The Zoologist — January, 1868. 1033 



principal ingredient: one nest, which I have, is a double one, one 

 having been built on the top of the other, giving it altogether a depth of 

 eight inches. What can have been the motive for this? Perhaps the first 

 nest was too near the water. The note of this species is, to my ears, 

 more harsh and less varied than that of its relative, the sedge 

 warbler, being composed almost entirely of the " chit, chit, churrit, 

 churr it," often continued for a length of time, and without the imitated 

 notes of other birds, which is so pleasing in the song of the sedge 

 warbler. 



Siskin. — July 3. I have just learned that a pair of siskins have this 

 year built a nest, and hatched and reared their young, in the garden of 

 the Vicar of Oving, near Chichester. 



Meadow and Tree Pipits. — July 28. The meadow pipit is now 

 migrating. Although this species breeds on and in the vicinity of 

 our Downs, as well as on the sea-coast, even numerously on the bed 

 of shingle between Pagham Harbour and the main sea, it is rarely that 

 they do so in the flat lowlands intervening, and their "tit, tit, tit" — a 

 note seldom heard in the breeding season-— now sounds fresh and 

 pleasing to the ear of the ornithologist. The tree pipit is heard passing 

 over about the same time. I first noticed its sharp note on the 29th 

 of July, and heard it frequently until the end of August. 



Ray's Wagtail. — Passing over from the 11th of August until the 1st 

 of September. Once heard as late as the 5th of October. 



Sand Martin, Swift and Nightjar. — My note-book records the 

 sand martin numerous, at various times from the 23rd of August lo the 

 6th of October. A light-coloured (nearly white) specimen was shot 

 here on the 31st of August, and is now in my collection. The other 

 sand martins were mobbing it at the time it was shot. On the 28th of 

 August 1 saw a solitary swift near Pagham Harbour, and on the 19th 

 of September another, and also a nightjar at Bognor. 



Shieldrake. — A bird of the year shot in Pagham Harbour about the 

 28th of August : it was in company with some domestic geese, and 

 showed considerable reluctance in separating from them. 



Ruff and other Waders. — An example of the ruff, in immature 

 plumage, occurred at Pagham about the 28th of August. Other 

 waders observed at this period were the oystercatcher, gray and ringed 

 plovers, turnstone, knot, common sandpiper, redshank, dunlin, curlew 

 sandpiper and little stint; also two little stints were shot there on the 

 1st of October. A blacktailed godwit at Bosham. on the 11th of 

 September. 



SECOND SERIES— VOL. III. C 



