392 THE ZOOLOGIST 



Red-breasted Snipe in North-east Lincolnshire. — I recently 

 obtained in the flesh an example of this North American Snipe, 

 Macrorhamphus yriseus, shot on the sea-coast between Cleethorpes and 

 Tetney Haven on August 15th, and sent in by carrier to Grimsby for 

 sale. It is an adult, changing from the Knot-like plumage of summer 

 to the grey of winter, and was in an advanced state of moult. Mr. J. J. 

 Dalgleish, in his ' List of Occurrences of North American Birds in 

 Europe' ('Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club,' vol. v., April, 

 1880), has registered twenty-six supposed occurrences of the Red-breasted 

 Snipe during the present century in Europe, sixteen of which, however, are 

 marked as doubtful. In the ten undoubted occurrences the date of 

 appearance has been either late in September or in October. — John 

 Cordeaux (Great Cotes, Ulceby). 



Ornithological Notes from North Northamptonshire. — Three 

 instances of the Hobby, Falco subbuteo, breeding in our neighbourhood 

 this summer have come to my knowledge. The first nest, apparently 

 that of a Carrion Crow, was found about the third week in June, and 

 contained three eggs, one of which was taken some few days after 

 discovery, and is, with the two young birds subsequently taken from the 

 said nest, now in my possession. The second nest, about which I have no 

 particulars, was found some days after that above-mentioned, and contained 

 one egg only ; the young bird from this nest is also here. In the third 

 instance the nest was not discovered, but two young birds just able to fly 

 from tree to tree were closely observed by a friend and neighbour who is 

 perfectly well acquainted with this little Falcon. In all three instances I 

 am glad to say that the parent birds have, as far as I know, hitherto 

 escaped destruction. A Manx Shearwater, Pujfinus anglorum, was picked 

 up in a field of mangold-wurzel near Cranford, Kettering, on the morning of 

 August 24th, and sent off at once alive to me. It is needless to say that 

 it was in a very weak and exhausted condition, and in spite of all our 

 efforts to feed it, died a few days after its arrival. I observed nine Whim- 

 brels, Numenius pfuBopus, flying up the valley of the Nen, near this house, 

 calling loudly, on August 31st. — Lilfoud (Lilford Hall, Oundle, North- 

 amptonshire, September 4th). 



Snipe Perching. — Referring to the notes of Messrs. Whitaker and 

 Backhouse on the perching of the Common Snipe, I beg to offer a few 

 remarks on this somewhat vexed question. Though I have been well 

 acquainted with this bird for fifty years or more, I never found one perching, 

 —a pretty good proof that it is not its habit, — though 1 have heard of its 

 doing so ; and was informed some years since by the late Dr. Saxby that 

 he had once seen a Snipe perch on a stone in Shetland. That the American 

 Snipe perches L had ocular proof ere I had been many hours landed at St. 



