124 BRITISH BIRDS. 



SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE {Lanhis meridionalis) 

 IN NORFOLK. 

 In Part III., Vol. VIII., of the " Trans. Norf . and Norw. Nat. Sec." 

 (1907), just issued, Mr. J. H. Gui-ney gives a short description 

 of a specimen of Lanms meridionalis in the collection of 

 Mr. E. M. Conn op, which was shot at Drayton, near Norwich, 

 in December, 1890. 



The author points out that the Southern Grey Shrike has 

 only once previously been recorded as occurring in Great 

 Britain. This record was of a specimen taken near Colchester 

 in November, 1875, and was communicated by Dr. Bree to the 

 " Field," November 13th, of that year. This specimen is not 

 referred to by Mr. Saunders in his " Manual." The species is 

 resident in the Spanish Peninsula and in the south-east of 

 France. . , 



NUMBER OF EGGS LAID BY THE CUCKOO. 

 This year I found five Cuckoo's eggs in five nests of Reed 

 Warblers ; three on one day, and two on the next. The nests 

 were in the reeds on a small stream, and all were within a short 

 distance of each other — two hundred yards would cover the five 

 nests. The eggs are evidently all laid by the same bird, as they 

 are exactly alike in shape and colour, the latter being reddish. 



The number of Reed Warbler's eggs in the nests were two, 

 three, three, one, and four respectively. 



Reed Warblers have bred here this year in thousands ; every 

 little clump of reeds was full of them. 



Dovercourt. ^- I^erry. 



A CLUTCH OF WHITE EGGS OF THE WOODCOCK. 



In the middle of May last, a keeper on the estate of Glenbervie 

 (Kincardineshire) flushed a Woodcock off a nest containing 

 white eggs. As the bird had deserted, I did not see it when I 

 visited the place on the 18th, but the nest was there, and con- 

 tained four eggs of the usual size and shape (one measured 

 175 by 1"3 in.) ; but all were pure white, except for a faint 

 reddish staiu in places, Tbis stain was evidently caused by 

 the clayey soil and was easily rubbed off. The nest was among 

 dead beech leaves, on a thinly-wooded slope. The eggs are now 

 in the museum at Marischal College. 



A. Landsbobotjgh Thomson. 

 [Mr. H. E. Dresser, to whom we submitted a photograph 

 of the nest and eggs sent by Mr. Thomson, writes: "I know 

 of another instance or a Woodcock's nest containing white eggs, 

 but the occurrence is rare in the Woodcock, although most 

 birds which usually lay coloured eggs occasionally lay pure 

 white ones." — Eds.] 



