140 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xv. 



I do not know on what ground Newton wished it to be inferred 

 that he disbeUeved the statement, and am much mistaken 

 if I have not heard the male sing while brooding, and it is 

 pleasing to think that Mr. Ingram's observations settle this 

 matter in a most definite manner. E. P. Butterfield. 



RAPID RE-NESTING OF THE COMMON WHITE- 

 THROAT. 

 In Surrey, on May 17th, 1921, I found a clutch of five eggs 

 of the Common Whitethroat {Sylvia c. communis) which I 

 took as the type was somewhat unusual. This clutch was 

 from five to six days incubated. Exactly five days later 

 I visited the same spot and was surprised to find that a 

 second nest had been built about eight yards from the first, 

 and contained three eggs. Two days later — May 24th — 

 I again visited the nest and found that it then contained 

 five eggs. These I also took to dispel any doubt as to the 

 two clutches being laid by the same female. The nests 

 were in brambles and nettles around a small swamp in the 

 corner of a field, and according to present ideas on bird 

 territor}^ the available ground was not sufticient to allow 

 of two pairs settling there. 



Both clutches are exactly alike. I have not before known 

 of a small bird building a nest and laying five eggs within 

 seven days, and the fact that the first clutch was considerably 

 incubated makes the experience all the more interesting. 



D. W. MUSSELWHITE. 



THE BREEDING-HABITS OF THE WHEATEAR. 



Mr. J. F. Thomas in his interesting notes {aniea, p. 114) 

 refers to what he thought might possibly be some kind of 

 nuptial display on the part of the Wheat ear (ffi. ce. cenanthc) ; 

 towards the end of May and at the beginning of June 

 (but not at an earlier date) he saw both male and female 

 hovering about ten feet from the ground, though he dis- 

 covered no signs of young ones or a nest. I find in my 

 notes that on May 26th, 1903, I was in the Pevensey 

 Marshes watching a pair of Wheatears. I noticed them 

 hovering in a curious manner and presently with a pair of 

 strong glasses I made out a grass-snake which was the object 

 of their attentions. They kept fluttering up two or three 

 feet and down almost, but not quite, on to it ; once the 

 snake reared itself up and the male bird appeared to strike 

 it. They were at first about a hundred yards away, but 

 they drew gradually nearer to where I was sitting. The 



