126 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 



Merula merula (The Blackbird). 



See also under Accipiter nisus, the Sparrow Hawk. 



On the 26th April this bird was building fresh nests and 

 there were young to be seen in all stages to fully fledged. 

 On the 17th May W.P.C. spent a little time at a nest of 

 Merula merula. The notes are not worth printing in extenso, 

 as so much is known of this bird, and upon no occasion did 

 the bird give any opportunity of examining the food. The 

 points observed were that the hen alone fed the young, that 

 she ate the excreta of the young, although they w r ere half 

 fledged, and that she seemed exceedingly nervous, but whether 

 from the proximity of a private road or of the tent W.P.C. 

 was unable to determine. She objected very strongly to 

 the noise made by a shutter so silent that W.P.C. is unable 

 to hear it. On one occasion she fluttered from the nest 

 and then came full tilt into the front of the tent, and then 

 rose and butted hard into the side ; whether this was a display 

 of pugnacity intended to drive W.P.C. away, or whether she 

 thought the green tent was merely close foliage through which 

 a passage might be found, it is difficult to say, but from the 

 general behaviour W.P.C. inclines to think she knew he was 

 in the tent and resented it. [See, however, note of behaviour 

 of a young Dendrocopus major below.] (W.P.C.) 

 Turdus iliacus (The Redwing) and T. pilaris (The Fieldfare). 



On Nov. 22 w r e saw about 50 T. iliacus, and a dozen 

 T. pilaris feeding on holly berries at Littlesea. Neither 

 bird being usually abundant here, we think they were driven 

 in by the bitter N.E. wind. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.) 

 Erithacus rubecula (The Robin). 



In full song 1 February at Canford ; carrying nesting 

 material at Lytchett on 22 March ; two pairs feeding young 

 on April 26th at Canford and a bird sitting, which had hatched 

 when we next inspected nest on 2nd May, and we estimated 

 the young were eight days old. On 3rd May E.H.C. 

 spent two hours watching this nest, but no point of interest 

 was noted, the food being exclusively worms as far as E.H.C. 

 could ascertain ; W.P.C. found that the parents obtained 



