124 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



beneath tbe skin of the neck and along the sternum. With great care I 

 managed to disengage the bill, and although the bird seemed nearly dead 

 from strangulation, I laid it down in a safe place, hopiug it might recover 

 by the time I came back. I returned to the spot in a couple of hours, 

 when I found the bird had disappeared, probably not much the worse for 

 its singular misadventure. No doubt it had been busy preening itself when 

 its sharp beak happened to transfix the skin, and of course during its 

 efforts to withdraw it the beak only penetrated further and farther under 

 the skin.— Fkkdickick Long (Wells next the Sea, Norfolk). 



Varieties of the Wheatear and Siskin.— From tbe description given 

 (Zool. 1882, p. 352) of the variety of the Wheatear shot in Kirkcudbright- 

 shire, 1 would suggest that it may be merely a young bird in a certain 

 state of plumage, for it corresponds almost exactly with one which I shot 

 some time ago, and which was, I think, certainly a young bird changing 

 its first feathers for the winter plumage. My father lias a variety of the 

 male S i r> k i 1 1 which curiously resembles that recorded at p. 368, as having 

 "a white instead of a black cap to its head," his bird having the cap 

 almost entirely yellow. — J. H. Gukney, Jun. (Northrepps, Norwich). 



Building Sites of House Martin. — As Mr. Young has noted (p. 34) 

 instances of tbe House Martin building in cliffs, 1 may mention the two 

 communities of tins species which I can remember for over thirty years 

 nesting among the sandstone cliffs of Ardmore, on the coast of this county. 

 In both cases the nests are clustered beneath lofty arches of rock over- 

 hanging the sea, positions evidently chosen as being inaccessible except on 

 wings. One of these breeding places is at a considerable distance from the 

 other. No Martins build under the eaves of houses in that neighbourhood. 

 Ardmore is one of the many localities mentioned by Thompson (pp. 39U-1) 

 where Martins breed in precipices on the Irish coast. — R. J. Usshkr 

 (Cappagh, Co. Waterford). 



Wildfowl at Poole. — I have received a female specimen of the Great 

 Northern Diver, in mature winter plumage, weighing 8£ pounds. Its 

 stomach contained the remains of some small fishes. I have also received 

 three Shoveller Ducks, an adult male and female and an immature male ; 

 and two female Red-breasted Mergansers. All these birds were shot by a 

 puuter on the 18th November in Poole Harbour. — C. A. Mariuott 

 (Lewisham, Kent). 



Late Breeding of Swallows and Martins in Kirkcudbrightshire. — 

 I noticed two Swallows flying about Edenbank, the residence of Provost 

 Lennox, near Maxwelltown, for more than a fortnight after the others had 

 gone south. At my request Mr. James Lennox made an examination ou 

 October 18th of the nests under the porch, where these two pairs had 



