72 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
a well-known South-American species (Porphyrio martinicus, Linn.),—by 
the officers of the ‘ Boston’ frigate, which they had caught on board; and 
that his friend John Bachmann had received three, which had been caught 
three hundred miles from land! (Orn. Biog. iv. p. 40). Similar testimony 
is given in ‘ North American Birds,’ by Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway 
(vol. i. p. 385). If American Porphyrios are capable of such extended 
flights, there can be nothing very remarkable in any member of the genus 
coming to England, their wings having evidently ample power to sustain 
their bodies in flight. Of the fourteen Porphyrios which have occurred in 
the British Isles, all but two have occurred in the autumn, the season of all 
others when we expect rare migratory birds. This in itself is very strong 
evidence. LP. chloronotus has occurred on different occasions in Italy and 
in the South of France, as might be expected: they may have escaped, but 
we can look with less suspicion on our British ones from the fact of their 
having occurred also in the intervening countries.—J. H. Gurney, jun. 
(Northrepps, Norwich). 
Swallow in Co. Sligo in November. — On Nov. 18th, when walking 
along the shore here at Moyview, I was surprised at seeing a Swallow 
(a bird of the year) flying about quite lively, notwithstanding the cold 
weather of that and the three preceding days, when the thermometer 
indicated an intensity of cold varying from one to six degrees of frost; and 
on that very morning when the bird was seen the mercury had fallen to 
twenty-six degrees at half-past seven o'clock. How a Swallow could have 
existed so long is a mystery, for surely there could have been no food of 
any sort to be obtained in such a temperature. — RoBERtT WaRREN (Moy- 
view, Ballina, Co. Mayo). 
Variety of the Fieldfare.—I lately examined a pied variety of the 
Fieldfare, which is so distinctly marked that I think it worth notice. The 
- crown, sides of the head, and neck are white, in some places mixed with a 
few grey feathers. In one of the wings, the first secondary feather and one 
or two of the lesser wing-coverts are white, whilst on the other wing one of 
the greater wing-coverts only is white. The claws, too, are peculiar, having 
pale bases; otherwise the general coloration is similar to the ordinary male 
bird. It may be seen with Mr. Allen, bird-preserver, in Feasgate, to whom 
it was brought from the neighbourhood of York.—J. BackHouss, jun. 
(West Bank, York). 
Winter Nests.—In October 1 noticed a pair of Sparrows building a 
roosting nest on the foundation of a spring nest in the top of a pear tree. 
It was built of hay, and not lined, and the hole in the side seemed to be 
larger than the hole in an ordinary spring nest. Three birds often appeared 
at roosting time. I have often observed Sparrows carrying straws into 
holes in buildings in November. The Wren is known to build roosting 
