OTES 



BITTERN BREEDING IN NORFOLK. 

 Miss E. L. Turner sends us the extremely interesting news 

 that a pair of Bitterns {Botaurus stellaris) have this year bred 

 in Norfolk. The nest and one young one have been discovered, 

 and Miss Turner has very kindly promised to give, in our next 

 number, an illustrated account of her experiences. 



Although the frequent occurrence of Bitterns in suitable 

 nesting-haunts makes such an event not altogether surprising, 

 nevertheless there has been no proof of its breeding in this 

 country, so far as we know, since 1886, when a young bird 

 with down still adhering to it was found in Norfolk. Eds. 



ISABELLINE WHEATEAR IN SUSSEX. 



I HAVE, with Mr. J. B. Nichols's kind permission, the pleasure 

 of recording the second British example of the Isabelline 

 Wheatear {Saxicola isabellina). The bird, a male, was shot 

 at Rye Harbour on April 17th, 1911, and sent to Mr. 

 Bristow. I examined the bird while he was skinning it, 

 three days later, and its condition agreed with the length of 

 time that it had been dead. It is now in Mr. Nichols's 

 collection. 



This Wheatear is very generally distributed in summer from 

 south-east Russia and Asia Minor eastwards, while it winters 

 in southern Arabia, western India, north-east and east Africa. 

 The present specimen and the one obtained in Cumberland in 

 November, 1887, would seem to be the only ones that have 

 wandered to western Europe. It must not be overlooked, 

 however, that its great similarity to the female of the Common 

 Wheatear, renders it quite possible that others have occurred 

 without being identified. N. F. Ticehurst. 



ABNORMAL SONG OF WOOD-WARBLER. 



On my return from the Continent on June 2nd, 1911, I found 

 a letter awaiting me from the Rev. W. M. Tomhnson, in 

 which he stated that a Phylloscopus had been singing for 

 a fortnight past in Bradley Wood, near Ashburne, Derbyshire, 

 but that its song was entirely different to that of any bird 

 of the genus with which he was acquainted. As Mr. Tomlin- 

 son is thoroughly conversant with the notes of the 

 usual British warblers, I went down to the spot the next 



