270 IN BIRD-LAND 



the Woodcock Owl, owing no doubt to a charac- 

 teristic curious flight which might at first sight be 

 considered to have a slight resemblance to that of 

 the Woodcock. 



A few pairs nest annually in Norfolk and the 

 adjacent counties, though these are very often 

 molested by the egg-collector. I was glad to hear 

 of one family that had been successfully reared 

 during the spring of this year (1899), and the 

 accompanying photograph is of one of the neatly 

 full-grown birds. The nest pictured was placed in 

 a clump of candle-rush growing in a field of reeds. 

 These had already been cut down, however, the 

 clump of rushes in which the nest was placed was 

 left by the mowers who discovered it. In the 

 thickest part of the clump the nest was found. 

 The whole was admirably covered with a natural 

 dome formed by the growing rushes, the whole ot 

 the interior being trodden down and so formed 

 materials for the nest. There was only one small 

 entrance at the side. 



Before we photographed this, the Owls had 

 deserted their chosen quarters, and a keeper 

 remarked that some of the eggs were quite fresh 

 and others almost ready for hatching. The reason 

 was that this Owl lays two eggs and sits on them 

 for a few days and then adds two more, and so on ; 



