62 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Aug. 25£/i. — Last Swiffc seen. A hollow oak tree, which was 

 occupied by White Owls in 1900 and 1901, but annexed by a 

 pair of Brown Owls in 1902 and unoccupied in the following year, 

 showed traces of down near the entrance on Aug. 30th. Looking 

 in, a row of five or six young White Owls, nearly fledged, could 

 be dimly seen, all with their backs to the wall, and hissing 

 vigorously. 



Tufted Duck were more plentiful than ever on the ponds 

 at Osmaston, and the head-keeper estimated the number of 

 breeding birds at thirteen couple. 



Mr. H. G. Tomlinson, while fishing on the Dove at Sudbury, 

 flushed an Oystercatcher from a shingle bank in the river 

 on Oct. 28th. 



On Nov. 4th an adult male Scoter (CEdemia nigra) was shot 

 on the Dove, at Hanging Bridge, by Mr. K. H. Bond. It had 

 been noticed on the previous day, and when approached 

 attempted to escape by diving and was very loth to take wing. 



Large numbers of Snipe are now killed on the Sewage 

 Farm by a system of driving, the guns being posted in butts. 

 Sixty are said to have been shot in one day by this means 

 at Egginton. Among them was a single Dunlin. Mr. G. H. 

 Storer informs me that Kuffs were again seen here this year, 

 but fortunately none were shot. A Grey Phalarope was 

 brought to him from Anslow (Staffordshire) towards the end 

 of November, in the very severe weather which lasted from 

 Nov. 21st to 29th. 



A remarkable feature of the autumn and winter of 1904-5 

 was the large number of Water-Bails (Rallus aguaticus) which 

 were met with in different parts of South Derbyshire by shooting 

 parties. As a breeding species, this bird is remarkably scarce in 

 this district, and it would be interesting to learn whence these 

 immigrants come. 



