300 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vii. 



been recorded outside the breeding-area, and so far as we 

 know none for the last ten or twelve years. The record 

 of nesting in Devonshire is the best evidence for suggesting 

 that the Kite is s]oreading from its breeding-quarters in 

 Wales, and Mr. Wollaston's Somersetshire bird rasiy possibly 

 have been one of the Devonshire pair. We have also reason 

 to believe that the latter are not the only ones which have 

 attempted to breed in England of late years. The Derby- 

 shire bird was much more likely to have come from Wales 

 than from the Continent, while the one which appeared in. 

 Buckinghamshire in December probably had the same origin, 

 since the Kites which breed in the northern part of the 

 Continent would long since have completed their usual 

 southward migration. — Eds.] 



PINTAILS IN BERKSHIRE. 



On January 18th, 1914, Ave saw two adult male Pintails 

 {Dafila acuta) on Englefield Lake, Berkshire. We believe 

 this to be the first definite record of this species in Berkshire^ 



R. BURNIER. 



p. A. Chubb. 

 [Ml. Heatlej^ Noble recorded what he believed to be 

 the first definite occurrence in 1907 [antea, Vol. I., 

 p. 292).— Eds.] 



RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS IN SURREY. 



On December 28th, 1913, my brother and I saw two Red- 

 breasted Mergansers {Mergus serrator) on Little Frensham 

 Pond, Surrey. They were among some Teal, Mallards, 

 Pochards, and Tufted Ducks. I did not revisit the pond 

 until January 2nd, when the Mergansers were gone. 



Flora Russell. 



BLACK-HEADED GULL FEIGNING LAMENESS. 



Whilst on a visit to the guUery at the south end of Walney 

 (Lancashire) on May 22nd, 1909, I was much surprised and 

 greatly interested in the behaviour of one particular Black - 

 headed Gull (Larus ridihundus) which, on our approaching 

 the vicinity of (I suppose) its nest, alighted on the ground 

 and stumbled along before us, feigning lameness much hi 

 the same manner as the Rmged Plover does. 



Seating m3'self along Mdth my companion on one of the 

 sand-hills, in order to watch the gulls settle on their nests,, 

 ^ye had ample opportunity of noting the bird in question^ 

 and for a long time it carried out the same movements — 



