OBSEEVED IN HEKTFORDSniRE IN 1896. 151 



probable that it remained with us on account of the unusually 

 mild weather wbieli lasted up to the end of the year. 



Redbreast {Erithacus ruhecula). — Captain Clarke Kennedy states 

 in his book that in the summer of 1802 he found in a lane near 

 Berkhamsted a robin's nest containing four pure white eggs, which, 

 however, appeared pink before they were blown. In Vol. VIII 

 of our ' Transactions ' Mr. Lewis mentions some apparently white 

 eggs of this bird, but on closer examination very faint markings 

 could be observed. 



Wood -Wren {PhijUoscopus sihilatrix). — The wood -wren was 

 rather late in am'S'ing near Berkhamsted in 1896. In two woods 

 at least, where I observed it in 1895, it did not appear at all, 

 while, on the other hand, I heard it on June 20th at Ockridge 

 Wood, where I did not notice it in the previous year. I heard 

 the bii'd singing as late as July 5th, near Aldbury, and on the 

 following day in Frithsden Copse. On May 31st I found in 

 a w^ood above Aldbuiy a nest belonging to this species containing 

 seven eggs. It was placed amongst a lot of undergrowth, and was 

 extremely difficult to find ; in fact, I only discovered it after 

 a long search by following and watching the hen bird. Young 

 birds were eventually hatched from this nest. In the wood in 

 question the wood-wren was fairly plentiful, and one could see 

 several pairs there in an afternoon. Mr. Harting, in the ' Birds 

 of Middlesex,' states that this bird used to occur in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Bushey. 



Grasshopper- Warbler {Locustella n(Bvia). — This bird was very 

 plentiful on Berkhamsted Common in 1896. I also heard it 

 singing on King's Langley Common. The latest date on which 

 I heard one singing was July 7th, on Berkhamsted Common. 



Co.ix-TiTJiousE (Parus hritannicus). — Captain Clarke Kennedy 

 mentions in his book that he once found a nest of this species 

 built in a haystack at Little Gaddesden. This seems a very 

 unusual situation for this bird to build in, but the tits are famous 

 for choosing curious nesting-sites. 



Marsh-Titmouse {Parus palustris). — Mr. Rivers informs me that 

 he found a marsh-tit's nest with young birds in a hole in the wood 

 of an orchard-house. He does not state whether the hole was 

 dug out by the bird itself, but this species very often digs out 

 a hole in a rotten post or stump for its nest. A noticeable fact 

 about the marsh -tit is that, when it does dig out its own nesting- 

 hole, as a rule no chips are to be found on the ground below, 

 proving clearly that the bird carries them away. 



Pied Wagtail {Motacilla luguhris). — This bird appeared to stay 

 with us during the whole of the winter of 1895-96, and I also 

 saw it in December, 1896, near Berkhamsted. Mr. Rivers tells 

 me that he found a nest of this species in the yew-hedge, in nearly 

 the same place as the nest containing twelve eggs which he found 

 in 1895, and which I mentioned in my report for that year under 

 the head of the next species. Later on in the season he found 

 a second nest in nearly the same spot. 



