NOTES. 188 



BRITISH WILLOW-TIT IN LANARKSHIRE. 



On August 30th, 1911, I secured a black-headed Tit, and 

 on submitting it to Mr. Witherby he at once pronounced 

 it to be a Willow-Tit. It was a young bird, but had almost 

 completed its first winter's plumage, and was quite a typical 

 specimen of Par us atricapillus kleinschmidti . 



In the valley of the Calder, a Clyde tributary in the Blantyre 

 district, where it was secured, I have always known a few 

 pairs to nest ; but until February last, Avhen notes by Mr. 

 Wilson on its appearance in Renfrewshire, by the Duchess 

 of Bedford on its appearance in Kirkcudbrightshire, and 

 an editorial note (Vol. IV., p. 284) were published, I had not 

 given these birds close observation. 



During x^art of December and January last I had often 

 seen a number of these Tits, which I took to be first year's 

 Marsh-Tits. They were browner than the summer birds, 

 and had not the buff flanks. After reading the above- 

 mentioned notes I determined to secure one, but found they 

 had completely vanished. However, about the middle of 

 March the nesting contingent of these birds arrived, and I 

 have since kept them under pretty close observation. 



For some years a pair nested in the root of a decayed tree- 

 stump, but this spring the site was claimed by a pair of Great 

 Tits, and although I visited this nest frequently, and marked 

 one of the adults and five young ones, I entirely overlooked 

 a Willow-Tit's nest in a hollow alder, not fifteen yards away. 

 The half dozen young left the nest during the second week 

 of July, and another family which I think were reared in a 

 large decayed willow, also took wing at this time. A third 

 pair built under the exposed roots of an alder growing on 

 the river-bank, and they also were successful in rearing young. 



Just now the families of Willow-Tits feed mostly amongst 

 the leafy tree-tops, where the old bird's call is frequenth^ 

 heard ; but by waiting patiently the observer is sometimes 

 rewarded by seeing them come down amongst the bushes 

 and lower branches. Walter Stewart. 



UNUSUAL NESTING-SITE OF THE GREY 

 WAGTAIL. 



As is well known, the nest of the Grey Wagtail {Mofacilla 

 melanope) is usually placed in the immediate neighbourhood 

 of running water, in most cases in steep banks or walls border- 

 ing on streams. In North Wales I have known one or two 

 cases of nests built in steep rock-faces some little distance- 



