228 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
AVES. 
Nesting of the Grey Wagtail (Motacilla melanope) in West Sussex. 
—It is a welcome task to record the nesting of the Grey Wagtail in 
West Sussex, another high compliment on the part of the bird to the 
locality chosen for such distinction. Searching in the records of 
‘The Zoologist’ from the present time back to the dark ages of 
natural history which its pages illumined, few instances of such an 
interesting occurrence in the southern counties of England seem to 
be chronicled. That good observer, W. Jeffery, Jun., of Ratham, 
near Chichester, mentions having seen a nest of the Grey Wagtail 
containing young near Petworth in June, 1867. It was my good 
fortune to find a nest with three eggs on April 30th, and on May 3rd 
the hen bird was sitting, and was not disturbed. For obvious reasons 
the site of the nest may be vaguely described as near Midhurst. The 
eggs were very faintly marked with washed-out greyish spots on a 
dirty-white ground, there being no trace of hair markings. The 
position chosen for the nest was a ledge between ten and twelve feet 
above the water, the materials used being dry grass, fibres, and root- 
lets on the outside, well-lined with black horsehair— H. MARMADUKE 
LANGDALE (Compton House, Compton, Petersfield). 
Food of the Tawny Owl (Syrnium aluco).—For the sixth year in 
succession Tawny Owls have occupied the same place in our church- 
tower, and probably owe their lives to the owner of the adjoining 
estate, who, in addition to being churchwarden, is a strict “ owl- 
warden.” This year three eggs were laid and all safely hatched. 
The following is a list of the food I have found in the nest :—April 
15th, two Field-mice, one House-mouse, one Mole, one young Thrush; 
April 19th, one Field-mouse, one House-mouse, one young Rat, one 
Mole, one cock Blackbird; April 23rd, one half-grown Rat, one adult 
Thrush ; April 25th, one Mole, one adult Mistle-Thrush, one young 
Thrush; April 26th, one Shrew, one small Rabbit, one young Black- 
bird; April 27th, two small Rabbits; April 29th, one Field-mouse, 
one Rat; May 1st, one small Rabbit, one young Blackbird; May 3rd, 
two small Rabbits; May 4th, 7th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 16th, nothing. It 
would seem that, as the owlets get bigger and stronger, they clear off 
all food brought to them without any assistance from the parents. 
One of the young birds left the nest some days before the others, and 
I have noticed the same thing with another brood of four in a nest- 
box here.—Junian G. Tuck (Tostock Rectory, Bury St. Edmunds, 
Suffolk). 
