Peacock: The Pollard Willoiv. 183 



them.' In 1869 these two old trees fiirnished the site for nests 

 oi the followinij birds : - - Starhng- {Slitniiis vulffaris), Sparrow 

 [Passer donieslicus). Tree Sparrow {P. monla/n/s), Spotted Fly- 

 catcher {Miiscicapa ffrisola), Stock-Dove {Colnniba a'lias), and the 

 Great and Blue Tits [Panis major and P. ccentletis). At the 

 same time the following- plants had found a root-hold in the 

 decaying wood, leaves, and soil that had collected on their 

 ancient crowns : — Gooseberry, Bramble, Elder, Raspberry, 

 Briar, g-rass of various sorts, and the Male-fern. On the stems 

 of the trees were several fung^uses, the only one worth remark 

 to us as young- folks being- one which is locally called the Colts- 

 foot fung-us. The name is g^iven on account of its appearance, 

 which is ver\- much like a horse's foot when in an unshod, 

 natural state. 



Some other Willows we have notes c>f have not been planted 

 so long-, but they ha\e begun to play their part in helping- the 

 reproduction of nature at their own expense. In 1867 we found 

 a Thrush {Tjirdiis /uus/c/isYs nest in the crown of a Willow that 

 stood along- with others on the pond side, but it was in an 

 unfinished state. However all went well and the eg-g-s soon 

 followed the completion of the nest, the eg-g^s hatched into birds, 

 which took wing- in due course, and the nest was untenanted for 

 a short time. However on paying- it a visit one day some time 

 later, we discovered that a Wren was making- a nest on the 

 underneath side of the old Thrush's nest ; this nest also pros- 

 pered, and again the young- birds were reared beneath the shade 

 of the leaves of the Willow. When this later lot had betaken 

 themselves to wing- we did not pay much attention to the nests, 

 but on passing- it we noticed that the autumn showers had 

 caused fermentation to take place in the materials of the nests, 

 and the heat had caused the seeds of g-rasses carried by the 

 Thrush as nest niaLerial to g-erminate. Both g-rass and small 

 weeds, not recorded by name, were g-rowing- on the mass of 

 sodden material that had been the home of two happy families 

 that season. Later on, when snow and sleet were blowing- 

 across moorland and fen, a Long--tailed Field Mouse took up 

 her abode here and made a store-room of the top nest and 

 a sleeping--room of the Wrens' nest below. Here the fawn- 

 coloured, white-bellied, little creature, with its long-, tapering- 

 tail, would often be seen when the spring^ came running- up the 

 g-narled stem ; but she deserted the spot in the early days of 

 April. She, however, had left a trace of her occupation. 

 Among-st her store of winter provisions were some hips from 



1903 May I. 



