164 



NOTE on YORKSHIRE BIRDS. 



Tengmalm's Owl in Yorkshire. — A beautiful specimen of this bird 

 {Nyctala tengmalmi) was caug-ht in a pole trap at Bickley on 7th Nov. 1901. 

 — R. Fortune, Harrogate, 2nd April 1902. 



Spotted Crake near Doncaster. — To-day I had broug-ht to me, in the 

 flesh, a specimen of the Spotted Crake {Porzana porzana L.), which was 

 picked up at Bentby this morning". It had probably been killed by collision 

 with telegraph wines. — H. H. Corbett, 9, Priory Place, Doncaster, 9th April. 



Blown Eggs in Nests (Notts.).— Mr. A. J. Palethorpe, of Bingham, 

 Notts., writes : — ' Two eggs were taken from a Blackbird {Merula merida)'s 

 nest, and blown ones put in their place. These, however, were soon thrust 

 out by the owners of the nest, and three eggs were afterwards laid in it.' 

 Over thirty years ago I often placed blown eggs in nests when I wished to 

 take well-marked specimens. The result was always the same ; the birds 

 either cast the eggs out or forsook. For a long time I could not find out 

 why ! I was a lad at the time and had 'taws' in my pocket ! After I began 

 ' marbling ' the nest the birds never turned them out or forsook. I believe 

 the birds thought the eggs to be bad from their light weight. This they 

 could judge in a moment as they put their feet between them in preparing- 

 to brood on returning to the nest. Did the weight of the stones deceive 

 them? — E. Adrian Woodruffe-Peacock, Cadney, Brigg, 5th April 1902. 



Nottinghamshire Thrush Notes. — Mr. A. J. Palethorpe writes me 

 from Bingham: — 'My father, in season 1900, took four Thrush (Turdus 

 musicus)'s nests ; two contained five eggs, the others four each, altogether 

 eighteen eggs. They were taken from nests on our estate one after the 

 other, and the nests were built within a very short distance of each other. 

 The eggs are all of uniform smallness, only slightly exceeding in size those 

 of the Pied Wagtail. The blown shells are only half the weight of an 

 ordinary Thrush's egg. These facts, and the sequence of laying dates 

 point to the four nests being the work of the same pair of birds. Do you 

 know anything of the laying capacity of birds such as our Thrush? How 

 many clutches and eggs will they produce in a season ?' My own experience 

 is that Turdinse, if their nests are destroyed, will go on building once every 

 three weeks, say, through the months of April, May, and June. The 

 Falconidse have the same patience, their eg-gs failing gradually in number, 

 size, and colouration. The Phasianidse act in the same way. Of other 

 families I have no personal experience. — E. Adrian Woodruffe-Peacock, 

 Cadney, Brigg, 7th April 1902. 



Nottinghamshire Cuckoo Notes.— Mr. A. J. Palethorpe (5th August 

 1900) sent me the following notes on the Cuckoo {Citculus cauon/s) : — 'My 

 father himself has taken the Cuckoo's eg-g from the nests of the following- 

 species in the neighbourhood of Bingham, Notts., within an area of a very 

 few miles : — Sedg-e-Warbler [Acrocephalus pliragmitis), Hedge-Sparrow 

 [Tharrhaleus modularis), Whitethroat [Sylvia sylvia% Blackbird {Morula 

 merula), Robin [EritJiacus rubecula), and Greenfinch [Liguriuus chloris). 

 With reference 'to egg markings and ground colouration,' our experience 

 of Cuckoo's eggs is that there is generally an approximate adaptation to the 

 colour of the foster-parents' eggs. My father is able to identify the foster- 

 bird, if the Cuckoo's egg's are taken from the clutches in his collection, and 

 to say which particular egg was found in the nest of a given species from 

 its colouration. I think this is a very convincing proof of the adaptation of 

 markings and colouration ! We believe it is very unusual for a Cuckoo to 

 lav its egg- in the nest of a hard-billed bird like the Greenfinch. This point 

 is not touched on in your paper on the Cuckoo (Nat., 1900, pp. 99-108).' 

 I have had no personal experience except with the Pied and Grey Wagtails 

 {Mofacilla lugubris and M. melanope) and Hedge-Sparrow. — E. Adrian 

 WoODRlJFFE-PEACOCKj Cadney, Brigg. 5th April 190 2. 



NOTES on NOTTS. BIRDS. 



Naturalist, 



