192 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



flocks in late summer, and I have no evidence of the nest having been taken. 

 The Linnet is common and resident, breeding in many places. The Twite 

 is not infrequent in most parts of the county where there is an upland of 

 peat, and I have taken the eggs at Carrablagh. Of the Shoveller I had no 

 positive information. Mr. Ussher, however, informs me that he obtained 

 a nest of Shoveller's eggs last year from Lough Swilly. — H. C. Hart 

 (Carrablagh, Portsalon, Letterkenny). 



Great Northern Diver in Donegal in August. — In reply to the 

 queries of Mr. Warren, which Mr. Hart has forwarded to me, I beg to 

 say that the Great Northern Diver referred to by Mr. Chichester Hart 

 (p. 109), which I shot in Arranmore Road, near Dungloe, in August, 1884, 

 was an adult bird in the moult. I believe it is in the Belfast Museum, as 

 I gave it to a Mr. Herdman, who forwarded it to Mr. Lloyd Patterson, 

 who I fancy had it stuffed. A good number of years ago I saw a skin of a 

 Black-throated Diver in mature plumage ; others I have seen have been 

 in the immature state. — R. W. Norman (Fahan, Londonderry). 



Imitative powers of the Starling.— The remarks which your corre- 

 spondents have offered on the imitative powers of the Starling (p. 150) 

 tempt me to add that, in this district, the Starlings often reproduce the 

 notes of the Oystercatcher and Curlew with wonderful accuracy. On the 

 3rd of April I was surprised to hear the call of the Landrail ; it appeared 

 to be the familiar "crake-crake" of that bird undoubtedly, but on further 

 investigation I ascertained that a Starling was reproducing the call-note of 

 the Rail, and that in full view of us : he had remembered his lesson of last 

 summer remarkably well. To give another instance of the mimicry of this 

 bird, I may mention that during severe weather in January last, a friend 

 of mine (the Rev. H. A. Macpherson) was astonished one day to hear the call- 

 note of the Common Sandpiper repeated with such nicety as to completely 

 deceive him, until the Starling was detected in the act of rehearsing this 

 summer cry.— D. Lort Thorpe (41, Aglionby Street, Carlisle). 



White Wagtail in Suffolk. —The hen White Wagtail which reared its 

 young here last year, as recorded by me (Zool. 1891, p. 314), has returned 

 this spring, and built a nest in exactly the same place in the pyracanthus 

 which she chose last year. On April 17th it contained three eggs. I first 

 noticed her on April 6th, and felt certain, both from her actions and 

 plumage, that she was my old friend of last year ; now the situation of her 

 nest seems to place her identity beyond doubt. My brother has seen her 

 mate, and describes him as a dark Pied Wagtail. Last year, when the 

 first brood had flown, we pulled out the old nest, and they built another in 

 the same place, in which they hatched three more young ones. These, 

 however, all died, possibly from the injudicious handling they experienced 

 from one of our friends, but four or five of the first brood got off, and 



