346 • PHYLLOSCOPUS SIBILATRIX. 



year, nor did he look for any in 1892 ; but on the 24th of April, 1893, having 

 seen and watched a pair of these birds which evidently had a nest on the 

 former of these two heaths, he returned three daj's later, but failed to find it. 

 Not discouraged by this want of success he revisited the locality on the 4th of 

 May accompanied by his niece, and taking with him, as he had also done on 

 the 27th of April, the man he had before employed. The following extract 

 from his notes describes what occurred : — 



" It was nearly an hour before a Dartford Warbler shewed itself — E. [his 

 niece] saw it first — a hen bird I think, of course at the place where we had 

 seen them before, and within one hundred yards of where the young bird was 

 found (10 May, 1890). At our last visit (27 April, 1893) my man was sure 

 the bird had not begun to sit. We soon saw the other bird of the pair, but they 

 were very loth to shew themselves. In less than a quarter of an hour — while 

 we were watching on different sides of the patch of gorse, but within sight of each 

 other — E. saw a bird go into a smaller bush, some ten by fifteen feet ; and as 

 after some minutes it did not come out again, the man and [ went to the spot, 

 and he immediately found the nest by carefully parting the gorse from the top. 

 As we had not actually seen the bird go off, we left it for half an hour, when, 

 returning, she fluttered ofj within a foot of my face — no doubt about her. The 

 nest was on high ling about eighteen inches from the ground, but under the 

 green part of the gorsp, which was altogether not more than 30 inches high. 

 I do not think we should have discovered this bird without E., for my man's 

 eyes are not good at long distances, but he is good at finding a nest when he 

 knows where to look. The eggs were fresh, so he was right in thinking the 

 birds were not sitting when we were there on the 27th of April ; but I cannot 

 account for their being so much later this year when everything is forwarder 

 than usual. We afterwards came to the other heath, bat could not see a 

 Dartford Warbler, though we remained an hour. The day was not very 

 favourable, there being a cold strong easterly wind and not much sun."] ^ 



PHYLLOSCOPUS SIBILATRIX (Beclistein). 

 WOOD-WREN. 

 ^ 1752. 0/?^.— Norfolk. From Mr. J. D. Salmon, 1846. 

 § 1753. 0//^.— From Mr. J. P. Wilmot, 1846. 



' [On the 21st April, 1896, my brother and I visited this heath, but we had not 

 much time, and the weather was unfavourable. We saw only one bird, with 

 which we could do nothing. A few days later he went again, accompanied by 

 Mr. A. M. Chance, when a bird was seen in the patch of gorse where the fledging 

 had been observed in 1890, as above mentioned. After some watching the nest was 

 found, built in the top of the ling, not at all in a thick place, and about eighteen 

 inches from the ground, the bird flying off it. There were thiee eggs, wdiieh proved 

 to have been incubated some four days.] 



