318 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



glossy shells, were laid exactly in the centre, and 

 reposed on a strata of fragmentary fish bones pure 

 white and by no means offensive ; but a slightly raised 

 wall of similar substances, of a dirty yellow tint, 

 crumbling to the touch and alive with maggots was far 

 from pleasant, and I doubt not consisted of the recent 

 deposits of the old bird or birds whilst sitting, the 

 bleached looking bones beneath the eggs being evidently 

 of older date, and dried no doubt by the warmth of 

 their bodies. On inserting a spade beneath the entire 

 mass, in order to carry away as much as possible, we 

 found apparent evidence of this hole having been tenanted 

 for more than one season, since below the white bones, 

 forming the actual nest, was at least an inch in depth of 

 former dejecta,. This under layer was also very dark in 

 colour, and very lively, whilst that portion nearest the 

 walls of the chamber was quite dry and caked into the 

 surrounding soil. Amongst the half-digested portions of 

 bone I particularly noticed the remains of beetle-cases, 

 and one large fragment of a water-beetle (Notonecta), 

 with the claws complete ; but all these substances were 

 confined exclusively to the nesting-chamber, and were 

 not scattered about the passage leading thereto, nor was 

 there a single atom of grass, straw, or such like material 

 to be seen anywhere. Wishing to preserve not only the 

 eggs, but the strange bed on which they were placed, 

 the whole mass, on our reaching home, was turned into 

 a muslin bag, and by placing that in a cullender and 

 allowing water to run freely through it for some time, 

 all the earthy particles were soon washed out, and the 

 maggots were as effectively destroyed, by a single 

 immersion in boiling water. The bones, thus thoroughly 

 cleansed and sifted, were next turned out upon a 

 sheet of blotting paper and then laid on a wire sieve 

 to strain and dry till in a few hours the entire heap 

 looked as white, and free from all impurities, as the 



