116 OUR RARER BRITISH BREEDING BIRDS. 



and in all probability now sole breeding ground- 

 decreased from 150 to 33 pairs, or to the alarming 

 tune of 78 per cent., according to Mr. J. H. 

 Gurney, who is an exceedingly careful observer, 

 in touch with all the best bird men of East 

 Anglia. Of course, the figures can only pretend to 

 be approximate, and their compiler himself queries 

 the correctness of his starting-point ; but when 

 every allowance has been made for inexactitude, 

 there remains the irreducible fact that one of our 

 prettiest and most interesting native birds is de- 

 creasing in numbers at such a rate, that vanishing 

 point is likely to be reached within the next few 

 decades. I appeal to all British ornithologists to 

 do what they can to save it. What is the value 

 of a few empty egg-shells in individual private 

 cabinets, compared with the retention of such a 

 splendid breeding species to the nation ? 



During the early part of June, 1898, my 

 brother and I spent several days in making photo- 

 graphic studies of the bird and learning something 

 of its habits and domestic economy. Although 

 late for such an early-breeding species, we suc- 

 ceeded in finding a nest containing six eggs, saw 

 two broods of young ones that had only just left 

 the nest and were being fed by their parents, 

 and located a third lot of chicks, which we were 

 unable to reach on account of the exceedingly 

 awkward nature of the place where they had been 

 hatched. 



We discovered the nest figured on the opposite 

 page more or less by accident. A Wild Duck, in 

 leaving her own treasure-house in a hurry, frightened 

 a male Bearded Tit off a nest upon which he 

 happened to be doing duty at the time, and by 

 the exercise of a little patience I watched him 



