FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS. ETC. 117 



started work at 12.30. The entrance to the nest faced N.W., 

 but the tent was necessarily placed on the South side. His 

 notes are as follows : 



A few minutes after I was settled the hen dived into the 

 nest and at 12.50 the cock appeared, and whether he brought 

 anything or not I do not know, because I could not see. The 

 cock and the hen followed, both sneaking away in such a way 

 as to keep the nest between them and the camera. At 1.10 

 p.m. both birds came into the nest from behind and remained 

 there a few minutes and then left. I then very carefully cut 

 the furze and turned the nest round to face the camera. 



At 1.20 p.m. the hen returned with a green larva about 

 J of an inch long, and was very surprised to find the nest 

 turned round. She came to what was then the back of the nest, 

 and, not finding the entrance, beat her course back into the 

 furze bushes and came on again by her accustomed route and 

 lighted in the same place. This time she wandered all over 

 the back of the nest and finally on to the top, and with a 

 glad little cry dived through the top and into the nest. 

 Immediately she put her head out of the opening and seemed 

 to look up to the sun to get her bearings. 



Although R. Bowdler Sharpe says in his " British Birds " 

 (Lloyds) Vol. I., p. 148, "some naturalists have stated that 

 there is a second entrance. . . . This we have not 

 verified from personal experience " ; I have noticed that 

 little hole at the top of the nest in other longtailed tits' 

 nests, and they seem designed, as an Irishman might put it, 

 with " an entrance for going in " and another larger " entrance 

 for coming out." 



Presently the cock arrived, and went to the old situation 

 of the large opening and was surprised to find no way in. 

 There w r as an exchange of conversation with the hen, and the 

 cock wandered all round the nest, and, lighting on the big 

 aperture, gave what looked to be either the wingless female 

 of a moth, or a moth's body stripped of wings, to the 

 female, who took it inside. In a few moment^ both birds 

 departed. 



