VOL. vn.] NOTES. 237 



there is considerable variation in the breeding-season, 

 for while most birds lay during the latter half of May, 

 Mr. H. S. Davenport found a nest with one egg in 

 Leicestershire on April 30th. Dr. Stenhouse is so careful 

 an observer that any confusion with the Stonechat is 

 impossible, especially as he noted several pairs of Stone- 

 chats in the vicinity, but only met with one pair of 

 Whinchats during a ten mile walk. 



F. C. E. JOURDAIN. 



SWAJLLOWS AND HoUSB-MaRTIN IN ENGLAND IN DECEM- 

 BER. — ^Mr. C. H. Wilson writes to us, from Kirkby Lonsdale 

 (Lanes.), that there was a single Swallow {Chelidon r. rustica) 

 at that place on December 3rd, 1913. This bird was 

 hatched there, and did not migrate with the rest of the 

 Swallows. Mr. W. A. Coxon writes to the Field (13.XII.1913 

 p. 1252) that he saw three Swallows at Lowestoft on 

 December 7th. Mr. R. S. Standen writes to the Morning 

 Post that he saw a Swallow at Romsey (Hants) on December 

 18th. Mr. W. B. Nichols informs us that he and others 

 saw a House-Martin {Hirundo u. urbica) at Manningtree 

 (Essex), on December 4th, 1913. 



TuRTLE-DovE IN RENFREWSHIRE. — ^Mr. R. W. S. Wilson 

 notes {Glasgow Nat., V., p. 130) that he saw an example of 

 Streptopelia t. turtur at WiUiamwood three times between 

 June 5th and 8th, 1913, but could obtain no evidence of 

 its nesting there. 



Wood-Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank in Renfrew- 

 shire. — ^Mr. J. Robertson records {Glasgow Nat., V., 

 pp. 130-1) that he saw a specimen of Tringa glareola at 

 Balgray Dam, on September 7th, 1913, and at Waulkmill 

 Olen Dam, on September 14th, and Mr. H. Wilson saw 

 what was probably the same bird on August 31st. On 

 September 7th, Mr. Robertson saw two examples of Tringa 

 erythropus at the same dams, and one on September 14th. 



Food of Red Grouse.— In the Field (29.XI.1913, p. 1147) 

 Mr. P. W. Frohawk writes that in the crops of several Red 

 Orouse recently examined have been found large numbers 

 of caterpillars of a common noctuid moth Agrotis porphyrea. 

 Mr. .Frohawk states that this caterpillar feeds only at night 

 and hides during the day at the base of its food-plant 

 (which is both heath and ling), and he therefore concludes 

 that the Grouse search for it and must destroy enormous 

 numbers. 



