NOTES AND QUERIES. 27 



saw them frequently on subsequent occasions, and I feel sure they were 

 building a new nest out of the materials of the old one, although a 

 careful search failed to discover it. 



About the 24th of May, not far from the spot where the first pair 

 of Redpolls were breeding, I noticed a small nest in a young beech - 

 tree, and on climbing to it I found it was a Redpoll's nest, which 

 appeared to have been disturbed, and which had lost some of its lining. 

 I noticed that the tree had been climbed, so the nest had evidently been 

 robbed. On May 28th I again visited the same spot, and found that 

 the nest had almost entirely disappeared — in fact, only a foundation 

 was left — and I found among the topmost branches of a sallow-bush, 

 only a few yards from the beech-tree, a new Redpoll's nest just ready 

 for eggs. On May 30th this nest contained one egg. 



We have here instances to show that the Lesser Redpoll will not 

 tolerate any interference with her nest and eggs. I was very careful 

 to disturb the first pair mentioned above as little as possible, and 

 removed the two eggs with a teaspoon. The evidence from these three 

 cases also goes to prove that this species, when disturbed in nesting 

 operations, will remove the materials from the spot which has been dis- 

 covered, and use them in forming a new home. What becomes of the 

 eggs is less clear, but I suppose it is possible that they are transferred 

 also. If I could have found the new nest of my first pair mentioned 

 above, and it had contained the Linnet's egg, the mystery would have 

 been solved. 



In ' The Zoologist ' for 1894, on p. 228, is a note on the breeding 

 of the Lesser Redpoll, and it appears very possible that the birds acted 

 in the same way as the tbree pairs already mentioned. It would be 

 very interesting to hear the experience of other field naturalists on this 

 presumed habit of the Lesser Redpoll. Is it a common habit among 

 birds ? I have studied birds out of doors as long as I can remember, 

 but cannot recollect having observed a parallel case. It requires, 

 however, very careful observation to prove that tbe original makers of 

 the nest are removing it to a safer place, and that it is not any chance 

 bird on the look-out for materials which has destroyed the deserted 

 nest. — F. L. Blathwayt (Lincoln). 



Migration of Jays. — It is interesting that a very noticeable increase 

 in the number of Jays should have been observed in Hants and Dorset, 

 as a similar increase occurred in tbis part of Sussex. Garrulus glan- 

 darius is always fairly well represented in this district, but an unusual 

 number put in an appearance during the first week in October, an 

 influx which extended well into November, since when I have only 



