OTES 



ARCTIC BLUETHROAT IN NORFOLK IN 

 SPRING. 



An Arctic Bluethroat [Cyanecula suecica) was obtained, 

 during the third week in May last on the north coast of Norfolk. 

 It was shot in a garden facing the sea by a man who fired, at 

 it out of his dining-room window. A prevalence of easterly 

 winds at the time probably accounts for the occurrence, as 

 the Red-spotted Bluethroats appear to miss our coasts on 

 the spring migration to northern Europe to a great extent, 

 although one was recorded from near Newcastle as far back 

 as May 26th, 1826, and others have been obtained at Worthing 

 on May 2nd, 1853, and near Lowestoft in May, 1856, as well 

 as more recently in Norfolk on May 16th, 1906. There are 

 also at least two occurrences from the Scottish mainland and 

 one from the Pentland Skerries in the month of May. 



Clifford Borrer. 



EXTRAORDINARY DEVOTION OF A PAIR OF LESSER 

 WHITETHROATS TO THEIR NEST. 



No doubt many will call to mind the unusual severity of the 

 gales during May, 1910, and the consequent effect on many 

 birds that were nesting. One case in particular seemed to 

 me to be beyond the usual perseverance of birds, and concerned 

 a pair of Lesser Whitethroats {Sylvia curruca). The nest 

 was built with no stronger support than stems of grass and 

 stinging nettles, and when I found it the whole structure was 

 exposed to view, and nearly blown away— in fact, the sides 

 had already given way. Notwithstanding the fact that 

 the hen bird was obliged to sit on the side of the nest, she 

 was actually using her wings to keep there at all. The first 

 photograph I took shows the nest with five eggs, and gives 

 some idea of the position, for, following my rule, nothing 

 was disturbed before taking the photograph. 



Knowing it was useless to leave the nest in this position, 

 I decided to move it to more sheltered quarters, and placed 

 it some yards away under the shelter of a sloe bush. 



