68 



Spatangus ? Pecten ? 



Modiola elegans Terebratula tetrahedra 



Modiola ? T. trilineata 



Cerithiom ? T ? 



Lucina ? T. ? 



Unio Listeri Serpula ? 



U. ? Gryphoea incurva 



Pectunculus sublavis G. obliquata 



P. ? G. dilitata 



Plagiostoma ? G. bullata 



Nucula ovum Madrepora turbinata 



N. ? Pentacrinites ? 



Pecten lens 



EXPERIMENT ON THE NEST OF A BLACKCAPT FAUVET, 



(FlCEDULA ATRICAPILLA). 



The shy and jealous nature of this species during the period of incubation, is 

 well known to almost every tyro in ornithology. Touching the nest, or even 

 looking at it, before the eggs are laid, almost invariably causes the birds to desert. 

 The following, however, is a curious deviation from this general rule : — On the 

 6th of July, I found a Blackcapt Fauvet's nest, without eggs. On the 8th it con- 

 tained two eggs, which were warm. I then put a bit of light rotten wood into the 

 nest, about the size of one of the eggs. This had been thrown out on the 10th, 

 and a third egg was laid. I now inserted a small piece of hard mould, and took 

 out one of the eggs ; this was ejected the same day, and a few days afterwards I 

 added to the two remaining eggs a pebble, equal in size to one of the eggs, and 

 somewhat resembling them in shape and colour. Whether this proved too heavy 

 for the birds to move, or whether it was not distinguished from the eggs them- 

 selves, I had no means of determining ; but it was never removed. The young 

 birds, two in number, were hatched on the 20th. Another remarkable circum- 

 stance, is, that the female should only have laid three eggs, Jive being the usual 

 number ; and even more than five might reasonably have been expected, as birds 

 will frequently continue laying considerably more than the ordinary quantum of 

 eggs, if one or more of these be removed before incubation has commenced. 



The nest which furnished the above interesting experiments, was situated at 

 the extremity of the branch of a yew tree, in a thick grove — a most unusual 

 locality for this bird, and one in which I never before met with it. I have, how- 

 ever, lately heard of another similar instance, communicated by a scientific friend 

 residing in the south of England. N. W. 



