REVIEWS. continued...

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1 LOCAL 92 REVIEWS. REPORTS. The London Naturalist for J936 and the London Bird Report for X936. (London N.H. Soc, Keppel Street, W.C.i) 3s. 6d, and is, 6d, THE ornithological records of the London Natural History Society have steadily increased and are now for the first time published separately as a supplement to The London Naturalist under the title London Bird Report. This latter contains detailed reports of the birds recorded for the year in the area, which embraces parts of six counties within 20 miles of St. Paul's as shown in a map provided in this issue. Besides this main report there are special reports on the distribution within the area of Grey Wagtail, Lesser Redpoll and Little Owl and short articles on Crossbills, a Pied Wagtail Roost and the Green Sandpiper as a winter visitor, in which Mr. R. McKenzie Smith states that during the past four years one could be reasonably sure of finding a bird of this species along the River Roding, near Chigwell, in any month from August to December and with less certainty until March. The Report ends with lists of arrival and departure dates of migrants and an account of ringing. continued...

2 VOL. xxxi.] REVIEWS. 93 In the main Report there are many items of interest, a few of which Tiave already been published in our pages, while attention may be drawn to the following : Crossbills in Kent and Surrey (and in the article referred to above a definite record of nesting in Surrey), Rock- Pipits at Reservoirs in Essex and Surrey, a Blackcap singing in Surrey on February 28th, Dartford Warblers breeding in two places within the area, a Gadwall breeding at Barn Elms Reservoir was probably due to full-winged birds put down in St. James's Park, a Stone-Curlew in Richmond Park on April 1st, Scandinavian Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the Thames in August, September, November and March, and a number of interesting records from the reservoirs. In The London Naturalist itself we find some good notes on the Dartford Warbler by Mr. Howard Bentham, on the Hobby, with pleasing photographs, by Mr. J. E. Roberts, and an account of some Starling roosts in north-east Surrey by Mr. R. S. R. Fitter. Committee on Bird Sanctuaries in Royal Parks (England) Report for (H.M. Stationery Office) gd. ' THIS gives an interesting account for the year of birds in the Royal Parks in and around London. Mr. Holte Macpherson has already given in our pages accounts of notable birds in Inner London and other records are contained in The London Naturalist, but more detail appears here. Bushy and Hampton Court Parks have an excellent list with 52 species breeding and 34 others identified in the year. Richmond Park has as many as 56 species breeding and 43 others seen. Kew Gardens appears in this Report for the first time. The most notable event here was the nesting of a pair of Crossbills. A Wood-Wren recorded as nesting in a holly bush does not sound likely. Transactions of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society and Field Club, (Hertford : Austin & Sons, Ltd.) 5s. THESB Transactions include a very good report on the birds for 1935 by Mr. C. Oldham, who also contributes an interesting paper on migration in the county. In this he has worked out the earliest and latest arrival dates with mean dates of 33 migrants as recorded from 1879 to 1935, and remarks that no useful purpose would be served by the compilation of further lists on the lines of the past, though he hastens to add that a hundred other problems connected with the subject are crying for solution. Among the notes arranged under species, attention may be drawn to the following, all the dates being in 1935 : A Snow-Bunting at Wilstone Reservoir on October 13th, a Rock-Pipit near Watford on August 20th, a decrease of Red-backed Shrikes and Little Owls in West Herts, the use of cocks' nests by Wrens, a Great Black-backed Gull at Tring Reservoir on January 6th, the only known occurrence there of this species, and a Kittiwake in September. Report of the Oxford Ornithological Society on the Birds of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, (B. W. Tucker, University Museum, Oxford) 3s. 3d. THIS Report, besides the systematic notes, contains special reports on Crossbills (two cases of breeding in Oxfordshire proved), a Duck investigation, the distribution of the Grey Wagtail, Lesser Redpoll and Little Owl (species recommended by the British Trust for Ornithology), Ringing, and tables compiled by Mr. W. B, Alexander showing the average and earliest or latest dates for migrants. The' systematic notes

3 94 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XXXI. contain a large number of observations, of which we may mention the following : three birds frequently visiting a bird table close to a window at Mortimer (Berks) between November 28th and December 18th were identified as Crested Tits ; two occurrences of the Brent Goose in Oxfordshire in April; Garganey in Berks and Bucks ; Scoter and Velvet-Scoter in April and an Oystercatcher in July in Oxfordshire ; a Kentish Plover on April 5th and an Avocet on May 10th at Reading Sewage Farm, a Temminck's Stint at Slough Sewage Farm on September 18th, Bar-tailed Godwits and Great Black-backed Gull in Oxon and Bucks, and a Quail on June 21st in a locality in Berkshire where found the year before. The Hastings and East Sussex Naturalist. Vol. V., No. 4. (Hastings and St. Leonard's Nat. Hist. Soc.) 2s. THIS issue has a large section devoted to the Report on birds for Among other items we have noted the following : Breeding records of Cirl Buntings, breeding Grey Wagtails stated to be resident, Bluethroat seen by Dr. N. H. Joy at Dungeness on September 22nd, considered to be an adult male of the white-spotted form, winter records of Common and Green Sandpipers, occurrences of a Spotted Redshank, an Avocet, and Black-tailed Godwits, and a growth in the colonies of Common and Lesser Black-backed Gulls nesting at Dungeness. Ornithological Report for the County of Hampshire, {Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Arch. Soc.) THIS Report, now compiled by the Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain, contains a number of good notes. Many nests of Crossbills were found, but by the autumn most of the birds, if not all, had disappeared. A male " yellow " Wagtail with no eye-stripe, seen at Britford on April 15th was probably correctly identified as a Grey-headed Wagtail (M. f. thunbergi). Though some ground has not yet recovered from fires the Dartford Warbler has done very well recently, not only in Hampshire but in other parts and is tending to spread to new localities. One pair of Montagu's Harriers nested and reared, young in the New Forest and a pair is recorded as breeding in Dorsetshire. A short list of earliest dates of spring song of residents is included a subject which might be more taken up by Field Clubs, even if this made it necessary to dispense with tables of the arrival of migrants on which such a mass of data has already been accumulated. Report of the Marlborough College Natural History Society, IN this Report 104 species are recorded by thirty observers. Curlew seen in May this year and previously, suggest the possibility of nesting. Passing Great Black-backed Gulls were noted in March, April and May. Report on Somerset Birds, (Somerset Arch, and Nat. Hist. Soc, Somerset County Museum, Taunton.) THIS Report contains a large number of excellent notes among which we may draw attention to the following : 'Ravens breeding in the Avon Gorge on the Gloucestershire side, a Nuthatch nesting in the masonry of a railway bridge, Merlins breeding on Exmoor, a winter record of the British Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Spotted Crake calling on August 9th. The Garganey was proved to breed in the central area and some interesting counts of the Ducks and Grebes were made 400 Shovelers on Blagdon Reservoir on April nth being a

4 VOL. xxxi.] REVIEWS. 95 surprisingly large number. Scaup, Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Black-necked and Slavonian Grebes were seen at Barrow Gurney Reservoirs. The Report includes a photograph by Mr. G. K. Yeates of a male Cirl Bunting at the nest. Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society for the Year (Major A. Buxton, Horsey Hall) 10s. THIS issue contains, besides the usual annual report on birds, a very interesting address by the President, Mr. Colin McLean on " The status of Wild Duck in our area, with some observations on their breeding and habits in captivity". Mr. McLean gives figures and a graph of the numbers (chiefly Mallard, Teal and Wigeon) caught at three decoys and shot at three principal shoots during the last fifteen years. These show an alarming drop in numbers in 1934 an d J 935 an d Mr. McLean discusses possible causes and remedies and advocates systematic ringing on a large scale as a means of learning more about the movements of Ducks a matter now taken up by the British Section of the " International Committee for Bird Preservation". The various bird reports contain many interesting items. A pair of Golden Orioles at Horsey in June may have nested but there is no proof, Crossbills bred in numbers, a pair of Cirl Bunting were seen near Hickling on April 13th, a Richard's Pipit on September 18th and two Water-Pipits on the 17th at Hickling, a Red-breasted Flycatcher at Salthouse on September 21st, and a Barred Warbler at Cley on August 27th. Some five pairs of Short-eared Owls nested and two Marsh-Harriers (one with a clutch of eight eggs hatched only the first and last eggs laid), but no Montagu's, a Purple Heron was identified on June 7th ; 150 to 200 Black Terns were seen at Hickling on May 16th, and at Scolt Head Island a Roseate Tern mated with a Common and produced a young one, which, when fully feathered, did not appear to differ from a Common Tern of the same age. There is a decided lack of notes, especially on locally distributed birds, from outside the specially protected areas. Report of the Cambridge Bird Club, (Cambridge : Severs) is. 6d. THIS Report contains two rather short lists of birds, the notes from the Sewage Farm being kept separate. In Wicken Fen several pairs of Short-eared Owls and a pair of Montagu's Harriers bred, while two Marsh-Harriers were seen in the autumn, Gadwall are recorded for May and December. A number of Waders are recorded from the Sewage Farm including Turnstones, Wood-Sandpipers, winter records of Green Sandpiper (in recent mild winters they have been reported in a good many counties), spring and autumn records of Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwits, and a Bar-tailed in October. Mr. H. L. K. Whitehouse contributes an article on Starling roosts in south Cambridgeshire and Mr. S. Marchant an account of " Bat- Fowling and Ringing", a "sport" which, besides its utility forringing, might well be made to contribute some interesting and much wanted information regarding roosting habits. Ornithological Record for Derbyshire, , [Derbyshire Arch, and Nat. Hist. Soc. Journal, 1936.) THOUGH this Report suffers somewhat by reason of its small number of contributors, it contains a good many useful notes. Twenty pairs

5 96 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XXXI. of Grasshopper-Warblers are stated to breed in about 300 acre;, " providing just the type of ground they like". It would be of interest to have a detailed survey of this ground, A bird seen near Taddington on September 14th, 1935, was considered to be a White's Thrush. A Hobby, apparently correctly identified, was seen in January and is supposed to have escaped from some falconer. A Gadwall was reported in September, 1936, and a Velvet-Scoter in December, Lancashire and Cheshire Fauna Committee, Twenty-second Annual Report... for THIS includes, besides the annual Report on biids, a tabulated and detailed account of the status of the Woodcock in Cheshire, which arose from the National Inquiry instituted by the British Trust for Ornithology. There are also special reports on the Redstart, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Pochard species selected by the Trust. A census of Great Crested Grebes in Cheshire is also included. Besides these valuable reports the carefully drawn up general notes are of considerable interest. Among uncommon birds inland were Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Turnstone and Great Northern Diver. St. Kilda Papers, THIS publication contains, in addition to a foreword, bibliography and large-scale map, reprints of eleven papers previously published in various scientific journals. These papers, which deal with mice, breeding birds, early autumn migration in 1931, St. Kilda Wren, coleoptera, flora and vegetation of St. Kilda, comprise the chief scientific results of an expedition to the island in the summer of 1931, the year following the evacuation of the islanders. There are no copies available for sale ; but as the publication is intended as a basis for future scientific work on the island, twenty-five copies have been presented to leading public libraries and those of Scientific Societies for reference purposes. Any further information can be obtained from Mr. Malcolm Stewart, Hawridge Court, near Chesham, Bucks.