132 FIELD-STUDIES OF RARER BIRDS 



disused, overgrown peat-cutting ; and in any case 

 they are often close to a " sheep-drain." No nest 

 proper is ever made, such at least is my own 

 experience. The goodly accumulation of broken 

 rushes, heather, or moss sometimes found for this 

 is all the material you will ever find, generally in 

 small quantities, in a shallow scrape in the soil, 

 often, I believe, no scrape at all, but merely a slight 

 hollow caused by the weight of the sitting bird 

 I always attribute to a chance scratching in of the 

 surrounding growth. In nearly all nests a few 

 down-tufts of a greyish tint cling to the materials 

 therein, as well as to the adjacent growth, while it 

 is worth noting that in the majority of cases the 

 actual nest is placed in a corner of a large, natural 

 platform, which measures from 11 in. to 2 ft. 

 in diameter, though the eyrie itself seldom 

 exceeds 9 in. 



The eggs number from four to twelve, but a 

 normal clutch consists of from six to ten. I heard 

 of one case, where, by the judicious removing 

 of an egg or two at a time, though always leaving 

 one or more in the nest, an unfortunate Owl was 

 prompted to lay thirteen an unlucky figure for it, 

 as thirteen is supposed to be for anything. Their 

 colour is white with a tinge of cream, and the 

 shell, though smooth and very faintly glossed, is 

 minutely pitted all over, and in addition often 

 exhibits strange, hollowed lines. They are laid 

 at intervals of two days, but sometimes after 



