British Birds. 
367 
in a kind of comatose condition. Her wings were drooping, 
her eyes half closed, her head hung low: every now and then 
she would wake up, as it were, with a start and then her 
head would slowly sink again until it touched her breast. 
I guessed in a moment what had happened; the Tawny Owls 
had been at work the night before and had frightened her 
ofl" the nest and in the darkness she had dashed headlong 
against the wire-netting. 
I said " Kismet," and went in to breakfast. But another 
surprise was in store for us. The other hen — a demure 
little thing who never seemed likely to distinguish herself — was 
missmg aoout a week later. I searched for days for that 
nest, and at last in the long grass at ray very feet I saw' 
a bright beady eye. She was sitting on four eggs. 
On the 13th July, three young Stonechats hatched: 
they were covered with sparse whitish down. On the 16th 
the nest contained one egg, one dead squab and two fine, 
strong youngsters. Both the parents foraged, and were very 
expert at catching blow -flies. For the first few days they 
also carried small seeds to the young. I have noticed this 
in the case of other insectivorous species and can only guess 
that the seeds may assist digestion They are not given as 
food, because their use is not continued, so far as my experi- 
ence goes, after the first few days. 
Their eyes were open on the 18th, and pen-feathers 
were showing on the wings and along the spinal tract. On 
the 22nd, they were well feathered, their backs being mouse - 
brown and their heads striated with dark brown. On the 
25th, at T.0 a.m., I saw the young Stonechats leave the nest. 
On the 29th they were tiying strongly and jerking their tails 
after tlie time-honoured fashion of the Prafincolae. The 
striations on the crown showed up well and they were also 
lightly striated on the back; the buff margins of the primary 
coverts formed a kind of bar across the wings. 
As soon as the young could fend for themselves I trans- 
ferred them to another aviary and caught up the adults in 
order to give them their liberty, because, although we have 
heard a good deal lately to the effect that birds prefer cage- 
life to freedom, I must say that my observations do hot con- 
firm the suggestion. I like to do a little bird-catching now 
