166 Letters^ Extracts, Notices, S^c. 
or Nortliamptoiisliire, three of whicli are within eiglit miles 
of the pond on which these birds were shot. On ali these 
reservoirs the Great Crested Grebe has bred for many years. 
I venture to think that this evidence in support o£ a 
probable case of the Ecired Grebe breeding in this country 
is of sufficient importance to be mentioned in '^The Ibis_,^ 
since the British Islands lie within the geographical breeding- 
range of the species, which is recorded to liave been found 
in summer as far north as Jutland and to nest commonly 
in Southern Spain; while to the east as well as to the south 
of us it is common. 
These two specimens are in my possession, and were seen 
by me three days after they were shot. 
Yours &c., 
Bloxbam^ Oxon, O. V. APLIN. 
15th November, 1901. 
Sirs,— August 9th, 1901, found H.M.S. 'Diana/ in 
company with other vessels of the Mediterranean fleet, 
at anchor at one of the islands of the Levant. Having 
previouly arranged with Capt. Ferris, of the ' Empress of 
India,^ to lend me his picket-boat, 1 reminded him of it 
by making the pre-arranged signal, and he came to fetch 
Commander Halsey, Dr. Stenhouse, and myself. Armed 
with ropes, canvas sling, egg-blowers, guns, and plenty of 
No. 6^s, we started at 1.10 p.m. and ran to a small island at 
the entrance of the harbour some miles off : here, as we 
passed in the ship the day before, we had made out several 
Falcons skimming about. Luckily the wind was light and 
off shore, and there was but little swell ; so we had no 
trouble in landing in the galley and skiff, which we had 
brought in tow. 
We had no difficulty in making out that our Falcons were 
Falco eleonorce, and we were soon at the top of the island 
endeavouring to find their breeding-places, as August is the 
time, strangely enough, that this bird lays — no doubt with 
the intention of feeding its young on the members of the 
autumn migration. 
