220 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



got it in my haud, I asked leave to send it to Mr. H. Shaw, of 45, High 

 Street, Shrewsbury, for preservation for my brother's museum. I may have 

 stated to him at that time more particulars than T am now able to give you." 

 From the above it seems probable that the bird was shot close to the 

 decoy on the Old Hall Marshes, Tollesbury. — Miller Christy (Chignal 

 St. James, Chelmsford). 



Reported Nesting of the Black Redstart in Dumfriesshire— I 

 believe that no well authenticated instance of the breeding of the Black 

 Redstart in Great Britain has hitherto been recorded. A lady, a near 

 neighbour of mine, who is fond of observing birds, tells me that about the 

 12th of June, last year, she found a nest of the Black Redstart about half a 

 mile from Maxwelton, in Dumfriesshire. The nest was iu a stone "dyke" 

 (wall), by the side of a road on a high hill, called '* Crossford." The young 

 were hatched. She tells me that she often went to watch the birds, both 

 with a field-glass and without one; that they let her get very near, that 

 she is certain of their identity, and that they were Black, and not Common, 

 Redstarts. I think that this may be accepted as an undoubted instance of 

 the breeding of this species in this country. — W. Oxenden Hammond. 



Have we two sorts of Woodcock?— Mr. Grant's paper, "Notes on 

 Woodcock and Snipe," in the last issue of ' The Zoologist,' raises a 

 question of considerable interest to naturalists and sportsmen, whether we 

 have two sorts of Woodcock visiting this country, — a large light coloured 

 bird, and a smaller dark one? The result arrived at by Mr. Grant, after 

 an examination of a large series of specimens from various countries, is 

 that the so-called small rufous race represent the young of the year, and the 

 larger and greyer birds are adults. Without wishing to give any decided 

 opinion, which might imply an absolute subspecific difference between the 

 two, I think there are some facts in connection with local evidence which 

 appear to stand opposed to Mr. Grant's theory. That there are, apparently, 

 two sorts or races of Woodcock, recognised as such by sportsmen, past and 

 present, which arrive periodically in the autumn in flights on the sea-coast, 

 is a fact which cannot be disputed ; also, that they are distinguishable, as 

 stated above, by their size and colour. The records of the migrations of 

 Woodcocks in connection with the east coast, which I have kept since 1806, 

 indicate that, as a rule, the bulk of immigrant cocks coming to us in 

 October and November, are recognised as belonging to the so-called small 

 dark, and presumably Scandinavian, race, and that they arrive with N. and 

 N.E. winds. Old east-coast sportsmen, who are, perhaps, best qualified to 

 give an opinion, say that the large grey birds may only be expected with 

 winds from points south of east, and that they do not arrive in flights, 

 except under these conditions. I quite agree with Mr. Grant, " that the 

 triangular marks on the outer web of the first quill-feather are certainly 



