NOTES AND QUERIES. 417 
of semi-domestication in Ireland, at Lord Sligo’s seat”; and in Somerset- 
shire, Mr. Cecil Smith has successfully reared several broods since 1872. 
On two or three occasions Wigeon have nested at the Zoological Gardens, 
Regent’s Park, and brought up their young. No instance, we believe, is 
known of this bird breeding in a wild state in England, although the same 
cannot be said of Scotland and Ireland.—Eb.]| 
Swallows perching on an Angler’s Rod.—When fishing for Tench in 
a private piece of water, about nine miles from Ipswich, a Swallow settled 
on my rod about half-way up. In an instant another took up a similar 
position, and then another, so that I had three Swallows perched on my 
rod at one time, about six feet from the butt. I shouted to a friend, who 
was fishing opposite to me, to look at the birds; but my voice in no way 
alarmed them, and they only flew off when I lifted my tackle. I should be 
glad to know if similar instances have been before recorded.—E. F’. BissHop 
(Ipswich). 
[Instances of single birds, Kingfishers as well as Swallows, perching on 
a fishing-rod, have been from time to time reported to us; but we never 
heard of three birds settling at once on the same rod. The late Mr. Bouverie 
Goddard informed us that one winter’s evening, while sitting quietly in 
ambush with his gun, waiting for Wildfowl, a White Owl, coming noise- 
lessly along, perched on his slanting gun, but only remained a few seconds 
before it discovered its mistake, and flew away with a screech.—Ep.] 
Notes from Breconshire.—An Osprey (Pandion haliaétus) was seen 
fishing at Llangorse Lake on the 16th August last, and flew to an old post 
by the side of the lake and leisurely devoured the fish it had caught. It 
made no stay, however, which is not surprising, seeing the constant firing 
that takes place on this lake. I saw a magnificent Kite when Grouse 
shooting on the 12th, but did not molest him. On September 6th I saw a 
Harrier on the Beacons; I think a Marsh Harrier; but it was so soon 
lost in the fog that hung over these grand old hills that I had only a very 
fleeting sight of it. Mr. Crawshay tells me that last August he killed a 
female Gadwall (Anas strepera) on the Usk. This is only the second 
authenticated instance of the occurrence of this species in the county. 
The White or Barn Owl is getting very scarce here, but I cannot quite 
account for it, I had a very light-coloured Grouse brought to me last 
month as a supposed hybrid between Red Grouse and Black Grouse, both 
Species being found on the ground where it was killed. As this would 
seriously have disturbed my pet theory that wild bred hybrids never occur, 
except on the failure of either the cock or hen to find a mate of its own 
particular species, I sent the leg, wing, and some of the feathers of the bird 
to Professor Newton, who kindly examined the same, and confirmed my 
opinion that it was only a very light-coloured Red Grouse. This has been 
ZOOLOGIST.— OCTOBER, 1886. 21 
