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Natural History Notes. By the President. 



In the summer of 1887 a pair of Common House Martins 

 (Hirundo urbica) built in the upper landing of the nursery- 

 staircase at Coupland Castle. This landing has the nursery door 

 on one side, a bedroom door on the other, and in front another 

 landing a couple of steps down, in which was a window by which 

 the birds entered. The nest was in the corner formed by the 

 bedroom door and the back wall. We left our house on June 

 24th and went away, the hen sitting at that time on eggs. The 

 nursery had been in constant and the bedroom in frequent use. 

 The lady who rented the house after we left promised to look 

 after the birds, and kept her wor.l ; the young birds were 

 hatched on the landing and flew away. 



The same summer a pair of Water-Hens ( Gallinula chloropus) 

 built their nest in a tree on my property between Akeld Bridge 

 and the Foxholes Pool. Of course the young ones must have 

 perished had not my keeper watched his opportunity and put 

 them into the water as soon as fit to swim. As it was, one of 

 them fell out and died. 



In the summer of this year my workmen were putting a strong 

 stone-facing into the bank of the Foxholes Pool in the river 

 Glen, when we .found a Pied Wagtail's {Motacilla YarrelU), 

 nest in the bank they were preparing to cover up. All the time 

 the men were working, wheeling and laying in stones, the hen 

 sat on her eggs, and the cock flew out and in, though when the 

 facing was finished, only a small aperture was left. Nevertheless 

 the pair outstayed the work, and brought out their young ones. 



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