NOTES AND QUERIES. 459 



number of 'The Field' (Dec. 16th) a still more curious case is mentioned 

 by Mr. Hardy, of Burley-on-the-Hill, Oakham, who states that a nest of 

 five young Rabbits was found inside an old bag stuffed with straw which 

 had been used as a scarecrow, and had fallen to the ground. — Ed.] 



BIRDS. 



American Red-breasted Thrush in Leicestershire.— Agreeably to 

 your request that T should furnish some particulars of the occurrence 

 of Turdus migratorius in Leicestershire, to which I referred in my last 

 letter, I have much pleasure in telling you all I know about it. The bird 

 in question was captured near Leicester, in October, 1893, whilst in 

 company with a flock of Redwings. Being in beautiful plumage, it was 

 kept alive by the man who caught it, and soon became pretty tame. 

 During the succeeding winter it came into the possession of my father-in- 

 law, Mr. Jacob, of Royal Cliff, Sandown, Isle of Wight, and has ever since 

 been kept in excellent health and feather. I have often seen it myself, and 

 can answer for the particulars above given. — H. M. Langdale (Compton, 

 Petersfield). 



[This makes the third reported instance of the occurrence of Turdus 

 migratorius in England. See Zool. 1877, p. 14 ; and 1891, p. 219. — Ed.] 



On the Recent Occurrence of the Yellow-browed Warbler in 

 Yorkshire and Norfolk. — The attention which of late years has been 

 paid to the smaller migratory birds during their autumnal migration has 

 led to the discovery that several species which have been long regarded as 

 rare stragglers to England are most likely annual summer visitors; their 

 small size and unobtrusive colouring causing them to be generally over- 

 looked. Amongst these may be named the Marsh Warbler, Acrocephalus 

 palustris, the Barred Warbler, Sylvia nisoria, the Icterine Warbler, Hypolais 

 icterina, and the Yellow-browed Warbler, Phylloscopus superciliosus. The 

 last-named species has been met with in two localities during the past 

 autumn, and it will be well to place the fact on record in the pages of « The 

 Zoologist' for future reference. On Oct. 8th, Mr. Swailes, an observant 

 nurseryman, at Beverley, hearing the note of a small warbler which was 

 unfamiliar to him, shot the bird, and sent it for identification to Mr. F. 

 Boyes, who pronounced it to be Phylloscopus superciliosus, and on com- 

 municating this information, Mr. Swailes found and shot two others in the 

 same locality. Mr. Boyes having reported this interesting occurrence in 

 1 The Field ' of Oct. 27th, Mr. J. H. Gurney, in the succeeding issue 

 (Nov. 3rd), announced that on Oct. 1st one of these little birds was shot 

 on the coast of Norfolk by a labouring man, who fired at it merely for the 

 purpose of unloading his gun ! As ten instances of the occurrence of this 

 species in the British Islands have now been made known, its claim to be 



2 n 2 



