NOTES AND QUERIES. 395 



the Severn somewhere near Worcester, and, flying north-east, reach 

 Brornsgrove and Birmingham respectively. — Thomas Ground (Moseley, 

 Birmingham). 



Manx Shearwater (Puffinus anglorum) at Yarmouth. — On Sept. 

 28th I felt strongly tempted to take a stroll to the harbour mouth by 

 the beach, for at this season of the year various " rock birds " leisurely 

 work south, simultaneously with the inshoring of the Herring shoals ; 

 and, after a few days' easterly winds, there is a probability of tired-out 

 birds being washed ashore. I saw one wretched Ked-throated Diver 

 muddling about in the breakers, at which some boys were throwing 

 stones. By a strong effort it dived and came up beyond the rougher 

 water, and got away. An immature Guillemot and a very juvenile 

 Piazorbill only rewarded my two-mile inspection of the debris at the 

 tide-mark, until nearing the breakwater, when I picked up a Shear- 

 water. I had my nearly blind old chum Benjamin Dye, the naturalist- 

 baker, with me, and, placing the bird (probably five days dead) in his 

 hands, asked him to identify it. He did so promptly enough, and, as 

 his fingers travelled across the head to the tip-end of the beak, exclaimed 

 excitedly, " A Manx Shearwater, by Jove ! " He had guessed correctly, 

 whereon I told him to keep it, as an addition to his small collection 

 of rare Yarmouth birds. — Arthur H. Patterson (Ibis House, Great 

 Yarmouth). 



Summer Migrants in South-western Hants. — In this corner of 

 Hampshire our summer visiting birds have been rather uncertain in 

 appearance, perhaps the most noticeable being the apparent scarcity 

 of the Swallow ; few have been seen this season, where some years 

 ago hundreds were observed, and preparatory to their autumnal journey 

 countless numbers formerly congregated, in the morning sunshine, 

 upon the glass roof of the Corn Exchange, as if for discussion and 

 arrangement ; but up to the middle of August I did not see a dozen at 

 the old rendezvous, and greatly regretted the loss of their much-loved 

 busy twitter soon after dawn. Since that date the numbers were 

 augmented by arrivals from farther north, but few compared with 

 former years. In the early summer a pair came to the old nest in a 

 chimney of the house, and, as in previous years, I noticed how early 

 the song was begun — at the very break of day ; and even while it was 

 yet dark twitterings were occasionally uttered, as if eager to begin the 

 happy summer notes. The House-Martin and Sand-Martin were in 

 about usual numbers in their respective localities ; in fact, the former 

 species has again become commoner than it was some few years ago. 

 Of this class the Swift was decidedly the most abundant, at times 



