431 
i 92 i.] Birds of Alderney. 
Riparia riparia. The Sand-Martin. 
A common bird of passage. It never remains to breed; 
there are no suitable nesting-places for it. 
Dryobates sp. ? The Spotted Woodpecker. 
L. tells me that a Spotted Woodpecker, either the Great, 
or Lesser, was shot here in November 1891, by a Mr. Levens, 
who has left the island. Unfortunately it does not appear to 
have been preserved. 
lynx torquilla. The Wryneck. 
A common summer visitor. As Mr. Cecil Smith says, its 
numbers vary considerably in different years. It is particu¬ 
larly numerous in Alderney this year, and at present (the 
middle of July 1920) the young may be met with along 
almost any wall or hedgerow. 
Cuculus canorus. The Cuckoo. 
A common summer visitor, more numerous than I have 
anywhere seen it in England, Its numbers vary in different 
years. In 1919 it was unusually numerous. 
Micropus apus. The Swift. 
A very common summer visitor, breeding numerously, not 
only in the old forts and houses on the island, but also in 
the cracks and crannies of the sea-cliffs. 
Caprimulgus europaeus. The Nightjar. 
Occurs annually as a bird of passage in both spring and 
autumn. I have not found its nest, but it probably breeds 
here, as one or two may be seen at intervals throughout the 
summer. 
Merops apiaster. The Bee-eater. 
L. has one in his collection. It is a male bird, and he 
obtained it in his garden on the 18th of May, 1917. This 
is, I think, the only record of it for Alderney. 
Upupa epops. The Hoopoe. 
Mr. Cecil Smith says of this bird : “ I have one obtained 
in Alderney in August, though I have not the exact date/’ 
