Birds. 9233 
top of a high sea-cliff. Some fishermen told me that she had been 
Sitting for several days, and that they had made several unsuccessful 
attempts to reach the nest. 
Hooded Crow.—Hooded crows were seen building on the 16th of 
May, but I met with no eggs earlier than the 23rd. 
Sparrowhawk.—On the 18th of May a sparrowhawk visited the 
garden, and remained there for several days. I have not seen another 
this year, but a few occasionally breed in our cliffs. 
Twite.—Twites begin to lay early in May, but the eggs may occa- 
sionally be found as late as August. One very favourite situation for 
the nest, besides those already mentioned in the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 
8194) and elsewhere, is under a long strip of turf which has been 
nearly reversed by the plough. In such a situation I lately found the 
commencement of a nest, and derived much interest from watching the 
progress of the work. When one of the birds disclosed to me the site 
of its future habitation by flying out suddenly at my feet, I discovered 
nothing more than a slight hollow which had been scraped beneath 
the turf, and although I afterwards frequently visited the spot, nothing 
more was seen of the bird until about twenty hours afterwards, when 
the pair began placing a number of fibrous roots in the form of a half 
circle in front, the back part of the cavity being lefl untouched. Ina 
few hours’ time some stalks of plants were added, and from four o’clock 
ain the afternoon until noon the next day the birds disappeared. They 
next laid the foundation of the other half of the circle, continuing 
steadily at their task until the whole structure was equal in height all 
round. They now appeared more eager to proceed, working so dili- 
gently that by the evening of the fourth day the mass of roots, grass 
and stalks of plants formed a perfectly circular wall, an inch and a 
half in height, and about two inches in breadth, somewhat loose and 
irregular upon the outside, but with the inside neatly interwoven, and 
sloping rather suddenly towards the bare patch of ground enclosed. 
On the morning of the fifth day I observed a few feathers upon the 
ground in the centre, and the number rapidly increased until the sides 
were covered more than half-way towards the brim: in the evening 
the feathers were almost concealed by a quantity of cows’ hair, among 
which a little wool was intermingled. More work was done upon that 
day than upon any other. Having often found rabbits’ fur in the nest of 
the twite, | now procured a quantity of that material, and strewed it over 
the ground—not too near, lest it might cause suspicion. Although it 
was soon discovered, the birds were not quite contented, using it rather 
sparingly, and carefully working it into a felt-like mass with wool and 
VOL. XXII. 3B 
