i 
VOL. XI.] UBEEUARY. 239 
OBITUARY. 
CapTAIN LEONARD Gray, of the Essex Regiment, who resided 
at Laurel Bank, Chelmsford, and died at Alexandria on 
July 31st last whilst on active service, was one of several 
sons of the late Mr. Charles Harrison Gray, of Goldlay House, 
Chelmsford, a prominent townsman. 
From his schoolboy days, Captain Gray had taken a keen 
interest in ornithology and had been an active collector of 
birds’ eggs, often visiting Scotland and other districts favour- 
able for collecting. He was not an extensive contributor to 
ornithological literature, but he sent notes occasionally to 
British Birds. Thus, in 1908 and 1909, he recorded the 
nesting of the Lesser Redpoll at Chelmsford (vol. ii., p. 203, 
and vol. iii., p. 123), and in 1912 he sent a note on the nesting 
of the Crossbill in Suffolk (vol. iv., p. 14). In private life he 
practised as a solicitor. 
Captain Gray bequeathed his collection of eggs and the 
cabinets containing it to the Corporation Museum at Chelms- 
ford ; but, as it has not yet been received there, no informa- 
tion is available as to its extent and interest. M. C. 
LETTERS. 
THE BREEDING-HABITS OF THE HOBBY, 
To the Editors of BrivisH BirpDs. 
Strs,—With reference to the recent papers on the breeding-habits 
of the Hobby, a few observations based on notes made in 1907 may 
be oi interest. A nest visited on June 20th in Oxfordshire was in the 
middle of a large oak-wood. ‘The sitting bird left the nest when we 
were about 50 yards away, and was almost immediately joined by her 
mate, when they began to whee: round above the nest and became 
very noisy and demonstrative. Their behaviour was very similar to 
that of Peregrines with young. These actions were continued all the 
time we were in the neighbourkood of the nest. The latter was a 
Carrion Crow’s, with a new lining of twigs, presumably added by the 
Hobbies. 
The eggs were three in number, incubated some eight or nine days, 
and quite distinct from any eggs of the Kestrel I have ever seen. 
Hirenin, Herts. J. BEDDALL SMITH. 
