62 W. BICKERTON— NOTES ON BIRDS 



bv a frieud of mine, who knows the bird well in Holland. 

 Professoi" Newton, I believe, thought there was something in it. 

 The locality I am not to mention." 



The eggs of the cuckoo have been reported as found in the 

 nests of the following birds during the year : — Hedge-sparrow 

 and pied wagtail. In one case, where a cuckoo's egs; had been 

 laid in a hedge-sparrow's nest, it was stated that, in addition to 

 the young cuckoo, the nest contained the full complement of 

 young hedge-sparrows. This, I take it, could only hold good for 

 a short period immediately after the young had hatched out. 

 If otherwise, I can only conclude that the young cuckoo referred 

 to was of an unusually amia])le and unselfish character. 



The following l)irds are reported as having been more plentiful 

 during 1905 : — Groldfinch, nightingale, corncrake, lapwing, golden 

 plover, sparrow, greenfinch, chaflinch, kingfisher, red-backed 

 shrike, wood-pigeon, greater and lesser spotted woodpeckers, 

 swift, starling, blackbird, thiiish, wryneck, hooded crow, and 

 goldcrest ; while those stated to have been scarcer are : " All the 

 warbler tribe," yellow-hammer, owls, hawks (especially sparrow- 

 hawk), greater whitethroat, nightingale, tree-creeper, wood- 

 pigeon, snipe, woodcock, grasshopper- warbler, chiffchaff, swallow, 

 house-martin, fieldfare, and redwing. 



Of curious nesting-places the following have been reported : — 

 (1) A thi'ush's nest built on the top of an old nest. — Miss 

 Dickinson (St. Albans). (2) A jenny-wren's nest built in 

 a piece of cork with stag's-horn fern growing on it, and hanging 

 in a greenhouse. The nest was Imilt of moss gathered from the 

 orchid-pots ; it was finished, Init not utilised. — Miss Dickinson. 



(3) A robin nested in a small can under a garden-seat, but 

 the rats took the young ones. — Mr. W. Graveson (Hertford). 



(4) A tit's nest in a hole in a door-post to which access is 

 gained through a narrow slit, throiigh which the birds can 

 hardly squeeze themselves. The hole is now (February, 1906) 

 full of bats, but ten days ago the tits were examining it, 

 evidently with the idea of nesting. — Mr. W. Newall (Red Heath). 

 Mr. H. Lewis (St. Albans) reports that a robin's nest containing 

 five eggs was observed as early as 27th February, 1905, within 

 the city. The same observer also records the following : — 

 " I saw and heard a gentleman whistle young moorhens and also 

 the cock-bird to him to feed them in the pond in his garden. 

 They appeared quite tame, but a little shy of me. This was on 

 the 9th of June. I believe the hen-bird was sitting on her 

 second clutch of eggs." 



This concludes what I venture to think is the most intei'esting 

 of the reports which it has been my privilege to prepare for the 

 Society. It is the most interesting, not by reason of any large 

 number of new species added to the list for last year, but rather 

 by reason of the unusually interesting character of several of 

 our bird visitors that have perhaps on previous occasions been 

 reported in the county. I refer especially to the visit of the 



