FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 159 



This bird is much less common than formerly. (W.P.C. 

 and E.H.C.) 

 Delichon urbica (The House Martin). 



21st August. At Arish Mell numbers were hawking round 

 the cliffs, but as there were quite a number of nests under the 

 overhanging ledges they were probably residents. (W.P.C. 

 and E.H.C.) 



Dryobatcs major anglicus (The British Great Spotted Wood- 

 pecker). 



2nd April. This bird had made another hole in the tree 

 that it nested in at Canford last year. (E.H.C. and W.P.C.) 

 (We will call this nest B). 



25th April. On this date we found that the bird had been 

 dispossessed of nest B by a starling of the usual o bscene habits. 



1st May. The birds had started a new hole in the rotten 

 birch in which we first found them (Nest A). 



15th May. The birds had been dispossessed of nest A 

 by a Pic-us viridis (see notes under that name). The y had, 

 however, started to complete an incomplete boring commenced 

 by Pic us viridis in solid living birch, which must have been 

 exceedingly hard work, as the wood they had taken out was 

 solid and fibrous. 



10th June. E.H.C. went down to this pair ; he notes as 

 follows : 



2. Both birds are beautifully broken to the camera. They 

 do not care twopence for me arranging the gear ; they stayed 

 off and " churked " for two or three minutes and then went 

 on feeding the young as if nothing had happened. The 

 young went on " Queek queek queek " to the Nth power ; 

 they were at it all day and never stopped for a minute. I 

 judged there to be 5 or 6 young. 



3.20 Cock came to the nest, fed young, but did not go right 

 in. 3.30 Hen fed young, entered nest and cleaned it. 



3.35. The cock, and 3.36 the hen fed young. 3.39 The 

 cock fed all the young and gave me the opportunity of seeing 

 the food, which was grey moth bodies as far as I could judge, 

 as I do not know any other material it could be. 



