76 EPPING FOREST
Willow Wren. Very common everywhere when April
comes. The approximate dates of arrival of the three
species of Willow Wren in the Forest are—Chiff Chaff,
31st March; Willow Wren, 3rd April; Wood Wren,
15th April.
Wood Wren. Local rather than rare, generally frequenting
tall trees, and the latest of the three willow wrens to
appear, arriving usually in the third week of April. All
three species breed in the Forest. The nest of the wood
wren may always be known from those of the others
by never having any feathers in the lining.
Golden-crested Wren. Common throughout the year.
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.
LONGTAILED TITS.
Wheatear. A passing visitor in spring and autumn, generally
seen on Chingford golf links.
Whinchat. A summer visitor, breeding in the furze bushes
in the open forest.
Stonechat. 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,
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.
Blue Titmouse. Common all the year.