MISCELLANEA 25 1 



Transactions, and every autumn a few Redstarts and large 

 numbers of Willow Wrens frequent the grounds for several 

 weeks. A Willow Wren was singing there on September 17th, 

 1912, and a chiffchaff on the 23rd — the latter quite a scarce 

 bird in the district. Cuckoos are not infrequently heard 

 calling near the Museum in the early morning in May and 

 June. A Tree Creeper spent the day about the grounds and 

 the adjacent gardens on March 15th, 1912; and a week 

 earlier we had a visit of a more surprising character — from a 

 couple of Long-tailed Tits. They did not stay long, for they 

 were vigorously pursued by the Blue Tits which are always 

 about the grounds. On November 22nd of the same year a 

 Tawny Owl was found to be roosting in a tree at the back of 

 the Museum : our attention was called to it early in the day 

 by the outcry among the mistle thrushes and blackbirds. 

 Later it was disturbed and flew to a window-sill, where it was 

 captured. We kept it for a week or two and then liberated it. 

 The time when the owl appeared was perhaps a period of 

 considerable migratory movement; at any rate it is suggestive 

 that on the same day a Woodcock was brought to us by Mr. 

 W. Swanston which had killed itself by flying against a 

 window of his house in Sydenham Terrace, within a stone's- 

 throw of the Museum grounds. — E. L. G. 



Summer Migrants in 1912. — A few miscellaneous notes 

 may be brought together under this heading. Mr. Isaac 

 Clark reported that he watched a Willow Wren at the top of 

 Rye Hill, in Newcastle, on the morning of January 27th, 1912. 

 This is a remarkable occurrence, but such an experienced 

 ornithologist as Mr. Clark is not likely to be mistaken. It 

 may!; be recalled, too, that we have in the Museum a Chiff- 

 chaff which was shot in the neighbourhood seven winters 

 previously on the 20th of December. 



Swifts are to be seen in most years on odd days during the 

 first half of September — presumably birds from further north 

 appearing after our local stock has left. I noticed a Swift -at 

 Chimney Mills, Newcastle, on the evening of September 13th, 

 1912. 



