22 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



sufficiently large scale, can clear the matter up.'" — H. A. Macpherson 

 ^Victoria Place, Carlisle). 



Black Guillemot in Merionethshire. — Amongst the sea-birds which 

 fall victims to rough weather on the Welsh coast I found, on Nov. 11th, 

 the much-damaged remains of a Black Guillemot, Uria grylle, washed 

 ashore on the Traeth Bach, near Towyn-y-Penrhyn. Though, no doubt, 

 frequently met with in former years, I know of no recent record of this 

 species in Merionethshire. — J. H. Caton Haigh. 



Pomatorhine Skua in Mid-winter.— The great gale of December 22nd 

 drove a fine Pomatorhine Skua up the river Eden, and it was shot from the 

 Carlisle race-course. I have never before met with this Skua so late in the 

 season. — H. A. Macpherson (Carlisle). 



The Oystercatcher in Warwickshire. — The Oystercatcher, Hcema- 

 topus ostralegus, is by no means a common visitor to the Midland Counties, 

 nevertheless it occurs irregularly from time to time, in an old list in my 

 possession of the birds recorded for Sutton Coldfield Park (a park of some 

 2800 acres, about 180 of which is water, distributed over six pools), the 

 Oystercatcher is mentioned with doubt. On August 24th, 1890, 1 heard the 

 whistle of these birds at dusk, from off the muddy flats of Longmore Pool. 

 The next day they were still there, and rive in number. On November 

 25th last, a single bird I found haunting the gravelly sides of Powells 

 Pool, both of which pools are within the boundary of the Park. Some 

 other waders, such as the Green and Common Sandpipers, Ring Plovers, 

 and Dunlins, constantly occur, but the Oystercatcher is, I think, of 

 sufficiently rare occurrence so far inland as to be worth recording. — 

 J. Steele Elliott (Dixon's Green, Dudley). 



Nesting of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker near Bath.— A few 

 months ago a friend showed me his collection of eggs in which he had some 

 eggs of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, P. minor. Being naturally 

 curious to see the nest (or what remained of it) from which the eggs had 

 been taken, my friend took me lately to see it. After walking out of Bath 

 for about two miles, we came to a long aveuue of beech-trees. In one of 

 these, a very decayed tree, the nest was bored about nine inches into the 

 trunk. The entrance was, so far as I could judge, between seven and 

 eight feet from the ground. The birds had commenced another boring 

 higher up the tree, but they left it unfinished. 1 think the wood was 

 softer lower down the trunk. From this nest four eggs were taken, about 

 the end of June. The tree was close to the roadside, and on being struck 

 with a stick the hen bird flew off the nest, aud both birds were seen about 

 the adjoining trees. 1 saw a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the flesh, 

 which had been 6hot about a week ago in one of the suburbs of Bath, but 1 

 have never observed one alive in the wild state.— C. B. Horsbrugh 

 4, Richmond Hill, Bath). 



