Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 1 (1877).djvu/50

24 will be interested to hear that in the neighbourhood of Constantine, where I reside, this bird has been gradually becoming plentiful. I noticed the first I had ever seen here about three years ago, since which time I have observed them frequently amongst furze. They flit from bush to bush, and on alighting disappear immediately, very similarly to the Lesser Whitethroat.— (Constantine, Cornwall).

—In the eastern woodlands this bird is common, but in West Cornwall is very rare (c.f. Rodd, Zool. 2nd ser. 2239). In the neighbourhood of Constantine it was at one time very seldom seen, but of late has become more numerous.—

—In the last published part of the new edition of 'Yarrell's British Birds' (part 10, p. 85) a dozen counties in England are named in which the Tree Sparrow seems not yet to have been recorded as breeding, and one of these is Middlesex. On reference to an interleaved copy of my 'Birds of Middlesex' I find a MS, note, given me by the late Mr. Blyth, to the effect that in June, 1871, he obtained three half-fledged Tree Sparrows, which were taken from a nest in a hole of a tree at Hampstead. This is the only instance which has come to my knowledge of the Tree Sparrow breeding in the metropolitan county.—

—On the 25th of September, on my uncle's property at Darsham, in this county, I shot a very fine, though immature, male Honey Buzzard. Expanse of wings four feet, and two feet from beak to tail; contents of stomach, wasp-grubs.— (Little Glemham, Suffolk).

—A fine male specimen of this Sand Grouse was shot on the 4th of October, near Kilcock, in the County Kildare, and its companion, a female, secured at the same time. They were found feeding in a stubble-field, and, at first, were mistaken for Partridges. We have received one for preservation, the other was sent to Messrs. Ashmead and Argent, of Bishopsgate Street, London. — taxidermists (2, Dame Street, Dublin).

[This fact has already been recorded in 'The Field' of 21st October, 1876, by Mr. Coates, one of the two gentlemen who procured the birds in question. It is not the first instance of the occurrence of this Sand Grouse in Ireland. In 1863, in which year a most extraordinary immigration of these singular birds took place, specimens were procured at Ross (Lord Clermont, Zool. 1863, p. 8934), Drumbeg (Sinclair, 'The Field,' 20th and 27th June, 1863), and Naran (M.B. Cox, 'The Field,' 18th July, 1863), the last-named being the most westerly locality for the species recorded with precision.—]

—A very interesting specimen has been sent to us for preservation. It is about the size of the so-called