. British birds . body, the wings were neatly folded, and from the size andcolour of the Swift I have no doubt that it was a mature bird. E. L. Turner. BUZZARDS IN HERTFORDSHIRE. On the morning of October 8th, 1920, at , a pair ofCommon Buzzards {Buteo b. hntco) were circling at a con-siderable height over my house at Barnet, south-east only observed them for a minute or two and then they madeoff in a south-westerly direction. H. Kirke Swann. VOL. XIV. I NOTES 137 NOTES ON A FLOCK OF GLOSSY IBISES LITTLE after midday on September 19th, 1920, while sittingon St. Michael
. British birds . body, the wings were neatly folded, and from the size andcolour of the Swift I have no doubt that it was a mature bird. E. L. Turner. BUZZARDS IN HERTFORDSHIRE. On the morning of October 8th, 1920, at , a pair ofCommon Buzzards {Buteo b. hntco) were circling at a con-siderable height over my house at Barnet, south-east only observed them for a minute or two and then they madeoff in a south-westerly direction. H. Kirke Swann. VOL. XIV. I NOTES 137 NOTES ON A FLOCK OF GLOSSY IBISES LITTLE after midday on September 19th, 1920, while sittingon St. Michaels Mount, I saw a line of ten black long-neckedbirds fly from the east over Marazion (about half a mile away)and drop down to the Marazion Marsh, which forms a trianglebetween the high road and the railway ; on reaching thismarsh, I saw at once that the flock consisted of ten GlossyIbises [Plegadis f. falcineUns), a bird I had previously seenin Egypt onl3^ On this and the following day I had excellent opportunities. FLOCK OF GLOSSY IBISES IN CORNWALL. {Photographed by A. W. Boyd.) of watching them. The marsh has running across it severallarge banks and ditches, and it was possible to crawl undercover of these to within a few yards of the birds and to watchthem at close quarters. Their tameness was remarkable forbirds of their size, and there were numbers of occasions whenthey could be observed at distances of from eight to thirtyyards, long after other birds—Curlews, Herons, Ducks, etc.—had flown away. They fed almost incessantly, usually in some wet part ofthe marsh in a few inches of water ; on the first day the\kept in a close flock, but on the second were rather morescattered. Sometimes one alone would rise and fly for a few yards in a 138 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xiv. peculiarly buoyant manner, but before all flew, one bird stoodquite upright and gave a harsh grating call—■ gra-a-k —and then the flock would rise and fly off to another part ofthe marsh (never more than
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