364



Mr. Reginald Phillipps,



aviary in order to have the first pair quiet; two of these seem

inclined to nest too.”


“July 2, 1903. I thought you might like to see a

Waxwing’s egg laid in Great Britain , and am therefore sending

for you to see the egg my bird laid in the first nest. She is

sitting nicely now in the second nest, and, though I have not

ventured to look, from her movements when she ‘goes on,’ I

have no doubt at all that she has the rest of her clutch under

her. I know my man will do his best, but do regret that I


am leaving home just now.If we do rear a young


Waxwing or two, I will of course send you a paper on the

subject. It seems rather a moot point what may be the food

supplied to the young by the parents, berries (of the preceding

summer?) or insects. The former seems to be unlikely, but the

birds shall have their choice, including of course the much

abused mealworm, and fresh ants’ eggs, egg, etc. I have never

seen the male take anything to the female but mealworms. I

expect that this will be what they will carry to the young—

should they hatch.”


“July 4, 1903. The hen bird is sitting very steadily.”



The following I take from Sharpe’s “ British Birds,”

already quoted :—


“Nest. —According to Mr. Seebohm, the nest is a large

and very compact structure, the outside diameter of one in his

possession being seven inches and the inside four inches; it is

about four inches high outside, and nearly two inches deep.

The foundation is made of twigs of spruce fir and reindeer-

moss. The nest itself is composed of feathers and black hair-

lichen, interwoven together w r ith very slender twigs and a little

moss and inner bark, the feathers being most numerous in the

lining.


“Eggs. —From five to six and occasionally seven in

number. They are quite unmistakable, being of a lilac-grey or

stone-grey ground-colour, with spots of black or blackish-

brown, varying in size and intensity, but pretty equally

distributed over the surface of the eggs, and accompanied by



