3944 Birds. 



25th of May, this year, I had an opportunity of noticing a manoeuvre, the nature of 

 which I had no difficulty in deciding upon. Two swifts, at a great height, were chas- 

 ing each other and uttering loud screams, an evident attempt being frequently made 

 by one to settle on the back of the other. This was repeated a great many times with- 

 out effect, for the female contrived to flutter from under the other in a playful manner. 

 At length, however, she suddenly extended her wings, keeping them perfectly quiet 

 and motionless, and in a moment the male alighted softly upon her back, with his 

 wings distended perfectly flat, and so exactly fitting upon those of the female, that I 

 could not have known it was more than one bird, had I not been watching them before. 

 In this manner, they descended in an oblique direction for a great many yards, the 

 wings all the time quite motionless, and both ^nite silent. After separating, they pur- 

 sued their usual avocation of feeding in a most business-like and orderly manner, not 

 troubling themselves to toy or play, or to utter their well-known screams. I feel not 

 the least hesitation in deciding that White was perfectly right in his supposition re- 

 specting the copulation of the swift ; but, at the same time, I feel quite confident that 

 it can be accomplished on the wing in perfectly calm weather only, as a very moderate 

 wind, in the instance recorded, would have rendered it difficult, if not impossible. — 

 Robert F. Tomes ; Welford, Stratford-on-Avon, June 4, 1853. 



Note on the supposed occurrence of the Apteryx in Anglesey, and on the capture of 

 Galbula ruftcauda in Lincolnshire. — In common, I doubt not, with the other ornitho- 

 logical readers of the ' Zoologist,' I had hoped that Mr. Browne's remarks (Zool. 3845) 

 on Mr. Spode's communication (Id. 3815), relative to the supposed occurrence of an 

 Apteryx in Anglesey, would have led the latter gentleman to have favoured the public 

 with some further particulars of a circumstance which, if the account given be a cor- 

 rect one, would certainly be an occurrence of almost unprecedented ornithological in- 

 terest. I would respectfully suggest that the claims of science, and of that accuracy 

 which is the only true basis of science, imperatively demand that the following parti- 

 culars should if possible be ascertained and published ; namely : — 



1. The exact species of the bird in question. 



2. The name and address of the person who shot it. 



3. The name of the parish where it was killed. 



4. The exact date when it was killed. 



5. The name and address of the person who stuffed it. 



6. Whether any note was taken of the sex of the specimen, or of the contents of 



the stomach. 



7. Whether anything was observed as to the habits or movements of the bird at 



the time it was shot. 

 And I trust that Mr. Spode will kindly exert himself to procure, for our informa- 

 tion, such additional evidence as will enable him to supply these desiderata ; by do- 

 ing which he will establish a claim to the sincere thanks of his fellow ornithologists. 

 I take this opportunity of adding a few short remarks on Mr. Tristram's very curious 

 notice of the occurrence of a specimen of Galbula ruficauda in Lincolnshire, (Zool. 

 3906). I certainly consider this notice as "one of very great ornithological interest, 

 and only regret that Mr. Tristram should have been induced, by any consideration, to 

 delay its publication. Will that gentleman allow me to suggest, as a fellow-contri- 

 butor to the c Zoologist,' that he has set us rather a bad example in this respect ? — as 

 it is obvious that the more promptly such occurrences are published, the greater will 

 be the facilities for making such further inquiries as may be necessary to elucidate 



