306 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Garden Warbler nesting at a height from the Ground. — In June last 

 I found a nest with young of this bird in the top small twigs of a young 

 birch, between seven and eight feet from the ground, in a plantation, and 

 just below the level of the top of the wall separating it from a public; road. 

 I had a very good view of the bird. Some long straws were attached to 

 the nest and fastened among the little twigs of an adjoining branch to that 

 in which the nest was held, possibly with a view to lessening the effect of 

 the wind, which, however, in the plantation would not be considerable. 

 I do not remember ever before seeing a Garden Warbler's nest into which 

 I could not look without difficulty. — John P. Thomasson (Woodside, 

 Bolton). 



Turtle Dove in Co. SligO. — On the evening of July 13th, close to the 

 lawn here, I observed a Turtle Dove, Turtur communis, feeding in a newly- 

 sown turnip-field, picking up any seeds left uncovered by the turnip-sower ; 

 and again, on July 16th, I saw the bird near the same place. On being 

 disturbed, on both occasions, it flew into an ash-tree on the lawn, and, from 

 its tameness and apparent unwillingness to leave the locality, it may 

 possibly have a nest and mate hatching near. This bird is a very rare 

 visitor to this western district, and has only come under my notice in the 

 years 1 862 and 1882, as already recorded in the pages of ' The Zoologist ' 

 for 1877 and 1882.— Robert Warren (Moyview, Ballina). 



Supposed Nesting of the Green Sandpiper in Norfolk. — Mr. W. E. 

 Baker, writing to me from Tilney All Saints, Lynn, on June 9th, says : — 

 "I just missed finding a nest of the Greeu Sandpiper, Totanus ochropus, 

 it having hatched off a few days before I went to search for eggs. The 

 keeper told me a boy picked up one of the young ones, and he made him 

 take it back again. I did not see the birds myself, but often saw them in 

 this district last summer, and wholly concluded they nested there." — E. A. 

 Butler (Herringfleet Hall, near Lowestoft). 



[As no properly authenticated instance of the Green Sandpiper breeding 

 in the British Islands has been recorded, it would be very desirable to have 

 further particulars of the case above referred to, and particularly to learn 

 in what situation the nest was placed, and of what materials it was com- 

 posed. — Ed.] 



A Visit to Lord Ilchester's Swannery at Abbotsbury. — In this 

 swannery, which is situated at Abbotsbury, about eight miles from Wey- 

 mouth, and protected from the sea by the Chesil Beach, a high bank of 

 shingle, there are now from six to seven hundred Swans. On June 4th the 

 birds had mostly hatched. In some cases the keeper is obliged to break the 

 shell, as the parent bird, after hatching three or four eggs, would probably 

 eject the remaining ones from the nest. The average number of eggs laid 

 is five, and the largest number that the keeper can recollect is eleven, all of 



