NOTES AND QUERIES. 275 



belly overlapping the wing ; tail, rump, and flight-feathers black or 

 dark brown ; the bill, which was slightly upturned, was bluish slate- 

 colour ; eye bright yellow. In the morning, when I first saw the bird, 

 it was searching for food, and dived frequently in the shallow water of 

 the narrow end of the mere ; in the evening, when last seen, it had 

 retired to the centre of the mere, where it was resting near a few Tufted 

 Ducks, from which it was easily distinguished by its light back. — Frank 

 S. Graves (Ballamoar, Alderley Edge). 



The Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) in Cheshire. — I noticed two birds 

 of this species on Redesmere, Cheshire, on the 19th April last. 

 They were adult male and female, and, judging by their behaviour, 

 had paired, but when I visited the mere next day they had gone. These 

 are the first Shovelers I have seen on this mere, or, indeed, in Cheshire. 

 The poise of these Ducks on the water is remarkable ; the fore part of 

 the bird is much sunk, as though weighed down by the large bill, and 

 the tail stands clear of the water. — Fraxk S. Graves (Ballamoar, 

 Alderley Edge). 



Non-breeding Birds. — Quite from the beginning of May a pair of 

 Little Terns (Sterna minuta) have remained on Breydon, instead of 

 joining the assemblies of their species at Blakeney and at Wells. I 

 have seen them every time I have gone on Breydon, and on reference 

 to the note-book of the watcher Jary found dates, recording their con- 

 stant presence, between my own. The female appears to be not nearly so 

 strong on the wing as its mate, which is most attentive to it, continually 

 fishing for it, and dropping tiny Herrings on the mud near it, or into 

 its mouth, and what appeared to me to be Gobies and Shrimps as well ; 

 these latter were fished out of the tinier "drains," the former being 

 snatched out of the deeper " channels." At the present time the usual 

 summer muster of Gulls is to be seen on the mud-flats ; there are 

 numerous examples of Black-backed Gulls, from the fine adult males 

 to the last year's " greys," including oddly blotched birds of the third 

 and fourth years. They are living fairly well now on the flotsam that 

 drifts upstream on the flood from the shrimpers' nets, and on Shore- 

 Crabs scuttling about among the rank Zostera. The immature Common 

 and Black-headed Gulls are very persistent in waiting upon the Herons, 

 who, when satiated with Flounders and Eels, will continue to strike 

 and capture prey, to be thrown away at length upon the flats. As late 

 as May 26th some Knots in the perfect " red" of spring were loitering 

 on Breydon. If these were on their way to their nesting quarters the 

 time they were enabled to devote to household matters must be exceed- 

 ingly short. — Arthur H. Patterson (Ibis House, Great Yarmouth). 



