i THE BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE LONDON : 12. NEWMAN, PRINTER, DEVONSHIRE STREET, BISHOPSGATE. THE BIRD S v OF SOMERSETSHIRE. BY CECIL SMITH, OF LYDEARD HOUSE, NEAR TAUNT ON. LONDON: JOHN VAN VOORST, 1, PATERNOSTER ROW. M.DCCC.LXIX. PREFACE. I AM quite aware that a good deal has been written about the uselessness of mere local ornithological histories, and perhaps to a certain extent rightly, as a mere list of the birds that fly over or occasionally visit any particular county is certainly of very little use ; but, on the other hand, some account of the nature and habits of the various birds belonging to a county, or even to a smaller division, auch as a parish, cannot help being interesting to the inhabitants, especially perhaps to the younger portion of them ; for Ornithology, and indeed all Natural History, begins, like Charity, at home : the boy chases the butterfly in his own garden, or robs the bird's nest in his father's shrubbery or orchard, perhaps makes a collection of the objects that mostly excite his attention, and thus an interest in these subjects first arises; and for this reason some account of the various species he is likely to meet with, and of their habits and propensities, is sure to be acceptable : therefore, as there is no History of the Birds of Somerset at present in existence, I shall make no apology for writing one, but only wish that the subject had fallen into the hands of one with more spare time to enable him to do justice to it. Indeed I should not have taken it up 812013 VI PREFACE. at all had I not been requested to contribute to a local periodical ('Eyes and No Eyes') which was then being brought out at Taunton, under the auspices of Mr. Tuck- well, the Head Master of the Taunton College School. Before regularly commencing my notes 1 think it may be as well to mention a few subjects generally applicable to many of the species hereafter noticed. First perhaps of these, the subject of migration strikes one as the most prominent. We may I think very fairly divide migration into two classes, regular and irregular ; the regular migra- tion being that great movement that takes place twice every year at certain definite seasons ; in the spring, when the birds, departing from their winter quarters move north- ward, and spread themselves over a wide expanse of country, many of them reaching even beyond the arctic circle ; and in the autumn, when they return with their young broods to the warmer and more genial climates in which they pass the winter. Many of these birds remain with us throughout the whole of the summer or winter, as the case may be; others pay us only a passing visit in the spring and autumn, continuing their journey further north and south. Most of our rarer chance visitants belong to this great band of regular migrants, but their usual line of flight being to the east or west of these islands they only pay us accidental visits, either owing to being blown out of their ordinary course by strong gales occurring at the time of PREFACE. Vll migration or owing to getting mixed up with flocks of our own regular visitants in what has been a common breeding ground, and accompanying them. By irregular migration I mean the exceptional move- ments of some birds that cannot be considered as usually belonging in any way to the great migratorial band, and of others which, although they may be considered migratory, do not perform their journeys with the same punctuality as the regular migrants. Perhaps the best example of the first of these excep- tional movements may be found in that wonderful migration of the Sand Grouse, who, leaving their own homes on the plains of Tartary, migrated westward in immense numbers, some of them reaching as far as Ireland; some even passing further were probably lost in the Atlantic.. Although these birds came from the East the first occurrence recorded in these islands was at Tremadoc, in Wales, on the Oth of July, 1859 ; a few others made their appearance during that year, but the real great immigration did not take place until the year 1864. In the May of that year these birds made their appearance in great numbers, especially in the eastern counties ; from thence they spread themselves throughout the whole country. General as this migration was I cannot find that any of these birds made their appearance in this particular county, although many specimens were obtained in the neighbouring counties of Devon, Dorset, Wilts and Gloucester. A very full account of this migration is to be Vlll PREFACE. found in Mr. Newman's edition of ' Montagu's Dictionary,' under the title " Grouse, Sand, Pallas'." Of the second kind of irregular migration the Common Crossbills may be taken as an instance, as they are very curious in their migratory movements, being apparently quite regardless of all consideration of time or regularity, making their appearance sometimes at one time of the year and sometimes at another, and sometimes only after a lapse of several years, occasionally remaining to breed in their temporary home. Another peculiarity incidental to a good many different species is their various changes of plumage : this change of plumage, which I have referred to more particularly in my notice of each species, has often puzzled the ornithologist, and led in many ways to the multiplication of species. The difference between the young birds and the old has been a fruitful source of error: in some instances this difference disappears after the first moult ; in others, as in the Gulls, many years elapse before the full adult plumage is attained : the difficulty of identification has no doubt in many in- stances been increased by the likeness of the young birds to the mature females ; but these difficulties have now been overcome by observations made at the breeding stations, by specimens having been obtained in various states of change, and in many instances by the birds having been kept tame till they had gone through all their various changes. PREFACE. IX A cause of great variation of plumage in the same bird at different times of the year is the wearing off of the margins of the feathers, which in many cases are so broadly margined just after the moult with a perfectly different colour to the body of the feather that identification is extremely difficult. The Wheatear, the Snow Bunting and the Brambling may perhaps be selected as the best ex- amples of this change. Another great change in plumage is effected in a very different manner, the feathers them- selves remaining, but perfectly changing their colour in the spring, when the time arrives for the bird to assume its finest dress or " habit des noces," as the French call it : this change takes place gradually, but quickly, and cer- tainly when complete considerably metamorphoses the ap- pearance of the bird. Somewhat allied to this change is the extraordinary change that takes place in the plumage of the males of many of the Ducks immediately after the breeding season, when they lose their usual brilliant dress and assume one much more resembling that of the females : there always, however, appears to be a sufficient difference to enable any one to distinguish between the males and females. On the subject of food, which perhaps is the most interesting to us as tending most to our profit or loss, I think I have been sufficiently particular in my notes of the various species, and therefore shall say no more here, X PREFACE. except to beg of my readers not to condemn even the most mischievous of our feathered friends or enemies without fairly examining the facts on both sides. The arrangement I have adopted is that of Yarrell, with one exception, the Wren, which I have restored to its original place amongst the Sylviadae, where it seems much more properly to belong than to the Climbers. This arrangement does not seem to me to be entirely satisfactory, but it is certainly as good as any of the others that have been promulgated, and is on the whole much better known. It divides our British birds into five great Orders : one of these five Orders is subdivided into four separate parts ; each of these divisions, as well as the remaining four Orders, is divided into families or groups. A tabular arrangement of the whole will be found on the next p:ige. Of all these groups or families I have been able to include representatives, with the exception of the Struth- ionida3 or Bustards, but some, of course, are much more fully represented than others. Those who desire to see figures of the birds I have described are referred to Yarrell's and Meyer's histories of British Birds, to both of which I have repeatedly referred in the following notes. C. S. Lydeard House, Taunton, September, 18(>9. TABULAR ARRANGEMENT. TABULAR ARRANGEMENT OF ORDERS, &c. ORDER. DIVISION. Kaptores Insessores Dentirostres Conirostres Scansores Fissirostres. Easores Grallatores Natatores FAMILY OR GROUP. Vulturidae Falcon id SB Strigidse Laniadse Muscicapidse Merulidse Sylviadse Paridfie Ampelidse Motacillidse Anthidse Alaudidsa Emberizidse Fringillidse Sturnidse Corvidaa Picidee Certhiadse Cuculidse Meropidae Halcyonidse Hirundinidfe Caprimulgidse Columbidffi Phasianidse Tetraonidss Struthionidse Charadridae Gruidee Ardeidae Scolopacidae Eallidee Lobipedidsa Anatidee Colymbidaa Alcadas Pelicanidas Laridas THE BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. ORDER KAPTOKES. Family VULTURIDJE. EGYPTIAN VULTURE, Neophron Percnopterus. Of the two Vultures which have been included, hoth perhaps on rather slight grounds, in the number of British birds, we have to include the Egyptian Vul- ture in the list of Somersetshire birds, one specimen having been killed in October, 1825, by the Eev. A. Mathews, on the Quantock Hills, near the village of Kilve. Another bird nearly similar in appearance was observed at the same time, but though it re- mained in the neighbourhood a few days after its companion was killed, it appears to have been too shy to allow itself to be approached within gun- shot. I do not think it necessary to give a description of this bird, as it has so very slight a claim to be included even in the list of British birds.* * Since writing the above, I see another specimen has been taken in England, but not in this county. See ' The Zoologist' for 1808 (Second Series, p. 1456). B * 5 *" 5 J&IRI)S OF SOMERSETSHIRE. Family FALCONID^E. WHITETAILED EAGLE, Haliceetus albicilla. Of the Falconidse we may include as many as thirteen out of the twenty recognized British species in the list of Somersetshire birds. The present species, the Whitetailed Eagle, I include on the authority of Yarrell, who says that " Specimens have been killed in Hampshire, Devonshire, Somersetshire and Shropshire," and in several other counties in England, and of Montagu, who gives a description of one that was killed on the Mendip Hills : he says it was a very small bird, probably a male, and " that its talons were blunt, as if worn in confinement;" so this bird after all may only be an escape. But since that time another specimen has been killed at Stolford, a place near the sea between Burnham and Quantock's Head, also famous for the only Somer- setshire specimen of the Crane. I have not seen this specimen, but I have been informed by several people who have that it is a very fine mature bird. This bird does not appear to be very particular in the matter of food, taking either fish, fowl* or flesh : amongst sheep and lambs t it commits a good deal of damage. Yarrell seems to think it is particularly partial to venison, and especially fawns, being occa- * Seen feeding on a Gull (Zool. for 1804, p. 8875.) f Zool. for 1864, p. FALCONID^. 3 sionally killed in deer parks and forests : he also says it has been seen to feed on seals. The nest is always placed amongst high rocks and cliffs: it is composed of a large mass of sticks and apparently lined with soft materials. In this species the males, as in many of the Falconidse, are larger than the females: "The beak and cere, or naked skin at the base of the beak, are yellow ; irides straw-yellow ; the head and neck brownish ash, made up by a mixture of yellowish white and brown, the shaft of each feather the darkest part; body and wings dark brown, intermixed with a few feathers of a lighter colour ; primaries nearly black ; tail entirely white and slightly rounded in form, the middle feathers being the longest; the legs and toes yellow; claws black." The young birds "have the beak dull horn-colour, cere yellowish brown ; irides brow r n ; the plumage more uniform in colour and darker; the tail-feathers dark brown."* In this state it is the Sea Eagle of Bewick and other authors. This bird may be distinguished at any age from the Golden Eagle by the tarsus, which in that bird is feathered to the junction of the toes, and in this only half way down. The eggs are of a white ground colour, occa- sionally tinged with very little red colour. * Yarrell, p. 29. B 2 4 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. OSPREY, Pandion Halieatus. The Osprey is a bird much better known in our county than either of the two last-mentioned species ; nevertheless it is still a very rare bird. An occasional specimen has been killed at the Sandhill, Chargot, Combe Sydenham, and other neighbouring ponds. There is a very fine specimen in the museum of the Archaeo- logical Society at Taunton, which was killed at Chargot Lodge, in October, 1859. This is probably a young bird of the year, or else one killed soon after the moult, each feather of the back scapulars and wing- coverts being narrowly but very distinctly edged with yellowish white, which differs from the description of Yarrell, quoted below. The pecu- liarity above remarked is also noticed by Montagu* in describing an Osprey killed in November : he says that it has the "plumage much brighter, the upper parts darker, being dusky brown, and all the feathers on those parts, even the quills, are slightly tipped with yellowish white." He also mentions another killed in October, which is similar in appear- ance, t This difference in plumage probably arises, as suggested above, either from the speci- mens so marked being young birds of the year, * Montagu's Dictionary, by Newman, p. 212. See also ' The Zoologist' for 1863, p. 8841. ( I have recently received one for my collection from North Devon, shot in September : it is in similar plumage. 5 which, where there is any difference from the adult, are generally more marked; or from their having been shot immediately after the autumnal moult, before the edges of the feathers had been worn down, which, as I shall hereafter have occasion to notice, makes a material difference in the appearance of many of our birds killed at that time. The food of the Osprey seems to consist almost entirely of fish : these it catches if they are near the surface by just dipping its feet in the water far enough to reach them, and at other times plunging entirely under the surface with force sufficient to throw up a considerable spray. But it emerges again so quickly from the water that it is evident it cannot attack fish swimming at any great depth.* It appears even to have been trained for taking fish. The nest is said to be an immense fabric of rotten sticks, intermixed with corn-stalks, sea-weed and wet turf: it is lined with dry sea-grass,t and is generally placed in some old ruin Yarrell says, if possible, on the top of a chimney: if ruins are not to be found old trees are sometimes resorted to. Yarrell describes this bird as follows : " The beak is black, the cere blue ; the hides yellow ; the top of the head and nape of the neck whitish, * Yarrell's and Meyer's British Birds. f Hewitson. B 3 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. streaked with dark brown, the feathers elongated. The whole of the upper surface of the body and wings dark brown; the ends of the wing- primaries black ; the upper surface of the feathers of the tail waved with two shades of brown; the chin and throat white ; across the upper part of the breast a few feathers tinged with light brown forming a band; the under surface of the body, the thighs and under tail-coverts white ; legs and toes blue ; claws long, of nearly uniform length, crooked, sharp and solid, colour black ; the under surface of the toes covered with short sharp spines, admirably adapted for holding a smooth and slippery prey." According to Hewitson's plate, the egg appears to be of a dull whitish brown ground, much browner at the longer end, thickly blotched and spotted with dark reddish brown, the blotches being much longer at the thick end. PEREGRINE FALCON, Falco Peregrinus. The Pere- grine Falcon, in consequence of the destructive pro- pensities of gamekeepers, is becoming very scarce throughout England. A few pairs, however, continue to breed in different parts of this county. One pair, I have been informed, bred (and I believe continue to breed) on Brean Down, near Weston- super-Mare. I have occasionally seen the Peregrine Falcon in the neighbourhood of Burnham : once when on the look-out for wading birds on Stert Island I saw a large hawk, I believe a Peregrine, but I was not near FALCONIDJE. 7 enough to recognize it with certainty, make a dash at a flock of Purres ; the Purres immediately opened right and left and made a broad passage for the hawk, who went completely through the flock, but failed in catching one. In the days of falconry the Peregrine Falcon was, with the exception of the Gyr Falcon, the most esteemed and sought after for that sport. Various technical names were given it, according to its age and sex ; the female Peregrine, being the larger and more powerful bird, was exclusively called the Falcon; the male, which, as in most of the Fal- conidse, is much smaller and less powerful than the female, is called the Tercel, Tiercel or Tiercelet. The J 7 oung birds were called Red Falcon or Red Tiercel, according as they were male or female, and the very young when in their down or nest-feathers were called Eyases. The food of the Peregrine Falcon consists mostly of various species of birds, as Pigeons, Partridges, Ptarmigan, Grouse, Ducks, and various species of Sea-fowl, which form a plentiful supply when its nest or eyrie is established, as it frequently is, amongst the precipitous cliffs on the sea coast, which are also selected by these birds as a breeding- station ; rabbits and young hares also seem to form a part of its food.* The nest is usually placed on * Yarrell, p. 44. 8 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. some precipitous rock, and Meyer says occasionally in high pine trees : it is a slight affair, made of dry sticks. The following descriptions are taken from a young male, or Red Tiercel, and an adult female in my own collection, the former shot in this county, the latter at Seaton. Bill blue ; cere dull greenish yellow ; irides hazel ; the front part of the forehead whitish with some long black hairs ; head brown, feathers edged with lighter yellowish brown and white; a dark brown band making a sort of moustache extends from the base of the beak part way down each side of the throat ; the throat itself white, narrowly streaked with brown ; nape brown, with a few almost white feathers, making a sort of collar ; all the upper parts dark brown, each feather narrowly edged with light rusty brown; tail dark brown, each feather spotted rather than barred with rusty, tips nearly white ; all the under parts brown, each feather very broadly margined with yellowish white and white, giving it more the appearance of those colours than brown; quills dusky; legs greenish yellow. Adult female: Bill blue; cerej-ellow; hides yellow; head, nape, back scapulars and wing-coverts bluish ash, barred with darker ; rump and tail- coverts lighter bluish ash than the rest of the back, barred more narrowly with dark ; tail barred with two shades of bluish ash, tips of the feathers white ; quills dusky ; as in the case of the young bird, a FALCOiNIDJE. moustache, only darker, extends from the hase of the bill part way down each side of the throat ; the throat itself and the upper part of the breast white, with a few longitudinal dark streaks ; all the under parts dirty white, transversely barred with dark rusty ; legs and feet yellow. The eggs are mottled all over with reddish brown on a paler ground, but they differ both in size and colour, Hewitson says, according to the age of the bird. HOBBY, Falco subbuteo. The Hobby, which is a migratory species, arriving in April and departing in October, is a very rare bird in these parts ; at least I have never seen one about here alive, or been able to obtain a specimen in the flesh, nor have I ever noticed it hung up in the gamekeepers' larders amongst the rest of what they call "feathered ver- min," though I never pass such a place without a close scrutiny. It does, however, occasionally occur, as appears from the various stuffed specimens at different houses in the neighbourhood, and a great number of skins left by Mrs. Turle, the birdstuffer at Taunton, all of which she had probably obtained from neighbouring gamekeepers. The food of the Hobby consists mostly of small birds, such as Larks, Swallows and Martins, and even Swifts : it also takes Quails, young Partridges, Sandpipers and Plovers : insects, such as cock- chaffers, also form part of its food ; these it pursues 10 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. until late in the evening and takes on the wing. Although Partridges are mentioned, the Hobby does not seem to be a great enemy of the gamekeeper, as it usually contents itself with much smaller prey. The Hobby does not seem to trouble itself much about building a nest for itself, usually taking pos- session of that of a Crow or Magpie, especially if placed near the top of a high tree :* it has also been known to place its nest on the projecting ledge of a rock. The Hobby is something like a miniature Pere- grine, the general colouring being much the same, and it also having the same conspicuous moustache. The beak is blue; cere yellow; head, neck, part under the eye and ear-coverts dark dusky blue, each feather having a darker line in its centre ; a mous- tache extends from the base of the bill, the same as in the Peregrine ; throat white ; a sort of greyish white collar extends part of the way round the back of the neck, all the rest of the upper parts dark slate-grey ; quills and tail dusky ; breast and belly white, longitudinally streaked with broad streaks of dusky ; elongated feathers on the thighs and under tail- coverts light rusty orange, with some dark streaks, which the very old bird is said to lose ; under side of the tail light grey, barred with a * Hewitsou. FALCONIDJE. 11 darker shade ; legs yellow. The above description is taken from an adult bird in my own collection. " The young birds have the legs paler in colour ; the cere and orbits almost white, sometimes inter- mixed with blue ; head, neck and all the upper parts dusky, with rust-coloured and yellowish edges."* The eggs of the Hobby, the Merlin and the Kestrel are so much alike that unless the bird is seen and recognized on the nest it is almost im- possible to tell by the eggs alone to which of the three species they belong. In buying eggs, there- fore, the purchaser is almost at the mercy of the seller, and will probably get three different varieties of Kestrel's eggs, but will have to pay a higher price for those said to be Hobby's or Merlin's. MERLIN, Falco cesalon. The Merlin is also a very uncommon bird in this part of the county. I only know of one having been killed near here, and that I saw shot in this parish when I was a boy : it is now in my collection, and in very good preserva- tion. The following description of the adult male is taken from it. In the wild part of the county to the westward, it is, I believe, more common, and it may be so also on the Mendips. The Merlin is considered to be a winter visitor to the southern counties of England, but certainly breeds in the more northern ones. * Meyer's British Birds, vol. i p. 46, 12 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. The nest seems to be usually placed amongst cliffs : it is a slight structure of heather, dead weeds and dry grass : it is also found on the' ground amongst heather.* The food of the Merlin consists mostly of small birds : it has, however, been seen in chase of House Pigeons, and occasionally kills one, but its strength appears insufficient to carry off so heavy a prey. Snipes also seem special favourites : so fond does the Merlin appear to be of these that it has been known to accompany persons snipe-shooting, and chase the missed or wounded birds. Mr. Blake- Knox says that if the Snipe was shot and the Merlin could catch it before it reached the ground it in- variably did so, but if it reached the ground the hawk never touched it : he adds, " When the hawk would leave the bog, so might I the Snipe were all flushed."! The adult male has the bill bluish lead colour ; cere yellow;! irides brown; fore part of the fore- head white, streaked with black ; head bluish, mixed with rusty and streaked with black, a small light * Zool. for 1864, p. 9317. f Id. 1866, Second Series, p. 221. I Mr. Saxby says (Zool. 1865, p. 9519), adult males have the cere, tarsi and feet deep gamboge-yellow, tinged more or less with orange ; but in all the young birds and adult females he has examined those parts have always been pale sulphur-yellow. FALCONIDJE. 13 streak over each eye; nape reddish rust} 7 , with a black streak in the centre of each feather ; all the rest of the upper parts bluish grey, with a narrow black streak in the centre of each feather; quills dusky, very slightly tipped with dirty white ; tail bluish grey, slightly barred with a darker shade, a broad black band at the end, tips whitish ; throat white, with a few narrow dark streaks ; under parts orange rusty, streaked and spotted with brown and white ; elongated feathers on the thighs the same, narrowly streaked with brown. The female is very different in appearance, as will appear by the following description, which I have taken from Meyer's * British Birds : ' " The grey colour, which is so prevalent in the plu- mage of the male, is only perceptible in that of the female upon the scapulars and wing-coverts, where it occupies the centre of each feather : these feathers are bordered with rufous and have black shafts. The greater coverts of the wing and the upper coverts of the tail are brown, bordered with dirty yellowish white. The tail is greyish brown, tipped with yellowish white and crossed with fine yellow- white bars. The throat is plain white; the ring round the neck, the breast and under parts are yel- lowish white, streaked and spotted with dusky ; nape of the neck and thighs tinged with rufous. The crown of the head and nape are rich reddish brown, with dusky streaks down the shafts of the feathers ; c 14 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. forehead and streak above the eye yellowish white ; the ear- coverts grey and brown. The young male birds much resemble the female above described, but have no grey in the centre of the feathers on the upper parts, these being dark brown, bordered with rufous." As to the eggs, I have only to make the same remark which I have made with regard to those of the Hobby. KESTREL, Falco Tinnunculus. The Kestrel is the commonest hawk in these parts, and is still very numerous, in spite of the persecution of the game- keepers, in whose larder it is constantly to be found, though perhaps it does not do them so much mis- chief as they suppose : it does, however, undoubtedly do some mischief, and is fully aware that young par- tridges and pheasants are good eating. This hawk is very docile, and easily tamed, even when taken in full maturity. I had one lately which I shot in December, 18G3 : as it was only slightly wounded in the wing, I brought it home alive, and kept it till the autumn of 1867 : it very soon became quite tame, and would take food from the hand. It would eat raw meat, but much preferred birds and mice certainly birds, for choice, rather than any- thing else. The size of the bird* seemed to be no * Has been known to kill and eat a Hooded Crow. ' Zoologist' for 1868 (S. S. p. 1067). FALCONID^I. 15 objection, as it would readily take a Wood Pigeon, eat as much as it could, and try to hide the rest. Starlings were the only birds I knew it refuse ; it would, however, eat a Starling rather than starve. If more food was given than it could eat at one time, it would hide what it did not want in a corner of the cage, and try to bury it by rubbing the sand in a heap on it with its bill, much as a dog will do with a bone under similar circumstances. It generally plucked its birds tolerably clean before it ate them, but not so clean as to prevent it swallowing a great many feathers : these, as well as the bones and the hair or fur of animals, like all hawks, it brings up in small oblong pellets. The casting of these pellets was, I think, necessary to the health of the bird ; for when it had been fed on raw meat for some time it ceased to bring up the pellets, and at such times always seemed to mope and to be generally out of condition. In giving this hawk a bird or mouse, I observed that it always took it in its foot and im- mediately gave it a sharp gripe with its beak across the back of the neck or the head, which must prove instantly fatal. Rats also seem to form part of the food of the Kestrel ; for on one occasion I disturbed one when busily engaged at his dinner behind some ricks. Seeing him fly off with something in his feet, I fol- lowed hirn up and got nearly within shot of him, when he rose again with the same thing in his feet. 16 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. I fired, and lie dropped his prey: I went up, and found it to be the remains of a half-grown rat. It also eats various insects, as the remains of Coleo- pterous insects, their larvae, and earth-worms have been found in its stomach ; and Mr. Selby says he has seen one of these birds engaged in hawking after cockchaffers late in the evening : watching him with a glass, he saw him dart through a swarm of these insects, seize one in each claw, and eat them while flying. The Kestrel seems to select a variety of places for a nest, such as high rocks, towers and old ruins : it also builds in trees, on these occasions taking pos- session of the nest of a Crow or Magpie ; but it is not always successful in gaining possession of the nest, for I remember when I was a boy seeing a great fight for a nest between a pair of Kestrels and a pair of Magpies, and the Magpies retained their possession. The plumage of the male Kestrel differs consider- ably from the female. The following description of the male is taken from a specimen in my collection ; that of the female from the tame bird before men- tioned : Beak blue ; cere yellow; irides hazel; fore part of the forehead and the throat light buff; head and neck bluish grey, the centre of each feather nar- rowly streaked with dusky; back, scapulars, wing- coverts, secondaries and tertials brick- dust red, a small triangular spot of dusky near the tip of each 17 feather (very old birds gradually lose these dusky marks, and the whole of the upper parts become plain brick- dust red) ; tail-coverts bluish grey ; tail the same, with a broad bar of dusky near the end, tips of the feathers white, shafts black ; quills dusky, very narrowly edged with yellowish white ; breast light buff, slightly tinged with bluish grey, in the centre of each feather a narrow streak of dusky, broader at the base ; belly buff, spotted with dusky ; elongated feathers on the thighs and the under tail- coverts buff; legs yellow. The plumage of the female is as follows : Head and neck reddish brown, streaked with dusky ; part under the eyes and the ear-coverts nearly black ; back and scapulars brick-dust red, not so bright as in the male, with broader dusky triangular spots; secondaries and tertials the same ground colour, only barred with dusky; quills dusky, edged with dull white ; tail-coverts dull bluish grey, barred with dusky ; base of tail-feathers the same ; centre of the feathers the same as the back, barred with dusky, a broad bar of dusky at the end ; tips dirty white ; all the under parts dull buff, streaked with dusky in centre of each feather. Young males of the year resemble the females ; young birds from the nest are funny little balls of white down. The eggs of this species vary much, and, as I be- fore remarked, may easily pass for those of the c3 IB BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. Merlin or Hobby : in general the ground colour is a sort of yellowish white, so much blotched with various shades of rusty brown as to show very little of the ground colour. Some again are minutely speckled with yellowish rusty, hardly showing any of the ground, which itself is more rufous than the others. Some almost entirely sepia-brown, showing very little of a lighter ground. They vary in size, both in length and breadth. SPARROWHAWK, Accipiter Nisus. The Sparrow- hawk is nearly, but not quite, as common in this county as the Kestrel, and is much more destruc- tive, both in the poultry-yard and in the game- preserve : it is also much wilder and more difficult to tame. I once tried to keep an adult female that had been slightly wounded, but found her of a very different disposition to the Kestrel, as she would beat herself about in the cage, on the approach of anyone, even of those who were in the habit of giving her food, and in this way at last killed herself. She lived long enough, however, to show one decided difference to the Kestrel in her choice of food, as she never showed any dislike to Star- lings, but would eat them quite as readily as any other small birds that were offered to her. Spar- rowhawks have, however, been tamed and broken in for hawking, even after having been taken in an adult state ; for Sir John Sebright says he once FALCONnXE. 19 took a Partridge with a Sparrowbawk of his own breaking, ten days after it had been taken wild from a wood.* The female Sparrowhawk is a much stronger and bolder bird than the male, and in rearing these birds from the nest it is said the males should be sepa- rated very early from the females, otherwise the females are sure to destroy and devour the males. To show the power of the female Sparrowhawk I may relate the following anecdote, which was told me b} 7 a friend : His keeper was out in the evening roosting in Wood Pigeons, when a cock Pheasant went up to roost nearly over his head : soon after the Pheasant had settled on his branch a Sparrow- hawk made a dash at him and struck him to the ground : both birds fell together, and a severe fight ensued, which would probably have ended in the victory of the Sparrowhawk had not the keeper put an end to the fight by shooting the hawk. Hunger could hardly have driven the hawk to attack so large a bird, as it was afterwards sent to me, and on ex- amining its stomach I found it quite full, containing, amongst other things, the legs, toes and claws of a Missel Thrush, which had probably made its last meal. Once when fishing in the pond here I saw a House Sparrow save himself most adroitly from the attack * Yarrell, vol. i., p. 75. 20 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. of a Sparrowhawk : the Sparrow was flying across the pond when the hawk made a swoop at him ; per- ceiving the hawk just in time, the Sparrow at once dropped close to the surface of the water : down came the hawk so close that his wings touched the water. The Sparrow, however, escaped, the hawk not being able, for fear I suppose of a ducking, to make his swoop effectual. We may judge of the rapacity of the Sparrowhawk from the following notice : A brood of young birds of this species were taken and placed in a cage, and in two days the old hawks brought them ten birds, namely, two young Peewits, two young Thrushes, a Sky Lark, a Meadow Pipit, two young Chaffinches, a Willow Wren, and another newly-hatched squab.* Nobody seems to have much to say in favour of the Sparrowhawk, but perhaps it may occasionally do a little good, as mice may be added to its list of food, and Meyer says insects, such as cockchaffers and grasshoppers. The nest of the Sparrowhawk is generally placed in a tree, the deserted nest of a Crow or Magpie being frequentty made use of. The plumage of the Sparrowhawk differs much, according to age. In the adult bird the bill is blue ; cere greenish yellow; irides yellow; all the upper parts are bluish grey, except a small white band on * See * Zoologist ' for 1865, p. 9440. FALCONHXE. 21 the back of the head and two white spots on the tertials ; throat white, running into yellowish rusty on the sides; breast and all the under parts nearly white, transversely marked with frequent short bars of yellowish rusty; under tail-coverts white; tail bluish grey, barred with dusky. The general colouring of the upper parts of the young birds is dark brown, the feathers being more or less broadly bordered with rusty; throat white, streaked with brown ; under parts something like the mature bird, but much darker, in consequence of the transverse bars being much broader and of a darkish brown colour ; tail brown, barred with darker, each feather narrowly edged with rusty ; quills dusky ; shafts rusty, and in a few of the feathers the outer web rust}'' ; the legs are yellow in all. The young nest- lings are covered with white down, much like young Kestrels. The eggs of the Sparrowhawk are much less liable to be mistaken than those of the last three species. The ground colour is a sort of light green (which in preserved specimens fades almost to white, and quite so if they are kept much in the light), more or less blotched with rich red-brown : size nearly the same as those of the Kestrel. KITE, Milvus vulgaris. The Kite is now becoming very rare throughout England, its size rendering it conspicuous to keepers and others who wish for its destruction. It is said to take its prey principally BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. from the ground ; therefore hares, rabbits, and even lambs, occasionally form its food as well as young birds : however, to make up in some degree for these mischievous propensities, it will also eat mice, worms, and even snakes. It also, in a manner, ful- fils the duties which in warmer climates devolve upon the Vulture, as it feeds on carrion and all sorts of offal, which it will even sweep from the surface of the water with great dexterity.* While on the sub- ject of the food of the Kite, I may observe that it is also said to take fish from the water.t It is also said occasionally to visit the poultry-yard, but as it is not a very plucky bird, hens sometimes succeed in pro- tecting their young and driving off the intruder. It is easily kept in confinement, and attains a great age ; one account, in the * Zoologist,' says as much as forty years. " The nest is formed of sticks, and lined with various soft materials : it is usually placed in the forked branch of a tree in a thick wood." I Not having a Kite in my own collection, and I am afraid not having much chance of getting one, I have taken the following description from Meyer's ' British Birds ' : " The adult male has the beak black at the tip, bluish towards the base; cere yellow; hides * Montagu's Dictionary, by Newman. f Yarrell, vol. i., p. 79. I Id., p. 81. FALCONID^. S3 silver- white, acquiring a yellow tinge in old birds ; * the entire head and throat whitish grey, lightest on the forehead and chin, the shafts of the feathers black ; in some specimens the head inclines more to rufous than grey (this is probably the case in young birds) ; the feathers of the head and neck are acu- minated, as well as those of the breast and tippet ; the quill-feathers and larger coverts of the wings are blackish brown ; all the rest of the upper plumage reddish brown, the central part of each feather dusky ; the feathers of the breast and under parts are reddish orange, darkest upon the thighs ; those of the breast are marked with a streak of fine black, bordered with white; the tail and upper coverts are of the same orange colour as the breast, with dark shafts ; the outer feathers dusky along the edge and crossed with dusky lines ; the tail-feathers beneath reddish white, with seven or eight indis- tinct bars of a dusky colour showing through from above ; legs and toes yellow ; claws black. The female has nearly the same coloured markings as the male." The egg of the Kite is something like that of the Buzzard, next to be described, except that the spots are darker and more distinct. * The irides of some I saw at the Zoological Gardens were white, very slightly tinged with pale yellow. 24 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. COMMON BUZZARD, Buteo vulgaris. The Common Buzzard must at one time have been very plentiful in this part of the county, as it continues to resist the attacks of the gamekeepers, and still remains in some numbers. I have had, within the last few years, several specimens sent me by the late Mr. Esdaile, which had been trapped by his keeper at Cothelstone. I have also seen a good many in the flesh at Mrs. Turle's, some of which had been sent from the neighbourhood of Monksilver, and some from that of Pixton. I have also occasionally seen a Buzzard when out hunting on the Quantocks, so it seems to be tolerably widely spread over the western part of the county. I do not much wonder at keepers endeavouring to wage a war of extermination against the Buzzard, as it is undoubtedly a destructive bird to all sorts of game, taking its food, like the Kite, from the ground. Montagu says of this bird that it never pursues its prey on the wing, but is contented with young hares, rabbits and feathered game : in default, however, of such food, it will eat carrion, and even worms and beetles, and occasionally snakes.* Yarrell takes notice of the same peculiarity in the Common Buz- zard which I have remarked in the Kestrel, namely, * A blind snake and a mole only found in the stomach. See note by Mr. E. H. Rodd, in the 'Zoologist' for 1865, p. 9417. FALCONID,E. 25 that in confinement it will, when satisfied, hide the rest of its food. He also notices another very extra- ordinary peculiarity of the female Common Buzzard in confinement, namely, that she has heen known to sit on hen's eggs and bring up a good brood of chickens,* but that upon one occasion, when given the young chickens ready hatched to bring up, in- stead of the eggs to sit upon first, she ate them all. The nest is either placed on some ledge of a steep cliff or rock, when it is made of twigs, heath, wool, and some other substances ; or in the forked branches of some large tree, in which case the bird is apt to choose the forsaken nest of some other bird, which it repairs with the same materials as those already mentioned.! The Buzzard varies much in plumage; I shall, however, describe that which appears to me the most usual : Bill bluish horn ; cere yellow ; irides gene- rally yellow ; general colouring of the head and all the upper parts dark dull brown, most of the feathers bordered with yellowish white ; throat, centre of each feather brown, more or less edged with white ; breast brown ; belly white, barred with brown ; under tail- coverts white, with a few brown spots ; primary quills dusky above ; on the under parts the tips and outer * For another well-authenticated instance of this, see the ' Zoologist' for 1865, p. 9686. | Yarrell, vol. i., p. 90. 26 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. webs alone are dusky, the base of the inner web being white for nearly two-thirds of the length of the feather; under wing-coverts and flanks white and yellowish white, barred with brown; tail greyish brown, barred with brown. The eggs of the Common Buzzard vary much in colouring ; Hewitson says, according to the age of the bird, those of the first year being nearly white. The specimen I have before me is about the size of a hen's egg; ground colour greenish white, much blotched with two shades of rusty, one considerably brighter than the other, the second so light that it is scarcely to be distinguished from the ground colour. ROUGHLEGGED BUZZARD, Buteo lagopus. The Eoughlegged Buzzard is another very rare species in our county, and indeed throughout England, though on the Continent it appears to be as common as, if not more so than, the species last described, from which it may be immediately distinguished by the feathered tarsus. I know of very few occurrences of this bird in Somerset : the one in my own collection was shot at Chargot Lodge, and purchased by me at the sale of Sir John Lethbridge's birds at Sandhill, in the cata- logue of which sale it figured under the name of an Eagle. This bird has also been taken in the neigh- bourhood of Burnham, but the specimen taken there escaped, the gentleman who shot it having only FALCONID^E. 27 slightly wounded it, and being anxious to keep it alive, tied it to a tree in an orchard while he went into a farm-house for luncheon ; when he came back of course the bird had escaped, nor could he find it again anywhere. I have no doubt, from the descrip- tion given to me, that this was the Boughlegged Buzzard : moreover, the gentleman who shot it was perfectly competent to form an opinion on the identity of a bird so easily distinguished by its feathered legs. The food of the Roughlegged Buzzard appears to be much the same as that of the Common Buzzard, namely, hares, rabbits, rats, mice, and other small quadrupeds, as well as some reptiles, such as lizards and frogs : it is, however, more enterprising on the wing, as it will take Wild Ducks and other large birds when pressed by hunger. The nest is described as being a coarse edifice of sticks, moss and grass, loosely put together; was often on a fell ridge, often in a tree, but never down in the forest.* This species differs occasionally in plumage ; the description here given is taken from the one bought at the Sandhill sale : it agrees very nearly with those * See a note by Mr. Wheelwright, in the 'Field,' reprinted in the ' Zoologist ' for 1863, p. 8441. Mr. Wheel- wright writes from Sweden, where these birds appear to be corn raon in the spring. D 2 28 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. described by Meyer and Yarrell ; others, however, are occasionally of a darker colour. Bill bluish horn; cere yellow; irides light yellow; head and neck, both above and below, nearly white, streaked with light brown; back, scapulars, wing-coverts, secondaries and tertials light yellowish brown, each feather edged with yellowish white ; primary quills dusky, more or less edged and tipped with white; tail yellowish brown, base of the feathers white, and tips white ; breast white, streaked with yellowish brown ; belly, upper parts of the thighs and flanks brown, making a broad band of that colour round the under part of the bird ; under tail-coverts nearly white ; elongated feathers on the thighs dirty white, barred with yellowish brown ; tarsus feathered to the junction of the toes ; feathers dirty white and yel- lowish brown ; toes yellow. The eggs of this species appear to be something like, and to vary much in the same way as, those of the Common Buzzard. MARSH HARRIER, Circus down, feathers and hair : if it is supplied, even in its wild state, with anything better suited to its purpose it will make use of it.t The Goldfinch, as I said before, is the brightest and gayest-coloured of all our Finches : it is some- what smaller, and more slender in form, than the Chaffinch. The beak is nearly white, the point dark horn-colour ; irides dusky brown ; forehead, and all round the base of the beak as far as to the eye, crimson ; top of the head, and a circle at the back of the cheeks and ear-coverts, black ; cheeks and ear- coverts dull whitish brown ; there is a lightish spot on the nape ; back, rump and scapulars yellowish * Yarrell, vol. i., p. 568. f Id., p. 567. 106 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. brown ; tail-coverts lighter, nearly white ; lesser wing- co verts black ; greater wing-coverts bright yellow ; the primaries have the outer edge of the basal part bright yellow, the rest black, as are the other quill-feathers, the tertials, however, and some of the secondaries being tipped with white; tail black, the centre-feathers tipped with white, the rest have a broad white patch on the inner web ; throat nearly white ; breast and flanks yellowish brown, but lighter than the back ; belly and under tail- coverts nearly white ; legs and toes pale flesh- colour ; claws brown. The female has rather less of the crimson round the beak, and that is occasionally speckled with black; the lesser wing-coverts are brownish ; the rest like the male. The young birds of the year have none of the red or black, the whole of the head being brownish. The egg of the Goldfinch is a dull greenish white ground, slightly spotted mostly at the larger end with dull reddish brown ; there are also a few spots of a darker brown. SISKIN, Carduelis spinus. The Siskin, or "Aber- devine," is a rather irregular, but occasionally nume- rous, winter visitant : it makes its appearance at any time from November to March, generally in hard weather : its stay is also somewhat regulated by the crop of alder-seeds which are to be found and which form its principal food during the winter, and in search of which it may be seen climbing the slen- FRINGILLID^. 197 derest twigs of the alder-bushes, sometimes in small companies of its own kind and sometimes mixed up with Tits and Lesser Redpoles. The Siskins pick out the seeds from the catkins of the alders with great dexterity, hanging for this purpose from the twigs in all sorts of attitudes ; sometimes sideways, sometimes with their heads down, and occasionally flying to the ground after a fallen catkin : besides this they eat the buds of various trees, picking out the germ and also the seeds of weeds. In confinement they grow very tame and are easily kept, feeding on canary, rape, hemp or any other bird-seed, but still showing their partiality for the seeds of the alder when they can get a supply : they will also pick up the seeds of grass, docks, thistles, or any other weed that is offered to them. The Siskin occasionally breeds in confinement and crosses readily with the Canary, and also, I believe, but not so readily, with the Lesser Kedpole. In its wild state it is not generally supposed to breed in England : two instances, however, of its doing so in the County of Surrey are mentioned by Meyer. In Scotland it frequently remains to breed. The place usually chosen for the nest appears to be high up in a spruce or other fir-tree ; but it will occasionally, probably in the absence of high trees, make its nest in a furze or other low bush ; it is said s 3 198 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. to be formed of much the same materials as that of the Chaffinch. The Siskin is a very pretty and gaily-marked hird. The beak is orange-brown, darker at the tip ; irides dark-brown ; top of the head, and higher part of the nape, glossy black, mixed on the nape with olive- green ; there is a light yellow streak over and at the back of the eye and down the sides of the neck ; ear-coverts olive-green; back and scapulars olive- green, with very narrow dark streaks down the centre of each feather ; rump much more yellow, but still tinged with olive-green ; tail-coverts olive-green, tinged with dusky ; lesser wing coverts olive-green, the bases of the feathers dusky ; the greater wing- coverts black at the base and olive-green at the tips ; primary quills dusky, narrowly edged with yellow ; secondaries and tertials yellow at the base, the rest of the feather black, with a narrow margin of yellow towards the tips ; tertials the same, but with broader margins : basal half of the tail-feathers bright light yellow, the tips of all the feathers and outer web of the outside feather on each side black, the shafts of the feathers also are black. The throat in the adult male is black ; under part of the neck, breast and flanks greenish yellow, lighter, almost white, on the flanks and streaked with dark dusky; belly and under tail- coverts white, streaked with dusky ; legs, toes and claws brown. The female has no black on the head or throat, the head being like the back, and FRINGILLID2E . 199 the throat like the rest of the under parts : the rest of the colouring is duller than that of the male. The eggs, like the hird, are rather smaller than those of the Goldfinch, but something like them in colour, the ground heing a pale light green, inclining to white, spotted mostly at the larger end with purple and dark brown. LINNET, Linota cannabina. This bird, so beauti- ful in spring in consequence of the bright vermilion colour it assumes at that time on its breast, and at other times coming very much under the general description of a little dull brown bird, is resident throughout the year with us, flocking, like many of its congeners, during the winter and separating in pairs in the spring and summer. Common as it is with us, I have never anywhere seen it so numerous as it is in the Channel Islands, in all of which it is the common bird, outnumbering House Sparrows and Chaffinches both put together. The food of the Common or " Brown Linnet," as it is sometimes called, consists principally of insects, grain and seeds. M. Prevost gives the following list of the food of this bird: January, seeds and berries ; February, the same ; March, the same ; April, the same ; May, the same and insects ; June, the same ; July, the same ; August, the same ; September, the same ; October, berries, seeds, buds and fruit ; November, the same ; December, the same." To this list may be added the seeds of 200 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. various weeds, such as dandelions, thistles, ground- sel and docks ; also the seeds of rape, hemp and flax. The nest of the Linnet is generally placed in some low bush, especially a furze-bush, on some open common : it is, however, occasionally placed higher up : a whitethorn and a fir-tree are both mentioned by Yarrell. In Guernsey I have often found the nest tolerably high up in the branches of a thick Ilex and of a variegated holly. It is made of small twigs and bents of grass, and lined with wool, feathers and hair. This bird assumes a change of plumage in the spring, or breeding- season, in a manner totally different from any bird I have yet had occasion to describe, though common to many others which are to follow, especially amongst the Grallatores. When the time arrives for these birds to put on their spring dress or " habit des noces," as the French call it, the change of plumage is not effected either by moult or by the wearing-off of the margins of the feathers, but some colouring secretion is put forth which gives to the feathers a totally different colour ; in this case the feathers on the breast assume a bright scarlet : this colour is assumed in the spring gradually, but rather rapidly. Though the Linnet is easily kept in confinement, it is said never to assume this bright scarlet on the breast, nor does it ever breed in confinement : both FRINGILLIDJE. 201 these assertions are thoroughly borne out by my own experience, as although I have often kept Linnets in confinement, and that in a good-sized aviary, I have never found them either attempt making a nest or assume the red breast. If taken in the spring, after they have assumed the scarlet breast, they do not lose it till the autumn moult. The beak of the Linnet is a bluish lead-colour ; irides hazel ; there is a patch of bright scarlet on the forehead, the rest of the head and neck are brown- ish grey; back, scapulars and wing-coverts rich reddish brown ; rump yellowish brown and white ; the tail- co verts are very pointed, black, margined with white; primary quills dark dusky, almost black, a few of them are margined on the outer web with pure white, which makes a conspic- uous patch of that colour on the wing; second- aries dusky, margined on the outer web with dull brown and tipped slightly with dull white ; tertials not so dark and more broadly margined, especially on the outer web, with brownish ; tail-feathers dark dusky, almost black, edged rather more broadly on the outer web with white, the four centre feathers are very pointed and edged all round with white, but not so pure as the white on the other tail-feathers ; throat dullish white, streaked with dusky. The breast, in the spring and summer, is a beautiful bright scarlet, so bright that in painting the bird it is scarcely possible to make it too bright : the bird 202 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. begins to assume this colour in the early spring ; it makes its first appearance as a sort of dullish dark red in the centre and lower part of the feather, and gradually, but rather rapidly, spreads over the whole feather, increasing in brightness till it develops itself in the bright scarlet before described ; the red upon the forehead also develops itself much in the same way. In autumn and winter the breast is yellowish brown, mixed with dull white, streaked with dusky ; flanks the same ; the belly and other tail-coverts are much the same, but lighter ; legs, toes and claws brown. The female, as a rule, does not assume the red breast, but that it does so occasionally would appear from the following observation of Yarrell : " The female has been taken with a fine red breast, but this is not generally the case." Varieties of the Linnet occasionally occur ; one is mentioned by Mr. Blake-Knox,* as having the head entirely white and the rest white and brown ; and another is mentioned as having a saddle of pure white across the back, t The eggs of the Linnet are of a light greenish ground, with dark purple brown spots of two shades, mostly round the thicker end ; in some the spots are all of one colour, and are more spread over the whole egg. * ' Zoologist ' for 1864, p. 8877. f Id., 1865 (Second Series), p. 262. FEINGILLID^E. 203 LESSER KEDPOLE, Linota linaria. The Lesser Redpole is a rather more regular winter visitor than the Siskin, but still it is not as regular in its visits as the generality of our migratory birds : it makes its appearance here generally in October, the 8th of that month is the earliest note I have, and stays with us till about the middle of March, when it retires northward to breed. It, however, partially, if not entirely, assumes its breeding-season dress before its departure. I have one in my collection killed here on the 7th of March, which has a beauti- ful bright pink^breast. Although, as far as I know, it does not breed in this county, it does so in many counties in England, notices of its nest having been found appearing from time to time in the pages of the * Zoologist.' The food of the Lesser Redpole, like that of the Siskin, which bird it much resembles in its general habits, consists of the seeds of the alder and the young buds of other trees, especially the birch ; con- sequently when a large flock of Lesser Redpoles pitch into a plantation they do some considerable amount of damage : they also eat the seeds of various plants and weeds, such as the thistle and dandelion, the seeds of moss also, and in summer they vary their diet by the addition of insects to their list of food. The nest is said to be built in a bush, or low tree: it is made of moss and dry bents, 204 BIEDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. and is mixed with down from the catkins of the willow. The Lesser Hedpole is almost, if not quite, the smallest of our Finches. It has the heak yellowish brown, the tip being dark horn-colour ; irides dusky brown ; there is a crimson spot on the forehead at all times of the year ; the rest of the head and nape are light yellowish brown, streaked with dark brown : cheeks and ear- coverts j^ellowish brown ; back and scapulars nearly the same as the head, but a shade darker, and the markings are larger ; on the rump the light markings become nearly white and yellow- ish again on the tail-coverts ; the wing-coverts are dusky brown, tipped with dull brownish white, which in the two sets of wing-coverts make two light bars across the wing ; the quills are dusky brown, very slightly edged with yellowish white ; the tertials are more broadly margined ; tail dusky brown ; chin black; breast and flanks light yellowish brown, streaked mostly on the flanks with dusky ; belly and under tail-coverts nearly white ; legs, toes and claws brown. In spring the breast becomes a beautiful pink, which colour extends itself over the flanks and up the side of the neck nearly to the eye : as the spring advances this colour probably becomes brighter, as Yarrell calls it " vermilion," but the colour on the breast of my bird, killed in March, is by no means so bright as that, nor is it like any of the shades of colour on the breast of FRINGILLID^. 205 the Common Linnet during its assumption of its spring attire. The eggs are of a " pale bluish green ground colour, spotted with orange-brown, principally towards the larger end.* BULLFINCH, Pyrrhula vulgaris. This very hand- some, but it must be admitted somewhat mischievous, bird, though resident with us, is not very numerous, partially perhaps owing to its persecution by the gardeners, and partially to the more systematic attacks of the bird-catchers, the Bullfinch being much prized as a cage-bird. As the food of this species consists, in a great measure, of buds, it is consequently very destructive both in the garden and in the orchard, where it eagerly devours the buds of the gooseberry, plum, cherry, apple, and, in fact, almost any fruit-bearing tree, not by any means limiting itself, as has often been suggested in its defence, to diseased buds, or those that have some grub or insect in them, but eating up the most healthy and likely to grow. Where the Bullfinches are not numerous perhaps the mischief thus done is not great only a little necessary thinning. The buds of the larch and birch trees, as well as those of the white and black thorns, also fall a prey to this bird ; on the other hand, it consumes a great quantity of the seeds of various weeds, such * Yarrell, vol. L, pp. 542, 543. 206 BIRDS OP SOMERSETSHIRE. as groundsel, thistle, plantain, dock and chick-weed ; herries and the seeds of the fir-tree* and black- berries f may also he added to the list of food. In confinement the Bullfinch feeds upon canary and rape and hemp-seed : I believe too much of the latter is not good for it. It also shows an especial partiality for the seeds of all the weeds above- mentioned, and almost any other weed that can be given to it : if, however, a branch of an apple-tree or some other fruit-tree be given it, it very soon begins to work the buds. The nest is usually placed in a thick bush or in the branches of a fir-tree, not very far above the ground : it is formed of small twigs, and lined with fibrous roots. The adult male Bullfinch is a fine handsome bird. The beak is black ; the irides dark brown ; all round the base of the beak, the head and higher part of the nape are velvet-black ; back and scapulars bluish grey ; rump white ; tail- coverts black, glossed with blue ; lesser wing-coverts greyish, but darker than the back; the greater wing-coverts black, glossed with blue and tipped with greyish white, making a conspicuous bar of that colour across the wing ; all the quills are black, but some of them, especially the tertials, are glossed with blue ; tail the same ; throat, * Meyer, vol. iii. p. 159. t 'Zoologist' for 1867 (Second Series, p. 685). FRINGILLIDJ3. 207 cheeks, ear-coverts, breast and belly a beautiful bright reddish pink : under tail-coverts white; legs, toes and claws purple-brown. The female differs in having all those parts which are pink in the male a dullish brown, and the grey on the back is a little mixed with the same colour on the margins of the feathers. The young birds are like the female, with- out the black head. The eggs are a light bluish green ground colour, with dark purple and lilac spots on the larger end. COMMON CROSSBILL, Loxia curvirostra. This very curious bird is a rare occasional visitant in these parts, making its appearance, however, when it does come? in large flocks : its stay is not generally of very long duration : the last appearance* here, as far as I know, was about thirty years ago, when many were shot in various parts of the county : two of these in my collection were shot close by here out of a flock that took up its abode in some fir-trees : before that, as long ago as the year 1791, Colonel Montagu records a great invasion of these birds in the neighbourhood of Bath ; so great were their numbers on that occa- sion that one bird-catcher took as many as a hundred pairs in the months of June and July. Yarrell mentions several other years, especially 1836, 1837 and 1838, as great Crossbill years : it was in one of * Several of these birds made their appearance near Taunton in December, 1868. T 2 208 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. these years that mine were shot. The year 1866 ap- pears to have been rather a great year; for although none, I believe, found their way to Somersetshire, their appearance in considerable numbers in various parts of England was noted in the ' Zoologist,' in Norfolk, Sussex, at Henley-upon- Thames, in the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands. The earliest note of their appearance was of one seen by myself in the Island of Sark, near Guernsey, on the 25th of June : * on my return to Guernsey, a few daj^s after- wards, three dead birds (two in red and one in green plumage) and one living were brought to me by a bird-catcher, who did not know what they were, but said that people were killing them in their gardens in great numbers : the live bird soon got very tame, and is now alive and flourishing in my aviary, f From the general appearance of this bird in Eng- land it does not seem to be by any means a winter visitor, although its habitat is for the most part in latitudes to the north of this, but its visits are pro- bably regulated by the supply of food, which consists principally of berries and seeds, especially the seeds of the different sorts of fir-trees, for which it diligently searches the cones, sometimes holding them in its foot like a parrot, which bird it resembles in many of its actions. The berries of * The ' Zoologist' for 1866 (Second Series, p. 449). f Since then killed by a hawk. FEINGILLIDJE. 209 the mountain ash also appear to be a favourite food, as do the pips of the apple, from which circumstance it has obtained the name of " Shell-apple." In con- finement it eats hemp and canary seed, also the seeds of various sorts of weeds and almost all seeds of berries : it is also very fond of biting sticks, even its p erches, to pieces like a parrot. Several instances of this bird breeding in Eng- land have been recorded. The nest is generally placed in a fir-tree, but occasionally an apple-tree is chosen : it is made of dry grass and twigs, and lined with hair. This bird is a very early breeder, the month of January having been mentioned by some. In plumage the Crossbill varies very greatly, according to age and sex. The form of the beak is very peculiar, both mandibles being much curved at the point, so as completely to cross each other : the colour is a dull reddish brown, darkest at the tip; the irides are dark brown: in its red plumage (which appears to be almost the most common) the head, neck, rump, breast, flanks and most of the under parts are red ; the back and scapulars are a darker shade, mixed with brown ; wing-coverts and quills darkish brown; the greater wing- coverts are slightly tipped with dirty white ; the tail is much the same colour as the wings. One of my red specimens has a few greenish orange feathers on the rump and flanks, also some dark brownish ones on the top of the head. One of those killed in Guernsey is pro- T 3 210 BIEDS OF SOMEESETSHIEE. bably assuming the orange plumage; it has the head, neck, back and scapulars a dull sort of olive- brown, much the same colour as a young Green- finch; some of the feathers are more or less mar- gined with green ; the rump is orange and yellow, mixed ; wings and tail like the red ones ; breast and all the under parts dull olive-brown, tinged with yellow and green. The one I brought home from Guernsey alive was evidently a young bird, being much duller in plumage than the one just described, and having more green and less orange on the rump ; nor did it show any orange tinge on the under parts : during the moult, which took place in the spring, its head and neck became very grey ; it after- wards assumed very much the plumage of the orange bird above described : it is now (October) again be- coming very grey about the head and neck ; so pro- bably a second moult is approaching. Yarrell describes the young females as having a greenish yellow tint on the top of the head, and the whole of the under surface of the body is mixed with greyish brown ; the rump and upper tail-coverts primrose- yellow, tinged with green ; the rest as in the male : he adds that, as far as he knows, no females have been found in the red plumage : this very probably may be so, but I do not think that either the different states of plumage or the habits of this very curious bird have yet been perfectly worked out. 211 "The eggs are white, sometimes tinged -with blue or green; they are spotted, chiefly about the larger end, with violet and deep claret-red or brown." * This is the last of the Somersetshire Finches : there are, as I before observed, several more species included, on more or less good authority, as British, but I have not been able at present to find any authority for mentioning them in this list. As a whole the family is a most interesting one, and per- haps, both on account of the great numbers of some of the species and the variety of food which they all consume, the Finches are of more importance to the gardener and the agriculturist than any other family, the Corvidse not even excepted; and for this reason I hope the attention of my readers and of ornitho- logists generally will be more particularly directed to the subject of food, and that we may be able to settle the much-vexed question, whether they are to any great degree our enemies or friends, or (which is more probable) a mixture of both : as far as I have been able to form an opinion, I certainly believe them to be our friends, the good they do predominating over the evil, and that, generally, most in those species which are most numerous. * Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iii., p. 141. 212 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. Family STURNHXE. The Sturnidse include but three British species, two of which are very rare, and neither of these am I at present able to include amongst the birds of Somerset. COMMON STARLING, Sturnus vulgaris. The third in the list, the species at present under considera- tion, is, however, exceedingly numerous, and seems to be increasing in numbers : perhaps it partly owes this increase to its immunity from the attacks of Hawks : the Kestrel, our most common Hawk, will not eat it ; the Sparrowhawk will eat it, but it pro- bably prefers any other bird. The Starling is resident here all the year: at times it makes its appearance in immense flocks, consisting of many hundreds, even thousands, of birds : these large flocks make their appearance in our grass- fields and meadows, mostly in wet weather. The appearance of one of these flocks on the wing puts one in mind of a flock of Purres on the sea- coast, as they turn and wind about somewhat in the same manner : in fine dry weather they spread more over the country, and their numbers do not then appear so great : they all return, however, to the same place to roost, generally to some shrubbery or plantation of laurels or other evergreens. When great flocks collect in some place of this sort to STURNnxas. 213 roost, they do considerable damage to the ever- greens, in consequence of the great quantity of guano deposited, which poisons the plants. In other ways the Starling is a most useful hird, feed- ing on grubs and insects. M. Prevost gives strong evidence of the usefulness of this bird in his list of food, which is as follows : " January, worms, grubs of cockchaffers and grubs in dung ; February, grubs, snails and slugs ; March, grubs of cockchaffers and snails ; April, the same ; May, the same and grass- hoppers ; June, flies and grubs of various flies ; July, grubs and fresh-water shell-fish ; August, flies, glow-worms and various beetles ;* September, green locusts, grubs of carrion-beetles and worms ; Octo- ber, worms and beetles ; November, snails, slugs and grubs. In summer it adds fruit and in winter hips, haws and buds of trees." This list certainly gives the Starling a most excellent character for general usefulness to man by the destruction of noxious insects, and although fruit is added to the list I have never myself caught this bird stealing fruit or heard any abuse of it from the gardener ; I have, however, seen it eating ivy berries. * The gizzard of one I examined this August was filled with small brown beetles and a little grass that it had pro- bably picked up with them ; and in each of two others shot at Burnham, I found a small snail, the rest of the gizzards being filled with various parts of beetles. BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. There are many notes in the * Zoologist,' all of which tend to prove the usefulness of the Starling, amongst which I may specially quote one by Mr. Cordeaux : he says that during a very dry summer Starlings collected in a field of vetches, and an old labourer remarked to him, " Them Starns are getting no end of them tares : " suspecting the same himself he shot two for examination, and on opening them found the stomach crammed with insects : there were several earwigs and some small bronze- winged beetles ; the rest was a mass of a large green Aphis : he continues, " On examining the vetches, I found the stems literally crowded with this green nuisance, and these, with an occasional beetle, &c., appeared to be the entire food of the Starlings." The Starling is also very fond of feeding on ticks and other parasitical insects which are to be found in sheep's wool, and may often be seen enjoying a quiet ride on a sheep's back and at the same time getting a very good dinner. The Starling has a very curious habit of soaring and wheeling about high in the air, so high as at times to be nearly out of sight, much after the manner of the Swift : this habit I have often noticed, but only on a fine clear day, and generally on such a day between two stormy ones, or else, but not so often, just before or after very bad weather : this habit has been noticed by many writers in the 'Zoologist;' but they all seem to be of opinion STURNID^E. 215 that the Starlings are at such times hawking for flies : this I very much doubt, as this soaring always takes place at a time when their food is plenty and easily attainable on the ground; and accordingly many may be seen busily engaged in the search for food on the ground at the same time that others are soaring. The nest of the Starling is generally placed in a hole in a wall, or under the thatch or tiles of a cottage, in some other building, or in an old ruin : when such places as these cannot be found a hole in a tree seems to suit equally well: it is made of twigs, straw, hay, dry grass and roots. The nest is generally placed rather deep in the hole, generally too much so for the hand to reach, and the hole through which the bird enters is generally too small for the hand. I think also the Starling prefers a place for its nest where it has two entrances, so that if stopped at the one it may escape from the not over-tender attentions of young birdnesters by a back door ; at least this appears to be the case in my orchard, where many Starlings build every year, and all the holes selected are such as have two entrances, although many other holes apparently equally suitable may be found, but if they do not possess this convenience they are always neglected. The Starling is very easily tamed, and is very amusing in confinement : it readily learns to whistle various tunes, and to a certain extent it may be 216 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. taught to speak ; but in this accomplishment it falls very far short of the Haven and the Jackdaw. The Starling is a beautiful bird when seen close, in consequence of the glossy metallic tints with which its whole plumage is shot, though at a little distance it appears to be a dark, common-place look- ing bird enough. The beak is light yellow, the tip only being dark horn-colour, nearly black; irides brown : the whole of the feathers, except the quills, tail and wing-coverts, are peculiarly shaped, being very narrow and pointed; the head and neck are beautifully shot with glossy dark green and purple, with a small spot of light brown at the tip of each feather ; the colouring of all the upper parts is the same, but the feathers are larger and consequently the light brown tips are more conspicuous ; the greater wing- coverts have on the outer web the same metallic tints ; the inner webs are dusky ; the whole of the outer web and tip are margined with light brown ; quills and tail dusky, each feather narrowly margined with light brown ; the secondary and tertial quills are more broadly margined, and the outer webs slightly shot with green; the neck, breast and belly have the same glossy metallic tints of purple and green, and each feather is tipped with white ; the feathers are of the same narrow-pointed shape ; very old birds have fewer of the white tips. I have one in my collection which has no white tips to the feathers of the neck and breast ; the under STURNID^E. 217 wing-coverts are pale brown ; the under tail-coverts are the same colours as the rest of the under parts, but the feathers are rounder and rather broadly margined with white. Legs and toes dark reddish brown ; claws dark horn-colour. The young birds of the year have the irides light grey ; the beak dark horn-colour, the upper parts are then of a uni- form dusky brown ; the throat is white and there is a tinge of white on the belly : the quill-feathers and tail are dusky brown, with pale yellowish brown edges. In this state of plumage the Starling has been mistaken for other species. About August the young birds begin to assume the more mature plumage, and then present a very curious and mottled appear- ance, the glossy feathers of maturity breaking out, as it were all over the body ; the head and neck seem to be the last parts to change. Varieties occasion- ally occur : one variety is described in the ' Zoolo- gist ' for 1865 as being of a beautiful cream-colour, with bright yellow margins to the feathers ; another as being a light grey ; and another is described as being of a chestnut-brown colour throughout : but white and cream-colour are the most common varie- ties. The egg, which is rather large for the size of the bird, is a uniform pale light blue, without any spots or markings : in form it is rather long and slightly pear-shaped. 218 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. Family CORVID^E. Somersetshire appears to claim all the nine species of Corvidse at present included in the British list, CHOUGH, Fregilus graculus. The present species appears to be almost or entirely extinct in this county : the well-known sign of the " Three Choughs " at Yeovil would perhaps lead one to sup- pose that these birds had at one time been common in that neighbourhood : they have certainly now ceased to exist there, and have I believe generally throughout the county, * except a few partially tame ones kept by Sir Alexander Hood at St. Audries. In the beginning of April in this year (1868) a pair of these birds made their appearance on Mr. Bisset's lawn at Bagborough, close by the Quantock Hills, and seemed disposed to build in the church-tower close by, as they were seen about there for three or four days : had they not unfortunately been shot they in all probability would have done so, more especially as there are no Jackdaws there to molest them, they having all been destroyed by the predecessor of the keeper who shot the Choughs. * I have lately been informed that until a very few years ago these birds bred regularly on the cliffs near Minehead, but that one year their nests were destroyed by some masons who were employed about the harbour works, since which time the birds have never returned to their old quarters. CORVID^i. 219 Soon after this occurrence a letter appeared in the Taunton papers from Sir Alexander Hood claiming these birds as escapes from his park, and saying that they had paired and strayed away from St. Audries, where he had for years kept a few, hoping they would breed, and thus this interesting and rare bird would again become naturalized on our coast. Whether these birds were really Sir Alexander's, or some driven from their own homes either by their enemies the Jackdaws or by some of their own species to seek a new nesting-place, ma}' still appear doubtful ; there was certainly no mark of domestica- tion about them ; their plumage was perfect : on the other hand, they were perhaps tamer than is usual with these birds, although I have seen them both at Lundy Island and in Guernsey, where they are plentiful, come about farm-houses and other build- ings in search of food. This bird is often called the " Cornish Chough," but there seems to be no particular reason for that name being given to it, as it is quite as common in many other counties, both in England and Wales, that suit its habits. Near this county it is to be found, as I before said, in Lundy Island and in both the neighbouring counties of Devon and Dorset, and, on the opposite coast of Wales, in Glamorganshire and in Pembrokeshire, in which latter county I have seen these birds in considerable numbers, and according to Yarrell one has been killed in the 220 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. neighbouring county of Wilts. Though generally living near the sea this bird is sometimes found in- land in such places as suit its habits. The Choughs seem to have a natural antipathy to the Jackdaws, who, being the hardier birds, are probably supplanting them. In Guernsey, where the Choughs are common, there are very few Jack- daws, only one here and there, and that perhaps only a straggler from the neighbouring islands of Jettoo and Herm, not more than about three miles off from land to land, and in these two Islands the Jackdaws are numerous and scarcely a Chough is to be seen : if the Jackdaws, as they probably will, attain in time to greater numbers than these two little islands can support, they will probably emigrate to Guernsey, and an interesting struggle for existence will then take place. The Chough is said to feed upon insects, berries and grain. Yarrell says it is seldom seen searching for them in the open fields. I have, however, in Guernsey seen them feeding in the fields like Rooks, and Yarrell adds that they may often be seen following the plough to obtain the grubs and insects that are thus exposed. The gizzard of one of these shot at Bagborough contained a few oats, some grubs, and some half-digested brown skins which I think were those of earwigs. The nest is generally placed in crevices amongst rocks, in high cliffs, and in old castles and church- CORVID.E. towers : it is made of sticks, and lined with wool and hair. The Chough is certainly a much handsomer hird than the Jackdaw, from which it may immediately be distinguished by its beak and legs. The beak is sealing-wax red ; the irides are of two colours, the inner ring being red and the outer blue ; the eyelids are red ; the whole of the plumage is a beautiful glossy black, shot with purple ; the legs and toes sealing-wax red ; claws black. The young birds of the year are not quite so glossy in their plumage, neither are the beak and legs quite so bright. The eggs of the Chough are not unlike some specimens of those of the Jackdaw ; they are of a yellowish white ground, fading in cabinet specimens to white, spotted with dusky ash-grey and light brown. RAVEN, Corvus corax. The Raven is resident with us all the year, but, owing to the ravages of gamekeepers and others, it is now growing very scarce ; a few, however, may still be seen on the Quantock and Brendon Hills, and I believe there are a few pairs on the Mendips : there is also, in the ' Zoologist ' for 1866, a notice of the death of a very patriarchal Raven, one of a pair that lived and bred for many years on Brean Down, near Weston- super- Mare: the Rev. Murray A. Mathew, who noticed the death of this bird, said it was the largest and probably the oldest Raven he had ever seen. TJ 3 222 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. This fine bird is unfortunately a most mischievous fellow, and that to more people than the gamekeeper, for lambs and even sheep often fall a prey to him. In the Shetland Islands, where Ravens are very numerous, even colts and ponies are often killed by them ; the eye seems to be invariably the first place attacked. The destructive propensities of the Raven may be judged of from the following note in the ' Zoologist/ from the pen of Dr. Saxby, who, writing from Shetland, says as soon as the young Ravens require a supply of food, the parents become exces- sively mischievous : " No uncovered egg will then be safe, and ducks, hens, lambs and foals will be mercilessly slaughtered. Even full-grown ponies will not be secure if they exhibit any signs of weak- ness. The first attack is always made upon one eye, and then, as the tortured animal endeavours to alle- viate the agony by rubbing the wound upon the ground, the other eye is pierced and the cruel bird flies off only to return when its victim is dead. A pony struggling to extricate itself from a peat-bog is almost certain to be destroyed by Ravens if it remain long unaided." Besides what has been already mentioned, the food of the Raven consists of small animals, birds, reptiles, insects, grain, dead fish and carrion. With such destructive propensities as these, it is not to be wondered at that the Raven should be persecuted, and that in thickly inhabited and highly- CORVIIXE. farmed and preserved counties it should be rapidly becoming extinct. The nest of the Raven is usually placed in some inaccessible cliff, and, if possible, a place is picked out which has an overhanging rock above, so that the eggs or young may not be destroyed by stones or other things thrown down upon them. Where cliffs and high rocks are not to be found the Raven builds its nest in high trees. The nest is made of sticks, with a lining of wool and hair. * The Raven is easily kept in confinement, and be- comes very tame and amusing: it may also be taught to imitate the human voice, and this it does with considerable success, in some cases nearly equalling the Parrot. Amongst the British birds this power of imitating the human voice seems to be confined to the Starling and the present family of Corvidse, many of which have this power as well as the Raven. The Raven is a grand, powerful bird : the beak is black ; hides brown and grey ; the whole plumage is black, glossed with blue ; the feathers on the neck and throat are long and pointed and more glossy than any of the rest of the feathers ; legs, toes and claws shining black. The egg of the Raven is much like that of the Crow or the Rook, but larger of course; Yarrell * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 67. BIEDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. says two inches in length by one inch four lines in breadth : of a pale green colour, spotted and speckled with darker greenish brown. CROW, Corvus corone. The " Carrion Crow," as it is sometimes called, is almost a miniature Kaven, and its propensities are quite as mischievous, but not possessing the great strength and size of its big brother it is not able to accomplish so much harm ; sheep and lambs, however, occasionally fall victims to it: young hares, rabbits, ducks, chickens and game birds, and sometimes full-grown ones (especi- ally if they are rather weakly), form part of its prey, as do the eggs of almost every bird, worms, insects and occasionally fruit and grain. On the sea-shore the Crow picks up a living upon dead fish and what it can get out of the various shell-fish it may find, but in all places the favourite food of this bird is carrion, no matter how stale or putrid. In spite of all delinquencies, and the consequent attack of game- keepers and farmers, the "knavish crow" is still tolerably common throughout the county, and is resident all the year. The nest is usually in the fork of a high tree, and placed high up : it is made of sticks, and lined with wool and hair. The Crow is so similar in every respect, except size, to the Eaven that no description appears to be necessary. The egg of the Crow is also much like that of CORVID.E. 225 the Raven, but it is naturally smaller ; the ground colour is greenish, spotted with ash-colour and brown. HOODED CROW, Corvus Comix. The Hooded Crow, or as it is perhaps more commonly called, the " Eoyston Crow," is a rare occasional winter visitor in this county. I have seen one or two in the flesh at Mrs. Turle's that had been killed in the county, and Mr. Bidgood has one in his collection which was also killed in the county. In most of the mid- land and eastern counties this bird is much more common: I have often seen considerable flocks of them between Cambridge and Royston, from which latter place it takes one of its names. In Scotland and some of the northern counties they remain to breed, and have been known to do so as far south as Norfolk. The food of the Hooded Crow seems to be very varied : one of the writers in the ' Zoologist ' says it includes everything from sprats to sheep. Accord- ing to Yarrell, lambs, eggs and poultry form part of the food, and when on the coast, fish, sand-worms, crabs and other shell-fish may be added to the list ; corn and other vegetable productions are only resorted to in case of necessity. The same author adds that a pair of these birds have been seen to chase, knock down and devour a small Sandpiper. The nest of the Hooded Crow is placed either in trees or in rocks, according to the nature of the 226 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. country in which the bird finds itself in the breed- ing-season : it is made of sticks and straw, and lined with wool and hair. The Hooded Crow has the beak black and strong ; irides dark brown ; head, cheeks, throat and neck in front shining bluish black ; wings and tail the same ; nape of the neck, back, rump and all the under sur- face smoke-grey; the shafts of the feathers dark slate-grey;* legs, toes and claws shining black. Varieties of this bird occasionally occur, and it is said also sometimes to cross with the Carrion Crow. The egg is mottled all over with greenish brown on a light green ground : it is rather smaller than that of the Carrion Crow. BOOK, Cot-vus frugilegus. The Rook, as everyone knows, is one of our commonest birds, and may be seen in large flocks in all parts of the county at any time of the year : it is so numerous throughout England generally, and is so diligent in search of its food in all the cultivated lands, that the benefit or damage done by this bird to the agriculturist has formed the subject of much dispute, and a good deal has been written on both sides of the question. The truth is, after all, that the Book does both good and harm, and must, like most other birds, be judged by the preponderance of one over the other : * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 93. convict. 227 I shall, therefore, lay as much evidence as I can before my readers, and leave them to form their own judgment, my opinion being that the Rook is of the greatest possible benefit to the farmer and that he may well say : " Dat veniam Corvis vexat sensura Columbas." As to the Pigeons, we shall come to them in due time, but now for the Books, and I will begin with M. Prevost's list of food, which is as follows : " January, field-mice and grubs of cockchaffers : February, the same and red worms ; March, larvae and chrysalids : April, slugs, worms and chrysalids ; May, beeetles, larvae, prawns and wire-worms ; June, cockchaffers, eggs of birds and wood-boring beetles ; July, young birds, beetles, &c. ; August, birds, field- mice, weevils, grasshoppers, crickets, &c. ; Septem- ber, grubs and worms; October, grasshoppers, ground beetles and young animals; November, young rabbits, different insects and grubs ; Decem- ber, different animals and decaying substances." This list of M. Prevost's and a note of my own, in the * Zoologist' for 1864, led to a good deal of discussion on the subject of the food of the Rook. My note was as follows: "As to young rabbits I can quite bear out the assertion of M. Prevost, for in the spring of 1862 I saw and watched for some time a Rook busily engaged in feeding on something close by a hedge : so busy was he that he let me 228 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. approach quite close before he flew away and joined a flock of his companions in the next field, so that I am quite sure of the fact that the bird was a Rook and not a Crow. On going up to see what the Rook had been feeding on, I found a young rabbit quite warm and only just dead, but with part of the entrails eaten. I cannot of course say that the Rook actually killed the rabbit, but I think it extremely probable, as the rabbit had been so recently killed when I came up and drove the Rook away. We may add sand-eels to the list of articles forming the food of the Rook, as I have frequently seen them at Teignmouth feeding with the Gulls on sand-eels, especially just after the seine had been drawn for these fish. Walnuts I know, to my cost, form a large part of the food of the Rook during the months of September and October." Since writing the above note I have been able to confirm my assertion that the Rook eats sand-eels, as I have often since then seen Rooks feeding on sand-eels and sprats, and having sharp contentions with the Gulls for them, and the Rooks generally having the best of the fight. I have also since then seen Rooks feeding on dead lamb and on horse-flesh, and convicted them more than once of stealing both young Wild Ducks and eggs ; the last occasion was on a Sunday, so I could not shoot the Rook in the act : on another occasion they destroyed so many of my Wild Duck's eggs that at last I was obliged to CORVID.E. 229 shoot one of the delinquent Rooks arid hang it up over the nest that had suffered most ; not that I am much in favour of shooting Rooks on any slight pro- vocation, but in this instance an example seemed to be necessary, and the effect was certainly good. The Rooks I find also constant attendants when I feed my tame Gulls, and they never miss an oppor- tunity of pouncing down from some neighbouring tree upon anything they take a fancy to, and their fancy seems to extend nearly to anything, from a piece of bread or potato to a half-picked leg of a rabbit or chicken, or even a bit of cold mutton fat. From the correspondence which I before said arose in the ' Zoologist ' on the food of the Rook I have made out the following somewhat varied list of articles of consumption : Carrion, anything from a dead rat to a sheep or a horse ; young rabbits, birds and field-mice ; eggs of game and ducks, also those of small birds, the Missel Thrush being specially mentioned (rooks are certainly more destructive to eggs in very dry than in moist damp weather, when other food is plentiful and easily attainable) ; cock- chaffers, numerous sorts of insects and larvse ; worms, grubs and wire-worms ; apples, pears, wal- nuts, seed-corn, ripe corn; potatoes, both newly planted and young, and couch grass. I will wind up this notice of the food of the Rook with the follow- ing quotation from the ' Field,' which certainly goes a long way to prove the usefulness of the Rook, and 230 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. to show how mischievous would be a general perse- cution ending in the destruction of this bird: " In one locality in an eastern county a large rookery was destroyed under the belief of the farmers that its inhabitants were hostile to their interests and consumed a large quantity of corn. But mark the result. Two years passed away, and the farmers congratulated themselves on being rid of their winged foes, little thinking that they had other foes in their place whose approach was more difficult to detect. In the second year many fields of wheat suffered from wire-worm, but in the third their ravages had become so general throughout the district as to occasion serious alarm. Little could be done to suppress their numbers until the Rooks were again thought of, and the evil was traced to its true cause. The rookery was permitted to be re-established by the return of many who had escaped the massacre, and who still cherished a partiality for their native trees, but who had hitherto been continually driven off. Their rapidly increasing numbers soon reduced the insect pest, leading the farmers to acknowledge the error into which they had fallen, and henceforth to look upon the Rook as a friend instead of an enemy." The young Rooks appear to be fed mostly with insects : the gizzard of one I examined contained hard skins of insects and legs and wings of beetles ; it also contained a considerable number of stones, COBVID.E. 331 some of them as large as good- sized peas : as this bird was not able to fly the old birds must have brought it the stones as well as the rest of the food, knowing that these were necessary to assist the gizzard in the process of digestion. The Rook, like many of the Corvida?, is a very early breeder, and may be seen in February, and even as early as the end of January if the weather be mild, beginning to repair its old nests : at this time there is always a good deal of excitement in the rookery and much fighting. It is a very amusing sight at the pairing time to watch the Books court- ing, the male at that time feeding the female and playing round her in a most grotesque manner, and even making an attempt at singing. Occasionally second broods are produced as late in the year as November; several instances of this are given by Yarrell, and one in the * Zoologist' for 1864. The nest is usually placed in a high tree, and many are congregated in the branches of the same or closely adjoining trees : the nest is made of twigs and lined with a little grass and roots. Many people are much in the habit of judging the probable state of the weather from the flight of Books, especially predicting wet and stormy weather from their soaring in the air and suddenly dropping from a great height nearly to the ground, as if shot. 232 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. " Behold the Rooks how odd their flight, They imitate the gliding kite, And seem precipitate to fall, As if they felt the piercing ball." The Book is almost too well-known to need any description : the irides are dark brown ; the whole of the plumage is glossy, shining black, reflecting purple and blue ; it is much more glossy than that of the Crow. The space round the beak nearly to the eyes is a rough whitish skin without feathers; this at a distance is one of the most easily seen distinctions between the Book and the Crow. In young birds of the year this rough white skin round the beak does not appear, that part being covered with feathers, which are not replaced after the first moult. There is a very common theory, with which I do not myself agree, that the feathers are worn off by the bird rubbing them when boring in the ground for grubs and insects : if this were really the case the feathers would be replaced after each moult, and consequently for a short period at that time of year all Books would have this part feathered ; but this is not the case. Varieties of the Book not unfrequently occur ; the most general are pied black and white, white and cream-colour. I have one specimen of the pied variety in my collection, a young bird of the year : a part of the beak of this bird is white also. The egg is much like that of the Crow, but rather 233 smaller, and not quite so bright coloured ; the ground is a lightish green, and it is much blotched with two shades of brown, one a dark dusky shade, the other a lighter greyish brown. JACKDAW, Corvus monedula. This somewhat mischievous but amusing bird is resident and common throughout the county. It adapts itself with considerable readiness to the locality in which it happens to find itself, taking to cliffs on the coast, cathedrals, church-towers and other high buildings inland, and in default of these to high trees. The food of the Jackdaw is various, but, except in the matter of eggs of all sorts, of which this bird is a notorious thief, I do not know that it does much mischief in its search for food, which seems, besides eggs, to consist of a great variety of things, such as carrion, insects of various kinds, seeds or grain, beetles and grubs from cow-dung. Like the Starling it may occasionally be seen taking a ride on the back of a sheep or cow and picking out the parasitic insects ; it also visits, but not often, the garden, to pick up a little fruit or vegetables. I find it nearly as constant an attendant when I feed my Gulls as the Kooks ; and it is very amusing to see how, when one of the Gulls has got a tit-bit to which a little Jackdaw takes a liking, the Jackdaw will walk and hop about close to the Gull until at last it is provoked to fly at it : of this assault the Jackdaw immediately takes advan- tage to fly off with the tit-bit which the Gull has x3 234 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. dropped. When located on the sea-shore the Jack- daw picks up a living upon shell-fish, sand-eels, and the remains of other fish and Crustacea: it also commits considerable depredations upon the eggs of the different sea-fowl who have the misfortune to lay near its habitation. The nest of the Jackdaw is placed in a variety of situations : on the sea-shore it is generally placed in holes or crevices of cliffs, from whence it emerges and robs the poor Kazorbills, Guillemots, Gulls, &c. ; inland it generally finds a convenient situation for its nest in the ornamental niches, figures or tracery work of cathedrals and other buildings ; even the steps up to a church-tower, if not much used, are often made nearly impassable by the rubbish collected there by the Jackdaws for their nests : in collecting all this material this bird often does con- siderable mischief, as it steals anything it can lay its hands, or rather its beak, upon. One rather curious instance is mentioned by Yarrell, who says that the Jackdaws who built in the neighbouring church- towers stole all the pegs on which the names of the plants in the Botanic Gardens at Cambridge were written, thus causing considerable difficulty in after- wards identifying some of the plants. In con- finement the Jackdaw is a most impudent and amusing bird, always hopping about and look- ing out for some mischief to do. CORVIDJE. 235 " In and out Through the motley rout, That little Jackdaw kept hopping about Here and there Like a dog in a fair." It may be taught to imitate the human voice, which it does with considerable success. In plumage the Jackdaw somewhat resembles most of the other of the Corvidse hitherto noticed. The irides are greyish white, which gives it a very roguish and knowing look ; the beak is black ; the top of the head black; the back of the head and neck grey : the whole of the rest of the plumage is black, but not quite so glossy as that of the Book : legs, toes and claws shining black. Varieties of this bird occasionally occur, the most general being white or pied. The egg of the Jackdaw is considerably smaller than that of the Rook, and is much more distinctly marked ; the ground colour is a light greenish blue, very distinctly spotted with black : the spots vary considerably in size and number. MAGPIE, Pica caudata. This very beautiful, but somewhat mischievous, bird is resident with us throughout the year and is still tolerably common all over the country, although it is persecuted by game- keepers with more than ordinary pertinacity, on account of its egg- stealing propensities, to which it adds the still graver crime of killing young birds 236 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. and rabbits. M. Prevost gives the Magpie rather a good character for general usefulness, and certainly, as far as his list of food goes, this bird ought not to be very virulently persecuted. The list is as follows: "January, grubs of cockchaifers, beetles and different corn and seeds ; February, the same and berries ; March, the same ; April, moles, crickets, water-rats and field-mice ; May, cock- chaffers, glow-worms and fruit ; June, the same and weevils ; July, beetles and field-mice ; August, bird's eggs and weevils ; September, beetles, worms, barley and grasshoppers; October, grasshoppers, carrion beetles and green locusts ; November, grasshoppers and kernels of fruit ; December, grubs, cockchaffers, young rabbits and berries." That this generally good character of the Magpie is to a certain extent deserved may be proved by a note in the 'Zoolo- gist' for 1864, in which mention is made of one bird that had been killed by that odious and most mischievous device of poisoned wheat, and in the crop of this bird were found seven grains of the poisoned wheat, nine wire-worms, and about a table spoonful of beetles of various sizes and Iarva3. The gizzard of one I examined in October contained one small snail whole and shells of others, a great number of beetles, one grain of barley, and a great quantity of seeds of various weeds, mostly charlinch.* * Charlinch or charlock, Sinapis arvensis.. CORVHXE. 237 But in spite of all this I am afraid it must be admitted that the Magpie does commit considerable depredations upon young animals, birds and their eggs. Montagu has very little to say in its defence : he says, "No animal food comes amiss to its car- nivorous appetite ; young poultry, eggs, young lambs and even weakly sheep it will attempt to destroy by first plucking out their eyes; the young of hares, rabbits and feathered game share the same fate ; fish, carrion, insects and fruit, and lastly grain when nothing else can be got." There is no great wonder that a bird against which so much can be said, and that with considerable truth, should suffer a great deal of persecution, and, as far as the gun goes, perhaps much mischief is not done ; but to call in the aid of poison, either by poisoning wheat or any other substance, for the destruction of even the most mischievously disposed bird, does appear to be a very dangerous and pernicious custom, and liable to lead to much more destruction than was ever intended or contemplated. In this county, at all events in this part of it, I am glad to say this prac- tice has never been much in use. The Magpie is rather an early nester : the nest is usually placed in a high tree, but this rule is not in- variable, as a low bush, an apple tree in an orchard, or even a hedge-row, is occasionally chosen. The nest is made of sticks, strongly woven together and plastered inside with clay. There is an instance on 238 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. record of a Magpie's nest with young birds in it having been placed in a cage in a room, and the window left open, the parent birds sufficiently over- came their usual wariness of disposition to enter the room and feed their young.* The Magpie is easily tamed, and is a most amusing bird in confinement, imitating the human voice, with some success, like the Jackdaw: like that bird, too, it has a most felonious disposition, and steals nearly anything it can come across. This is really one of our most beautiful birds, and by no means the merely black and white bird which is usually supposed. The beak is black ; the irides hazel ; the head, neck, back, throat and breast are black ; the scapulars white ; wing-coverts and tertials black, beautifully glossed with blue ; the quills are black or dark green, according to the light on the outer web and at the tip and base of the inner web, the rest of the feather white ; the rump is greyish ; the tail-coverts black ; the tail is a beautiful greenish bronze, occasionally reflecting purple ; belly and flanks white ; thighs dullish black ; under tail- coverts black ; legs, toes and claws black. Varieties of the Magpie occasionally occur : one variety with a yellow beak gave rise to considerable discussion in the 'Zoologist' for 1867 and 1868; two specimens of this variety had been seen, one in Devonshire and * ' Zoologist ' for 1864, p. 8885. 239 one in the North, and the question arose whether this was a mere variety of our own common Magpie or an accidental straggler from America, where there is a species of Magpie (Pica Nuttali) which resembles our own in every way except in the peculiarity of the beak, which in the American species is bright yellow: of course there was a chance of either or both of these birds having been brought over as pets in some vessel and escaped : there was another supposition, namely, that these two birds had been sucking eggs and that the beak was coloured with the yelk ; but this seems scarcely possible, as enough of the yelk would not have stuck on the beak to colour it so completely as seems to have been the case, or indeed to colour it at all : my own opinion is that these yellow-beaked Magpies were mere varieties of our Common Magpie, and I do not think it very extraordinary that they should have varied in the direction of so nearly related a species. The eggs of the Magpie have a dull whitish green ground, much speckled with dull lightish brown; but they vary both in the shade of the ground colour and of the spots, as well as in size. JAY, Garrulus glandarius. In spite of the many enemies which combine against it, the Jay is still tolerably common throughout the county, and is resident all the year : it suffers, however, severely from the perhaps not quite unmerited attacks of the 240 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. gardener and the gamekeeper; ladies and fishing- tackle makers also join in the persecution of this bird, the one keeping the wings for ornaments for their hats, and the other the blue feathers of the same parts for flies. The food of the Jay is very various, and conse- quently M. Prevost's list, for this one of his birds, is rather a long one : " January, grubs of cockchaffers, acorns and berries ; February, chrysalids and different grains and seeds ; March, grubs, insects, wheat and barley ; April, grubs, beetles and snails ; May, cockchaffers and locusts ; June, eggs of birds, cockchaffers and beetles ; July, young birds, flies and beetles; August, the same, acorns, grubs and dragon-flies ; September, the same and fruits ; Octo- ber, beetles, slugs, snails and grain ; November, the same ; December, the same, haws and hips." Though not quite innocent, this list does not make the Jay by any means one of the most guilty of birds. There can be no doubt, however, that it has a good deal to answer for, especially in the matter of peas, cherries and eggs. Mice and frogs seem occa- sionally, by way of variety, to form part of the food of the Jay: for the frogs I can find no authority, except Meyer ; he includes them in his list of this bird's food. The nest of the Jay is usually placed in thickish bushes or low trees : it is made of sticks and lined with roots and grass. CORVID^E. 24 1 The Jay is easily tamed, and is a very amusing bird in confinement, on account of the power it possesses of imitating various sounds, the human voice amongst others. In its wild state the Jay exercises this power of imitation to a very great ex- tent : Montagu even goes so far as to say it imitates " the bleating of a lamb, the mewing of a cat, the note of a Kite or Buzzard, the hooting of an Owl, and even the neighing of a horse : these imitations are so exact, even in a natural wild state, that we have frequently been deceived."* It also imitates the song of various small birds ; in fact, it is quite a mocking bird. In plumage the Jay is a very beautiful and con- spicuous bird. The beak is dark horn, almost black ; irides pale blue ; forehead and top of the head dull dirty white, inclining to reddish fawn-colour on the top of the head ; in the centre of each feather is a narrow streak of black, which gets broader at the top ; the feathers of these parts are considerably elongated, forming a crest, which can be elevated at the pleasure of the bird ; back and scapulars reddish fawn-colour, with a tinge of blue in it ; lesser wing- coverts the same, but some of them are a shade redder; the greater wing-coverts are a beautiful bright blue, shaded in streaks from almost white to blue-black; primary quills dusky, edged with dull * Montagu's Dictionary, by Newman. T 242 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. white ; secondaries black, glossed with blue on the inner web, and on the outer web also for about an inch at the tip ; the rest of the outer web is white ; tertials black, glossed with blue, except a few nearest to the body, which are a rich chesnut; rump and tail-coverts white ; tail black, the lower part of the two central feathers is rather indistinctly barred with blue ; a black moustache extends from the base of the beak under the .eye towards the neck on each side ; throat dirty white ; breast and belly nearly the same as the back, but rather lighter; under tail- coverts and thighs nearly white ; legs, toes and claws pale brown. The egg of the Jay is a dull- coloured egg, very thick and round at the broader end : the ground colour is a pale dull green, which is very thickly speckled with pale brown. NUTCRACKER, Nucifraga caryocatactes. I include this extremely rare bird in the Somersetshire list on the authority of Montagu, who gives the following account of one having been seen near Bridgwater : " Mr. Anstice assures us he saw one of this rare species near Bridgwater, upon a Scotch fir, in the autumn of 1805. This accurate observer of Nature could not be deceived, as he examined the bird and attended to its actions for some time with the aid of a pocket telescope."* Since this, two * Montagu's Dictionary, by Newman. CORVID.E. 243 other specimens have been shot in the neighbouring county of Devon, and a few others in various parts of England ; but I can find no other record of a Somersetshire specimen. There is a specimen of this bird in the collection of the late Mr. Pophain, of Bagborough, now Mr. Bisset's, but no one knows anything about it. The food of the Nutcracker is said to consist of insects, seeds of pines, beech-masts and nuts, which it is said to crack by hammering with its beak like the Nuthatch. The nest is placed in a hole in a tree, either exca- vated entirely or enlarged by the bird itself. The Nutcracker is rather an obscure and dull- coloured bird in plumage, which may have caused it occasionally to be overlooked. " The beak is black ; the lore, or space between the beak and the eye, dull white ; irides brown ; top of the head umber-brown, without spots; the sides of the head, the scapulars, the whole of the back, the lesser wing-coverts, and all the under surface of the body, clove-brown, each feather terminating with an elongated triangular spot of dull white ; the greater wing-coverts and the wings blackish brown, the ends of the feathers rather lighter in colour than the other parts; the rump uniform clove-brown, without spots; upper tail- coverts blackish brown; the middle pair of the twelve tail-feathers also blackish brown, without any white ; the next tail-feather on each side has a narrow 244 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. white tip ; the white colour occupies more space in each feather approaching the outside, increasing to a space of three-quarters of an inch at the ends of those most external; the under tail-coverts and under-surface of the tail-feathers greyish brown, the latter ending in dull white ; tail in form nearly square at the end ; legs, toes and claws black." As I have not a Nutcracker in my collection, and I do not think I am likely to get one, I have taken the above description from Yarrell. In size this bird nearly equals the Jay : from the stuffed specimens I have seen I should say it was rather smaller, but Yarrell gives the dimensions as nearly the same, the length of both being thirteen inches and three- quarters. This bird concludes the Corvidse, as well as the rather large division of the Insessores, or perching birds, called Conirostres. It is one of the most in- teresting of the various divisions of this large order, as it is the one most intimately connected with man, and from the number of individuals in some of the species, as well as from their propensities, the one which may be supposed to do him most good or harm : I have therefore been as minute and particular as I can in my notes of the food of the various species. I think if an} 7 one examines the various lists of food I have given, he will find that neither the farmer nor the gardener is likely to gain much by a PICID.E. 245 general persecution and massacre of the birds included in this division, and certainly no case can be proved against them to justify their wholesale destruction by means of poisoned grain. My own belief is that were such a destruction accomplished, the loss produced by it would give both the farmer and the gardener a very good reason for any amount of grumbling. SCANSORES. Family PICIDJE. The various species included in the division of the great Insessorial order which now claims our attention, the Scansores, or climbing birds, differ much both in habits and formation from any of the species yet noticed. In the family which is generally placed first amongst the Scansores, the Picidse or Woodpeckers, the difference of formation is very considerable : the feet of all the British species belonging to this family have two toes before and two behind, the outside toe on each foot being reversed and turned backwards, which gives these birds great facility in their usual occupation of climbing the stems and branches of trees : they are also assisted in this by the formation of the breast- bone, the keel or upright portion of which is extremely narrow : this entails a certain loss in the power of flight, but is of great use in enabling the bird to keep an upright position against the stem of Y 3 246 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. a tree, which a deep keel would interfere with. The tail also is of considerable service to them, the middle feathers of which, in all the Picidse except the Wryneck, are very stiff and strong and pointed at the end : on these feathers the hird is in the habit of resting, when, in the course of its search for food on the upright stem of a tree, it finds it necessary to throw its head much back. The tongue is another great peculiarity of the Woodpecker family, as it is capable of being thrust forward to a considerable distance beyond the end of the beak : the tip of the tongue is covered with a glutinous substance secreted by the bird ; by this means it is able to capture small insects amongst the bark of trees, which it would not be able to reach with its beak, but shooting out its long tongue it reaches these small insects, which, sticking to the glutinous substance, become the prey of the bird. The narrow keel of the Wood- peckers, as I said before, considerably curtails their power of flight ; consequently these birds seldom attempt a longer flight than from one tree to another in a well-wooded district. Should a Woodpecker be approached when engaged in climbing a tree it seldom seeks safety in flight, but dodges behind the stem or branch which it may be on, and thus keeps itself out of sight. The British Woodpeckers are now said to include nine species besides the Wryneck ; but of these nine it is very doubtful if one, the Black Woodpecker, has ever been obtained PICIDJE. 247 in Britain, and three of the others have only been obtained once each. GREEN WOODPECKER, Picus viridis. The Green Woodpecker, or "Woodwall," as it is often called, is resident with us all the year, and is not at all an uncommon bird in all parts of the county : its wild laughing cry may often be heard, and is a much more certain indication of the presence of one of these birds than the well-known "Woodpecker tapping the hollow beech tree," which tapping noise, though occasionally caused by a Woodpecker, espe- cially the Lesser Spotted, is much more generally made by a Nuthatch hammering away at a refractory nut. The food of the Green Woodpecker consists mostly of the different insects which can be found hid under the moss or the bark of trees, especially where the bark is a little loose or rotten. The bird generally begins its search for these insects at or near the bottom of a tree, and gradually works its way upward and round and round, but never down- wards. It is by no means limited in its choice of food to such insects as may be found in trees, but it may quite as frequently be seen on the ground searching for grubs and worms, especially for ants and their eggs which form a very favourite portion of its food. This is the last of M. Prevost's birds birds which I shall have to quote : his list of food is 248 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. as follows ; " January, ants ; February, worms and grubs of ants ; March, slugs, beetles and grubs of ants ; April, ants and worms ; May, red ants and grubs of wasps ; June, bees and ants ; July, red ants ; August, red ants and worms ; September, ants and worms ; October, grubs of ants ; November, grubs of ants and bees ; December, ants." This bird seems occasionally to vary its food, as oats and the remains of acorns have been found in its stomach. * The eggs of the Green Woodpecker this species is said to make no nest are always placed in a hole in a tree, which the bird excavates either partly or entirely for itself: on this account it has often been accused of doing much mischief to trees, but this accusation appears to be wrong, as the tree chosen is always one the interior of which is al- ready more or less decayed, although it may show no signs of this outwardly. Mr. Hewitson, in his " Notes on the Ornithology of Norway," published in the 'Magazine of Zoology and Botany,' says, " Of the Green Woodpecker we saw several near one of the churches, in the steeple of which (being of wood) they had bored several holes in which to de- posit their eggs." So it appears that it is not to living wood only that the Green Woodpecker resorts for nesting purposes. Yarrell says he has known * ' Zoologist' for 1865, p. 9468. PICIDJE. 249 the young of this bird taken from the tree before they can fly and brought up by hand. The Green Woodpecker is a fine handsome bird, nearly equalling in brightness of colouring many foreign birds. The beak is a dark shining horn- colour ; irides white ; the lower part of the forehead, the space from the beak to the eye, and round the eye, black ; a moustache descends from the base of the beak a short way down the sides of the neck, black in the female, crimson in the male, edged with black ; top of the head and nape crimson ; back and scapulars bright green, tinged with olive ; rump and tail-coverts bright greenish yellow; both sets of wing-coverts olive-green : primary quills dusky, barred on the outer web with dull dirty white ; secondaries and tertials olive-green, tertials rather the darkest, and some of them barred on the inner web with dull brown ; the tail-feathers are very strong, stiff and pointed at the ends, dusky barred with dull light brown; throat, hinder part of the cheeks and the neck, dull dirty white, tinged with green ; all the rest of the under parts the same, but rather darker in colour than the throat. Young birds that have recently quitted the nest have the crimson colour on the top of the head mixed with yellow and greyish black, the feathers passing, by a change of colour, from greyish white to yellow, and afterwards to crimson. On the moustache of the young male the same changes may be observed : on 250 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the back and wings the green feathers are tipped with yellow, all the under surface much the same as the adult, hut streaked longitudinally on the neck, and transversely on the hreast and belly, with greyish black.* The green colour on the under surface in- creases with age. There seems to be an occasional variety in the plumage of this bird : the tips of the wings for about two inches down each feather, and nearly the whole of the tail-feathers, being of a rusty brown colour, t The eggs are a pure shining white, much about the size of those of the Missel Thrush. GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKER, Picus major. This bird is by no means so common as the last- mentioned species, and is considerably more local in distribution : it is resident throughout the year. In habits and mariners, as well as in food, it somewhat resembles the Green Woodpecker, except that it does not resort so much to the ground in search of ants, grubs and worms, but confines itself more to the various grubs and insects to be found about and under the bark of trees : it, however, varies its food a little by occasionally taking grain, nuts and the seed of the pine. Like the last species it places its eggs in a hole in a tree, without any nest : like it, too, it is a moderately early nester, the young birds * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 152. f ' Zoologist' for 1867 (Second Series, p. 950). 251 being fledged and able to take care of themselves by the middle of July. Yarrell says he once saw some young ones kept in confinement by one of the keepers at Kensington Gardens, in which place these birds are rather frequently to be found : they were climbing all about the inside of their cage, which was hung against a large tree near the lodge. In plumage the Greater Spotted Woodpecker is a very handsome bird, conspicuous from the very decided contrast of colour which it presents. The following description is taken from a bird shot in Combe Wood, near here, in April, and kindly pre- sented to me by Mr. Winter the day it was shot. The beak is dark horn-colour, bluish grey (inclining to white) on the under part of the lower mandible ; irides red ; forehead, just over the beak, and space under the eyes, and a narrow streak over it and the ear- co verts, white ; head black ; in the adult male there is a band of crimson at the back of the neck ; there is a streak of black from the base of the beak, under the ear-coverts, down the side of the neck to the breast, and from it a streak of black behind the ear- coverts, which, as well as the back of the neck, are black, except one well- defined spot of white on each side ; the back, rump and tail- coverts are black ; the scapulars, some of the greater coverts of the tertials, white ; the lesser wing- coverts and all the rest of the greater-coverts black ; primary quills black, brownish towards the tips, with several well- 252 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. defined spots of white on the outer webs ; all the rest of the quills are black, spotted with white on both webs ; the feathers of the tail are very strong and pointed, except the two outer on each side, which are rounded at the top ; the four middle feathers are black, the two next are tipped with white, with a spot of black in it, and all the rest are white towards the tips, spotted with black, and black at the base ; the throat is white ; all the rest of the under parts dirty white, except the vent and under tail-coverts, which are red; legs and toes dusky grey; claws black. Yarrell says the young birds of the year " do not differ from the adult, except in having the whole of the top of the head red, not so bright as the red patch at the back of the neck of the old male, nor so pure, having a few black feathers mixed with it. The egg is a shining white, like that of the last species, but smaller in proportion to the size of the bird. LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER, Picus minor. The Lesser Spotted, or as it is sometimes called the "Barred" Woodpecker, I believe to be much more common than the last-mentioned species : it certainly is so in my own neighbourhood, where I have never met with the larger species, nearer than the one just before mentioned. There appears, however, to be some doubt as to which is the more common : the Rev. A. P. Morres, writing in the 'Zoologist' for 1865, asks the question, and adds picnxaE. 253 that he has frequently met with the present species in Berkshire, Somersetshire and Wiltshire, but never with the Greater. Montagu, on the other hand, asserts that the present species is the most rare of all the Woodpeckers, and Yarrell says that it is considered to be the more rare. I certainly agree with Mr. Morres, and consider this much the most common, us I not only frequently see it about alive, but I have also met with it much more commonly, both in the flesh and stuffed, at various birdstuffers' shops and in collections. It is resident with us all the year. Both in food and habits it much resembles the two last-mentioned species, except that I think it is rather less given to climbing, as I have often seen it perching in the ordinary way on some small twig, and that very often the topmost one, of some small tree or bush. The food of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker con- sists mostly, if not entirely, of insects ; Meyer says entirely, nothing being found in its stomach, either in summer or winter, but spiders, beetles, ants or their larvae. Like the other Woodpeckers it seeks its food in the crevices of the bark of trees, search- ing, however, the branches rather than the trunk : it looks for food on the ground and amongst long grass. The nest, if such it can be called, is always placed in a hole in a tree, at the bottom of which the 254 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. eggs are deposited, little or no real nest being made. This is a very pretty bright little bird ; the beak is black ; the irides reddish hazel : forehead imme- diately over the beak dull white ; cheeks, ear- coverts and a streak over the eye, white ; top of the head scarlet, a narrow streak between the scarlet and the white over the eye to the back of the neck, and the back of the neck, black ; a broad black streak extends across the back and includes part of the scapulars and lesser wing-coverts ; the rest of the back is white, barred with black; the tail- coverts are black; the quill-feathers are nearly black, barred with white ; the four centre tail-feathers are black, and not quite so pointed as in the last two species ; the next feather on each side is tipped with white and the two outside feathers on each side are white, barred with black ; throat and all the under surface dull greyish white ; legs, toes and claws lead-colour. The top of the head in the female is a dullish white, without any red feathers, and the under surface is dull light brown. The young male birds assume the red colour on the top of the head during the first moult. The eggs are a uniform white when blown, but when fresh taken have a sort of flesh-colour tint, owing to the yelk showing through; they are, of course, much smaller than those of the last-men- tioned species. 255 WRYNECK, Yunx torquilla. The Wryneck is al- ways included amongst the Picidse, although differ- ing from them in some respects, especially the tail- feathers, which are not strong and pointed like those of the true Woodpeckers, but, on the contrary, soft and somewhat rounded. Although this bird has two toes in front and two behind, it is by no means so decided a climber as the rest of the family in which it is included. In Guernsey, where I have had most opportunities of watching this bird, I have generally seen it perched in the ordinary way on a small branch of a tree, or low bush, or hedge. It is a summer visitor, arriving in this country in the middle of April, about the same time as the Cuckoo, from which circumstance it has had the name of " Cuckoo's Mate " given it. In Guernsey, where it is, as I said, very common, it is always called the " Mackerel Bird," as it arrives about the time the mackerel are in season : another very common local name for this bird is the " Snake Bird," from the peculiar noise it makes when disturbed, and from the snake-like manner in which it occasionally moves its head. Though in general not amongst the earlier summer migrants, not arriving till the middle of April, and departing again at the end of August or beginning of September, occasional stragglers appear to arrive rather earlier, and also to make a later stay, the 19th of March being the earliest note I z 2 256 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. can find of its arrival,* and the 25th of September being the latest note of its stay, t It is not a very common bird in these parts, and is not often to be seen about, nor are many specimens to be seen at the birdstuffers' shops, but this may arise as much from its being overlooked, on account of the general sombre colour of its plumage which consists of various shades of brown, as from its actual scarcity. Montagu, however, says it is more common in the eastern than in the western counties, adding that it is very rarely found in Cornwall. The food of the Wryneck consists in a great measure of grubs, caterpillars and various other insects, which it picks out of the bark of trees, like the Woodpeckers, by means of its long tongue, the end of which, like that of those birds, is always moist with a sort of glutinous substance secreted by the bird ; but it does not climb the trunks of trees in search of food like those birds. Ants and their eggs form a very large portion of the food of the Wry- neck, so much so that Montagu says it has with considerable propriety been called the "Emmet- hunter : " Yarrell, quoting Bechstein, adds elder- berries to the list of food. Like the Woodpeckers, the Wryneck generally lays its eggs in a hole in a tree, without making much or indeed any nest. * < Zoologist ' for 1864, p. 9044. j Id., 1865, p. 9810. PICID.E. 257 As I said before it is not a very gay bird, the colours of its plumage being confined to various shades of brown, but these are so curiously inter- mixed and blended together that when one examines it closely one must consider it a very pretty bird. The beak is brown ; the irides hazel ; the feathers on the forehead and top of the head are greyish brown, barred with dark reddish brown ; the sides of the head and neck, as well as the back and scapulars, are greyish brown, each feather having a dark streak down the centre, which broadens into a sort of arrow-head near the tip ; down the back of the neck and middle of the back there is a streak of dark umber-brown and reddish brown mixed, the wing- coverts and tertials are darkish brown, spotted, and the tertials also tipped with light greyish brown there is a dark dusky streak in the centre of each spot ; the primary and secondary quills have the inner web a uniform dull brown, the outer web the same, barred with light yellowish brown ; the tail- feathers have two shades of greyish brown, much freckled and slightly barred with dusky ; the throat is buff, narrowly but regularly barred with very dark brown, almost black ; the breast is much the same as the back, but lighter ; the belly is a much lighter bun 7 than the throat, almost white, barred with narrow streaks of dark brown ; legs, toes and claws brown. The egg is white, much about the size of that of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. z 3 258 BIEDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. Family CERTHIAD^:. All the four species of Certhiadae appear to be included amongst the birds of Somerset. CREEPER, Certhia familiaris. This pretty inte- resting little bird is one of our commonest residents, and may be seen in every orchard, plantation or wooded hedge- row, climbing up the trunks and along the larger branches of the trees in search of food ; it does not, however, confine its search to trees, for it may be constantly seen climbing over and picking insects from the chinks in old posts, rotten railings and even walls. I have also frequently seen it simi- larly occupied running over the matting on the in- side of a summer-house. In habits it is a true climber, although it has not, like the Woodpecker, the outside toe reversed, but has three toes in front and one behind ; it has, however, the stiff pointed feathers in the tail. It is by far the smallest -of the Scansores, not exceeding the Blue Tit in size. Its food is entirely insects, consisting chiefly of small beetles, spiders, the larvae of butterflies, and all the various insects that are usually to be found hidden in such places as I have before mentioned. It is rather an early breeder, beginning to build about the beginning of April: its nest is placed either in a hole in a tree or behind a loose piece of bark. I have also found the nest in a chink between CERTHIAD^E. 259 some woodwork and the matting of a summer- house. The Creeper is very unlike the Woodpeckers in the formation of its beak, which is long, narrow and considerably curved downwards; the upper man- dible is dark horn-colour, the lower dull white ; the irides dark hazel ; the head and back of the neck are dark brown, streaked with light yellowish brown and dirty white, the lightest part being a very narrow streak in the centre and the tip of each feather; cheeks and ear-coverts the same ; there is a small light streak over the eye ; the back and scapulars are yellowish brown, each feather streaked with dirty white ; the lesser wing-coverts are very dark brown, almost black, each feather tipped with buff; the greater coverts are the same, but the tips are lighter ; the rump and tail-coverts are light reddish brown; the primary quills are dusky, tipped and barred on the outer web with dull white ; secondaries the same, but barred with a brighter colour, inclining to buff; the tertials are greyish, with a light, nearly white, tip to each feather and a long dusky spot on the outer web ; all the under parts are a dull smoky white. The egg is white, spotted with orange-red, very like that of some of the Tits. HOOPOE, Upupa epops. This is an occasional summer visitant, rare indeed in this county, so much so that I can find no recorded instance of its cap- ture or occurrence : indeed I hardly feel justified in 260 BIEDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. including it in this list, except that, from its pecu- liarity of appearance, it is less liable to be mistaken than any other bird. I have therefore included it on evidence that, in the case of any other bird, I should consider perfectly unreliable, for I only heard of one of these birds being seen at Monkton, near Taunton, during the months of April and May, in the year 1866 : it was seen several times running about on a dung-hill near a farm-house, and was described as constantly erecting its crest : besides this peculiarity, I received such an accurate descrip- tion of the bird that I feel quite sure it could be nothing but the Hoopoe. In other neighbouring counties it is by no means a very rare visitor, as in Cornwall, Devon and Dorsetshire, there are many records of its occurrence : it has also been taken in Wiltshire, and has indeed made its appear- ance in almost every county in England and Wales, and in a few Scotch counties. Although its appear- ances in England are usually confined to the spring and autumn it would probably remain to breed* were it not that the peculiarit} r of its appearance excites curiosity, and the gun is consequently always brought into immediate requisition. Instead of being shot on every possible occasion the visits of the Hoopoe to this country should be encouraged, as its food * Yarrell records one instance of its doing so near Chichester. CERTHIAD^E. 261 appears to consist almost entirely of insects and their larvae, beetles, worms and grubs. Although included amongst the Scansores, this bird is not much, if anything, of a climber : it seeks its food almost entirely on the ground ; it has neither the reversed claw nor the stiff tail-feathers of the real climbers ; its beak, however, is something like that of the Creeper. The nest is usually placed in a hole either in a tree or a wall, or rock ; the bare ground, however, is occasionally made use of.* In plumage and general appearance the Hoopoe is a very peculiar bird, and when once seen is not very easily mistaken, even by the most careless observer. The beak is long and curved, like that of the Creeper, black at the tip and for nearly two-thirds of its length, pale flesh-colour at the base ; irides brown ; f it has a very long crest, the feathers of which rise from the forehead and increase in length towards the top of the head they are of a brightish fawn-colour, tipped with black ; the sides of the head and back of the neck are rather paler in colour; across the back are three half -circular bars, one of white between two of black ; the rump is white ; the upper tail-coverts white at the base and black towards the tip ; the feathers on the shoulder are of * Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iv., p. 27. f Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 186. 262 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. a pale brown, or sort of mouse-colour; the wing- coverts are black, with a transverse bar of buffy white ; the primary quills are black, with a broadish bar of white about three-quarters of an inch from the tip of each feather ; the secondaries and some of the tertials are black, very distinctly marked with large irregular spots and bars of white : the tertials nearest the body have a very large irregular patch of black, shaded to dullish fawn at the tip, outer edge and rest of the feathers white ; the tail is black, with a very distinct band of white entirely across the centre ; the under tail- coverts are white : the rest of the under parts pale fawn : the legs, toes and claws are black. * The egg of the Hoopoe, according to Meyer's pic- ture, is white. NUTHATCH, Sitta europcea. The Nuthatch is by no means an uncommon bird ; it is resident with us all the year, and may always be seen climbing in all directions about the trees in every orchard and plan- tation : it differs from most of the other climbers in being able to climb downwards as well as up, so it is not compelled like them to fly to the bottom of a tree and then work its way upwards, but it can alight wherever it likes, and work its way in every direc- tion : though on this account perhaps a better climber than any of the other Scansores, it has * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 187. CERTHIAD^. 263 neither the reversed claw nor the stiff tail-feathers of most of these hirds. The food of the Nuthatch consists partly of insects and partly of nuts, acorns and beech-masts : these it generally places in a chink in the bark of a tree or a slit in a gate-post or railing, and hammers at them with its strong beak until it succeeds in splitting them, or in making a hole sufficiently large to enable it to extract the kernel. In the insect way it eats caterpillars, spiders and beetles. It may, it is said, be tempted to pay frequent visits to any tree, even close by a house, by nuts being placed for it in the chinks of the bark, or even to a window if nuts and bread are placed for it on the window-sill; it then becomes so tame that it will take these things from the hand. Like the Woodpeckers the Nuthatch places its nest in a hole in a tree, but it makes rather more nest than these birds. The beak, which is thick and strong, is of a bluish black horn-colour, except the base of the under mandible, which is light brownish white ; the irides are hazel; the head, neck, back, scapulars, wing- coverts, rump and tail-coverts are light bluish grey ; there is a black streak from the base of the upper mandible through the eye and a short way down the sides of the neck ; the quills are dusky, the second- aries and tertials rather broadly margined with the same colour as the back ; the two centre feathers of 264 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the tail are light bluish grey, the same as the hack ; the next feather on each side is black, with a greyish tip ; the two next the same, with a spot of white near the tip on the inner web ; the outside feather on each side has a longish spot of white on the outer web also , but rather lower down than the other spot the base of all these feathers is black ; chin and throat nearly white ; breast and belly buff; the flanks and under tail-coverts are a sort of chesnut, the feathers on the latter tipped with white ; legs, toes and claws light brown. The egg is much like that of the Creeper in colour, but considerably exceeds it in size, being quite as large as that of the Blackcap. Family The Cuckoos are the last of the British Scansores, and except for the fact of the outer toe on each foot being reversed, there seems to be no reason why they should be included in this division at all ; they, how- ever, make a link between the Scansores and the last division of the Insessores, the Fissirostres, having the reversed toe, which is the peculiarity of many of the climbers, and in a great measure the wide gape of the Fissirostres. There are three species of Cuckoos now included in the list of British birds, but the appearance of two of these species has been so unusual that they ought not to retain their place in the list. CUCULIDJE. 265 COMMON CUCKOO, Ciiculus canorus. We all know that the Common Cuckoo is a summer migrant arriving here about the middle of April and departing in August or September; the old song limits its stay to August. " In April, Come he will ; In May, He sings all day ; In June, He alters his tune ; In July, He prepares to fly ; Come August, Go he must." This bird has so many peculiarities, both of voice and habits, that it has attracted more attention than any other bird. The times of migration and changes in voice are tolerably accurately pointed out in the old verses I have quoted ; but its very peculiar habit of placing its eggs in the nest of another bird, whose own young are invariably sacrificed to the rapacity of the young Cuckoo, has attracted much observation and given rise to many wild theories, amongst which I must place the theory of Dr. Baldamus (which gave rise to considerable discussion in the ' Zoologist,' in which useful periodical his paper on the subject was translated), that the Cuckoo has the power of colouring her egg to assimilate with that of the bird in whose nest it is placed : indeed the fact, which is 2A 266 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. now pretty well established, that the Cuckoo does not lay its egg in the nest of another bird, but places it there afterwards, would alone, I think, be sufficient to upset that theory to say. nothing of the fact that the Cuckoo's eggs vary but little, and are not the least like the eggs of many of the birds in whose nest it is known to deposit them. That the Cuckoo places its egg in the nest of other birds with its beak is, I think, sufficiently proved by the fact that many of the nests chosen are either themselves of such a nature, or usually placed in such a position, as to preclude the possibility of the Cuckoo laying its own egg in the nest ; ; for instance, the nest of the Eed- start is usually placed in a hole either in a tree or a wall, the entrance to which is much too small for the Cuckoo ; the nest of the Eeed Warbler, which is not unfrequently chosen, is a domed structure, with only a hole left for the entrance of the owners, and this of course is much too small for the entrance of so large a bird as the Cuckoo to say nothing of the impossibility of its accommodating itself to the narrow dimensions of the nest inside. Besides there are many instances on record of the female Cuckoo being shot with one of her own eggs in her mouth, one of which I quote from Mr. Newman's edition of Montagu's Dictionary: "My curiosity," said the person who contributed this note, " was excited by seeing a Cuckoo fly over my head with something in its mouth, with which it alighted in a neighbouring CUCULID^:. 267 meadow ; I reached the bird within twenty yards, and observed it in the act of progressing, in a similar way to the crawling of a Parrot, by the side of a drain, with the substance still in its beak : after traversing some distance it stopped short, and at the same time I fired. Upon nearing it I found the substance before mentioned to be its egg, I am sorry to say broken, but still quite satisfactory that this was the case. I think in all probability this bird was searching for a nest, perhaps that of the Meadow Pipit, for the depositing of its egg." All these facts, I think, make it sufficiently clear that the Cuckoo does not lay but places her egg in the nest of some other bird after it has been laid. I have, as well as I am able, made out a list of the various birds in whose nests the Cuckoo has been known to place its eggs in England ; on the Continent the list may be considerably increased : for the more unusual ones I have given my authority, for the others I have not thought it worth while to do so. t Blackbird, Yarrett. Hedgesparrow. Robin. Redstart. Whitethroat, Yarrell Reed Warbler. Several instances in the 'Zoologist' and also Montagu's Dictionary, by Newman. Wood Warbler, ' Zoologist 'for 1863. Willow Warbler, Yarrell. Pied Wagtail. 268 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. Grey Wagtail, ' Zoologist ' for 1863. Meadow Pipit. Eock Pipit, 'Zoologist 'for 1863, and YarrelL Skylark, ' Zoologist' for 1863, and YarrelL Woodlark, ' Zoologist.' Yellowharamer, YarrelL Chaffinch, YarrelL Greenfinch, YarrelL Linnet, 'Zoologist 'for 1863. The fact that two Cuckoo's eggs are occasionally found in one nest has led to some discussion as to whether they belong to the same bird or to different ones ; this question has not yet been quite satis- factorily cleared up. The better opinion seems to me to be that the eggs are placed there by two different birds, the old Cuckoo being probably aware that one such gormandizer as its own young would be quite sufficient for the foster-parents, and that they would not be equal to the support of more than one. It is very probable, however, that a Cuckoo wanting to deposit an egg, when it finds a convenient nest, drops it in, without taking any particular notice of the fact that occupation of the nest has already been taken by one of its own species. When this takes place, and the two young Cuckoos are hatched, the struggle for existence between them must be tremendous, as, being of nearly equal size and weight, neither of them would be able to put in practice its usual summary method of ejecting the legitimate tenants of the nest, by hoisting them over the side. CUCULID^. 269 The food of the Cuckoo consists almost entirely of insects, all sorts of which, as well as caterpillars, are eaten by it ; amongst caterpillars, however, it appears to prefer the rough hairy ones. Young Cuckoos adapt themselves with considerable ease to the natural food of the bird in whose nest they find themselves, their digestion being equal to any variety: when hatched, therefore, by insect-eating birds the young Cuckoo is fed on flies, beetles, cater- pillars, grasshoppers and small snails, but when fed by any of the Finches or Buntings they do not ap- pear to reject young wheat, small vetches, tender sprouts of grass and seeds ; * but as most of these birds feed their young, partially at all events, with insects, the young Cuckoos get some of their proper food : under any circumstances it is a voracious feeder. Cuckoos have often been kept tame, having been taken when young and fed upon raw meat and other things, but they do not appear to thrive properly without caterpillars and insects. The Cuckoo is not a very gay bird in plumage: it may, at a distance, both from its appearance and from the manner of flight, be mistaken for a hawk ; indeed l ,the small birds themselves appear to make this mistake, as they may occasionally Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 199. 270 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. be seen mobbing the Cuckoo, much in the same manner as they do a Hawk. The beak of the adult Cuckoo is a dark bluish horn, except just at the base, which is pale brown ; the irides are yellow ; the head and the whole of the upper parts are uniform bluish slate-colour; the tail and quill-feathers are a shade darker; the tail-feathers are tipped with white and have also a few small spots of the same colour close to the shaft, each side of it, all the way up ; the throat and breast are the same colour as the upper parts, but a very slightly lighter shade ; flanks, belly and all the rest of the under parts are white, barred with bluish slate ; the under surface of the wing is white, very broadly barred with black ; legs and toes yellow, claws yellowish brown. The young bird of the year before its departure is very different : the beak is not so dark ; the irides are brown ; there is a white patch on the forehead and on the back of the head; the rest of the feathers of the head and neck are darkish slate, tipped and edged with dull white and pale brown; the back, scapulars, rump and tail-coverts are the same ; the wing-coverts the same, but mottled with reddish brown ; the quills are dusjsy, barred with white and reddish brown, and the outer web of the tertials is also mottled with reddish brown ; the tail is dusky, very distinctly barred and mottled with brown and white ; the throat is bluish slate, mottled with white ; the rest of the under parts as in the old bird. At a MEROPIDJE. 271 still younger age the whole of the upper parts are much more mottled with brown. The eggs of the Cuckoo are dull dirty white ground, much spotted all over with brownish grey and a few black spots : they vary a little, some of them being a shade lighter than others. With the Cuckoo ends this division of the Inses- sorial birds. I think we may fairly say that none of the birds included in it can be accused of doing any mischief, either to the gamekeeper, the agriculturist or the gardener, for a few nuts may well be granted to the Nuthatch ; on the other hand, they are all of the greatest use by the destruction of caterpillars and various other mischievous insects. Div. FISSIROSTKES. Family MEROPID.E. The last division of the Insessorial order at which we have now arrived, derives its name from the wide gape of all the birds included in it, the mouth indeed opening as far back as underneath the eye, and is almost absurdly disproportioned to the beak, which, in the greater part of the birds included in this division, is very small, although in some, as the Kingfisher, and the Bee-eaters, this is not the case. ROLLER, Coracias garrula. The species at present under consideration is a very bright, beautiful, 272 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. foreign-looking bird : it is a rare summer visitant to these islands. As far as this county is concerned I only know of one instance of its having been taken, and that was a good many years ago, at Orchard Portman, near Taunton: this specimen came into the collection of Mr. Popham, of Bagborough, and is now in the possession of Mr. Bisset. The food of the Eoller, like that of most of the Fissirostres, is almost entirely insect, consisting of beetles, grasshoppers, and other insects and their larva?, to which, in this case, may be added worms and small frogs. As it is a summer visitor it probably would, if un- molested, occasionally breed in this country, but, on account of its bright gay plumage, this is not likely to be the case. The nest is made in a hole in a tree or in a bank ; it is lined with small fibres, straw, feathers and hair. The description of this bird I have taken from Yarrell : " The beak is black ; irides reddish brown ; behind the eye is a triangular naked spot ; head, neck and wing-coverts greenish blue, approaching in richness to verditer-blue ; back, scapulars and tertials yellowish brown, shoulders and rump China- blue ; upper tail-coverts Berlin-blue ; the two middle tail-feathers blackish green; the others for two- thirds of their length bluish green, the shafts black ; the outer feather on each side tipped with black ; HALCYONID^. 273 the primary and secondary quill-feathers verditer- blue at the base, the rest dark bluish black; chin greyish white ; throat verditer ; all the under surface of the body and the under wing-coverts pale bluish green ; under surface of primaries and secondaries rich Berlin-blue for two-thirds of their length, then tipped with greyish blue ; the outer elongated tail- feather on each side almost wholly blue, but tipped with dark blue ; these longer outside tail-feathers distinguish the male bird ; the legs and toes yellow- ish brown ; the claws black." Any one comparing this description with the painted picture in Meyer's smaller edition of * British Birds ' would hardly imagine they could be meant for the same bird. Yarrell says that the egg of this bird is white, and resembles that of the Kingfisher in everything but size. Family HALCYONID^E. KINGFISHER, Alcedo ispida. There are now two species of Kingfisher included in the list of British Birds. The present species, the brightest and most beautiful of all our commoner British birds (it may may perhaps be equalled, if not excelled, by some of our rarer summer visitors) is still tolerably plentiful near all our streams and rivers, though it has suffered considerable persecution and had its num- bers much diminished by the mania of young ladies 274 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. for bright- coloured birds as ornaments for their hats, and also by the more regular demands of fishing- tackle makers; the gamekeeper also occasionally makes an onslaught on this bird, as he considers it destructive to his trout ; the birdstuffer may also be numbered as one of the enemies of the Kingfisher, as he can always make up a pretty case and get a ready sale for so bright and beautiful a bird ; but in spite of all these enemies the Kingfisher may still be seen darting, like an animated blue light, from one fishing-station to another, or sitting patiently on some branch or rock overhanging the water till his food comes within reach of his pounce, when he drops on it with almost unerring aim. The food of the Kingfisher consists mostly of small fish, such as minnows, loaches, sticklebacks, and perhaps occasionally young trout and battle- heads, which latter sometimes prove fatal to the poor Kingfisher, as the big head of that fish has been known to stick in its throat and choke it ; * leaches and water beetles also form part of its food. On the sea- coast it feeds on the small fish that are left by the receding tide in the natural aquariums in the rocks, and in calm weather on any fish it can sur- * I once found an eel which had been choked in the same way : when I found it, it was quite dead, and the tail of the battle-head was sticking out of its mouth, the head being firmly fixed in its throat. HALCYONIB^, 275 5 prise in the sea itself. In some situations in which I have seen the Kingfisher fishing from the wild rocks, it must in stormy weather find considerable difficulty in maintaining itself; for instance, on the western part of the island of Guernsey where even a moderate hreeze makes sea enough to interrupt its occupation, and heavy westerly gales must quite put a stop to it for many days together. The nest of the Kingfisher is always placed in a hole, generally in one dug hy itself, if its fortune has placed it in a situation where it can find a bank sufficiently soft to allow it to dig for itself; other- wise a hole amongst the roots of alder or other trees growing by the side of a stream, or a deep crevice in rock, will serve its turn ; but if some such con- venient place cannot be found it will quit the imme- diate vicinity of water, and seek for a place further off, instances being recorded of its breeding quite as much as a mile from the water, in which case the parent birds must have a hard time of it to supply food for their ever-voracious young. It does not appear quite clearly made out yet whether the King- fisher builds any nest in its hole : it is confidently asserted by some that it does make a nest entirely of fish-bones, and it is equally confidently asserted by others that these bones are not brought into the hole for the purpose of building a nest, but that the young ones, being fed upon fish, reject the bones in the same way that Hawks reject feathers and bones, 276 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. and in consequence of this, before they leave the nest, there is a considerable accumulation of bones, which get piled up round the young birds, and present the appearance of a regularly built nest. How this may be I must leave to some one who lives in a place more frequented by these birds to settle. I can, however, bear witness to the fact of the "very ancient and fish-like smell" which per- vades the hole before the young birds leave their home. Kingfishers become tolerably tame, and may be kept in confinement, especially if placed in an aviarjr where fresh water can be introduced, in which a sufficient supply of minnows and other small fish can be kept, as is done at the Zoological Gardens in London. It is almost impossible, either by painting or by a written description, to give any adequate idea of the brilliancy of the plumage of this bird. The beak, which is very long and large for the size of the bird, is nearly black, except the base of the lower man- dible, which is orange ; the irides are red ; the lore dusky ; the top of the head dark blue, ribbed with bright light blue (all the blue in the Kingfisher varies, according to the light in which the bird is seen, from blue to green); there is a small patch above, and a long one under, the eye, reaching to the ear-coverts, of bright bay; the ear-coverts are white, some of the feathers are slightly tinged at the HIRUNDINIDJE. 277 edges with bay ; under this again, from the base of the lower mandible to beneath the ear-coverts, is a long streak of the same colour as the top of the head ; the back, rump and tail-coverts are a beautiful bright glossy light blue ; the scapulars and a part of the back are a darker blue ; the wing-coverts are the same, but with a speck of the bright blue of the back at the tip of each feather ; the quill-feathers are dark dusky, almost black, on the inner webs, greenish blue on the outer ; the tail-feathers are brightish blue, but darker than the tail-coverts; the chin and throat are dull dirty white ; the rest of the under parts are bay, palest on the under tail-coverts ; legs and toes orange ; the outside toe is united to the middle one as far as the second joint, and the inside toe as far as the first joint; claws rather darker than the toes. The egg is a plain shining white. Family There are now six Swallows and Martins and three Swifts included in the list of British birds, three of which seem to have only made one appear- ance in England : as Somersetshire birds I can only claim five out of the nine. SWALLOW, Hirundo rustic a. This well-known and always-welcome summer visitor is very common SB 278 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. throughout the county : it is moderately early in its arrival, being always here by the middle of April, and sometimes considerably earlier, for I have a note of having seen one at Wells, in the year 1866, as early as the 3rd of April, and here on the 5th ; in 1867 I noted the appearance of a Swallow here on the 4th : all my previous notes are a week later at least. In the year 1867 they made a peculiarly long stay, from the 5th of April to the 28th of November, on which day I saw two hawking for flies over one of my fields. The food of the Swallow consists entirely of insects of various sorts, which it for the most part takes on the wing, and in the untiring pursuit of which it passes the whole of the day, from the earliest dawn to quite late in the evening. Though almost in- variably taking its food on the wing it may some- times, in very wet weather, be seen searching for prey on foot : at such times I have seen these birds waddling about the muddy gravel-walks in a most awkward manner, looking for flies which had been beaten down to the ground or only just able to^rise above it : on such occasions they present a great con- trast to the active sprightly Water Wagtail. This mode of feeding in wet weather, as well as the clum- siness of the Swallow when on the ground, has been noticed, in the c Zoologist' for 1866, by Mr. Blake- Knox, in which note this gentleman also observes that the occasional dipping of Swallows, which every HIKUNDINID^E. 279 one must have noticed, is not always for the purpose of drinking, but for the purpose of catching those funny little coleopterous insects which abound in every pool, and which he calls " whirlygigs" I sup- pose from their curious mode of progression. The May-fly is a favourite dainty for the Swallow and for all its congeners, as it is for all other fly-eaters. The nest of the Swallow is usually placed against the sides of an unused chimney, or amongst the rafters of a linhay or out-house. Yarrell mentions that a pair of Swallows made their nest in an open drawer in an unused garret, to which they obtained access through a broken pane of glass : he also says that another pair attached their nest to the body and wing of an Owl that had been nailed against a barn- door. The nest of the Swallow is made of clay or mud, much in the same way as that of the Martin, the chief difference being in the situation, the Swal- low generally choosing some place where its nest is quite under the protection of a roof; the Martin, on the other hand, being contented with the slight pro- tection afforded by the overhanging eaves or thatch of a building. Both Swallows and Martins may be constantly seen collecting materials for their nests at the edge of some muddy puddle or pond, and in wet weather on the roads, which (except the occa- sional instances above mentioned) is the only time they are ever seen on the ground. The beak of the Swallow is black, and small for 280 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the size of the gape ; the irides hazel ; the forehead, chin and throat reddish hay ; the head, neck, back, scapulars, wing- and tail-coverts are a dark glossy blue, with purplish reflections ; quills and greater wing-coverts brownish black ; the tail the same, the exterior feather on each side is very much longer than the rest of the tail-feathers, and considerably narrower towards the tip than at the base ; all the tail-feathers, except the two centre ones, have a roundish spot of white on the inner web ; under the reddish bay on the throat is a broad dark band, almost black ; all the rest of the under parts are a creamy white ; the legs, toes and claws are black. The markings of the female are not so distinct as of the male, and the narrow tips of the outer tail- feathers not so long. The young birds of the year have not the bay mark on the forehead, and the chin has only a slight tinge of that colour ; the white spots on the tail are wanting, as is the narrow elongated part of the two outside feathers. Varieties of the Swallow occasionally occur, white and buff being the most common. The egg is white, speckled all over with small orange spots. MARTIN, Hirundo urbica. " This guest of summer The temple-haunting Martlet does approve, By his lov'd mansionrj, that the heavens' breath Smells wooingly here," HIRUNDINID^E. and is accordingly a constant and numerous summer visitor to the " summer county," arriving about the same time as the Swallow, Yarrell says a few days later, and this appears to me to be the case, but there is very little difference, and departing also about the same time. There is one very late in- stance of the stay of this bird recorded in the ' Zoolo- gist' as late as the 10th of December:* several other instances of late stay are recorded, but this is the latest I can find. The food of the Martin, like that of the Swallow, consists entirely of insects, which it takes on the wing in the same manner as that bird. The nest is made of mud, and is usually fixed against the side of a house, or some other building, immediately beneath the roof or coping, or some projecting "jutty frieze or coign of vantage." Whole colonies of nests may be seen on the cliffs by the sea- side, some overhanging portion of rock being taken advantage of, immediately underneath which the nest is usually fixed : in such places as these I have watched them, in considerable num- bers, especially at Teignmouth, feeding their young, as late in the year as September: these, therefore, must have been second or even third broods, and the young can only be just able to fly when they have to begin their migratory journey. * ' Zoologist' for 1866 (Second Series, p. 172). 2 B 3 282 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. The beak of the Martin is black; the irides brown ; the head, neck, back, scapulars and lesser wing- coverts are a dark glossy blue ; the rump and tail- coverts pure white ; the quills and tail are brownish black ; the tail is forked, but not so much so as that of the Swallow, and the elongated parts of the outer feathers are wanting ; all the under parts are pure white ; the legs and toes are pale flesh-colour, nearly covered with short downy white feathers ; the claws are greyish horn. The young bird of the year is not so glossy on the back ; the tertials are rather broadly tipped with white, and the breast is slightly clouded with dusky. Varieties of this bird occasionally occur, the commonest being white. The egg is plain white, without any spots. SAND MARTIN, Hirundo riparia. The Sand Martin, although perhaps more local in its distribution, is in most parts of the county especially where it can find convenient accommodation for its nest quite as numerous as either the House Martin or the Swallow. It is a summer visitor, arriving about the same time as the two last-mentioned species, and generally in company with them. Yarrell, indeed, places the arrival of the Sand Martin a few days earlier than that of either of the others ; but, as far as I have been able to observe the arrival of these birds, I have generally found all the three species arrive about the same time : the Sand Martins cer- tainly make an earlier appearance in force, but HIEUNDINIDJE. 283 amongst these ^flocks are almost always a few Mar- tins and Swallows. The Sand Martin differs considerably from the other two species in the manner of building and the locality in which it places its nest : this is always in a hole, which the birds usually excavate for them- selves : the place chosen for this excavation is gene- rally in some steep sand-bank or side of a cliff, where the nature of the soil allows them to work : about here they generally choose the perpendicular side of some quarry : the holes are made quite round, and are generally some two or three feet deep from the face of the bank or cliff: at the bottom of the hole a slight nest is made of hay and feathers ; in places nearer the sea, sea-weed appears to be the article mostly made use of. In describing these holes all writers appear to agree in saying to young bird- nesters, "Beware of fleas," which abound in the nest itself, and even round the mouth of the hole in which it is placed. The food of the Sand Martin, like that of the Swallow and House Martin, consists almost entirely of insects, mostly flying ones. Yarrell, quoting White's ' Selborne,' says the young are occasionally fed with dragonflies as long as themselves. I have never myself detected any of the Hirundinidae taking dragonflies, or indeed anything much longer than a May-fly, which is a very favourite food with all of them. S84 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. The beak of the Sand Martin is dark brown, nearly black ; the irides are hazel ; the head, neck, back and all the upper parts are uniform dark hair- brown ; the quills are a darker brown, almost black ; the tail is the same ; the chin and throat are white ; there is a broadish dark brown band on the breast, and the flanks also are brown; all the rest of the under parts are white ; the legs, toes and claws are dark brown ; there are a few lightish feathers just above the hind toe. In the young birds of the year the feathers on the head, neck, back, scapulars, wing-coverts, tertial- quills, rump and tail-coverts, are margined with light rusty brown ; the margins on the head and neck appear to wear away first ; there is a light streak on the outer w r eb of each of the tail- feathers, except the two centre ones. Varieties, mostly white or cream-colour, occasionally make their appearance. The egg is plain white, rather smaller than that of the Swallow. SWIFT, Cypselus apus. This peculiar- looking bird is the last to arrive of all the Hirundinidse and the earliest to depart, making so short a stay with us that it would hardly appear worth its while to make so long a journey : my own notes of its arrival vary from the 28th of April to the 2nd of May, and the notes of its departure nearly agree ; " Seen no Swifts since the 18th of August." One year I was crossing from Weymouth to Guernsey in the steamer, on the HIRUNDINID^. 285 18th of August, when, about half way across (we had just lost sight of Portland-bill but had not made the Caskets), a considerable flock of Swifts overtook and passed the steamer ; they were spread out in a long line, like a line of skirmishers, reaching from west to east nearly as far as we could see : the course they were steering was nearly south by east, a little to the eastward of our own course : this would have brought them to land between Cape La Hogue and Cher- bourg : they were plodding along, in a steady, busi- ness-like manner, nearly against a tolerably strong southerly breeze : there was none of the dashing here and there, and rapid turnings and twistings, which we so usually associate with the flight of the Swift. This bird is not always so regular in its departure as my notes would lead one to suppose, for there is a note in the * Zoologist ' for 1863 which records the stay of Swifts in some numbers as late as the 10th of September, and a few straggling birds as late as the end of the month ; and Yarrell records their stay in the South of Devon as late as the 27th of November. The nest is usually placed in a hole in some old building, such as a cathedral or church-tower, or some old castle or ruin, and occasionally under the thatch of a cottage. Cliffs also, either by the sea- side or inland cliffs like Cheddar, are also a favourite haunt for these birds, and their nests are placed amongst the crevices and interstices. If buildings 886 BIEDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. or cliffs are not to be found the Swift will make its nest in a hole in a tree. The Swift seems to have almost an unlimited power of flight, as it may be seen on the wing from early morning to late in the night, either hawking about for its insect food or indulging in noisy quarrels with others of its own species, generally high in the air, far above the Swallows and Martins, except in very wet weather, when it is driven from its happy hunting-grounds aloft to seek food nearer the earth; but even then it never alights on the ground, from which it has some trouble in rising, as the Swallow has been described as doing: on those occasions when it is driven near to the ground it sometimes makes an incautious dash at the artificial fly of the fly-fisher, and is said to give considerable play before it can be landed. The peculiar form of this bird, as well as its weight, would hardly lead one at first to suppose it possessed such power of flight : the wings, certainly, are very long and very much arched, the first primary being the longest, from which they decrease rapidly in length; the secondaries are nearly equal in length, and the tertials very short in proportion to the size of the bird, more so, perhaps, than those of any other bird except the Gannet. The great power and velocity of flight of this bird, taken together with its weight, bears out, to a certain extent, the asser- tion of the Duke of Argyle that the heavier in pro- 287 portion a bird is, the greater is its power and velocity of flight.* In the colour of its plumage the Swift is a dark sombre-looking bird, the whole of its plumage, except the chin, which is white, being a dark, dusky brown, slightly glossed (in some lights) with dull sap- green; the under parts are perhaps a little darker and want the gloss of the upper parts ; the legs, toes and claws are black; the legs are very short and powerless, walking being an exercise this bird does not indulge in. The young birds have the tertials and some of the feathers on the upper parts tipped with buify white. Varieties occasionally occur. The egg of the Swift is plain white, and rather a long oblong in shape. ALPINE SWIFT, Cypselus alpinus. I find I have to mention this rare British bird, in consequence of a notice of its occurrence in the ' Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society.' In the temporary local museum, formed during the Meeting of the Society at Weston-super-Mare, in the year 1851, amongst other things there exhi- bited, Mr. Fry, of Axbridge, is said to have shown "Five specimens in Ornithology, neatly mounted, with appropriate landscape back-grounds, including amongst them one of the Alpine Swift shot in this * Paper by the Duke of Argyle in the ' Sunday Maga- zine 'for 1867. 288 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. county." From a Society professing to call itself a "Natural History Society" we might have hoped for some fuller accounts of the " five specimens in Ornithology " than that they were " neatly mounted with appropriate landscape back-grounds." Of a bird so rare as the Alpine Swift we should have cer- tainly liked to know, at least, the when and where of its capture. However, as it was shot in the county, I must include it in the list of Soinertshire birds. Though rare, this bird has been taken in several counties in Great Britain and Ireland; its general habitation seems to be the islands in and countries adjoining the Mediterranean. It is a migratory species, going northward across that sea from Africa to Europe in summer. It appears to have much the same habits as the Common Swift, feeding on various sorts of insects, which it seeks far in the higher regions of the air. The nest is placed in the fissures of high rocks, and in the loftiest parts of cathedral and church- towers : it is made of straw and moss.* This bird may readily be distinguished from the Common Swift by its white belly and its larger size. Yarrell describes the Alpine Swift as follows: " The beak is black, and longer in proportion than in the Common Swift; the irides are blackish brown ; the top of the head, sides of the neck and all the * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 278. HIRUNDINIDJE. 289 upper surface of the body, wings and tail nearlj uniform hair-brown ; chin, throat, breast and belly white ; a band across the upper part of the breast, the thighs, vent and under tail-coverts hair-brown ; feathers on the legs brown; toes orange-brown; claws dark brown." The eggs are white, and elongated, like those of the Common Swift. This is the last of the Hirundinidse I can claim for Somersetshire. Either collectively or individu- ally no one has a word to say against any of the family : they eat neither fruit, grain nor buds, but do an unlimited amount of good by the destruction of flies and gnats, in search of which they are most indefatigable. Though not liable to attacks from man on the supposition that they do him mischief, I am sorry to say shooting these birds is considered an amusement, not only by school-boys who manage to borrow a gun on a holiday, but by grown-up men. They are extremely susceptible of changes in the weather, and a succession of cold, wet, windy weather kills many of them. The Martins seem to be the most susceptible ; for instance, after some cold rough weather in the middle of August, this year (1868), I picked up seven Martins and one Swallow dead : the gizzards of all those I examined were perfectly empty, 290 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. Family CAPRIMULGID^E. NIGHTJAR, Caprimidgus europ&us. This very odd- looking bird, the only one of the Caprimulgidse that can with any propriety he considered British, is tolerably numerous in this county, but rather local in its distribution, as it chiefly delights in rough and stony places ; and in such places I have generally found it, as amongst the rough stones, fern and heather of the Quantock Hills, where it is much more numerous than it is in the Vale. The name which I have chosen for this bird is perhaps the one now most commonly used, but it rejoices in more names than any bird in the British list some of them merely local, and some being much more general : besides the usual name " Night- jar," it is called "Goatsucker," "Fern Owl," "Dor Hawk," " Churn Owl," " Goat Owl," " Wheelbird," "Night Hawk" and "Night Crow," the latter of which denominations is perhaps the more common here. The name " Goatsucker," as well as the Latin names applied both to this bird and generally to the family, " Caprimulgus" and "Caprimulgidse," must have arisen from a popular error, which, as Bewick" says, has no foundation but in ignorance and super- stition. The Nightjar is a short summer visitor to England, not arriving till the middle of May, and departing in September: I have shot one as late as the 18th of CAPRIMULGID^E. 291 that month. It is decidedly nocturnal in its habits, lying hid under tufts of heather or fern, or under- rough stones, during the day, and coming abroad in the evening in search of its food, which consists of insects, mostly nocturnal ones, such as moths, cock- chaffers and fern-flies. Yarrell says the young birds are easy to rear, and that he has known them kept through their first winter, but that they never attempted to feed themselves. Meyer, however, says that he never succeeded in keeping them alive, even by a kitchen fire, after the first two or three frosty nights. The nest is a very slight affair, merely a hole scooped in the ground, under cover of some rough plants or stones. The plumage of the Nightjar is so minutely streaked, freckled and spotted with various shades of grey and brown that it is very difficult to describe. I shall only attempt a very general description, which will be quite sufficient, as it is so peculiar in appear- ance that it cannot be mistaken for any other British bird, or indeed for anything except some of its own family, only one other of which has been recognized as British, and that has only occurred once. The beak, which is very small, has the upper mandible black, the lower one black at the tip and pale brown at the base ; the mouth, which, when opened, looks enormously disproportioned both to the little beak and to the head, is pale flesh-colour inside; the 2 c 2 292 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. irides are black; the head, neck, back and tail-coverts are mostly grey, minutely freckled and pencilled with dark brown, of which colour there are many long streaks, especially one on the middle of the head ; the scapulars and wing- coverts are a rich dark brown, marked and freckled with yellowish brown and grey ; primary and secondary quills darkish brown, irregu- larly barred and spotted with rich orange -brown, and freckled with grey, more especially towards the tips ; the tertials are almost wholly grey, freckled with dark brown ; the two centre feathers of the tail are grey, tolerably regularly barred with dark brown, the grey parts being much freckled with the same colour ; the outer feathers are more like the primary quills in colour and marking ; the throat is dark brown and orange-brown mixed, there is a light, almost white, spot on each side of it ; the belly and the rest of the under parts are greyish brown, thickly and rather regularly barred with dark brown. The male bird is easily distinguished from the female, as it has a patch of white on the inner web of each of the three first primaries, and the two outer feathers of the tail have broad white ends. The legs, which are very short and much feathered, are orange-brown on the bare parts ; the toes and claws are the same colour, the centre toe being much the longest, and having the inner edge of the claw much notched like a saw. The young birds of the year are much like the old ones. COLUMBID;E. 593 The egg is large for the size of the bird ; white, much blotched and smeared with dusky grey. With the Nightjar ends both the division Fissi- rostres as well as the great and important Order of Insessores. ORDER BASORES. Family COLUMBID^E. I now come to the third Order, that of Rasores, which, although by no means so numerous as most of the other Orders, nevertheless quite equals them in importance, as to it belongs the principal in- habitants of the dovecote, the poultry yard and the game preserve. The British species included in this Order are only twenty-one, and of these only sixteen appear to me to have a claim to a place in the list of British birds, and only half of that numbei or eight out of the sixteen can be included in my list. The Columbidse, or Pigeons, are the first family of this Order that claim our attention besides those here enumerated there is one other species of this family, the Passenger Pigeon, in- cluded in the British list, but it appears only to have been twice noticed in England. WOOD PIGEON, Columba palumbus. The first of the Columbidse I have to notice is the Wood Pigeon : it is a resident and very numerous species in this 2 c 3 294 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. county, and is apparently increasing in numbers : this increase is probably partly owing to the destruc- tion of the larger Hawks and birds of prey by game- keepers, and also to the extreme wariness of the birds themselves, who do not often give a chance of a shot at them in the day-time : in the evening, how- ever, during the autumn and winter, when they come into the woods and plantations to roost in large flocks, considerable numbers may be shot by any one lying in wait for them under the trees, especially if the evening be rough and windy. In the autumn and earlier part of the winter Wood Pigeons are very good eating almost, if not quite, equal to Partridges ; and the farmer may then repay himself for the damage done to his crops by these birds, and have an evening's sport into the bargain; but later in the winter and towards the beginning of spring, when they attack the crops of Swede and other turnips, I cannot say so much for their goodness for the kitchen, as they then become very rank and bitter. After reading the following bill of fare no one will be surprised that the farmer is occasionally a little put out by the way his crops are devoured by Wood Pigeons, especially where they are at all numerous ; but, after all, the damage done to him does not appear to be sufficient to warrant such extraordinary means of destruction as poisoned grain or shooting the birds on their nests (when they are certainly COLUMRID.E. 295 easy of approach, but totally unfit for eating), or the formation of Societies devoted to their destruction, such as that mentioned in the ' Zoologist' for 1866, where the farmers of a certain district formed an Association for this purpose, and not only pledged themselves to the destruction of Wood Pigeons, but sent circulars to their landlords requesting them to assist in the destruction of these birds on their estates. Like all the Rasorial Order, Wood Pigeons feed mostly on farm produce : wheat and barley in great quantities, oats occasionally (not a very favourite food), peas by the quart, beans and tares, Swede and common turnips (both the root and the greens), clover,* rape and cabbage, all come within the range of their appetite. On the other hand, the seeds of various sorts of weeds especially charlock and dock seeds, the latter in considerable quantities, their crops having been found quite distended with it - may form some little set off to the mischief done. A great portion of their food also consists of things which cannot be included in either of the above categories, as they do neither good nor harm to the farmer, such as acorns and beech-masts, which form a very favourite portion of their food : to show * The crop of one killed by myself in April was per- fectly full of clover ; in the gizzard was the same, and seeds of weeds and \vhite stones. 296 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the extent to which these birds gormandize on this food I may mention the result of the examination of two birds made by myself: the first was on the 10th of October, an old bird, in the crop of which were thirty-seven beech-masts and in the gizzard eight others sufficiently whole to be counted, besides di- gested portions of others; there were also a good many white stones : the other, a young bird only just able to fly, was examined on the 24th of October, and had the astonishing number of seventy-seven beech- masts and one large acorn in its crop ; the gizzard I did not examine. Holly, ivy and whortleberries, as well as hips and haws, may be added. I do not like to say anything that would create a prejudice against the Wood Pigeon, or cause the formation of a Society like the one above mentioned, but as a matter of fact I think it right to refer to a note, by Mr. Cordeaux, in the * Zoologist ' for 1867, in which he mentions the contents of the crops and gizzards of two Wood Pigeons : the first was shot on the 1st of November and had seventy- six grains of barley in the crop, and in the gizzard partly digested barley with the usual accompaniment of sharp angular stones ; the other bird, shot on the 27th of November, had in the crop four hundred and thirty grains of barley, one charlock-seed and a few fragments of red clover-plant, and in the gizzard barley and small stones. In spite of this amount of barley, which, compared with the one charlock- seed, COLUMBID^. 297 puts one in mind of Falstaff s incredible amount of sack to the one poor pennyworth of bread, the two Wood Pigeons had not really done the farmer so much harm as may be supposed : his crop of barley having by that time been gathered in, they had only gleaned up the wasted and shelled out grains, or what they could pick up round ricks ; at that time of year, too, the farmer might have revenged and paid himself by shooting and eating the Wood Pigeons, and he would have found them quite as good eating as any Partridge. In the crop of a Wood Pigeon shot by myself in a wheat-field in August were one hun- dred and forty-six grains of wheat ; the gizzard was also crammed with wheat. The nest of the Wood Pigeon is generally placed in a high bush or shrub, or in a moderately low tree, or in thick ivy by the side of a tree ; indeed some sort of evergreen is generally chosen for the earlier nests, such as a holly or highish laurel. The nest itself is a very slight structure of sticks, so loosely put together that the eggs and the young birds may be seen through it. Yarrell says they have sometimes as many as three broods in the year : I should think, however, he might have said four, as they are rather early nesters, and go on laying until late in the autumn. I have frequently myself found their nests, with young birds in them not fully Hedged, when out shooting in October, as late indeed as the 18th of that month ; and an 298 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. instance is recorded in the c Zoologist ' of a nest having been found as late as the 23rd of October. The Wood Pigeon (as well as the rest of the Pigeon family) has great power and velocity of flight, and being a heavy bird, in comparison with some others of nearly the same size, bears out to a certain extent the Duke of Argyle's theory of weight before alluded to.* The breast-bone also is very strong and solid and the keel very deep, measuring one inch and one line in depth, while that of the Book measures only eight lines, that of the Partridge ten lines, and that of the Common Buzzard (a larger bird) measures only eight lines in depth. The Wood Pigeon cannot be kept, like the common tame Pigeons, in a semi-domestic state, though it can be kept in a state of confinement, arid it is then said to grow very tame ; but it has not been known to breed in this state or to cross with any other Pigeon. In plumage the " King Dove," as this bird is frequently called, from the white patch on each side of the neck (which gives a sort of appearance of a ring), is a handsome, showy bird. The beak is reddish orange, the soft part about the nostrils almost white ; the irides straw-yellow; the head and back of the neck greyish blue : the back, scapulars, wing- coverts (except a few of the outer * According to Montagu the Wood Pigeon weighs twenty ounces, the Partridge only fifteen ounces. COLUMBID.E. 299 ones) and the tertials nearly the same, but a shade darker and with a slight brownish tinge ; the rump and tail- co verts the same as the head, if anything a little lighter ; the tail-feathers are black at the tip, in the centre is a broadish band of light bluish grey, and the base is dark bluish grey ; the outer wing- coverts, both greater and lesser, are white, and those next inside are white on the outer web only this makes a conspicuous white patch on the wing ; the bastard wing is black ; the p%mary quills nearly black, but with a streak of white on the outer web, broadest towards the base ; on each side of the neck is a conspicuous white patch this patch is sur- rounded by feathers reflecting a metallic gloss of purple and green ; chin and throat bluish grey, like the head; the breast is purplish pink: belly and thighs nearly white, but being tinged with the same colour as the breast it gives them a dirty appearance ; flanks and under tail-coverts nearly the same as the upper tail-coverts, but slightly lighter; the legs and toes red ; claws brown. The female is the same as the male. The young birds in their first plumage may be distinguished from the old ones, as they want 'the white patches on the side of the neck. Varieties occasionally occur, mostly spotted over the body with white, but such, or any varieties, appear to be very unusual; not one has ever come under my own observation. 300 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. The egg is plain white, rather larger than that of the Common Pigeon. STOCK DOVE, Columba anas. The Stock Dove is by no means a common species in this county; specimens, however, occasionally occur, roosting with Wood Pigeons, and are sometimes shot by mistake. One of my specimens was shot in this way in a small plantation near here : I have also one in the aviaiy which was picked up wounded some years ago: it has lived in my a^ary ever since, somewhat con- tentedly, and is tolerably tame : if I had a male bird I think they would probably breed, as this one is constantly laying eggs and is most indefatigable in sitting on them : it will not, however, pair either with the Turtle Dove or the foreign Ring Dove (Columba risoria). The Stock Dove is resident here throughout the year. Meyer says they are not found in England after November, but that is a mis- take, as the one in my collection was shot in Januar} r , and there are also notices in the 'Zoologist' of their being killed during the winter months, generally mixed up with flocks of Wood Pigeons. The food of the present species is much the same as that of the Wood Pigeon, but it is not sufficiently numerous to do any real damage : it consists, accord- ing to Yarrell, of " young leaves, peas, grain, seeds, berries, turnip -leaves, beech-nuts, acorns," c. The nest is usually placed in a hole in an old tree, but if that cannot be found a rabbit-hole will be COLUMBED^E. 301 made to answer the purpose, or even the bare ground, under a furze or other bush; and one instance is recorded of the Stock Dove breeding in a church-tower.* Bewick has made a slight mistake about this species, having confused it with the Kock Dove, or Blue Bock Dove, the picture being undoubtedly that of the Bock Dove, and the name that of the Wild Pigeon or Stock Dove : the two species are, however, perfectly distinct both in plumage and habits, the present species more resembling the Wood Pigeon in habits, roosting and perching in trees, which the Bock Dove scarcely ever does.t In appearance it is easily distinguished from either of the others : from the Wood Pigeon it differs in having no white on the neck or the wing; it is also considerably smaller : from the Bock Dove, or real Blue Bock for the name " Blue Bock" is in some places applied to this bird it differs in wanting the two con- spicuous black bands across the wing and the white on the lower part of the back. The beak of the Stock Dove is reddish orange ; the irides scarlet ; the head, neck, back, scapulars, wing-coverts and tertials are bluish grey ; on some of the greater wing- coverts, and on some of the * 'Zoologist' for 1867 (Second Series, p. 758). f For one doubtful instance see ' Zoologist ' for 1863, pp. 8825-6. 302 BIRDS OP SOMERSETSHIRE. tertials nearest the body, there is a dark dusky spot, almost black: Yarrell seems to think the spot on the coverts is only occasional ; my two stuffed speci- mens, however, as well as the live one, possess it, and Meyer seems to think it constant, as he says a row of black blotches takes the place of the two rows or bands of black on the wings of the Kock Dove : on the sides of the neck the feathers have a metallic gloss reflecting green and purple : the quills are dusky ; the rump and tail- coverts are a lighter shade of the same colour as the back ; the tail-feathers are dusky at the tip, all the rest is bluish grey, except the base of the outer web of the outside feather on each side, which is white ; the chin and throat are the same as the back and head ; on the breast there is a beautiful pinkish purple tinge ; the rest of the under parts are nearly the same as the upper, but rather lighter, especially on the belly ; the legs, toes and claws are reddish brown. The male and female scarcely differ in plumage, except that the female is not quite so brightly coloured as the male. The young before their first moult have no shining metallic feathers on the neck, and the dark spots on the wings are wanting.* The egg is white, like that of the Wood Pigeon, but smaller. ROCK DOVE, Columba livia. This is the species * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 297. COLUMBIDJE. 303 from which all our numerous varieties of tame and partially tame Pigeons derive their origin. How such an almost endless number of varieties have been developed from this one species I must leave to Mr. Darwin to explain. There is one great point of similarity of habit between our common domestic Pigeons and their common ancestor, the Bock Dove, namely, their dislike to perching in trees. I do not mean to say that neither of them ever do so, but that it is a very rare occurrence: as for the common Pigeons I can answer for them that they very seldom perch in trees, as I have not only a good many Pigeons myself, but most of those in the parish pay me a visit every morning, when I am feeding the Wild Ducks and Gulls, to participate in the scramble ; but although the place is quite sur- rounded with trees, the Pigeons always take up their position on the chimneys, the ridge of the roof or the coping of the house, or on the iron railings (on which they never have any objection to perch), and on these places they may be seen all day ; but only three or four times in my life have I seen them on the trees. Any one who keeps Pigeons, or jhas them kept near him, may easily remark this pecu- liarity for himself, and see how widely the tame Pigeons differ in this respect from the Wood Pigeon, the Stock Dove and the Turtle Dove, all of which both perch and roost in trees. There is also a peculiarity of plumage which has struck me, and SD 2 304 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. I should be glad to know if anyone has observed the same namely, that although the common Pigeons assume nearly every possible variety of plumage, from that of the perfect wild Eock Dove, I have never noticed amongst them any bird similar in plumage to the Stock Dove, nearly as that plumage would seem to assimilate with that of the Rock Dove. I include this species in the list of Somersetshire birds on the authority of my friend the Kev. Murray A. Mathew, who told me that a colony of them had taken up their abode in the cliffs near Weston-super- Mare. I do not know that there is any other record of their appearance in this county, even as occasional visitants. The nest of the Kock Dove, which is said to be a loose sort of structure, or heap of stalks or small sticks, is usually placed in a hole or crevice in some high rock or cliff, or on a lofty ledge, sometimes deep in a cavern. The food of this bird, like that of the rest of the family, consists chiefly of various sorts of grain, and also of small seeds, mostly of weeds, and of a great number of roots, particularly those of the mis- chievous couch-grass (Triticum repens). Yarrell adds to this list several species of shell-snails. The present species is rather smaller than the Stock Dove, and differs from that bird, as has been before observed, in several particulars in its plumage. "The beak is reddish orange, inclining COLUMBID.E. 305 to brown ; irides pale orange ; head and neck bluish grey, the sides of the latter shining with green and purple reflections ; shoulders, upper part of the back and both sets of wing-coverts French-grey ; all the greater coverts with a black bar near the end, forming a conspicuous black band extending out- wards and forwards to the edge of the wing ; primary and secondary quill-feathers bluish- grey ; the tertials French-grey, tipped with black, and with a con- spicuous band of black below the black band on the coverts, the light-coloured band on the great wing- coverts intervening between the two dark bands ; lower part of the back pure white ; rump and upper tail-coverts pearl-grey; tail-feathers twelve, of two colours, the basal two-thirds pearl-grey, with dark shafts, the ends lead-grey; the chin bluish grey; the throat purple and green; breast and all the under surface of the body pearl-grey ; under wing- coverts and axillary plume white ; legs and toes red- dish orange ; the claws brown. The females are not quite so large as males, and their colours generally less brilliant. Young birds in their first or nestling plumage, before their autumnal moult, may always be distinguished from the young of the Stock Dove by the broad patch of pure white on the lower part of the back." I have taken this description from Yarrell, as I have not a Eock Dove in my collection, but I may add that some of the tame Pigeons do not differ, even in the most minute particulars, from it. 2D 3 306 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. The egg is plain white, much like that of the Stock Dove. . TURTLE DOVE, Columba Turtur. The Turtle Dove is not an uncommon summer visitor in this county: it arrives about the end of April or be- ginning of May, and departs about October : there is a note in the * Zoologist' of one having remained as late as the 18th of November. It appears to have two broods in the year, as I have seen one shot on the 1st of September, which could only have just been out of the nest, and I have in my collection one shot on the same day in nearly adult plumage. The food of the Turtle Dove is much the same as that of the three last-mentioned species, and it is consequently rather mischievous, but as it is by no means so numerous as the Wood Pigeon it does not excite so much indignation. The nest, like that of the Wood Pigeon, is placed in a tree or highish bush, and is made of sticks, much in the same open loose sort of manner. The Turtle Dove is easily kept in confinement and will breed : I have known it also, in my aviary, cross with the common white Ring Dove (Columba risoria) : the offspring of this cross are very pretty neat birds, not nearly so distinctly marked as the adult Turtle Dove, but much more resembling the young birds of the year in their first plumage. There is, I see, a note in the 'Zoologist' for 18G5 of the same cross having taken place. COLUMBHXE. 807 The Turtle Dove has the beak brown ; the irides reddish brown; under the eye is a small patch of naked red skin ; the head and nape are bluish grey ; on the side of the neck are some black feathers, tipped and partially margined with white ; the back, scapulars, rump and tail-coverts are bluish grey, a good deal tinged with rusty nearly all the feathers of these parts are darker in the centre ; the wing- coverts are black in the centre, broadly mar- gined with orange-rusty; some of the outside wing-coverts are bluish grey ; the quills are dusky, the tertials margined with rusty brown; the two centre feathers of the tail are dusky, the rest dark lead-blue, each feather broadly tipped with white, and the outer web of the outside feather on each side is white the shafts of all are black ; the cheeks and throat are dirty yellowish white; the breast is bluish grey, very strongly tinged with pur- plish pink; the rest of the under parts are nearly white. Yarrell describes "the young bird of the year up to the time of its leaving this country," as having " the beak dark brown ; the general colour of the plumage of the head and body hair-brown ; the back rather darker than the front of the neck ; the wing-coverts tipped with huffy white ; the flight- or quill-feathers slightly tinged on their outer edges with rufous ; belly and under tail- coverts white ; flanks bluish grey ; tail-feathers above hair-brown, on the under surface blackish brown ; the white part 308 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the same as in the adult." I have a young bird of the year in my collection, shot on the 1st of Sep- tember, which differs from this description, as there is one row of the black and white feathers on the side of the neck making its appearance, and many of the wing- coverts are the same as in the adult. The bird is the smallest of British Pigeons, and the egg is the smallest of our Pigeon's eggs, but otherwise, like them, quite white. Family PHASIANID^E. COMMON PHEASANT, Phasianus colchicus. The Common Pheasant, as its Latin name imports, is an inhabitant of Colchis, in Asia Minor, and of the country about the river Phasis, whence it was im- ported into Europe (for there is no native Euro- pean Pheasant), in very early times, it is said, by Jason and the Argonauts ; and it may have been so at all events, the theory is as good as any other : from Greece it was imported into Italy, and carried by the Romans into many countries in Europe and probably into England, although we do not hear of it here till the reign of Edward the First, in the twenty- seventh year of whose reign (A. D. 1299) the price of a Pheasant was said to be fourpence, of a Mallard three half-pence, a Plover one penny, and of a couple of Woodcocks three half-pence ; and Richard the Second's cook, who wrote a sort of cookery-book, PHASIANID.E. 809 gives a receipt " for to boile Fesant, Ptruch, Capons and Curlew :" this book appears to have been written about A. D. 1381. The Pheasant is also mentioned in the old ballad of the " Battle of Otterbourne," still in Richard the Second's time about 1388 : " The Faulkone and the Fesante bothe Amonge the holtes on hee :" and from that time to this the Pheasant is occasion- ally mentioned by different writers. Mr. Harting notices it amongst the " Birds of Shakspere : " " Clown Advocate's the court word for a Pheasant ; say you have none. Shepherd None, sir; I have no Pheasant, cock nor hen." The Pheasant, however, thrives and has thriven in England for a very considerable period, and the climate appears, to a certain extent, to suit it ; at the same time I think it may be doubted whether this bird would have lasted so long, or would continue to claim a place among British birds, without the care and attention and occasional food bestowed upon it: a few hard winters and wet springs and summers would reduce its numbers sadly ; its numbers certainly could not be kept up to the present battue standard without artificial means ; accordingly great quantities are kept tame and bred up like poultry, and merely turned out to be shot : to what an extent this is done in some places may be 310 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. gathered from the following anecdote of a great game-preserver,, who having a great shooting party, and not finding as many Pheasants as he expected, used some very strong language to. his keeper, and told him to go at once to some covert where the great head of game were supposed to be, till at last the keeper could stand it no longer, and said to his master, " You know, sir, as well as I do, it's no use going there yet; the train isn't in and the birds haven't arrived." The Pheasant has now a very wide geographical range, as it has been imported into Australia, where it appears to flourish and to have attained to con- siderable numbers.* The natural food of the Pheasant consists of grain of all sorts, seeds of various plants, berries, worms and grubs, and (especially for the young birds) ants and ants' eggs. Various artificial foods are adver- tised and said, all of which profess to be more or less certain specifics against gapes and all other diseases to which the young birds are liable ; but any account of these or their relative value does not appear to me to come within the limits of these notes. The nest of the Pheasant is generally a mere hole scraped in the ground, under cover of some low bush or long grass, or standing corn. The Pheasant is too well known, and too easily * See ' Zoologist' for 1863, p. 8493. PHASIANID.E. 311 met with in any poulterer's shop, to need any de- scription. I would merely say that the present species, Phasianus colchicus, has no white whatever in its plumage, and that all the white and pied birds so constantly met with are merely chance varieties, or the effect of some cross, probably with the next- mentioned species. The buff or cream-coloured variety, often called the " Bohemian Pheasant," to which name it has no more right than Shakspere to his "sea coast of Bohemia," is a rather curious variety, all the markings of the feathers being visible, but all very pale and faint, and the same buff hue pervading the whole bird, except the neck, which retains the original green, but even that is paler and not so glossy : this variety appears to occur both to the present and the Ringnecked species. Very old hens, and hens which (either from accident or mal- formation) are incapable of breeding, often assume a plumage nearly similar to that of the male. The egg is of a perfectly plain colour, without any spots a sort of pale olive. RINGNECKED PHEASANT, Phasianus torquatus. This appears to be a distinct species, and to inhabit a different tract of country. Cuvier says of it, " China has lately furnished us with three other species, one of these, Phasianus torquatus, scarcely differs from the common species, except in having a brilliant white spot on the side of the neck." Yarrell and Montagu both appear to consider this a distinct 312 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. species, although Yarrell, " for want of space," gives no separate history of it : it appears to me, however, to he a distinct species, and therefore to require a notice as much as other nearly allied and similar species. The Eingnecked Pheasant was very many years later in its introduction into England than the former species. Montagu, who wrote his 'Dictionary' in 1802, says it was first introduced by the late Duke of Northumberland, but he does not give the exact date. It now appears to be almost as common as the other species, and to have been so frequently crossed with it that, in England at least, it would be impossible to separate the species, or to rely upon getting either of them genuine. In food and habits the two species are quite similar, and the only distinction in plumage is the white ring, or rather half-circle (for I think it never quite joins in front), and perhaps a greener hue on the long hackles of the rump. The females appear to be quite the same, although I have heard keepers say they can distinguish the two. The egg also is like that of the last species. Some other species have lately been introduced into England, but have not yet been long enough in the country, or become sufficiently established, to claim a place amongst British birds. This system of crossing appears to me to be mischievous, as TETRAONID^E. 313 likely to destroy the pure breed, and to substitute all sorts of white, pied and spotted varieties. Family TETBAONID^J. Of the Grouse* we can probably claim only one species for Somersetshire, out of the six that have now found a place in the British list. BLACK GROUSE, Tetrao tetrix. The grand old " Black Cock " is still, and I hope will long continue, tolerably plentiful in such parts of the county as are suited to its habits. On the Quantock Hills it is tolerably numerous, and still more so on the wilder hills to the westward around Dunster, Dulverton and Dunkery Beacon, although to a certain extent it has been interfered with and its range partially curtailed by mining operations and enclosures. It likes the open heather and woods bordered by and interspersed with open spots of heather and whortle- berry plant, the tender shoots and fruit of which plant form a very favourite portion of the food of this bird ; berries also, such as bilberries, cran- berries, juniper and hawthorn berries, some seeds, the tender shoots and leaves of heath and heather, and of some trees, such as the birch, beech, hazel, willow and poplar : f insects also may be added to * As to Sand Grouse, see Preface. f Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iv., p. 78. 314 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the bill of fare, and if there are any corn-fields within its reach it will repair to them to feed upon the grain. In the winter, Yarrell says he has found their crops distended with the tips of the most recent shoots of pines and firs. They do not appear to pair, but the males or Black Cocks in the breeding- season resort to some elevated and open spots, where they may be heard morning and evening repeating their call-note to the females, or " Grey Hens," as they are called. The Grey Hen places her eggs on the ground without much nest, but under cover of some tall and thick heather or fern, and to her is left the sole care of the eggs and young birds after they are hatched. The Black Grouse has been known to cross with the Pheasant, Capercaillie, Bed Grouse and Ptarmigan. An old Black Cock in full plumage is a fine handsome fellow, the general colour of the plumage being a beautiful glossy blue -black, with a few conspicuous white spots; the beak is black; the irides dark brown; there is a spot of rough skin over the eyes of a bright scarlet colour; the head, neck, breast, back, rump and tail-coverts are a beautiful glossy blue black; the wing- coverts are brownish black, but not quite so glossy ; there are a few white feathers on the shoulder making a con- spicuous white spot ; the primary quills are brownish, TETKAONHXE. 315 with white shafts to the feathers, the secondaries brownish black at the ends and white towards the base ; the white showing beyond the greater wing- coverts makes a conspicuous bar on the wing this white bar is easily seen at a distance when the bird is flying ; the tail is much forked, glossy black, the longest of the feathers much curved outwards on each side ; the belly and flanks are glossy black ; the under wing and tail-coverts are white ; the legs are feathered down to the junction of the toes; the toes (not feathered as they are in the Eed Grouse and the Ptarmigan) are of a blackish brown colour ; the claws are shining black. As I have not a Grey Hen in my collection I have taken the following descrip- tion from Yarrell : " The beak is brown ; irides hazel ; the general colour of the plumage pale ches- nut-brown, barred and feathered with black; the dark bars and spots larger and most conspicuous on the breast, back, wings and upper tail-coverts ; the feathers of the breast edged with greyish white, particularly in old birds and in those from northern latitudes ; under tail-coverts nearly white ; feathers on the legs pale yellow-brown; toes and claws brown." The young birds are at first much like the females, but by the 1st of September (at which time Heath Poult shooting commences in these parts and in the New Forest) the young males have many black feathers mixed with the brown ones, which gives them a very curious mottled appearance. 2 E 2 316 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. The eggs are of a pale yellow-brown ground colour, spotted rather thickly with darker reddish brown spots. PARTRIDGE, Perdix cinerea. The Partridge is pretty common throughout the county ; in good breeding seasons indeed it is very numerous, but a cold hard late winter and a wet spring and summer make all the difference in the sort of sport to be expected in September ; but if they are fairly treated and not shot too closely down in the bad seasons there generally seem Partridges enough left to keep up the numbers, which would hardly be the case with Pheasants without artificial help. Very mode- rate game-preserving indeed seems to be sufficient to keep up a good stock of Partridges : if the keeper only takes care to keep down the quadruped vermin, which are the most destructive, such as cats, stoats and polecats, and can keep the birds from the net of the poacher, for the net seems the only very destructive way in which Partridges are poached, he will have very little other trouble, as these birds will generally find food for themselves : this consists mostly of grain of various kinds, wheat, barley and oats, the seeds of various weeds, and a few insects and worms ; ants and their eggs form the favourite food of the young, and indeed in bringing them up by hand this food seems almost necessary. The nest is a slight hole scratched in the ground, and the eggs, which are numerous, are usually TETRAONIDJE. 317 hatched hy the end of June, but occasionally they are much later. There is a note in the ' Zoologist ' of a brood being hatched as late as the 1st of Sep- tember, but such an extreme case as this must be in consequence of some accident having happened to the first nest or brood, and consequently a second nest has been made. The Partridge is too well-known, and too often seen both alive and at poulterers' shops, to need any description. I may mention, however, that varieties occasionally occur : I saw a pied one at Mrs. Turle's shop that had been shot at Lord Taunton's, and one is described in the * Zoologist' for 1864 as being marked precisely the same as an ordinary bird, but the colouring was many shades paler throughout and inclining to a buff or creamy tint : this is exactly the same sort of variety as the so-called " Bohemian Pheasant," and is not an uncommon variety in many species : I have seen it occur in a Hedgesparrow, a Woodcock, and a Snipe, as well as in the Partridge and Pheasant. The egg of the Partridge is like that of the Phea- sant in colour and shape, but is of course consider- ably smaller. QUAIL, Coturnix vulgaris. This little miniature Partridge occasionally occurs in the county, some- times in considerable numbers. Although generally considered a migratory species, on the continent of Europe it migrates in immense numbers, arriving SE 3 318 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. from Africa in the spring on its northern journey and returning again in the autumn, it would never- theless appear to be at least partially resident in England. I have myself found it, or had quite recently killed specimens sent me, in the months of September, October and December; and there are notices in the * Zoologist ' of its occurrence in the months of January, February, June, August and November, and both its nest and eggs and the young birds have been frequently found in various counties. This appears to be the bird with the flesh of which the Children of Israel were fed in the Wilder- ness when they lusted for flesh. The flesh of the Quail is still much esteemed, and numbers are brought from France and fattened by the London poulterers for sale ; but, according to Yarrell, it does not appear to be very wholesome food, espe- cially if eaten in too great quantities : he says, " From some experience I consider the Quail very heating food," and the Children of Israel appear to have found the same thing. The nest, like that of the Partridge, is merely a hole scraped in the ground, lined with a few bents of grass or straw : it is generally placed in a grass or corn-field. The food of the Quail is much the same as that of the Partridge, consisting mostly of grain and seeds and occasionally a few insects. TETRAONIDJS. 319 In general colouring its plumage somewhat resem- bles that of the Partridge. The beak is brownish grey ; the irides hazel ; the head is barred with two shades of brown, there is a narrow streak of very pale whitish brown through the centre of it, and a broadish streak of the same colour from the base of the upper mandible over the eye and ear-coverts; under the eye to the ear- coverts is spotted pale and dark brown ; the ear- coverts are dark brown ; the sides of the neck are pale whitish brown, streaked with three irregular rows of dark brown spots ; the back, scapulars, rump and tail-coverts are spotted with two shades of brown, one very dark and one light yellowish brown, each feather being transversely barred with pale brown and having a conspicuous streak of the same down the centre, broadest at the base; wing-coverts yellowish brown, irregularly marked with pale and dark brown, and with a very narrow light streak on the shafts of the feathers ; the quills are dusky brown, irregularly marked with pale brown ; the tail-feathers are barred with pale and dark brown ; the throat is very pale whitish brown ; breast yellowish brown, spotted with dark brown, with a white streak on the shaft of each feather; the flanks are irregularly marked yellowish and dark brown, with a very broad pale streak in the centre of each feather ; the belly and under tail-coverts are yellowish white. This description is taken from one killed in January, a young bird of the year. 320 BIRDS OP SOMERSETSHIRE. The adult male differs in having two half circular dark brown bands down the sides of the throat from the ear-coverts, and has a black patch at the bottom of the bands on the front of the neck ; there are no spots on the breast; the legs, toes and claws are pale brown. The eggs are of "a yellowish or dull orange- coloured white, blotched or speckled with umber- brown."* As far as Somersetshire is concerned this finishes the Easorial Order. I have tried in vain to find any record of the Struthionidse or Bustards, although I should think the Great Bustard at all events must have occurred on some of the open ground on the top of the Mendips between Bath and Wells and along the Wiltshire boundary. ORDER GKALLATOBES. - Family CHARADRIDJE. The numerous Order at which I have now arrived the Grallatores, Stilted birds, or as they are more commonly called, "Waders," leads us to rather different scenes, for instead of the hedge-rows and corn-fields, gardens, plantations, shrubberies and old buildings, where we have had to seek for the * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 415. CH ARABELLA. 321 homes of most of the various species that have hitherto claimed our attention, we have now to be- take ourselves to the ooze and mud, for which the greater part of our coast line is notorious, to the soft and muddy banks of our rivers, streams and ponds, to the swamps and bogs of the Brendon and other wild hills, and especially to the great turf- marshes which form so large a portion of a certain district of our county. The present Order is a much larger one in point of number of species than the last, including as many as seventy-three British species, out of which forty-two may be considered as belonging to Somersetshire. The Charadridae or Plovers are the first family which I have to notice : of these eight species out of the fourteen British may be considered Somersetshire : some are very nume- rous, but mostly irregular and fitful in their appear- ance, depending very much on the state of the weather. GREAT PLOVER, (Edicnemus crepitans. The Great Plover, Norfolk Plover, Stone Curlew, or Thickknee as it is also called, seems occasionally to have occurred in this county. There is one in the Museum at Taunton amongst the birds in the collec- tion formerly belonging to the late Mr. Beadon, of Otterhead, and there is an entry in his note-book saying it had been shot at Brown Down in the winter of 1828 : this would appear to be rather an odd time 322 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. for the occurrence of this bird, which is generally a summer visitor to England, arriving here in April and departing in September or October. It would appear, however, occasionally to make an earlier appearance, for the one in my collection was sent to me in the flesh from Exmouth on the 23rd of March, and had been killed at that place the day before. Montagu also mentions one having been killed in the South of Devon still earlier, namely, in February. Mr. E. H. Eodd says ('Zoologist' for 1866), that he has never known this bird taken in the Land's End district in the summer, but that it is not unfre- quently obtained there in the winter, which he attributes to the latitude of the Lizard and the Land's End being about the same as the northern boundary of this species in its continental winter quarters. As far as this county is concerned I have only heard of one appearance of this bird besides the one above mentioned, and that was some years ago in the neighbourhood of Ilminster, but I have been able to glean no particulars about it. It has, how- ever, occasionally occurred in the neighbouring county of Dorset, as well as in that of Devon. The food of the Great Plover appears to consist of worms, insects and their larvae, small snails and slugs. Yarrell says they are also believed to kill small Mammalia and small reptiles, for which their stout frame and large beak seem sufficiently powerful. CHARADRID.K. 323 They make no nest, but the eggs are deposited on the ground, the hen bird merely scraping a small hole in the sandy dry ground chosen. The Great Plover is considered the largest of the British Plovers, nearly equalling the Curlew in size. The beak is black at the point, light greenish yellow at the base ; irides bright golden yellow ; from the beak to the eye, a streak under the eye and a patch over the eye, white ; top of the head and back of the neck narrowly streaked very dark brown, almost black, and pale yellowish brown ; there is a streak of the same colours from the base of the lower man- dible under the white streak above mentioned to the side of the neck ; the feathers of the back, scapulars, tertials and upper tail-coverts dull brown, with a streak of very dark brown at the shafts ; most of the feathers appear to have been margined with very pale yellowish or whitish brown, but the margins in my specimen are very much worn ; the lesser wing- coverts are the same, except that one row of them is rather broadly marked with white, making a con- spicuous bar of that colour across the closed wing ; the greater coverts have the same dark streak in the shafts of the feathers, but the rest is more of a dull smoky grey; the primary quills are almost black, the first and second have a white patch towards the end ; the centre tail-feathers are dull smoky brown, the others are mottled with two shades of brown at the base, the middle is white and the ends black; 324 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the outside feathers are shorter than those in the middle, making the tail a sort of wedge-shape ; the chin and throat are white ; breast and flanks nearly white, tinged with pale yellowish hrown and streaked with dark brown ; vent and under tail- coverts rather paler and without streaks ; the legs and toes are yellow ; the claws black. In this bird, as in all true Plovers, there are three claws in front and none behind ; a few species, however, have a more or less distinctly developed hind toe. In the young birds the markings are less distinct.* The eggs are pale clay-brown, blotched, spotted and streaked with ash-blue and dark brown.f GOLDEN PLOVER, Charadrius pluvialis. The Golden Plover is tolerably numerous in various parts of the county, but is generally only a winter visitor, although a few are said to breed in the wild country near Dunkery Beacon and Exmoor ; in the more northern counties of England, and in Scotland, it breeds plentifully. In hard weather in the winter, when they are driven from the hills, they come down into the meadows in the Vale, especially if they are much flooded and not frozen : sometimes they remain in such situations until quite late in the spring : in the year 1865 I noticed them as late as the 30th of March, when many of them had nearly attained their summer plumage ; one which I then obtained for my * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 469. f Id., p. 467. CHARADRID.E. collection was indeed in almost perfect summer plu- mage. This curious change of plumage appears to be produced partly by a mere change of colour in the feathers, and partly from moult and a fresh growth of feathers. In a note by Mr. Cordeaux on this subject, in the * Zoologist,' he says that on ex- amining a bird killed in April he found but little change of plumage, but on pulling out the white feathers the young crop appeared underneath, just bursting out from their blue sheaths ; there did not, however, appear to be a sufficient growth of these new black feathers to make up the full summer plumage : probably the deficiency is made up by many of the white feathers being changed by the black pigment : he continues, " In the bird examined a considerable portion, at least two-thirds, would have been entirely new feathers."* In my specimen the colouring process seems to be the most general, as many of the feathers are in process of change, being a sort of dull dusky, more or less margined with white, and the change appears going on much as it does in the series of Linnets before mentioned. Some of the feathers 011 the upper parts also appear to be changing in a similar manner, and to be receiving a brighter and more decided colouring. The nest of the Golden Plover is generally a very slight affair, a mere hole in the ground, with a few *' Zoologist ' for 1805, p. 9571. 2? BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. bents twisted round it, but occasionally a more elaborate structure is produced.* The food of this species appears to be tolerably varied : it consists mostly of worms, small beetles, slugs and insects, vegetable matter and berries of heath plants.f In hard frosty weather the Golden Plovers resort to the sea-coast, where they feed on the grubs and insects to be picked out of the sand and mud, and on these occasions they are not such good eating as when they feed more inland. The plumage of the Golden Plover with which we are best acquainted is as follows : The beak is nearly black; the irides brown; the head, neck, back, scapulars, rump, wing and tail- coverts and tertials are dark brownish black, spotted with yellow ; the sides of the throat are streaked with the same colours; the primary quills are dusky, with very slight tips and edges of dull dirty white ; the chin and throat are white ; the breast is spotted the same as the upper parts, but not nearly so distinctly ; the belly and under tail-coverts are white ; the flanks are barred with dull dusky. In summer the upper parts become brighter and more distinct, the dark parts getting almost black and the yellow much brighter ; the throat, breast and all the under parts are then black, bordered allj round with a little white. The * ' Zoologist ' for 1864, p. 9230. f Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. v., p. 170. CHABADEID^E. 327 legs, toes and claws are nearly black. The young birds of the year are brown, with yellow spots on the upper parts, both colours being strongly mixed with greyish ash. The egg is pear-shaped, a sort of olive-brown, spotted with dark brown; but the eggs are subject to considerable variety, as will appear by the follow- ing note of Mr. Saxby's in the * Zoologist' for 1863, p. 8725 : " The general rule appears to be that those eggs which are laid early in the season have a dingy hue, the ground colour being strongly tinged with dull olive- green, and that a little later this commences gradually to become less frequent, giving place to creamy white, sometimes tinged with warm yellowish brown; the latter colour is more frequent in June and July, when the breeding season is drawing to its close. At this time the spots and blotches are very abundant, and more of a reddish brown." DOTTEREL, Charadrius morinellus. This is a tolerably regular summer visitor to some of the more northern counties, but is not a very well-known species in this county ; it is more common, however, both in Wiltshire and Dorsetshire. It has probably been known to breed in this county, as Yarrell says, " The Dotterel is said to breed on the Mendip Hills in Somersetshire ; " and Montagu says, " A person of credit who frequents the Mendip Hills declares that they breed there, and that he has taken their eggs. 2 F 2 828 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. Young birds are frequently shot, early in September upon these hills." * The species appears now to be getting scarce even in its more favourite counties : this is probably owing to the unsuspicious disposi- tion of the bird, which allows of a very near approach without taking alarm ; consequently it is easily shot, and as some of its feathers are much sought after by fishing-tackle makers there is something to be made by shooting it. As I have often been asked what bird it is that is so intent on imitating the actions of its pursuers that it will let them get quite close to it whilst so engaged, I quote the following lines from Drayton's * Polyolbion/ as they are applicable to the subject, and have been before quoted by Yarrell : " The Dotterel, which we think a very dainty dish, ' Whose taking makes such sport as no man more could wish, * I am able to mention a more recent occurrence of the Common Dotterel, for the Rev. Murray A. Mathew, writing to me from Weston-super-Mare on the 7th of May, 1809, says, " Having received information that a strange bird had been shot on the Steep Holm, I went this morning to its possessor to ascertain what it was. I was told that the bird had been shot flying about in company with Swallows, and from the description given me of its plumage I felt very hopeful that it would prove to be a Collared Pratincole. However, it turned out to be only C. morinellus. Other Dotterel were seen near this place, but I have not heard that more than this single example "were shot." CHARADRID^E. 329 For as you creep or cower, or lie or stoop or go, So marking you with care, the apish bird doth do, And acting everything, doth never mark the net, Till he be in the snare which men for him have set." The Dotterel is said to deposit its eggs on the ground without any nest, merely a hole in some dry ground under cover of some vegetation, and gene- rally near a moderately-sized stone or rock: the tops of high hills or mountains are the favourite breeding localities : on many of the mountains in the Lake District they appear at one time to have been numerous during the breeding-season, and Yarrell gives a list of these mountains, but they must now be getting scarce even there, for Mr. Cor- deaux, in some interesting notes on the Ornithology of the English Lakes,* speaking of the Dotterel, says, " All endeavours to find these birds have been unavailing. I have walked upwards of one hundred miles over these hills, the greater portion of this distance being very likely Dotterel ground, without either seeing or hearing any." I have myself also walked over most of the mountains mentioned by Yarrell as favourite breeding-grounds with the same result as Mr. Cordeaux. I may add that I have been equally unfortunate on the Mendips. The food of the Dotterel is said to be chiefly insects and their larvae, worms, beetles, small * * Zoologist' for 1867 (Second Series, p. 870). 2 F 3 330 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. grasshoppers, and sometimes a little vegetable matter. The adult bird in its summer plumage has the beak nearly black ; the irides brown ; the top of the head and nape of the neck very dark brown, rounded on the sides and behind by a band of pure white ; the ear -coverts, the neck and back ash-colour ; the scapulars, wing-coverts and tertials ash-brown, edged with buff; wing-primaries ash-grey, the first with a broad white shaft ; the tail-feathers greyish brown ; those ill the middle tipped with dull white, the three outside feathers with broad ends of pure white ; the chin and sides of the neck white ; the front and sides of the neck below ash-grey ; from shoulder to shoulder across the breast is a band of white, margined above and below with a dark line ; breast rich fawn-colour, passing to chesnut ; belly black ; vent and under tail-coverts white, tinged with buff; under wing-coverts and axillary plume greyish white ; legs and toes greenish yellow ; claws black. This description is taken from Yarrell, as I have not one in my collection. The male and female appear to be much alike. Mr. Cordeaux, in the 'Zoologist' for 1867 (Second Series), says, "I believe the late Mr. Wheelwright is quite correct when he says 'the female is generally larger and handsomer than the male.' Montagu says that ' in the female the white line on the breast is wanting.' This is not the case, however ; both the male and 331 female have the white belt across the breast, but in the female it is less distinctly marked." Of the egg Yarrell says that one in his own collec- tion is of a yellowish olive colour, blotched and spotted with dark brownish black : they are rather smaller than those of the Golden Plover, as is the bird. RING DOTTEREL, Charadrius hiaticula. The pretty little Ring Dotterel, or " Ringed Plover," as it is also called, is very numerous all along our Somersetshire coast, certainly contradicting the assertion of Meyer * that " on muddy or marshy shores it is never seen : " had he only paid a visit to the mud of Burnham and Watchet, and seen the hundreds of Ring Dotterel there feeding with the Purres on mud so deep and soft that if you shot one on it you could not go to pick it up, nor would any amount of beer tempt your boatman to try, he would hardly have made such a statement with regard to this bird. Of the Sanderling it may possibly be true, as I have never seen one on our muddy coast, or received a Somersetshire specimen, though I have received specimens from Braunton Burrows, in North Devon, which, though not very far off, is without any of our mud ; and on the South Devon coast, the three species, Purre, Sanderling and Ring Dotterel, are nearly equally common ; but there they have their choice of sand or mud, and * Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. v., p. 182. 332 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the Ring Dotterel and Purres certainly appear to say, " The mud for us." In the summer the Ring Dotterel does not appear to be quite so numerous as in the winter, so there is probably a partial migration north ward in the summer, or at all events a dispersing in search of favourable nesting-places. The nest, is a mere hole scraped in the ground amongst small pebbles, generally near the sea, but not always, as the nest has been found a considerable way inland ; a perfect nest, it is said, " consists of a saucer-shaped hollow scraped in the ground and lined with small stones, which are some- times so thickly piled around the sides that the eggs are sometimes found standing almost perpendicu- larly upon their small ends."* The food of the Ring Dotterel consists of worms, shore-worms, grubs, small beetles, insects and their larvse, shrimps and sand-hoppers. Mr. Harting, writing in the * Zoologist ' for 1863 of the birds of the Kingsbury Reservoir, says of this species, " The stomachs of all I have examined contained either the remains of small beetles and worms or a mass of semi-digested vegetable matter, sometimes both, and invariably small particles of sand or gravel." The adult Ring Dotterel is a very pretty bird, and is easily distinguished from the other birds of the * See ' Zoologist' for 1864, p. 9127. CHARADRID.E. 333 same size with which it associates, in consequence of the very distinct black and white markings about the head and breast. The beak is black at the tip, orange- yellow at the base ; the irides brown ; just over the beak, from thence under the eyes to and including the ear- co verts, is a distinct black band ; the forehead is white ; over the white from eye to eye is another black band, and behind the eye a small patch of white ; top of the head greyish brown ; chin, throat, sides of the neck and a small streak round the back of the neck white ; under this small streak of white is a smaller streak of black extending to the breast, which is black : back, scapulars, rump, tail and lesser wing-coverts greyish brown ; the greater wing- coverts are the same colour, but tipped with white, which, with some white near the base of the primary quills and a few of the exterior tertials (which are white also), makes a conspicuous band of white across the open wing; the rest of the quills are dark dusky, nearly black; the tertials nearest the back are nearly the same colour as that part, but perhaps a shade darker ; the two centre tail-feathers are dusky towards the tip, except a very small spot of dirty white at the tip, the base inclines more to the colour of the back ; there is a distinct white spot on the tip of the next feather on each side, and the white occupies a greater space on each feather towards the outside ; the outside feathers quite white ; belly and all the rest of the under parts pure 834 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. white; legs and toes orange; claws black. The young bird of the year has the white forehead and patch at the back of the eye ; the streak under the eye and the ear- coverts are brown ; there is no black band on the top of the head ; the streak of black under the white at the back of the neck is just hinted at by being a shade or two darker than the back ; there is a light brown patch on each side of the breast, but it is not continuous like the black breast of the adult, the centre of the breast being dull dirty white ; the beak is black ; the legs and toes pale yellow. I have in my collection one very young King Dotterel which was picked up alive at Watchet : it is in its down plumage ; the top of the head and the back are a sort of brindle yellowish and dark brown ; all the rest dull white. The egg, which is very large for the size of the bird and pear-shaped, is a pale yellowish drab, much spotted with very dark brown and dull dusky. GREY PLOVER, Squatarola cinerea. This bird, which differs from the true Plovers in having a hind toe, small and rudimentary though it is, is a much more decided shore-bird than the Golden Plover, always feeding on the mud and ooze of the sea-shore or of some tidal river, but rarely if ever having resort to inland feeding-grounds. It is by no means such good eating as the Golden Plover, in consequence probably of the different locality in which it seeks its food. It is a rather numerous winter visitor to CIIARADRID^E. 335 our muddy shores, not, however, remaining to breed, although it occasionally stays long enough to have nearly, if not quite, assumed its summer plumage. The food of the Grey Plover consists of marine insects, shore-worms and small shell-fish, which it finds on the mud. Meyer adds to this " worms, beetles and their larvae, which it finds on meadows and wastes." I have never myself seen this species except on the mud ; it may, however, and probably does, retire to such places during high spring-tides, when its usual feeding-places are under water. The accounts of the nest of the Grey Plover seem to be from high northern latitudes, and these ac- counts are very meagre. The young birds of the year very much resemble the young of the Golden Plover: I saw some at Teignmouth in November, in the poulterers' shops, that, looking at them across the street, you could hardly identify, and I dare say the poulterer sold them for Golden Plovers ; still on a closer inspec- tion they may always be identified by the hind toe and by the axillary plume, that is, the longish feathers immediately under the wing, where it joins the body, which in this species is black at all ages. The plumage in which the Grey Plover most frequently occurs is its ordinary winter plumage, which is as follows: The beak is black; irides dark brown ; just over the beak is white, rest of the head and nape ]ight dusky, each feather narrowly 336 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. edged with white ; there is an indistinct light streak over the eye; ear-coverts dull light dusky; back and scapulars lightish dusky, each feather tipped and edged with white ; the lesser wing-coverts have more white on them; the greater wing- coverts are light dusky, regularly margined with white ; tertials dusky, marked with dull dirty white and white ; the rest of the quills nearly hlack, with white shafts to the feathers; rump and tail-coverts white, with a few dark dusky markings ; tail barred black and white ; chin white ; throat and sides of the neck spotted with dull dusky and white ; breast lighter, but marked nearly like the back ; rest of the under parts, except the axillary plume (which is always black), white; legs, toes and claws black. This description is taken from one shot in the middle of January. Another shot at Burnham, in December, has the markings on the back more distinct, nearly black and white, but the white occasionally mixed with yellow ; there is not so much light dusky on the breast, the feathers being only streaked in the centre with that colour ; the feathers on the flanks have very narrow light dusky streaks in the centre. From the yellow mixed with some of the white markings this would appear to be a younger bird than the one first described. The breeding-season plumage differs in having the front and sides of the neck, the breast and belly, black ; the markings of the upper parts are more distinctly black and white. CHARADRID^. 337 The eggs are said to be " oil-green, spotted irre- gularly with different shades of umber-brown, the spots crowded and confluent round the obtuse end."* PEEWIT, Vanellus cristatus. The Peewit, "Lap- wing" or " Crested Plover," as it is called, is at times very common throughout the county, making its appearance in autumn, winter and spring; in some parts, indeed, such as the Brendon and Ex- moor Hills, it remains to breed, but not in very great numbers. Flocks of Peewits spread over the cultivated lands in the Vale when driven from the hills by frost or snow : a very hard frost, however, drives them even from these parts to the sea-shore, or some unfrozen part, for food. In open weather they visit the ploughed fields and young wheat in search of food. It is a very pretty sight to watch a flock of these birds, if one can stalk up near enough to have a good view of them, as their motions on the ground are very elegant, and they have a habit of constantly elevating their crests when running from place to place, which they do very quickly. The Peewit seems more to agree with the Golden than with the Grey Plover in its choice of a feeding- ground, seldom seeking the actual mud on the coast, unless driven from its more favourite haunts by hard frost. * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 297. 3 Q 338 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. As may be supposed from the localities it fre- quents, the food of the Peewit consists principally of worms, grubs, slugs and insects ; consequently it is amongst the very few feathered pets of the gardener, and is often kept tame in his garden, and when once tamed it becomes very tame, although naturally a very wild bird and difficult of approach. The nest, like that of others of the family, is a very slight affair a mere hole in the ground, with a few bents of rough grass twisted round it. In some counties, where Peewits breed in large numbers, the eggs are collected and sent to London, where they form a standing dish at ball suppers and wedding breakfasts, and other such like occasions ; but when Plovers' eggs fail I believe Books' eggs are often made to take their place, and when prettily done up in moss the difference is not noticed, especially by the unlearned in such matters. In plumage the Peewit is a very handsome and peculiar-looking bird, but it is too well known to need more than a very general description. The beak is black ; the irides hazel ; the top of the head dark green, almost black ; from the back of the head springs a crest consisting of several very long narrow dark green feathers ; there is a white streak over the eye and a black one under it ; the cheeks and sides of the neck are dullish white, just tinged with rusty brown and streaked with black ; nape rusty brown and dirty white and black ; back, scapulars and ter- CHAR ABRIDGE. 339 tials green, glossed with purple and bronze reflections (in some specimens these feathers are slightly mar- gined with dullish white probably these are young birds of the year) ; the rump darkish green, glossed with blue ; the tail-coverts chestnut ; wing-coverts dark glossy green; the primary quills are black, with a longish dull white spot near the tips of the first four; the tail-feathers are white at the base, black towards the tips (between the black and the white, in some specimens, is an irregular chestnut marking) ; the outside feather on each side is nearly all white ; the chin and throat are white in winter and black in summer ; the breast is black ; the belly and flanks white ; under tail-coverts chestnut, but paler than the upper ; legs and toes brownish orange ; claws black. This bird has a rudimentary back claw. The young birds of the year do not vary much, except that the feathers are margined with dull white or buff. Varieties occasionally occur : Yarrell men- tions white, cream-coloured and mouse-coloured : a very curious variety is mentioned in the * Zoologist' for 1865, at p. 9497, in which the head and neck were of the usual colour, some of the primaries white and others mottled ; the tail the usual colour, excepting one feather, which was white ; nearly all the rest of the plumage was white. The egg is pear-shaped; of a pale olive^brown ground, much spotted with dark brown. 2 G 2 340 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. TURNSTONE, Strepsilas interpres. I scarcely know why this bird has been included in the Plover family, as it decide dly differs from them in two material respects : the beak is not at all like that of the true Plovers, but sharp-pointed and wedge-shaped, and it has a very well-developed hind toe, but this is placed rather on the inside of the leg than straight behind, as is the case with most birds. It is a tolerably numerous species along our shores in winter, but I do not know that any remain to breed here, though they appear to be found occasionally at all times of the year. Mr. Haddon, of Taunton, has one full- plumaged bird in his collection, which was brought alive to him on the 1st of June ; it had just been caught at Stolford, near Burnham ; and there is a note of a bird, probably a Turnstone, having been shot at Weston-super-Mare, in July, 1862,* but the description of the bird there given is scarcely suffi- cient to enable one to identify it with any certaintj^. These are the only instances I know of its having been taken in this county in the summer; but I have seen them in Guernsey, and killed one in beautiful plumage, in July. Yarrell says they retire to the North to breed in May, and return to this country with their young brood in August. The favourite place of resort of the Turnstone appears to be the rough stony parts of the sea- shore, * See ' Zoologist' for 1864, p. 9362. CHARADEID^. 341 where rough stones, mud and sea-weed are mixed : in these places it seeks its food by turning over the smaller loose stones, shells and sea-weed, in order to capture the insects and small shell-fish that may be concealed under them; and for this work the beak is admirably fitted, but it is much too short for boring in the mud, as so many sea-side birds do, Meyer says the nest which is little more than a shallow depression, sparingly lined with a few bents of grass is usually placed under shelter of some plant, stone or abrupt corner ; at other times on the bare sand or small broken stones. I have given the description of the Turnstone in three different states of plumage, as there seems to me to be some little doubt about the changes it goes through. Yarrell says nothing about summer or winter plumage, yet all the winter-killed specimens I have ever seen resemble the last-described bird, and they can scarcely all be young birds of the year ; if so, what becomes of the old ones during the winter ? In the full plumage it is a very richly- coloured handsome bird : the beak is black ; the irides dark brown ; the crown of the head and nape are white, spotted with black ; a streak over the eye, the ear-coverts, the side of the neck and a spot between the eye and the beak are white, this white spot is surrounded by black; the chin and throat are white ; the breast and a collar round the neck, and a streak which reaches to the black surrounding 2G3 342 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the white spot near the beak, black ; there is a small white spot on the side of the breast, just beyond the point of the folded wing, and a very narrow white streak round the back of the neck; the back and scapulars are rich glossy black, with a few bright bay feathers intermixed, some of the scapulars are slightly margined with white, but the margins appear wearing off; the lower part of the back is pure white ; there is a band of black on the rump ; the upper tail-coverts are white ; the tail-feathers are nearly black, with a little white at the tips, the outside feathers on each side are nearly all white ; the wing- coverts are broadly margined with rufous, and are black (or very dark brown) in the centre ; some of the wing- coverts close to the body and the tips of the greater coverts are white ; the quills are dusky, with white shafts ; the belly, flanks and under tail- coverts pure white; the legs and toes very bright orange-red; the claws black. This is the descrip- tion of the bird shot by myself in Guernsey in July, and agrees almost perfectly with Mr. Haddon's bird previously mentioned. Another specimen, also killed at Stolford, and given to me by Mr. Haddon, is in a transition state : it has the head and neck dark dusky brown, speckled with white; the back and scapulars dusky brown, black and bay mixed; the wing-coverts almost entirely dusky brown, with a very little bay and rufous appearing ; chin and throat white, with a few black feathers ; breast black, dusky CHARADRID^E. 343 and dull white mixed ; the rest of the bird as in the former. Another shot in the winter has a small white spot on the forehead ; the space between the beak and the eye dull hair-brown ; head and nape dull hair-brown and black mixed, but no white ; the margins of the lesser wing-coverts have more rusty in them than the last ; the chin and throat pure white; the breast is black, a few of the feathers slightly margined with white ; the rest of the bird as in the first mentioned. The eggs, when fresh, are said to be greenish olive in colour, marked with spots and streaks of dark ash-colour and olive-brown or black.* OYSTERCATCHER, Hcematopus ostralegus. The Oystercatcher, or " Sea-pie," as it is always called by the sailors, perhaps more properly, for " Oyster- catcher" is certainly a misnomer, though I have no doubt it would deserve the name if it could, is common all along our coast, and may at times be seen in flocks of many hundreds : it is resident throughout the year, and breeds in places suited to it. The eggs are generally deposited on some shingly beach, or under any rough grass, just above high -water mark. I have known it breed, how- ever, amongst the rocky parts of the shore of Guernsey, though not in the numbers it does on the lower parts. * Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. v., p. 125. 344 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. The food of the Oystercatcher does not, as is generally supposed, consist of oysters, but of shell- fish generally ; oysters no doubt amongst the num- ber, if it can catch them, but they are generally in too deep water to give the bird a chance, as it does not seek its food by diving ; mussels, shrimps, limpets (which it detaches from the rocks with its powerful beak), worms, shore-worms and marine insects make up its bill of fare. Dr. Saxby* says it carries its shell-fish to some convenient spot before it eats them, just as the Thrush carries its snails to a stone to break them, and that in such spots the shells accumulate in considerable numbers. It does not appear to me to do much feeding during the day, but to sit quietly on the rocks, either pluming its feathers or half asleep, but always with one eye open, as anyone will find who tries to get a shot at it. Although naturally a wild bird and difficult of ap- proach, it is easily kept in confinement, and becomes very tame, especially if taken when young. It is considered a useful bird in the garden, as it eats snails and worms, and failing these it may be fed on bread, meat, cooked vegetables and rice. It swims easily, but I do not know that I have ever seen it take to the water of its own accord, but if wounded it will swim very well and dive a little. The Oystercatcher is a fine handsome bird, and * ' Zoologist ' for 1865, p. 9590. GRUID^E. 345 very conspicuous, owing to its decided black and white colouring. The beak, which is long and strong, is deep orange ; irides crimson ; the head, neck, breast, back, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, greater coverts of primaries and tertials are glossy black, except a small white spot under the eye ; the lower part of the back, rump, tail-coverts, greater coverts of secondaries, belly, flanks, under tail- and wing-coverts are white ; the primary quills are black, with a long spot of white on the outer web ; the secondary quills are white at the base and black at the tips, with a slight white edging ; the tail-feathers are white at the base and black at the tips ; the legs and toes purplish flesh-colour; claws black. The winter plumage only differs in having a white gorget on the side and front of the neck. The young birds of the year have the feathers of the back and wings margined with brown, and they do not obtain the white gorget during the first winter. The egg is yellowish drab, spotted all over with distinct black spots, something like tadpoles. Family GRUID^E. A second species of this family has lately been added to the list of British birds, but as only one capture has been recorded, and that not in these parts, we have nothing to do with it; and, indeed, it appears scarcely entitled to be called British at all. 346 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. COMMON CRANE, Grus cinerea. The present spe- cies, the Common Crane, although it appears to be now nearly extinct in England, does occasionally appear, and an instance of its occurrence was noted by me in the ' Zoologist' for 1865, nearly as fol- lows: A Crane was shot on Tuesday, the 17th of October, by Mr. Haddoii, of Taunton, at Stolford, on the Bristol Channel, between Burnham and Quantock's Head: it measured four feet eleven inches in length from the toes to the tip of the bill, and six feet ten inches from tip to tip of the ex- tended wing: the weight was seven pounds and three-quarters. These particulars were given me by Mr. Haddon, as I had not an opportunity of ex- amining the bird in the flesh, though I have often seen it since in that gentleman's collection, and have taken the following description from it. It is rather odd that in the very same year the occurrence of three other Cranes in Great Britain was recorded in the ' Zoologist ' one near Man- chester, in May, and two in the Shetland Islands, in July : before these the most recent occurrence which I can find noticed was in 1854, in which year Yarrell mentions one having been killed in Sussex, and he mentions several instances from time to time before then. In olden times it seems to have been more numerous, and is often mentioned as a favourite dish at great feasts. Mr. Newman, in his edition of Montagu's Dictionary, quotes from the ' Ibis ' a very GKUID^E. 347 interesting account of the young and nest of the Crane ; one nest was found in a great boggy marsh in Lapland : the nest was made of very small twigs, mixed with long sedgy grass, altogether several inches in depth and perhaps two feet across ; the other nest was about the same size, nearly flat, made chiefly of light coloured grass or hay loosely matted together, scarcely more than two inches in depth and raised only two or three inches from the general level of the swamp. Of the food of the Crane Yarrell says that it is of a more variable nature than is usual amongst Waders generally. It will feed occasionally on grain and aquatic plants ; at other times it makes a meal of worms, reptiles and mollusca. With the exception of the soft parts, which, as I did not see the bird in the flesh, I cannot quite answer for, the description of Mr. Haddon's bird is as follows : The head is yellowish rusty ; the neck dark dusky, almost black, behind slightly freckled with ash-grey, ash-grey in front; on the head and the upper parts of the neck are a few white feathers ; the lower part of the neck ash-grey all round ; the back and scapulars are darkish ash-grey, rather broadly margined with rusty, but the margins of the feathers are much worn; wing-coverts ash-grey, there is a narrow streak of grey along the shafts both of these feathers and those of the back and scapulars; some of the greater coverts are tipped 848 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. with dusky ; the primary quills are black ; the tertials bluish ash, shaded to black at the tips; the two elevated tufts of feathers on the back, which appear to arise from the greater coverts of the tertials, not the tertials themselves, consist of long feathers very much arched and very open in the webs, ash-grey in colour, margined with rusty ; the whole of the under parts are ash-grey, with black streaks on the shafts of the feathers, like the upper parts. The descrip- tion of this bird very nearly agrees with that given by Dr. Saxby of one of the two killed in Shetland, except that in that bird the crown and fore part of the head were dull crimson, and from the eye to the occiput there was an elongated patch of dirty white ; and the under parts seem to have been mottled with two shades of grey. The soft parts of Dr. Saxby's bird were as follows : Bill horn-colour, tinged with green, slightly darker along the ridge and palest at the tip, after drying the whole bill becomes dark reddish brown ; iris rich golden yellow, gradually becoming darker towards the pupil ; the tarsi and bare part of the tibiae brownish black, tinged with olive, the under surface of the feet paler; claws black. Yarrell describes the adult male as follows : " The beak greenish yellow at the base, lighter in colour towards the point; irides red ; forehead, crown, nape and back of the neck dark bluish ash ; chin, throat and front of the neck of the same dark colour, but descending four 340 or five inches lower in front ; from the eye over the ear- coverts and downwards on the side of the neck dull white ; general colour of the hack, wings, rump, tail-feathers and all the under surface of the hody ash-grey; wing primaries black ; tertials elongated, the webs unconnected and reaching beyond the ends of the primaries ; * the tail-feathers are varied and tipped with bluish black ; the under surface of the wings and the axillary plume light grey; legs and toes bluish black; claws black." Yarrell says nothing about the black lines on the shafts of the feathers, which appear to me a peculiarity of the bird. The eggs, according to Yarrell, are of a pale greenish ground colour, blotched and spotted with dark green and olive-brown. Family Of the Ardeidae, or Herons, there are fourteen British species, but only seven of these, as far as I have been able to ascertain, can be included in the Somersetshire list. COMMON HERON, Ardea cinerea. The Common Heron, which, by the bye, is here invariably called * This appears to be a mistake, as the feathers here described are the greater co.verts of the tertials. See also Dr. Sax by 's account. 350 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. the " Crane," is plentiful throughout the county, there being two Heronries in the county itself, one at Picton, in the West, and one at Brockley Woods, in the East, besides others in the neighbouring counties of Devon and Dorset, which no doubt help to keep up the supply of these birds in this county, especially in the autumn and winter, when they stray to long distances from their breeding stations : con- sequently this stately but rather ungainly bird may often be seen fishing in our rivers, brooks and rhines, and exhibiting an example of patience rarely equalled by the most pertinacious fisherman. Fortunately for itself it is extremely wary in its nature, and gives the gamekeeper a wide berth, otherwise its numbers would soon be considerably decreased. This bird is easily kept in confinement, and if taken young seems to be capable of being made very tame, and becomes an amusing pet; but a mature bird I had brought to me some time ago and kept never became very tame. There was no difficulty in keeping it alive as long as plenty of fish and frogs could be found for it, but on the approach of any one it would crouch in a corner and rock itself from side to side in a most abject manner. At last I got tired of fishing for it, and let it out to fish in the pond for itself, and very successful it seemed to be, especially with the eels : however, as I only cut the feathers of the wing and did not pinion it, it very soon took itself off. While it stayed it was certainly ARDEID.E. 351 an ornament to the pond and the lawn ; it was also a great terror to some of our lady visitors. Although the Heron does not generally take to deep water of its own will, still when it does so it is a very good swimmer. Its appearance on the water is rather curious, as it swims with its back low, almost level with the surface, and its long neck perfectly erect. The food of the Heron consists principally of fish of any sort (perch it will eat without making any difficulty about the prickly back-fin), frogs, water rats, the young of water birds, ducks and moorhens, &c., are not safe from it. When fishing the Heron usually stands with its neck stretched forward at an acute angle to the water and the beak turned nearly straight down, and in this position it will stand, with most wonderful patience, waiting for some un- fortunate fish to come within its reach. Yarrell says when fishing the Heron stands with its head drawn back towards the shoulders ; but this seems to me inaccurate, as I have watched, through a glass, Herons fishing in the Teign and the Exe (where they are numerous) many times, and they do not appear to me ever to adopt any other attitude than that above described : it certainly is not an elegant attitude, and that perhaps is the reason why it is seldom, if ever, attempted by birdstuffers : I have, however, seen them draw back their head, much in the manner described by Yarrell, immediately before 352 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. striking their prey, especially if they were fishing in shallow water. My partially tame one would occa- sionally, where the bank was steep and the water deep, jump bodily into the water for a fish, and if successful swim to shore with it in its mouth ; but I do not know that this is usual with the bird in its wild state. In the spring the Herons usually accumulate at their favourite breeding stations, or Heronries, in considerable numbers. The nests are usually placed on high trees, and are made of sticks: they look much like exaggerated Books' nests. Occasionally also their nests are placed on precipitous rocks, and, but still more rarely, amongst reeds and rushes.* In the adult bird the beak is yellow ; the lore yel- lowish green ; irides yellow (the eyes look very much forward, being set rather at angle to than level with the sides of the face) ; the forehead is white, over the eye, the top of the head, and the elongated feathers forming the crest, which reach nearly half way down the back of the neck, are black; chin, cheeks and upper part of the neck white ; lower part of the back of the neck slightly tinged with grey ; back, scapulars, wing-coverts and tertials bluish grey ; from the back and scapulars arise some very long narrow drooping feathers of a light grey, almost white ; the primary quills are black ; the feathers on * Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 278. ARDEID^E. 353 the front of the neck are white, with a long spot of black on one web of each, behind these are some long pointed feathers lead-grey, but getting lighter towards the breast ; drooping down over the breast from the front of the neck are some very long nar- row feathers nearly white, which almost conceal the breast ; the breast and flanks are black ; the belly, under tail-coverts and thighs are white, some of the feathers on the belly are streaked with black ; legs and toes greenish yellow ; claws brown. The young bird has the forehead dusky ; the crest is not so long as in the adult ; the sides of the face and back of the neck are bluish grey ; all the rest of the upper parts are a shade or two darker than in the adult, and there are none of the long narrow whitish feathers ; the fore part of the neck is marked as in the adult, but the long drooping feathers over the breast are wanting ; the breast and flanks the same colour as the back; belly and under tail-coverts white ; thighs white and grey mixed. The eggs are bluish green, without spots, and rather small for the size of the bird; not pear- shaped, like those of so many of the Waders, but largest in the middle, and both ends nearly the same. SQUACCO HERON, Ardea comata. Yarrell includes Somersetshire amongst the counties in which this beautiful little Heron has been taken, and upon his authority, as well as from what I have been told by 354 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. Mrs. Turle, the late birdstuffer at Taunton, who said she had had a specimen through her hands which had been killed near Bridgwater, I include this bird in my list. In enumerating the counties in which it has occurred, Yarrell also mentions the adjoining counties of Devon and Wilts, and in the ' Zoologist' for 1867 is a note of its having been taken at Wey- xnouth, in Dorsetshire : as it comes occasionally so close round us more specimens may have occurred in Somersetshire than have been recorded. It ap- pears only to be a summer visitor to this country, all the captures recorded being in the spring and summer, and Mr. Rodd says that in Cornwall speci- mens are taken, but always in the spring (April and May). According to Yarrell the nest is said to be built in trees ; Meyer, however, supposes that it is usually placed on the ground in marshy places. As it is a summer visitor to this country we should probably be easily able to solve this difficulty, were it not that the gun is so frequently brought into requisi- tion immediately on the appearance of this or any other rare bird. The food appears to be much the same as that of others of the family small fish, frogs, frog-spawn, Mollusca, water- beetles and other insects. This is a much smaller species than the last-men- tioned, being only about nineteen inches from the point of the beak to the end of the tail, instead of ARBEID^B. 355 three feet, the average of the Common Heron. The following description is taken from Yarrell : " The adult bird has the beak greenish brown, darkest in colour towards the point ; the lore naked and green ; irides bright yellow ; the feathers of the top of the head pale yellow-brown, streaked longitudinally with dark lines, the feathers becoming elongated towards the occiput, with a dark line along each outer edge ; the feathers forming the occipital plume are eight or nine in number, and from four to six inches in length, lanceolated, pointed, pure white along the centre, bounded on each side with a black line, with a very narrow terminal margin of white ; the sides, front of the neck at the bottom and the back rich buff colour ; interscapulars reddish brown; the feathers of the back elongated, the webs disunited, each filament having the appearance of a single hair ; the colour of a pale reddish brown in those upon the surface, passing into a delicate buff-colour, in those under- neath the wings white, the ends of some of the coverts and tertials being tinged with buff; rump, upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers white; chin, throat and belly, under surface of the wings, axillary plume, vent and under surface of the tail-feathers pure white ; legs yellowish brown ; toes brown above, yellow underneath ; claws black. In a younger bird the descending dusky grey streaks on the feathers of the neck are longer and broader, and the lighter ground-colour more mixed with brown ; the wing- 356 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. coverts tinged with buff; but the plumage of the back and the ends of the tertials are reddish brown, and the younger the specimen the darker the feathers along the middle of the back." Yarrell, quoting Thienemann, says the eggs are of a pale greenish grey. LITTLE BITTERN, Botaurus minutus. Several spe- cimens of this rare little bird have been killed in various parts of the county: there is one in the Museum at Taunton, which was caught in a Snipe- net near Langport, in October, 1862 ; Mr. Haddon, of Taunton, has one in his collection, which was shot by him near that town, on the banks of the river Tone, in Priory Fields ; the Rev. Murray A. Mathew records the occurrence of one at Weston- super-Mare, in October, 1865;* and one is men- tioned by Montagu as having been shot on the banks of the Avon, near Bath, in the autumn of 1789. The Little Bittern appears to be rather a spring and autumn visitor than a resident : captures, how- ever, are recorded at various times, especially during the summer, and only one in the winter, and that is recorded in the ' Zoologist' for this year (1868). It no doubt occasionally breeds in England, as captures are recorded in the summer months, and Yarrell describes a young bird, with the down still on it, which was obtained on the banks of the Lea river, See ' Zoologist' for that year (pp. 9454 and 9457). ARDEID^E. 357 near Enfield : he also supposes it to have bred on the Thames. Instances of its breeding in Eng- land, though certainly not numerous, probably occur oftener than is supposed, as it is a small bird, easily overlooked, and frequents boggy and sedgy places, where it may well remain concealed. The nest is said to be placed near the water, amongst flags and rushes, and attached to upright- growing reeds : it is made of rushes, dry willow- twigs, flags and grass. According to Yarrell the food of the Little Bitterr* consists of the fry of fish, frogs and other small rep- tiles, Mollusca and insects ; but Meyer says that he has been assured by a very trustworthy observer that he had never found anything but fish in the stomach of the Little Bittern : Meyer adds that in confinement it will feed on large fish cut in pieces, raw meat, boiled potatoes, j^oung frogs, &c. ; so pro- bably in a wild state it does not confine itself entirely to a fish diet, especialty if hungry. This very Little Bittern for although the neck and legs are long in proportion to the body, the body itself does not much, if anything, exceed in size that of the Missel Thrush is a very pretty miniature of its big brother, next to be mentioned. One pecu- liarity is common to both that there are no feathers on the back of the neck, but only a little down. The beak, lore and irides are yellow ; the top of the head is black ; the cheeks, ear-coverts and sides of the 358 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. neck are reddish brown, streaked with light yel- lowish brown ; the feathers on the sides of the neck are long and lap over the bare part on the back of the neck ; from the base of the lower mandible, a little way down the sides of the neck, is a streak of white ; the chin is reddish brown, streaked with dark brown ; the back very dark brown, nearly black, the feathers margined with yellowish brown ; the wing- coverts are light yellowish brown, tinged in the centre with a darker shade ; the tail is black ; the quills the same, the tertials edged with very dark reddish brown; the fore part of the neck, breast and under parts are streaked yellowish brown and white, with a black streak on the shafts of the feathers ; the under tail-coverts are white ; legs, toes and claws reddish brown. This description, with the exception of the parts liable to fade, is taken from the two specimens at Taunton (Mr. Haddon's and the one at the Museum) : these both appear to be young birds, but not so young as the one men- tioned by Yarrell with the down still on. The plumage of the adult bird, according to Yarrell, is as follows : The top of the head, the occiput, the shoulders, the wing primaries and the tail-feathers are of a shining bluish black ; all the wing-coverts are buff-coloured ; the cheeks and sides of the neck throughout its whole length buff; the chin and the neck in front white, partially tinged with buff; in the lower part of the neck on each side, just in ARDEID^l. 359 advance of the carpal joint of the wing when the wing is closed, a few of the feathers have dark centres, with buff-coloured margins; breast, belly, thighs and under tail- coverts buff, with a small patch of white about the vent ; under wing-coverts and axillary plume pale buff; the legs, toes and claws greenish yellow. The egg is said to be of a uniform dull white. COMMON BITTERN, Botaurus'stellaris. This spe- cies is much more common, not only in this county, but generally throughout England, than the Little Bittern ; but it is not now so much so as it was for- merly, partly perhaps on account of the gun being so much more in use, and partly on account of the spread of cultivation and drainage, and the conse- quent destruction of many of its favourite boggy resorts. The last that has come under my notice is in the possession of Mr. Bidgood, the Curator of the Museum at Taunton : it was killed in the Marsh, in December, 18G7, and other specimens have oc- curred from time to time in various other parts of the county. The Bittern is resident in England throughout the year, and breeds here ; but its nest not being often found, the following note from the ' Zoologist' for 1868 may be interesting: A nest was found near one of the Broads in Norfolk, on the 80th of March, with two eggs in it : the nest was composed of reeds and sticks, as seems to be usually the case. 360 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. The food of the Bittern consists, like that of others of the family, of fish, frogs, beetles, mice, 3'oung water-fowl, leeches, snakes, worms, and also small birds that come within its reach:* Montagu also adds the warty lizard. It is certainly a vora- cious bird, as the stomach of one contained two young pike, one seven and the other eight inches in length; in the stomach of another was found the remains of a flat fish, some sea- weed, and a hard pellet of the fur of some animal, apparently that of the water rat and shrew mixed ; there were also a few feathers : Mr. Jeffery, the writer of the note, asks, " Does the Bittern throw up pellets of the fur of those animals which it eats ? " This question does not appear to me to have been answered yet, but it would seem probable that both fur and feathers are rejected in this manner. Yarrell mentions a whole Water Kail having been taken from the sto- mach of a Bittern, and such a mass of indigestible matter as the feathers must have been would have caused serious discomfort unless rejected. A con- siderable amount of sea-weed, as well as fresh-water weed, is often found in the stomach of the Bittern : these weeds seem more probably to be swallowed with than taken separately as food. The Bittern is a very handsome bird, though without any great variety of colour, as its plumage * Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iv., p. 158. ARDEID^. 361 principally consists of various shades of brown and buff. The beak is brownish yellow, the upper man- dible dark brown along the upper ridge and at the point ; the lore green ; irides yellow ; the top of the head very dark brown, almost black ; cheeks, ear- coverts and a streak over the eye yellowish brown, pencilled with dark brown ; there is a streak of dark reddish brown under the eye; the chin is white, tinged with yellow ; on the fore part of the neck are long streaks of reddish brown on a yellowish white ground ; belly and under parts the same ; the sides of the neck streaked yellowish brown, dark brown and black, the feathers are very long and almost meet behind on the back part of the neck, on which part there are no feathers, only a sort of yellowish down ; * all the feathers of the back and scapulars are black, margined with huffy yellow, the margins freckled with black; the wing-coverts pale brown, freckled with dark brown ; the quills dusky, freckled with reddish brown ; the tertials are freckled black, reddish brown and yellowish brown ; the upper tail- coverts buff, freckled with two shades of brown ; tail buff, spotted and freckled with brown; the thighs are buff, minutely freckled on the outside with * This absence of feathers on the back of the neck in both the Bittern and Little Bittern is probably owing to an odd habit these birds have of laying the neck flat on the back, letting the beak stick straight up. 362 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. brown ; the legs and toes are greenish brown ; the claws are darker. The eggs are of a uniform pale brownish colour, a shade or two darker than the usual hue of the common Pheasant's egg, but the shell is not of that glossy surface, the texture being somewhat coarser.* BLACK STORK, Ciconia nigra. I include this very rare bird amongst the Birds of Somerset, on the authority of Colonel Montagu, who had a specimen which was shot in West Sedge Moor, adjoining the parish of Stoke St. Gregory, Somersetshire, on the 13th of May, 1814. Mr. Anstice, who communicated the fact to Montagu, and afterwards sent him the bird alive, gives the following account of it : " As the bird agrees in every respect with the description given of the Stork, except that it is brown or cine- reous everywhere but on the belly, which is white, I suppose it to be the young bird of that species. The man assures me it has fed on eels and other small fish since Tuesday last, the 31st." The bird was afterwards sent to Colonel Montagu, who says of it, " If I can furnish fish enough he is likely to live, and to repay me by the examination of his manners, and perhaps some change in his plumage, which I think a few dark glossy green feathers on his back indicate. It is certainly the Black Stork, and the only instance of this bird having varied its * See 'Zoologist' for 1868 (Second Series, p. 1220). ARDEID^E. 363 longitudinal flight so much to the west." Colonel Montagu, writing again in April of the next year, says, " The Stork is so much changed in plumage that it would scarcely be known : it now better accords with the Black Stork than heretofore, for at a distance the whole upper parts appear black, but on a nearer view are found to be a dark glossy green, except the upper part of the back, which has a re- splendence of purple, each feather margined with dark green." It does not appear how long the Stork lived, but, like other pets, it died at last: it was stuffed, and is now in the Collection of British Birds in the British Museum. Since the capture of the bird above mentioned others of the same species have from time to time been taken in various parts of England, and two in the neighbouring counties of Devon and Dorset. The food of the Black Stork consists mostly of fish, which was the favourite food of Montagu's pet, although it would eat flesh, and when very hungry any sort of offal was acceptable. In a wild state its food appears to be more varied, " fish, snakes, frogs, mice, moles, worms, beetles, grasshoppers and many other insects, small birds and young poultry if op- portunity offers. It goes constantly in pursuit of the unfledged young of water and land birds that are to be found on the ground or near the water." * As may * Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iv., p. 180. 2 I 2 364 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. be supposed from the general nature of its food, swamps and morasses are its favourite localities, and of these it seems to seek the wildest and most un- frequented, never, like the White Stork, coming voluntarily into the neighbourhood of man. The nest is said to be placed on very high trees, especially pines. As appears from the letters I have quoted from Mr. Newman's edition of Montagu's * Dictionary,' the Black Stork goes through various changes of plumage : that of the adult bird is as follows : " The beak and the naked skin around the eye are red, tinged with orange ; the irides reddish brown ; the head, neck all round, upper surface of the body, wings and wing-coverts are glossy black, varied with blue, purple, copper-coloured and green reflections ; the primary quill-feathers and tail are black; the whole of the under surface of the body, from the bottom of the neck to the ends of the tail- coverts, white ; legs and toes orange-red ; claws black." This description is taken from Yarrell, who de- scribed from a live specimen in the Zoological Gardens, which often stood for its portrait, Bennett, Selby, Gould and Meyer all having drawn from it. The eggs are said to be of a buffy white. SPOONBILL, Platalea leucorodia. A specimen of this very peculiar-looking bird was shot by the same person who shot the Black Stork just mentioned, at the same place, namely, West Sedge Moor, near ARDEIDJE. 305 Stoke St. Gregory, in the November of the previous year. There is the beak and skull of another speci- men in the Museum at Taunton : this was shot on Curry Moor, but there is no date mentioned. This bird has frequently occurred in the neighbouring county of Devon, and also, but not so often, in Dor- setshire. It is a migratory species, going North in summer to breed and returning South for the winter. The greater number of specimens recorded as having occurred in England have been in the spring and autumn, when the birds are on the move. The food of the Spoonbill consists of small rep- tiles, small fish,* Mollusca, aquatic insects, shrimps and sand-hoppers : Meyer adds grasses and the roots of water-plants to the list of food. It is easily kept in confinement, and may then be fed upon any sort of offal. The place chosen for the nest seems to be very various. Yarrell says in some countries high trees are chosen, and when this is the case the birds associate together, something after the manner of Herons; where no trees are to be found the nest is placed amongst reeds or rushes, and is some- times even built floating 011 the water : in whatever * Three or four sticklebacks were found in the throat, and the remains of others, mixed with sand and silt, in the gizzard, of one shot in Norfolk in May. ' Zoologist ' for 1866 (Second Series, p. 264). 818 366 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE . position it may be placed it is generally made of dry reeds and weeds. The Spoonbill is considerably smaller than the Heron, and differs very much in appearance from that bird, in consequence of its very oddly-shaped beak, which is long and flat, swelling out at the tip into a broad flat spoon- shaped form, from which the bird takes its name : it is black, except the rounded part, which is yellow, as is the naked skin on the chin ; the tongue is very small in proportion to the beak; in the adult bird the irides are red, in the young bird of the year they appear to be light grey* or hazel ; t in the adult bird the whole of the plumage is white, except a band of feathers at the bottom of the neck in front, which is of a buff colour this tint extends upwards on each side ; the feathers at the back of the head are very long, forming a crest ; the legs, toes and claws are black, the two outer toes are connected by a membrane. In the young bird of the year the shafts and tips of the primary quills are black, as are the shafts of the greater wing-coverts, and there is no crest. The eggs, according to Yarrell, are white, spotted with pale reddish brown ; but in Meyer's picture of the egg there are no spots. * ' Zoologist' for 1865, p. 9406. f Id., 1866 (Second Series, p. 36). ARDEIDJE. 867 GLOSSY IBIS, His falcinelliis. One specimen of this rare summer visitor having been killed in this county, in a part of the Marsh called Turf Moor, in the autumn of 1859 or 1860, I have to include it in this list : it was sent to Mrs. Tuiie, the birdstuffer, at Taunton, for preservation, and was there seen, while still in the flesh, hy Mr. Haddon, Mr. Bidgood and several others : it is now, I believe, in the pos- session of the person who shot it. Several speci- mens have been taken, at different times, in the neighbouring counties of Devon and Dorset. In different stages of plumage this bird has gone under various names, as the "Bay Ibis" and the " Green Ibis:" in the neighbourhood of Yarmouth, where it appears at one time not to have been very un- common, it was called by the old gunners the " Black Curlew," as, in consequence of the down- ward curve of its beak, it somewhat resembles that bird. It frequents muddy swamps and bogs, amongst which it breeds, making a nest of dried grasses, flags, &c. As may be supposed from the nature of its favourite haunts, the food of the Glossy Ibis con- sists of aquatic insects and their larvae, worms, beetles, crickets, snails, mussels, small frogs and small fish.* The beak is long and slender, curved downwards, * Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iv., p. 189. 868 BIRDS OP SOMERSETSHIRE. much like that of the Curlew : " in the adult bird it is dark purple-brown ; the lore and the naked skin around the eyes olive-green, tinged with grey ; the irides hazel ; the head, neck all round, and the inter- scapulars deep reddish brown; wing-coverts and tertials dark maroon-brown, with brilliant green and purple reflections ; wing-primaries dark brownish black, tinged with green ; tail-feathers brownish black, tinged with purple; breast, sides and belly deep reddish brown, like the neck ; the under sur- face of the wings, the flanks and under tail- coverts dark brown ; legs and toes green ; claws olive -brown. In the young birds the head, cheeks and upper part of the neck behind are dull clove-brown, intermixed with short hair-like streaks of greyish white ; on the throat, in front, one and sometimes more patches of dull greyish white placed rather transversely; the whole of the body above and below, the wings and the tail dull uniform hair-brown, with very little of the glossy tints observable in older birds." This description is taken from Yarrell. The eggs are said to be of a pale green.* This bird, the last of the British Ardeidce, makes a sort of link between that family and the large family of Scolopacidse, the next in succession, and as far as the formation of the beak goes it cer- * Meyer s ' British Birds,' vol. iv., p. 188. SCOLOPACIDjE. 369 tainly more resembles the two first- mentioned species of the Scolopacidae than it does any of the Ardeidae. Family SCOLOPACID.E. The Scolopacidse, the family of Waders at which we have now arrived, is numerous in British spe- cies, containing as many as thirty-six, out of which I have been able to include as many as twenty-one amongst the Birds of Somerset. COMMON CURLEW, Numenius arquata. The Com- mon Curlew, the first of the family that claims our attention, is numerous all along our coast during the winter ; but the greater part, if not all, of them leave us in the summer : a few, however, remain to breed in the wild hill country in the West around Dunkerry Beacon and Exmoor. On the mud about Burnham and the mouth of the Parret very large flocks of Curlews collect in the winter; and an occa- sional shot may be had at them as they are driven by the rising tide from the soft mud towards the firmer ground ; but they are very wild, and anyone wishing for a shot must conceal himself, long before high water, near a likely spot, and lie perfectly still till the birds come within range. When they are actually driven off the mud by the tide they gene- rally retire for a short distance inland to the neigh- bouring turnip-fields and water-meadows ; a few, 370 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. however, remain and fly round and round in small flocks till the mud reappears. I have watched whole flocks of them trying to pitch on the first little hit of mud they can see, forty or fifty trying to stand on a place that will not hold more than three or four, the outsiders always being pushed into the water till they are out of their depth, when they are obliged to fly ; however, they generally contrive to pitch again in the middle and shove others into the water; and this goes on till the water has receded far enough to allow space for the whole on the mud. In Kent the fishermen and mud- diggers appear to have a curious method of enticing the Curlews within shot, and as it illustrates rather an odd habit in the birds, I have copied the following account of their method from the * Zoologist' for 1866 (Second Series, p. 124) : " They take a trained dog, as much like a fox as possible : after hiding in a dyke they send the dog out on the mud-flats left bare by the receding tide : as soon as the Curlews see the animal they almost invariably attack it, flying round and round, uttering loud yells and occasionally making a pounce at it : the dog, who understands his business well, beats a retreat towards the spot where his master lies hidden. The Curlews follow up their success with vigour, but to their confusion ; for as soon as they are well within range the man shoots one, and reloading does the same again : so engaged are they with the dog that sometimes as SCOLOPACID.E. 371 many as three are killed before they take themselves off." I should think this method might be prose- cuted with considerable success about Burnham, as there are many facilities for hiding and a great many Curlews, and with the help of a breech-loader more than three might probably be bagged at a time. Why the Curlews attack the fox-like dog so vigorously is perhaps somewhat doubtful ; but Mr. Power, the author of the paper in the 'Zoologist' which I have quoted, says the fishermen account for it by supposing that foxes are common in the places where they breed, and that therefore they have good cause for their apparent anger and aversion. The food of the Curlew consists of worms, slugs, small Crustacea and most of the insects that occur by the water-side and in the moist places which these birds frequent. When they retire inland to their breeding-stations they are said to feed upon bilberries, whortleberries and the like, also upon blades of grass and the slender tops of other vegetables, besides lichens and twigs : small pebbles are generally found in the stomach.* Montagu says of one that he kept tame that it became almost omnivorous, eating fish, water lizards, small frogs, insects of every kind that were not too large to swallow, and in default of other food it would eat barley with the Ducks. * Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iv., p. 194. 372 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. The Curlew does not make much of a nest a hole scratched in the sand or earth amongst heather or rushes, and lined with a few small twigs. The young birds run about almost as soon as they are hatched. The Curlew does not present much diversity of colouring in its plumage. The beak, which is very much curved downwards, is dark brown, except the basal portion of the lower mandible, which is pale brown; the irides are dark brown; the head and neck pale yellowish brown and dark brown ; the feathers of the back and scapulars dark brown, almost black, margined with pale 3