OBSERVATIONS AND QUERIES. 93 



ber of Kingfishers (Alcedo ispida). It is not often, even on a most secluded 

 stream, that one can count 10 ne^ts within the space of seven miles, yet this 

 is the number I have found on the Thames, and am glad to say that in spite 

 of the number of people about only one nest has been interfered with, the 

 others all succeeding in hatching their young — news which will be very wel- 

 come to ornithologists. At Wraysbury, near the spot where Mr. Yarrell 

 has recorded seeing a Dipper, I have obtained two nests of the Water-rail 

 (Rallus aquaticus), and at the same time, and in the same place, I found eggs 

 of the Landrail {Crex pratensis), so that Mr. Dixon's statement in his " Nests 

 and Eggs of British Birds," that " the breeding grounds of the two birds are 

 totally different in character," does not appear to meet all cases. I have 

 never before met with or heard of the Water-rail in this district. I noticed 

 the first young Cygnets on the 20th May, but in spite of an apparently 

 favourable season they are hatching very badly, and three broods have only 

 yielded two, two, and four respectively ; six is about the general average, but 

 I once saw as many as 10. The Sylviinx were somewhat late in starting to 

 nest, probably owing to the east winds. However, nests of the Willow-wren, 

 Wbitethroat, and Garden, Reed, and Sedge Warblers, have been met with. 

 Nightingales were very late to arrive, and have been scarcer than usual, for 

 which I am at a loss to account, but on the other hand Whinchats and Yellow 

 Wagtails have been unusually plentiful. Towards the end of May many 

 young Starlings were in the meadows, and the screeching of both young and 

 parents was abominable, and it is with relief I notice that the young have left 

 the neighbourhood, and the old birds are settling down for the second 

 brood. — Graham W. Kerr (Staines). 



Notes from Barmouth. — Now that the season of 1896 is drawing to a 

 close (alas !), it would be interesting to hear from field-naturalists — oologists 

 especially — in other districts, what effect (if any), the mild winter has had 

 upon the birds, particularly in regard to their time of nesting. In this neigh- 

 bourhood the difference was most marked amongst the early breeders, and, 

 curiously, all were not affected alike, some being earlier than usual, others 

 abnormally late, and previous experience was no guide whatever, so that a day's 

 nesting was a day of surprises. For instance, the Stonechat had young several 

 days old on April 5th (three nests, all with young). The Chough had full 

 clutches, and was sitting on the 14th, while the Dipper and Raven were 

 later, the first of the former taken on April 3rd, and one pair of the latter 

 observed on the 9th not having laid. A friend informs me he was told 

 last year by a man who takes their eggs for collectors in the Cumberland 

 districts, that these birds (Ravens), are always later after a mild winter 

 than following one more severe, and I should like to know whether this has 

 been remarked by others. The Carrion Crow was also much later than 



