OBSERVED IN HERTFORDSHIRE IN 1906. 209 



nest contained four eggs, and the bird had commenced sitting. 

 On April 8th the eggs were still unhatched, but on April ] 1th 

 the young birds were out and seemed to be about two days 

 old. As incubation commenced on March 25th, and was com- 

 pleted probably on April 9th, the period of incubation for the 

 stonechat seems to be about fifteen or sixteen days. Unfortunately 

 I was not able to again visit the nest until April 29th. The 

 young birds had then left the nest, and were able to fly well, 

 for I saw three of them about. No second brood was reared in 

 that particular spot, and I have never seen the birds there 

 since. 



Chiffchaff {Plujllosco^ms rufus).—-! saw a single chiffchaff at 

 Cassio Bridge on March 18th, 1906, the earliest date on which 

 I have ever seen one. Though it was a bleak, cold day, the little 

 voyageur seemed quite happy and contented, and full of life, 

 activity, and vivacity, as it flitted merrily along the side of the 

 stream near the footbridge. An interesting note re this Httle 

 bird comes from Haileybury, Mr. Vaughan writing as follows :— 

 "I heard the chiffchaff on September 28th, 29th, and October 1st. 

 Its stay was probably due to the warm weather." It is well- 

 known that the chiffchaff, like some other birds, recommences 

 to sing after the annual moult, but tliis is the first record of the 

 occurrence which I remember to have had in Hertfordshire. 



Wood- Wren (Phylloscojms sibilatrix). — This small warbler did 

 not appear at all in the records for 1905. For 1906, however, 

 it is reported by Mr. P. J. Barraud (Bushey Heath) on May 2nd, 

 and by Mr. Headley (Haileybiu-y) as singing on May 24th, and 

 as still in song on June 25th. I have never seen or heard this 

 bird in my district. 



Grasshopper- Warbler (Locustella naevia). — I have received 

 only two notes on this rare species. Mr. Vaughan (Haileybury) 

 says : " I used to hear the grasshopper- war bier in the vicinity of 

 the College, but have not done so for years." Mr. A. W. 

 Dickinson (St. Albans) includes it in the list of birds which are 

 becoming scarcer in the county. 



Tits. — Mr. Hopkinson has sent to me the subjoined note re the 

 "tomtit," taken from the 'Hertfordshire Mercury,' 16th Jime, 

 1906, under the local news from Codicote : — " A Strange Nesting- 

 place. — As a tradesman of the village was in his garden a few 

 days ago he noticed a tomtit come from the direction of his 

 beehives. On making an inspection he found that a tomtit's 

 nest had been built in one of his bar-framed hives, and the nest 

 contained eleven eggs. It was evident that the birds had got 

 access to the hive from the back. The nest was well built, and 

 is certainly a novelty, it being fourteen inches long, three and 

 a half inches wide, and two and a half inches in depth throughout. 

 These birds have been known to be very destructive to bees in 

 the early spring. The nest containing the eggs was handed 

 over to oui' correspondent, and has been inspected by a large 

 number of people." I imagine that all the four commoner species 



