58 
THE BIRDS OF HAMPSHIRE. 
holes of the back wall of William of VVykeham's stables 
at Bishop's Waltham, and we find that they still nest there. 
This is the last bird mentioned by White. In Letter x. 
to Marsham, dated Selborne, June 15th, 1793, he says: — 
" After a mild, wet winter we have experienced a very hard 
backward spring, with nothing but N. and N.E. winds. 
All the Hirtindines except the sand-martins were very 
tardy, and do not seem even yet to make any advance 
towards breeding. As to the sand-martins, they were 
seen playing in and out of their holes in a sand-cliff as 
early as April 9th. Hence I am confirmed in what I have 
long suspected, that they are the most early species." At 
the head of this letter in Marsham's handwriting is : — 
This worthy man died this month." 
His death took place on the 26th of June, 1793. 
They arrive towards the end of March, and depart 
in October. The earliest date in White's Calendar is 
March 21st, but we have modern records for the i6th, 
1 8th, 19th March. 
Y KmiN—CerthiidcE. 
Genus — Certhia. 
65. Certhia familiaris. Tree-Creeper. 
Tree-Runner. Tree-Climber. 
Resident in all wooded parts of the county and the 
Isle of Wight, and not uncommon. 
Wise mentions its nesting inside a squirrel's " cage " 
(or nest) — an unusual situation for this bird to nest in, but 
one often chosen by some of the tits. 
There is a Hampshire nest in the British Museum^ 
