NOTES AND QUERIES. 269 



Early Nesting of the Greater Spotted Woodpecker.— On the 9th 

 June I observed a full-grown young Great Spotted Woodpecker, D. major, 

 near here. It did not seem at all shy, and allowed me to watch it closely, 

 for several minutes. It had all the appearance of having left the nest some 

 time. The red on the top of the head was very conspicuous. — Horace 

 Terry (Burvale, Walton-on-Thames). 



Breeding of the Dunlin in Wales. — As the Dunlin, Tringa alpina, 

 is known to nest in Cornwall and Devon, it is a little remarkable that the 

 fact of its breeding in Wales has not hitherto been satisfactorily established* 

 I found it last summer frequenting a large heather-grown peat bog in 

 Cardiganshire, some twelve miles from the sea. When at the same locality 

 this year, on May 13th, a small wader rose, with the Dunlin's weak note, 

 and, shuffling along to attract attention, showed the black breast and 

 chestnut mantle of that bird. The four eggs were typical Dunlin's eggs, 

 smaller than those of the Snipe, and with greener ground colour. Another 

 pair, on May 24th, evidently had young ones hidden amongst the rushes, 

 and must have bred in the neighbouring peat-mosses. — J. H. Salter 

 (University College, Aberystwith). 



Grasshopper Warbler near Brecon. — I have this season been lucky 

 enough to find two nests of the Grasshopper Warbler here, in both cases 

 by flushing the bird. The first nest, an early one, contained on May 31st, 

 six young birds, about a week old. Having been, so far, unable to obtain 

 an adult specimen of this species, I took two of these nestlings and had 

 them preserved. The second nest was a very late one, and on June 9th 

 contained five fresh eggs — a handsome clutch, with an unusual amount of 

 pink colouring. I have kept this nest, as it differs from any I have seen 

 before, the outside being composed almost entirely of moss. In those 

 I have previously found, including one now in the Natural History Museum, 

 the outside has been made mostly of coarse herbage. — E. A. Swainson 

 (Brecon). 



Newly observed Habit of the Blackcap. — In my communication 

 under this heading (pp. 169 — 172), I referred to the visits of this bird to 

 flowers of a pink variety of Hibiscus, which I took to be Hibiscus africanus, 

 but whicn I now find to be H. rosa-sinensis. It may be well to publish 

 the correction.— John Lowe, M.D. (4, Gloucester Place, Portman Square). 



Garganey in Sussex. — Allow me to correct a printer's error in my 

 notice of this bird (p. 226). The locality should be Little Common, near 

 Bexhill, not " South Common, near Box Hill." — George W. Bradshaw 

 (Hastings). [In order to avoid mistakes such as these, it would be well 

 if correspondents would write names of persons and places as legibly as 

 possible. — Ed.] 



