68 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



October, or earlier, the abundance of these birds being unusually great. 

 They generally pass inland in October from Dungarvan Bay, flying swiftly 

 without alighting along the line of this valley, which stretches towards 

 Co. Kerry. They often settle in the low-lauds near the coast for weeks 

 before they do so in this inland locality. In October I observed unusually 

 large flocks of Sky Larks in the stubbles, which swarmed with them, 

 evidently an immigration. Redwings appeared in October, but until 

 December were not numerous, probably owing to the dryness of the soil 

 having caused a scarcity of their insect-food. On the 21st and 22nd of 

 December we had a hard frost, with a north wind blowing over snow- 

 covered mountains. During those two days Redwings continued to pass 

 constantly westwards, in flocks of all sizes and singly, with a few Blackbirds. 

 Some small flocks of Fieldfares, keeping apart from the rest, passed in the 

 same direction. This species is usually uncommon here, though they 

 become numerous in very severe frosts. On the 23rd December there was 

 a thaw, and the wave of migration appeared to cease. — R. J. Ussher 

 (Cappagh, Waterford). 



Varieties of Common Wild Duck.— Two pretty varieties of the 

 Common Wild Duck were taken in the decoy at Park Hall, during the first 

 week of the New Year. They were both of a pale slate-colour on the back, 

 wings light grey, speculum very pale grey, and shafts of wing-feathers 

 white ; breast pale sandy ; the feathers on back were edged with sandy 

 brown, here and there being one of normal colour ; one had the wing-coverts 

 of a sandy buff. — J. Whitaker (Rain worth Lodge, Notts). 



Swifts laying in Martins' Nests.— This is probably not a very rare 

 occurrence. Several pairs of Martins build almost every year under the 

 eaves of my house. They are almost uniformly dispossessed by the House 

 Sparrows. The Sparrow waits till the nest is nearly finished, then, after a 

 great deal of chattering on the nearest window-moulding, he suddenly pops 

 in when the Martins are away, and sits chirping maliciously on the edge. 

 The Martins never make any fight, but submit meekly to eviction and go 

 elsewhere. At intervals I get the nests cleared of the straw and feathers 

 brought in by the Sparrows, and it has happened more than one year that 

 after the intruders have been thus ejected a nest has been taken possession 

 of by a pair of Swifts. Whether by address or force, the Swifts seem much 

 better able to hold their own against the Sparrows, and sometimos succeed 

 in rearing their young. I have seeu a Sparrow chased vigorously away 

 from the nest by a Swift; but have never seen a Martin make any resistance. 

 One year we watched the Swifts all through the season in the nest in which 

 they had succeeded the robber Sparrows. The nest was close to a window, 

 and we could see the wings of the Swift projecting as she sat on her eggs. — 

 F. W. Price (Blackrock, Co. Dublin). 



