194 J^^'^ Birds of a Surrey Smallhulduig. 



Alas ! for the past week or a little more they have been 

 silent. 



Jenny Wren is, of course, e\ery\vhere and her nest has 

 been found on the holding and in the house i^arden on several 

 occasions. 



Tits, too, of several species — Blue, and Great are 

 connnonest — are numerous. In 1917 a pair of Great Tits 

 nested in a drain pipe (out of usej leaning' casually against a 

 shed front; the top of the pipe was quite open, and the sitting 

 bird not more than nine inches down the pipe, and quite 

 unprotected in any way from the weather or vermin. Rats are 

 very numerous, and cats frequently pass over the ground, yet 

 nine young made a successful exit from the nest. I was able 

 to examine them daily and the parent birds did not appear to 

 resent my presence. 



Bullfinches, 1 think, must be on the decrease in this 

 district — previous years 1 have seen them frequently and in the 

 autumn small flocks of them; this year I have only seen a single 

 specimen. 



Chiff-chaffs, Williow Warblers, Greater and Lesser 

 White-throats have been very numerous, and, I should say were 

 on the increase. 



The familar Robin, of course, abounds; the Garden 

 Warbler is only occasionally seen ; the Tree-Creeper is frequently 

 seen, but only singly. 



Spotted Flycatchers are also increasing, and are quite 

 numerous; they have nested both on the holding and in the 

 house garden. 



The Accentor, too, is very numerous, sweet. c|uaint. 

 " ShufBe-wing " — their nests have been found in the hedge- 

 bottoms of the holding and house garden, and I should say from 

 20 to 50 are about the latter place daily and more in evidence 

 in the autumn and winter than other times, but during the 

 spring and summer they are to be seen numerously, foraging 

 on the lawn and in the pheasant runs. 



