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NOTES ON BIEDS SEEN IN SWITZERLAND. 



By 0. V. Aplin 



(Member of the British Ornithologists' Union). 



(Concluded from p. 14.) 



Lanius collurio, Eed-backed Shrike. — Apparently common in 

 the valleys. I saw the following: — one at Sonceboz (2150ft.), 

 in the Jura ; one near Interlaken ; one at Meiringen (all three 

 adult males) ; a pair, one odd male and two odd females, between 

 Grafenort and Stanz, chiefly near Wolfenschiessen, and a male at 

 Stansstad. The bird at Interlaken was in the flat ground west 

 of the lake of Brienz, and frequented some patches of a species 

 of bush unknown to me, thorny with narrow, hoary, almost mealy 

 leaves. It was doubtless feeding on cockchafers, which swarmed 

 (indeed the Hoheweg was strewn with crushed bodies), but it was 

 unnecessary to impale any, as the bushes were liberally garnished 

 with them naturally. 



Muscicapa grisola, Spotted Flycatcher. — Common at Bern and 

 abundant at Thun ; also seen at Interlaken, but not at Meiringen, 

 and we did not see it again until we reached the valley of Stanz. 

 It was abundant in the gardens and orchards about Stansstad. 



M. atricapilla, Pied Flycatcher. — One at Bern in the trees 

 below the Rathhaus. At Interlaken a pair were feeding young in 

 a hole in a great branch of a walnut tree in a little open space 

 adjoining the Hoheweg ; they fetched the insects from an orchard 

 where haymaking was in progress, perching on the young fruit 

 trees and dropping on the insects in the grass. Like all the birds 

 in Interlaken, they were wonderfully tame, and kept coming to 

 the nest just over our heads as we smoked our pipes sitting on 

 the low, flat-topped wall. Also saw a male (singing) on hazel- 

 clothed slope by the Reichenbach ; a male about the cherry trees 

 among the chalets of a village above the Alpbach ; a male in the 

 woods near Hohfluh (3400 ft.) ; the females of these were probably 

 sitting; when descending to Engelberg F. saw one just as we 

 crossed the stream, and we met with another male in a pear 

 orchard at Stansstad. 



Hirundo rustica, Swallow.— Not numerous anywhere. Seen 

 at Bern, but not many ; Interlaken, a few. Saw several nests in 

 Meiringen built under the broad eaves, and looking casually like 



