FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS. ETC. 135 



chick very quickly, and were not then big enough to come 

 up to the entrance. 



1 p.m. Hen arrived, announcing her arrival with a " churck 

 churck " and then went straight into the hole, turned round 

 and looked out a while, and came out and then went back. 



The cock arrived with a single " churck " and fed young. 



1.5. Hen arrived and was startled at the noise of the 

 shutter. 



1.30. I went to lunch, returned at 2.5 and redecorated 

 the tent. 



2.10. Hen arrived, accompanied by the cock, who gave 

 several very loud calls. 



2.20. Both birds arrived together, the hen feeding the 

 young first, and then the cock. The cock, while the hen was 

 feeding, kept up a loud clucking noise. 



At 2.25 the hen, and a second or two later the cock, arrived 

 without a sound and fed the young, neither bird entering 

 the nest. 



At 2.30 hen fed young, which were very noisy and kept up 

 a continual chatter. 



At 2.40 cock came, and at 2.43 hen ; she flew round the 

 tree for a while and then sat across one of the upper branches. 



At 12.52 hen returned, accompanied by the cock; she fed 

 the young and then went into the nest, and when she left the 

 cock did likewise. 



At 3 p.m. hen arrived, but lelt immediately, and at 3.2 the 

 cock came, but left immediately, neither bird entering the 

 nest ; a gathering storm burst about 3 just before the birds 

 arrived, and the young quieted down. 



It was very dark, and the lightning and thunder were 

 terrific. The young stayed quiet during the storm and 

 neither parent came near. I was interested to note that the 

 parents did not take refuge from the storm in the nesting 

 hole, although the rain was a deluge, and the lightning struck 

 a birch less than 100 feet from rny tent. After the storm 

 ceased, I left the tent and packed up, as both my camera (a 

 N. & G. Trellis) and I were very wet, and the tent was 



