NOTES AND QUERIES. 2638 
only record one specimen in the ‘ Birds of Guernsey’ from a note by 
Mr. Harvie Brown in ‘The Zoologist,’ and there is no mention of it in 
Professor Ansted’s list. This bird was reported to me some time ago as a 
Tern, also as an Ivory Gull; so I thought it better not to record it till I 
had seen it myself. I saw little else on my visit worth mentioning; the 
Shags on the cliffs had all hatched some time when I saw them from the 
Ist to the 8th of June, but not one of the Herring Gulls, though all those 
I saw were sitting hard. Kentish Plovers seem to have decreased in 
numbers ; we saw a few about the bay in the Vale and on the shell-beach 
at Herm, but found no eggs. There were a few Common Terns about 
Jettoo; and I picked up one Turnstone in full breeding plumage in Grand 
Havre dead and rather high. On the passage home we saw a large flock of 
Gannets fishing about seven or eight miles off Portland; they were mostly 
immature birds in different stages of plumage, though some were appa- 
rently adult birds, being all white, except the black primaries; others were 
in the dark plumage of the young birds, and others had only the head 
white, the rest of the body being in the dark plumage of the young bird, 
with apparently no white feathers mixed with the dark ones. — CrciL 
SmitH (Bishop’s Lydeard, Taunton). 
Sparrow attacking a Willow Wren— When in my kitchen-garden this 
morning (June 16th), I saw two birds scuffling under a currant-bush about 
ten yards off, which proved to be a Sparrow and a Willow Wren, the latter 
crying out most pitifully. Ina second or two the Sparrow got hold of it and 
flew about ten yards, when both came to the ground. The Sparrow then 
rose and carried the Wren about fifteen yards, falling into a thick hedge, 
where I dashed after them. I could hear the cries of the Willow Wren till 
I got quite near. On looking into the hedge the Sparrow (a male) flew up 
into a fir-tree, where he rubbed his bill on a branch in a most satisfied way, 
but I could not find the Wren. I then ran into the house and got my 
specimen-gun, and shot, I believe, the same Sparrow; and on the report of 
‘the gun the Wren flew out of the bottom of the hedge and away, not much hurt. 
If the Sparrow to his many other bad qualities is going to add these Shrike- 
like accomplishments, I for one shall give mine a good “ thinning-down.” 
During spring and autumn every bird is protected here, but I now strike 
Passer domesticus off the list.—J. WuirakErR (Rainworth Lodge, Notts). 
Swans’ Nests.—In March last two Swans came on the water here from 
the lake below the house, and in a day or two commenced to build on the 
island. When the nest was finished one began to lay, and on leaving the 
nest each morning the other performed the duty of the male. After laying 
eight eggs (which I took, not wanting them to breed, and having an idea 
they were both hens), the other bird took to the nest, and I found every 
other morning two eggs, both laid in one night, as I looked every day ; they 
laid eight more, then stopped, and both were on and off the nest for a fort- 
