Birds. 8691 



was also found not far from Hanover, and one was shot by a peasant. The winged 

 bird was kept alive for some days, but has since died, and will be stuffed, but, I fear, 

 not very skilfully. — 'Field? 



The Sandpiper a Diver. — The sandpiper I alluded to (Znol. 8237) was Aclitis 

 hypoleucos. I came some time ago upon six or ei^ht of them on the banks of the 

 Ore, near here, and succeeded, by keeping under cover of some bushes, in approaching 

 unseen near enough to watch their motions. They were running about, on the mud 

 and gravel, and occasionally chasing one another. The water became a foot and a 

 half or two feet deep a very short distance from the edge, and twice I saw a bird, 

 when chased, rush into the deeper water. It might have been accident, or at least 

 unintentional on its part, to go out of its depth, or it might be to avoid being 

 deprived of a morsel of food. It was on one of these occasions that I saw the bird go 

 down under the water and reappear, and immediately try to regain the shore as fast 

 as it could. I think it is likely it had dropped a worm or piece of food, and tried to 

 recover it: I cannot say whether it did so or not. The opportunity I had of observing 

 their motions while swimming under water was while in a boat endeavouring to cap- 

 ture a wounded bird. Owing to a rifle-range being erected on the banks of the Leven 

 at Cameron Bridge, most of the birds have deserted the immediate vicinity, and I 

 have not seeu a sandpiper for about a year. If any one has leisure to do so, and is 

 where sandpipers are common, he might by watching ascertain more fully if diving 

 is so very unusual amongst them. I remarked above that most of the birds had 

 deserted the vicinity of the range : it is curious that one of our shyest birds still 

 remains. A pair of kingfishers, which for some years have frequented an old quarry- 

 pond near the river, and within fifty yards of one of the ranges, are again breeding 

 there this summer ; and only a few days ago, while I and a few others were firing, the 

 birds were coming and going about the place, seemingly not much alarmed. The 

 kingfisher is a rare bird with us. — Robert H. Leven ; Kenaivay, Bums, Windyyates, 

 May 29, 1863. 



Five Eyys in the Nest of a Common Snipe.— On a large marshy piece of ground, 

 where snipe are now breeding in some abundance, I have discovered one nest containing 

 the unusual number of five eggs. No other has since been added, and although one 

 bird only performs the task of incubation, I still incline to Mr. Hewitson's belief that 

 the number of eggs laid by this species never exceeds four. In the present instance 

 four of the eggs are very much alike, but the fifth, although it closely resembles them 

 in form, differs considerably in colour.— Henry L. Sax by ; Baltasound, Shetland, 

 June 10, 1863. 



Oc currence of Spoonbills on the Suffolk Coast. — On the 1st of May two spoonbills 

 were killed at one shot, by Mr. M. Johnson, of Bevarre Hall, between Lowestoft and 

 Souihwold, on the sea-coast. These birds, which were sent to a Norwich birdstuffer 

 to be preserved, were in full adult plumage, and might naturally have been taken for 

 male and female, one having a longer and fuller crest, and the buffy tints on the fore 

 part of the neck and crest somewhat brighter. On dissection, however, I found them 

 both females, each bird having a fine cluster of eggs, the largest about the size of 

 small hemp-seeds ; but these occurred in the specimen with the long crest, Sec, and 

 which I presume was the older bird of the two. The stomachs, with the exception of 

 one or two small pebbles, were perfectly empty, as if the birds had been killed imme- 

 diately after a long flight ; they were, however, in fine condition, being very fat, both 

 internally and externally. — H. Stevenson ; Norwich, May 24, 1863. 



