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FIELD-NOTES ON THE NESTING OF THE 
HOBBY. 
BY 
THE LATE CAPTAIN C. 8S. MEARES. 
Abstracted and prepared for publication by Lizut. D. H. MEAREs. 
On June 17th, 1912, we visited a wood of two hundred and 
fifty acres in one of the north midland counties, in a district 
where many other large woods are found. The Hobby 
(Falco s. subbuteo) had been reported as breeding in this 
locality for many years. There were few nests of Crows or 
other large birds in these woods, which are well “ keepered,” 
and only two or three Crows’ nests of the year, from which 
the old birds had been shot, were left in the woods. One of 
these nests contained a Hobby’s eyrie with a clutch of three 
eggs which were quite fresh. The site of the nest commanded 
a good view over the wood, and a narrow ride passed close 
by the tree. The undergrowth at this point was fairly thick. 
The eyrie was in a southern angle of the wood, where the 
birds have bred regularly for at least six years. The lining 
of the Crow’s nest had not been removed, but some down 
from the falcon’s breast was also clinging to the sticks in the 
nest. The nest was placed in the topmost fork of an oak, 
about forty feet high, and was well inside the wood. These 
eggs were removed for the purpose of ascertaining definite 
particulars of the second attempt of this pair of birds to rear 
a brood the same season, as the following narrative shows. 
On July 4th, these same woods were again visited and the 
Hobbys were observed behaving in rather an excited and 
noisy manner in the vicinity of the nest selected as their 
second eyrie. This was an old nest of a Crow about thirty- 
five feet up an oak tree some fifty feet in height. The lining 
of the nest, which looked old and weather-worn, had not been 
removed, and some down from the falcon’s breast and a 
few small feathers were mixed up with it. The nest con- 
tained the usual complement of three eggs, which were 
fresh, and were nearly identical with those of the first clutch, 
slightly redder and somewhat less marked. The site of the 
eyrie was well within the wood, and was just three hundred 
and sixty yards from the first nest; being incidentally the 
nearest available and suitable nest, and, as before, it was 
placed close to a small overgrown ride. The undergrowth 
around was thick and tall, but the nest commanded quite 
a good view, 
