122 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 



weet weet " very softly and sweetly, something like her alarm 

 note, but with all the tone of alarm gone out of it. 



The hen quitted, but returned at 12.40 with a yellowish 

 green tortrix larva. I could not qtiite see how she fed the 

 young this time, she fed two and then nestled down ; she 

 soon rose in the nest and fed more young. She either had the 

 remains of the larva in her mouth, or else she had some way 

 of regurgitating some of her food. At 12.45 the hen left the 

 nest. I then w r ent for some lunch. 



I returned at 1.40, and at 1.43 both birds came to the nest ; 

 the hen remained, and the cock went off singing. The hen 

 did a good deal of twisting and turning about in the nest, 

 and I thought she was re-arranging the feathers that formed 

 the lining. At 2.10 she quitted. 



At 2.18 the hen came back and fed the young on a tortrix 

 larva, nestled on them a few moments, and w r as off again. At 

 2.20 the cock brought a tortrix larva. 



At 2.30 the hen brought similar food and stayed two 

 minutes turning the feathers inside the nest about. At 2.35, 

 as the sun was becoming very hot, I went outside to arrange 

 a little shade for the nest. 



At 2.38 the hen returned and fed the young, and stayed 

 about two minutes ; the young are much more lively than 

 they were. 



At 2.45 the cock fed the young. At 2.46 the hen fed the 

 young, and both birds hunted over the brambles beside and 

 around my tent, and actually pitched on the tent itself. At 

 2.50 the hen left after feeding young. 



At 3 o'clock the hen fed the young, and then fixed a feather 

 up in the entrance of the nest to keep the sun out, but 

 she need not have troubled, because my shade came into 

 operation. 



At 3.5 both birds returned to feed the young, but the birds 

 did not come into the field of view together. 



At 3.15 the hen left and I then ceased to observe, as a 

 photographic hiding tent is a very cramped place indeed to 

 be in long. 



