Kingfisher near Aberdeen.—The most interesting ornithological event here is the recent acquisition of a Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida) on the Don, a few miles inland from Aberdeen. A second specimen was picked up in a starving condition about twenty-five miles inland, at the watercourse of Moutgarrie grain-mills, Alford, Aberdeenshire.—W. Wilson (Alford, Aberdeen, N.B.).
Shoveler in Herts.—A female specimen of the Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) was shot on a pond near here, in company with some ordinary ducks, on Dec. 2nd last; it was in splendid condition. As far as I can gather, this is the first time the species has been recorded from Herts. The bird was given to me, and sent to Messrs. Watkins and Doneaster for preservation.—Henry Jennings (42, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, Herts).
King-Eider in Fifeshire.—A male King-Eider (Somateria spectabilis) was shot on a moor in Fifeshire on June 15th, 1899. It was in company with Common Eiders, which breed on the moor in considerable numbers. I saw the bird the day after it was shot.—Bernard B. Riviere (82, Finchley Road, N.W.).
Red Grouse in Surrey.—Can any reader tell me whether Red Grouse have ever been turned down in Surrey besides those mentioned in Bucknill's 'Birds of Surrey,' viz. by the Duke of Gloucester in 1829, and by Colonel Chaloner at the beginning of last century? The reason I ask, is that an old inhabitant of Chobham, in Surrey, told me, with many particulars, that he had once seen some on Chobham Common some thirty years ago. If none have been turned down since 1829, he must surely have made a mistake, as otherwise they would have been noticed by other people between 1829 and 1870. He knows the difference between Red Grouse and Black Grouse, which he has also seen on Chobham Common, but which, I think, are now extinct.—S.H. le Marchant (44, Pont Street, S.W.).
Nesting of the Moor-hen (Gallinula chloropus).—In 'The Zoologist' (1901, p. 17) there appeared a very interesting article on the nesting of the Moor-hen by Mr. Oliver G. Pike, in which the writer points out a curious fact concerning the extra nests built by these birds. In a pond near here a pair of Moor-hens build every year, and on one occasion I noticed two other nests built in the reeds at the side of the pond, one at about fifty yards and the other about one hundred yards from where they had constructed their proper nest, which is usually on a small island in an overhanging rhododendron-bush, about six inches from the water. This nest was neatly built of small twigs, and lined with grass and leaves in the usual way; the other two nests
