OTES 



WOOD-LARK BREEDING IN MONTGOMERYSHIRE 



With reference to Capt. W. M. Congreve's note {anfea, p. 58) 

 on the breeding of the Wood-Lark {Lullula a. arhorea) in 

 Montgomeryshire the following may be of interest. During 

 the latter end of May (i7th-3ist), 1921, I stayed at a house 

 in the Dovey Valley, and on the day of my arrival I heard 

 a Wood-Lark singing on the hillside not far from the house. 

 I heard it singing and saw it soaring almost at the same 

 spot every day I was there. 



One day I saw, and lieard, what I think was another bird 

 at a village about a mile higher up the valley. This one 

 was singing when perched on a post on the common near 

 the village. After having left this bird singing on the 

 common I heard the bird on the hillside singing in the usual 

 place, so came to the conclusion that there was more than 

 one in the neighbourhood. 



Towards the end of our stay my wife called my attention 

 to some birds in a lane at the foot of the hill mentioned. 

 Fortunately, I had my field-glasses with me and was able 

 to identify them as Wood-Larks. There were four young 

 ones being fed by one parent bird. We kept them under 

 observation for some time and were able to get quite near 

 them and observe them distinctly from within a few yards, 

 by the naked eye. I may add that the Wood-Lark is quite 

 familiar to me as it is fairly common in my neighbourhood. 

 We were not able to find a nest, but I think that a parent 

 bird feeding its young is fairly conclusive evidence that 

 the birds nested in the immediate neighbourhood. 



W. MiALL Jones 



MALE BLACKCAP SINGING WHILE BROODING. 



Mr. G. C. S. Ingram, in his " Field Notes on the Blackcap " 

 {aniea, p. 80) refers to the singing of the male while he was 

 brooding. 



In a communication to the Zoologist, 1915, p. 182, I mention 

 that Prof. Newton {Dictionary of Birds, p. 43), after alluding 

 to the male Blackcap sharing with the female the duty of 

 incubation, refers to writers who have declared that the male 

 whilst so employed has been known to sing — " a statement," 

 he remarks, " that seems hardly credible." I add that 



