aLEAKINOS FROM MY NOTE BOOK. 267 



Rookery. In the morning they fly out of tlie trees with great noise, pitch 

 on the hills, then separate in small parties and go forth, I imagine, on their 

 feeding expeditions. In the evening these parties come in again, assemble 

 separately at first, then all with great noise unite on one of the sides of the 

 hills, and after no very lengthened period, during which they wait for all the 

 separate parties to come in, all again retire to the trees and are gi-adually 

 silent, I have observed that the form the final meeting of the Rooks assumes 

 on the hill is that of a very large semicircle. Ignorant if this jotting be 

 worth inserting or not, I send itj at all events it strikes me as singular. 



September IQth., 1852. 



GLEANINGS FROM MY NOTE BOOK.— No. 2. 



BY J. MC'iNTOSH, ESQ. 



The Waking! of Birds in the morning from the month of May to July. — 

 The Chafiinch, {Fringilla codebs,) commences its notes from one to half-past 

 one in the morning; the Great Black-headed Tomtit, (Parus major,) from 

 two to three; the Quail, (Coturnix vulgaris,) from half-past two to three; the 

 Blackbird, (Turdus menda,) from half-past three to four; the Thrush, {Tardus 

 musicus,) about three o'clock; the Nightingale, {Philomela luscinia,) from 

 three to half-past four; the House Sparrow, (Passer domesticus,) from five to 

 half-past five. The principal cause of the waking up of the diflFerent species 

 of birds arises from the necessity of providing food for their young, which is 

 more abundantly found at early morning than mid-day. The period of feeding 

 having passed, the general time of rising with most species is a little before 

 sunrise; yet they are frequently to be found ^^napping" during the heat of the day. 



Heronry on Windermere. — The Westmorland Gazette informs us that a pair 

 of Herons have built their nest on Ramp's Holme, or Berkshire Island, 

 between the Ferry Hotel and Storro Hall, the property of the Hon. Mrs, 

 Howard, of Levens Hall. While recording this addition to our list of Heronries 

 at page GO, vol. i. of "The Naturalist," allow me to return my most sincere 

 thanks to those gentlemen who have responded to my inquiries for informa- 

 tion on this subject. 



Birds' Nests found in August, ISol. — Hedge Sparrow, with eggs and young; 

 Goldfinch, with young — this nest was placed on the branch of a standard 

 apple tree in an orchard; Song Thrush, with young, in a small spruce fir 

 tree — this nest was remarkably slender; the Robin, with eggs, at the bottom 

 of a field hedge; Whitethroat, with young, and one with eggs. The above 

 birds' nests were found by myself during the month of August, in the county 

 of Dorset. We shall have more to say on this subject in a future number. 



Nidijication of Birds in a Bottle for Seventy-three consecutive yews. — "So 

 far back as the year 1779, a "pair of Blue Tits built their nest and brought 

 up their young in a large stone bottle, which had been left to drain on the 



