196 BRITISH BIRDS. 



ORTOLAN BUNTINGS IN NORFOLK. 



An unusual number of Ortolan Buntings (Emberiza hortulana) 

 have appeared in Norfolk this autumn. I can vouch for 

 the following at Cley: — Sept. 11th, one; Sept. 13th, two; 

 Sept. 14th, one; Sept. 16th, one; Sept. 23rd, one. Three or 

 four more birds, believed to have been of this species, were seen 

 between these dates, but their identification was not so certain 

 as to warrant their being recorded. 



F." I. Richards. 



A LATE SWIFT IN NORFOLK. 



On October 10th, at Sheringham, I saw a Swift (Cypselus 

 apus). There was only one flying about with some Martins, 

 and there could be no doubt about its identification for it 

 came once or twice quite close to me. 



H. M. Upcher. 



NOTES ON THE BREEDING OF THE NIGHTJAR. 



On June 15th last I found an egg of a Nightjar (Caprimi 

 europceus) , on some charred remains at the bottom of a burnt 

 whin-bush. On June 19th there were two eggs of the usual 

 type. The first young bird was hatched on July 3rd, the 

 other on July 4th, so incubation lasted eighteen days. I have 

 noticed in this and other instances that the Nightjar does 

 not carry the empty egg-shells away from the nest but leaves 

 them where the young are hatched and often with one half 

 enclosed within the other. At first the young are covered 

 with extremely fine long downy feathers, but the head is 

 practically bare of feathers. The beak has a knob-like 

 termination. The nostrils are conspicuous round openings, 

 raised considerably above the surface of the maxilla, and 

 surrounded with a double row of setaceous-like feathers. 

 The young are able to crawl from the nest when a day old. 

 The growth is rapid. They are about double their size 

 in a week, the feathers of the wing and tail being then 

 most distinct. They are timid creatures and show their 

 objection to intrusion by raising their heads up and down 

 and opening their mouths as wide as possible, at the same 

 time giving vent to a faint hissing sound. 



Often they leave the nest and hide.' When two weeks 

 old the parent birds removed the young fifteen yards 

 from where the eggs were laid to another burnt whin-bush, 

 though . there was plenty of green cover in the shape of 



