470 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



graculus) on the coast-rocks, though to what extent the two changes 

 are connected I feel doubtful. According to "the old men," the Jack- 

 daw was only known as a winter visitor in their young days. This, 

 as far as one can discover, goes back to a time sixty or seventy years 

 ago. It is long since that time that they began to breed here. The 

 cliffs appear to have been first resorted to. Within the last six or 

 seven years Jackdaws have taken to breeding in the rabbit-holes on 

 the sandhills. This habit of the bird is, of course, well known, and 

 for a number of years before they began to nest in the rabbit-holes 

 here I am told that they had done so on a small uninhabited islet off 

 Port Ellen. I was not here during the breeding season, but, accord- 

 ing to my informant, there were this year " scores" of nests in the 

 sandhills. Some were at the entrance to the holes, some a yard or 

 more down. There were also a few Jackdaws' nests in spruce-firs in 

 the plantations near Islay House. — Harold Eussell (Islay House, 

 Islay). 



Grey Phalarope at Yarmouth. — A fine example of the Grey Phala- 

 rope {Phalaroints fulicarius) was obtained here on Oct. 28th. When 

 first seen on the wing the gunner thought it was a Dunlin, but 

 suddenly it settled in the middle of a dyke which runs parallel with 

 Breydon Broad. His suspicion was then aroused, and he thereupon 

 secured the bird, and brought it to me the same day. This neat 

 little species seems to prefer small ponds and dykes to Breydon and 

 other large tidal estuaries, for in the former they are better able to 

 obtain their food. — B. Dye (Yarmouth). 



Gulls hawking for Insects. — Eeferring to the note on this subject 

 {ante, p. 433), this is a habit of Larus ridihundus I have often 

 watched. Many an evening we used to sit in our garden in Perth- 

 shire (quite near a large gullery) and watch these graceful birds 

 hawking moths out and in and through the trees. Their movements 

 at such times were very similar to the Swallows and Martins. This 

 went on every evening. — T. Thoenton Mackeith (" Burndale," 

 Kilmacolm, Eenfrewshire). 



The habit of hawking for insects is not unusual on the part of 

 Black-headed Gulls. They may often be seen thus engaged on 

 summer and early autumn evenings. Por other records, see Ussher 

 and Warren, 'Birds of Ireland,' p. 330 ; and 'The Zoologist,' 1843, 

 p. 246 ; 1844, pp. 455, 577-78 ; 1902, p. 216.— P. B. Kirkman (Letch- 

 worth, Herts). 



