VOL. IX.] NOTES. 121 



examined it in the flesh the next day, bvit am not able to 

 say to which of the three subspecies it belongs, as I have no 

 skins for comparison. H. W. Ford-Likdsay. 



[^Ir. J. B. Nichols, in whose collection this bird now is. 

 has kindly permitted me to examine it and I tind that it is of 

 the western form. E. jialustris 'jiahisiris. — H.F.W.] 



LARGE INCREASE OF NESTING PIED FLYCATCHERS 

 IN WESTMORLAND. 



I AM glad to record that during the past five years the Pied 

 Flycatcher (Muscicara h. hypolevca) has largely increased as 

 a nesting species in Westmorland. During the past summer 

 of 1915 upwards of twenty nesting pairs were to be seen in 

 one district, and in another district about a dozen, whilst 

 in one garden belonging to a gamekeeper, five pairs nested 

 within a stone's thrown of one another. H. W. Robinson. 



EARLY NESTING OF REED-WARBLER IN 

 CHESHIRE. 



In connexion with the records of early nesting of the Reed- 

 Warl)ler {Acrocephahis s. fffreperus), given on page 48 of this 

 volume, possibly the follo^^'ing may be of interest. On 

 May 4th, 1913. I found an almost completed Reed-Warbler"s 

 nest built in the old reeds on the margin of Rostherne Mere, 

 Cheshire ; at that time the new reeds were not grown. On 

 ]\fay 19th this nest contained four eggs. A. W. Boyd. 



WESTERN BLACK-EARED WHEATEAR IN SUSSEX. 



On May 6th. 1915, I was shown an example of the Black- 

 throated Wheatear in the flesh that had been shot the previous 

 day at Hollington, Sussex. Upon examination it proved 

 to be a male. H. W. Ford-Lindsav. 



[By the kindness of Mr. J. B. Nichols, in whose collection 

 this bird now is. I have been able to examine and compare 

 it and find it to be an example of the western form {(Enanthc 

 h . hispanica ) . — H .F. W. ] 



EASTERN BLACK-EARED WHEATEARS IN SUSSEX. 



On April 22nd, 1914, I saw in the flesh a female Wheatear, 

 which was shot at Westfield, near St. Leonards, Sussex, on 

 April 21st, 1914. I was not sure to which form it belonged, 

 but ]\Ir. Witherby has kindly examined it and decided it to 

 be the Eastern Black-eared Wheatear {CE7ianthe h. 

 xanihomeloena) . 



