FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 183 



two years ago, and again last year at Downton. 

 The cock brought the prey into the wood, the 

 hen flew up to and took it from him, and then 

 took it down to a dressing block, where she 

 plucked it before taking it to the young ones 

 at the nest. (E.H.C. remarks on this " The 

 prey I saw the male bring was all plucked, up 

 to last Sunday e.g., the field mouse was de- 

 capitated and similarly all the female brought 

 in was " dressed for the table." I never saw 

 the male pass prey over to the female, but I 

 could not see more than two hundred yards 

 over an angle of 180, so he may have done so. 

 Doubtless different birds have different little 

 ways, although their habits are in common. 

 Moreover, as the young advance, the food 

 possibly requires less preparation.) [Also ex- 

 perience has shown us that different observers 

 have noted different habits with different pairs 

 of birds, so that two diametrically opposed 

 observations may both be correct. W.P.C.] 

 12.15 Abrancher, the fourth young one, came 

 back to the nest. It had evidently been 

 sitting in the tree somewhere above the nest. 

 12.30 The most advanced of the three young 

 that were in the nest when I came this morning 

 left the nest for a walk on the horizontal branch 

 on the far side from the tent, just below 

 the nest level. The other young bird which 

 was not in the nest when I came was working 

 from branch to branch, often with the help of 

 his wings. 



12.33. Young began calling and looking round. 

 12.35. Female came and dropped something 

 at the nest, flew away and returned at 12.39. 

 She just came to the nest and then flew up into 

 a tree about 80 to 100 yards away (and, I 



