14 
NATURE NOTES 
flushed a tit-lark from a nest with four eggs in it, which was only 4 or 5 yards 
from the thrush’s nest. In the issue of June 10 of the same paper, a second 
correspondent referring to this note gave two instances of a similar nature. In 
the first the thrush had built in a beehive shed on two cross-bars of wood let into 
each other. The nest was quite unattached, and soon after the eggs were hatched 
it was found toppled over and the young on the ground 5 feet below. Un- 
daunted, the same birds built a second nest on the staging of a small greenhouse 
in the same garden, and this time succeeded in rearing their young. In the 
other case this correspondent cited, a thrush had built its nest on the top of the 
unfinished wall of a house, during the four days that the workmen were away 
at Easter. Kearton and other naturalists in their works say that thrushes will 
nest on the ground, but it is not often that one comes across examples. Strange 
to say a second instance of a more ordinary character came within the writer’s 
own knowledge this year. This nest was situated in a rhubarb field in the centre 
of a root. None of these instances, however, are quite parallel to the case shown 
in our photograph. The lack of any attempt at concealment, and the adaptation 
of a hoofmark to the nest, which even when completed was of the most rudi- 
mentary character, make it unique. 
Merlon , Surrey. C. R. IIadfield. 
317. Feeding Tits and not Sparrows.— Owing to our good Editor’s 
indulgence in allowing my memos, to appear in Nature Notes, J frequently 
receive letters on many matters. Not long ago a lady wrote to say she had 
coaxed tits to her wflndow which were a source of daily interest ; but that the 
sparrows had come on to the scene, and were always stealing the tits’ food, and 
driving them away. As this may be a common experience, a few remarks on 
how to outwit and checkmate the rascally sparrow may be of interest to some of 
your readers. Advantage should be taken of the different habits and powers of 
tits and sparrows. Tits are accustomed to seek their food on objects stable or 
unstable, and it is all the same to them whether they themselves are right side 
upwards or the reverse when so doing. They may be seen running up and 
down a tree trunk, or hanging on to a catkin in mid-air, head downwards. 
Sparrows have not the same clinging powers as tits; they like a firm perch, and 
are afraid of anything that trembles when they settle on it. Unlike tits, they 
dislike pecking a piece of food that moves about when worked at ; for they 
cannot grasp it with their feet to keep it still, or cling to it. Bearing these 
principles in mind it merely requires a little ingenuity to contrive methods of 
feeding tits, robins, nuthatches, and several other birds, without being preyed 
upon by sparrows. Across my study window, near the top of the top pane, 
a few inches from the glass and out of the reach of cats and dogs, is a light bar. 
On this I hang with string, 3 inches below the bar, sundry bones with fat and 
meat on them, or lumps of suet, the best of all being the tail from a leg of 
mutton, which will amuse the tits for several days. A cocoa-nut, with part cut 
away, and hung up by a string through the eye, is capital. The tits prefer its 
fruit to anything else ; it lasts a long time and is sparrow-proof. Suet or lard 
run hot into an empty cocoa-nut is turtle soup to tits ; robins love it ; but 
sparrows are apt to find it out, and will steal broken bits of bread, and such like, 
out of a cocoa-nut, whether it swings about or not. Another admirable con- 
trivance is a tray suspended by strings from two posts by the four corners. This 
should be 2 feet long, 6 inches broad, with sides an inch high, and be made of 
deal i inch thick. On this all sorts of food can be placed, including nuts for 
nuthatches, while heads of fish or lumps of fat may be secured by a nail to 
prevent their being dragged off the tray. I have had these trays in use for weeks 
without being troubled by sparrows. When, however, they begin to venture, 
I remove the trays at once, and for some time ; though a bit of coloured rag 
on the top of the posts, or some strange object stuck up in the tray, or black 
threads spread across it, will keep them away for a few days. By some such 
plans as these, while sparrows are baffled, many interesting and beautiful birds 
can be attracted and kept under observation, and their numbers and variety are 
sure to increase as the winter drags along. 
Soulkacre, Swajfham. EDMUND TlIOS. Daubeny. 
December , 1905. 
