NOTES AND QUERIES. 143 



AVES. 



Early Appearance of Chiffchaff— On Feb. 25th I noticed a Chiffchaff 

 (Phylloscopus rufus) in a local farmyard. The bird was briskly catching 

 flies, and appeared to be in good condition. — Wm. Delves, Jun. (May- 

 nard's Green, Horeham Road, Sussex). 



Great Tit nesting in active Bee-hive. — In the Chester Museum 

 there is exhibited in a glass case a Blue Tit's nest in an empty bee-hive. 

 A far stranger incident occurred last year at Ludlow. A Great Tit (Parus 

 major) built a nest and laid twelve eggs in the midst of an active bee-hive. 

 The bird went in and out through the same entrance-hole that was used by 

 the Bees, and neither bird nor insects seemed to interfere with each other* 

 The hive was about half-full of honeycomb, and the Bees hard at work the 

 whole time. The eggs were taken on May 2nd by Mr. J. Palmer, Secre- 

 tary of the county Bee-keepers' Association, who reported the circumstances 

 to me. — H. E. Forrest (Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury). 



Nesting Habits of the Great Tit.— While thanking Mr. Tuck for his 

 suggestion (ante, p. 82), I should like to say that I am aware that Parus 

 major is sometimes in the habit of covering the eggs of an incomplete 

 clutch with loose nest-materials. In these cases the nests are " apparently 

 unfinished." Among the tenants of his nesting-boxes Mr. Tuck does not 

 mention the Robin, which has used boxes here. — 0. V. Aplin (Bloxham, 

 Oxon). 



Marsh-Harrier in Berkshire.— A Marsh-Harrier (Circus aruginosus), 

 which, I believe, to be a three years' old cock, was shot Oct. 2nd, 1899, by 

 my nephew Ralph Cooper; his wing was only just tipped, and in three 

 weeks he could fly quite strong again. I keep him in a large wire aviary, 

 where he can have a good thirty yards' fly when he wishes, and have one 

 corner covered on the top, and the sides done up with ivy, where he roosts 

 on the top of a large bavin. He is fed on Sparrows, Rats, and Rabbits. — 

 T. Terry Cooper (Swallowfield, near Reading). 



[This note was received through our correspondent Mr. George W* 

 Bradshaw, who writes that the bird has also been seen and identified by 

 Mr. H. M. Wallis, M.B.O.U., of Reading.— Ed.] 



Nesting of the Hobby in Shropshire. — Last summer a pair of 

 Hobbies (Falco subbuteo) nested near Ludlow, utilizing a Crow's nest 

 several years old in the top of a large oak tree, but adding a little fresh 

 lining of birch-twigs and bracken-stalks. Early in May the male was 

 found dead near the tree, but the hen went away and quickly returned 

 with a new mate* The first clutch of three eggs was taken July 1st, but 

 it is believed that the birds bred again, as they remained in the neighbour- 



