NOTES AND QUERIES. 259 



park there. The nests are for the most part placed in oaks and firs, but 

 there are several (one of which we found to be about nine feet from the 

 ground) built in laurels, and one in a holly. There is no obvious reason for 

 the choice of these low sites, the park being studded with hundreds of acres 

 of tall and suitable trees. The owners of these nests do not appear to 

 be harassed by their more elevated neighbours, and the nests are in good 

 condition. One of the eggs we secured was from a nest of three, all of 

 which were no larger thau eggs of the Mistletoe Thrush. — W. Ruskin 

 Butterfield (St. Leonards-on-Sea). 



Increase of the Turtle Dove in Lincolnshire.— It may be of interest 

 to record the fact that this summer and last, the increase of Turtle Doves in 

 the garden and grounds here has been quite extraordinary. Id Yarrell's 

 1 British Birds' (ed. 1841) there is a note by my father-in-law, the late 

 Sir C. Anderson, as follows: — "A pair of Turtle Doves bred here in 

 1870." This is recorded as a rarity. In the fourth edition of this work 

 (vol. iii. p. 22) it is remarked that, " Owing to the great increase of con- 

 ditions suitable to their habits, these birds are both more numerous and 

 more widely distributed than in former years." This, however, would hardly 

 account for the fact that they seem to have driven away the Wood Pigeons. 

 In former years the loud, clear note of the Ring Dove sounded incessantly 

 all day long in this garden. It is now seldom heard ; while the low " purr " 

 of the Turtle takes its place. In May it was incessant, and sounded from 

 morning to night all over the garden. The birds themselves are so shy 

 I have never seen them ; but their deep, rich " karoo" begins at dawn, and 

 I often hear it at 4 a.m. from my bed-room. Last year an interesting 

 experiment was tried with the eggs of the Turtle Dove. Our butler found 

 a nest in an elder-bush in a small plantation near the house. He cleverly 

 made an exchange between the eggs of a tame Indian dove — then sitting in 

 a cage against the house — and those of the Turtle. Both birds continued 

 to sit on their substituted eggs; but the Turtle, from some unknown cause, 

 deserted at the end of a week. The tame dove persevered in her duties and 

 hatched out two young Turtles. One died, but the other was reared and 

 kept for some time in a cage. It was, however, so wild, and beat itself 

 about the cage in such a painful manner whenever a human being ap- 

 proached, that it was set free and flew away, returning once or twice to 

 feed with the tame doves on the lawn, but eventually departing for good. — 

 Mrs. Anderson (Lea Hall, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire). 



Incubated Cuckoo's Egg on the Ground. — I was lately shown an 

 egg which in my opinion the finder rightly regards as a Cuckoo's. The 

 egg was found on June 4th, 1894, on a slight declivity near the rectory 

 garden, without any trace of a nest. On being blown it proved to be 

 incubated, I should say for about five or six days. It might have been 



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