vob. x1] ee NOTES, 161 
June 28th. The species victimized were Hedge-Sparrow (11), 
Pied Wagtail (2) and Song Thrush (1). 
I had nine nestlings under observation and of these three 
did not survive the nestling period, i.e. 33°3 per cent. died 
(cf. Br. Birds, Vol. VI, pp. 330-3; VII, pp. 233-4; VIII, 
p. 118; IX, pp. 96-7; X, p. 141-2). Two out of the three 
were removed from the nest, probably by rats, while the 
third died during the night. In this case the bird was 19-20 
days old and the Hedge-Sparrows had ceased to brood it at 
night, when the temperature fell suddenly to 38°, and the 
young bird was dead and stiff in the nest by the morning. 
In one case I found a Hedge-Sparrow’s nest in an un- 
finished state, and kept it under observation, visiting it at 
least twice a day, in the morning and evening. The Hedge- 
Sparrow began to sit on four eggs, and two days later a 
Cuckoo’s egg was deposited and one of the Hedge-Sparrows’ 
eggs removed. J. H. Owen. 
COMMUNAL LAYING BY THE SHELD-DUCK. 
THE Common Sheld-Duck (Yadorna tadorna) is a numerous 
_breeding species on the coast of Somerset, and amongst 
other places it nests plentifully on Steep Holm, in the Bristol 
Channel, which island I was enabled to visit early last June 
through the kindness of Mr. J. Sleeman, the lessee of the 
- place. The birds nest there not only in rabbit burrows, 
but also in holes and crevices in the rocks and clitis, and 
beneath thick bramble bushes which clothe certain portions 
of the island. ‘These bushes, which are somewhat favourite 
nesting-sites, are very dense, with much dead stuff in the 
centre, and are by no means easy to penetrate. I saw several 
nests in these situations. The eggs from some of these are 
coliected daily for food, and an interesting fact has thus 
been ascertained, viz. that two, three, four, and occasionally 
even five ducks will lay in the same nest. I visited one of 
these nests in company with Mr. Sleeman, jun., and it was 
found that four eggs had been laid in it since the previous 
day. I also saw tive eggs brought in from another nest, 
which I was told had ail been laid during the previous 
twenty-four hours. Mr. Sleeman, jun., informed me that it 
was common enough to find two eggs which had been laid in 
one day, and by no means uncommon to find four, though 
it was rare to find five. It has, of course, long been supposed 
that the large clutches of eggs sometimes found in nests 
of this bird were the produce of two females, but that as 
many as four and even five ducks should lay in the same 
ce) 
