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NOTES AND QUEEIES. 



A VE S. 

 Birds Rearing Broods in Old Nests. — Since my garden has 

 contained sufficient cover to induce the birds to build in it, I have 

 discovered it not very unusual for the Blackbird to lay a second 

 time in the same nest from which the first brood had flown — this 

 occurred in 1905, 1909, 1910, and 1911. I have never known the 

 Thrush to do this, but have known it to take possession of a nest in 

 which a brood had been reared the previous year. In 1911 Thrushes 

 built in a gorse bush near my small fish pond, where I discovered the 

 nest on March 1st; the brood left on April 4th, and every member of 

 it perished during the several days of bitter cold and snow we were 

 then having. These birds then possessed themselves of a Thrush's 

 nest in which a brood was reared the previous year, situate in a 

 laurel six yards distant, and had commenced to sit by the 17th. 

 This is the only instance of the Thrush using an old nest that has 

 come under my notice, but it may occur more often than one might 

 suppose. With the Hedge- Sparrow I find it will sometimes pull an 

 old nest to pieces and use the materials in the construction of a new 

 one, and on one occasion, in my garden, a "last year's" nest was 

 actually used and a brood reared in it, very little renovation being 

 considered necessary. This year Wrens have for the fourth year in 

 succession brought off a brood in the same nest, but the situation of 

 this nest must be taken into consideration — it is built inside a small 

 rustic summer-house, unaffected by meteorological conditions. In 

 1910 Pied Wagtails reared a brood in a Eobin's nest from which the 

 young had recently flown, this nest being built on an ivy-clad wall ; 

 and last year (1912) Robins hatched off a second brood in the same 

 nest they had used for the first, which was in an old canister which I 

 had placed in a' hedge for the purpose. Great Tits occupied one of 

 my nest boxes and successfully brought off the young, when another 

 pair immediately took possession of it, and likewise reared a brood — 

 this being the only occasion upon which this has taken place in my 

 garden, though I should suppose it to be a common occurrence. 

 My Wrynecks will evict the Great Tit when a pair has taken 

 possession of their favourite box, but I cannot say the nest itself 



