RED-LETTER DAYS AMONG BIRDS 53 



The Blue, Coal, and Great Tits are, however, regular 

 tenants of our nesting boxes, though, truth to tell, the House 

 Sparrow often fights the Tit for possession, and frequently wins 

 the day. When examining over fifty nesting boxes during May, I 

 found in several instances a Tit's nest at the base of the nesting 

 box, with a House Sparrow's untidy structure on top, this in- 

 dicating that the Tits were undoubtedly the first tenants, but 

 that they had been ousted by the Sparrows. 



In addition to providing suitable sites for hole-nesting birds, 

 the erection, and subsequent examination, of these bird homes 

 supplies a good deal of information which would not otherwise 

 be acquired. For instance, I found, both in 1911 and 1912, that 

 the Tree Sparrow was a much commoner bird in North Hertford- 

 shire than one would suppose. I have recently examined over 

 thirty nests of this useful bird, thus proving its presence among 

 us. Few people are able to distinguish the Tree Sparrow from 

 the House Sparrow, and this is unfortunate, as the misdeeds of 

 the latter cannot be laid at the door of the former. The Tree 

 Sparrow feeds almost exclusively upon an insect diet, and is 

 an undoubted friend of the tiller of the soil. 



The Tree Sparrow, it should be remembered, has a chocolate- 

 coloured head, whereas that of the House Sparrow is ash-coloured. 

 The first- named also has a double white bar upon the wing. An 

 examination of the nests built at Letchworth has revealed the 

 fact that the House Sparrow invariably arches over its untidy 

 structure, but the Tree Sparrow does not do this, neither does 

 it construct such an untidy home. Another point of interest 

 concerning the insectivorous species is that, as a rule, there is a 

 clutch of five eggs, among which there is always one light variety, 

 and four very dark ones. 



Passing along Hermitage Road, Hitchin, a few days ago, I 

 was pleasantly surprised to hear the two notes of the Chiff-Chaff 

 constantly repeated. To listen to the notes of this little herald 

 of the Spring, surrounded by houses and shops, was, to say the 

 least, a delightful experience, and goes to prove the attraction 

 of trees and bushes, and a large garden. 



I am told that the elusive Hawfinch regularly nests some- 

 where in the same vicinity every year, and this is a good deal 

 more remarkable than the presence of the Chiff-Chaff, for the 

 Hawfinch is a very shy and recluse bird, and one of the best 

 feathered scouts (with the exception of the Wryneck) with which 

 I am acquainted. 



