The Oologists^ Record, March i, 1921. 



quote a few extracts from it. I propose to deal firstly with the most 

 interesting species nesting in the vicinity of the villages and close 

 to the front, chiefly in the Arras and Somme regions. 



CiRL Bunting, Emberiza cirlus, Linn. 



I first heard the monotonous, though to me cheerful enough, 

 song of this bird as early as 4th February, near Aveluy, Albert, 

 and ever after could always be sure of having his company until 

 one neared the Belgian border (Ypres) where it was noticeable by 

 its absence. A favourite nesting site in France is a hawthorn hedge 

 if bordering a lane, where it should be sought on the lane side ; 

 but the orchard must be there for this bird loves an orchard. Many 

 nests are also built Tree-Pipit-fashion on the rough orchard hedge 

 banks, and again on the road or lane side. Once I found two nests 

 within twenty-five yards in such a situation. 30th April to 9th May 

 is an ideal time, 5th May being the best date for their normal 

 clutch of four eggs. I only found one nest with five eggs. 



Black Redstart, Phanicurus titys {Linn.). 



Little sooty sprite of the ruins, no place scarcely along the 

 line was without at least one pair of these pretty little birds. One 

 village near La Bassee held five pairs to my knowledge. I met 

 with it, and know it was nesting, in Dunkerque, Albert, Arras, Ypres 

 and Lille. I took a nest off a charred beam of a house in the Rue 

 de Peronne, Bapaume, in May, 1917. I often saw him perched on 

 a gable-end or chimney stack, giving out his redstart-like song, the 

 concluding stanzas of which remind me of the tearing of a piece of 

 linen, and which, once heard, is not easily forgotten. 



The nest is a bulky structure e.^ternally of loose grasses and neatly 

 lined with wool, hair and occasionally feathers. It is usually built 

 on a beam of some ruined building or farm outhouse but the bigger 

 the ruin the more he seems to like it. Four and five pure white 

 eggs appear to be the normal clutch and the latter part of May is the 

 best time to look for eggs. 



White Wagtail, Motacilla alba, Linn. 



I must support Captain Congreve in stating that I only met with 

 the Pied Wagtail once and that was in a chalk pit near Paris, where 

 it appeared to be nesting. It was always the White Wagtail that 

 I met with wherever I went. Many times have I been charmed 

 by one particular pair of these birds near Arras. A favourite 

 site for the nest was the pollarded crowns of willows which are so 



