﻿NOTES 
  AND 
  QUERIES. 
  265 
  

  

  adult 
  Cuckoo, 
  had 
  removed 
  the 
  youug 
  Cuckoo 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  nest. 
  It 
  is 
  

   also 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  Twite 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  destroyed 
  in 
  a 
  disturbance 
  

   over 
  the 
  interference 
  with 
  the 
  young. 
  No 
  animal 
  had 
  interfered 
  with 
  

   the 
  dead 
  body 
  up 
  to 
  June 
  5th, 
  though 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  

   scorching 
  sun 
  all 
  that 
  time. 
  By 
  the 
  6th 
  the 
  bones 
  were 
  all 
  clean 
  

   picked, 
  and 
  it 
  seemed 
  that 
  the 
  flesh 
  had 
  been 
  left 
  untouched 
  until 
  it 
  

   had 
  reached 
  a 
  certain 
  stage 
  of 
  decay. 
  I 
  examined 
  the 
  skeleton 
  on 
  the 
  

   7th, 
  and 
  saw 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  carefully 
  picked. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  proof 
  that 
  

   the 
  dead 
  Twite 
  referred 
  to 
  above 
  had 
  any 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  nest, 
  but 
  

   I 
  am 
  strongly 
  of 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  Cuckoo 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  eater 
  of 
  

   the 
  flesh, 
  and 
  a 
  Cuckoo 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  interested 
  during 
  my 
  visits 
  ; 
  

   but 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  direct 
  proof 
  of 
  its 
  doing 
  so, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  strange 
  that 
  the 
  

   body 
  was 
  left 
  untouched 
  so 
  long. 
  — 
  W. 
  Wilson 
  (Alford, 
  Aberdeen). 
  

  

  Long-eared 
  Owl 
  (Asio 
  otus) 
  at 
  Esher. 
  — 
  On 
  June 
  8th 
  I 
  came 
  

   across 
  the 
  nest 
  of 
  this 
  Owl 
  in 
  Claremont 
  Woods. 
  The 
  young 
  birds 
  

   had 
  evidently 
  flown, 
  as 
  there 
  were 
  only 
  castings 
  in 
  the 
  nest 
  (which, 
  

   by 
  the 
  way, 
  was 
  an 
  old 
  Squirrel's 
  drey). 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  

   was 
  there, 
  however, 
  sitting 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  fir-tree 
  close 
  by. 
  The 
  castings 
  

   at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  consisted 
  of 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  small 
  birds. 
  There 
  

   were 
  also 
  a 
  half-eaten 
  Eabbit 
  and 
  Squirrel. 
  These 
  birds 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  

   desirable 
  tenants 
  to 
  have 
  in 
  a 
  game-preserve, 
  as 
  I 
  should 
  imagine 
  they 
  

   would 
  play 
  sad 
  havoc 
  with 
  young 
  Pheasants 
  and 
  Partridges. 
  — 
  Gokdon 
  

   Dalgliesh 
  (29, 
  Larkfield 
  Eoad, 
  Kichmond, 
  Surrey). 
  

  

  Nesting 
  of 
  the 
  Ringed 
  Plover 
  (JEgialitis 
  hiaticola). 
  — 
  In 
  ' 
  The 
  

   Zoologist 
  ' 
  (ante, 
  p. 
  173), 
  Mr. 
  Hepburn 
  calls 
  attention 
  to 
  lined 
  and 
  

   partially 
  concealed 
  nests 
  of 
  the 
  Einged 
  Plover, 
  suggesting 
  a 
  gradual 
  

   alteration 
  in 
  the 
  nesting 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  bird. 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  ample 
  oppor- 
  

   tunities 
  of 
  observing 
  the 
  nesting 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  for 
  several 
  years, 
  and 
  

   have 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  transitional 
  state 
  in 
  regard 
  

   to 
  nest-building 
  (see 
  notes, 
  Zool. 
  1902, 
  p. 
  28 
  ; 
  1903, 
  p. 
  193). 
  Alas 
  ! 
  

   several 
  houses 
  have 
  lately 
  been 
  built 
  near 
  their 
  old 
  breeding-grounds, 
  

   where 
  formerly 
  they 
  nested 
  abundantly, 
  and 
  now 
  I 
  seek 
  their 
  nests 
  on 
  

   a 
  distant 
  gravel 
  sea-bank, 
  where 
  the 
  Einged 
  Plover 
  still 
  nests 
  freely. 
  

   Here, 
  last 
  year, 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  nest 
  with 
  two 
  eggs 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  depression 
  

   scooped 
  in 
  sand, 
  and 
  hidden 
  among 
  coarse 
  grass. 
  Frequently 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  laid 
  in 
  fields 
  of 
  sprouting 
  wheat, 
  peas, 
  &c, 
  and 
  become 
  hidden 
  

   before 
  hatching 
  by 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  crop. 
  I 
  wish 
  again 
  to 
  call 
  

   attention 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  exceptionally 
  the 
  Einged 
  Plover 
  incubates 
  

   her 
  eggs 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  normal 
  position, 
  viz. 
  pointed 
  

   ends 
  turned 
  inward. 
  A 
  short 
  time 
  ago 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  nest 
  with 
  four 
  eggs, 
  

   two 
  placed 
  normally, 
  one 
  pointed 
  sideway, 
  the 
  fourth 
  pointed 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  