NOTES. 187 



GREAT AND BLUE TITS COVERING UP THEIR 



EGGS. 



Last year for the first time I jjut up five or six nesting boxes 

 in my garden. During the spi-ing all but one of these were 

 inhabited by Great and Blue Tits. The boxes were so made 

 that I could very easily lift off the top to inspect the nest and 

 eggs. This I did fairly frequently, and was much struck with 

 the apparently untidy condition of the nests, which for days 

 were without a " cup " and contained no eggs that I could see. 

 I was much surprised one day at finding a bird sitting on one 

 of these nests, which on examination proved to contain a full 

 clutch of eggs. I concluded that she must have been covering 

 up her eggs as they were laid. This year I have watched the 

 nests more closely, and have proved that the bird invariably 

 keeps the eggs completely covered Avith a piece of moss or 

 rabbit's fur ''usually the latter) between her visits to the nest 

 for the purpose of laying. I have observed this in all my 

 nests — four of the Great Tit and two of the Blue Tit. 



After the full clutch of eggs is laid and the bird is sitting, 

 the eggs are no longer covered when the nest is left. The egg- 

 covering is then, I believe, used for the sides of the nest, and 

 gives it its very deep cup-shaped appearance. 



I am not aware that this interesting habit of these Tits has 

 ever beeu recorded before. Of course it is possible that it may 

 be only a comparatively uncommon habit, and it may be only 

 by chance that in all the nests I have been able to watch closely 

 the eggs have been thus covered. I hope that other ornitholo- 

 gists will be able to confirm my observations. It would be also 

 interesting to know whether the Coal-Tit and Marsh-Tit behave 

 in the same way. A few birds (such as the Hedge-Sparrow) 

 occasionally cover their eggs before commencing to sit, and such 

 well-known instances as the Ducks and Grebes need hardly be 

 mentioned. But of all birds the Tits would seem to profit the 

 least by this habit. Norman H. Joy. 



OCCURRENCES OF THE BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL 

 AT LYNMOUTH, NORTH DEVONSHIRE. 



On September 7th, 1901, I saw two birds in our garden at 

 Lynmouth which seemed to be of a species I had not seen 

 before. My brother and myself saw them on several occasions 

 later in the year, and having examined them through field- 

 glasses, made them out to be Mota cilia flava.hut to our surprise in 

 every case the white streak over the eye, described by writers as 

 a distinguishing mark of this species, was either almost or 

 entirely obsolete. During I90I we saw these birds after 

 September 7th, on the 14th and 24th, and on October 3rd, 5th, 



