﻿122 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  young 
  Thrushes 
  had 
  lately 
  flown. 
  This 
  nest 
  was 
  exhibited 
  at 
  a 
  

   meeting 
  of 
  the 
  B.O.C. 
  on 
  Feb. 
  18th, 
  1903. 
  

  

  We 
  generally 
  have 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  Pied 
  Wagtails 
  nesting 
  within 
  a 
  

   hundred 
  yards 
  of 
  Clifton 
  Vicarage, 
  and 
  in 
  1902 
  I 
  noticed 
  that 
  

   they 
  were 
  obviously 
  breeding 
  somewhere 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  a 
  road 
  

   with 
  hedgerows 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  think 
  of 
  examining 
  the 
  

   old 
  nests 
  at 
  the 
  time. 
  However, 
  next 
  year 
  they 
  were 
  again 
  

   haunting 
  the 
  same 
  spot, 
  and 
  on 
  June 
  14th 
  {ante, 
  p. 
  106) 
  I 
  found 
  

   the 
  hen 
  sitting 
  on 
  live 
  eggs 
  in 
  a 
  big, 
  substantial 
  nest 
  in 
  the 
  

   hedgerow, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  now 
  little 
  doubt 
  was 
  an 
  old 
  Thrush's 
  

   nest 
  adapted 
  for 
  nesting 
  purposes 
  by 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  

   lining. 
  This 
  year 
  they 
  took 
  possession 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  Blackbird's 
  

   nest, 
  from 
  which 
  young 
  had 
  been 
  hatched 
  in 
  1903 
  ; 
  a 
  new 
  lining 
  

   was 
  added 
  to 
  it, 
  and 
  on 
  May 
  4th 
  it 
  contained 
  six 
  eggs. 
  

  

  Of 
  course 
  this 
  list 
  of 
  instances 
  where 
  another 
  bird's 
  nest 
  has 
  

   been 
  utilized 
  by 
  the 
  Pied 
  Wagtail 
  is 
  not 
  intended 
  to 
  be 
  exhaustive, 
  

   and 
  probably 
  further 
  research 
  would 
  bring 
  many 
  similar 
  instances 
  

   to 
  light 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  this 
  bird 
  not 
  infre- 
  

   quently 
  adapts 
  the 
  nests 
  of 
  other 
  birds 
  (especially 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Song 
  -Thrush) 
  for 
  breeding 
  purposes. 
  

  

  Another 
  curious 
  habit, 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  seen 
  any 
  previous 
  

   notice, 
  is 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  Wagtails 
  frequently 
  resort 
  to 
  their 
  

   breeding 
  places 
  in 
  September, 
  if 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  fine. 
  The 
  cock 
  

   takes 
  his 
  station 
  on 
  some 
  commanding 
  point 
  not 
  far 
  off, 
  and 
  

   utters 
  his 
  monotonous 
  " 
  chizz-it 
  " 
  exactly 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  spring; 
  

   while 
  the 
  hen 
  visits 
  the 
  nest, 
  picks 
  up 
  and 
  plays 
  with 
  lining 
  

   material, 
  and 
  behaves 
  exactly 
  like 
  a 
  nesting 
  bird, 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  

   weather 
  remains 
  favourable. 
  The 
  habit 
  is 
  evidently 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  

   slight 
  recrudescence 
  of 
  the 
  breeding 
  impulse 
  after 
  the 
  moult, 
  

   which 
  shows 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  songs 
  with 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  

   familiar 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Chiffchaff, 
  Willow-Wren, 
  and 
  other 
  

   birds, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  leads 
  to 
  attempts 
  to 
  rear 
  an 
  autumn 
  brood. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Hook 
  this 
  appears 
  to 
  take 
  place 
  more 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  bird, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  notes 
  of 
  eggs 
  or 
  young 
  

   birds 
  in 
  1844 
  i^Oxon), 
  1863 
  (Sussex 
  and 
  Hants), 
  1870 
  (Warwick 
  and 
  

   Suffolk), 
  1872 
  (Northants), 
  1891 
  (Suffolk), 
  1893 
  (N. 
  Devon), 
  1894 
  

   (Oxon), 
  and 
  1900 
  (Northants),'* 
  and 
  have 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  this 
  list 
  

   might 
  easily 
  be 
  doubled 
  or 
  trebled 
  by 
  a 
  search 
  through 
  the 
  back 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Field,' 
  ' 
  Magazine 
  of 
  Natural 
  History,' 
  &c. 
  

  

  ::: 
  ('/. 
  ante, 
  p. 
  '610. 
  

  

  