NOTES AND QUERIES. 355 



near Ash Hay Gill, about three miles from Hackness, Yorkshire ; and 

 the old records of Trathen and Harris from Cornwall are in all proba- 

 bility due to confusion between resident Common Buzzards and stray 

 Rough-legged birds shot in autumn or early spring. B. lagopus is a 

 subarctic species, nesting in the north of Scandinavia, and in Norway 

 on the high fjeld beyond the tree limit, down to about 59f° N. lat., 

 and also in the extreme north of Russia. It does not breed in the 

 south of Scandinavia or Finland, nor in the Baltic Provinces or East 

 Prussia ; so that the cases in which it is supposed to have bred in 

 Pomerania and West Prussia must be regarded with suspicion. The 

 whole case as regards the British records is parallel with the sup- 

 posed breeding of the Bean-Goose in Scotland, which proved on 

 investigation to be equally unreliable, owing to confusion with an 

 allied species. — F. C. R. Jourdain (Clifton Vicarage, Ashburne, Derby- 

 shire). 



Osprey (Pandion haliae'tus) in Ireland. — An adult male was shot 

 near Drogheda on May 1st by a gamekeeper, who forwarded it to us as 

 a Buzzard. The testes were large, but no other bird was seen, 

 although a sharp look-out was kept. It is a pity this harmless species 

 is molested, but as this particular keeper looks after the fishing as 

 well as the game, he promptly destroyed it as a poacher, having seen 

 it take a two-pound Trout, which it was in the act of eating when 

 shot. — W. J. Williams (2, Dame Street, Dublin). 



Bird-Notes from the Wilsden District. — In spite of the past season 

 having been of an exceptionally severe character, there has not been, 

 with the exception of one or two species, any very marked decrease of 

 our summer visitants to this district. The Swallow is said to have 

 arrived on April 3rd, but not seen again until the 19th. The Wheat- 

 ear and Ring-Ouzel also arrived early, but the bulk of migrants was 

 decidedly later in their arrival than in average years. The most 

 striking ornithological feature of this district in recent years has been 

 the enormous increase of Thrushes during the breeding season ; 

 especially is this the case as regards the Mistle-Thrush and Song- 

 Thrush. Not many comparatively of the latter remain through the 

 winter. One, however, came to our garden for two years in succession, 

 and was very tame, feeding close to the feet of one of my daughters 

 who was most assiduous in her attentions to its gastronomic require- 

 ments, which were of no ordinary character. Nothing seemed to come 

 amiss in its bill of fare — rice-pudding, cake, and bread appeared to be 

 equally relished, and was carried to its young, as it remained to breed 



