ITS BIRDS.
91
Golden - Crested Wren. Common throughout the year,
especially in the Wanstead Park woods.
Firecrested Wren. A bird of this species, taken by a bird-
catcher at Epping, 26th November 1878, is preserved
in the collection of British birds in the British Museum.
Wheatear. A passing visitor in spring and autumn.
Whinchat. A summer visitor, breeding in the furze bushes
in the open forest.
Stonechat. Much more abundant than the last; breeds on
the open forest; a few remain throughout the year.
Great Titmouse (oxeye). Common all the year. A noisy
pugnacious little bird, who resents, with angry chatter,
GREAT TIT.
intrusion into its thickets. They freely build in boxes
placed for the purpose against the trees in my garden.
I have more than once known the hen bird, when cover-
ing the young ones, to fly at my hand when I have opened
the lid. They appear to be very fond of the seeds of
the yew. " Oxeyes have built regularly for five-and-
twenty years in the hollow of an old cherry-tree on my
lawn, 3 feet from the ground. One season the usual
time had passed without their beginning operations, and
I found some stones had been dropped into the hole;
these I removed, and the following day the nest was
begun and the brood was brought off in due course."—
A. L.