30 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. xt. : 
July 17th, The Merlins were photographed by O. G. Pike, 
400 feet of bioscope. The cock brought a Blackbird, the 
female a Lark. The young birds can now pluck for them- 
selves. 
July 18th. The cock brought a young Redshank to the 
nest and a Pipit (Meadow), the hen a Lark again. There 
was no sign of game-birds being killed. On 18th and 19th, 
a Lark sang all day over the Merlin’s nest and was untouched, 
although Larks were the principal food, but they were 
brought from afar. 
July 22nd. The young Merlins were trying to fly and 
went out of the nest on my approach. Remains of Starling, 
Meadow-Pipit and Thrush at the nest, 
The Young Merlins remained near the nest until the end 
of July, but were absent by August 12th. 
Although the nesting site was right between the butts of 
the best two Grouse-drives on the moor, there was never 
a game-bird killed. Of that I am certain. The cock hunted 
regularly in a wood half a mile away and killed Blackbirds 
and Thrushes, while the hen kept the moor and killed Larks, 
never hunting near the nest. 
The eggs took thirty days to hatch and the Merlin did not 
commence to sit until three eggs were laid, the full complement 
in this case. 
I never saw the male bird incubate until June 23rd and 
I am certain that this was a first clutch. 
Both the birds were unobtrusive until the day of hatching 
and showed no concern for their eggs at any period even just 
prior to hatching. 
I made a special point of being noisy when approaching 
the nest on several occasions to see if the female would fly off 
early, but she never did and always flew off clumsily, rolling 
an egg out or else knocking over a young one, although in 
each case she must have known of my approach. 
There were Black-headed Gulls in the vicinity, but the 
Merlins never drove them away. 
