Bird Notes from a Buxhall Garden

179 material excavated from the tree by the saws and cemented with an adhesive secretion of the parent female. Its larvae vary considerably in colouration ; but the head is never, I believe, entirely black.

The parasites, that emerged from my cocoons of D. sertifer during 1930, belonged to three species of the Ichneumonid tribe Tryphonides ; and were kindly identified for me by Dr. Ch. Fernere :—Exenterus marginatorius, Fab., onemale emerged on 24 April and two females on 24 April and 21 May; Mesoleius (Torocampus) eques, Htg., one male on 26 May and one female on 30 t; and Perilissus (Lophyroplectus) luteator, Thunb., one female on 21 May. The first is a common parasite of D. sertifer and other species of its genus in northern and central Europe ; but Mr. Claude Morley, who kindly confirmed the determination, knew (lehn. Brit. vol. iv, p. 206) only two records of its occurrence in England. The two latter parasites are both recorded from D. sertifer and D. pini on the Continent, but appear to be new to Britain.

I exhibited speeimens of E. marginatorius and T. eques at a Meeting of the Suffolk Naturalists' Society on 1 August last; my sole L. luteator is now in the British Museum.

BIRD NOTES IN 1931.

BIRD NOTES IN 1931 FROM A BUXHALL GARDEN.

BY C. E. HARVARD.

RESIDENTS.—Mistle-Thrush (Turdus viseivorus) : a winter visitor only. Song-Thrush (T. musicus) :firstegg 7 April, a month later than in 1930. Blackbird (T. merula) :firstegg 10 April; very late in nesting. Redbreast (Erithacus rubecula) :' first nest 13 April. Hedge-Sparrow (Accentor modularis) : a nest found, containing one egg and the egg of a Cuckoo. Tits, Great (Parus major) and Blue (P. caruleus) and Marsh {P. palustris), nest in boxes ; the Coal (P. ater) is a winter visitor only ; and the Long-tailed (Acredula caudata) has been very scarce since the aretie spell of 1928-9. TreeCreeper (Certhia familiaris) : nest of four eggs on 5 May. Pied Wagtail (Motacilla lugubris) : a pair nest regularly in the creeper on the house,firstbrood hatched on 18 May. Finches, such as Greenfinch (Ligurinus chloris), Chaffinch (Fringilla fWe have examined these two species and are satisfied that the latter is a mere form of Mesoleius bicolor, Grav. (lehn. Brit. iv, 149) with developed alar areolet, an extremely variable and unrehable character throughout the tribe Tryphonides, whereon Continental authors place quite unwarranted stress.—Ed.

180

BIRD NOTES IN

1931.

ccelebs), Bullfinch (Pyrrhula Europcea) and Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella), nest regularly ; no Goldfinches or Linnets.

Tree Sparrow (.Passer montanus) : an increasing species here ; no nest found in 1929, one nest with six eggs in 1930, and in 1931 six nests of which five were in nesting-boxes and one contained a clutch of nine eggs. Jay (Garrulus glandarius) : common and a great pest, robbing all the small birds' nests : clutches of four, five and six eggs found. Magpie (Pica rustica) one pair nests regularly in a high thorn hedge. Tawny Owl (Syrnium aluco) : common, and nests in hollow pollard elms.

Little Owl [Athene noctua) : common, and a nuisance.

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) : visited us in autumn of 1930 and took toll of many blackbirds and thrushes. Kestrel (F. tinnunculus) : a pair nest near, and are seen frequently hovering over, the meadow. Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) : many nest around the house. Stock Dove (C. cenas) : at least one pair nests in the grounds. Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), Common and Red-legged Partridges (.Perdix cinerea and Caccabis rufa) nest here and have had a bad hatching season, owing to the cold and wet spring. Moor Hen (Gallinula chloropus) : common and tarne ; first hatching on 28 April; three broods may be raised in the season.

MIGRANTS.—Nightingale (Daulias luscinia) : here first heard in 1931 ; but remained for only a few days, after which a strong and cold gale drove the pair away or they probably would have established themselves. Whitethroat (Sylvia cinerea) : first seen on 4 May. Blackcap (S. atricapilla) : first nest found on 31 May. Garden-Warbler (S. hortensis) : first seen on 4 May. Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus rufus) : first heard on 6 April. Willow-Warbier (P. trochilus) : first heard on 26 April. Sedge-Warbler (Acrocephalus phragmitis): first seen and heard on 1 May. Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis) : first seen and heard on 17 April; two pairs nested in the meadow. Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa griseola) : the death of a mate, upon telephone wires soon after arrival, retarded this species' nesting ; nest with three eggs of a blue ground, sparingly spotted, was found on 14 July. Swallow (Hirundo rustica) : first seen on 26 April; but two pairs here this year, against seven pairs in 1930. House Martin (iChelidon urbica) : first seen on 13 May ; nest, built on the house, was finished upon 20 June.

Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) : first heard 23 April and last heard 28 J u n e ; egg found in above nest on 14 May. Turtle Dove (Turtur communis) : first heard on 7 May.—As regards this locality, Swallows and Warbiers seem scarcer this year than usual; and all migrants were late in arrival. The outstanding feature of 1931 is the increase in Tree Sparrows, which were evidently attracted by the many nesting boxes that had been recently fixed.