460 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



fifteen paces of it before it saw me. At such close quarters the 

 vermiculated grey back, brown head and crest, red bill, large white 

 wing-patch, and white under parts were, of course, plainly visible. 

 The bird did not spring clear from the water as a Mallard does when 

 alarmed, but, submerging its body almost entirely, swam out from the 

 bank for some yards, then rose and pattered, Coot-fashion, along the 

 surface for a short distance before getting fairly on the wing. The 

 Goosanders which were at Tatton for several weeks in the winter of 

 1902-3 used to behave in a similar way when suddenly alarmed. On 

 returning to the mere I found that the Merganser had rejoined the 

 Grebes, but it only remained with them for a few minutes, and then 

 returned to its feeding place in the pool. Mr. T. A. Coward saw it 

 fishing there two days later, and on the 7th we saw it in company of 

 some Grebes in another part of the mere. On Nov. 14th, when we 

 went to the mere with Mr. S. G. Cummings, we saw the Merganser 

 again ; then, as on the previous days, it was generally alone, although 

 it affected the company of the Grebes to some extent. It never con- 

 sorted with the Mallards, of which there were some hundreds on the 

 water, as the Goosanders used to do, but disregarded them entirely. 

 We had abundant opportunities of comparing the birds with the 

 Grebes when swimming, and with the Mallards when on the wing. 

 It was noticeably smaller than either, a fact which, coupled with the 

 character of its plumage, clearly showed that it was a female. The 

 Red-breasted Merganser is not often seen on the Cheshire coast, and 

 has not been previously noticed on any of the inland waters. — Chas. 

 Oldham (Knutsford). 



Little Crake (Porzana parva) in Co. Kildare. — A specimen of this 

 bird was shot near Kathangan on Nov. 12th. The owner kept it rather 

 long, as he was unaware of its rarity. As he happened to mention to 

 us casually that he had shot a small water-hen, we asked for it to be 

 sent without delay, and on arrival two days after, it proved to be a 

 Little Crake, the second occurrence recorded of the capture of this 

 species in Ireland, the first having heen shot near Balbriggan, Co. 

 Dublin, in March, 1854. — Williams & Son (2, Dame Street, Dublin). 



Black Tern (Hydrochelidon nigra) in the Isle of Man. — On Oct. 15th 

 a bird of this species was shot by Mr. E. Turner on Langness (the 

 Castletown Bay side). It is an immature specimen, with pure white 

 under parts ; bill quite black, and the dark parts of the head and neck 

 nearly so ; the colours of the upper plumage in general also dark, but 

 with some pale edges on the feathers of the mantle, wing-coverts, and 

 outstanding patches on each side of the breast ; feet rather pale brown. 



