84 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



Sifiutfiou and LocaJitij. — Ou tlie horizontal 

 brandies of fruit trees trained against \Yalls, in 

 trellis-work, rose trees trained against houses, in 

 holes in walls, ivy climbing up a wall or the trunk 

 of a tree (as in our ilhistration), on ledges of rock, 

 and in almost every conceivable situation. 



Materials.- — These vary as considerably as the 

 positions selected for their accommodation. Straws, 

 fibrous roots, moss, hair, feathers, rabbits' down, 

 and cobwebs, somewhat loosely put together, as a 

 rule, but occasionally I have come across a very 

 compact little structure. 



Eggs.- — Four to six, generally five, varying con- 

 siderably in coloration. The ground-colour ranges 

 from grey to light green, the markings running 

 through various shades of faint red or reddish- 

 brown. Sometimes they are almost entirely absent, 

 at others they form a belt round the larger end, and 

 I have met with them with large, bright rust-red 

 spots thickly distributed over the entire surface. 

 Size about -75 by '57 in. 



Time. — May, June, and July. 



Beviarls. — Migratory, arriving in the early part 

 of May and leaving in Sej^tember and October. 

 Notes : a weak chirp and a harsh call-note. Local 

 and other names: Beam-bird, Eafter, Bee-bird, Chan- 

 cliider. Cherry-sucker, Bee-eater, Post-bird, Cherry- 

 chopper. Sits closely, and flies away without 

 demonstration wdien disturbed. 



