FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 173 



10.50. The rain threatened, at 11 a.m. it 

 rained fast and got dark. I hoped the female 

 might come to cover the chicks, but she did 

 not turn up. 11.10 just as I was preparing to 

 come down ofi the steps (it might be explained 

 a very tall pair of Jones patent steps was used 

 to sit on inside the tent to enable the necessary 

 height to operate the camera to be attained) 

 I heard the male call ; and at 11.17 the male, 

 to my surprise, came to the nest with food in 

 his claws. I could not see what he brought, 

 but he just pitched down at the edge of the 

 nest, dropped the food, and was off in a flash 

 without giving me a chance to expose a plate. 

 The food seemed to be a nestling chaffinch. 

 The young stood on the food and pulled it to 

 pieces with their beaks. 11.30 it settled 

 in to rain hard ; so I gave up. 

 (The books say the male does not come to the 

 nest. As will be seen, the three observers re- 

 sponsible for this note disagree with the books, 

 as is not unusual. Dr. Penrose's previous 

 experience also was that the male did come to 

 the nest. The male usually called Jill, Jill, 

 jill, very loudly if he required the female.) 

 June 30 E.H.C. 



To-day is a blue -and- white -sky day with fresh 

 hard wind, after a night of heavy rain, and the 

 wood smells lovely. At the foot of the Sparrow 

 Hawk's nesting tree the light varies from 90 

 sees. Watkins in shadow to 25 sees, in sunlight. 

 From 10.30 to 11 I occupied myself with colour 

 photographs of the young. 11.10 I settled 

 down. 11.15 female came round the nest 

 with prey in her claws and called " kree " 

 about seven times quickly and the babes 

 answered " kerwee kerwee kerwee," but as I 



