28 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
Nore on THE Prep Waerart.—A friend, writing to me on the 5th 
December, mentioned a circumstance in the economy of our Water Wagtail 
which may interest your readers. “A pair of these Wagtails did a thing 
this summer which I should imagine to be unusual—they built in an old 
rick of faggots which had not been touched for two years, and reared a brood. 
Before the brood had left the nest the old birds took possession of an old 
nest near by in the same rick, laid their eggs, and reared a second brood, 
continuing to feed the first brood during the second operation of incubation. 
Before the second brood had flown off, the first had quitted the nest, and 
the old pair immediately returned to it, and, without deserting the second 
brood, proceeded to lay for a third time. There was every prospect of a 
third hatching, but the bird was disturbed,—one of the eggs broken in the 
nest,—which caused it to be forsaken. Is this an unusual thing? It seems 
to me a very curious instinct, very anti-Malthusian, and, in a bird with so 
few natural enemies, uncalled for, the determination to rear such a lot of 
progeny.” —E. H. Ropp (Penzance). 
Srorrep RepsHank IN THE Counry Mayo.— A Spotted Redshank 
visited us last autumn, and haunted the shores of the Moy Estuary for 
some weeks in October and November; but owing to the very stormy 
weather we had then I was unable to make any attempt to secure it. The 
first intimation I had of its presence in the locality was early in Oetober, 
when on two occasions I heard a faint call like that of the Spotted Red- 
shank, but too indistinct to be recognized with certainty. However, on the 
3rd November, when returning from Bartragh in my punt, I again heard 
the same peculiar call, sufficiently near-and distinct to be clearly recognized, 
and shortly afterwards I saw the bird flying very high in the direction of 
Bartragh. On the 10th I heard it frequently calling amongst the islands 
at Rozerk, and on the 17th I fell in with it on the Moyview shore, feeding 
with some Common Redshanks, and had such a good view of it through a 
glass that I was able to see most distinctly the dark line between the bill 
and eye, which would have enabled me to identify the species, even if I had 
not heard its call— Roprerr Warren (Moyview, Ballina). 
SPARROWHAWES FLockinc.—One bright afternoon, about the 8th or 9th 
September, on the heaths bordering Hants and Dorset, my attention was 
attracted by a noise which resembled the “ weet, weet, weet” of the 
Wryneck. On first hearing it I was at a loss to know from whence the 
sound proceeded; but I was not long in doubt, for on looking up I saw far 
above my head, in the clear bright sunshine, a number of birds playing 
with and chasing each other in rapid circular flights, very gracefully 
executed, uttermg at the same time the cry above alluded to. The birds 
proved to be nine Sparrowhawks, two of which seemed considerably less in 
size than the others, but all possessed equal powers of wing. Upon enquiry 
