128 
NATURE NOTES 
a few additions; and truly the labour of building is great. Still 
her motions seemed like those of a timid young bird. Carrying 
up a leaf fragment she dropped it at the opening, then caught 
it agilely on the wing before it reached the ground, and finally 
placed it triumphantly within the box. (It may be mentioned 
that the entrance hole was made small to exclude sparrows, and 
that the cock often pecked around it as if trying to enlarge it.) 
Again, when she had carried up bits of tiny bents she hung to 
the box too nervous to enter ; and when she did enter she was 
even too nervous to stay there, and actually hurried out with 
them again ! However, she conquered her fears or qualms, and 
re-entering finally laid them in place. And her mate would 
often precede her with encouraging strains. 
After she had well settled to her labours, both birds were 
less seen, but then again, by the igth, when the box was full 
of stuff and a hollow for the eggs formed, she was so anxious 
that she was often about guarding it. 
By the time she was ready to lay, the hen redstart was sitting 
on six lovely blue eggs laid in a small, feather-lined bowl of her 
nest, which was nrade largely of green moss and fine bents. W’e 
often looked in at this, but we never disturbed the pied flycatcher, 
whose nest was at a safer and more inconvenient height, and 
so we never saw' her eggs. She remained constantly watchful, 
and her mate generally absent until the 25th, when she sat for 
a short spell ; and shortly after this he began to feed her, 
both off the nest and within it. 
Twice their domestic peace was broken by a strangely prying 
cock bird of their own species. Once the two of them resented 
his presence by fluffing their feathers out ; and again, when he 
actually peeped within the box at the sitting hen, the cock 
showed his anger in the same odd way, silently distending his 
plumage till he was barely recognisable. The hen sat longer 
and longer, and would come out at 7 p.m. to shake and preen 
herself. 
Then after the egg breaking, came the feeding of the young 
birds, long sustained. \Miile nestling redstarts flew on June 16, 
and great tits on June 21, our little pied flycatchers did not fly 
till the 24th, when they could be heard chirping loud and help- 
lessly in the upper boughs of two oak trees, w’hither they had 
been led. 
They returned again this year (1899). The spring was late and 
cold, and migrants were late too. Yet on April 23 , 1 encountered 
a fine cock pied flycatcher in the garden just alighting in silence 
in the yew tree. After a short rest there he sped up the course 
of the river with the air of a traveller. And not till the evening 
of the 29th did I see the bird — or a fellow — again in the garden. 
However, next day, which was fine though still cold, the cock 
was installed in the scarlet oak and remained in possession of 
it and the box. It was a new box, and he picked at the hole 
of it as if to enlarge it. 
The season not only was cold and backward but there was 
