possible “ qualms of conscience” about the Bird Act. This bird 
so seldom occurs in this part of the county—in fact, I think only one 
Somerset specimen has been noted in ‘ The Zoologist’ since Mr. Haddon’s 
was obtained near Taunton some time before 1871—that I am very sceptical 
as to the correctness of Mr. Crotch’s note on its breeding in this county, in 
the ‘Proceedings’ of the Somersetshire Archeological and Natural History 
Society. The Black Redstart is by no means so uncommon, especially 
along the coast, where I think it may be considered a regular, though never 
a numerous, autumnal visitant. The bird in question, an adult female, was 
taken in the town of Taunton about the 14th November, and kept alive for 
a short time by its captor, but he does not appear to have known much 
about it, for he fed it on hemp-seed, and consequently starved it. It was 
eventually brought to me for identification minus the head, which had been 
eaten by the cat.—Cxcrt Surrx (Bishop's Lydeard, Taunton). 
