Migratory Birds. 
(249) THE BIRD WORLD. 
better selected, as it is well out of reach 
of anything but the ladder, and the 
branch was far too slight to bear that. 
The Redpoll Escapes Observation. 
With regard to that diminutive bird, 
the Lesser Redpoll, we have not been 
able to locate the nest this season. With 
the exception of the year 1904, this bird 
has for several years past been on the 
increase here, and that it still breeds 
around is certain. Strolling around on 
Whit-Monday with a friend we noticed 
a pair of these birds flitting about in the 
tall bushes near the sheep-wash here, and 
watched them carefully for some time. 
The male bird seemed to be endeavour¬ 
ing to drive its mate to the nest, but 
they were evidently at last suspicious of 
us and moved away. We searched care¬ 
fully around for the nest, but did not 
meet with it. However, we may be cer¬ 
tain that it was built somewhere close at 
hand. 
A Lost Friend. 
A bird that has declined with us in a 
very remarkable degree is the Yellow 
Hammer. We have looked up the 
sites favoured by many of these birds in 
former years, but have failed to dis¬ 
cover the nest. Nor have we seen the 
bird. We sadly miss this handsome 
member of the Bunting family. Touch¬ 
ing the Cuckoo, the birds have been 
very much scarcer than for many years 
past. We have not met with the egg in 
any of the nests most favoured by this 
bird, nor have we heard of its having 
been met with, but one or more young 
birds have been hatched out in nests in 
the grounds of Gatcombe Court, close 
at hand, and we found a young bird, 
dead, in a field adjoining our garden 
lately, which very possibly may have 
been one of those hatched there. With 
regard to unusual occurrences we have 
one tragedy in bird life only to relate. 
As we were walking with our friend on 
Whit-Monday along a fence near Bar- 
row Gurney we saw a number of feathers 
of the Blackbird in the ditch, and above 
was the nest. We got to it and found 
it contained a further quantity of 
feathers of evidently the sitting hen, 
which had been killed on the nest and 
her five eggs sucked. This we at¬ 
tributed to the weasel. We have many 
times found the eggs of these smaller 
birds sucked (by weasel or Jay), but 
have never before met with murder of 
this description. 
@9 
The Goldfinch. 
One of our most popu¬ 
lar exhibition British 
Finches, and one ad¬ 
mired as much in the 
home as in the field. 
6e) 
