This fpecies is very local ; is found in Yorkfhire, Lanca- 

 fliire, and Derbyfhire ; we have alfo met with it at Enfield 

 in Middlefex, and at Peckham in Surrey ; in the laft-men- 

 tioned place we had an opportunity of becoming acquainted 

 with its manners, in the fummer of 1812. We did not notice 

 it till the young were aboMt five or fix days old ; the neft was 

 formed in a hole in an old willow pollard, at about feven feet 

 from the ground ; it was compofed of a few hairs, fome dry 

 grafs, and fibres ; they were feven young ones, and their 

 appetites were fo infatiate, that the parent birds were on wing 

 during the greateft part of the day feeking food, which confifts 

 entirely of infefls; as foon as either had caught an infeft, it 

 flew to the tree and uttered a flirill fqueak, when the young 

 immediately opened their mouths, and the morfel feemed 

 indifcriminately given to the neareft one : we noticed them 

 for many hours, and on the average, each of the parents re- 

 turned to the neft about twelve times in five minutes. 



The young were able to leave the neft in about two weeks 

 after our firft acquaintance with them ; at firft they perched 

 on fome flender twigs, projedling immediately from the fide 

 of the hole where they were neftled, and attempted to catch 

 any infed that pafted them, but without leaving the branch, 

 fhe old birds ftill continuing to feed them ; in a fliort time 

 they ventured to fpring up from the bough at any paffing 

 infect, and returned immediately to the fame fpot again, and 

 if the effort was fuccefsful they inftantly flirted up their tail. 



When they had left the neft about tvvo weeks, they ventured 

 on wing, and it was particularly amufing to obferve their firft 

 attempts at taking their prey ; at a few yards from the tree 



was 



