NOTES FROM NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK. 



other corner of the box, when I picked up the newly-hatched 

 young bird, which had been squeaking at intervals all the morn- 

 ing. It was about the size of an ordinary walnut, and pure 

 white in colour, resembling a ball of cotton-wool. I looked 

 round for the empty shell, but found that it had been pounded 

 by the old bird into minute fragments (this will probably 

 account for the disappearance of the egg-shells of raptorial birds, 

 which I hiive sometimes been puzzled to account for after the 

 young are hatched). The male bird became more particular in 

 the choice of food he carried to the nest ; one sparrow he plucked 

 entirely before conveyance, and another he neatly disjointed. 

 During this evening, at the same hour as before, 9 p.m., the 

 female made the same chuckling noise, and I therefore con- 

 cluded a second young one was hatching. On the following 

 morning, June 19th, I examined the nest and found she had the 

 young well covered by one wing, the two remaining eggs being 

 close under her. I noticed a few fragments of egg-shells on the 

 bottom of the cnge. Later in the afternoon the female made the 

 same kind of noise, which was continued at intervals throughout 

 the evening. I therefore looked into the nest at 9 a.m. the 

 following day, June 20th, and found the third young one with 

 half the egg-shell still attached to it. On the morning of June 

 21st I saw the third young one quite hatched. All three nestlings 

 had their eyes closed. The first one, hatched on the 17th, and 

 now four days old, was, I found, much improved, showing a 

 remarkable difference in size on comparison with the others. 

 On June 23rd, the three young, being well nourished, were 

 rapidly increasing in proportions ; the fourth egg (probably the 

 first one laid) I found was addled, so I removed it, blowing it 

 for my cabinet. Seven or eight sparrows, or food in proportion 

 to this bulk, was now daily consumed by the family. The young 

 were still unable to open their eyes, lying in their nest, and 

 asleep like little pigs, very fat and plump. Having to leave 

 home for a time on business, my diary of daily events became 

 interrupted, and therefore does not contain any details relating 

 to the growth and development of the first plumage in July ; 

 and the assumption of the second plumage in October, which 

 took place at the same time as that of the parent birds, and 

 which are scarcely distinguishable from each other. Not having 

 to work for their daily sustenance they became very fat, the 



