110 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 

 BIRDS. 



Coccothraustes coccothraustes (The Hawfinch). 



A pair feeding at my windows 13th January 1914. Pulhain 

 (J.R.) 

 Ligurinus (Moris (The Greenfinch). 



Although not a Dorsetshire note, as the nest in question 

 was in the sister county of Hants, the following observations 

 on this bird, made whilst sitting in a bird tent for photo- 

 graphic purposes, may be of interest. 

 June 5. 10.45a.m. Got settled down. 



11. Hen arrived, she fed young, which are 

 very small, by regurgitating something 

 that she had evidently swallowed. 



As regurgitated it was a white pappy 

 mixture that seemed to be like chewed-up 

 grain. She then ate the excrement of 

 the young birds and took a soiled feather 

 out of the nest, and stayed brooding. 

 11.8 She left the nest. 



12.10 Hen came back ; she fed the young by 



regurgitation and was quite five minutes 

 over it, giving each bird a regular meal. 

 The hen always entered the nest from 

 the back of the hedge, and did so slowly 

 and deliberately. 



12.20 Hen came back ; she fed the young 



again and further rearranged the nest 

 lining, and then left. 



I was absent from 12.30 to 2.30. At 2.37 the cock arrived, 

 fed the young birds, looked carefully round the nest and 

 then departed. 



At 2.55 the hen arrived, fed the young birds, and carefully 

 looked round the nest for excrement, which she ate with 

 avidity. 



I left the nest at 3.45, up to which time neither parent 

 had returned. 



