NOTES FROM LANCASHIRE. 187 
green in front, the colour behind being lighter, and more tinged 
with yellow; abdomen yellowish green; claws black. At three 
weeks the irides were a very bright yellow, the upper mandible 
being greenish black, lighter on the culmen, and with the white 
spot still near the point; the lower mandible yellowish horn, 
gape pink, legs dusky green, and claws black. 
In the stomach of that two weeks old I found about half a 
yard of line, with a broken hook at one end, and two lead sinkers 
attached ; no doubt the old bird had got hold of a fish caught by 
a night-line, had torn it loose, and presented the whole arrange- 
ment to its offspring. 
The total number of nests in 1877 was eight, and three eggs 
was the smallest complete number. They were all in the tops of 
tall spruce firs, being placed on the branches a little way out 
from the trunk, and were composed of large sticks, lined with 
finer twigs. Between the extreme edges, though the sticks here 
were very loosely put together, they measured about two feet and 
a half, and in the middle were six inches thick. 
Some nests have a considerable depression, preserved until 
the young are hatched, when of course they are flattened com- 
pletely, whilst others are almost flat to begin with. On April 
14th, 1878, a very flat nest, which a few days before had two 
eggs in, was empty, the eggs being found at the foot of the tree; 
they must have rolled out somehow. In 1878 there were fresh 
eggs on April 4th, and in 1879 on March 28rd. On May 17th, 
1879, we counted sixteen nests from which the young had gone. 
One held one young one almost full-grown, and two others had 
eggs in, no doubt from birds whose first clutches had been taken, 
some boys from the town having managed to elude the vigilance 
of the keepers. One or two nests were in outlying trees at some 
distance from the main body. 
On March 21st, 1880, we saw seven nests with eggs, and on 
April 4th ten. On the 25th almost all the trees had broken 
shells under, and I climbed to one nest which had four young a 
fortnight old. On June 8rd all the young were flying, and they 
and the old ones careering overhead when disturbed were a fine 
sight. There were fifteen nests in all, and the largest number 
of eggs in any one was six. This year, 1881, I visited the place 
on March 27th, but no birds were visible, though the keeper 
informed me they had been about for two or three weeks. The 
