330 Mr. E. Lovett on Double Nest of Great Tit. 



The sand-wasp, missing its treasure, began to hunt up and down 

 the bank, but she passed twice within two inches of the grub 

 without seeing it. I replaced it after a minute or two on the 

 spot from which it fell. It was now quickly found, and, seizing 

 it by her powerful mandibles, she endeavoured to get it down 

 the narrow entrance. Failing in this attempt, she let go for a 

 moment to alter her arrangement, when alas ! the grub fell down 

 the bank a second time. Again slie appeared unable to discover 

 it until it was replaced ; but now, firmly grasping it near the 

 head, and with its body between her legs, rapidly disappeared 

 backwards into her nest. 



97. — Double Nest of Gkeat Tit, Pakus major. 



By Edward Lovett. 



(Read September 9th, 1891.) 



In my garden at Addiscombe is an old Koman mill or quorn of 

 siliceous conglomerate, which stands upon a large ornamental 

 flower-pot, inverted, so that the hole in the quorn corresponds 

 with the aperture in the base of the flower-pot. The whole rests 

 on the ground under the shadow of a spreading apple-tree. 



In tlie spring of 1888 I observed a pair of great tits {Partis 

 major) busy near the quorn, and was pleased to discover that the 

 whole of the lower area of the flower-pot was occupied by a 

 nest of these birds, and that it contained nine eggs. In due 

 course the young birds were hatched, and, when fledged and 

 ready to fly, I was surprised to find that the attempt to get 

 through the hole in their ceiling had resulted in the death of 

 two and serious damage to a third, the upper mandible and 

 scalp being badly broken. I mention this as I always considered 

 that these birds never built in localities from which the young 

 could not be extracted. Howevtr, I released the remainder of 

 the brood in safety. 



About the same time the following year the same or another 

 pair of the same birds again built in the quorn,, the number of 

 eggs ou this occMsion being eight ; seven of these hatched, and 

 were liberated when ready to fly, as the same difficulty as 

 to getting out of their prison presented itself. 



Last year (1890) the birds came again, and nine eggs were 

 laid and hatched, but unfortunately, when the young were half- 

 grown, my cat killed one (perhaps both) of the parent birds, and, 

 although I did all I could for the young ones, they died after 



