300 Hiirnsii HiuDs. ;voL ix. 



.started to look at a nest-box eight feet up in a birch tree. 

 They laid .seven egg.s between the l.st and lOth of June, 

 four of whieh hatched between the 18th and 22nd. and the 

 young i\ew' on July 12th. In 1914 the Wryneck.s were 

 first .seen on April 13th, and nested in the same box as the 

 year before. Eight eggs were laid about the beginning 

 of June and hatched on the 20th, while the voung flew on 

 July 10th. 



Previous to laying in the ne.st-box tlic old l)ii<ls had spent 

 their time between another nest-box and boring a hole in 

 an old stump about fi\e feet high and two feet thick. The 

 hole was started where a yiiece of bark had fallen off. and was 

 about two and a half inches high, two inches broad, and 

 became six to nine inches deep after three weeks' ^^■ork. 

 At this time the wood Avas hard, but rotten, and during the 

 whole operation the .stuff removed was like coarse sawdust. 

 I saAV no small bits of Mood. After the occupation of the 

 nesting-box in the l)irch tree I saw no Wrynecks at the 

 hole in the stump, so presume that the birds were the same. 



In 1915 the bottom of the nesting-box in the birch had 

 become rotten, and some grub had eaten the floor i^artlx' 

 away, and in the corner there was a small hole. On May Oth 

 I caught an adult Wryneck in the box and ringed it. They 

 did not, however, breed in the box, but having dee])ened 

 the hole in the stum]3 which they had started in 1914 to 

 about eighteen inches, the hen laid there ten eggs alxtut 

 the end of May. nine of which eventually hatched. It should 

 be noted that there was no hole or beginning of a hole in 

 the stump when the birds .started to bore into it in 1914. 

 but, as already stated, a piece of the bark had dropped olT. 

 The wood, though rotten, was quite hard in 1914. In 1915 

 it was softer, but I had considerable difficulty in enlarging 

 the opening enough with a saw to get at the young to ring 

 them. The hole was just large enough to admit the hand, 

 and it went down straight for over a foot, but at the bottom 

 there was a cavity rather larger than one's fi.st, but not 

 large enough to accommodate the young without some of 

 them having to sit on the others. 



it may be noted that two of the young ones were much 

 smaller than the others, and that one of the.se remained 

 in the nest a week longer than the others. There was also 

 always one small one in the nest-box broods. 



T should be much interested if anyone could gi\(> some 

 information regarding the food of the youti'^. The old birds 

 alwavs brought the saui(> kind of food, and never once in the 

 liundi'cds of tiuies 1 watched llicin cuter the boxes diil I 



