VOL. XIII.] ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 259 



two more were seen on October 17th and six by Dr. Riviere 

 on the 22nd — after fog — and 23rd, and another on November 

 8th. 



Continental Hedge-Sparrow {Prunella m. modularis). 

 Obtained by Dr. Riviere at Blakeney Point on October 

 17th as recorded {British Birds, p. 218), wind north, 5. 



Black-bellied Dipper {Cinclus c. cinclus). 

 On November 5th a Dipper, no doubt of this race, was 

 watched on the little River Tud at Costessey, and on the 12th 

 the same, or another, was shot at Runham (E. C. Saunders), 

 while on the 24th a third was seen by General Upcher on the 

 little stream which runs from Fritton Lake. 



Hoopoe {Upupa e. epops). 

 Mr. Pashley informs me that a Hoopoe was killed by a lad 

 in a garden on October 28th — whether shot, or knocked over 

 with a stick he does not say. 



Little Owl {Athene noctua). 



The Little Owl, which up to 1914 was confined to a few 

 districts in the west of the county is quickly spreading through- 

 out the whole of Norfolk. It was beginning to get very 

 common in 1917 and 1918, but the records received from 

 correspondents are now altogether too numerous to enumerate. 

 There seems to be a prevailing prejudice against it, but the 

 harm it does has been greatly exaggerated, in spite of what 

 numerous letters to sporting papers may say to the contrary ; 

 at any rate, in the south of France it is not looked upon with 

 disfavour, and the test of dissection is rather in its favour 

 than otherwise. 



Long-eared Owl {Asio 0. otus). 



On April 25th a Long-eared Owl sat unmoved on her eggs 

 in a plantation at Calthorpe, while four members of the 

 B.O.U. stood near and watched her, but the remarkable 

 part of the proceeding was that the nest had been built 

 in a perfectly leafless oak, and was therefore extremely 

 conspicuous. On another tree near by was an old Wood- 

 Pigeon's nest, and this had been used by the Owls as a con- 

 venient platform for food — a recently eaten Jay lay on it. 

 On the same day we were shown a Long-eared Owl's nest on 

 the ground with three eggs, but they were quite cold, and 

 neither of the old birds was visible. Nidification of this species 

 on the ground seems not to be unusual in marshy districts, 



