16 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol viii. 



But for a fe^^- feathers missing from tlie left shoulder, which 

 on examination disclosed a slight abrasion of the skin on 

 that part and the lower-neck, the bnd is in excellent plumage 

 and condition. There are no indications of its having been 

 kept in captivity, and it seems therefore reasonable to 

 conjecture that it msls struck do^^•n bj^ some overhead obstacle 

 whilst passing over the City. A. A. Goodall. 



ABNORMAL SONG OF BLACKCAP. 



On May 17th, 1914, I was at Hatch Grove, Chtngford, and 

 AA'as much astonished to hear a Blackcap {Sylvia a. atricapilla) 

 uttering the " cheering " note of the Greenfinch. The bird 

 seemed to have abandoned its usual delightful melody, as 

 I spent several hours in the wood, and devoted most of the 

 time to listening to this unusual song, which A\as kept up 

 almost incessantly. On May 19th I again listened to this 

 bird with the same experience. The song may be described 

 as resembling that of the Greenfinch, but fuller and more 

 melodious. There can be no doubt as to the identity of the 

 bird, as I had an excellent view of it with and without 

 binoculars. William E. Glegg. 



EARLY NESTING OF BLACKCAP AND CHIFFCHAFF. 



I SAW a cock Blackcap {Sylvia a. atricapilla) sitting closely 

 on four eggs near Bristol on April 24th. Not far from this 

 nest was another containing two eggs, as well as a Chiffchaff's 

 nest {Phylloscopus c. collybita) with one. These dates are 

 very early and worthy of record. D. Munro Smith. 



[The earliest date for a clutch of Blackcap's eggs of which 

 I have any note, is a nest with five eggs on May 1st, 1912, 

 in Kent (P. F. Bunyard, Brit. Birds, VI., p. 87). Other 

 nests have been recorded on May 4th and 6th. The ChiffchafE 

 seems not infrequently to nest early in Somerset, as nests 

 with one egg have been recorded on April 25th, 1912, and 

 April 27th, 1910, from that county {Bull. B.O.C., XXXII. 

 p. 77, and XXVIII. p. 85).— F. C. R. Jourdain.] 



WHITETHROAT AND LESSER WHITETHROAT 

 IN NOVEMBER. 



On November 30th, 1912, I saw a Lesser Wliitethroat {Sylvia 

 c. curruca) in the vicinity of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. It was 

 a cold day, a keen wind Mas blowing, and the bird looked 

 anything but comfortable. Saunders mentions one in the 

 Manual as having occurred in Scotland on November 14th, 



