298 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vii. 



saw one iii December and January near Tunbridge Wells 

 which, as I recorded at the time in British Birds (IV., 

 -p. 310), was evidently not Ph. c. tristis. In the south of 

 France I have observed this bird not only as a resident 

 but also as a common winter- visitor ; these ^yinter-visitors 

 made the ordmary note of Ph. c. collyhita — the smgle note 

 which is exactly similar to that of the Willow-Wren {Ph. 

 t. trochilns). 



It would, no doubt, have been easy to obtain the bird 

 if this had appeared desirable : an attempt to catch it was 

 being arranged at the time when the bird left the district, 

 though I am not aware of any characteristic by which it 

 ■could have been more satisfactorily identified in the hand 

 than on the wing ; but those of us who were watching the 

 Tjird agreed that it was of much greater interest to see 

 how long it would remain in the same place than to preserve 

 its skin ; particularly, it was remarkable that the bird 

 should be in the same place as the Firecrest, one or two of 

 which appear to be almost annual visitors to that spot 

 {antea, p. 82) in autumn or spring ; I am not aware, 

 however, that the breeding-range of Ph. c. tristis anywhere 

 overlaps that of R. i. ignicapillus, so it may be doubted 

 whether the two birds came together. Still, there seems 

 quite a chance that the rarer bird may also re-visit the 

 place, and if it should do so, the record ^\-ould, of course, 

 he of exceptional interest. Even now it seems to me far 

 more interesting to know that a bird of this race definitely 

 took up its abode for several weeks in a locality in west 

 Kent, many miles from the sea, than to have known that 

 it occurred there one day and was shot the next. Now 

 that it is recognized that the occurrence of so-called stragglers 

 is far more regular than was at first supposed, it seems well 

 worth while to let some of these rare birds live, in the hope 

 of discovering their winter-resorts. This, however, will only 

 be done when ornithologists are prepared to give credence 

 to records of birds, however rare, when there is no 

 room for doubt that the birds m question were properly 

 identified by competent observers. H. G. Alexander. 



KITE NESTING IN DEVONSHIRE. 



We are pleased to record that a pair of Kites [Milvus 

 milvus) nested in Devonshire in the spring of 1913. 

 Unfortunately the nest was taken by some boys, to the 

 great annoyance of the owner of the estate, who for many 

 years has taken a great pride in the Buzzards, which have 

 increased in numbers under his protection. 



