1456 The Zoologist — November, 1868. 



almost instantaneously peopled with thousands of golden plover, where a short ten 

 minutes before only a solitary gull or two were to be seen. Some of the dunlins shot 

 to-day still retain a considerable portion of tbe black-breasted plumage. Only one 

 individual dunlin to-day bad an unusually long bill, and there was a decided huffish 

 mark on its breast, which, for the moment, made me think I had got a curlew sand- 

 piper. These long-billed dunlins are certainly rarities, and I fancy even more un- 

 common than the very short-billed birds, which are found breeding in the North. Do 

 dunlins breed in any numbers in Wales 01 in any of the midland counties of England? 

 It would be interesting to examine specimens which have been shot there in the 

 breeding-season, and to compare the length of their bills with those shot during the 

 breeding-season in tbe different districts further uortb. 



September 15. To-day we got twelve knots, three golden plovers, and dunlins. Saw 

 one bird 1 took for a sanderling: this seems a rare bird on our coast, probably owing 

 to the general want of sandy beaches, the "shell-bank" at Grangemouth being the 

 only thing of the kind between this and Queensferry. At the latter place there is a 

 sandy bay on which the shells are thrown up in regular rows, and is known, or was 

 known, as " tbe bank where shelly-coat shook himself." 



September 16. To-day we got six knots, one bartailed godwit, one golden plover 

 and dunlins. Saw two greenshauks — very wild : recognized them first by their cry 

 and then by their flight, in both of which they considerably differ from their congener 

 the redshank, as well as in their greatly superior size. Five herons were to-day as 

 well as yesterday feeding out on the "slink," as were on each day some five or six 

 oystercatchers. Two small flocks of terns crossed over our heads on each day when 

 the tide was about half full : some bad the adult black head, but most had the white 

 or grayish frontlet of the immature plumage. (Several in the latter plumage, and 

 shot at Queensferry, came into Mr. Small's shop in Edinburgh shortly after this). We 

 killed an apparently adult bird, but it fell out at sea. Two male pochards, along witli 

 some five or six females, were several times seen, and once came within 150 yards of us. 

 Great blackbacked gulls, both in adult and immature plumage, were occasionally seen, 

 and I watched one magnificent fellow through my glass, as he rested on the water, 

 between us and Bo'ness (contracted for Borrowstouness). Wind to-day, as on the two 

 previous days, easterly, and tides very high. At full tide we were standing up to our 

 ankles in water, the whole of the shell-bank being covered. — John A. Harvie Brown; 

 Dunipace House, Falkirk, October 1, 1868. 



An Usurper. — I was not aware before this year that any birds, except the house 

 martin and tbe sand martin, were subject to the annoying interference of tbe sparrow, 

 while engaged in the work of nidification. Last April I found tbe nest of a sparrow 

 in a holly-bush, founded on the nest of a song thrush. The thrush's nest contained 

 two eggs when the sparrow began to build. The pair of thrushes of course aban- 

 doned the spot when they found their nest covered with straw and roots. The two 

 blue eggs were entire when T removed the nest of the sparrow. — Geo. Roberts ; Loft- 

 house, near Wakefield, September 29, 1868. 



Egyptian Vulture near Colchester. — On the 28th of September last the labourer 

 who had charge of au off-hand farm of Mr. Woollard, of Stanway Hall, situated at 

 Peldon, Essex, had been killing his Michaelmas geese. On going some time after 

 into the yard where said geese had been slaughtered, he saw a strange bird feeding 

 upon the blood. The bird flew away, and the man loaded his gun. Presently tbe 



