04 BRITISH lilUDS. [vol. ix. 



are largely composed of the weaker and withered steins of 

 last year's " Robhi-run-the-hedge " {Galium aparine), whose 

 recurved asperities — or small ])rieklcs on the angles of the 

 stem — prevent it slipping backwards when once pulled into 

 position. 



By using this plant for binding, the semi-transparent and 

 fiimsj^ nest is made quite strong, indeed stronger than the 

 heavier and thick-walled nests of some other species. I 

 find that Montagu in his Ornithological Dictionary (1802) 

 states that the ne.st of the Blackcap is " composed of dried 

 stalks, generally of goose-grass." which is another name* for 

 G. aparine, but snbsec[uent authors seem to have overlooked 

 this fact. Richard M. Barrington. 



WRENS USING "COCK'S" NEST FOR SECOND 

 BROOD. 



With reference to Mr. Lloyd's note on the use of " cock's " 

 nests by Wrens {antea, p. 27) I may mention that a pair of 

 Wrens built three nests during May, 1915, in a garden at 

 Orpington, Kent. In one of these they reared a brood. 

 On July 10th I was surprised to find a Wren sitting on five 

 eggs in one of the other two nests. 



S. Kendall Barnes. 



WREN'S LONG INCUBATION OF INFERTILE EGGS. 



On May 29th, 1915, I found a Wren {Troglodytes t. 

 troglodytes) sitting on four infertile eggs that had obviously 

 been incubated foi' a considerable time even then. I visited 

 the nest periodically, and the bird continued to sit until 

 July 18th. On July 19th the nest was deserted and the 

 eggs cold. I think this must be a record ineu})ati()n. 



J. 11. Owen. 



CURIOUS POSITION OF DIPPER'S NEST. 



In British Birds {antea, p. 27) Mr. J. H. Owen records the 



nest of a T)ip])er {Cinclns c. hriiannicus) about six inches up 

 the old nesting-hole of a Sand Martin. While looking over 

 the volume of the Zoologist for 1S59. 1 came across a note 

 from Mr. H. Smurthwaite, of Richmond, Yorkshire, in which 

 he states that a Dipper's nest was found at the end of an 

 old Sand Martin's hole in a sand-bank overhanging a small 

 brook. It contained five fresh eggs, and the bird was caught 

 on the nest and drawn out with some difficulty, the <)])cning 



* See Britten and Holland, Dictionary of Englisli Pla}it Scuih s, ISSii. 



