VOL vn.] NOTES. 169 



Barred Warbler {Sylvia n. nisoria). — Of this species I 

 saw no less than nine examples^ — three appearing on Sep- 

 tember 2nd, four on the 15th, one on the 19th, and one on 

 the 25th. When it is borne in mind that the greatest number 

 of individuals of any warbler seen during my stay was sixteen, 

 this number of Barred Warblers is certainly remarkable, 

 and since Holy Island is not a point of concentration like 

 Spurn or Blakeney, nor an isolated "haven of refuge " like 

 Fair Isle or Heligoland, one may presume that large numbers 

 of Barred Warblers must have landed this autumn on our 

 east coast. All the birds I saw had very little barring (some 

 only the faintest indications of bars) and were no doubt birds 

 of the year. Most of them were remarkably tame, and 

 could be watched for a long time within a few yards without 

 their moving, others were however decidedly wild. They 

 flew strongly and straight, and they looked large and long- 

 tailed and pale coloured, and could not be confused easily 

 with any other warbler except perhaps the Orphean which 

 has, however, in my recollection a considerably darker 

 appearance on the back and rump. 



Lesser Whitethroat [Sylvia c. curruca). (See Vol. VI., 

 p. 208). — ^This species was noted, as in 1912, on a number of 

 occasions, and must now be regarded as a regular autumn 

 migrant to the Northumberland coast. It was observed 

 on fourteen days in September and at least ten different 

 individuals were seen. 



Continental Redbreast {Dandalus r. rubecula). (See 

 Vol. VI., p. 210). — One was seen on September 23rd, eight 

 (m the 30th, four on October 1st, and four on the morning of 

 October 2nd, but in the afternoon of that day there was a 

 considerable influx, no fewer than twenty-five being counted, 

 while on the following morning (October 3rd) there were only 

 five left. The few resident Redbreasts much resented the 

 invasion of twenty-five, and it was most amusing to watch 

 the bewildered attempts of a dark-coloured resident to 

 chase five or six of his pale-coloured confreres from his own 

 particular hedge. H. F. Witherby. 



LARGE CLUTCHES OF GOLDFINCH'S EGGS. 

 Early in August, 1911, I found, at St. Briavels, Gloucester- 

 shire, the nest of a Goldfinch {Carduelis c. britannica) in 

 a fork of a pear tree, which contained the unusually large 

 number of six young birds as well as an addled egg. On 

 June 28th of this year (1913) I found a similar nest, placed 

 in the same fork. This nest contained six eggs, all quite 



