190 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



formerly they were abundant. I only refer to woods where human 

 interference is out of the question, and the timber is as it was of yore. 

 In referring to my notes I find that in May, 1892, they were nesting 

 in considerable numbers, and continued common for a few years ; but 

 in 1901 I only found one nest ; again in 1903 only one nest ; the last 

 and only nest in 1904. Since then I have made diligent inquiries 

 about them, as I wanted to photograph the parents at the nesting- 

 site, but have failed in locating a single nest. This very marked 

 falling off in numbers has puzzled me greatly, and I cannot account for 

 it in any way. — J. E. H. Kelso (Holm wood, Hayling Island, Hants). 



Keferring to the reports from Oxford and Hants that there is a 

 scarcity of Nuthatches, I do not notice any difference here, but per- 

 haps, on the contrary, they are even more in evidence than usual. 

 You can see and hear them everywhere, and six out of thirteen nest- 

 ing-boxes in the garden here were occupied by them, and I know of 

 other nests in trees. I went over to my other place this afternoon 

 (May 4th), and out of twenty- three boxes I examined, eleven were 

 occupied by Nuthatches. I also saw two nests in trees and three in 

 rocks, but I have noticed that most years some species predominate 

 in boxes ; one year it is the Great Tit, another the Blue Tit, this year 

 the Nuthatch ; some years several Coal-Tits (but they never pre- 

 dominate), others almost none. — E. G. B. Meade- Waldo (Hever 

 Warren, Hever, Kent). 



Late Stay of the Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla). — I saw a 



small flock of Bramblings, about a dozen in all, being birds of both 

 sexes and accompanied by a few Chaffinches, in a fir-wood on the 

 moors near here to-day (April 24th, 1909). — Walter Gyngell (13, 

 Gladstone Eoad, Scarborough). 



Linota linaria at Hampstead. — A flock of Mealy Eedpolls consist- 

 ing of some thirty or more birds frequented the Heath here daily 

 from the middle of January till early in April, when they took their 

 departure. They appeared to spend the whole of their time during 

 the day feeding on the ground under the birch trees, and only flying 

 up into the branches on being disturbed. On April 20th I saw and 

 watched here for some time a male Pied Flycatcher (Muscicapa atri- 

 capilla). The occurrence of this Flycatcher in Middlesex does not 

 appear to have been very often recorded. — H. Meyrick (Holly 

 Cottage, The Mount, Hampstead, N.W.). 



Early Appearance of Cypselus apus. — In the evening of April 

 15th, after a not very bright day, I saw a Swift— I may almost say a 



