220 Nesting of the Fieldfare. 



(lisplayinM' to tlie hen, which he did hy contracting" his wince's, 

 so as to sliow his flanks, which at this time are a rich red. These 

 l)irds are not so omnivorous as the iMeldfares. Tliey maintain 

 themselves in my aviary very larg-ely upon i^Tound insects, a 

 lars^e patch of ])otatoes provin<^- a happy huntini^ ground for 

 them. Still, I think that if they were to have youn.g", they would 

 be fairly easy to rear. 



TriK Ctri, Buntixg. — My next failure was with one of our 

 resident birds, the Cirl Bunting-. Although this bird breeds in 

 the southern counties, it is by no means common and I cannot 

 recollect ever having met with it. This spring I was offered a 

 cock and two hens, and thinking that I shotild like to get a few 

 photos of their nesting arrangements, I secured them. Early 

 in tlie spring the cock started singing, choosing the highest 

 point in the aviary from which to pour forth his song. The 

 hens were very retiring little birds, spending" their time for the 

 most jiart near the ground, but early in June one of them respon- 

 ded to the cock's vocal appeal, and was evidently willing to take 

 on housekeeping. The cock was the sole architect and builder 

 of their new home, selecting as a site the lower part of a cjuick- 

 set hedge. Ilere he l)uilt a very neat little nest of bents, dried 

 grass and hair. The hen took possession, but before she had 

 completed her clutch she was foully murdered by a brute of a 

 P^ramble finch cock, who the next day also killed a cock Sikhim 

 Siskin, before I could get to liis rescue. The male bunting now 

 made love to the remaining hen. and gave her no peace imtil she 

 consented to do her duty. He built her a nest in the same hedge, 

 but this time at the extreme top, but fairly well protected against 

 ordinary rainstorms. Fjut this year the rainstorms have been 

 anything but ordinary, and the same downfall that spoilt my 

 Fieldfares' nest ruined this one also. The hen had laid foiu" 

 eggs, like the Yellow Hammers in colour, but smaller and more 

 spherical. Just about the time that T was going for my holiday, 

 I saw the cock again carrying building material, but I did not 

 locate the nest. I take it that this must have been a failure too, 

 as I have seen no young ones about. This bird has, I believe 

 been bred more than once in^ captivity, but T think that I shall 

 try them again next year, as a photo or two of the birds feeding 

 young, incubating, etc., would be of some interest. 



