182 
THE BIRDS OF HAMPSHIRE. 
however, Mr. Farren's communication to me, I looked out 
particularly for this little hawk, but only once saw it in the 
open ground, near Warwickslade Cutting, from where it 
flew up, perching for a moment on a holly, and then making 
off to the woods. On June 4th, however, I observed a 
hen bird fly out of a hole, about twenty feet from the 
ground, in an old beech in Woolstone's Hill, on the east 
side of Halliday's Hill Enclosure. There were, however, 
no eggs. On the fifth, I went again, and the bird, when I 
was about fifty yards from the tree, again flew off. Still 
there were no eggs. I did not return till the 9th, when the 
nest, now pulled out of the hole, had been robbed. It was 
made of small sticks, and a considerable quantity of feather- 
moss, and some fine grass .... I afterwards learnt where 
the three eggs had been taken in 1861 ; but there was 
nothing, with the exception of a few sticks in the hole, 
which was in this case about ten feet from the ground, and 
placed also in a beech on the edge of Barrowsmoor." 
He also compares the weight of a supposed merlin's 
egg with kestrel's — " Egg, supposed to be that of a merlin, 
taken with two others which were broken, June 17th, 1862, 
near Alum Green, in the hole of a beech, rather sat upon, 
weighed 4 dr. i sc. 10 gr. Two fresh-laid eggs of kestrels, 
taken at the same time, weighed 4 dr. 2 sc. 15 gr. Other 
eggs of kestrels, however, have weighed considerably more ; 
and two others, also laid about the same time, came to 
5 dr. o sc. 5 gr." This last-mentioned merlin's egg is in 
Dr. Rake's collection at Fordingbridge ; as also are the 
three procured in May, 1862, with the skin of the male bird, 
which was shot off them ; and also the remains of a nest 
from a hollow holly tree. Dr. Rake has kindly allowed us 
to see these and compare with his father's note-book the 
dates given by Wise. 
