VOL. vn.] LETTERS. 63 



SMALL CLUTCHES OF EGGS. 



To the Editors of British Birds. 



Sirs, — At the beginning of the nesting-season I was struck with 

 the " shortness " of the clutches laid by birds this year, and have 

 since made a note of the contents of nests I have found, with the 

 following, to me, remarkable results. All the nests were watched 

 for some time and the clutches are all complete. 



Bird. 

 Rook 



Thrush 



Blackbird 



Redbreast 



Stonechat 



Herring-Gull 

 Hedge-Sparrow 

 Lapwing . . 



Chaffinch . . 



Chlffchaff . . 

 Willow-Warbler 



Magpie 



Yellow Bunting 

 House-Sparrow 



Wren 



Swallow 



Bullfinches, 

 Whitethroats and 

 Lesser Whitethroats 



Number of Nests. Eggs in Clutch. 



7 Fotir each. 



— Never more than foiu* ; severe 



three. 



11 



14 



2 



6 



Never more than four ; several 

 three ; two of two. 



Two of five ; two of tlii'ee ; 

 remainder four. 



One of five ; one of four ; two 

 of three. 



Mostly two ; several only one. 



Four in each. 



More threes than fours ; three 

 one only. 



One of five , f oui" of three ; 

 iemainder fours. 



Five and four. 



One of six ; two of five ; three 

 of four. 



Two of four ; one of one only. 

 Four of three ; one of two. 



One only of five ; remainder 

 fours or tlirees. 



One of six ; one of five ; one 

 of four ; one of three. 



One of four ; tlxree of three. 

 All fives. 



It is a matter of universal complaint among the local farmers and 



others that hens and ducks, especially the latter, are all laying very 



" short." The figures taken as a whole seem so very much below 



the average, that I thought they might be worth recording. 



Lewis R. W. Loyd. 

 Beer, Devon. 



