VOL VII.] NOTES. 55 



three Reed- Warbler's eggs were not far from hatching. I 

 had a case in 1910 of a Cuckoo depositing an egg in a Hedge- 

 Sparrow's nest which I had under observation, three days 

 after the Hedge-Sparrow had begun to sit. The Hedge- 

 Sparrow had five eggs and the Cuckoo removed two when 

 she inserted her o^^Tl. X H. Owen. 



LITTLE OWL BREEDING IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. 



As the Little Owl {Athene n. noctua) does not seem to have 

 been yet recorded as breeding in Nottinghamshire, it is 

 worth noting that my son took a young bird just able to 

 fly and two eggs, very slightly incubated, on May 12th, 1913, 

 at Gonalston. They were in a hole in a tree about three feet 

 from the ground. Chas. E. Pearson. 



LARGE CLUTCHES OF EGGS OF TAWNY OWL. 



The Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain's remark that sets of five eggs 

 of the Tawny Owl are quite rare [cf. antea, p. 18), will doubt- 

 less bring to light further records of large clutches, and in this 

 connexion the following particulars of the nesting of this 

 bird may be of interest : — 



No. of eggs 

 Date. Locality, in clutch. Position. 



Kent 5 Nesting-barrel No. 1 



4 „ „ 2 



5 „ „ 3 

 ,, 4 Hollow elm-branch, 



open to the sky. 

 15 ,, 1908 „ 4 Nesting-barrel No. 3. 



All the above nests were Avithin a radius of 150 yards^ 

 and I believe that they belonged to the same pair of birds. 



The clutch found in 1904 was laid within three weeks from 

 the time the barrel was placed in the tree. 



In one year, Allien the first eggs were disturbed, a second 

 clutch was produced, and I subsequently saw, on several 

 occasions, one of the old birds accompanied by five owlets. 



At another time I found what I believe to be the same hen- 

 bird on her eggs. She was in a long, horizontal hole in a 

 walnut-tree, and as this bird was a particularly close sitter, 

 I could only count the eggs by slipping mj^ hand beneath her. 

 She certainly had four eggs and may have had five, but the 

 length of the nesting-hole prevented my ascertaining definitely. 

 The bird sat with her head towards the entrance of the nesting- 

 hole, and whilst I was endeavouring to count her eggs, she 

 constantly " nibbled " my bare arm with her beak, much 

 in the same manner as a tame parrot will sometimes display 

 affection. 



