190 Dr. E. Hopkinson—Breeding Records : Summary


had decided it must by then be lunch time, was highly approved.

In a willow near the house a pair of Penduline Tits were completing

a nest, and flying about the outhoi^ses was a Collared Flycatcher. In

the early afternoon nesting Stilts were visited and also the nest of a

Marsh Harrier. Later, near another watcher’s house, the nest of a

Fantailed Warbler with young, a Spectacled Warbler’s nest, and yet

another Penduline Tit’s nest, this time with young, were all seen

within a small area. Flocks of Ruffs, the inevitable Marsh Harrier,

and many other birds were observed even from the charabancs on the

way back to Arles, where, after an unforgettable day, the party

returned in the evening.


Phyllis Barclay-Smitii.



BREEDING RECORDS : SUMMARY


By Dr. E. Hopkinson


Since the appearance of Records of Birds Bred in Captivity in 1926

much more material has accumulated and here an attempt is made

to provide a summary of all the records to date on the lines of Part III

of the original work, that is, indicating the values of the various records

by change of type. These values must necessarily differ as the sources of

error are many—from simple mistakes in identification and observation

down to downright mis-statements, as I fear many of the recent claims

for success with British Birds must be considered. We are all familiar

nowadays with the advertisements of aviary- (or cage-) bred Britishers,

and I think nearly every possible British cage-bird has so appeared ;

at any rate I have seen most, “ A.B., C.R., etc.,” even Nightingales

and Long-tailed Tits, but surely the biscuit must be awarded to the

advertiser (in January) of “ Linnets : cage-bred, Is. each, or 9s. a

dozen if a quantity are taken ”. Could anybody breed even white

mice or cockroaches, keep them six months and then sell them at 9 d. ?

This sort of thing has naturally made one suspicious of all records,

but that cannot be helped, and I am sure we can be certain that there

are plenty of good records for a great number of birds including British.



