NOTES AND QUERIES. 427 
Baillon’s Crake in Yorkshire —While walking a marsh bordering 
the River Wiske at East Harlsey, near Northallerton, a small Crake 
rose from the rushes before me, and flew slowly and with apparent 
difficulty a few feet above the herbage. I shot it, and found it to be 
a Baillon’s Spotted Crake (Porzana baillont). On dissection it proved 
to be a female, and is an immature bird. Measurements :—Length, 
79 in.; wing, 3°75 in.; tarsus, 1:12 in.; mid-toe, 1:52 in. It was 
very fat. Several Snipe had been feeding in its immediate vicinity ; 
in fact, I shot one of these birds, which rose a few feet from the 
Crake. This is the fourth example of this species to be obtained in 
Yorkshire, the last of the previous occurrences being an adult male, 
killed between Pocklington and Wilberfoss (Mr. T. H. Nelson, ‘ Birds 
of Yorkshire’). Unfortunately, my specimen fell into the none too 
gentle “hands ”’ of the fox-terrier at Harlsey Hall, where I was then 
staying, but was luckily rescued while something yet remained. I 
have, however, managed to preserve all that was possible of it.— 
J. M. Cuaruron (Brampton, Cumberland). 
Strange Nesting-site of Coot (Fulica atra).— Frequently when 
Coot have a difficulty to find cover for their nest they will build in 
quite open situations, even on the bare edge of the water within a 
foot or so of theland. But with a nest that came under my observa- 
tion on Southill Pool, Bedfordshire, on June 15th last, no such 
difficulty of abundant cover occurred, and yet this pair had chosen 
to build their nest partly on the rowlock and partly on the seat of a 
half-submerged punt alongside the lake dam, and at a considerable 
distance from any cover whatever. The nest contained a clutch of 
six eggs, which were considerably incubated.—J. StrELE HEnuioTt 
(Dowles Manor, Shropshire). 
Abnormal Clutch of Great Crested Grebe (Podicipes cristatus) in 
Glamorgan.—On April 20th we visited a lake, in South Glamorgan- 
shire, where we had observed a pair of Great Crested Grebes during 
the winter months, and now hoped that they had commenced nest- 
ing. As we approached, we saw one of the birds sitting on its nest, 
which was situated in a small clump of reeds forming the only 
suitable cover on the lake. On our nearer approach the bird left 
the nest, after partially covering the eggs, some of which could be 
seen from the bank, a distance of thirty yards, and on wading out to 
the nest we were surprised to find that it contained nine eggs, four 
or five being the usual clutch. Whilst endeavouring to photograph 
the nest the female continually dived within ten yards of the camera, 
