Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 2 (1878).djvu/370

346 their being more numerous than any others), and selected either isolated ones, or one of two or three. It may be where the timber is thick and closely planted the trees are younger, and not adapted for boring into. The entrance hole is round, or sometimes oblong, and has to go some inches in, according to the thickness of the tree, before reaching the middle, or rotten part, when it goes down from two to three feet. There are often two holes ; whether one is an escape hole in case of danger, or whether as the bird deepens the hole year by year she taps it into another place for convenience, I am not prepared to say. I am disposed to think it is made as an escape hole. I found near Penmaenmaur, North Wales, this year, on May 29th, a Green Woodpecker's nest, with young ones just hatched. Our guide informed us that he knew of a "Magpie-Woodpecker's" nest, from which we inferred he meant the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. He took us to a small, dead, stripling oak, or remains of one, ten feet high, and there at the top in a small hole, similar to what a Cole Tit would make, was the nest, or rather the eggs. We soon cut the hole open, and found six eggs in, — white, smaller than the Wryneck's, and hard sat. We managed, by great perseverance and care, to blow four of them. The bird seemed very shy, and left before we reached the spot. As the tree was in the midst of several hollies the eggs would never have been discovered, but from the fact of a noisy Great Tit, whose nest was in the same tree, having attracted our guide to the spot, and caused him, after seeing the "Magpie," as he called her, to search for the nest. This kind of Woodpecker seems far less numerous than the green. — (The Woodlands, Burton- on-Trent).

— In most works on ornithology the Kestrel is said to build its own nest ; sometimes taking, however, the deserted nest of a Crow or Magpie; and just rice versa for the Sparrowhawk. During the last three or four years I have examined personally a considerable number of Kestrel's nests, with the view of ascer- taining the correctness or otherwise of the above statement, with the following result: — All but five, out of about thirty, were in old Magpie's nests. Sometimes I found the dome entirely removed, at other times it was left on. In no case did I find they had taken the trouble to line the nest, save now and then two or three pieces of sheep's wool were added. Of the other five, four were in crows' nests, and the remaining one was perhaps of the Kestrel's own manufacture ; but of that I am doubtful. As to the trees the nests were in, most preferred elms, then oaks, some fir trees, two ash trees, and the last laid in a Magpie's nest in a thorn bush ! The number of eggs was generally five, a few of four each, and three of six. each. I have not been able to examine nearly so many Sparrowhawk's nests, it being a very much rarer bird in most of the Midland Counties.