Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/512

480 is a young bird, readily distinguished from the adults by the absence of bright orange-red on the beak. It is thus not beyond the bounds of possibility that a brood was reared in the immediate viciuity.— (Rusland Hall, Ulverston).

Pectoral Sandpiper in Kent.—I had the pleasure of exhibiting, at the last meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club, the first Kentish specimen of the Pectoral Sandpiper (Tringa maculata). The bird was shot, from a flock of Dunlin, on Aug. 2nd last, along the seashore between Lydd and Rye Harbour; it is an adult male, and its dimensions agree almost exactly with those of Mr. Gurney's Norfolk specimen given in Stevenson's 'Birds of Norfolk,' vol. ii. p. 370. The bird is the property of Mr. Whiteman, of Rye, to whom I am indebted for allowing me to examine and exhibit it.— (Winstowe, St. Leonards-on-Sea).

Notes on the Nesting of the Nuthatch.—In this district at all seasons of the year the Nuthatch (Sitta cæsia) is tolerably abundant, and for years past I have annually, and in some instances accidentally, discovered the nests of from twelve (minimum) to twenty or more of this species; the past breeding season I paid more attention to the loud "twit twit" of this bird as it darted rapidly from branch to branch, resting occasionally to peep at the bold intruder who ventured so near the favoured breeding place. By remaining perfectly still for a short time, the nest was in most cases easily discovered, and I can safely and unmistakably assert that the Nuthatch (Sitta cæsia) does not in every instance, as is generally supposed, fill up the selected natural cavity, whether in tree or wall, with clay and stones; out of nineteen nests found by me this year, situated from three to twenty feet from the ground, only two possessed the clay; one of these had, in addition to the clay, a quautity of small particles of stone plastered against the bole surrounding the nesting hole. All the others had not the slightest sign of mud, clay, or stones. The eggs, removed by the aid of a specially constructed spoon, were again replaced upon the loose nesting material, and occasionally resembled boldly blotched specimens of Parus major. At every nest I identified one or the other of the parent birds. Sometimes by gently tapping near a suspicious-looking hole, the sitting bird would quickly leave its nest and call its mate, hitherto unheard, with that unmistakable and quickly repeated "twit twit" of the species. At one nest visited late in the evening, and containing young, both parent birds entered the nesting hole, and, after remaining quietly until long after the Nightjar had commenced his evening "churr," I retired from the spot, concluding that in this instance at least the Nuthatch had not gone to roost back downwards.— (Mount Pleasant, Wells).

Irregular Nesting Sites.—In corroboration of Mr. Stanley Lewis's