REPORTS. 



275 



happy family party, as mingling and intermingling they passed one 

 another and glided about over the furze and bracken -covered cliff in 

 graceful flight. It made one think of the gathering together of the clans. 

 COPnerake. — The scarcity of the Corncrake at Guernsey in recent summers 

 has been the subject of remark in these Reports since 1907, and this year 

 again there is little, if any, improvement to report. On May 4th Mr. G. 

 F. Alles heard one at the Cotes Aumones, St. Saviour's, and on the 16th 

 in a field opposite Morley Chapel. Mr. E. Rammell heard the bird at St. 

 Saviour's on the 14th of the same month, and on the 25th I heard one at 

 Les Hubits, St. Martin's. The last reported date for hearing the bird 

 this season was June 24th, when the Rev. R. H. Tourtel heard the cry 

 very distinctly near the Bourg, Forest. I may add that Naturalists are 

 remarking upon the decrease of the Corncrake in England as well, for a 

 writer in Knowledge for May said that this bird, once abundant and 

 common, must now be considered scarce over a wide area including 

 Berks and the Thames Valley, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Staffordshire, 

 Surrey, and Hants. "The scarcity," he continued, "is attributed to 

 destruction of the birds and their nests by mowing machines, by birds 

 being killed by flying into telegraph and telephone wires, by unseasonable 

 summers and wetten meadows along the Thames and its tributaries. But 

 the question may well be asked why the species holds its own in the West 

 of Scotland, where such conditions are quite as prevalent as elsewhere in 

 the country." 



Common Crossbill.— Col. G. H. Le Mottee, of the "May Trees," Haute- 

 ville, reports that he saw a Crossbill in his garden towards evening of 

 July 13th, and one again the following day. On each occasion the bird 

 showed no fear and allowed him to approach almost to within touching 

 distance. Col. Le Mottee's gardener informed him that the birds (a pair) 

 had been frequenting the garden for a whole week previous to this date. 

 There is no mention in the Transactions of the occurrence of the Crossbill 

 here, but Smith, in the "Birds of Guernsey," records it as "an occa- 

 sional visitant to all the islands, and sometimes in considerable numbers, 

 but, as in England, it is perfectly irregular as to the time of year it 

 chooses for its visits." According to the late Sir Edgar MacCulloch 

 many years will sometimes pass without a single Crossbill being heard of 

 at Guernsey. Writing from Jersey on the subject, in reply to a query 

 of mine, Mr. Sinel said : " Yes, the Crossbill occurs here and is both a 

 resident and a visitor. Just now (July 30th) there are a good many 

 about." 



Nightjar. The Nightjar has, apparently, been neither seen or heard this 



summer. My friend, Mr. E. Rammell, was frequently out in the 

 country during May and June on the look-out for the bird, but without 

 success. 



Quail.— Jurat Kinnersly shot a Quail at Jerbourg, St. Martin's, on July 25th. 

 I happened to meet him that morning and he showed me the bird and 

 called it "a rarity." In 1907 the Transactions record the occurrence of 

 the Quail in several different parts of the island. 



Ring Ousel. — Two or three of these autumnal visitants were seen by Jurat 

 Kinnersly on September 30th at the extreme end of Jerbourg, and he 

 tells me that he saw some in the same part of St. Martin's about the same 

 time last year. The Ring Ousel never seems to halt here during the Spring 

 migration, all the reported instances of its occurrence are in connection 

 with the Autumn migration. 



Moorhen.— For some winters now a Moorhen has taken up its residence in 

 the grounds at Sausmarez Manor, St. Martin's. I saw the bird on Sunday 

 afternoon, November 5th. It disappears in the Spring and is supposed 

 to be one of several Moorhens imported into Saumarez Park, Catel, a few 

 years ago. 



