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this case ibey were undoubted cock and hen, the ex- 

 perimeut came to nothing. I was enabled, however, 

 during this period to study somewhat carefully the 

 notes of the Bramblefinch. He made no attempt at 

 any song, but frequently uttered a long drawn out 

 " cree-e-" precisely similar to the note of the Green- 

 finch, and in fact quite undistinguishable from it ; an 

 alarm note " too-wee," very similar to a diminutive 

 edition of an owl's note, and also an occasional small 

 "chuck." 



Amongst the crowd a pair of Greenfinches mated 

 lip and built a nest in one of the shrubs ; they laid 

 four or five eggs and hatched them out. The youngs 

 however, very quickly came to an untimely end, very 

 probably from want of suitable food. I have not tried 

 these birds since, but should certainly mark them as 

 easily breeding in captivity, and for this purpose they 

 have the great advantage of distinguishable sexes. 



With the Goldfinches, I,innets, Twites, and Red- 

 polls there was no attempt at nesting ; but two out of 

 three of the Hedge-Sparrows present paired, built a 

 nest in another of the shrubs, and laid. They were 

 not at all shy during these operations ; as, for instance, 

 one day I took my camera into the aviary, and parting 

 the bush, photographed the hen sitting on the nest. 

 Unfortunately a bad storm occurred in June — thunder, 

 lightning, and hail — and the next day the bird was 

 found quite dead upon the nest, probably having been 

 struck by a hailstone. This shows one of the ways in 

 which, in a state of nature, adverse weather may affect 

 bird life. 



After removal of the Hedge-Sparrow from the 

 nest a somewhat curious circumstance occurred. The 

 hen of a pair of Chaffinches, which had hitherto 

 showed no interest in nidification, sat on the forsaken 

 and now empty nest for about a fortnight, but I could 

 not discover that she laid any eggs. Kedge-Sparrows 



