400 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



The Marsh Harrier, being well-nigh extinct as a breeding 

 species, it is of interest to note that a nest was found on the 

 Berwyns in 1877, in which year one of these birds was shot on 

 Moel Ferna ; while the rarer Greenland Falcon was met with in 

 April, 1876, when one was picked up dead, but in a perfectly fresh 

 condition, on the Llanbedr Estate, Euthin. It was thought to 

 have been killed by coming in contact with telegraph-wires. 



Mr. Newstead writes of the House Martin (p. 295) : — "At 

 Ince quite thirty pairs build their nests on rafters in the interior 

 of a barn, and have done so for a number of years. The barn 

 has a large opening without doors on the north side. Such a 

 situation is quite the home of the Swallow, but I never heard of 

 the Martin nesting in the interior of a building." 



"The difference in habits of the two birds in this respect 

 (says Mr. Dobie) may be connected with the fact that the 

 Swallow, where there are no buildings, sometimes builds in 

 caves, and presumably did so before the existence of masonry. 

 The Martin in like circumstances builds on the face of rocks ; 

 but, so far as I know, not in caves." On this subject we may 

 refer Mr. Dobie to ■ The Zoologist,' 1882, p. 437 ; 1883, p. 34 ; 

 1884, p. 470 (between Conway and Bangor) ; and 1894, p. 124. 

 There is also a record of Martins' nests on the basaltic N.W. 

 front of Pen-maen-Maur (' Field Nat. Mag.,' 1833, p. 546). 



In the Warrington Museum there is a specimen of the Spotted 

 Sandpiper (Totanus macularius) , which was shot, with one or two 

 others, on the bank of the Mersey near Fiddler's Ferry, in May, 

 1863. It was formerly in the collection of Mr. Gregson ; and 

 Mr. Gurney considers it one of the six most deserving of credence 

 out of twenty-six recorded occurrences in Britain. (See his 

 1 Bambles of a Naturalist,' p. 262). 



Mr. Buddy's account of the foundation of a colony of Black- 

 headed Gulls on a small moorland lake near Llanderfel, nine 

 miles from Corwen (p. 343), deserves mention. Two pairs nested 

 there for the first time in 1888. Ten pairs nested there the 

 following year, and they were more than doubled in 1890 ; while 

 in 1893 there was quite a large colony. 



These are some of the more interesting items of information 

 in Mr. Dobie's Catalogue, and it is to be hoped that its publica- 

 tion will give encouragement to others to extend the observations 

 which he has so usefully collected. 



