OTES 



BARRED WARBLER IN LINCOLNSHIRE. 



I FIND I have omitted to place on record the occurrence of 

 the Barred Warbler {Sylvia nisoria) in Lincolnshire in 1905. 

 On September 4th in that year I shot an immature specimen 

 of this species in a hedge near the coast at North Cotes. It 

 is a shy and wild bird, and takes wing more readilj^ than any 

 of the other warblers. 



G. H. Caton Haigh. 



[This example is referred to in Vol. L, p. 56, of this Magazine, 

 but as only the bare record was given by Mr. Gurney in the 

 " Zoologist," from which the occurrence was taken, we are 

 very glad to publish the details above. — Eds.] 



GOLDCRESTS FROM EAST COAST LIGHTHOUSES. 



Dr. Hartert regards the British-bred Goldcrest as sub- 

 specifically distinct from the typical Regulus regulus of 

 Continental Europe, and has described it under the name of 

 Regulus regulus anglorum {cf. Vol. I., p. 218). This insular 

 race he regards as resident {I.e., p. 209). The North European 

 form, he remarks, frequently crosses over to Great Britain 

 in flocks in autumn and ^\dnter {I.e., p. 218). 



If the above views be correct, Goldcrests occurring at 

 lighthouses on our east coast during the migration seasons 

 ought to belong to the Continental form and be recognisable 

 as such. To test this, I recently examined a number of 

 specimens obtained at the Isle of May and Barnsness light- 

 houses, at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, and could see no 

 difference between them and examples from inland woods 

 — in the north as vv^ell as in the south of Scotland — where 

 the species breeds commonly, and is present all the year round. 

 But to make sure I have submitted my specimens to Dr. 

 Hartert for comparison with the series in the Tring Museum, 

 and he writes me that he is unable to distinguish any of them 

 from the British race ; " they are," he repeats, " exactly like 

 British birds, their colour being darker than in Continental 

 specimens." The specimens submitted included ten from 

 the lighthouses as under : — 



S , Isle of May, September 17th, 1885 : taken by myself 

 at the lantern, with other migrants, about 11 p.m. A good 

 many were seen in the course of the night. 



