134 BRITISH BIBDS' NESTS. 



and Ireland. Our illustrations are from photo- 

 graphs taken in Wanstead Park, by the kind per- 

 mission of the Conservators of Epping Forest. 



Materials. — A liberal collection of sticks and 

 twigs, lined \Yitli turf, moss, fibrous roots, and some- 

 times wool or rags, according to some authorities. 



Eggs, — Three to five, pale blue with a tinge of 

 green. Size about 2-5 by 1-7 in. 



Time. — January, February, March, and April. 

 The two first months only in exceptionally fine, 

 open seasons. 



Bemarl's. — Resident. Notes, harsh, short, and 

 guttural. Some naturalists describe the alarm note 

 as franl{, franl-, cronh, but it sounds to me like 

 garoicl-, garoicl', garowk. Local and other names : 

 Hearinsew, Hern, Heronshaw. Gregarious, as many 

 as eighty nests having been known in a single tree. 

 The birds return to the same place (called a 

 Heronry) year after year. Not a very close sitter, 

 as a rule. However, I have known individual 

 birds sit quite still wdiilst the trunk of a tree in 

 wdiicli their nests w^ere situated has been violently 

 struck with a stick. 



HOBBY. 



Description of Parent Birds. — Length about 

 twelve inches. Beak short, much curved, and 

 bluish horn colour. Bare skin round the base of 

 the beak of a greenish-yellow colour. Irides dark 

 brown. Crown, nape, back, a-ud wings greyish- 

 black, the feathers being edged with buffy- white. 

 Wing-quills almost black, bordered with light grey. 

 Tail-quills greyish-black, ba-rred and tipped with a 

 lighter tint, except the two middle feathers, which 



