BLACKCAP 59 



seen in the woods at Euckinge was on May 5, 1906, 

 and the first nest was not found until June 8, 1906, in 

 the Orlestone district. 



In the Birds of Bainham Mr. W. Prentis says : " The 

 merry Blackcap comes in spring, rather earlier than the 

 Nightingale." It is also mentioned from the following 

 localities : Bethersden, Captain J. D. Cameron ; " A sum- 

 mer visitor to the Mailing valley," Eev. C. H. Fielding 

 "In the Stourmouth district it is common," G. Dowker 

 Nonington, W. O. Hammond ; Dover, C. Gordon 

 Elmstone, Eev. W. B. Delmar ; AVahner, Eev. B. Austen 

 Dover, G. Gray ; Folkestone, H. Ullyett ; Dover, Plomley 

 Collection. Mr. H. Lamb found it breeding in the 

 Farleigh Wood, on the Med way, in 1875. The Blackcap 

 is evenly distributed over the Orlestone district according 

 to Mr. E. T. Filmer, with a decided liking for the rough 

 railway banks on the Ashford side of Ham Street Station. 



Mr. A. G. Butler, in his BlnVs-)iesting in Kent, 

 records the Blackcap's nest on the following dates : 

 " Murston, May 24 ; Borden, May 25 ; Banning, June 7 

 and 8." " The eggs vary in tint considerably more than 

 those of the Garden Warbler [so he states in his British 

 Birds' Eggs]. The red is of one clutch which I took at 

 Tunstall, in Kent, on May 24, 1877, and on the 29th of 

 the same month, in 1878, I took a second clutch of five 

 eggs, slightly larger but similarly coloured, within a 

 hundred yards of the place where the first was obtained ; 

 if these were laid by the same bird, as seems likely, it 

 would tend to show that the red colouring was confined 

 to individuals of the species." 



The following notes are given respecting the song of 

 the Blackcap : Mr. C. CoUingwood states that the " bird 

 recommenced singing on August 30, 1854 " ; Mr. F. D. 



