NOTES FROM LAKELAND. 187 
early in the month, and I am told that a pair of these fine birds 
have been seen regularly up the Briggle Beck by Langwathby 
for the last five or six weeks (H. Britten).] 
24th.—About twenty Wild Swans flew down the Solway (W. 
Nichol). 
27th.—Swallows still at Etterby Scaur (D. L. Thorpe). 
29th. —A large flock of Barnacle Geese passed over Carlisle, 
low down (T. L. Johnston). 
During October some Wigeon were on the River Eden near 
Nunwick (H. Britten). 
[The Kingfishers are conspicuous in the Eden Valley at the 
present time, their numbers having been considerably increased 
by the birds which have been nesting on the banks of our smaller 
becks, and as these birds are naturally of a quarrelsome dis- 
position, this has led to vigorous battles, often carried on high in 
the air, accompanied by a great amount of shrill screaming. 
The occasional glimpses of the brilliant blue backs and chestnut 
breasts of the birds as they dart about is a charming sight. I 
have often watched these birds as they sat on some favourite 
perch, waiting and watching for a luckless Minnow to appear 
within reach of a swift dash into the water, and it is very rarely 
that I have seen them miss their prey. This season I have seen 
them hovering over the shallows of the Eden, a habit I have 
never seen them do before, though, of course, both read and 
heard about it. They hover about six to seven feet above the 
water, and are perfectly motionless as regards horizontal and 
perpendicular movement, but the wings vibrate with great 
rapidity. I several times saw these birds hovering so that I had 
an extensive reach of the river behind them as a background, 
and found, though the sun was shining brightly, that their 
colours harmonized so perfectly with the water that they were 
almost invisible. This gave me the idea that possibly, to the 
fish below, their colours would blend in the same way with the 
sky, and so render them invisible to their prey. After several 
failures I at last succeeded in getting one of these birds between 
me and the bright sunny blue sky, and, although I was within a 
dozen yards of the hovering bird, it was very difficult to see. I 
could see it a great deal easier when it was changing its position, 
_ but as soon as it hovered the chestnut and blue seemed to blend 
