3° 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



black spots, and when the full number are laid, 

 with their small ends placed downwards, and com- 

 pletely filling the slight cavity of the nest, you may 

 easily crush them underfoot unnoticed. When placed 

 on the bankside, where I most frequently find them, 

 the eggs are generally very much blotched at the 

 larger end, so as to resemble the dead leaves and 

 grass, &c., amongst which they are usually placed. 

 I have found the nest 300 yards from the waterside. 

 The young ones run as soon as hatched, and are 

 bonny little creatures, and the parent birds use the 

 various stratagems common to the tribe, in order 

 to entice intruders away from them — tumbling along 

 close to your feet as if they were seriously injured, 

 and striving to induce you to run after them. We 

 made the acquaintance of many of these pretty little 

 birds during the day's ramble, and found several nests. 

 In the side of a steep " scar," where the bank had 



nests of kingfisher {^. hispida), found during the day. 

 It \vas tunnelled about three feet deep into the sandy 

 bank, near the top of a/' scar," and a considerable 

 distance above the water — ^sloping gradually upwards, 

 so that by measuring the depth with a stick, we were 

 enabled, by cutting out a small sod, to lay bare the 

 nest. It was made of the usual heap of disgorged fish- 

 bones, which emitted a " most ancient fish-like smell," 

 and lying in the cavity on the top of them, were the 

 seven beautiful pinky-tinted, semi-transparent white 

 eggs. It is a pity this tint should be lost in blowing, 

 as it is caused by the yolk showing through the shell. 

 My friend placed his hand in the hole, and greatly 

 to his surprise the old bird, which had remained in 

 it, flew into his hand. He brought it carefully out, 

 and after we had admired its beautiful plumage, he 

 liberated it, and away it darted, to return in a few 

 moments accompanied by its mate, and together 

 they dashed past us, gliding along like 

 two living meteors. Tlie kingfisher breeds 

 not uncommonly with us, and I have never 

 had any difficulty in procuring what eggs 

 I required. In searching for the nest, 

 one's nose is as good a guide as anything, 

 and should be poked into every likely 





Fig. 19. — The Blackcap Warbler (Curruca atrkapilla). 



been undermined by the water, and a considerable 

 portion had slipped down, we found a colony of 

 sand-martins (// riparia). The nests were from 

 two to three feet deep in the bank, and before cut- 

 ting into one or two, we examined with great interest 

 the masses of fleas {Pulex hirundinis) basking in 

 the sun at the entrance of many of the holes. The 

 poor birds must have an uneasy time of it with so 

 many of these little pests to share their homes — 

 indeed, sometimes they forsake both nest and young 

 because of them. In several holes where the fleas 

 were more numerous than usual, the pure white eggs 

 were thickly dotted all over with minute black spots, 

 which I used to think were the natural markings, 

 but found that they were but the excrement of the 

 fleas. A pair of sparrows {P. dotnesticus) had taken 

 possession of one of the holes. 



A little farther on we discovered the first of three 



Fig. 20. — Egg of Black- 

 cap Warbler. 



hole, and if the smell inhaled therefrom be 

 but offensive and "fishy" enough, you 

 may pretty safely conclude that you are 

 on the right scent. 



We were rather too late in the season 

 to find any eggs of the lively dipper (C 

 aqitatiais) but found several empty nests 

 from which the young had flown. An- 

 other one was built on the end of a moss-covered 

 stump, which jjrojected over the water, and although 

 it was plain enough to see when you knew of it, 

 we should have passed it by as being merely a part 

 of the stump, if an unintentional rap with a stick 

 had not caused a troop of nearly fledged young ones 

 to tumble helter-skelter out of the nest into the stream, 

 where they instantly vanished from view, I have 

 taken the dipper's eggs as early as the 1st of March. 



We saw several grey wagtails (J/, hoariila) mostly 

 young ones of the year. It is a bird but rarely met 

 with here, but a season seldom passes without my 

 finding one or two nests. It appears to breed very 

 early, for I have always found the eggs early in 

 March ; and, in every instance but one, they were 

 very "hard-sat" when found. In connection with 

 the nesting of this species, I have noticed a circum- 

 stance, which I have not seen mentioned by any 



