. British birds. Birds. LETTERS LONG-TAILED TIT'S METHOD OF BUILDING. To the Editors of British Birds. Sirs,—Major W. R. Thompson may be interested to hear of a Long- tailed Tit's nest in our garden here in June 1916. It appeared to be without any opening, but after very careful examination I discovered a curtain over the entrance beautifully woven of the same moss and lichen as the nest. It was easily lifted by the finger, and, when released it fell over and exactly fitted the circular hole, much as an eyelid fits an eye. It was certainly not an accidentally torn piece of the nest, as it had
. British birds. Birds. LETTERS LONG-TAILED TIT'S METHOD OF BUILDING. To the Editors of British Birds. Sirs,—Major W. R. Thompson may be interested to hear of a Long- tailed Tit's nest in our garden here in June 1916. It appeared to be without any opening, but after very careful examination I discovered a curtain over the entrance beautifully woven of the same moss and lichen as the nest. It was easily lifted by the finger, and, when released it fell over and exactly fitted the circular hole, much as an eyelid fits an eye. It was certainly not an accidentally torn piece of the nest, as it had a finished edge like the entrance hole. The bird I think must have been killed as it never came to the eggs [which were cold and fairly fresh laid when found—there were nine of them] so I was not able to see it enter. L. E. Taylor. Pyrford Heath, near Woking. STATUS OF THE ARCTIC TERN IN LANCASHIRE AND THE FARNES. To the Editors of British Birds. Sirs,—I have been very much puzzled by Mr. H. W. Robinson's remarks (Vol. XIV., p. 281). He holds that the Common Tern (5. hinindo), being much stronger than the Arctic Tern (S. paradiscsa), drives the latter away from its Lancashire resorts, even by battles royal in mid-air, and continues " as it had already done on the Fame ; As an old member of the Fame Islands Association I am not aware of this, and in fact I have found the Arctic Tern increasing there at a much greater rate than the Common Tern. Before the war I used to make a point of visiting these islands each year during the nesting season, and from 1906 to 1914 (inclusive) I never missed making at least one visit each season. My experience then was very different from what Mr. Robinson asserts ; and for every pair of Common Terns there would be several hundred pairs of Arctic Terns present and nesting. With the exception of four or five pairs on the Brownsman I have never seen Common Terns nesting on any islands of the group, excepting on the Knoxes an
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