134 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



and Ireland. Our illustrations are from photo- 

 graphs taken in Wanstead Park, by the kind per- 

 mission of the Conservators of Epping Forest. 



Materials. A liberal collection of sticks and 

 twigs, lined with turf, moss, fibrous roots, and some- 

 times wool or rags, according to some authorities. 



Eggs. Three to five, pale blue with a tinge of 

 green. Size about 2*5 by 1*7 in. 



Time. January, February, March, and April. 

 The two first months only in exceptionally fine, 

 open seasons. 



Bernards. Kesident. Notes, harsh, short, and 

 guttural. Some naturalists describe the alarm note 

 as frank, frank, cronJc, but it sounds to me like 

 garoivb, garoivli, garowk. Local and other names : 

 Hearinsew, Hern, Heronshaw. Gregarious, as many 

 as eighty nests having been known in a single tree. 

 The birds return to the same place (called a 

 Heronry) year after year. Not a very close sitter, 

 as a rule. However, I have known individual 

 birds sit quite still whilst the trunk of a tree in 

 which their nests were situated has been violently 

 struck with a stick. 



HOBBY. 



Description of Parent Birds. Length about 

 twelve inches. Beak short, much curved, and 

 bluish horn colour. Bare skin round the base of 

 the beak of a greenish-yellow colour. Irides dark 

 brown. Crown, nape, back, and wings greyish- 

 black, the feathers being edged with bufiy-white. 

 Wing-quills almost black, bordered with light grey. 

 Tail-quills greyish-black, barred and tipped with a 

 lighter tint, except the two middle feathers, which 



