68 
Spatangus-- ? 
Pecten-? 
Modiola elegans 
Terebratula tetrahedra 
Modiola-? 
T. trilineata 
Cerithium-? 
T. ? 
Lucina-? 
T. ? 
Unio Listen 
Serpula-? 
IL ? 
Gryphoea incurva 
Pectunculus sublavis 
G. obliquata 
P. ? 
G. dilitata 
Plagiostoma-? 
G. bullata 
Nucula ovum 
Madrepora turbinata 
N. ? 
Pentaerinites — : — ? 
Pecten lens 
EXPERIMENT ON THE NEST OF A BLACKCAPT FAUVET, 
(Ficedula atricapilla). 
The shy and jealous nature of this species during the period of incubation, is 
well known to almost every tyro in ornithology. Touching the nest, or even 
looking at it, before the eggs are laid, almost invariably causes the birds to desert. 
The following, however, is a curious deviation from this general rule:—On the 
6th of July, I found a Blackcapt Fauvet’s nest, without eggs. On the 8th it con¬ 
tained two eggs, which were warm. I then put a bit of light rotten wood into the 
nest, about the size of one of the eggs. This had been thrown out on the 10th, 
and a third egg was laid. I now inserted a small piece of hard mould, and took 
out one of the eggs ; this was ejected the same day, and a few days afterwards I 
added to the two remaining eggs a pebble, equal in size to one of the eggs, and 
somewhat resembling them in shape and colour. Whether this proved too heavy 
for the birds to move, or whether it was not distinguished from the eggs them¬ 
selves, I had no means of determining ; but it was never removed. The young 
birds, two in number, were hatched on the 20th. Another remarkable circum¬ 
stance, is, that the female should only have laid three eggs, five being the usual 
number ; and even more than five might reasonably have been expected, as birds 
will frequently continue laying considerably more than the ordinary quantum of 
eggs, if one or more of these be removed before incubation has commenced. 
The nest which furnished the above interesting experiments, was situated at 
the extremity of the branch of a yew tree, in a thick grove—a most unusual 
locality for this bird, and one in which I never before met with it. I have, how¬ 
ever, lately heard of another similar instance, communicated by a scientific friend 
residing in the south of England. N. W. 
