Mrs. McConnell,



2S0



they have to be particularly careful not to give away the position

of the nest to either two-legged or four-legged nest-hunters, and

their opportunities of visiting the nest unobserved are probably

few and far between.


On the 6th July the young Larks left the nest, which shows

us how Nature can expedite her processes when she thinks it

expedient, for some young Rock Pipits, hatched the same day, did

not fly until the 10th. Their prevailing colour was greyish, the

tips of the primary and secondary coverts, of the secondaries and

anterior margins and tips of the primaries pale buff. The under¬

parts were whitish with a faint tinge of buff; the outer tail-

feathers sandy. They still showed some down on the crown but

this was soon displaced by a crest of fair length. A warmer

colouring soon made its appearance, the superciliary streak being

warm buff, and some mottled feathers appeared on the breast,

their backs also becoming mottled which gave them a somewhat

mottled appearance. In a wonderfully short space of time they

became independent and learned how to dig for a bieakfast.



AVIARY AND NESTING NOTES.


By Mrs. McConnell.


I am writing a few notes on my very hap-hazard aviaries

and my nesting successes and failures, hoping they may be of

some interest to bird-lovers like myself who cannot afford any

very expensive structures, and also that the smallest contribu¬

tions may be thankfully received by our kind Editor at this slack

time of year.


A11 enclosure was originally made in a sheltered part of

the garden and close to the house, 70ft. by 30ft. in area, wooden

frame and sparrow-proof wire-netting for growing small fruits,

but as wild birds were shut out all the year round it was a failure

for this purpose, everything being eaten up by blight. I soon

appropriated one end of it for birds and built a simple wooden

shed with concrete floor as shelter. This was followed by others,

and now the whole is given up to birds, and there are seven

divisions and seven sheds of varying sizes, all erected by my own

men, and some with only the ground for floor. I surrounded the



