NOTES AND QUERIES. 429 



other specimens have previously been reported here at long intervals. 

 The first one recorded for Norfolk was obtained in the same locality in 

 November, 1841. Although an autumnal migrant, it is sparingly met 

 with in Great Britain ; yet it is freely distributed in the southern parts 

 of Europe during the winter. I once saw one of these large Pipits 

 searching for food amongst the aquatic herbage which grows on the 

 rands on the north side of Breydon in September, 1890. I noticed 

 how extremely active it was in its movements. A Lark being near, I 

 had a fine opportunity of observing the two species at one view. — 

 B. Dye (Row 60, No. 10, Great Yarmouth). 



Eggs of Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio). — It may interest your 

 readers to learn my experience relative to this subject, and it will 

 be interesting to me to know of their observations in the same direction. 

 It seems common knowledge that many of our summer migrants 

 return each year to the same nesting locality, and as an instance I 

 will cite the bird under notice as one species apparently possessed of 

 this habit. In the county of Wiltshire I know of two spots, about six 

 or seven miles apart, where a pair of these birds are regularly to be 

 found during the period of their stay with us, and my observations re- 

 specting the two nests extend over the years 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907. 

 The first pair were noticed in 1903 near a railway bank, and their nest 

 contained five eggs of the grey variety. They were seen in the same 

 place in 1904, but the nest was not located. In 1905 no visit was made 

 by me, but in 1906 they had again returned, and the nest discovered 

 within a few yards of the one previously found in 1903. This con- 

 tained as a full complement four eggs only, which on this occasion 

 were of the pink variety. My observations of the second nest were 

 made within the past two seasons (1906-7). The nest, situated about 

 five feet from the ground in an overgrown thorn hedge, contained six 

 eggs of the grey type, while the one discovered this year (1907) and 

 situated quite near the other had five eggs, which were marked with 

 pink blotches rather than spotted — quite an unusual type. It will 

 therefore be seen from these remarks that, although the eggs were 

 found in precisely the same localities — indeed, a few yards only was 

 the space between each year's nest in both cases — the eggs varied in 

 colour as described above. My contention is, on the face of this 

 experience, that the eggs are liable to this variation, and that there is 

 little doubt that they belong to the same birds which return each year. 

 While dealing with this subject I should like to mention that with 

 regard to the egg3 of the Cuckoo I have found no variation whatever, 

 after some years of careful observation in certain localities. In one 



