﻿116 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  that, 
  in 
  1903, 
  we 
  had 
  such 
  an 
  abnormal 
  immigration 
  of 
  Rough-legged 
  

   Buzzards, 
  Great 
  Grey 
  Shrikes, 
  Waxwings, 
  and 
  other 
  rarities, 
  with 
  the 
  

   meteorological 
  phenomena 
  of 
  mild 
  wet 
  weather 
  and 
  strong 
  prevalence 
  

   of 
  westerly 
  winds 
  ? 
  In 
  severe 
  winters 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  astonished 
  to 
  meet 
  

   with 
  rare 
  continental 
  visitants, 
  and 
  usually 
  mild 
  wet 
  autumns 
  and 
  

   winters 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Isles 
  are 
  not 
  accompanied 
  by 
  abnormal 
  flights 
  

   of 
  continental 
  rarities. 
  Why 
  have 
  we 
  such 
  an 
  exception 
  as 
  in 
  1903 
  ? 
  

   Are 
  the 
  European 
  centres 
  becoming 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  congested 
  and 
  over- 
  

   filled? 
  Is 
  it 
  a 
  natural 
  pressure 
  there* 
  independent 
  of 
  cliuiatM 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  ? 
  We 
  had 
  a 
  record 
  season 
  in 
  Woodcocks 
  in 
  1903 
  for 
  the 
  mid- 
  

   land 
  counties 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  but 
  merely 
  driblets 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  in 
  Shet- 
  

   land, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  1902, 
  which 
  was 
  their 
  record 
  year 
  ! 
  On 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand, 
  Snipe 
  have 
  been 
  scarcer 
  than 
  normal, 
  in 
  1903. 
  In 
  May, 
  

   1902, 
  scores 
  (hundreds 
  more 
  likely) 
  of 
  Snipes 
  perished, 
  due 
  to 
  frost 
  

   (17° 
  on 
  3rd 
  May). 
  But 
  Woodcocks 
  bred 
  freely, 
  and 
  reared 
  their 
  young 
  

   about 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  in 
  better 
  sheltered 
  localities 
  — 
  here, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   central 
  counties 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  Here 
  Woodcocks 
  had 
  second 
  layings, 
  and 
  

   hatched 
  these 
  out 
  quite 
  a 
  fortnight 
  later 
  than 
  normal. 
  I 
  had 
  twelve 
  

   nests 
  (at 
  least) 
  on 
  an 
  acreage 
  of 
  coppice 
  of 
  some 
  twenty-two 
  acres 
  in 
  

   1902, 
  but 
  in 
  1903 
  just 
  the 
  usual 
  number 
  of 
  some 
  three 
  to 
  four 
  nests 
  

   (i. 
  e. 
  of 
  Woodcock). 
  Scores 
  of 
  dead 
  young 
  Snipe 
  were 
  found 
  at 
  same 
  

   time 
  on 
  exposed 
  ground, 
  lying 
  within 
  five 
  to 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  newly- 
  

   hatched 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  eggs. 
  This 
  was 
  upon 
  the 
  4th 
  May 
  (17° 
  of 
  frost 
  

   the 
  night 
  — 
  or 
  two 
  nights 
  — 
  before 
  !). 
  Both 
  Snipes' 
  and 
  Woodcocks' 
  

   were 
  probably 
  second 
  layings. 
  The 
  questions 
  I 
  have 
  asked, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   are 
  worthy 
  of 
  some 
  thought. 
  — 
  J. 
  A. 
  Harvie-Brown 
  (Dunipaee, 
  Larbert, 
  

   Sterlingshire, 
  N.B.). 
  

  

  Birds 
  of 
  Oxon 
  or 
  Bucks. 
  — 
  I 
  am 
  obliged 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Aplin 
  for 
  pointing 
  

   out 
  the 
  confusion 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  p. 
  35. 
  The 
  first 
  sentence, 
  " 
  Turville 
  

   Park" 
  to 
  "county," 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  Ring-Ouzel; 
  from 
  "Reported" 
  to 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  paragraph, 
  to 
  the 
  Golden 
  Oriole. 
  I 
  question 
  whether 
  the 
  

   Ring-Ouzel 
  is 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  " 
  seen 
  every 
  season 
  about 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  Tur- 
  

   ville 
  Park," 
  though 
  it 
  may 
  possibly 
  be 
  only 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  being 
  looked 
  

   for. 
  On 
  p. 
  36, 
  line 
  3, 
  "the 
  river 
  oft" 
  is 
  of 
  course 
  a 
  lapsus 
  for 
  "the 
  

   river 
  at." 
  — 
  A. 
  H. 
  Cocks 
  (Poynetts, 
  Skirmett, 
  near 
  Henley-on-Thames). 
  

  

  Rare 
  Birds 
  in 
  Berkshire. 
  — 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  A. 
  Topp, 
  taxi- 
  

   dermist, 
  of 
  Reading, 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  notes: 
  — 
  Merlin 
  (Falco 
  cesalon). 
  

   Female 
  shot 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  Twyford, 
  Jan. 
  20th, 
  1904. 
  Common 
  Guillemot 
  

   (Uria 
  troile). 
  Picked 
  up 
  dead 
  near 
  Newbury, 
  Feb. 
  13th. 
  Previously 
  

   seen 
  alive 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Shooter. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  record 
  of 
  a 
  Guillemot 
  I 
  

  

  