lo The Oologists' Reconf, March r, 1921. 



often seen in France. Another place was the topmost beam of some 

 lofty barn or other building. I draw attention to this point as it is 

 so unlike the Pied Wagtails of my home district, which prefer to 

 nest in amongst the slag tips, quarries, and stone heaps. This bird 

 seemingly differs little from the British form in the actual construc- 

 tion of its nest and the coloration of its eggs. 

 Blue-Headed Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla fiava, Linn. 



I found that this bird was more in evidence on the coast line 

 than its near relative the Yellow Wagtail, M. rayi (Bp.). I met 

 with the latter bird in many districts and found both spieces nesting 

 together near Dunkerque. On one occasion I knew of a nest of 

 each species within thirty yards and both nests contained six eggs. 

 On this particular occasion the male Blue-headed Wagtail was 

 attending to the incubation. 



Crested Lark, Galerida cristaia {Linn.). 



A cheerful little thing in a land of mud and desolation and I 

 can never forget him. As early as February I have heard and seen 

 him high overhead, jerking about, rising in spirals, to come down like 

 a stone when his cheerful, if not over musical, song was finished. 

 I found him commoner than the Sky Lark which I rarely «met with 

 except in the Merville district where it was by far the commonest 

 bird. 



He loves broken ground, and is forever in evidence on some 

 hummock from which one gets warning of his presence. This 

 bird runs a good deal and is very cunning in its nesting economy. 

 I took a nest off the top of an old German trench parapet near 

 Bapaume. Early May is the best time to look for the nest which is 

 similar to that of the Sky Lark. The usual clutch is five eggs. 



Little Owl, Athene noctua {Scopoli). 



A very conspicuous bird all along the front ; in fact I met with 

 it almost everywhere. It certainly was the noisiest bird and I have 

 heard him trying his hardest to drown the screaming of shells going 

 overhead. It is a moot point if he is not the commonest owl in 

 Northern France ; he certainly runs the Barn Owl close. 



Scops Eared Owl, Otus scops {Linn.). 



To those interested in the range of this species I may say that I 

 found this interesting little creature nesting some few kilometres 

 from Arras in 1918. The peculiar cry, uttered with a monotonous 

 regularity, I first heard one night in a wood of big timber whilst 



