VOL. xin.] SURREY FIELD NOTES. 229 



grass among gorse bushes, and the bird crept out as I tapped 

 and kept creeping about with half-spread wings among the 

 herbage in full view, and did not take flight until I commenced 

 to inspect the nest which contained six fresh eggs. I then 

 stepped back a few feet and in a moment the bird was back 

 on the nest. The bird belonging to the second nest went right 

 away in spite of the fact that incubation had commenced 

 and though I remained near the nest for some time she did 

 not put in an appearance or show any anxiety, affording a 

 good example of two birds of the same species behaving in a 

 totally different manner. This nest was in a similar position to 

 the first, though the clump of dead grass was very much smaller. 

 On June 6th the first pair of birds had completed their second 

 nest and clutch of six, which I found only a few yards from their 

 first, and the female again behaved in exactly the same manner. 



Mistle-Thrush {T Urdus v. viscivorus). — My personal ex- 

 perience is that these birds are still very scarce, and their 

 recovery from the disastrous winter of 1916-1917 has only 

 been slight. A few small flocks were seen about the pines in 

 June 1918 and 1919. 



Stonechat {Saxicola r. hibernans). — A slight recovery 

 from the severe winter was noticeable during the spring of 

 1919, but at least two males appeared to be without mates. 

 On their favourite common near Croydon they have not yet 

 turned up again. 



Hen-Harrier {Circus cyaneus). — Mr. Borrer, Mr. Baynes 

 and I watched a pair in the south-west district for some 

 considerable time on April i8th, 1919. They were both 

 playing in the air over a fairly marshy part of the common. 



Hobby {Falco suhbuteo). — -My first introduction to this 

 species in the county was in 1906. While watching Dartford 

 Warblers a bird settled on the ground only a few yards away 

 from where I was concealed. I have seen them in the south- 

 west district every year since. They generally arrive on the 

 ground about May 4th, and may be seen every day right up 

 to the end of the nesting season, sometimes wheeling about 

 high in the air in their customary fashion, sometimes only just 

 skimming the tops of the ling or water, hawking for dragon- 

 flies. As the breeding season approaches their Wryneck-like 

 call may be heard at all times of the day, mostly in the neigh- 

 bourhood of their prospective nesting sites. I am surprised 

 to find that very few of the recent writers on this beautiful 

 bird make any mention of the similarity of the call to that of 

 the Wryneck — to my ears it is almost exactly the same, but 

 of course in a much higher key. 



