flttt MOLQCY TJRRARY BEITISH BIBDS IN THEIE HAUNTS. KITISH BIEDS IN THEIR HAUNTS. BY THE EEV. C. A. JOHNS, B.A. F.L.S. if AUTHOR OF " FOREST TREES OF BRITAIN ;" " FLOWERS OF THE FIELD,' ETC. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS ON WOOD, DRAWN BY WOLF, ENGRAVED BY WHYMPEK. PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION, APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE. LONDON: SOCIETY TOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE; SOLD AT THE DEPOSITORIES: 77, GREAT QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS; 4, EOYAL EXCHANGE; 48, PICCADILLY; AND BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. 1862. BIOLOGY LIBRARY BIOLOGY LIBRARY ON EVERY BOUGH THE BIRDIS HERD r SING WITH VOICE OF ANGELL IN THER HARMONIE, THAT BUSIED 'HEJ^ THER ByiDI^ fORTHE TO f BRYNG. " * : ; - : :*//* ' *. PREFACE. THE peculiar geographical position of the British Isles renders them the resort, either permanent or temporary, of a large number of Birds : Wnongst which are many periodical visitors both from high latitudes, driven southwards in winter by the severity of the cold ; and from Africa, whence they fly northwards at the opposite season, in order to avoid the intense heat of an intertropical summer. Besides these periodic sojourners, many species, which are properly resident on the European Continent, occasionally cross the Channel, and make their ap- pearance amongst us as capricious visitors; but, whether led hither by choice, or driven by stress of weather, it is impossible to determine. Instances also occur, but at rare intervals, of solitary specimens, which are undoubtedly of American origin. It is possible that some of these may have been transported as captives, and may have escaped from confinement ; or they may have been introduced and intentionally set at liberty. However this may M85625 vi PREFACE. be, the consequence is, that the catalogue of British Birds is constantly receiving additions, though it is by no means clear that every bird admitted into the list has a right to be considered ferce naturae. The publication of Yarrell's admirable History of British Birds, in 1837-1843, naturally attracted the attention of Ornithologists, and the interval which elapsed between the first and second editions of that work, enabled the author to collect information which had been for many years in the possession of private individuals only. This source of information was of course exhausted at the publication of the second edition in 1845, and the birds subsequently added to the catalogue must be looked upon with more than ordinary suspicion, for several reasons ; one of which, the very high price now given for rarities, must not be lost sight of. The present volume contains an account, more or less detailed, of all the birds figured in the second edition of Yarrell, as well as of some few which have been observed since the date of that publi- cation. And in order that the reader may be presented with a catalogue completed up to the present date, June, 1862, of all birds having any claim to be considered British, the following sup- plemental list is added, specifying the names of recently observed birds not described in the body of the work, the seasons and places of their appear- ance, and references to the works which contain a detailed account of their capture and history. PREFACE. VU The American Mottled Owl, Strix Asi.o. Yorkshire, spring. Second Supplement to Yarrell, p. 3. The American White-winged Crossbill, Loxia leucoptera of American authors. Picked up dead in Devonshire, autumn. Ibid. p. 22. The Belted Kingfisher, Alcedo Alcyon (American). Meath and "Wicklow, autumn. Ibid. p. 29. The Red-necked Goatsucker, Caprimulgus ruficollis (American). Northumberland, autumn. Zoologist, p. 7,936. The Downy Woodpecker, Picus pubescens (American). Dorset, winter. Zoologist, p. 6,444. The Hairy Woodpecker, Picus villosus (American). Yorkshire, winter. Zoologist, pp. 2,496, 2,527. The Sand Grouse, Syrrhaptes paradoxes (Asiatic). \ Wales, sum- mer ; and Norfolk, autumn. Zoologist, pp. 6,728, 6,764. Macqueen's Bustard, Otis Macqueeni (Asiatic). Lincolnshire, autumn. Yarrell, Supplement, p. 33. Esquimaux Curlew, Numenius borealis (American). Kincardine- shire, autumn. Ibid. p. 36. Bartram's Sandpiper, Totanus Bartramii (American). "Warwick- shire and Cambridgeshire, winter. Ibid. p. 40. The Yellow-shanked Sandpiper, Totanus flavipes (American). Lincolnshire, winter. Yarrell, Supplement, p. 45. Zoologist, p. 5,958. The Little Peep Sandpiper, Tringa pusilla (American), Cornwall. Ibid. p. 4,296. Paget's Pochard, Fuligula ferinoid.es (American). Norfolk, winter. Ibid. p. 1,778. The Membranaceous Duck, Malacorhynchus membranaceus (Australian), Ireland. Ibid. p. 4,213. If the above additions be allowed, the number of British Birds will be : Resident all the year .140 Summer visitors 63 Winter visitors 48 Capricious visitors 110 Total 361 viii PEEFACE. The Author begs expressly to disclaim all idea of proposing the present volume as a substitute for the comprehensive work of Yarrell referred to above, which must always remain the indispensable book of reference for the British Ornithologist. Yet he does venture to hope that he has provided the lover of nature with a pleasant companion in his country walks, and the young Ornithologist with a Manual which will supply his present need and prepare him for the study of more important works. The student who wishes to discover the name of any bird, of which a specimen happens to be in his possession, is recommended to compare it, first with the characters given in the SYNOPSIS OF GENERA, and then to determine the species by reference to the description in small type which he will find at the head of each chapter. ElCKMANSWORTH. SYSTEMATIC AKKANGEMENT OF THE GENERA OF BBITISH BIRDS, CLASS. A VES. Order I. ACCIPITREb. (BIRDS OF PREY.) Beak strong, crooked, with the point acute and curving down- ward, and the edges sharp ; the base enveloped in a naked skin (called the cere) in which the nostrils are placed ; feet muscular ; toes armed with powerful talons, long, curved and pointed, of which those of the hind and innermost toes are the strongest ; wings adapted for vigorous, lofty, and long-sustained flight. Family I. VULTURID^. (VULTURES.) Beak somewhat lengthened, upper mandible nearly straight, curved at the point only ; head and neck in a greater or less degree naked, or clothed only with a thin down ; talons comparatively weak. Food, exclusively the flesh of dead animals. Genus 1. VULTUR (Vulture). Beak robust, its base covered with a cere ; head and neck naked or downy ; nostrils at the base of the beak, oblique ; feet very strong ; wings long, first quill short, fourth the longest. Page 1. 2. NEOPHRON (Vulture). Beak slender, long, its base and more than its lower half covered with a cere ; head and neck partly bare of feathers ; nostrils near the middle of the beak, longitudinal ; feet moderately strong ; wings long, the third quill the longest. Page 3. Family II. FALCONID.&. (FALCONS.) Beak hooked, generally furnished with a sharp projection or tooth on each side ; head wholly clothed with feathers, except the cere ; nostrils more or less rounded, and pierced in the sides of the cere ; feet strong, and armed with curved, retractile, sharp talons. Food, living animals, insects, and carrion. Sub-Family I. Aquilince. Beak stout, convex or slightly angular above, straight at the X SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT base, much hooked at the tip ; cere bristly ; nostrils rounded or oval ; wings loi A'QUILA (Eagle). Upper mandible with the cutting' edge nearly straight ; tarsi feathered to the toes ; claws unequal, grooved beneath ; wings with the fourth primary longest. Page 4. 4. HALIAETUS. Beak very long ; edges of the upper mandible slightly prominent near the hook ; tarsi half-feathered ; claws unequal, grooved beneath ; wings with the fourth primary longest ; nostrils transverse. ' Page 8. 5. PANDION (Osprey). Beak short, cutting edges of the upper mandible nearly straight ; tarsi naked ; outer toe reversible ; claws equal, rounded beneath ; wings with the second primary longest. Page 10. Sub-Family II. Falconince. Beak short, strong, curved from the base ; upper mandible strongly toothed, lower notched ; nostrils round ; tarsi strong and short ; wings long and pointed, with the 'second primary longest, the first and third equal in length and having the inner web notched near the extremity. 6. FALCO (Falcons, Merlin, Hobby, and Kestril). Characters given above. Page 13. Sub -Family III. Accipitrince. Beak short, strong, curved from the base ; edge of the upper mandible with a prominent festoon beyond the middle ; nostrils oval ; wings rounded, short, reaching only to the middle of the tail ; middle toe much the longest. 7. ASTTJR (Goshawk). Tarsi moderate, rather robust ; fourth primary the longest. Page 26. 8. ACCIPITER (Sparrowhawk). Tarsi long and slender ; fourth and fifth primaries equal in length and the longest. Page 27. Sub-Family IV. Milmnce. Beak of moderate length, slightly curved from the base, upper mandible with a slight festoon ; nostrils oval, oblique ; wings long ; tail long and forked. 9. MILVUS (Kite). Tarsi feathered a little below the knee ; fourth primary the longest. Page 31. 10. NAUCLE"RUS (Swallow-tailed Kite). Tarsi very short, feathered half-way in front ; second primary longest, second and third with the inner web notched towards the tip. Page 33. Sub-Family V. Buteoninw. Beak rather small and weak, bending from the base ; cutting edge of the upper mandible nearly straight, or but slightly festooned ; cere large ; nostrils oval ; wings long ; the first four feathers deeply notched on their inner webs ; tail not forked OF GENERA. xi 11. BUTEO (Buzzard). Lore without feathers ; tarsi short and strong, naked or feathered ; wings large, the fourth primary the longest. Page, 34. 12. PERNIS (Honey Buzzard). Lore covered with small scale- like feathers ; tarsi moderate, half-feathered ; wings large, third and fourth quill-feathers the longest. Page, 37. 13. CIRCUS (Marsh Harrier). Head surrounded by a circle of feathers ; tarsi long and slender, feathered a little below the joint ; wings long, third and fourth primaries the longest ; tail long, somewhat rounded. Page, 39. Family III. STRIGID^;. (OWLS.) Head large, feathered ; eyes large, dilated and projecting, each surrounded by a concave disk formed of stiff diverging feathers, concealing the cere and nostrils ; ears large, and of elaborate construction ; plumage lax and downy, adapted for slow and quiet flight. Food, small quadrupeds, birds, and insects. Sub -Family I. BubonincK. Beak strong, curved from the base ; head furnished with two tufts of feathers (egrets), nostrils in the cere, rounded or oval ; facial disk small and incomplete ; ears small, and without an operculum. 14. BUBO (Eagle Owl). Wings rather short, third and fourth primaries generally the longest ; legs robust, feathered to the claws. Page 43. 15. SCOPS (Scops Eared Owl). Wings long, reaching to the end of the tail, the third primary generally the longest ; legs rather long, feathered to the junction of the. toes, which are naked. Page 45. Sub-Family II. Syrniince. Beak bending from the base ; egrets more or less conspicuous or wanting ; facial disk complete ; ears large, covered by an operculum ; legs feathered to the claws. 16. OTUS (Eared Owls). Nostrils oval, oblique ; egrets more or less elongated ; wings long, second primary the longest. Page 47. 17. SfRNiuM (Tawny Owl). Nostrils round ; egrets wanting ; wings short and rounded ; fourth primary longest. Page 55. Sub -Family III. Strigince. Beak somewhat elongated, bending at the top only ; egrets wanting ; nostrils oval, oblique ; facial disk large and complete ; ears large, covered by an operculum; wings long, the second primary longest ; tarsi long, feathered to the toes, which are strangely furnished with hair-like feathers ; claws long, the middle one serrated beneath. 18. STRTX (White Owl). Characters given above. Page 51. Xli SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT Sub-Family IV. Surnince. Beak curved from the base ; egrets wanting ; cere small ; nostrils oval ; facial disk small and incomplete ; legs and toes covered with feathers. 19. SURNIA (Snowy and Hawk Owls). Ear small ; wings moderate, third primary longest. Page 57. 20. NOCTUA (Little and Tengmalm's Owls). Ear large ; wings large, third and fourth quill-feathers nearly equal in length. Page 59. Order II. PASSERES* (PERCHING BIRDS.) Bill various ; feet adapted for perching on trees or on the ground (not for grasping, wading, or swimming) ; toes four, all in the same plane, three before and one behind ; claws slender, curved, and acute. Food, various ; that of the nestlings, perhaps in all instances, soft insects. Tribe I. DENTIROSTRES.t Bill with the upper mandible notched on each side near the tip ; feet generally slender. Family I. LANID^. (SHRIKES.) Bill strong, arched, and hooked, the upper mandible strongly notched after the manner of the FALCONID-E ; claws adapted for capturing insects and even small birds. 21. LANITJS (Shrike, or Butcher Bird). Bill short, flattened vertically (compressed) at the sides ; gape furnished with bristly feathers directed forwards ; wings with the first three primaries graduated, the third and fourth being the longest. Page 61. Family II. MTJSCICAPIDJE. (FLYCATCHERS.) Bill broad, flattened horizontally (depressed), slightly toothed, and adapted for capturing small flying insects ; feet for the most part feeble J. 22. MuscfCAPA (Flycatcher). Bill moderate, somewhat tri- angular, depressed at the base, compressed towards the tip, which is slightly curved downwards ; gape armed with stiff bristles ; tarsus equal to or longer than the middle toe ; side toes of equal length ; wings with the first primary very short, and the third and fourth longest. Page 67. * See " Gosse's Natural History, Birds," p. 28. (S.P.C.K.) t Ibid, p. 76. j Ibid, p. 101. OP GENEKA. Xlll Family III. MERULID.&. , (THRUSHES.) Bill as long as the head, compressed at the sides ; upper mandible arched to the tip, which is not abruptly hooked, notch well marked, but not accompanied by a tooth ; gape furnished with bristles ; feet long, with curved claws. Food insects, snails, and fruits. 23. CINCLTTS (Dipper). Bill moderate, straight, compressed, rounded at the tip ; upper mandible slightly notched, bending over the lower one ; nostrils basal, lateral, longitudinal, partly covered by a membrane ; tarsus longer than the middle toe ; wings and tail short ; first primary very short, second shorter than the third and fourth, which are the longest. Page 71. 24. TURDFS (Thrush, Blackbird, &c.) Bill moderate, com- pressed at the point ; upper mandible notched, bending over the lower one ; gape furnished with a few bristles ; nostrils basal, lateral, oval, partly covered by a naked membrane ;, tarsus longer than the middle toe ; wings and tail moderate ; first primary very short or almost abortive, second shorter than the third or fourth, which are the longest. Page 73. 25. ORIOLTJS (Oriole). Bill an elongated cone, depressed at the base ; upper mandible keeled above, notched near the point, bending over thelower one ; nostrils basal, lateral, naked, pierced horizontally in a large membrane ; tarsus not longer than the middle toe ; wings moderate ; first primary very short, second shorter than the third, which is the longest. ' Page 90. 26. PETROCINCLA (Kock Thrush). Bill stout, straight, the ridge curved towards the point ; nostrils basal, round, partly covered with bristles ; wings moderate ; first primary very short, second a little shorter than the third, which is the longest ; tail feathers equal in length. Page 92. Family IV. SYLVIAD.E. (WARBLERS.) Bill slender, tapering to a point, both of the mandibles having in most cases the vertical outline slightly arched, and the lateral outline slightly incurved ; upper mandible notched near the tip. Small and delicately formed birds, most of which are migratory, frequenting in summer groves and woods, and feeding principally on small insects which they collect among herbage, on the bark of trees, or on the ground. As their name denotes, the majority are musical. 27. ACCENTOR (Hedge Sparrow). Bill of moderate length, strong, straight, tapering to a fine point ; edges of both mandibles compressed and bent inwards, the upper notched near the tip ; nostrils naked, basal, pierced in a large membrane ; feet strong ; claw of the hinder toe longest, and most curved ; first primary almost obsolete, the second nearly equal to the third, which is the longest. Page 93. Xiv SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT 28. ERYTHACA (Redbreast). Bill rather strong, as broad as it is high at the base, where it is depressed, slightly compressed towards the tip ; upper mandible bending over the lower and notched ; nostrils basal, oval, pierced in a membrane, partly hid by bristles diverging from the gape ; first primary half as long as the second, fifth the longest j tail slightly forked. Page 95. 29. PH(ENICURA (Blue-throated Warbler). Bill slender, nearly straight, as broad as high at the base, compressed, notched, and slightly bending towards the point ; nostrils basal, oval, pierced in a membrane ; gape nearly smooth ; first primary very short, fourth the longest ; tail even, the feathers mostly reddish. Page 98. 30. SAxfcoLA (Chats and Wheatear). Beak straight, slender, the base rather broader than high, advancing on the forehead, compressed towards the point ; upper mandible keeled, curved, and notched ; gape surrounded by a few bristles ; nostrils basal, lateral, oval, half closed by a membrane ; first primary half as long as the second, which is shorter than the third, third and fourth longest ; tarsus rather long ; claw of the hind toe short, strong, and curved. Page 103. 31. SALICARIA (Grasshopper, Sedge, and Reed, Warblers). Bill straight, very slender, broader than high at the base, slightly compressed towards the tip ; upper mandible with an elevated ridge, notched and slightly bent ; gape with long diverging bristles ; nostrils basal, lateral, oval, exposed ; first primary nearly abortive, third longest ; tail wedge-shaped, rounded at the tip ; claw of the hind toe longest. Page 110. 32. PHILOMELA (Nightingale). Bill rather stout, straight, as broad as high at the base ; upper mandible slightly bent over at the tip ; gape with a few short bristles ; nostrils basal, round, pierced in a membrane ; first primary very short, second and fifth equal in length, third and fourth longest ; tail somewhat rounded ; tarsus elongated. Page 120. 33. CUREUC A (Blackcap, Whitethroat, &c.). Bill rather stout, short, broader than high at the base, slightly curved at the point and notched ; gape with a few hairs ; nostrils basal, lateral, oval, exposed ; first primary very short, second longer than the fifth, third longest ; tail slightly forked ; tarsus moderate. Page 125. 34. SYLVIA (Warblers). Bill very slender, broader than high at the base, slightly notched ; gape with a few longish bristles ; nostrils basal, lateral, oval ; first primary very short, fourth and third longest ; tail somewhat forked ; tarsus longer than the middle toe. Page 133. 35. MELIZOPHILUS (Dartford Warbler). Beak slender, short ; upper mandible slightly arched from the base, with the tip finely notched, lower straight, shorter than the upper, and shutting within it, edges of both bent inwards about the middle ; gape with a few hairs ; nostrils basal, lateral, cle t longitudinally ; wings OF GENEKA. XV short ; first primary very small, third, fourth, and fifth nearly equal and the longest ; tail long, wedge-shaped ; tarsus stout, longer than the middle toe. Page 140. 36. KEGULUS (Goldcrest). Bill very slender, awl-shaped, straight, compressed ; cutting edges bent inwards about the middle ; nostrils partly concealed by small bristly feathers, directed forwards ; first primary veiy short, second much shorter than the third, fourth and fifth longest ; tail moderate ; tarsus slender, rather long. Page 142. Family V. PARID.E. (TITS.) Bill short, straight, conical, sharp-pointed, destitute of a notch ; nostrils basal, concealed by reflected bristly hairs. Small birds, remarkable for their activity, not highly gifted with musical power, constantly flitting and climbing about trees and bushes, which they examine for small insects, suspending themselves in all attitudes, feeding also on grains and fruits, and not sparing small birds when they are able to overpower them. 37. PARUS (Tit). Bill strong, slightly compressed ; first primary short, second shorter than the third, fourth and fifth longest ; hind claw strongest and most hooked ; tarsus robust. Page 145. 38. CALAMOPHILUS (Bearded Tit). Upper mandible curved at the tip and bending over the lower one, which is nearly straight ; first primary exceedingly short, fourth and fifth longest ; tail very long, wedge-shaped, graduated. Page 158. Family VI. AMPELID-E. (CHATTERERS.) Beak stout, approaching, especially in the form of the lower mandible, to that of the CONIROSTRES ; the upper mandible is however somewhat broad at the base, flat, with the upper edge more or less angular and ridged, and the tip distinctly notched. Feet usually stout, with the outer toe united to the middle one as far as, or beyond the first joint. They feed principally on berries and other soft fruits, occasionally also on insects. 39. BOMBYCILLA (Waxwing). Bill as above; nostrils oval, concealed by small feathers directed forwards ; wings long and pointed ; first and second primaries longest, some of the secondaries and tertials terminating in wax-like prolongations of their shafts. Page 160. Family VII. MOTACILLID^B. (WAGTAILS.) Bill slender, angular between the nostrils ; the upper mandible notched ; wings with one of the scapulars as long as the closed wing, imparting a resemblance to the WADERS ; tail long, constantly Xvi SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT kept in vertical motion ; legs long, and thus adapted for running into shallow water or in mud, in pursuit of insects, which constitute their food, being either caught on the wing, or picked up from the ground. 40. MOTACILLA (Wagtail). Cutting edges of both mandibles slightly compressed inwards ; nostrils basal, oval, partly concealed by a naked membrane ; first primary abortive, second and third nearly equal and longest ; one of the scapulars as long as the quills ; tail long, nearly even at the end ; tarsus much longer than the middle toe. Page 162. Family VIII. ANTHID^. (PIPITS.) Bill and nostrils very much as in the preceding family ; two of the scapulars as long as the closed wing ; first primary abortive, second shorter than the third and fourth, which are the longest ; hind claw very long. The birds of this family are closely allied with the Larks, from which they differ in their slender notched bills ; and with the Wagtails, from which also they differ in the colour of their plumage and their habit of singing while on the wing. They walk and run on the ground without hopping, and feed on insects and small worms. 41. ANTHUS (Pipit). Characters given above. Page 171. Tribe II. CONIROSTRES. (HARD-BILLED BIRDS.) Bill thick and very strong, more or less conical in form, and in general destitute of any notch at the tip ; feet robust, formed rather for perching than walking (though many genera walk on the ground habitually.) Food principally seeds and grain, to which many kinds add birds and insects. The nestlings of nearly all are fed mainly on insects. Family I. (LARKS.) Bill forming an elongated cone ; mandibles of equal length, the upper convex, slightly curved ; nostrils at the base of the bill, oval, partly covered by small feathers directed forwards ; feathers of the head capable of being erected so as to form a crest ; first primary veiy short, second shorter than the third, which is the longest in the wing ; toes divided to the base ; hind claw nearly straight, longer than the toe. Granivorous birds, frequenting open fields, and singing during their flight ; they nest on the ground, where also they seek their food by running, and are great pulverators (i. e. they shake dust into their feathers instead of bathing). 42. ALAUDA (Lark). Characters given above. Page 177. OF GENERA. XV11 Family II. FRINGILLID^J. (FINCHES.) " Remarkable for the shortness, thickness, and powerful structure of the beak ; the upper and lower mandibles are for the most part equally thick, their height and breadth are nearly alike, so that when the beak is closed, it commonly presents the appearance of a short cone, divided in the middle by the gape. Their food con- sists very largely of seeds, often inclosed in woody capsules of great hardness, or the kernels of stone-fruits. At the season of incubation many species live on the larvse of insects, with which the young are almost exclusively fed. This family consists of birds which may be considered small, and is one of immense extent. " * 43. PLECTROPHANES (Lapland and Snow Bunting). Both mandibles incurved at the edges, the upper smaller and narrower than the under, and furnished with a hard bony knob ; wings long, first and second primaries longest and nearly equal ; hind claw long, nearly straight. Page 185. 44. EMBERIZA (Bunting). Bill as in the last ; wings moderate ; first primary shorter than the second and third, which are longest ; hind claw short and curved. Page 188. 45. FRINGILLA (Chaffinch and Brambling). Bill straight, sharp, pointed ; mandibles nearly equal ; first primary a little shorter than the second, much shorter than the third and fourth, which are nearly equal and the longest. Page 196. 46. PASSER (Sparrow). Bill somewhat arched above ; lower mandible rather smaller than the upper ; first three primaries longest. Page 201. 47. COCCOTHRAUSTES (Greenfinch and Hawfinch). Bill very thick and strong, bulging at the sides, and much arched above ; lower mandible inflected at the edges, and shutting into the upper ; first and third primaries scarcely shorter than the second, which is the longest. Page 206. 48. CARDUELIS (Goldfinch and Siskin). Bill a rather elongated cone, compressed at the tip, and fine pointed ; wings long, pointed ; first three primaries nearly equal and the longest ; tail slightly forked. Page 211. 49. LINOTA (Linnet and Redpole). Bill a short straight cone, compressed at the tip ; wings long, pointed ; third primary some- what shorter than the first and second, which are equal and the longest ; tail forked. Page 216. 50. PfRRHULA (Bullfinch). Bill short and thick, the sides tumid ; upper mandible much arched and bending over the lower one ; first primary nearly equal to the fifth, second a little shorter than the third and fourth, which are the longest. Page 222. * Gosse's Natural History, Birds, p. 150. b XV111 SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT 51. LOXIA (Crossbill). Bill thick at the base; both mandibles equally curved, hooked at the tips, and crossing each other at the points. Page 226. Family III. STURNID^E. (STARLINGS.) Beak nearly straight, short at the base, diminishing regularly to a sharp point, which is not distinctly notched ; the ridge of the upper mandible ascends upon the forehead, dividing the plumage of that part. An extensive and widely diffused family, comprising species for the most part above the average size of Passerine birds (CONIROSTRES), yet inferior to the Crows. They are in general social, feeding much on the ground ; their legs and feet are robust, their gait stately, their plumage, though commonly of dark colours, is lustrous, with reflections of steel-blue, purple, or green. * 52. AGELAIUS (Red- winged Starling). "Bill shorter than the head, stout, straight, conical, tapering to an acute point. Nostrils basal, oval, with a small operculum. Wings of moderate length, with the outer four quill-feathers nearly equal. Tail rather long, rounded. Legs and feet strong." YarrelL Page 233. 53. STURNUS (Starling). Bill straight, forming an elongated cone, depressed, broad at the base, bluntish; upper mandible broader than the lower; nostrils at the base of the bill, partly closed by an arched membrane; wings long; first primary very short, second longest. Page 233. 54. PASTOR (Pastor). Bill slightly arched, forming an elon- gated cone, compressed; nostrils at the base of the bill partly covered by a feathery membrane ; wings with the first primary very short, second and third longest. Page 236. Family IV. CORVID.E. (CROWS.) Beak powerful, more or less compressed at the sides ; upper man- dible more or less arched to the point ; gape nearly straight ; nostrils concealed by stiff bristles. Birds of firm and compact structure ; their wings long, pointed, and powerful ; their feet and claws robust. In disposition bold and daring, extremely sagacious, easily tamed and made familiar. Most of them have the power of imitating various sounds, but their natural voices are harsh. They evince a remarkable propensity for thieving and hiding brilliant and gaudy substances. In appetite they are omnivorous. 55. FREGILTJS (Chough). Bill longer than the head, rather slender, arched from the base, and pointed ; nostrils oval ; feet strong, tarsus longer than the middle toe; wings rounded, first primary short, fourth and fifth the longest ; tail even at the end. Page 237. * Gosse's Natural History, Birds, p. 143. OF GENERA. 56. CORVUS (Raven, Crow, Book). Bill not longer than the head, strong, straight at the base, cutting at the edges, and curved towards the point ; nostrils oval ; feet strong, tarsus longer than the middle toe ; wings pointed, first primary moderate, second and third shorter than the fourth, which is the longest; tail moderate, rounded. Page 239. 57. PICA (Magpie). Bill, nostrils, and fe*t as iH CORVUS; wings short and rounded ; tail long, graduated. Page 259. 58. GARRFLUS (Jay). Bill shorter than the head, conical ; both mandibles equally curved, the upper notched near the tip ; crown feathers forming a crest ; wings rounded, fourth, fifth, and sixth primaries nearly equal, and the longest ; tarsus longer than the middle toe ; tail moderate, slightly rounded. Page. 263. 59. NuciFRAGA (Nutcracker). Bill about as long as the head, straight, conical, the base dilated, and dividing the feathers of the forehead ; mandibles blunt, the upper somewhat the longer ; nostrils round ; wings rather long and pointed ; first primary shorter than the second and Hard, fourth longest ; tail nearly even. Page 265. Tribe III. FISSIROSTRES. (WIDE-GAPED BIRDS.) Bill broad, more or less flattened horizontally, often hooked at the tip, with the mouth very deeply cleft ; upper mandible not notched ; feet small and feeble. Most of the species feed on insects, which they capture on the wing, but one genus subsists on fishes. The tropical regions are the principal home of the Jissirostral birds ; such species as reach to the temperate zone are, for the most part,, migratory visitors.* Family I. MEROPID.E. (BEE-EATERS.) Bill of moderate length, slightly curved ; toes four, three in front, one behind, the outer and middle united ; wings long and pointed, the first primary, for the most part, being nearly or quite as long as any other. Birds of moderate size, confined to the eastern hemi- sphere, generally of a green colour varied with blue, and resembling Swallows in their flight, habits, and food. 6 Sand Martin .... ' Common Swift . . . Nightjar . Green Woodpecker . . . . Great Spotted Woodpecker Lesser Spotted Woodpecker > Wryneck .300 * Tree Creeper ........ 302 . 272 . 277 . 281 . 285 . 289 XXX11 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Wren 305 Hoopoe 310 Nuthatch 312 Cuckoo 317 Wood Pigeon, or Ring Dove . .326 Stock Dove 332 Rock Dove 335 . Turtle Dove 338 Common Pheasant 341 Black Grouse 348 Red Grouse 351 Ptarmigan 355 Common Partridge 359 Red-legged Partridge 364 Common Quail 367 Great Bustard 373 Great Plover 378 Golden Plover 381 Dotterel 385 Ringed Plover 387 Grey Plover 391 Lapwing, or Peewit 394 Turnstone 396 Sanderling 399 Oyster Catcher, or Sea Pie . . . 401 Heron 406 Common Bittern 413 Night Heron 416 Common Curlew 420 Whimbrel 422 Common Redshank 424 Common Sandpiper 428 Avocet 432 Black-winged Stilt 434 Bar-tailed Godwit 435 Ruff 437 Woodcock 440 Great Snipe 444 Common Snipe 445 Jack Snipe 449 Curlew Sandpiper 451 Knot 452 Dunlin 456 Purple Sandpiper 459 Land Rail, or Corn Crake . . .461 Water Rail 464 Moor Hen . . 466 Common Coot 470 Grey Phalarope 472 Bean Goose 475 - White-fronted Goose 478 Bernicle Goose . . / 480 Brent Bernicle . . . .* . . .482 Hooper Swan 485 Common Sheldrake 491 Pintail Duck 496 Wild Duck 498 - Teal 504 . Wigeon 506 Eider Duck 508 Black Scoter 513 Common Pochard 516 Scaup Duck 518 Tufted Duck 519 Long-tailed Duck 521 Golden Eye 523 Goosander 528 Great Crested Grebe 529 - Little Grebe, or Dabchick . . .533 Great Northern Diver . . . .536 Common Guillemot 541 Little Auk 546 Puffin 547 Razor-bill 550 Common Cormorant 553 Shag . . . 557 Gannet 559 Common Tern 566 Lesser Tern 570 * Black Tern 572 Black-headed Gull 578 Kittiwake Gull 581 Common Gull 584 Herring Gull 588 Common Skua 592 Richardson's Skua 595 Greater Shearwater . . . . .601 Stormy Petrel ....... 604 THE GRIFFON VULTURE. VULTUR FULVUS. HEAD and neck covered with short white down : ruff dull reddish white ; upper plumage various shades of brown ; under plumage dull yellow-brown, lighter in front ; quills and tail-feathers brownish black ; beak livid yellow ; cere flesh- coloured ; iris reddish orange ; legs and feet grey ; claws black. Length four feet. Eggs white. IN order to watch the Vulture in its haunts, we must quit the shores of Britain and repair to warmer countries, VULTUKID^E. , o^ing to the, rapid decomposition of carrion, the cp of Gc'p has stocked with carnivorous animals of great voracity. In these the Vulture is ever at hand to execute its useful and wholesome, but to us unsavoury, work of a scavenger. Endowed with great power of wing, it is enabled to attain a lofty elevation in the air, and thus em- bracing an extended circle of vision, it can call into exer- cise its intensely acute sight, by which it discerns at a great distance the bodies of dead or dying animals, towards which it rapidly proceeds and descends in circles. Some naturalists are of opinion that it is by the aid of an acute scent rather than of vision that the Vulture detects its prey. Without going into the arguments for and against this theory, we will only remark that if the bird were guided to its prey by scent, it would probably skim along the ground, where that sense would be most available, rather than adopt a soaring mode of flight, which, though eminently calculated for extensive vision, must certainly render less effective its powers of scent. It has been well observed too that the Vulture, when performing its lofty flights, is employed not only in search- ing for food but in watching the 'movements of its con- geners, and when any one of them descends on a discovered prey, the movement serves as an intimation of the fact to all other Vultures which may happen to be in sight. The suddenly accelerated flight of these is observed by yet more distant birds, which, thus summoned as it were by telegraphic signs, fly to a common centre in an incredibly short space of time, The Vulture, being no combatant, is ill provided with weapons of offence. Voracity, not pugnacity, is its charac- teristic. The beak and talons are nearly straight, and hooked at the end only. They are therefore unsuited for carrying off prey. The appetite, however, of the bird is enormous, and the capacious craw being elastic can contain a proportionate quantity of food, which the bird disgorges THE GRIFFON VttLTUEE. 3 for the benefit of its young. Ready as it is at all times to feast on the dead, the least of living creatures scares it. Its flight is slow, its habits ungainly, and its whole ap- pearance offensive. The small head and long neck, bare of feathers, want the grace which characterises birds in general, among which it holds the same rank that the hyena does among quadrupeds. It emits an offensive smell, and when dead is rejected by all animals of prey, lying on the ground untouched until it becomes a mummy. One species of Vulture is often figured on Egyptian monuments as an emblem of victory, from the fact, doubtless, that these birds are in the habit of following armies, to feast on rejected offal, or, if occasion presents itself, on the bodies of the slain. The Griffon Vulture inhabits Africa and several of the mountainous parts of Europe, especially the neighbourhood of Gibraltar. It builds its nest in inaccessible rocks. Its only claim to be considered a British bird is, that a young specimen was caught, in the year 1843, on the rocks near Cork Harbour. THE EGYPTIAN VULTUEE. NEOPHRON PERCNdPTERUS. Naked part of head and neck yellowish flesh-coloured ; plumage white, except the quills which are black; occipital feathers long and slender; cere orange- colour ; iris yellow ; beak dusky ; feet lurid yellow ; claws black ; tail graduated, the middle feathers longest. Length twenty-six to twenty-nine inches ; breadth five feet nine inches. Eggs white. So very few specimens of this bird in a state of nature have been seen in England, that it has scarcely any more right than the last to be considered a British bird. In habits, it so closely resembles the Griffon Vulture, that a second description is unnecessary. We may notice, however, that this species lives chiefly in pairs, whereas B2 VULTURID^E. the other is gregarious. It abounds in Africa, where it is protected on account of its utility in consuming carrion and garbage ; it is common also in Spain, and is occasionally met with in other mountainous parts of Europe. THE GOLDEN EAGLE. A'QUILA CHRYSAETOS. Tail longer than the wings, rounded ; plumage of the head, back of the neck and legs, lustrous reddish brown, of the rest of the body dark brown ; primaries nearly black ; secondaries brownish black ; tail dark grey, barred and tipped with brownish black ; beak bluish at the base, black at the extremity ; iris brown ; cere and feet yellow ; claws bluish black. Length of the male three feet, that of the female more ; breadth eight feet. Eggs dirty white, mottled with pale reddish brown. A VERY short study of the feathered race brings us to the conclusion that it contains as many shades of character as the human ; the weak, the strong ; the shy, the forward ; the industrious, the idle ; the merry, the morose ; the gentle and the ferocious. To the latter class belongs without doubt the subject of the present memoir. Strong and rapid in flight, high soaring so as to look down on all other inhabitants of earth and air, and making its nest on some inaccessible rock, it has been chosen as the symbol of divinity and power. Persia, Eome, and Imperial France have adopted it in turn, while the Austrian and Eussian Empires, to denote perhaps the extent of their respective dominions eastward and westward, outrage na- ture by representing it furnished with two heads. In Greek and Eoman mythology the Eagle figured in the court of the supreme god. Jupiter, holding the thunderbolts of his master, and descending, when ordered, to be the messenger of his wrath. In the hieroglyphics of the Christian Church, the Eagle represents the evangelist St. John. "Like an Eagle," says the early Christian writer St. Jerome, " he ascends to the very throne of GOD," and says, " In THE GOLDEN EAGLE. the beginning was the word." On this account, it is said, the desk from which the Holy Scriptures are read in cathedrals and churches is made in the form of an Eagle, A passage in the book of Job (xxxix. 27 30), describes THE GOLDEN EAGLE. . with wonderful force the habits of " the Eagle that hasteth to the prey " : " Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high ? She dwelieth and abideth on the rook, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From 6 FALCONID^K. thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood : and where the slain are, there is she." "With reference to the last paragraph, it may be observed that Eagles do not confine themselves to living prey, having often been seen feeding on car- rion ; and it is well known in the East that they follow armies for the purpose of feasting on dead horses, keeping the Vultures at a respectful distance until they are them- selves satisfied. The fable of the Eagle soaring to a great height in ordei to enjoy a gaze at the sun in his unclouded brilliancy, is founded probably on a belief of the ancients, thus stated by the naturalist Pliny: "Before its young are as yet fledged, the Eagle compels them to gaze at the rays of the sun, and if it observes one to wink or show a watery eye casts it from the nest as a degenerate offspring ; if x on the contrary, it preserves a steady gaze, it is saved from this hard fate, and brought up." "The Golden Eagle," says Macgillivray, "seems to prefer live prey to carrion, and easily secures Grouse, in searching for which it flies low on the moors, sailing and wheeling at intervals. Hares, roes, and even red deer, it also attacks, but it does not haunt the shores for fish so much as the Sea Eagle does. There seems very little probability that Eagles have the sense of smell very acute, but that their vision is so is evident. I am not, however, inclined to think that they perceive objects from the vast height to which they sometimes soar, because I never saw one descend from such an elevation in a manner indicating that it had observed a carcase or other eatable object ; whereas, on the other hand, I have very frequently seen them flying along the sides of the hills, at a small height, obviously in search of food, in a manner somewhat resem- bling that of the Sparrow-hawk, but with much less rapidity." The Golden Eagle is said to inhabit the whole circum- THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 7 ference of the globe.* It prefers mountains or extensive forests, building its eyrie either on rocks or lofty trees. In France, Sweden, Spain, and Switzerland, it is frequently observed ; but in the British Isles it is mostly confined to Scotland. Its note, called in the Highlands " a bark," is sharp and loud, resembling at a distance, as, on the only occasion I ever heard it, it seemed to me, the croak of a Raven. It lays two or sometimes three eggs, and feeds its young, which are very voracious, on birds and the smaller quadrupeds. THE SPOTTED EAGLE. XQUILA N.EVIA. Plumage of the body, head, wings, and tail, of a light or dark brown, according to different states of age and sex, brighter towards the tail and thighs. Young birds have many of the principal feathers spotted with greyish white, but these spots become darker in old birds, and finally disappear. Beak black ; cere and feet yellow. Length about two feet. Eggs white. THE Spotted Eagle has but little claim to be considered a British bird, very few specimens only having been seen in these islands, and at distant intervals of time. Its usual resort is the south and east of Europe, Egypt, and other parts of Africa. In France, and some parts of central Europe, it is rarely seen except at the two periods when wild-fowl perform their migrations, the flocks of which it accompanies for the sake of supplying itself with food. From the fact that scarcely any but full- grown specimens are seen in the North, and young ones principally in the South, it is inferred that it belongs rather to warm than cold climates. This inference is strengthened also by the observation that these Eagles are more numerous in the central parts of Europe at the time when the wild-fowl are winging their way northwards, than * Colonel Hamilton Smith. 8 FALCONID^E. .> when flying in the opposite direction. Favourite resorts are the marshy districts of Corsica, Languedoc, and Provence, where they feed on water-fowl, snakes, fish, and the larger insects. They kill and eat also hares and rabhits, hut have never been known to attack any larger prey. They build their nests in lofty trees. The greyish white spots, which give name to the species, are most numerous and distinct in very young specimens, and in the full-grown bird disappear. The bird is then very like the Golden Eagle, but one third smaller. It is sometimes called the " Rough-footed Eagle." THE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. HALIAETUS ALBICILLA. Tail not longer than the wings ; upper plumage brown, that of the head and neck lightest, lower, chocolate brown; tail white; beak, cere, and feet yellowish white ; claws black. In young birds the tail is dark brown, and the beak and cere are of a darker hue. Length of the male, two feet four inches ; of the female, two feet ten inches. Eggs dirty white with a few pale red marks. THE White-tailed Eagle, known also by the name of the Sea Eagle, is about equal in size to the Golden Eagle, but differs considerably in character and habits ; for while the latter has been known to pounce on a pack of Grouse and carry off two or three from before the very eyes of the astonished sportsman and his dogs, or to appropriate for his own special picking a hunted hare when about to become the prey of the hounds, the White-tailed Eagle has been observed to fly terror-struck from a pair of Skua Gulls, making no return for their heavy buffets but a series of dastardly shrieks. The ordinary food too of the nobler bird is living animals, though, to tell the truth, he is always ready to save himself the trouble of a chase, if he can meet with the carcase of a sheep or lamb ; but the White-tailed Eagle feeds principally on fish, water- fowl, the smaller quadrupeds, and offal, whether of quad- THE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. rupeds, birds, or fish. On such fare, when pressed by hunger, he feeds so greedily that he gorges himself till, unable to rise, he becomes the easy prey of the shepherd's boy armed but with a stick or stone. This Eagle is a northern bird, inhabiting Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Scotland, and the North of England, where it frequents the vicinity of the sea and large lakes. In winter it appears to leave the high latitudes and come J FALCONIM!. farther south, not perhaps so much on account of cold as because its ordinary prey being driven to seek a genial climate, it is compelled to accompany its food. Con- sequently it is more abundant in Scotland during winter than summer, and when seen late in autumn is generally observed to be flying south, in early spring northwards. It builds its nest either in forests, choosing the summit of the loftiest trees, or among inaccessible cliffs over- hanging the sea. The materials are sticks, heath, tufts of grass, dry sea-weed, and it lays two eggs. The young are very voracious, and are fed by the parent birds for some time after they have left the nest, but when able to provide for themselves are driven from the neighbour- hood to seek food and a home elsewhere. THE OSPEEY. PANDION HALIAETUS. Wings longer than the tail ; feathers of the head and neck white, with dark centres ; on each side of the neck a streak of blackish brown, extending down- wards ; upper plumage generally deep brown ; under white, tinged here and there with yeUow, and on the breast marked with arrow-shaped spots ; tail- feathers barred with dusky bands ; cere and beak dark grey ; iris yellow. Length, two feet; breadth, five feet. Eggs reddish white, blotched and spotted with dark reddish brown. "ENDOWED with intense keenness of sight, it hovers high in the air, and having descried a fish in the sea, it darts down with great rapidity, dashes aside the water with its body, and seizes its prey in an instant." So says the ancient naturalist Pliny, describing a bird which he calls Haliaetus, or Sea-Eagle. Eighteen centuries later, Montagu thus described a bird, which, when he first observed it, was hawking for fish on the river Avon, near Aveton Gilford, in Devonshire : "At last," he says, " its attention was arrested, and like the Kestril in search of mice, it became stationary, as if examining what had THE OSPKEY. 11 attracted its attention. After a pause of some time, it descended to within about fifty yards of the surface of the water, and there continued hovering for another short interval, and then precipitated itself into the water with such great celerity as to be nearly immersed. In three or four minutes the bird rose without any apparent difficulty, and carried off a trout of moderate size, and instead of THE ObPUEY. alighting to regale upon its prey, soared to a prodigious height, and did not descend within our view." There can be no reasonable dotibt that the bird thus described at such distant intervals of time is the same, and that the Sea-Eagle of the ancients is the Osprey of the moderns. Wilson thus eloquently describes its habits under the name of the "Fish Hawk :"" Elevated on the high dead 12 FALCONID^E. limb of some gigantic tree, that commands a wide view of the neighbouring shore and ocean, the great White- headed Eagle seems calmly to contemplate the motions of the various feathered tribes that pursue their busy vocations below. High over all these hovers one whose actions instantly arrest all his attention. By his wide curvature of wing, and sudden suspension in air, he knows him to be the Fish Hawk settling over some devoted victim of the deep. His eye kindles at the sight, and balancing himself with half-open wings on the branch, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an arrow from heaven, descends the distant object of his attention, the roar of its wings reaching the ear as it disappears in the deep, making the surges foam around. At this moment the eager looks of the Eagle are all ardour ; and, levelling his neck for flight^ he sees the Fish Hawk once more emerge struggling with his prey, and mounting in the air with screams of exultation. These are the signals for our hero, who, launching into the air, instantly gives chase, soon gains on the Fish Hawk : each exerts his utmost to mount above the other, displaying in the rencontres the most elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. The un- incumbered Eagle rapidly advances, and is just on the point of reaching his opponent, when, with a sudden scream, probably of despair and honest execration, the latter drops his fish : the Eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if to take a more certain aim, descends like a whirlwind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and bears his ill-gotten booty silently away to the woo'ds." The Osprey has been observed on various parts of the coast of Great Britain and Ireland, and in the neighbour- hood of the Scottish Lakes, not merely as a stray visitor, but making itself, during summer at least, entirely at home. It may be considered, in fact, as a citizen of the world, for it has been found in various parts of Europe, THE OSPKEY. 13 the Cape of Good Hope, India, and New Holland. In America, we have already seen, it is abundant. It builds its nest of sticks on some rock or ruin, generally near the water, and lays two or three eggs. THE GYE FALCON. PALCO GTKFALCO. Tail longer thau the wings ; plumage white, with dusky spots and lines ; young birds mostly dull brown above, the feathers acquiring a broader white margin every year ; beak pale blue ; cere and feet yellow. Length of male, one foot ten inches ; of female, two feet. THIS noble bird, the prince of the Falcon tribe, can only be considered as a stray visitor in Great Britain. It is equally uncommon on the other side of the Channel : a young untrained bird having been sold at Havre in 1842 for 500 francs, or 201. Iceland, Greenland, and Norway are its European homes. It is not unfrequent in North America, and it is imported from Tartary and sold at Con- stantinople, Aleppo, and Damascus. It is not probable that the Gyr Falcon was ever abundant in England, for at a very remote period it was valued at a very high price, and was thought a bribe worthy of a king. Thus Nicho- las the Dane stipulated to give King John a Hawk every time he came into England, that he might have liberty to traffic through the King's dominions ; and in the reign of James I. Sir Thomas Morison is said to have given 1000?. for " a cast," that is, a couple of Hawks. In its native haunts, the Gyr Falcon feeds on hares, ptarmigans, and sea-fowl. Its mode of taking its prey is thus described by Audubon : " They rarely sailed when travelling to and fro between their nest and an island where multitudes of Puffins were "breeding, and to which they daily resorted, but used a constant beat of their wings. When over the Puffins, and high in the air, they 1-i FALCONHXffl. would hover almost motionless, as if watching the proper moment to close their pinions, and when that arrived, they would descend almost perpendicularly on their un- suspecting victims. Their cries resembled those of the Peregrine Falcon, being loud,^ shrill, and piercing. Now and then they would alight on some of the high stakes placed on the shore as beacons to the fishermen who visit the coast, and stand for a few minutes, not erect, as most other Hawks, but in the position of a Tern, after which they would resume their avocations, and pounce upon a Puffin, which they generally did while the poor bird was standing on the ground at the very entrance of its burrow, apparently quite unaware of the approach of its powerful enemy. The Puffin appeared to form no impediment to the flight of the Hawk, which merely shook itself after rising in the air, as if to arrange its plumage, as the Fish Hawk does when it has emerged from the water with a fish in its talons." Though wild and courageous in its native state, it is easily trained for the chase, or " reclaimed," as the process is termed, when it becomes docile and obedient. It is said also to display great affection to its master, and to become distressed whenever it changes owners. The sport of hawking is of ancient date. It was prac- tised in our own country at a very early period, and was adopted by the Eomans after the conquest of Britain, the species employed being probably the Peregrine Falcon. In the East, the Gyr Falcon was taught to fly at Ante- lopes, Bustards, Cranes, &c. ; in this country at Herons, Swans, Geese, and, when they were to be met with, at Storks and Cranes. The Gyr Falcon builds its nest of sticks, sea-weed, and mosses, placing it on a lofty precipice, and lays three eggs. THE PEKEGKIKE FALCON. FALCO PEREGEINUS. Tail not longer than the wings ; upper plumage dark bluish grey with darker bands ; head bluish black, as are also the moustaches descending from the gape ; lower plumage white ; breast transversely barred with brown ; beak blue, darker at the point ; cere yellow ; iris dark brown ; feet yellow ; claws black. Female Upper plumage tinged with brown, lower with reddish yellow. Length fifteen inches, female seventeen inches. Eggs dull light red, spotted and blotched with deep red. THE Peregrine Falcon occupies among the " noble " birds of prey a place second only in dignity to the Gyr Falcon. Indeed, from its being more generally diffused and there- fore more easily obtained, it is a question whether it was ] 6 FALCONIDyE. not considered, in England, at least, the special bird of falconry. In France it appears to have been used almost exclusively as the Falcon of the country ; and as the number of Gyr Falcons imported to England must have fallen far short of the demand when the gentle science was in full vogue, here also the Peregrine must be con- sidered the bird of falconry. The "noble" Falcons were those which flew fearlessly on any birds, no matter how much larger they were than themselves, and at once deprived their prey of life by pouncing on a vital part, devouring the head before they lacerated the carcase. The name Peregrine (foreigner) was given to this bird on account of its wide dispersion through most regions of the globe, and for the same reason it has long borne in France the name of Pelerin (pilgrim). It is a bird of haughty aspect and rich colouring, sagacious, powerful, and daring; a type of the chivalry of the middle ages, a veritable knight-errant, always armed, and ready to do battle in any cause against all comers. In France the Peregrine Falcon is most abundant in the marshy districts of the north, which are much frequented by Snipes and Wild Duck ; with us it is most commonly seen in those parts of the sea-coast where sea-fowl abound. The high clirfs of the Isle of Wight, Beachy Head, North Wales, and the Scottish coast are its favourite haunts, and there it reigns supreme among the feathered tribe. It makes its eyrie in the most inaccessible part of the cliif, constructing no nest, but laying four or five eggs in a cavity of a rock where a little loose earth has been deposited : sometimes in the deserted nest of the Bav'en or Carrion Crow. If either of the old birds happens to be shot during the period of breeding, it is incredible in how short a space of time the survivor finds a new mate. Within a short distance from their nest they establish a larder well supplied with Puffins, Jackdaws, and above all, Kestrils ; while the immediate neighbourhood is strewed THE PEREGEINE FALCON. 17 with bones. Remarkable as are both male and female bird for muscular power and high courage, the latter, which is also considerably larger, is by far the superior. The female was, consequently, in the days of falconry flown at Herons and Ducks; the male, termed a Tiercel or Tiercelet, at Partridges and Pigeons. In their native haunts they seem to cause little alarm among the Puffins and Eazor-bills by which they are surrounded, but the sudden appearance of a pair in a part of the cliff frequented by Jackdaws, causes terrible consternation ; while any number of intruders on their own domain are driven away with indomitable courage. When pressed by hunger, or desirous of changing their diet, they condescend to attack and capture birds so small as a Lark, and it is remarkable that however puny may be the prey, the Falcon preserves its instinctive habit of dealing a deadly blow at once, as if afraid that under all circumstances the natural impulse of its quarry were to stand on the defensive. Even in ordinary flight the movement of its wings is exceedingly quick, but when it stoops on its prey its rapidity of descent is marvellous, accompanied too, as it is, by a sound that may be heard at a distance of two hundred yards. Perhaps no bird has had more written about it than this Falcon, numerous treatises having been composed on the art of " reclaiming " it, or training it for hawking, and the proper method of conducting the sport. We have at present space only to add a few words on the latter subject. The art of the falconer is to intercept the Herons when flying against the wind. When a Heron passes, a cast or couple of Falcons are thrown off, which dart into the air, flying in a spiral direction to get above the Heron. As soon as the first has attained the necessary elevation, she makes a stoop, and if she misses, a second stoop is made by the other in her turn. When one has succeeded in striking its prey, the other joins in the attack, and all three birds come to the ground together, buoyed in their descent by their expanded 18 FALCONIMJ. wings. The falconer now comes to the rescue, for though the Heron makes no resistance in the air, as soon as it reaches the ground it uses its formidable beak in defence, and unless prevented may work much mischief to its pursuers. " As when a cast of Faulcons make their flight At an Heronshaw that lyes aloft on wing, The whyles they strike at him with heedlesse might The wary foule his bill doth backward wring. On which the first, whose force her first doth bring, Herselfe quite through the bodie doth engore, And falleth downe to ground like senselesse thing, But th' other, not so swift as she before, Fayles of her souse, and passing by doth hurt no more." Fairy Queen. In France the "cast" consisted of three Falcons, which were trained to perform particular duties, the first to start the game in the required direction, the second to keep guard over it, and the third to deal the fatal swoop. The " Lanner " of Pennani is a young female Peregrine. THE HOBBY. FALCO SUBBUTEO. Wings longer than the tail ; upper plumage bhiish black ; beneath, reddish yellow, with longitudinal brown streaks ; moustaches broad, black ; lower tail-coverts and feathers on the leg reddish ; beak bluish, darker at the tip ; cere greenish yellow ; iris dark brown ; feet yellow : claws black. Female all the colours duller, and the streaks below broader. Length twelve to fourteen inches ; breadth about two feet. Eggs yellowish white, speckled with reddish brown. THE Hobby is a less common bird in England than in France, where it is said to be a constant companion of the sportsman, and to be endowed with enough discrimination to keep out of shot. Not satisfied with appropriating to its own use wounded birds, it pursues and captures those THE HOBBY. 19 which have been fired at unsuccessfully, and not un- frequently even those which have^ been put up but have not come within shot. It is frequently taken, too, in the nets spread for Larks, or inveigled into the snare of the fowler who pursues his craft with limed twigs and the imitated cry of the Owl. It is a bird of passage, both on the Continent and in England, arriving and taking its THE HOBBY. departure at about the same time with the Swallow, In form and colouring it somewhat resembles the Peregrine Falcon, but is much smaller and more slender ; the wings, too, are larger in proportion, and the dark stripes beneath are longitudinal instead of transverse. Its natural prey consists for the most part of Larks and other small birds, beetles, and other large insects. It is said also to prey on c 2 20 FALCONID2E. Swallows; but swift as its flight undoubtedly is, it is somewhat doubtful whether these birds are not sufficiently nimble to elude it, unless, indeed, it attacks individuals exhausted by cold or other cause. It has been trained for hawking small birds ; but owing, perhaps, to its migratory habits, it was found to be impatient of captivity, and was not much prized. Hobbies frequently hunt in pairs, and an instance has been recorded where one hunted a Lark in company with a Hen Harrier ; but the latter, a bird of heavier flight, was soon compelled to give up the chase. It builds its nest, or appropriates a deserted one, in high trees, and lays three or four eggs. THE MERLIN. FALOO ^SALON. Tail longer than the wings ; upper plumage greyish blue ; lower reddish yellow, with longitudinal oblong dark brown spots : tail barred with black ; beak bluish, darker at the tip ; cere yellow : irides dark brown ; feet yellow, claws black. Female above tinged with brown ; below, yellowish white. Length, eleven to twelve inches ; breadth, two feet. Eggs mottled with two shades of dark reddish brown. THE Merlin, or Stone Falcon (so called from its habit of alighting on stones to watch the flight of the small birds which it intends to make its prey), is a beautiful little bird, but notwithstanding its small body ranks among the " noble " Falcons. Associated with the Sparrow-hawk, it was, on the Continent, anciently trained to hunt Quails, and the old falconers are loud in its praises. In England, it was accounted especially the Ladies' Hawk. In a state of nature, it has been observed to attack the Partridge, Magpie, Starling, Blackbird, &c., but its favourite prey is the lark ; and it was to fly at this bird principally, that it was formerly trained. In hawking THE MERLIN. 21 with Merlins, three of these birds were assigned to the Magpie, two to the Lark, and in the chase of the Quail and Land-rail, the Sparrow-hawk was associated with it. The Merlin is more frequent in the northern than in the southern part of Great Britain, and is seen more frequently THE MEKLIN. in winter than in summer, but is nowhere common. In Norfolk, many are caught at the autumnal equinox in the fowlers' nets. It occasionally, perhaps generally, breeds in Northumberland, Cumberland, and North Wales, placing its nest upon the ground amongst the heather, and laying four or five eggs. 22 FALCONIDJS. THE RED-FOOTED HOBBY. FALCO RUFIPES. Wings and tail of equal length ; plumage dark bluish grey, without spots ; that of the thighs and the under tail-coverts deep yellowish red ; cere and feet red ; claws yellow. Female head and neck yellowish red; hack, dusky blue, barred with black ; tail; bluish-grey, barred and tipped with black ; lower plumage, light yellowish red, streaked with dusky brown. Length, ten inches. THIS Falcon, which inhabits Switzerland and the northern countries of Europe, is only a rare visitant in England, not more than a dozen authenticated instances of its appearance being on record. It is of small size, and much resembles a diminutive Hobby, from which, however, it differs greatly in habits, confining its food exclusively to beetles and other insects, for which it hawks only in the evenings. It builds its nest either in the hollows of trees, or appropriates the deserted nest of some other bird. THE KESTRIL. FALCO TINNUNCULUS. Wings shorter than the tail ; upper plumage, neck and breast, dark-lead grey ; sides, under tail-coverts and thighs, light-yellowish red, with longitudinal narrow dark streaks ; beak blue, lighter towards the base ; cere and feet yellow ; irides brown ; claws black. Female upper plumage and tail light red, with transverse spots and bars of dark brown ; lower, paler than in the male. Length, fifteen inches ; breadth, thirty inches. Eggs, reddish white, blotched and mottled with dark red-brown. THE Kestril being the most abundant and by far the most conspicuous in its habits of all the British birds of prey, is probably, in most instances, the bird which has been observed whenever the appearance of "a Hawk" has been mentioned. Though rapid in flight whenever it chooses to put forth its full powers, it is more remarkable for the habit which has acquired for it the name of THE KESTR1L. Zo " Windhover ; " and there can scarcely be any one, how- ever unobservant, who makes even but an occasional expe- dition into the country, but has stopped and gazed with delight on its skilful evolutions. Suspended aloft, with its head turned towards the wind, but neither advancing against the breeze, nor moved by it from its position, it agitates its wings as regularly and evenly as if they were turned on a pivot by machinery. Presently, impelled as it were by a spirit of restlessness, it suddenly darts for- wards, perhaps ascending or descending a few feet, and making a slight turn either to the right or the left. Then it skims on with extended, motionless pinions, and once more anchors itself to the air. But on what object is it intent all this while? for that some design is present here is indubitable. Not surely on the capture of birds, 24 FALCONID.E. for at that slight elevation its keen eye would detect the movement of a bird at a mere glance ; nor has it the dash- ing flight one would expect to see in a hunter after game furnished with the same organs of motion as itself. But, if intent on the capture of small animals which creep out of holes in the earth and hunt for their food among the grass, surely no method can be conceived of exploring the field so quickly and so completely. The Kestril, then, though stigmatized by gamekeepers with an evil name, does not merit the reproaches heaped on it ; while to the farmer it is an invaluable ally, destroying countless beetles, the grubs of which would gnaw away the roots of his crops ; caterpillars, which would devour the foliage ; and, above all, mice, which would fatten on the grain. For such food its appetite is enormous, and its stomach capacious, an instance being recorded of a specimen having been shot, the craw of which contained no less than seventy- nine caterpillars, twenty-four beetles, a full-grown field mouse, and a leech. To this varied bill of fare it adds, as occasion offers, glow-worms, lizards, frogs, grasshoppers, and earth-worms. In the winter, indeed, when these animals have withdrawn to their retreats, it is compelled by hunger to provide itself with what my readers would consider more palatable food; for now it preys on any birds which it is swift enough to overtake, and strong enough to master. The skill with which it plucks the feathers from birds before tearing them to pieces, cer- tainly argues in favour of the theory that a bird-diet is not unnatural to it, or, that the habit, if an acquired one, came to an apt learner. But in autumn and winter, game-birds are fully fledged and being quite able to take care of themselves are by no means liable to fall a prey to the Kestril. Thus, admitting, as we fear we must, that if, while hovering for mice, it detects a young Part- ridge in the hay- field, it is unable to withstand the temptation of carrying it off as a delicate repast for its THE KESTKIL. 25 young, yet an occasional trespass of this kind far from counterbalances the advantages it confers as a consistent destroyer of vermin. The Kestril appears to be generally distributed over the country, showing no marked predilection for upland or lowland, heath or marsh. It is very frequently seen near the sea-coast, to which in winter it habitually resorts, finding there, no doubt, greater facilities for obtaining food. Like others of its tribe, it possesses little archi- tectural skill, placing its nest in a hole in a cliff, in ruins, or on lofty trees, often appropriating the deserted dwelling of some more industrious builder than itself. On the Continent it resorts to buildings in towns and cities, as, for instance, the Louvre in Paris, and the towers of cathe- drals. During summer it hawks principally in the gar- dens and orchards near the town, and when harvest is gathered in, repairs to the corn-field^ to hunt for mice among the stubble. When taken young from the nest, it* is easily tamed, and becomes one of the most amusing of pets. Even after being fully fledged and allowed its liberty, it will remain in the neighbourhood of the place- where it was reared, coming regularly to be fed, and recognising the presence of its master by repeating its wild note, Hee, Idee, Idee, and flying to meet him.* An anecdote is recorded in the " Zoologist " of a male Kestril having, in the second year of his domestication, induced a female bird to join him in his half-civilized life, and to assist him in rearing a joint family. "Billy" still continued to make himself quite at home at the house where he was brought .up, coming fearlessly into the nursery and making friends with the children; but his mate never threw off her wild nature so far as to do this : contenting herself with waiting outside, and asserting her right to her fair share of whatever food he brought out. Tame Kestrils * See " Pet Animals," published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 26 have been observed to have the habit of hiding their food when supplied with more than they can consume at the time. I have often noticed, too, in the case of tame Kestrils, that the Chaffinches and other small birds which frequent gardens show no instinctive dread of them, as if they were their natural enemies, but perch on the same tree with them, fearless and unnoticed. The Kestril was formerly trained to hunt small birds, and in the court of Louis XIII. was taught to hawk for Bats. THE GOSHAWK ASTUR PALUMBARIUS. Upper plumage deep bluish grey ; head and back darker ; a light band passing over the eye ; lower plumage white, transversely barred and streaked with dark brown ; tail barred with dark brown, the tip white ; beak bluish black ; cere, irides, and feet yellow ; claws black. Female upper plumage tinged with brown. Length of male from eighteen to twenty inches ; female from twenty- two to twenty-six inches. Eggs white, streaked and spotted with reddish brown. IN the days of Falconry, the Goshawk, which is not a noble Falcon, was employed more for profit than amuse- ment, and a branch of the science was on the Continent called after it " Autourserie," from its name Autour or "starred bird," descriptive of the numerous brown and reddish spots with which its plumage is spangled. It neither hovers like the Kestril, nor soars like the Peregrine Falcon, but watches patiently on the branch of a tree till its prey comes into sight, or skims along the ground with rapid flight; and being of large size, is a formidable enemy to hares, rabbits, and partridges. It is very docile, and, it is said, can be reclaimed in the short space of a week. When trained, it does not refuse to attack the Heron ; but being far inferior to the Falcons in skill and daring, it was rarely flown except at such game as was fit for the table ; hence were applied to it as terms of reproach THE GOSHAWK. 27 the names "Pigeon-hawk" and "Cuisinier" (caterer of the mess). It is a voracious feeder, and yet, like all other predaceous animals, is capable of enduring long intervals of abstinence, hunting only once in twenty-four hours, and taking its ease until stimulated by hunger to make a fresh exertion. It seizes its prey either when flying or perched, carries it off to a place of security, and allows no other bird to approach it. In temper it is unsociable and cruel, having been known, in defiance of the proverb that " Hawks do not pick out Hawks' eyes," to prey on its own kind. The Goshawk is a native of most of the northern countries of Europe, migrating in winter towards the South. In Britain it is of rare occurrence. It builds its nest of sticks and moss, in lofty trees, and lays three or four eggs. THE SPARROW-HAWK. ACCIPITER NISUS. Upper plumage dark bluish grey, with a white spot on the nape of the neck ; lower reddish white, transversely barred with deep brown ; tail grey, barred with brownish black ; beak blue, lightest at the base ; cere, irides, and feet yellow ; claws black. Female upper parts brown passing into blackish grey ; lower, greyish white barred with dark grey. Length, male twelve inches, female fifteen inches ; breadth, male twenty-four inches, female twenty-eight inches. Eggs bluish white, blotched and spotted with deep rusty brown. SINCE the introduction of fire-arms, the Goshawk and Sparrow-hawk have lost much of their reputation, every effort being now made to exterminate them, for carrying on, on their own account, the same practices which in bygone days they were enlisted to pursue on behalf of others. For hawking, it must be remembered, was not exclusively a pas- time followed by the high and noble for amusement's sake, but was, in one of its branches, at least, a very convenient method of supplying the table with game ; and that too, at a period when there were not the same appliances, in the shape of turnips, oil-cake, &c., for fattening cattle and pro- 28 FALCONID^E. ducing beef and mutton in unlimited quantities, that there are now. The produce of the fish-ponds, woods, and fields was then a matter of some moment, and much depended on the training of the Hawks and diligence of the falconer whether the daily board should be plentifully or scantily furnished. In jsecent times, even, some idea of the intrinsic value of a good Hawk, may be gathered from the THE SPARROW-HAWK. fact that, in Lombardy, it was thought nothing extra- ordinary for a single Sparrow-hawk to take for his master from seventy to eighty Quails in a single day. In the Danubian Provinces and in Hungary, the practice of hunting Quails with Sparrow-hawks is stiU in vogue ; but with us, the agile bird is left to pursue his prey on his own account. And right well does he exercise his calling. THE SPAEKOW-HAWK. 29 Unlike the Kestril, which soars high in air and mostly preys on animals which w r hen once seen have no power of escape, the Sparrow-hawk is marked by its dashing, onward flight. Skimming rapidly across the open fields, by no means refusing to swoop on any bird or quadruped worthy of its notice, but not preferring this kind of hunt- ing ground, it wings its easy way to the nearest hedge, darts along by the side, turns sharply to the right or left through an opening caused by a gate or gap, and woe to any little bird which it may encounter, either perched on a twig or resting on the ground. Unerring in aim, and secure of its holdfast, it allows its victims no chance of escape : one miserable scream, and their fate is sealed. And even if the prey detects its coming enemy, and seeks safety in flight, its only hope is to slip into the thick bushes and trust to concealment : resort to the open field is all but certain death. JSTor is it fastidious in its choice of food : leverets, young rabbits, mice, partridges, thrushes, blackbirds, sparrows, larks, pipits, and many others are equal favourites. It resorts very frequently to the homestead and farmyard, not so much in quest of chickens, which, by the way, it does not despise, as for the sake of the small birds which abound in such places. There it is a bold robber, little heeding the presence of men, suddenly dashing from behind some barn or corn-rick, and rapidly disappearing with its luck- less prey struggling in its talons, pursued, perhaps, by the vociferous twitter of the outraged flock, but not dispirited against another onslaught. This coursing for its prey, though the usual, is not the only method of furnishing his larder pursued by the Sparrow-hawk. He has been known* to station himself on the branch of a tree in the neighbourhood of some favourite resort of Sparrows, con- cealed himself, but commanding a fair view of the flock below. With an intent as deadly as that of the fowler when he points his gun, he puts on the attitude of flight before 30 FALCONID^E. he quits his perch, then selecting his victim, and pouncing on it all but simultaneously, he retires to devour his meal and to return to his post as soon as the hubbub he has excited has subsided somewhat. At times he pays dear for his temerity. Pouncing on a bird which the sportsman has put up and missed, he receives the contents of the second barrel : making a swoop on the bird-catchers' call- bird, he becomes entangled in the meshes; or dashing through a glazed window at a caged Canary-bird, he finds his retreat cut off. As is the case with most predaceous birds, the female is larger and bolder than the male, and will attack birds superior to herself in size. Though a fierce enemy, she is an affectionate mother, and will defend her young at the risk of her life. She builds her nest, or appropriates the deserted nest of a Crow, in trees, or if they be wanting, in 'a cliff, and lays four or five eggs. The young are very voracious, and are fed principally on small birds, the number of which consumed may be inferred from the fact that no less than sixteen Larks, Sparrows, and other small birds, were on one occasion found in a nest, the female parent belonging to which had been shot while conveying to them a young bird just brought to the neighbourhood of the nest by the male ; the latter, it was conjectured, having brought them all, and deposited them in the nest in the interval of nine hours which had elapsed between their discovery and the death of his partner. The Sparrow-hawk is found in most wooded districts of Great Britain and Ireland, and the greater part of the Eastern Continent. THE COMMON KITE. MILVUS REGALIS. Upper parts reddish brown ; the feathers with pale edges ; those of the head and neck long and tapering to a point, greyish white, streaked longitudinally with brown; lower parts rust coloured, with longitudinal brown streaks ; tail reddish orange, barred indistinctly with brown ; beak horn coloured ; cere, irides, and feet yellow ; claws black. Female upper plumage of a deeper brown ; the feathers pale at the extremity ; head and neck white. Length, twenty-five inches ; breadth five feet six inches. Eggs dirty white, spotted at the larger end with red-brown. " THE Kite," Pliny informs us, " seems, by the movement of its tail, to have taught mankind the art of steering, nature pointing out in the air what is necessary in the sea." The movement of the bird through the air indeed resembles sailing more than flying. " One cannot," says Buffon, "tut admire the manner in which the flight of the Kite is performed ; his long and narrow wings seem motionless; it is his tail that seems to direct all his 32 FALCONID^E. evolutions, and he moves it continuously ; he rises without effort, comes down as if he were sliding along an inclined plane ; he seems rather to swim than to fly ; he darts for ward, slackens his speed, stops, and remains suspended or fixed in the same place for whole hours without exhibiting the smallest motion of his wings." The Kite generally moves along at a moderate height, but sometimes, like the Eagle, rises to the more elevated regions of the air, where it may always be distinguished by its long wings and forked tail. In France, it is known by the name " Milan Eoyal," the latter title being given to it not on account of any fancied regal qualities, but because in ancient times it was subservient to the pleasures of princes. In those times, hawking at the Kite and Heron was the only kind of sport dignified with the title of " Chase Eoyal," and no one not even a nobleman could attack the Kite and Heron without infringing the privileges of the king. Though larger than the noble Falcons, it is far inferior to them in daring and muscular strength; cowardly in attacking the strong, pitiless to the weak. It rarely assails a bird on the wing, but takes its prey on the ground, where nothing inferior to itself in courage seems to come amiss to it. Moles, rats, mice, reptiles, and partridges, are its common food ; it carries off also goslings, ducklings, and chickens, though it retires ignominiously before an angry hen. When pressed by hunger, it does not refuse the offal of animals, or dead fish; but being an expert fisherman, it does not confine itself to dead food of this kind, but pounces on such fish as it discerns floating near the surface of the water carries them off in its talons, and devours them on shore. The Elite is more abundant in the northern than the southern countries of Europe, to which latter, however, numerous individuals migrate in autumn. It is of very rare occurrence in the southern counties of England, where no THE COMMON KITE. doubt it has gained discredit for many of the evil deeds of the Sparrow-hawk. In Yorkshire, Cumberland, Westmorland, North Wales, and certain parts of Scotland, it is more frequent. It builds its nest of sticks, lined with straw and moss, in lofty trees, and lays three or four eggs. SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. NAUCLERUS FURCATUS. Plumage white, except the back, wings, and tail, which are lustrous purple black ; beak bluish black ; cere lighter blue ; irides dark ; feet greenish blue ; claws dull orange. Length twenty inches. UP to the year 1853, two specimens only of this fine bird had been observed in England. In the April of that year one was observed at Eskdale, Cumberland, in company with Peregrine Falcons. A fortnight afterwards, its roosting place was discovered by a bird-collector, who made several ineffectual attempts to shoot it ; he then fixed his gun into a wall, and thus covered the eyrie situated in a crevice of a crag; returning at midnight, he discharged his gun, and on the following morning found that his shot had told ; the visitor, too wary to be surprised by open skill, fell a victim to treachery, and all chance of its meeting with a mate, and breeding in this country, was lost. It is a native of the tropical and temperate regions of America, where it feeds (always on the wing) on locusts, grass- hoppers, small snakes, lizards, and frogs. These it either picks up from the ground, snatches from the branches of trees, or captures by hawking, but always devours without alighting on the ground, its movements on which are extremely awkward. These birds build their nests of sticks in lofty trees, and line them with moss and feathers : they lay from four to six eggs. COMMON BUZZARD. BUTEO VULGARI8. Upper plumage, neck and head, dark brown; lower, greyish brown, mottled with darker brown ; tail marked with twelve dark transverse bands ; beak lead-coloured ; cere, iris, and feet yellow. Length twenty to twenty-two inches. Eggs white, variously marked with pale greenish brown. THE Buzzard, though ranked very properly among birds belonging to the Falcon tribe, is deficient in the grace- ful activity which characterises the true Falcons. In slug- gishness of habits it approaches the Vultures, and in its soft plumage and mode of flight the Owls ; but differs from the former in feeding on live prey as well as carrion, and from the latter in its diurnal habits. In form indeed it resembles neither, being a bulky broad-winged Hawk, with stout legs and a short much-curved beak. It can fly swiftly enough when occasion requires, but its favourite custom is THE COMMON BUZZAKD. 35 to take its station on some withered branch, or on the pro- jecting corner of a rock, whence it can both obtain a good view of the surrounding country, and, when it has digested its last meal, sally forth in quest of a new one as soon as a victim comes within its range of observation. It pounces on this while on the ground, and pursues its chase with a low skimming flight, keeping a sharp look-out for moles, young hares and rabbits, mice, reptiles, small birds and insects. At times it rises high into the air, and, soaring in circles, examines the surface of the ground for carrion. It has neither the spirit nor daring of the noble Falcons, submitting patiently to the attacks of birds much less than itself, and flying from the Magpie or Jackdaw. As an architect the Buzzard displays no more constructive skill than other birds of its tribe, building its nest of a few sticks, either on a rock or in a tree, and not unfrequently occupying the deserted nest of some other bird. It has, however, a redeeming point, being a most assiduous nurse. The female sits close, and will allow the near approach of an intruder before she leaves her eggs. In captivity, strange to say, though by nature having a strong inclina- tion for the flesh of chickens, she has been known to sit on the eggs of the domestic hen, to hatch a brood, and to rear them with as much solicitude as their natural mother could have shown, distributing to them morsels of raw meat, not comprehending, of course, their repugnance to such fare, and bearing with extreme patience and good humour their unaccountable preference for barley and crumbs of bread. The male bird is scarcely less affectionate as a parent : an instance being recorded of one, which, on the death of his partner, completed the period of incubation and reared the young brood by himself. The Buzzard rarely molests game, and more than compensates for the mischief it does work, by the destruction of undoubted vermin ; yet the hostility shown by gamekeepers against all birds except those which it is their business to protect, has so i) 2 36 FALCONID^E. thinned its numbers that the Buzzard, though once com- mon, is now become rare. In a vignette, " YarrelTs British Birds," vol. I, p. 86, is an interesting sketch of a Buzzard engaged in the maternal duties of the domestic hen. THE ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD. BUTEO LAGOPUS. Tarsi feathered to the claws ; plumage yellowish white, variegated with several shades of brown ; a broad patch of brown on the breast ; tail white in the basal half, the rest uniform brown ; beak black ; cere and irides ^yellow ; feathers on the legs fawn-coloured, spotted with brown ; toes yellow ; claws black. Length twenty-six inches. Eggs whitish, clouded with reddish brown. THIS bird, which is distinguished from the preceding by having its legs thickly clothed with long feathers, is a native of the colder countries of both Continents, being only an occasional visitor in Great Britain during autumn and winter. It is sometimes seen in large flights on the Yarmouth Denes in October and November, at the same time with the Short-horned Owl. It mostly frequents the banks of rivers, where it feeds on vermin, reptiles, and the carcases of animals brought down by the floods. In softness of plumage and mode of flight, it resembles the Owls even more than the preceding species, and often extends its hunting expeditions until far into the evening, When not alarmed, it flies slowly and deliberately, and seemingly has neither the inclination nor the power to attack living birds, unless they have been previously disabled by wounds or other cause. The Rough-legged Buzzard builds its nest in lofty trees, and lays three or four eggs ; but there are no well-authenticated instances of its breeding in this country. HONEY BUZZAKD. PERNTS APfVORUS. Top of the head ash-grey ; neck and back greyish brown : throat yellowish white, with brown spots ; breast white, marked with triangular brown spots ; tail with three brownish black bars ; beak and claws black ; cere grey ; iridos and toes yellow. Female upper plumage reddish brown with darker spots ; lower pale yellowish red with dark brown spots. Length : male twenty-four inches ; female twenty-six inches. Eggs yellowish white, blotched with reddish brown. ON the Continent, the Honey Buzzard is a migratory bird, common enough in the middle of France and on the banks of the Loire, where it breeds, and passing to the south at the approach of winter. Like others of the Hawk tribe, it preys on reptiles, the smaller warm-blooded animals, and on insects. Its Latin specific name Apivorus (bee- eating) is more correct than its English prefix, Honey ; but a more accurate title than either would be, Vespivorus 38 FALCONIM. (wasp- eating) ; for it destroys more wasps than bees, and more larvae than honey. In Great Britain it does not rank among the rarest of birds, but is far from common, and is a summer visitor only. It is not a bird of any great power of flight, seldom taking to wing except from tree to tree, or from bush to bush, and then always low, but more frequently running along the ground with great rapidity. Consequently, the only birds that it has the power of mastering are such as have no greater facility of flight than itself, namely, the young of Partridges, Phea- sants, and Quails. It is a diligent insect hunter, and makes great havoc of the nests of wasps and wild bees, killing the perfect insects, and tearing the combs to pieces in quest of grubs, which probably form the prin- cipal food of its young. Several instances occur of its having bred in England, the nest being placed in a large tree, flat, and composed of twigs, and lined with leaves and wool A member of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, who kept one tame in his garden, says that in cap- tivity it feeds on small birds, rats, and frogs. It is very fond of the honeycomb of the wild bee, and when hungry will swallow large pieces of the comb, containing the grub or larvae ; but, when its appetite is not very keen, it usually separates the cells, extracts the grubs, and throws the wax away. When any honey has been dropped on the ground, the bird has been seen repeatedly to thrust its bill into the earth where it appeared to be moistened by the honey. Of all the birds of prey, this Honey Buzzard seems to have been the gentlest, the kindest, and the most capable of attachment. It would follow its master round the garden, cowering and shaking its wings, though not soliciting food, uttering at the same time a plaintive sound, something like the whistle of the Golden Plover, but softer and much more prolonged. Though shy with strangers, it was very fond of being noticed and caressed by those to whose presence it was THE HONEY BUZZARD. 39 accustomed. Some Lapwing Plovers which were con- fined in the same garden with it, showed no signs of caution or apprehension, but were often seen with the Buzzard sitting in the midst of them, as if listening to a lecture delivered by him. Besides the plaintive cry above mentioned, the Honey Buzzard has another and more varied note, apparently of alarm. MAESH HAEEIEE. CIRCUS .ERUGINOSUS. Head, neck, and breast yellowish white, with numerous longitudinal brown streaks ; wing-coverts reddish brown ; primary quills white at the base, the rest black ; tail and secondaries ash-grey ; lower plumage reddish brown ; beak bluish black ; cere, irides, and feet yellow ; claws black. Length twenty inches. Eggs white. THE Harriers are bold predatory voracious birds, having somewhat of the appearance and movements of the Hawks. On a closer inspection, however, they are seen to approach nearer in character to the Owls. In the first place, they hunt their prey more in the morning and evening than at any other time of day. In the next place, these twilight habits are associated with a large head, and a somewhat defined face formed by a circle of short feathers ; while the plumage generally is soft and loose, and their mode of hunting resembles that of the nocturnal predatory bird?, rather than that of the Falcons. They are remarkable for the great difference which exists between the plumage of the two sexes, which has made the task of discriminating the number of species very difficult. Less active than the Falcons, they yet carry on a formidable war against small birds, reptiles, and mice. The Harriers or Harrows are so called from their harrying propensities. Of similar import is the etymology of the English word "havoc," which may be clearly traced to the Anglo-Saxon hafoc or hawk. The habit of the Marsh Harrier is not 40 FALCONID^E. to station itself on a tree or rock, thereon to explore the country; but while hunting, it is always on the wing, skimming along the ground, and beating about the bushes with a noiseless, unsteady flight, and always taking its prey on the ground. Rabbit- warrens afford this bird a favourite hunting-ground, where it either pounces on such living animals as it can surprise, or performs the office of under- taker to the dead bodies of rabbits killed by the weasels, burying them in the grave of its craw. In this ignoble office it is said to be sometimes assisted by the Buzzard, and both birds have been accused of setting to work before their unhappy victim has breathed its last. On the sea- shore, the Marsh Harrier commits great depredations among young water-fowl, and is often mobbed and driven from the neighbourhood by the assembled old birds. The Partridge and Quail often too fall victims to its voracity, so that the Marsh Harrier receives no quarter from game- keepers. It places its nest generally near water, in a tuft of rushes, or at the base of a bush, constructing it of sticks, rushes, and long grass, and lays three or four eggs. The Marsh Harrier is a widely dispersed species, being found, says Temminck, in all countries where there are marshes. It occurs but sparingly in most parts of Great Britain and Ireland. It is sometimes called the Moor Buzzard. HEN HARRIER CIRCUS CYANEUS. Tail longer than the wings ; third and fourth primaries of equal length ; upper plumage of the male bluish grey ; lower white. Upper plumage of the female reddish brown; lower, pale reddish yellow, with deep orange brown longitudinal streaks and spots. Beak black ; cere greenish yellow ; irides reddish brown ; feet yellow ; claws black. Length : male, eighteen inches ; female, twenty inches. Eggs white. Two birds of this family, the Hen Harrier and Ringtail, were formerly considered distinct species ; and no wonder ; for , not only are they different in size, but dissimilar THE HEN HABKIER. 41 in colour, one having the upper parts grey, the lower white ; and the other the upper parts reddish brown, and various parts of the plumage of a light colour, barred and streaked with deep brown. The experienced ornithologist, Montagu, suspecting that they were male and female of the same species, undertook to clear up the matter by rearing a brood taken from the same nest. The result was that THE HEN HAHKIEK. at first there was no great difference, except in size, all having the dark plumage of the Hen Harrier ; but after the fiust moult, the males assumed the grey and white plumage, while the larger birds, the females, retained the gayer colouring. In habits both birds resemble the Marsh Harrier, but do not confine themselves to damp places. They frequent open plains, hill-sides, and inclosed fields, 42 FALCONIDJS. hunting a few feet above the surface of the ground, and beating for game as skilfully as a well-trained spaniel The moment that the Harrier sees a probable victim he rises to a height of twenty feet, hovers for a moment, and then comes down with unerring aim on his prey, striking dead with a single blow, Partridge or Pheasant, Grouse or Blackcock, and showing strength not to be expected from his light figure, and slender, though sharp talons. ^Nbt unfrequently he accompanies the sportsman, keeping carefully out of shot, and pouncing on the birds which he startles from their cover, killing them, and carrying them off to be devoured in retirement. He preys exclusively on animals killed by him- self, destroying a great quantity of game, young hares and rabbits, wild ducks, snipes, plovers, and rats. It is a gener- ally-diffused bird, by no means so common as the Kestril and Sparrow-hawk, but is met with occasionally in most countries of Europe and Asia, and in various parts of the British Isles. It is far from improbable that this bird may frequently be seen, without being recognised as belonging to the Hawk tribe ; indeed, the beautiful form and light blue and white plumage, might cause it to be mistaken for a Gull. It builds a nattish nest of sticks, just raised above the ground, in a heather, or furze-bush, and lays three or four eggs. MONTAGU'S HARRIER CIRCUS MONTAGUI. Wings a little longer than the tail ; third primary longer than tin fourth and second ; upper plumage bluish grey ; primaries black, secondaries with three transverse dark bars ; lateral tail-feathers white barred with reddish orange ; under plumage white, variously streaked with reddish orange. Fe- maleupper plumage brown of various tints ; under, pale reddish yellow, with longitudinal bright red streaks. Beak black ; cere deep yellow ; irides hazel; feet yellow; claws black. Length seventeen inches. Eggs bluish white. THIS bird, which is of rare occurrence in Britain, resembles the Hen Harrier very closely, both in appearance and MONTAGU'S HAKEIEK. 43 habits. On the Continent, especially in Holland, it is more frequent. It received its name in honour of Colonel Montagu, who was the first to ascertain the identity of the Hen Harrier and Eingtail, and to separate the present species from both. EAGLE OWL. BUBO MAXIMUS. Bill bluish black, lighter towards the base ; iris orange ; upper parts mottled with black, brown, and ochre yellow ; under parts ochre yellow, with longitu- dinal dark stripes ; throat white ; claws bluish black. Female somewhat larger than the male, but wants the white spot on the throat. Length twenty- four inches ; breadth fifty-eight inches. Eggs white. THE Owls have in most ages been classed by the igno- rant among birds of evil omen. Yet it is a question whether any one encountering an Owl for the first time, and as an unknown bird, would have any other feeling excited in him save that of the ludicrous. Its upright posture, round flat face, strangely set ears, or horns, as we may choose to call them, large, staring eyes always turned to the spectator with such unmeaning solemnity, are irre- sistibly comical; and one's merriment is increased by the absence of all sympathy in the bird, which, in spite of its human cast of features, is neither angered nor amused by our laughter, but retains the same grave expression, making no sign of response. It was probably on account of its grave looks and seeming power of abstraction that the Owl was dedicated by the Greeks to the goddess Minerva, and honoured as the Bird of Wisdom. Pre-eminent among the European Owls is that which from its superior size and strength is called the Eagle-Owl, and in France Grand Due; the latter name been given to it, it is said, from an ancient popular belief that it acted twice a year as leader or guide, Due, to the flocks of Quails at their periods of migration. It must, however, have 44 STRIGID.E. "been very ill fitted for such a post, being without doubt an exceedingly rapacious and destructive bird, as may be inferred 'from the following narrative : "One day in the month of July, a young bird, having quitted the nest, was caught by the servants. This bird was, considering the season of the year, well feathered ; but the down appeared here and there between those feathers which had not yet attained their full growth. After it was caught, it was shut up in a large hen-coop, when, on the following morning, a fine young Partridge was found lying dead before the door of the coop. It was immediately concluded that this provision had been brought there by the old Owls, which no doubt had been making search in the night-time for their lost young one. And such was indeed the fact ; for night after night, for fourteen days, was this same mark of attention repeated. The game which the old ones carried to it consisted chiefly of young Partridges, for the most part newly killed, but sometimes a little spoiled. On one occasion a Moor-fowl was brought, so fresh that it was actually warm under the wings; and at another time a putrid lamb was deposited." * The Eagle-Owl is not only the strongest and best armed of all the birds of prey next to the Eagle, but its attack is inevitable, because it strikes in the dark, and its flight is so noiseless that its prey has no warning of its approach. Some authors assert that when it has young to feed, it extends its hunting expeditions into the day ; this may well be the case, for even the Barn-Owl, when in captivity, though most active during night, is ready to receive food at all hours when hungry. The favourite food of the Eagle-Owl is the hare, the partridge, and other game. In America, it preys on the Wild Turkey, which, though weighing from ten to twenty pounds, it finds no difficulty in transporting to a considerable distance. "When * Stanley's British Birds, p. 154. THE EAGLE OWL. 45 assailed by superior strength it makes a vigorous defence. Its sharp talons inflict wounds as severe as those of the fox or wild cat, meeting in the flesh of any animal on which it fastens, and endowed with such power of muscular contraction as to pierce the leathern gaiters, and even the shoes of the hunters. When wounded and attacked by dogs, it turns itself on its back, extends its open talons, and executes a movement with its beak which serves to guard the whole body. These strange manoeuvres, accom- panied as they are by rolling of the eyes, and a hissing noise like the exaggerated purr of a cat, are so alarming, that the most courageous dog hesitates before making his first onset, and rarely attempts a second. The note of the Eagle-Owl is described as being most discordant and hideous ; by some being compared to the bark of a dog, by others to the neigh of a horse, and by others again to an agonized human shriek ; consequently, it figures in many of the legends connected with the Hartz mountains, where it is of frequent occurrence. In Great Britain it has been rarely met with. It seems to prefer the mountain forests of the North, where it builds its nest among rocks, ruins, or stumps of trees, and lays two or three eggs. SCOPS-EAEED OWL, SCOPS ALDKOVANDI. Bill black ; iris yellow ; egrets (about three-quarters of an inch long) and head brown, minutely spotted with black ; upper parts, reddish brown mottled with black and dark brown : under parts lighter. Wings equalling the tail in length. Length, seven to eight inches ; Female somewhat larger. Eggs white. A BEAUTIFULLY marked little bird, scarcely bigger than a Thrush, which, though abundant in many parts of the continent of Europe, rarely pays us a visit. It is a bird of passage, arriving in France in May, and taking its de- parture in September. It builds its nest in the trunks of trees, and hides by day among the foliage of the poplars, limes, &c., which line the great roads. There it is heard in the summer evenings and nights, repeating at intervals as regular as the ticking of a pendulum, its melancholy and monotonous cry of " kew, kew" as little melodious as the croak of a frog. It frequents the vicinity of towns, and THE SCOPS-EAKEU OW lives exclusively on the larger insects. It is more abundant in the southern countries of Europe than in the northern ; and in autumn migrates to the Mediterranean Islands and Africa. It makes its nest in holes in rocks or trees, and lays from two to five eggs. \ LONG-EARED OWL. OTUS VULGABIS. Beak black ; iris orange yellow ; egrets very long, composed of eight or ten black feathers, edged with yellow and white ; upper parts reddish yellow, mottled with brown and grey ; lower parts lighter, with oblong streaks of deep brown. Length fifteen inches ; breadth thirty-eight inches. Eggs white. THOUGH not among the most frequent of the English Owls, this species occurs in most of the wooded parts of England and Ireland, as indeed it does in nearly all parts of the world where woods are to be found. In Erance, where it is common, it unites in its own person all the mal- practices which have been popularly ascribed to the whole tribe of Owls. It is there said to be held in great detes- tation by all the rest of the feathered tribe ; a fact which is turned to good account by the bird-catcher, who, having 48 STEIGID^E. set his traps and limed twigs, conceals himself in the neighbourhood and imitates the note of this Owl. The little birds, impelled by rage or fear, or a silly combination of both, assemble for the purpose of mobbing the common enemy. In their anxiety to discern the object of their abhorrence, they fall one after another into the snare, and become the prey of the fowler. The Long-eared Owl is not altogether undeserving of the persecution which is thus intended for her, her principal food being field-mice and such little birds as she can surprise when asleep. In fact, she respects neither the person nor the property of her neighbours, making her home in the old nests of large birds and squirrels, and appropriating, as food for herself and her voracious young, the carcases of any that she finds herself strong enough to master and kill. The cry of this bird is prolonged and plaintive, though consisting of not more than two or three notes repeated at intervals. The note of the young bird is similar, but is uttered in a higher key, and seems to be intended as a petition to its parents for a supply of food. A writer in the "Zoologist,"* who has had many opportunities of observing this species in its native haunts, says, that it does not confine its flight entirely to the darker hours, as he has met with it in the woods sailing quickly along, as if hawking, on a bright summer day. It is curious to observe, he says, how flat they invariably make their nests, so much so, that it is difficult to conceive how the eggs retain their position, even in a slight wind, when the parent bird leaves them. The eggs are invariably three in number, and there are grounds for supposing that the female bird begins to sit as soon as she has laid her first egg. * Vol. ii. p. 562. THE SHOKT-EARED OWL. OTUS BBACHY6TUS. Face whitish; beak black; iris yellow; egrets inconspicuous, of a few black feathers ; eyes encircled by brownish black ; upper plumage dusky brown, edged with yeUow ; lower pale orange, streaked with brown. Length six- teen inches ; breadth thirty-eight. Eggs white. FROM the name, Hawk-owl, sometimes given to this species, we should expect to find this bird not so decidedly noc- turnal in its habits as the preceding; and such is the case; for, though it does not habitually hunt by day, it has been known to catch up chickens from the farmyard, and has been seen in chase of pigeons. If attacked during day- light, it does not evince the powerless dismay of the last species, but effects a masterly retreat by soaring in a spiral direction until it has attained an elevation to which its adversary does not care to follow it. Unlike its allies, it 50 STKIGID^E. frequents neither mountains nor forests, but prefers the plains, concealing itself, on the Continent, in heaths and vineyards, and in the British Isles, in stubble-fields or among turnips. In some seasons they are so abundant in France, that the sportsman has no difficulty in killing a dozen in a day. As many as twenty-eight were once seen in a single turnip- field in England ; from whence it has been inferred that in autumn the Short-eared Owls are gregarious, and esta- blish themselves for a time in any place they fall in with, where field-mice or other small quadrupeds are abun- dant. In England this bird is not uncommonly started by sportsmen when in pursuit of game. It then flies with a quick zig-zag motion for about a hundred yards, and alights on the ground, never on a tree. By some it is called the Woodcock-Owl, from its arriving and departing at about the same times with that bird ; it is not, however, invariably a bird of passage, since many instances are on record of its breeding in this country, making a rude nest in a thick bush, either on the ground, or close to it, and feeding its young on mice, small birds, and even the larger game, as Moor-fowl, a bird more than double its own weight. The Short-eared Owl affords a beautiful illus- tration of a fact not generally known, that the nocturnal birds of prey have the right and left ear differently formed, one ear being so made as to hear sounds from above, and the other from below. The opening into the channel for conveying sound is in the right ear, placed beneath the transverse fold, and directed upwards, while in the left ear the same opening is placed above the channel for conveying sound, and is directed downwards. In the severe weather of January, 1861, I had the gratification of seeing three or four of these Owls among the sand-hills of the coast of Norfolk, near Holkham. I imagined them to be in pursuit of the Eedwings and - other small birds which had been driven by the intense THE SHORT-EARED OWL. 51 cold to the sea-coast, since they flew about as Hawks do when hunting for prey, and occasionally alighted among the sand-hills. I even fell in with several heaps of feathers, showing where ^ome unhappy bird had been picked and eaten. A few days afterwards, however, I inquired at another part of the coast whether there were any Owls there, and received for an answer, " No, because there are no Babbits;" from which I inferred that these birds have the reputation of hunting larger game than Thrushes, a charge which the size and power of their hooked talons seem to justify. THE BAKN OWL. STRIX FLAMMEA. Beak yellowish white ; upper parts light tawny yellow minutely variegated with brown, grey, and white ; face and lower plumage white, the feathers of the margin tipped with brown. Length fourteen inches; breadth nearly three feet. Eggs white. EETDRNING from our Summer-evening's walk at the plea- sant time when twilight is deepening into night, when the Thrush has piped its last roundelay, and the Nightingale is gathering strength for a fresh flood of melody, a sudden exclamation from our companion " What was that ? " compels us to look in the direction pointed at just in time to catch a glimpse of a phantom-like body disappearing behind the hedge-row. But that the air is still, we might have imagined it to be a sheet of silver paper wafted along by the wind, so lightly and noiselessly did it pass on. We know, however, that a pair of Barn Owls have appropriated these hunting grounds, and that this is their time of sallying forth ; we are aware, too, how stealthily they fly along the lanes, dipping behind the trees, search- ing round the hay-stacks, skimming over the stubble, and all with an absence of sound that scarcely belongs to moving life. Yet, though by no means slow of flight, the E2 52 STBIGID^E. Barn Owl can scarcely be said to cleave the air ; rather, it fans its way onwards with its down-fringed wings, and the air, thus softly treated, quietly yields to the gentle force, and retires without murmur to allow it a passage. Not without meaning is this silence preserved. The nimble little animals that constitute the chase, are quick-sighted and sharp of hearing, but the pursuer gives no notice of THE BARN OWL. his approach, and they know not their doom till they feel the inevitable talons in their sides. The victim secured, silence is no longer necessary. The successful hunter lifts up his voice in a sound of triumph, repairs to the nearest tree to regale himself on his prize, and, for a few minutes that is, until the chase is resumed utters his melodious Haw again and again. In the morning, the Owl will THE BAEN OWL. 53 retire to his private cell and will spend the day perched on end, dozing and digesting as long as the sunlight is too powerful for his large and sensitive eyes. Peep in on him in his privacy, and he will stretch out or move from side to side his grotesque head, ruffling his feathers, and hissing as though your performance were worthy of all condemnation. Yet he is a very handsome and most amusing bird, more worthy of being domesticated as a pet than many others held in high repute. Taken young from the nest, he is soon on familiar terms with his owner, recognises him by a napping of wings and a hiss whenever he approaches, clearing his premises of mice, and showing no signs of pining at the restriction placed on his liberty. Give him a bird, and he will soon show that, though con- tented with mice, he quite appreciates more refined fare. Grasping the body with his talons, he deliberately plucks off all the large feathers with his beak, tears off the head, and swallows it at one gulp, and then proceeds to devour the rest piecemeal. In a wild state his food consists mainly of mice, which he swallows whole, beetles, and sometimes fish, which he catches by pouncing on them in the water. The service which the Barn Owl renders to the agricul- turist, by its consumption of rats and mice, must be ex- ceedingly great, yet it is little appreciated. " When it has young," says Mr. Waterton, "it will bring a mouse to the nest every twelve or fifteen minutes. But in order to have a proper idea of the enormous quantity of mice which this bird destroys, we must examine the pellets which it ejects from its stomach in the place of its retreat. Every pellet contains from four to seven skeletons of mice. In sixteen months from the time that the apartment of the Owl on the old gateway was cleared out, there has been a deposit of above a bushel of pellets." The plumage of the Barn Owl is remarkable for its soft- ness, its delicacy of pencilling on the upper parts and its snowy whiteness below. Its face is perfectly heart-shaped 54 STEIGID^E. during life, but when the animal is dead becomes circular. The female is larger than her mate, and her colours are somewhat darker. The nest of the Barn Owl is a rude structure placed in the bird's daily haunt. The eggs vary in number, and there are grounds for supposing that the bird lays them at different periods, each brood after the first being hatched (partially at least) by the heat of the young birds already in being. That this is always the case it would not be safe to assert, but that it is so sometimes there can be no doubt. The young birds are ravenous eaters and proverbially ugly; when craving food they make a noise resembling a snore. The old birds are considered by Sir W. Jardine to hoot ; and to this statement I am inclined to assent, having heard a hoot proceed from a certain grove which I know to be frequented by White Owls, but where no other kind of Owl has been observed. Most naturalists are, however, of opinion that they have but two notes : the screech by night,' the purring hiss by day. The Barn or White Owl is said to be the most generally diffused of all the tribe, being found in almost all latitudes of both hemispheres, and it appears to be everywhere an object of terror to the ignorant. A bird of the night, the time when evil deeds are done, it bespeaks for itself an evil reputation ; making ruins and hollow trees its resort, it becomes associated with the gloomiest legends ; uttering its discordant note during the hours of darkness, it is rarely heard save by the benighted traveller, or by the weary watcher at the bed of the sick and dying ; and who more susceptible of alarming impressions than these ? It is therefore scarcely surprising that the common incident of a Screech-Owl being attracted by a solitary midnight taper to flutter against the window of a sick room, and there to utter its melancholy wail, should for a time shake the faith of the watcher, and, when repeated with the customary exaggerations, should obtain for the poor harm- less mouser the unmerited title of " harbinger of death." THE TAWNY OWL. SYRNIUM ALUCO. Beak greyish yellow ; irides bluish dusky ; upper parts reddish brown, variously marked and spotted with dark brown, black, and grey ; large white spots on the scapulars and wing coverts ; primaries and tail feathers barred alternately with dark and reddish brown ; lower parts reddish white, with transverse brown bars and longitudinal dusky streaks ; legs feathered to the claws. Length sixteen inches ; breadth three feet. Eggs dull white, THIS bird, the Ulula of the ancients, took its name from the Latin ululare ; the word used to denote, and partially to imitate, the cry of the wolf : it enjoys also the doubtful honour of giving name to the whole tribe of "Owls," whether they howl, hoot, or screech. This species is by no means so generally diffused as the last, but yet is not uncommon in many of the wooded parts of England, especially the west. But even here, owing to its nocturnal 55 56 STRIGIMl. habits, and dusky colour, it is not so often seen as heard. It has many a time been my amusement to repair, towards the close of a summer evening, to a wood which I knew to be the resort of these birds, and to challenge them to an exchange of greetings, and I rarely failed to succeed. Their note may be imitated so exactly as to deceive even the birds themselves, by forming a hollow with the fingers and palms of the two hands, leaving an opening only between the second joints of the two thumbs, and then by blowing with considerable force down upon the opening thus made, so as to produce the sound hoo-hoo-hoo-o-o-o. I have thus induced a bird to follow me for some distance, echoing my defiance or greeting, or whatever he may have deemed it ; but I do not recollect that I ever caught sight of the bird. The Tawny Owl does not prey exclusively on mice and small birds, but makes great havoc among game, and even visits fish-ponds. Young hares, rabbits, rats, mice, moles, and any birds that he can surprise asleep, form his principal food. These he hunts by night, and retires for concealment by day to some thick tree or shrubbery, either in the hill country or the plains. The nest, composed principally of the dried pellets of undigested bones and fur, which all the Owls are in the habit of disgorging, is usually placed in a hollow tree ; here the female lays about four eggs, from which emerge, in due time, as many grotesque bodies enveloped in a soft plush of grey yarn ; destined, in due time, to become Tawny Owls. The full- grown females are larger than the males, and, being of a redder tinge, were formerly considered a distinct species. 07 THE SNOWY OWL. SURNIA NYCTEA. Plumage snow-white, more or less marked with brown spots and transverse bars ; beak black ; irides orange yellow ; legs and toes thickly covered with long shaggy feathers. Length two feet ; breadth five feet. Eggs pure white. AN Owl that spends its summer in the Arctic regions, must, of necessity, differ in its habits from the Owls which reside in climates where day is succeeded by night at short intervals ; either it must keep a fast of many weeks' duration, or hunt for food while' the sun is above the horizon. The Snowy Owl, therefore, a northern bird en- dowed with an appetite as voracious as that generally possessed by other birds of the same tribe, hunts during the day as well as in the dark. With the exception of the Eagle Owl, it is the largest species met with in Britain, and, like that bird, only an occasional visitor. In the Shetland Islands it is not unfrequent, where, however, it rarely comes abroad till dusk, and feeds on rabbits, mice, rats, and small birds, especially sandpipers. Its form is highly elegant ; its flight less buoyant and more rapid than that of other Owls ; and the superior boldness and activity of its disposition, the uncommon size of its talons, and the vigour of its limbs, secure it against danger from all feathered enemies. On the approach of twilight, it quits the elevated stony districts in which it conceals itself during day, and frequents the cultivated fields, prowling over the low grounds in quest of mice and small birds. When first observed to leave its retreat, it is frequently assailed by crows, and other birds ; but it receives their attacks with indifference, and dashes through the air, despising their hostility. In North America, it has frequently been ob- served hunting during the day, as well as in the dark. It passes swiftly over its hunting ground, seizes its prey by instantaneously falling on it, and generally devours it on 58 STEIGIDJE. the spot. It also catches fish, and watches the traps set for musk-rats, devouring the animals caught in them. Little appears to be known about its nest or eggs ; and not much more about its note, which is said by one author to resemble the grunting of pigs ; and by another, the lamentations of a person in distress. In the year 1845, a party of fishermen; belonging to Cullen, in Banffshire, observed a Snowy Owl enter a chasm in the cliff, and climbed up. The most venturesome of the party, scrambling into the hole, discovered two old birds and two young ones, all of which, with some personal risk, he either killed or captured. This appears to be the only authentic evidence on record of their breeding in Great Britain. The plumage is exceedingly beautiful ; pure white, spotted and barred with brownish black. In younger birds, there is a greater proportion of dark markings, while, in very old birds, the spots are either small or entirely obliterated. THE HAWK OWL. SURNIA FUldREA. Head, back of the neck, and shoulders, mottled with dusky black and dull white ; face bounded by a black, crescent-shaped band ; back and wings dark brown, barred with dull white ; tail barred with dull white ; under parts dull white, barred with dusky brown ; beak white ; irides straw yellow ; tarsi and toes covered with greyish white feathers. Length seventeen inches. Eggs white. OP this species a single specimen only has been observed in, or rather on, the coast of England, and this is the sole claim which the Hawk Owl can put forward to be con- sidered a British bird. It occurs, but rarely, in the north of Germany, and then only in the great forests or among the mountains. In America it is found in the high north- ern latitudes, and is common throughout the fur countries, from Hudson's Bay to the Pacific, and is more frequently killed than any other by the hunters, owing to its bold- THE HAWK OWL. 59 ness and its habit of flying about by day. In the summer season it feeds principally on mice and insects ; but in the snow-clad regions, which it frequents in the winter, neither of these are to be procured, and it then preys principally on Ptarmigans. It is a constant attendant on the flocks of Ptarmigans in their spring migration to the northward. It builds its nest on a tree, of sticks, grass, and feathers, and lays two white eggs. "When the hunters are shooting grouse, this bird is occasionally attracted by the report of the gun, and is often bold enough, on a bird being killed, to pounce down upon it, though unable, from its size, to carry it off. THE LITTLE OWL. NOCTUA PASSEKINA. Upper plumage greyish brown, spotted with white ; under, yellowish white with longitudinal brown marks, a broad dull white band across the throat ; beak brownish white ; irides very small, yellow ; tarsi feathered, toes sprinkled with a few white hairs. Length nine inches. Eggs white. THIS grotesque-looking bird, whose physiognomy cannot but remind one of a wizened face furnished with spectacles and a sharp nose, is common in most countries of Europe, resorting by day to ruins and holes in trees. Here it has the dangerous custom of revealing its retreat by repeatedly uttering its wearisome note, -which is so incessant and so harsh that "to cry like a little owl," has, in some districts of France, passed into a proverb of reproach. A writer, however, in the " Zoologist," is of a different opinion, and reckons its singular and plaintive note among the pleasant sounds of the country. I have myself heard it for several consecutive nights in the woods of Somersetshire, if indeed, as I suspected, the repeated cry, "k'week, k'week" came from this species. Though there was nothing melodious in the sound, I was inclined to consider it as a pleasing 60 STRIGIDJE. change from the silence of night, rather than the reverse. The Little Owl is not generally supposed to be common in England ; but as it conies abroad only by night, and offers but an indifferent mark to the prowling game- keeper, it may be more abundant than it is believed to be. Its food consists of mice, beetles, bats, and such THK LITTLE OWL. small birds as it can surprise when roosting. It lays its eggs in its usual hiding-place, making no nest. In cap- tivity it is a most amusing bird, for though quiet and grave by day, towards evening it becomes very animated, twisting its body with strange contortions, and jumping in a peculiarly ludicrous manner. 61 TENGMALM'S OWL. NOCTUA TENGMALMI. Upper parts reddish brown, spotted with white ; the spots on the scapulars and wing-coverts dispersed in lines ; tail interruptedly barred with white ; under- parts yellowish white, spotted with brown ; tarsi and toes thickly clothed with soft feathers. Length eight to nine inches. Eggs pure white. THIS little Owl takes its name from Dr. Tengmalm, a Swedish naturalist, who first pointed out the difference between it and the foregoing species. It is a pretty bird, scarcely bigger than a Blackbird, and in habits closely resembles the Little Owl, but few specimens have occurred in Britain, though from its close resemblance to the other species, it may be more common than it is generally supposed to be. So impatient is it of light that when accidentally surprised by daylight it becomes so dazzled and confused as to be easily caught by the hand. " Its cry in the night is a single melancholy note repeated at intervals of a minute or two ; and it is one of the super- stitious practices of the Indians to whistle when they hear it. If the bird is silent when thus challenged, the speedy death of the inquirer is augured ; hence its Cree name of ' Death-bird.'"* THE GREAT GEEY SHRIKE. LANIUS EXCUBITOR. Head, nape, and back, bright ash grey ; a broad black band beneath the eyes ; under plumage pure white ; wings short, black ; base of the primaries and tips of the secondaries white ; tail with the two middle feathers black, and the outer on each side white with a black spot at the base, the rest black and white ; bill and feet black. Female of a more dingy hue above ; below dull white, the proportion of black in the feathers increasing as they approach the middle ; each feather of the breast terminating in a crescent-shaped ash grey spot. Length ten. inches ; breadth fourteen inches. Eggs bluish white, spotted at the larger end with two shades of brown. THE family of Shrikes, or Butcher-birds, would seem to occupy an intermediate station between birds of prey and insectivorous birds. The subject of the present chapter * Dr. Richardson. 62 LANID^E. especially, though little resembling a Hawk in appearance, has, on account of its habits, some pretension to be ranked among birds of prey; from which, however, it differs in the essential particular that, as well as the rest of the family, it seizes and carries off its prey with its beak and not with its claws. Though rarely seen in this country, it is not uncommon on the Continent, where its characters have been accurately observed. It derives its name excu- bitor (sentinel) from its favourite habit of posting itself on the topmost twig of a poplar or other lofty tree, whence it keeps up a watchful look-out, not only for its prey, but for any bird of the hawk tribe, against which it wages incessant and deadly hostility. When it descries one of these birds, which it does at a great distance, it utters a shriek, as if for the purpose of giving an alarm, a cry which is instantly repeated by all birds of the same species which happen to be within hearing. This antipathy against birds of prey is taken advantage of by fowlers in France, who, when setting their nets for hawks, take with them a "sentinel" Shrike and station it near the living bird, which they employ as a lure. So rapid is the swoop of the Falcon that but for the warning cry of the Shrike it would descend and carry off its victim before the fowler had time to close his nets ; but the keen eye of the sentinel detects, and his shrill cry announces, the approach of his enemy, and the fowler has tune to prepare. The principal food of this bird appears to be insects, especially the stag-beetle, though in its natural state it will capture and destroy any birds inferior to itself in strength and courage. Its name Lanius (Latin for butcher) and Butcher-bird were given to it from its habit of impaling beetles and small birds on thorns in the vicinity of its nest. The latter it has even been said to flay before dismembering ; but this assertion rests on insufficient evidence. Its flight is peculiar, being com- posed of a series of dips, like that of the Wagtail ; and THE GKEAT GREY SHRIKE. 63 when it quits its perch on the summit of one tall tree to fly to another, it drops and rises again, so as to form a curve like that of a loose rope hung from two tall masts. Another peculiarity of the Shrike is a remarkable power of imitating the song of other birds, which it is said to exercise in order to obtain its food more easily, by beguiling the nestlings of the smaller birds into answering it by a chirrup, and so betraying their retreat. The notes which it has been observed to imitate are those of the Nightin- gale, Robin, Swallow, and Stone-chat. Its proper note is harsh, resembling somewhat that of the Kestril. THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE. LANIUS COLLURIO. Head, nape, shoulders and upper tail-coverts ash-grey, a black band reaching from the gape to beyond the ears ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts reddish brown ; throat white, passing into rose-red on the breast and flanks ; wings blackish, edged with reddish brown ; tail nearly even at the end, four middle feathers black tipped with reddish grey, the rest wMte from the base through two-thirds of their length, the other third black with a white tip ; second primary longer than the fifth. Female : Upper plumage rusty brown, tinged near the nape and tail with ash-grey ; lower white, the sides barred transversely by narrow curved lines ; outer webs and tips of the outer tail feathers yellowish white, four middle ones uniform dusky brown. Length seven inches ; breadth eleven inches. Eggs cream-coloured, greenish, or delicate grey variously mottled and spotted with light brown and ash-grey. THE Red-backed Shrike, though not generally diffused throughout England, is in certain localities far from un- common. In the wooded districts of the midland and southern counties many .specimens may be annually ob- served, and the nest is of frequent occurrence. This is usually placed a few feet from the ground, in the middle of a thick bush or hedge ; and, very unlike that of the rapacious birds, is a massive, well-built structure of twigs, dry grass, and moss, lined with hair and fine roots. . This bird is called in France Vecorcheur (the flayer), from the custom ascribed to it of skinning the bodies of its victims 64 LANID^E. before devouring them. Its habits and food are similar to those of the last species, and it is said also to possess the same imitative power. That it does impale insects and even young birds on thorns there can be no doubt, as it has been watched by a competent observer in the very act of thus dealing with the carcase of a hedge-sparrow ; but that it flays its victims, and suspends their skins as THE BED-BACKED SHRIKE. trophies is questionable ; nor less so, that it lures little birds to their destruction by mimicking the call-notes of their parents. Its courage and voracity may be gathered from the following anecdote recorded in the Zoologist : * " This morning a bird-catcher was following his vocation near Norwich, when a Red-backed Shrike pounced on one * VoL XI. page 3981. THE USD-BACKED SHKIKE. 65 of his call-birds (a linnet), and attempted to carry it off ; but being prevented from doing so by the linnet being fastened to the ground by a string and wooden peg, the Shrike tore off the head of its victim, with which it made its escape. The bird-catcher then drew out from the ground the peg which held down the linnet, and left the dead bird lying in the net. In about half an hour the Shrike again appeared, pounced upon the body of the dead linnet, and carried it off in its beak, with the string and peg hanging to it ; the weight of the latter was probably the cause of the Shrike not carrying its prey quite away, as it dropped it after flying about fifteen yards, when the bird-catcher again picked up the dead linnet, and replaced it in the net. The Shrike in the mean time retreated to some neighbour- ing bushes, from which it soon made a third pounce upon the nets, this time attacking the second call-bird, which was a sparrow. On this occasion, -however, the bird- catcher was on the watch, and, drawing his nets, captured the Shrike, which proved to be an adult female." This daring act was observed late in the month of June, when, perhaps, the courage of the mother bird was unusually excited by the cravings of her brood at home, and further stimulated by the impression that the call-birds were in trouble, and consequently offered an easy prey. An amiable trait in the character of this Shrike is its attachment to its mate and young. A female has been known to approach so close to the cage in which her captured lord was confined, that she was herself easily taken ; and when a nest of young birds is molested, both parents defend their offspring with astonishing intrepidity. The Eed-backed Shrike is known to us only as a sum- mer visitor, departing early in autumn. WOOD SHKIKE, WOOD-CHAT. LANIUS RUPUS. Forehead and cheeks black ; nape bright rust colour ; back and wings varie- gated with black, white, and reddish brown ; under parts white ; outer tail feathers white, with a square black spot at the base on the inner web, the two next with the black spot larger, and on both webs, the two middle ones wholly black, the rest black tipped with white ; tail slightly rounded ; second primary equal in length to the fifth. Female: all her colours dingy ; breast marked transversely with fine brown lines. Length, seven and a half inches. Eggs bluish white, spotted at the larger end with brown and ash-grey. THE habits of this bird, which is a very rare visitant to the British Isles, differ in no material respects from those of the foregoing species. On the Continent it is more fre- quent in the south than the north, where it frequents trees rather than bushes, and generally places its nest, which it constructs of twigs, moss, and white lichen, in the forked branch of an oak. Like the rest of the family it is migratory, coming and departing at the same time as the other species. THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER MUSCICAPA GEISOLA. Upper plumage ash-brown ; feathers of the head marked with a central dark line ; under parts white, the sides marked with longitudinal brown streaks ; flanks tinged with red. ' Length six inches ; breadth ten inches. Eggs bluish white, mottled with reddish spots, which are deepest in colour towards the larger end. THERE are few birds with, whose haunts and habits we are more familiar than those of the common Flycatcher. In the wooded parts of England there is scarcely a country house, perhaps, which has not in its neighbourhood at least a single pair of these birds, who, though their stay with us is but short, become as necessary appendages of the garden during the summer months as the Eedbreast is in winter. They have neither song to recommend them nor brilliancy of colouring ; yet the absence of these quali- ties is more than compensated by the confidence they repose in the innocent intentions of the human beings whose protection they claim, by their strong local attach- ments, and by their unceasing activity in the pursuit of P2 68 MUSCICAPID.E. flying insects. At any time during the months of June, July, and August, in most country and suburban gardens, one may observe perched on a railing, standard rose, or the low branch of an apple-tree, a small brownish bird, with a speckled breast, about the size of a sparrow, but more slender in form, taking no notice of human beings, but nevertheless evidently on the look out for something. Suddenly it darts from its position, flies rapidly forwards for a few yards, performs an evolution in the air, and returns either to the exact spot which it had previously occupied or to a similar one hard by. After a rest of a few seconds, it performs the same manoeuvre, and always with the same object and success. Every time it quitted its perch, some ill-fated fly or beetle was discovered, winging its way through the air, and captured to be de- voured on the spot, or to form part of a pellet of insect food for a hungry nestling. The nest, composed of moss, straws, and hair, and lined with feathers, is usually placed either against a wall, hidden by the leaves of a trained fruit tree, or on the horizontal bough of a standard apple- tree. During the year 1859, a pair of these birds had taken up their quarters in my own garden in a situation such as that first described, but becoming dissatisfied with the locality even after the nest had received its complement of eggs five deserted it, and built another nest in an apple-tree a few yards off, choosing a position on a short branch, where their workmanship was concealed from the sight of passengers by a cluster of large apples. The bough overhung a path by which many persons passed to and fro every day ; but the nest was built, and the old birds hatched their eggs, neither noticed nor noticing, until one day when I happened to stop underneath, upon which the bird took flight, and so revealed her place of retreat. I do not mention this incident as anything re- markable, but simply to exemplify the habits of the bird when it has taken up its residence in a frequented garden, THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER 69 and in contrast with its treatment of intruders when it has chosen a more secluded spot for a home. A few days after, I happened to be fly-fishing on the bank of a stream close to which grew some tall elm-trees. Under one of these I was pursuing my amusement, when a flycatcher darted from a tree on the opposite side of the stream, and flew so close to my face that to dip my head out of the way was unavoidable. The same movement was repeated again and again, making it impossible for me to persist.. Suspecting that there was a nest somewhere very near me, I looked up and discovered, within a few inches of my head, a nest built against the boll of the tree, and contain- ing four or five nearly fledged young ones, whose heads and breasts projected considerably beyond the edge of their mossy cradle. As I moved away, the parent bird hopped about uneasily in a neighbouring tree, uttering its monotonous and unmusical chirrup, but molested me no further. It would seem then that the garden bird, grown familiar with the human form, was unsuspicious of danger, while the other, who had not been accustomed to see her sanctuary approached, immediately took alarm. It is sup- posed that the same birds are in the habit of returning annually to their old resort. Both the above incidents tend to give weight to this opinion : one of the birds having been reared, probably in the garden, and so having been accustomed to the sight of men from the first ; the other having been always a recluse. The fact which fell under my own notice, that a nest was built, and a brood reared for three successive years in exactly the same spot, is, I think, conclusive evidence that either the same birds or their immediate descendants were the architects, it being scarcely credible that three several pairs of birds should have fixed on the same spot by accident. Mr. Denham Weir has observed that the Spotted Flycatcher consumes only a day and a half in the construction of its nest, and that a pair of birds which he watched fed their 70 MUSCICAPID^E. young no less than five hundred and thirty-seven times in one day, beginning at twenty-five minutes before four o'clock in the morning, and ending at ten minutes before nine in the evening. The young birds assume the adult plumage in their first year, and soon learn to hawk for their prey as well as their parents. I have recorded else- where an instance in which the parent birds contrived to feed a disabled young one after it had left the nest.* The . Flycatcher arrives in England about the end of May, and leaves about the end of September. THE PIED FLYCATCHER MUSCICAPA LUCTUOSA. Upper plumage and tail black, the wings black, with the central coverts white ; scapulars edged with white ; under plumage white. In the female the black is replaced by greyish brown, the white is dingy, and the three lateral tail feathers are edged with white. Length five inches. Eggs pale blue without spots. THE Pied Flycatcher, so called from its feathers being varied with black and white, is a smaller bird than the preceding, and by no means so common. It appears, indeed, to be mainly confined to the northern counties of England, where it arrives about the middle of April, and builds its nest of dry leaves, small roots, grass, and a little hair, loosely put together, in the hole of a tree. There it lays from five to seven pale blue eggs, very like, both in size and colour, those of the Redstart, which it also much resembles in habits. It has more claim to be considered a songster than the Spotted Flycatcher. In places where it is frequent it is often observed to settle on the decayed stump of a tree, constantly repeating its short, little varied, but far from unpleasing song, every now and then inter- rupted by the pursuit and capture of some passing insect. It is said also to be very noisy and clamorous when its- nest is approached. It quits our shores in September. * "Birds and Birds' Nests," S.P.C.K. THE DIPPER CINCLUS AQUATICUS. Upper plumage dark brown, tinged with ash ; throat and breast pure white ; abdomen brownish red ; bill blackish ; feet horn-colour. Female : Colours nearly the same, bxit of a dingy hue. Length seven inches. Eggs pure white. ANY one who has wandered by the mountain rivers of Scotland, North Wales, or Derbyshire, can have scarcely failed to notice a bird, somewhat less than a blackbird, black above and white below, dart with rapid and direct flight from a low rock on the river's bank, and alight on a wet mossy stone rising but a few inches above the water, where the stream runs swiftest and the spray sparkles brightest. But for the roar of the torrent you might hear his song, a low melodious strain, which he often carries far on into the winter. His movements while he is thus perched 72 MEEULID^E. are peculiar; a jerking upwards of the tail and dipping forward of the head remind us of the Wren, a bird with which he has, however, nothing really in common. Orni- thologists place him between the Flycatchers and Thrushes. Water Thrush is one of his names ; but he is better known by the names, Dipper and Water Ouzel. Though neither furnished with web-feet like the Ducks, nor with long legs like the Waders, the Dipper is decidedly an aquatic bird, for he is never seen at any distance from a stream or mountain tarn ; in his habits he resembles no other of his tribe a water bird with a song a song bird that wades, and swims, and dives. That he should be so far only singular in his habits is not enough. Although he is a wader and diver, he wades and dives differently from other birds ; but the precise method of his subaqueous feats is a disputed point. Some observers maintain that the Dipper actually walks under water, setting his feet on the bottom as other birds do on the ground ; that he leisurely perambulates the bed of the river, examining the pebbles, feeding on molluscs and the larvae of insects, and that, while thus occupied, his body is studded with bubbles of air like so many pearls. Others maintain that the bird employs no other organ of locomotion beneath the water than its wings, and that it flies after tHe manner of the Grebes. Another controverted point in the habits of the same bird is, whether or not it feeds on the spawn of the trqut and salmon. In the Highlands it is generally accused of committing great depredations in this way, and is consequently shot by gamekeepers whenever observed. Mr. St. John is of opinion that it does commit great havoc among the spawn, "uncovering the eggs, and leaving what it does not eat open to the attack of eels and other fish, or liable to be washed away by the current." Mr. Macgillivray, on the contrary, states that he has dissected a great number of individuals at all seasons of the year, and has found no other substances in their stomachs but insects and molluscs ; THE DIPPER. 73 he is, therefore, of opinion, that the charge of destroying the spawn of fish is unfounded. I might greatly extend my sketch of this interesting bird, but I have space only to add, that it builds a compact nest of moss, felted so as to be impervious to water, and lined with dead leaves, under a bank overhanging a stream, in the hole of a wall near a mill-dam, or between two rocks under a cascade, but always in such a situation that both old and young birds can throw themselves into the water immediately on being alarmed. I have read of one instance in which a nest was built under a waterfall in such a position, that the bird could not go to and fro without penetrating every time a vertical sheet of water. The nest is domed, and can be entered only by a small hole in front. It contains usually five or six whitish eggs, somewhat smaller than those of the Thrush. THE MISSEL THRUSH. TURDUS VISCIVORUS. Upper plumage ash brown ; space between the bill and eye greyish white ; wing-coverts edged and tipped with greyish white ; under parts white, faintly tinged here and there with reddish yellow, marked all over with deep brown spots, which on the throat and breast are triangular, in other parts oval, broader on the flanks ; under wing-coverts white ; three lateral tail feathers tipped with greyish white. Length eleven inches ; breadth eighteen inches. Eggs greenish or reddish white, spotted with brownish red. THE largest British song bird, distinguished from the Song Thrush not only by its superior size, but by having white under wing-coverts, and the whole of the under part of the body white spotted with black. It is a generally diffused bird, and is known by various local names : in the west of England its popular name is Holm Thrush, or Holm Screech, derived most probably, not, as Yarrell surmises, from its resorting to the oak in preference to other trees, but from its feeding on the berries of the 74) MEEULTD^E. holly, or holm ; the title " Screech " being given to it from 'its jarring note when angry or alarmed, which closely resembles the noise made by passing the finger-nail rapidly along the teeth of a comb. Its French name, " Draine," and German, " Schnarre," seem to be descriptive of the same harsh " churr" In Wales, it has from its quarrelsome habits acquired the name of Penn y llwyn, or, master of the coppice. Another of its names, Throstle Cock, ex- presses its alliance with the Thrushes, and its daring nature ; and Storm Cock, which Waterton informs us is THE MISSEL THRUSH. its popular name in Yorkshire, indicates " not that it delights in storms more than in fine weather, but that nature has taught it to pour forth its melody at a time of the year when the bleak winds of winter roar through the leafless trees." The song of the Missel Thrush is loud, wild, and musical. "Waterton calls it " plaintive," Knapp, " harsh, and untuneful." I must confess that I agree with THE MISSEL THRUSH. 75 neither. This note, generally the earliest of the Spring sounds (for the Eedbreast's song belongs essentially to winter), is to my ear full of cheerful promise amounting to confidence a song of hopeful praise, thanking GOD for preservation during the chills of winter, and exulting in the return of genial weather. What though it be not so flute-like as the Blackbird's song, nor so varied as that of the Thrush ; it is a loud, hearty pouring forth of natural melody, which may, for aught I know to the contrary, serve to stimulate its silent kinsfolk to tune up their instruments of praise. While 'thus employed, the bird is generally perched on the topmost branch of some lofty tree, and there he remains for hours together out-whistling the wind and heeding not the pelting rain. This song, however, is not continuous, but broken into passages of a few notes each, by which characteristic it may be distinguished alike from that of the Thrush or the Blackbird, even when mellowed by distance to resemble either. The Mistletoe Thrush is essentially a tree-loving bird. During winter its food mainly consists of berries, among which those of the Mountain Ash and Yew have the preference, though it also feeds on those of the Hawthorn, Ivy, Juniper, Holly, and the strange plant from which it derives its name. At this season it is very wild, and only ventures to approach the haunts of man in order to satisfy its hunger. Towards other birds it is a very tyrant, selfish and domineering in the extreme; to such a degree, indeed, that even when it has appeased its appetite it will allow no other bird to approach the tree which it has appropri- ated for its feeding ground. I have seen it take possession of a Yew-tree laden with berries, and most mercilessly drive away, with angry vociferations and yet more formid- able buffets, every other bird that dared to come near. Day after day it returned, until the tree was stripped of every berry, when it withdrew and appeared no more. As soon as the unfrozen earth is penetrable by its beak, 76 MERULID^E. it adds to its diet suck worms and grubs as it can discover ; and, if it be not belied, it is much given to plunder the nests of other birds of their eggs and young. It may be on this account that Magpies, Jays, and other large wood- land birds, robbers themselves, entertain an instinctive dislike towards it. Certainly these birds are its bitter enemies ; but in the breeding season it eludes their ani- mosity by quitting the woods, and resorting to the haunts of man. Its harsh screech is now rarely heard, for its present object is not defiance, but immunity from danger. Yet it takes no extraordinary pains to conceal its nest. On the contrary, it usually places this where there is little or no foliage to shadow it, in a fork between two large boughs of an apple, pear, or cherry tree, sometimes only a few feet from the ground, and sometimes twenty feet or more. The nest is a massive structure consisting of an external basket-work of twigs, roots, and lichens, within which is a kind of bowl of mud containing a final lining of grass and roots. The bird is an early builder, and is too often doomed to see its labour become the prey of the keen-eyed village boy, against whom, while engaged in his work of depredation, though all-powerless to save, it fre- quently directs a volley of agitated screams. It generally lays five eggs, and feeds its young on snails, worms, and insects. I THE FIELDFAKE. TURDUS PILARIS. Head, nape, and lower part of the back dark ash colour ; upper part of the back and wing-coverts chestnut brown ; lore black ; a white rim above the eyes ; throat and breast yellowish red with oblong dark spots ; feathers on the flanks spotted with black and edged with white ; abdomen pure white without spots ; under wing-coverts white ; beak brown, tipped with black. Length ten inches, breadth seventeen inches. Eggs light blue, mottled all over with dark red brown spots. THE Fieldfare is little inferior in size to the Missel Thrush, with which, however, it is not likely to be con- THE FIELDFARE. 77 founded even at a distance, owing to the predominant bluish tinge of its upper plumage. In the west of England, where the Thrush is called the Greybird, to distinguish it from its ally the Blackbird, the Fieldfare is known by the name of Bluebird, to distinguish it from both. It is a migratory bird, spending its summer, and breeding, in the north of Europe, and paying us an annual THE FIELDFARE. visit in October or November. But it is impatient of cold, even with us, for in winters of unusual severity it migrates yet farther south, and drops in upon our meadows a second time in the spring, when on its way to its summer quarters. Fieldfares are eminently gregarious ; not only do they arrive at our shores and depart from them in flocks, but they keep together as long as they remain, nor do they dissolve their society on their return to the north, 78 MERULID^E. but build their nests many together in the same wood. In this country, they are wild and cautious birds, resorting during open weather to watercourses and damp pastures, where they feed on worms and insects, and when frost sets in betaking themselves to bushes in quest of haws and other berries ; or in very severe weather resorting to the muddy or sandy sea-shore. They frequent also commons on which the Juniper abounds, the berries of this shrub affording them an abundant banquet. Unlike the Black- bird and Thrush, they rarely seek for food under hedges, but keep near the middle of fields, as if afraid of being molested by some concealed enemy. When alarmed, they either take refuge in the branches of a high tree in the neighbourhood, or remove altogether to a distant field. The song of the Fieldfare I have never heard : Toussenel doubts whether it has any ; Yarrell describes it as " soft and melodious;" Bechstein, as "a mere harsh disagreeable warble ; " while a writer in the " Zoologist," * who heard one sing during the mild January of 1846, in Devon, de- scribes it as "combining the melodious whistle of the Blackbird with the powerful voice of the Missel Thrush." Its call-note is short and harsh, and has in France given it the provincial names of Tia-tia and Tchatcha. This latter name accords with Macgillivray's mode of spelling its note, yack chuck, harsh enough, no one will deny. For a description of it in its summer haunts we must refer to Hewitson, who visited Norway mainly with the object of observing the habits of the Fieldfare and Redwing. " Our attention was attracted by the harsh cries of several birds which we at first supposed must be Shrikes, but which afterwards proved to be Fieldfares. We were now delighted by the discovery of several of their nests, and were surprised to find them (so contrary to the habits of other species of the genus with which we are acquainted) breeding in society. Their nests were at various heights from the * Vol. IV., page 1297. THE FIELDFARE. 79 ground, from four to thirty or forty feet or upwards ; they were, for the most part, placed against the trunk of the Spruce Fir ; some were, however, at a considerable distance from it, upon the upper surface and towards the smaller end of the thicker branches : they resembled most nearly those of the Eing Ouzel ; the outside is composed of sticks and coarse grass and weeds gathered wet, matted with a small quantity of clay, and lined with a thick bed of fine dry grass : none of them yet contained more than three eggs, although we afterwards found that five was more com- monly the number than four, and that even six was very frequent ; they are very similar to those of the Blackbird, and even more so to the Eing Ouzel. The Fieldfare is the most abundant bird in Norway, and is generally dif- fused over that part which we visited, building, as already noticed, in society ; two hundred nests or more being frequently seen within a very small space." Some few instances are on record of the Fieldfare breeding in this country, but these are exceptional. In general they leave us in April and May, though they have been observed as late as the beginning of June. THE SONG THEUSH. TURDUS MUSICUS. Upper parts brown tinged with olive ; wing-coverts edged and tipped with reddish yellow ; cere yellowish ; throat white in the middle, without spots ; sides of neck and breast reddish yellow with triangular dark brown spots ; abdomen and flanks pure white with oval dark brown spots ; under wing-coverts pale orange yellow ; bill and feet greyish brown. Length eight inches and a half, breadth thirteen inches. Eggs blue with a few black spots mostly at the larger end. THE Thrush holds a distinguished place among British birds, as contributing, perhaps, more than any other to the aggregate charms of a country life. Its mellow, sweet, and eloquent song awakens the first primrose/ and salutes the earliest verdure that adorns the lithe twigs of Woodbine. More inspiriting and scarcely less melodious than that of 80 MERULIDJE. the Nightingale, it rings through the woods a month at least before the foreign minstrel has arrived, and retains its brilliancy for an equal period after the autumn voice of that songster has degenerated into a croak. However near it may be, it is never harsh, and heard at a distance its only defect is, that it is not nearer. It possesses, too, the charm of harmonising with all other pleasant natural sounds. If to these recommendations we add that the THE SONG THRUSH. Thrush frequents all parts of England, and resorts to the suburban garden as well as the forest and rocky glen, we think we may justly claim for it the distinction among birds, of being the last that we would willingly part with, not even excepting its allowed master in song himself, the Nightingale.* * Though I cannot pretend to trace much similarity between the songs of certain birds and the combinations of letters by which some THE SONG THRUSH. 81 The food of the Thrush during winter consists of worms, insects, and snails. The first of these it picks up, or draws out from their holes, in meadows and lawns ; the others it hunts for among moss and stones, in woods and hedges, swallowing the smaller ones whole, and extracting the edible parts of large snails by dashing them with much adroitness against a stone. When it has once dis- covered a stone adapted to its purpose, it returns to it again and again, so that it is not uncommon in one's winter walks to come upon a place thickly strewn with broken shells, all, most probably, the "chips" of one workman. As spring advances, it adds caterpillars to its bill of fare, and as the summer fruits ripen, it attacks them all in succession ; strawberries, gooseberries, currants, raspberries, cherries, and, on the Continent, grapes suit its palate right well; and, when these are gone, pears and apples, whether attached to the tree or lying on the ground, bear, too often for the gardener, the marks of its beak on their ripest side. During all this period it relieves the monotony of its diet by an occasional repast on animal food; as, indeed, in winter it alternates its food whenever opportunity occurs, by regaling itself on wild berries. Yet, despite of the mischief which it perpetrates in our gardens by devouring and spoiling much of the choicest fruit, for your thrush is an epicure, and tastes none but the ripest and best, the service which it renders as a devourer of insects more than compensates for all So the gardener, if a wise man, will prefer the scare- authors have endeavoured to express them, I think it will be found that many persons, especially children, hearing the Thrush sing, may detect passages which may be imitated by the human voice and in articulate words. Different birds of the same species vary considerably in tone and compass ; but the reader will be able to detect in the song -of the Thrush an approach to such sounds as the following : Judy, Judy, Judy : Bopeep, Bopeep, Bopeep, Bopeep : How d'ye do ? How d'ye do ? To discover the song by reading the words is another matter. G 82 MERULIDJE. crow to the gun, the protecting net to that which captures. The Thrush holds a high rank, too, among birds as an architect. Its nest is usually placed in a thorn-bush, a larch or young fir-tree, a furze-bush, an apple or pear tree, or an ordinary hedge, at no great elevation from the ground, and not concealed with much attempt at art. Indeed, as it begins to build very early, it is only when it selects an evergreen that it has much chance of effectually hiding its retreat. The nest externally is composed of feather-moss, intermatted with bents^ twigs, and small roots, and termi- nates above in a thicker rim of the same materials. Thus far the bird has displayed her skill as basket-maker. The outer case is succeeded by a layer of cow-dung, applied in small pellets, and cemented with saliva. The builder, with a beak for her only trowel, has now completed the mason's work. But she has yet to show her skill as a plasterer ; this she does by lining her cup-like chamber with stucco made from decayed wood, pulverized and reduced to a proper consistence, kneading it with her beak. With this for her sole instrument, except her round breast, to give to the whole the requisite form, she has constructed a circular bowl sufficiently compact to exclude air and water, as true and as finely finished as if it had been moulded on a potter's wheel, or turned on a lathe. The Thrush lays four or five eggs, and rears several broods in the season, building a new nest for each brood. During incubation the female is very tame, and will suffer herself to be approached quite closely without deserting her post. In the vicinity of houses, where she is familiar with the human form, she will even take worms and other food from the hand. 83 WHITE'S THRUSH. TURDUS WHITEI. Upper plumage variegated with black and several shades of yellow and brown ; under, white, all the feathers tipped with a black crescent-shaped spot ; under wing-coverts white tipped with black. Beak and toes brown. Length eleven and a half inches. Eggs unknown. OP this bird, a native of Japan, about seven or eight speci- mens have been obtained in Europe, and among these one was shot in England, and another in Ireland. It possesses, therefore, little claim to be considered a British species. It received its name in honour of White of Selborne. THE GOLD-VENTED THEUSH. TURDUS AURIGASTER. Upper parts umber brown ; throat and neck clove brown shaded off to a dull white on the abdomen and then passing into brilliant yellow; under wing- coverts brilliant yellow; beak, feet, and claws black. Eggs unknown. A SINGLE specimen of this bird was shot in Ireland in 1838. It is a native of Africa, but nothing appears to be known of its habits. THE BED WING. TURDUS ILIACUS. Upper plumage olive brown ; lore black and yellow ; a broad white streak above the eye ; lower plumage white, with numerous oblong dusky spots, middle of the abdomen without spots ; under wing-coverts and flanks bright orange red ; bill dusky ; feet grey. Length eight inches, breadth thirteen inches. Eggs greenish blue mottled with dark brownish red spots. THE Eedwing (called in France Mauvis, whence an old name for the Song-thrush, " Mavis ") is the smallest of the Thrushes with which we are familiar. It is, like the Fieldfare, a bird of passage, reaching us from the north G 2 84 about the same time with the Woodcock, in October. It resembles the Song-thrush more than any other bird of the family, but may readily be distinguished even at some distance by the light stripe over the eye, and its bright red under wing-coverts. In some parts of France it is much sought after by the fowler, its flesh being considered by many superior to that of the Quail and Woodcock. It THE REDWING. owes perhaps some of this unfortunate distinction to the fact of its arriving in France in time to fatten on grapes, for in this country it is often too lean to be worth cooking. Being impatient of cold, it is less abundant in the north of England than the south ; but even in the mild climates of Devon and Cornwall, where it congregates in large numbers, it is so much enfeebled by unusually severe weather, as to be liable to be hunted down by boys with sticks, and a Eedwing starved to death is no unfrequent sight in the course of a winter's ramble. As long as the THE REDWING. 85 ground remains neither frozen nor snowed up, the open meadows may be seen every where spotted with these birds, but when the earth becomes so hard as to resist their efforts in digging up worms and grubs, they repair to the cliffs which border the sea-coast, where some sunny nook is generally to be found, to woods in quest of berries, or to the water-courses of sheltered valleys. At these times they are mostly silent, their only note, when they utter any, being simple and harsh ; but in France they are said to sing towards the end of February, and even in this country they have been known to perch on trees in mild weather, and execute a regular song. Towards the end of April or beginning of May, they take their departure northwards, where they pass the summer, preferring woods and thickets in the vicinity of marshes. Mr. Hewitson states that while he was travelling through Norway " the Eedwing was but seldom seen, and then perched upon the summit of one of the highest trees, pouring forth its delightfully wild note. It was always very shy, and upon seeing our approach would drop suddenly from its height, and dis- appear among the underwood. Its nest, which we twice found with young ones (although our unceasing endeavours to find its eggs were fruitless), was similar to that of the Fieldfare. The Redwing is called the Nightingale of Norway, and well it deserves the name." THE BLACKBIRD. TURDUS MERULA, Male: Plumage wholly black; bill and orbits of the eyes orange yellow; feet black. Female : Upper plumage sooty brown ; throat pale brown with darker spots ; breast reddish brown passing into dark ash brown ; bill and legs dusky. Length ten inches ; breadth sixteen inches. Eggs greenish grey, spotted and speckled with light red brown. MUCH that has been said in praise of the Thrush -will apply equally well to the Blackbird. With his glossy 86 MEEULID^E. coat and yellow beak he is the handsomer bird of the two ; his food is much the same ; he builds his nest in similar places; he is a great glutton when gooseberries are ripe, and his rich mellow song is highly inspiriting. But he is suspicious and wary ; however hard pressed he may be by hunger, you will rarely see him hunting for food in the open field. He prefers the solitude and privacy oi "the bush." In a furze-brake, a coppice, a wooded water- THE BLACKBIRD. course, or a thick hedgerow, he chooses his feeding ground, and allows no sort of partnership. Approach his haunt, and if he simply mistrusts you, he darts out flying close to the ground, pursues his course some twenty yards and dips again into the thicket, issuing most pro- bably on the other side, and ceasing not until he has placed what he considers a safe distance between himself and his enemy. But with all his cunning he fails in prudence; it is not in his nature to steal away silently. If he only suspects that all is not right, he utters THE BLACKBIRD. 87 repeatedly a low cluck, which seems to say, "This is no place for me, I must be off." But if he is positively alarmed, his loud vociferous cry rings out like a bell, informing all whom it may concern that "danger is at hand, and it behoves all who value their safety to fly." Most animals understand the cry in this sense, and catch the alarm. Many a time has the deer-stalker been disappointed of a shot, who, after traversing half a mile on his hands and knees between rocks and shrubs, has just before the critical moment of action started some ill-omened Black- bird. Out bursts the frantic alarum, heard at a great distance ; the intended victim catches the alarm, once snuffs the air to discover in what direction the foe lies concealed, and bounds to a place of security. A some- what similar note, not, however, indicative of terror, real or imagined, is uttered when the bird is about to retire for the night, and this at all seasons of the year. He merits, therefore, the title of "Bellman of the woods," though I am not aware that it has been conferred on him. Neither of these sounds is to be confounded with the true song of the Blackbird. This is a full, melodious, joyful carol, many of the notes being remarkable for their flute- , like tone "the whistling of the Blackbird" and varying greatly in their order of repetition ; though I ani inclined to believe that most birds of this kind have a favourite passage, which they repeat at intervals many times during the same performance. The song of the Blackbird does not meet the appro- bation of bird-fanciers : " It is not destitute of melody," says Bechstein, "but it is broken by noisy tones, and is agreeable only in the open country." Education, it seems, will remedy this defect, for " its memory is so good, that it retains, without mixing them, several airs at once." The art of teaching the Blackbird is of old date, for we find in Pepys's Diary, 22d May, 1663, the following passage : " Kendall, the house carpenter at Deptford, hath sent mo 88 MEKULIDJ3. a fine Blackbird, which I went to see. He tells me he was offered twenty shillings for him as he came along, he do so whistle. 23d. "Waked this morning between four and five by my Blackbird, which whistled as well as ever I heard any ; only it is the beginning of many tunes very well, but then leaves them and goes no further." The song of the Blackbird is occasionally heard during the mild days of winter, but it is not until spring sets in that it can be said to be in full, uninterrupted song. It then repairs to some thick bush or hedge, especially at the corner of a pond, and builds its nest, a bulky structure, the framework of which is composed of twigs and roots; within is a thin layer of mud lined with small fibrous roots, bents, and moss. The nest contains four or five eggs, and the young birds are fed with worms. In the breeding season Blackbirds are far more venturesome than at any other time, as they frequently select a garden in which to build their nest, with the double object, perhaps, of pro- curing plenty of worms for their nestlings, and of launching them when fledged where they will have great facilities for regaling themselves on summer fruits. In such localities the appearance of a cat near their nest greatly excites their wrath. From being timid they become very courageous, scolding with all their might, darting down so near as almost to dash in her face, and generally ending by compelling her to beat a retreat. The female Blackbird differs materially from the male, its plumage being of a dingy brown hue, the breast light and spotted, the beak dark brown with yellowish edges. "White and pied specimens of both sexes are occasionally met with. In a district of France not far from Paris they are very numerous, and here the title to a certain estate is kept up by the annual presentation of a white Blackbird to the lord of the manor. THE RING OUZEL. TUEDUS TOEQUATUS. Plumage black edged with greyish white ; a large crescent-shaped pure white spot on the throat ; bill and legs dusky. Female with the gorget smaller and tinged with red and grey, and the rest of the plumage greyer. Length ten inches. Eggs greenish white, spotted with reddish brown and grey. EING OUZEL is hardly an appropriate name for this bird ; for in reality it- does not wear a ring round its neck, but a white gorget on its breast, the contrast between which and its black plumage is very striking. It frequents the mountainous parts of Great Britain, where, though never so abundant as the Blackbird and Thrush are in the plains, it is far from uncommon. It is a migratory bird, arriving in this country in April, and returning to its southern winter quarters Corsica and other islands of the Mediter- ranean early in autumn; not so early, however, as to miss the vintage season of the south of Europe. In summer it travels as far north as Sweden and Norway, where, on the 90 MERULID^E. authority of Mr. Hewitson, it is often seen "enlivening the most bleak and desolate islands with its sweet song. It shares with the Redwing the name of Nightingale, and often delighted us in our midnight visits amongst the islands." Its habits and food while it remains with us are very similar to those of the Blackbird, and its nest, generally built among stones and bushes, near the ground, is constructed of the same materials with the nest of that bird. Towards the end of their sojourn in Britain, Ring Ouzels descend to the level countries, and are not unfre- quently met with in gardens, whither they repair for the sake of feeding on fruit and berries. THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. ORIOLUS GALBULA. Plumage golden yellow ; lore, wings, and tail black, the tail yellow at the tip. Female: Olive green above, greyish white tinged with yellow beneath, and streaked with greyish brown ; wings dark brown, the quills edged with olive grey ; tail olive, tinged with dark brown. Length ten inches. Eggs white with a few isolated dark brown or black spots. THIS brilliant bird, resembling the Thrushes in form and habits, but appareled in the plumage of the Tropics, would seem to have no right to a place among British birds, so little is its gorgeous livery in keeping with the sober hues of our other feathered denizens. There can, however, be no doubt of the propriety of placing it among our visitors, though it comes but seldom and makes no long stay. We can learn little of its habits, therefore, from personal observation. Were it left unmolested, and allowed to breed in our woods, it is probable that it would return with its progeny, and become of comparatively com- mon occurrence ; but though there are on record one or two creditable exceptions, when real naturalists have postponed the glory of shooting and adding to their collection a British specimen, to the pleasure of watching its ways on British soil, yet its biography is not to be written from THE GOLDEN OEIOLK 91 materials collected in this country. On the European continent it is a regular visitor, though even there it makes no long stay, arriving in the beginning of May, and taking its departure early in autumn. It is most common in Spain, Southern France, and Italy, but is not unfre- quent in many other parts of France, in Belgium, and the south of Germany. " His note," says Cuthbert Collingwood, " is a very loud whistle, which may be heard at a great distance, but in richness equalling the flute stop of a fine-toned organ. But variety there is none in his song, as he never utters more than three notes consecutively, and those at intervals of half a minute or a minute. Were it not for its fine tone, therefore, his song would be as monotonous as that of the Missel Thrush, which in modulation it greatly resembles." The nest of the Oriole is described as a marvel of architectural skill, excelling in elegance of form, richness of materials, and delicacy of workmanship combined with strength. It is overlaid externally, like that of the Chaffinch, with the silvery white lichen of fruit trees, which gives it the appearance of being a part of the branch which supports it. But the mansion of the Oriole is more skilfully concealed than that even of the Chaf- finch. The latter is placed on a branch, of which it increases the apparent size, and so attracts attention. The nest of the Oriole, on the contrary, is suspended between the two forks of a horizontal branch, which intercept the side view of it. The materials employed are the lichen above mentioned, wool, cobwebs, and feathers, but all of a white hue. When not placed in a fruit tree, it is attached by a kind of cordage to the twigs of a poplar or birch tree, or even to a bunch of mistletoe, hanging in mid-air like the car of a balloon. A cradle thus sedulously constructed we should expect to find watched with unusual solicitude. And such is the case ; it is defended most valiantly against the attacks of marauding birds, and so devoted is 92 MEEULIDjE. the mother bird that she has been known to suffer herself to be carried away sitting on her eggs, and to die of starva- tion. Surely a bird so beautiful and so melodious, so skilful an architect and so tender a nurse, deserves rather to be encouraged than exterminated. Yet of two well authenticated instances on record of its nest being found in Britain one, in Suffolk, was taken with the eggs ; the other, in Kent, was also taken after the eggs were hatched : "the young ones," we are told, "were taken every care of, but did not long survive their captivity." It is not until the end of the third moult that the Oriole appears in his full blaze of gold and black. The plumage of the female bird differs considerably from that of the male in richness of tint, and the young of both sexes resemble the female. THE EOCK THRtTSH. PETROCINCLA SAXlTlLIS. Head, neck, and upper part of the back bluish grey ; scapulars brown ; lower part of the back white varied with a few greyish feathers ; tail chestnut brown, the two central feathers darker j wings dark brown ; greater wing-coverts and secondaries tipped with white ; under plumage light chestnut brown. Length seven inches and a half. BUT two specimens of this bird are known to have been seen in Britain. It inhabits high rocky mountains in Switzerland, Hungary, Turkey, and the three great moun- tain ranges of the Continent, feeding on beetles and grasshoppers, and building its nest of moss in the clefts of rocks or among loose stones. 93 THE ALPINE ACCENTOR ACCENTOR ALPINUS. Head, breast, neck, and back ash-grey, the back marked with large brown spots ; throat white, with small brown spots ; under plumage reddish, mixed with white and grey ; wings and tail dusky brown, variegated with ash colour ; lesser and middle wing-coverts tipped with white ; bill yellow at the base, black at the point. Length, six and a half inches. Eggs greenish blue, without spots. ONLY a few specimens of this bird have been observed in England. It frequents the mountainous districts of the Continent, repairing in summer to elevations where birds are almost as scarce as human inhabitants, and there doubtless it is prized, not for its rarity alone, but for its fearlessness of man. What circumstances can have induced so decided a mountaineer, not migratory in habits, to visit the lowlands of England, is difficult to conjecture; but being here, we may account for its resorting to the towers of Cambridge and Wells (where it has been shot) as the best representatives it could find of Alpine crags. THE HEDGE SPAEEOW. ACCENTOR MODULA"RIS. Crown of the head ash colour, with brown streaks ; sides of the neck, throat, and breast, bluish grey; wing-coverts and feathers on the back reddish brown, with a tawny spot in the centre ; middle wing-coverts tipped with yellowish white ; lower tail-coverts brown, with a whitish border ; middle of abdomen white. Length, five and a half inches. Eggs greenish blue, without spots. INVETERATE custom has so attached the name of Hedge Sparrow to this bird, that in spite of all the efforts of ornithologists to convince the world that it is no sparrow at all (a hard-beaked, grain-eating bird), but a true warbler, it is still more frequently called by its popular name than by any of those that have been suggested. The gentle, inno- cent, confiding, little brown bird, which creeps like a mouse through our garden flower-beds, picks up a meagre fare in our roads and lanes, builds its nest in our thorn hedges, and though dingy itself, lays such brilliant blue eggs, has 94 been known to us from our infancy as a "Hedge Sparrow," and we decline any innovation : the name is a time- honoured one, and no one will mistake us. Hedge Accen- tor, Hedge Warbler, and Shuffle-wing, are names open to those who prefer them, but we adhere to the old-fashioned designation of Hedge Sparrow. This bird is a genuine Warbler, and one of the few belonging to the tribe who remain with us all the winter; we should suppose, indeed, that he never wandered far from the place of his birth. At all seasons his habits and food appear to be the same. All day long he is shuffling about on the ground picking up minute atoms, whether seeds or insects, who knows ? Every day, nearly all the year round, he repairs at intervals to the nearest hedge, where he sings a song, soft -and gentle like himself ; and every evening, when the Blackbird rings his curfew bell, he fails not to respond with his drowsy " cheep, cheep," as he repairs to the bush he has sekcted for his night's rest. Very early in spring, THE HEDGE SPAKKOW. 95 before his brother warblers have arrived from, the south, he has chosen his mate, built his snug nest, and too probably commenced a second ; for unsuspicious in nature, he does not retire to solitary places for this purpose, and the leafless hedges but ill conceal his labours from the peering eyes of all-destroying ploughboys. Such are nearly all his " short and simple annals." He quarrels with no one, he achieves no distinction, throwing no one into ecstasies with his song, and stealing no one's fruit ; unobtrusive and innocent, he claims no notice, and dreads no resentment ; and so, through all the even tenor of his way, he is, without knowing it, the favourite of children, and of all the good and gentle. THE REDBREAST. ERYTHACA RTJBECULA: Upper parts brownish grey tinged with olive ; forehead, lore, and breast red, the red edged with ash-grey ; abdomen white. Female like the male, except that the upper parts are ash-brown, the red less bright, and the grey sur- rounding it less conspicuous. Length, five inches and three quarters. Eggs yellowish white, spotted with light reddish brown. THE Eedbreast is everywhere invested with a kind of sanctity beyond all other birds. Its wonted habit of making its appearance, no one knows whence, to greet the resting traveller in places the most lonely its evident predilection for the society of the out-of-door labourer, whatever his occupation the constancy with which it affects human habitations and the readiness with which, without coaxing, or taming, or training, it throws itself on human hospitality engender an idea that there must be some mysterious connexion between the two that if there were no men, there would be no Redbreasts. Trust on one side engenders confidence on the other, and mutual attachment is the natural result. There is some- thing, too, beyond the power of explanation in the fact that the Robin is the only bird which frequents from choice 96 SYL VIABLE. the inside of churches. Jackdaws resort to the towers, but that is for safety ; Owls harbour in the belfry, but that is for concealment ; other birds are sometimes shut into a church and remain there just because they cannot find the way out ; but to the Redbreast a church is a home, he perches on the columns, roosts on the pillars, and pipes with the organ. He knows his way out, but he is content to stay. Would he do so if the church were shut THE REDBREAST. up and deserted ? I think not. To the Owl and Jackdaw, their place of resort would be all the more attractive from the absence of their common enemy ; but to Robin the solitude would be distasteful, owing to the departure of his friends. In spite of his admitted orthodoxy, it is doubtful whether, under such circumstances, he would not find the loneliness intolerable, and attach himself to some other congregation. THE EEDBREAST. 97 The habits of the Kedbreast are so well known, that to describe them would be simply to write down what every one has seen or may see. It generally builds its nest in a hole, near the bot- tom of a hedge or under the stump of a tree, in an ivy-clad wall, or amidst the creepers trained round the verandah of a cottage. I have seen it also placed in a niche in a wall intended for the reception of a vase, in a bee-hive stored away on the rafters of an outhouse, and under a wisp of straw accidentally left on the ground in a garden. It is usually composed of dry leaves, roots, bents, and moss, lined with hair and wool, and contains five or six eggs. The young birds are of a brown tint, and have the feathers tipped with yellow, which gives them a spotted appearance. Until they acquire the red breast, they are very unlike the parents, and might be mis- taken for young Thrushes, except that they are much smaller. They may be often observed in gardens for many days after they have left the nest, keeping together, perching in the bushes, and clamorous for food, which the old birds bring to them from time to time. It is said, that only one brood is reared in a year, but this I am inclined to doubt, having observed in the same locality families of young birds early in the spring, and late in the summer of the same year. Towards the end of August, the young birds acquire the- distinctive plumage of their species, and are solitary in their habits until the succeed- ing spring. The call-notes of the Redbreast are numerous, and vary beyond the power of description in written words ', the song is loud, and it is needless to say, pleasing, and possesses the charm of being continued when all our other feathered songsters are mute. 98 THE BLUE-THROATED WARBLER PH(ENICUEA SU^CICA. Upper parts ash-brown ; throat and neck azure-blue, with a central white spot, beneath the blue a black border, then a narrow white band, succeeded by a broader band of red ; under parts white ; basal half of the tail rust-colour, the other half black ; length, six inches. Eggs uniform greenish blue. So very few specimens of this bird (three, or four) have been observed in England, that to describe its habits it is necessary to refer to continental authors, who pronounce it to be the most beautiful of all the Warblers. It takes its name from a magnificent bright blue escutcheon on its breast, the centre of which is marked by a disk of pure white. The plumage undergoes great modifications with age. The white disk seems to be a distinctive character of young birds, as it disappears with age. The orange-red border of the escutcheon encroaches on the white and black after each moult, and finally absorbs them. This Warbler, in the movement and colour of its tail, as well as in habits, resembles the Redstarts more than the Redbreast. It fre- quents streams and thickets more than the last species. Its favourite resorts are withy-holts and bushy places in the plains, especially in the neighbourhood of ponds and streamlets. It constructs its nest in hollow willows, and under roots. It leads mostly a solitary life, and attracts little notice. Its song is sweet, but low. Its food consists of insects, and in the autumn of berries, especially black- berries. It would seem to be abundant in many parts of the Continent, as it is said to make a "delicious roast." It is a migratory bird, arriving in Europe from the south early in spring, and though rarely visiting Britain, it pemetrates as far as the north of Russia, Finland, Lapland, and Sweden. 99 THE EEDSTAET. PHCBNICTJRA RUTICILLA. Forehead white ; throat black ; head and upper part of the back bluish grey ; breast, tail-coverts and tail (except the two central feathers, which are brown), bright rust-red; second primary equal to the sixth. Female upper parts grey, deeply tinged with red ; larger wing-coverts edged with yellowish red : throat and abdomen whitish ; breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts, pale red. Length, five inches and a quarter. Eggs uniform blue. ALTHOUGH of no great size, this summer visitor is pretty sure to attract attention by its peculiar colouring; its red tail and white crown being sufficient to distinguish it from every other British bird. It is familiar too in its habits, com- monly resorting to gardens, and searching for its favourite food, worms and insects, on the lawn. It is local rather than rare, for while there are some places to which it regularly resorts every year, there are others in which it is never seen. Eedstarts arrive in this country about the end of April, and soon set about the work of building their nest. This they generally place in a hole in a wall or hollow of a tree, but sometimes by the mossy stump or amongst the exposed roots of a tree. Occasionally they select a quaint domicile, a garden-pot, for example, left bottom upwards, or a sea-kale bed. A still stranger instance is that of a pair of Eedstarts, who, themselves or their descendants, were for twenty years located in the box of a wooden pump. On one occasion, the pump being out of order, the owner employed workmen to repair it. This proceeding offended the birds, who deserted it for three years, and then, forgetting or forgiving the intrusion, re- turned to their unquiet home. Another pair constructed their nest for ten successive years in the interior of an earthenware fountain placed in the middle of a garden. But though not averse to the haunts of men, the Eedstart shows much anxiety when its nest is approached, flitting about restlessly and uttering a plaintive cry. I happened once to be walking in a friend's garden, and heard what I supposed to be the chirping of two birds proceed from a H2 100 SYL VIABLE. large apple-tree close by. As the notes were not familiar to me, I went round the tree several times in order to dis- cover whence they proceeded. One of the notes was like the noise which may be made by striking two pebbles together, the other a querulous chirp, and they seemed to come from different parts of the tree. The author of the music, however, allowed me several times to come very near m^- TUJi UEDSTART. him, and I satisfied myself that both sounds proceeded from the same bird, a male Redstart, whose nest, I after- wards heard, was built in an adjoining shed. This singular power of ventriloquizing, or making its note apparently proceed from a distant place, is possessed also by the Nightingale, as any one may assure himself who will quietly creep up to within a, few yards of one of these THE EEDSTAET ti - w birds when singing. Its proper song 'I have' n'ever myseif succeeded in distinguishing. It is said to be short but pleasing, and to be emitted both while the bird is at rest and on the wing, principally in the morning, and only during two months of the year. Its food consists of small worms and insects, which last it is very expert at catching on the wing ; and in summer, it regales itself on the soft fruits. Its nest is composed of fibrous roots and moss, and is lined with hair, wool, and feathers. It lays about six eggs, which closely resemble those of the Hedge-sparrow, only that they are smaller. In autumn, the Eedstarts retire southwards. On the African shores of the Mediter- ranean they are very abundant, and are caught by the- Arabs in traps of the simplest construction. On the continent of Europe too, especially in France, in spite of their diminutive size, they are highly prized for food. In Lorraine, the number of Eedstarts (both kinds), Eedbreasts and Fly-catchers taken in traps is inconceivable. These birds being of about the same size, and equally excellent in delicacy of flesh, are sold together in all the market towns under the name of petites betes (or, as we should say, " small deer"), and are sent to the great cities. Blackbirds and Thrushes are dignified with the title of grosses betes (" cattle of a larger breed "). Thousands of dozens are thus annually despatched ; but this number is as nothing com- pared with that consumed on the spot. For a period of about six weeks in every year, one may see every day at certain hours whole families in the small towns, gravely occupied on their door-steps picking the birds captured the day before. At this season the air is filled with savoury odours, and the passenger cannot take a step without trampling on the red feathers of the Eobin and Eedstart, contrasting with the sable plumage of the Blackbird. These are all caught in traps set in the woods and forests ; in every place, in short, where birds resort either for shelter or food. THE BLACK EEDSTAET. PHCENICURA TITHYS. Upper plumage bluish grey ; bill, cheeks, throat, and breast, black, passing into bluish beneath; tail as in the last; greater wing-coverts edged with pure white ; second primary equal to the seventh. Female upper plumage duller ; lower bright ash, passing into white ; wings dusky, edged with grey ; red of the tail less bright. Length, five inches and three quarters. Eggs pure shining white. A MUCH less frequent visitor to this country than the preceding, but by no means ranking among our rarest birds, specimens occurring in the winter of every year in some part of England or another. Its habits are much the same as those of its congener ; but it generally chooses a loftier situation for its nest, which is placed in the walls of buildings, at an elevation varying from a few feet to eighty or ninety. Its plumage differs in being much darker in the fore part of the body, while the tail is of a brighter red. The eggs are white. Both species are THE BLACK REDSTART. 103 equally prized in France for the delicacy of their flesh ; and, as I have mentioned above, are commonly exposed for sale in the markets. It generally arrives in England about the first week in November, and remains with us all the winter. Its -nest has never been found in this country. THE STOKECHAT. SAXICOLA KUBICOLA. Head, throat, bill and legs, black ; sides of the neck near the wing, tertial wing- co verts and rump, white ; breast bright chestnut-red, shaded into yellowish white towards the tail ; feathers of the back, wings and tail, black, with reddish brown edges. Female feathers of the head and upper parts dusky brown, edged with yellowish red ; throat black, with small whitish and reddish spots ; less white in the wings and tail ; the red of the breast dull Length five and a quarter inches ; breadth eight and a half inches. Eggs pale blue, the larger end often faintly speckled with reddish brown. WE can scarcely pass through a furze-brake during the spring and summer months, without having the presence of the Stonechat almost forced on our notice. I am acquainted with no small bird whose habits are more marked, or more easily observed. Not even does the Skylark build its nest more invariably on the ground, and "soaring sings, and singing soars," than does the Stonechat build its nest in a furze-bush, and perch on the topmost twigs of shrubs. In the breeding season, too, it seems not to wander far from its home : we know' there- fore where a pair are to be found at any time ; and they allow us to approach so close to them, that we can readily distinguish them by the tints of their plumage. The nest of the pair before us is probably within a few yards of the spot on which we are standing ; but the exact locality no one knows, nor is likely to know but itself. The male is a beautiful creature, with a black head, red breast, and several patches of pure white on its wings, the female much more sober in her attire. Their purpose is evidently to distract our attention from their nest. One is 104 SYLVIAD.E. clinging to the top of a juniper, where he fidgets about uttering his twit-click-click, which you can easily imitate by whistling once sharply and knocking two stones together twice in rapid succession. The other is perched on the top spine of a furze-bush they are aspiring birds and must settle on the top of whatever they alight on, be it only a dock. Now one dips down and is lost for a few seconds, to appear again, however, directly on the summit of another bush ; now they are OD our right hand, now THE STONECHAT. on our left; now before us, and then behind. Are they describing a circle round their nest for a centre, or are they trying to trick us into the belief that they are better worth caring for than their young ones, and may be caught if we will only be silly enough to chase them ? I do not know ; but whatever their thoughts may be, we certainly are in them, and as certainly they are not delighted at our presence. We walk on, and suddenly they are gone ; but presently we encounter another pair of the same birds, who THE STONECHAT. 105 if we loiter about will treat us in exactly the same way, but, if we pass on steadily, will take little notice of us. We have little more to say of the Stonechat. It is not often heard to sing ; the reason probably being that, when listeners are in the way, it is too anxious about its nest to be musical. Its food is principally insects, which it often catches on the wing. In winter (for they do not all leave us at this season) it feeds on worms, &c. Its nest is re- markable more from its size and position (usually in the centre of a furze-bush), than for neatness of structure. It lays five eggs. Its name Eubicola denotes a dweller among brambles, and is by no means inappropriate, as it rarely perches on any bush exceeding a bramble in size. Its names Stonechat, Stonecliuk or Stonechatter, are evidently to be traced to the similarity between its note of alarm and the striking together of two pebbles. THE WHINCHAT. SAXICOLA RUB^TRA. Upper plumage dusky brown, edged with reddish yellow ; over the eye a broad white streak ; throat and sides of the neck white ; neck and breast bright yellowish red ; a large white spot on the wings and base of the tail ; extremity of the latter and the whole of the two central feathers dusky brown ; abdomen and flanks yellowish white. Female yellowish white wherever the male is pure white ; the white spot on the wings smaller ; the red parts dingy. Length five inches ; breadth nine inches. Eggs bluish green, often minutely speckled with light brownish red. A GREAT deal that we have said of the Stonechat, will apply equally well to the Whinchat, as the two birds much resemble each other in characters, size, and habits. There is this difference, however, between them, that a con- siderable number of Stonechats remain in Britain during the winter, whereas the Whinchats, almost to a bird, leave our shores in the autumn. The latter is by no means so common, and is rarely seen except in wild places where the shrub is abundant from which it derives its name of Whinchat, or Furzechat. For a small bird to have black legs is, it seems, 106 SYLVIAD^. considered in France an indication of peculiar delicacy of flesh. Both of these birds, therefore, notwithstanding their diminutive size, are much sought after for the table. Both are of restless habits, delighting to perch on the summit of a furze-bush, where they keep the tail in constant motion, occasionally spring into the air after an insect, and then dart off with a dipping flight to another post of advantage. THE WHFNCHAT. They repeat their short and simple song, both while at rest and on the wing ; but they are not musical, and " their flesh is generally more esteemed than their song." The Whinchat may be distinguished at a considerable distance by the white streak over the eye. Both nest and eggs of the two species are very similar. 107 THE WHEATEAE. SAXICOLA CENANTH& Upper parts, in autumn reddish brown, in spring bluish grey ; wings and wing- coverts, centre and extremity of the tail, legs and feet, bill and area which comprises the nostrils, eyes and ears, black ; base and lower portion of the side of the tail pure white ; the chin, forehead, stripe over the eyes, and under parts are also white, and in autumn the tail-feathers are also tipped with white. Female -upper parts ash-brown, tinged with yellow ; stripe over the eyes dingy ; all the colours less bright. Length six and a half inches ; breadth twelve inches. Eggs pale bluish green. DUBING a considerable portion of its stay with, us, open downs near the sea are the favourite resort of this lively bird, to which it repairs from its transmarine winter quarters towards the end of March. Here it may be seen for several weeks flitting from rock to rock, and occasionally soaring to the height of about twenty yards into the air, warbling from time to time its pleasant song, now aloft, and now restlessly perched on a rock, or bank, or low stone wall, and making itself all the more welcome that few others among our summer visitants have as yet recovered their voices. We need not sup- pose that Wheatears prolong their stay on the coast in order to rest after their voyage. More probably they make marine insects (for these are abundant even in early spring) the principal portion of their food, and are taught, by the same instinct which guided them across the sea, to remain where their wants will be fully supplied until land insects have emerged from their winter quarters. As the season advances many of them pro- ceed inland, and repair to barren districts, whether moun- tainous or lowland, where they may enjoy a considerable expanse without any great admixture of trees. A wide common studded with blocks of stone, a rabbit-warren or sloping upland, is likely to be more or less thickly peopled by these shy birds. Shy we term them, because, disposed as they are to be social among themselves 108 SYLVIAD^E. (especially in spring and autumn), they are with respect to other birds most exclusive. Travelling through the waste lands of England, one may sometimes go on for miles and see no winged creatures but an occasional Wheat- ear, which, with dipping flight, made conspicuous by the snow-white spot at the base of its tail, shoots ahead of us some thirty or forty yards, alights on a stone, and, after a few uneasy upward and downward movements of its tail, THE WHEATEAK. starts off again to repeat the same manoeuvre, until we begin to wonder what tempts it to stray away so far from home. It does not ordinarily sing during these excursions, but utters an occasional twitter very different from its spring song. It builds its nest of grass, moss, and leaves, and lines it with hair or wool, selecting some very secret spot on the ground, a deserted rabbit-burrow or cavity under a rock, where, beyond the reach of any THE WHEATEAK. 109' but the most cunning marauder, it lays five or six eggs. Early in August, when the young are fully fledged, the scattered colonies of Wheatears assemble for emigra- tion on open downs near the sea. "We have seen a good many of them on the sandy coast of Norfolk and of North Wales ; but it is on the extensive downs of Sussex that they collect in the largest numbers, not in flocks, but in parties of six or eight ; each party perhaps constituting a family. They here retain their shy habits of flying off at the approach of a human being, and are often seen to drop suddenly, where they may remain concealed from sight behind a stone, furze-bush or bank. The shepherds and others, whose vocation lies on the downs, take advan- tage of the habit of these birds to conceal themselves, and construct a multitude of simple but efficacious traps in which they capture large numbers. The method which they adopt is, to cut out from the sward an oblong piece of turf about the size of a brick, which they invert over the hole from which it was taken so as to form a cross. Be- neath this are placed two running nooses of horsehair, in which the poor bird, when it takes refuge in one of the open ends of the hole for concealment, is easily snared. The birds being in fine condition at this season having, in fact, fattened themselves previously to undertaking their long sea voyage are highly prized as a dainty article of food. It was formerly the custom for persons who wanted a dish of Wheatears to supply themselves from the traps, placing a penny in every hole from which they took a bird ; but of late years the influx of visitors to the neighbouring watering-places has so much enhanced their value, that the shepherds will allow no such interference. We once tried the experiment of releasing a bird and de- positing the penny-piece in the trap, when, from a neigh- bouring eminence, we were assailed with such a torrent of abuse, that we declined repeating the experiment. In September, all who have escaped the sportsman and 110 SYLVIAD^E. fowler, wing their way to southern lands. It is thought that the autumnal flocks are partially composed of birds on their way from high latitudes, which stop to recruit their strength on the South-downs previously to final emigration. THE GEASSHOPPEE WAEBLEE. SALICARIA LOCUSTELLA. Upper parts light brown, with a tinge of green, and presenting a spotted appear- ance, owing to the centres of the feathers being darkest ; tail long, rounded at the extremity and tapering towards the base ; under parts whitish brown, the breast marked with darker spots ; feet and toes light brown. Length five and a half inches ; breadth seven and a half. Eggs reddish white, closely speckled with darker red. As long ago as the time when a stroll of five-and-twenty miles fatigued me less than a journey of ten does now when I returned from my botanical rambles with tin boxes, hands and pockets, laden with stores of flowers, ferns, and mosses, my homeward path often led me through a certain valley and wood on the skirts of Dartmoor, known by the names of Bickleigh Vale and Eancy Wood. It often happened that twilight was fading into gloom when I reached this stage in my wanderings the last of the evening songsters had hushed its note ; for this county, beautiful as it is, offers not sufficient attraction to the Nightingale ; yet I never passed this way under such circumstances without feeling myself compelled to stop once and again to listen to the monotonous whir of what I had been told, and what I believed to be the note of the large green grasshopper, or locust. Monotonous is, per- haps, not the right word to use, for an acute ear can detect in the long unmusical jar a cadence descending sometimes a semitone, and occasionally almost a whole note ; and it seemed besides to increase in loudness for a few seconds and then to subside a little below the ordinary pitch ; but whether this was the effect of the imagination, whether THE GRASSHOPPER WARBLER. Ill the difference was produced by a "rising and hilling of the breeze, or whether the musician actually altered its note and intensity of noise (or must I call it music 1 ?), I could never decide. As long as I fancied the performer to be an insect, I was inclined to believe that one of the first suppositions w#s correct ; for it seemed hardly possible that the purely mechanical action of an insect's thighs against its body could produce variety of sound as well THE GRASSHOPPER WARBLER. expect varied intonations from a mill-wheel or saw-pit. Attentive observation, and the knowledge that the noise in question proceeded not from the exterior of an insect, but from the throat of a bird, has led me to form another conclusion. I am not surprised at my having fallen into the error ; for the song of this bird is but an exaggeration of the grasshopper's note;, and resembles the noise pro- duced by pulling out the line from the winch of a fishing- 112 SYLVIAD^E. rod; no. less continuous is it, nor more melodious. Many years afterwards, when the memory of these pleasant wanderings had faded away, I happened one evening in May to be passing across a common in Hertfordshire, skirted by a hedge of brushwood, when the old familiar sound fell on my ear like a forgotten nursery melody. The trees not being in their full foliage, I was not without hope that I might be able to get a sight of the performer, whom I now knew to be a bird, and I crept quietly to- wards the spot whence the noise proceeded. Had it been singing in a copse-wood instead of a hedge, I should cer- tainly have failed, for there is the same peculiarity about its note that there is about that of the insect you cannot make up your mind exactly whereabouts the instrument which makes the noise is at work. The note, when near, is con- tinuous, monotonous, and of equal loudness throughout; it might be a minute spinning-wheel revolving rapidly, or a straw pipe with a pea in it blown with a single breath and then suddenly stopping. But whether the perform- ance is going on exactly before you, a little to the right, or a little to the left, it is hard to decide. I approached to within a few yards of the hedge, and peered through the* hazel rods, now decorated with drooping tufts of plaited leaves, but all in vain. I went a step or two nearer ; the sound ceased, and the movement of a twig directed my attention towards a particular bush, on which I saw a little bird, about as big as a Hedge-sparrow, quietly and cautiously dropping branch by branch to the ground. In a few minutes I observed it again a few yards off, creeping with a movement resembling that of the Nuthatch up another bush. Having reached to nearly the summit it became motionless, stretched out its neck, and keepin its mandibles continuously open and slightly elevated, com- menced its trill again; then it shuffled about for some seconds and repeated the strain. It now seemed to descry me, and dropping to the ground as before, reappeared a THE GEASSHOPPEE WAEBLEE. 113 few yards off. I fancied that while actually singing its feathers were ruffled; but in the imperfect twilight I could not decide positively. That it kept its mandibles motion- less while singing, I had no doubt. Half an hour after- wards, at a quarter to eight, I returned from my walk, and observed it several times go through precisely the same manoeuvres. On no occasion did it make a long flight, but even when I scared it by throwing a stone into the hedge near it, it merely dropped to the ground, and in a minute or two was piping from another bush. I have not found, as some authors say, that it resorts only to the vicinity of watery places. The one which I saw on this occasion had located itself for the summer several miles from a stream ; and others which I have heard night after night had settled down on the skirts of a dry common, watered only by the clouds. Its nest I have sought for in vain. SAVrS WARBLER SALICARIA LUSCINOfDES. Upper plumage reddish brown ; tail indistinctly marked with darker bands ; chin and throat whitish ; breast pale brown, becoming darker towards the tail. Length five and a half inches. A VERY few specimens of this bird have been observed in the British Islands, though, from the similarity of its habits to those of the Grasshopper Warbler, it is possible that it may have escaped the notice of unskilled observers. It has been found in Italy, France, Malta, and Sicily ; but appears to be nowhere common. The Eev. James Brown, who obtained one in the marshes near Norwich, states that his specimen was sitting on the upper part of a reed ; uttering its note, which was not unlike that of the Grass- hopper Warbler, and that when disturbed it ceased to sing, and dropped down among the thick herbage, but soon reascended to its former station and recommenced its song. SYLVIADJ3. Three nests have been found in Britain, all near Cambridge. " These nests, in each instance, were on the ground. They are cup-shaped, compactly formed of the long narrow leaves of the common reed (Arundo Phragmitis) wound round and interlaced, but without any other lining." The eggs are of a whitish pink colour, covered all over with minute specks of two colours, pale red and light ash-grey. The eggs in one nest were thought to resemble those of the Grasshopper Warbler ; in another those of the Dart- ford Warbler. THE SEDGE WAEBLER SALICARIA PHRAGMITIS. Upper plumage olive-grey, the centre of each feather tinged with brown ; above the eyes a broad yellowish white stripe ; under, yellowish white, more or less tinged with red ; throat white ; tail rounded, of moderate length, of a uni- form ash-brown. Length four and a half inches ; breadth seven and a half. Eggs dirty white, mottled all over with dull yellowish brown. ON the banks of reedy and bushy rivers, in marshes, withy holts, wherever, in fact, there is fresh water associated with enough vegetation to shelter and conceal, this bustling little bird is a constant summer visitor ; restless in its habits, and courting notice by its twittering song, from the time of its arrival to that of its departure. It is usually first detected by its rapidly repeated note, which it utters while performing its short flights from bush to bush, and while creeping in and out among reeds and rushes. The fisherman knows it well, and is often tempted to withdraw his eye from his fly or float, to watch its movements on the opposite bank. From its unceasing babble, plough- boys call it a " chat," a name which exactly answers to the French name of the group to which it belongs " Jaseuses" Its note is remarkable neither for volume nor sweetness, and, like that of unfeathered chatterers, seems to carry more noise than meaning. To a certain extent the bird is a mimic, as it imitates such notes of THE SEDGE WAKBLEE. 115 other birds as are within the compass of its little throat. I was walking one morning in May by the banks of a canal not far from a village, when I remarked the exact resemblance between a portion of its song and the chirrup of a House-sparrow. Intermixed with this, I detected the note of some other bird ; but, familiar though it sounded, I ransacked my memory in vain to discover from whom it THE SKDGE WARBLER. was purloined. Pursuing my walk towards the houses, I heard the note of some Guinea-fowls; not the "come- back " cry, but the " click-click " which every one knows so well. Of this the Sedge Warbler had caught exactly both the key and the time ; the two notes were in fact identical, except that they were performed on instru- ments of different calibre. Like other chatterers, who, i 2 116 SYLVIAlXffi. when they have finished their song, are easily pro- voked to begin again, the Sedge Warbler, if he does occasionally retire to a bed of reeds and there holds his peace, may be excited to repeat his whole story over again, with variations and additions, by flinging a stone into his breathing-place. And not content with babbling all day, he extends his loquacity far into the night ; hence he has been called the Sedge Nightingale, but with doubtful propriety, for, with all the will perhaps to vie with that prince of songsters, the zinzinare of the Nightingale is far beyond his powers. Yet in spite of his obtrusiveness, he is an amusing and a pleasant companion to the wanderer by the river's side : his rivalry is devoid of malice, and his mimicry gives no one pain. While at rest if he is ever to be detected in this state he may be distinguished from all other birds frequenting similar haunts by his rounded tail, and a light narrow mark over each eye. His food consists of worms, insects, and fresh- water mollusks, for which he hunts among the stems of aquatic plants. As an architect, he displays great skill, constructing his nest among low bushes, never at any great distance from the water, about a foot from the ground. It is composed of stems and leaves of dead grass, moss and line roots, and lined with hair, wool, feathers, and the down of various marsh plants. The structure is large, compact, and deep, suspended from, rather than built on, its supports. The eggs are usually five or six in number, though as many as seven have been sometimes found. 117 THE GEEAT SEDGE WAEBLER SALICARIA TURDOfDES. Upper plumage and tail reddish brown ; under, yellowish white, passing to a deeper hue behind ; throat white ; a yellowish white streak above the eyes ; bill yellow at the base, brown towards the tip. Length eight inches. Eggs greenish, spotted with ash and dingy brown. THE capture of a single specimen of this the largest of the European Warblers, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, gives it a right to a place among British birds. It inhabits the banks of ponds and rivers where reeds and rushes abound ; in Holland it is common, as it is also in many parts of France, and in Piedmont. Its food consists of insects and worms, rarely of .berries, and that only when insect food fails. It constructs its nest with great skill among reeds, and lays from three to five eggs. A nest, supposed to be that of this bird, has been found in Northamptonshire. It is sometimes called the Thrush Nightingale, and was at one time associated by Temminck with the true Thrushes, under the name of Turdus arundinaceus. THE EEED WAEBLER. SALICARIA AKUNDINA'CEA. Upper parts of a uniform reddish brown, without spots ; wing-feathers brown, edged with olive ; a white streak between (not over) the eye and bill ; throat white ; under plumage yellowish white, the sides tinged with reddish ; tail long, rounded. Length five and a half inches ; breadth seven and a half. Eggs dull greenish white, speckled with olive and light brown, especially towards the larger end. THE botanical name of the common reed is Aiiindo Phrag- mitis; from the former of which terms the Eeed Warbler takes its name, from the latter the Sedge Warbler. A reed is a tall grass growing by the water side ; a sedge is a tall grass-like plant affecting similar places. What special reason there may have existed for naming the two birds 118 SYLVIADJE. from the same plant, except that of puzzling young students, I do not know ; nor do the popular names much help them, for the plants, though botanically distinct, often grow side by side, and require a botanist's eye to dis- tinguish them ; and the birds are so much alike, that they are sufficiently liable to be confounded one with another, apart from this additional help to confusion. Let the THE REED WARBLER. reader, then, thus forewarned, take care to remember that the common River-chat, described above, is the Sedge Warbler, surnamed " phragmitis," while our present bird is the Reed Warbler, surnamed " arundinacea." Both are jaseuses, or chatterers, with rounded tails ; but the Sedge Warbler, has its upper plumage spotted with dark brown, and a white line above its eye, while the upper plumage of THE REED WAEBLEK. 119 the Eeed Warbler is of a uniform pale brown, and the light mark is absent from above the eye. The haunts and habits of the two birds are precisely similar, but the Eeed Warbler is by far the less common of the two ; for while the Sedge Warbler is sure to be found wherever the Eeed Warbler has been observed, the converse by no means follows. The parts of England in which it appears to be most frequent, are Essex, Surrey, Kent, Suffolk, and Nor- folk. In the reed-beds on the banks of the Thames, between Erith and Greenwich, it is common. " The nest of the Eeed Warbler is often elegantly built, and generally fixed to three or four reed-stems. It is composed of slender blades of grass, interwoven with reed-tops, dry duckweed, and the spongy substance which covers many of the marsh ditches ; and, here and there, a long piece of sedge is wound securely around it ; the lining is of the finer flowering stems of grass, inter- mixed with a little horsehair. It is a deep and solid structure, so that the eggs cannot easily roll out ; it is firmly fastened to the reeds in tidal ditches and rivers, at the height of three or four feet from the water, but in still ditches often not more than a foot. In windy weather, when wading through the reed-beds, I have seen nests, with both old and young in them, blown nearly to the surface of the water ; but the birds fix their claws firmly to the sides of the nest, with their heads to windward, and thus ride as securely in their cradle as a sailor does in his cot or hammock." * The Cuckoo occasionally chooses the Eeed Warbler's nest to lay its eggs in, for the same writer remarks "At the latter end of July, 1829, while reading in my 'garden, which adjoins a market garden, I was agreeably surprised to see a young Cuckoo, nearly full- grown, alight on the railings between the two, not more than a dozen yards from where I was sitting. Anxious to see what bird had reared this Cuckoo, I silently watched * Mr. W. H. Thomas, in the Zoologist, p. 97. 120 SYLVIAD^B. his movements, and had not waited more than a minute, when a Reed Warbler flew to the Cuckoo, who, crouching down with his breast close to the rail, and fluttering his wings, opened wide his orange-coloured mouth to receive the insect his foster-mother had brought him. This done, the Eeed Warbler flew away for a fresh supply of food. The difference in the size of the two birds was great ; it was like a pigmy feeding a giant. While the Eeed Warbler was absent, the Cuckoo shuffled along the rail, and hopped upon a slender post to which it was nailed, and which projected about eight inches above the rail The Reed Warbler soon returned with more food, and alighted close to the Cuckoo, but on the rail beneath him j she then began to stretch herself to the utmost to give him the food, but was unable to reach the Cuckoo's mouth, who, like a simpleton, threw his head back, with his mouth wide open, as before. The Reed Warbler, by no means at a loss, perched upon the Cuckoo's broad back, who, still holding back his head, received in this singular way the morsel brought for him." THE NIGHTINGALE. PHILOMELA LUSCINIA. Upper plumage brown, tinged with red ; tail bright rust-red ; under plumage dingy white; flanks pale ash colour. Length six and a quarter inches; breadth nine and a half inches. Eggs uniform olive-brown. THE southern, eastern, and some of the midland counties of England, enjoy a privilege which is denied to the northern and western an annual visit, namely, from the Nightingale. It is easy enough to understand why a southern bird should bound its travels northwards by a certain parallel, but why it should keep aloof from Devon and Cornwall, the climate of which approaches more closely to that of its favourite continental haunts than THE NIGHTINGALE. 121 many of the districts to which it unfailingly resorts, is not so clear. Several reasons have been assigned one, that cowslips do not grow in these counties : this may be dis- missed at once as purely fanciful ; another is, that the soil is too rocky : this is not founded on fact, for both Devon and Cornwall abound in localities which would be to Mghtingales a perfect Paradise, if they would only come ; a third is, that the proper food is not to be found there : THE NIGHTINGALE. but this reason cannot be admitted until it is proved that the portions of the island to which the Nightingale does resort abound in some kind of insect food which is not to be found in the extreme southern counties, and that the Nightingale, instead of being, as it is supposed, a general insect-eater, confines itself to that one ; and this is a view of the question which no one has ventured to take. My own theory and I only throw it out for consideration is, 122 SYLVIAD^. that the Nightingale is not found in these two counties on account of their peculiar geographical position. The con- tinental Nightingales are observed to take their departure in autumn, either eastward through Hungary, Dabnatia, Greece, and the islands of the Archipelago ; or southwards across the Straits of Gibraltar, but none by the broad part of the Mediterranean. Hence we may infer that the bird dislikes a long sea voyage, and that when in spring it migrates northward and westward, it crosses the English Channel at the narrowest parts only,* spreads itself over the nearest counties in the direction of its migration, but is instinctively prevented from turning so far back again to the south as the south-west peninsula of England. From Scotland it would be naturally excluded by its northern -position, and from Ireland by the Welsh moun- tains and the broad sea. For the dwellers in these unfavoured districts alone is my description of the Nightingale intended ; for, where it abounds, its habits are too well known to need any description. Twenty-four hours of genial May weather spent in the country with a good use of the eyes and ears, will reveal more of the life and habits of the bird than is contained in all the ornithological treatises that have been written on the subject, and they are not a few. No great amount of caution is necessary in approaching the -Nightingale while singing at night. One may walk unrestrainedly across the fields, talking in an ordinary tone of voice, and not even find it necessary to suppress con- versation when close to a singing bird. Either he is too intent on his occupation to detect the presence of strangers, or he is aware of the security in which he is wrapped by the shades of night, or he is actually proud of having listeners. In the neighbourhood of my present residence in Hertfordshire, Nightingales are numerous. They arrive about the 17th of April, and for the first few days assemble * This is the opinion of Gilbert White. THE NIGHTINGALE. 123 year after year in the bushes and hedges of a certain hill- side, the position of which it would be unsafe to indicate particularly, and taking their station two or three hundred yards apart from each other, set up a rivalry of song which is surpassingly beautiful. At this season, one may hear five or six chanting at once ; every break in the song of the nearest being filled up by the pipings or wailings of the more distant ones. The male birds arrive several days before the females, and employ the interval, it is fancifully said, in contending for the prize in a musical contest. This period is anxiously watched for by bird-catchers, who have learnt by experience that birds entrapped before they have paired will bear confinement in a cage, but that those captured after the arrival of their mates pine to death. The Nightingale being a fearless bird and of an inquisitive nature is easily snared ; hence, in the neighbourhood of cities, the earliest and therefore strongest birds fall ready victims to the fowler's art. It must not be supposed that this bird sings by night only. Every day and all day long, from his first arrival until the young are hatched (when it becomes his duty to provide for his family), perched in a hedge or on the branch of a tree, rarely at any considerable height from the ground, he pours forth his roundelay, now however obscured by the song of other birds. But not even by day is he shy, for he will allow any quietly disposed person to approach near enough to him to watch the movement of his bill and heaving chest. At the approach of night he becomes silent, generally discontinuing his song about an hour before the Thrush, and resuming it between ten and eleven. It is a disputed point whether the Nightingale's song should be considered joyous or melancholy. This must always remain a question of taste. My own opinion is, that the piteous wailing note which is its most characteristic nature, casts a shade of sadness as it were over the whole song, even those portions which gush with the most exuberant gladness. I SYLVIAD^E. think, too, though, my assertion may seem a barbarous one, that if the Nightingale's song comprised the wailing notes alone, it would be universally shunned as the most painfully melancholy sound in nature. From this, however, it is redeemed by the rapid transition, just when the anguish of the bird has arrived at such a pitch as to be no longer supportable, to a passage overflowing with joy and gladness. In the first or second week of June he ceases his song altogether. His cataract of sweet sounds is exhausted, and his only remaining note is a harsh croak exactly resembling that of a frog, or the subdued note of a raven. On one occasion only I have heard him in full song so late as the fourth week in June ; but this probably was a bird whose first nest had been destroyed, and whose song consequently had been retarded until the hatching of a second brood. From this time until the end of August, when he migrates eastward, he may often be observed picking up grubs, worms, and ants' eggs on the garden lawn, or under a hedge in fields, hopping from place to place with an occasional shake of the wings and raising of the tail, and conspicuous whenever he takes one of his short flights by his red tail-coverts. The Nightingale's nest is constructed of dead leaves, principally of the oak, loosely put together and placed on the ground under a bush. Internally it is lined with grass, roots, and a few hairs. It contains four or five eggs of a uniform olive-brown. THE BLACKCAP. CURRUCA ATRICAPILLA. Top and back of the head black, in the female chocolate colour ; upper parts, wings, and tail ash-grey, slightly tinged with olive ; neck light grey passing into greyish white ; bill and feet black. Length five inches and a half: breadth, eight and a half. Eggs, pale greenish white, variously mottled with several shades of brown ; sometimes pinkish, mottled with light purple, and speckled with dark purple. WHATEVER difference of opinion there may be as to the character of the Nightingale's song whether it partakes more of joyousness or of melancholy the gladsomeness of the Blackcap's warble is beyond all dispute. Conceding to the Nightingale the first place among the warblers which visit England, we do not hesitate to claim the second for the Blackcap. Its song is inferior in power and compass to that of the bird of night, but there is about it a delicious eloquence which makes it irresistibly charming. White of Selborne describes it as " full, sweet, deep, loud and wild ; " high but not unmerited praise. If there are no vocal efforts to astonish, there are no piteous wailings to distress, and though the bird retires to rest at a reason- 126 SYLVIAD^. able hour, it continues its song until a late period of the season, long after that of the Nightingale has degenerated to a croak. It has been compared to that of the Red- breast, but it is more mellow and flute-like; to that of the Thrush, but it is softer and of more compass ; to that of the Lark, but it is more varied. A practised ear will confound it with neither of these, though, strange to say, many persons who have lived all their lives in the country, and who take much interest in its pleasant sights and sounds, habitually confound it with the song of one or other of these birds, not knowing to whom they are in- debted for one of the principal charms of their gardens. The Blackcap, like several other of the migratory warblers, returns again and again to its old haunts. For six suc- cessive years it has been known to build its nest in a bramble which hung down from a rock in a public garden ; and for even a longer period my own garden has been annually visited by a pair who, from unfailingly resorting to the same bushes, must, I have little doubt, be the same pair, though I cannot say that I have found or even searched for their nest. On its first arrival in April, the Blackcap is in the habit of what bird-fanciers call "recording," that is, practising over its song in a low tone. During this season of rehearsal it does not care to be seen, but hides away in a thick bush. It is nevertheless by no means shy of being heard, as it will allow the listener to approach within a few yards of its hiding-place without stopping its song, and if disturbed will remove to a very little distance and recommence. After a few days it acquires its full powers of voice. Its song is now remarkable among the full choir for sweetness, loudness, and long continuance. Its food at this time consists of aphides, caterpillars, and other small insects which infest roses and fruit-trees ; it rarely cap- tures flies on the wing or descends to feed on the ground. In June it begins to sing shorter strains, but with no THE BLACKCAP. 127 diminished power. It may then be observed flying from branch to branch of an apple-tree, resting for a few seconds only in the same spot, and busily occupied in collect- ing grubs or aphides, then indulging in a short strain. In July, when the raspberries ripen, the Blackcap becomes chary of its song, and introduces its young brood to the choicest and juiciest fruit ; in their attentions to which both old and young birds are exceedingly pertinacious, holding scarecrows in extreme contempt, and heeding clapping of hands or the discharge of a gun as little. The young of the first year resemble the adult female in having a chocolate-coloured crown. The song of the Blackcap may be heard occasionally late in the summer ; in September or October both old and young take their departure, and the Redbreast is left without a rival to assert his superiority as a warbler, until the return of spring. The nest is usually placed in a hedge or low bush, a few feet from the ground, and is constructed of bents, and lined with fibrous roots and hair. The male bird assists the female in performing the office of incu- bation, and is said to relieve the monotony of his occu- pation by singing, thus often betraying a well-concealed nest. THE ORPHEAN WARBLER. CUERUCA ORPHEA. Head dusky ; upper parts dark, tinged with ash-grey; wings dusky, edged with ash-brown ; outer tail-feather on each side white, except the extremity of the inner web, which is ash, and the quill, which is black, the other feathers of the tail dusky, with white tips ; under parts white, tinged at the sides with rose ; lower tail-coverts rust colour. The female has no black on the head, and the other colours are less decided. Length six inches and a half. Eggs nearly white, spotted with yellow and brown. VERY abundant in Italy, especially in Piedmont and Lombardy ; equally common in some of the southern departments of France ; occasionally met with in Switzer- land. A single specimen only has been shot in England. 128 THE RUFOUS SEDGE WARBLER. CURRUCA GALACTOTES. Upper plumage reddish brown ; all the lateral feathers of the tail with a large black spot near the extremity, which is white; wings brown, edged with reddish ; under parts whitish, tinged at the sides with red ; feet yellowish. Length six inches and a half. Eggs unknown. OP this rare bird, which, inhabits the southern pro- vinces of Spain, a single specimen only has been seen in England. THE GARDEN WARBLER. THE GARDEN WARBLER. CURRUCA HORTENSIS. Upper parts greyish brown, slightly tinged with olive ; orbits white ; below the ear a patch of ash-grey ; throat dull white : breast and flanks grey, tinged with rust colour ; rest of the under parts dull white. Length five inches and three- quarters ; breadth eight and a half. Eggs greenish white, speckled with two shades of greenish brown. THOUGH tolerably well dispersed throughout England, this bird is by no means so abundant as the Blackcap, which it THE GARDEN WAEBLEE. 129 resembles in size and habits. Its song is -little if at all inferior to that of the bird just named, and it is far from improbable that some of the sweet strains for which the Blackcap gets credit, particularly late in the summer, may be produced by the Garden Warbler; I have heard its song so late as the fifth of October. By some authors it is called the Greater Pettychaps, by others the Fauvette, which latter name is by some French ornithologists ap- plied to the group containing this bird and several allied species. Its nest and eggs are so like those of the Black- cap as to be discriminated with difficulty. THE WHITETHROAT. CURRUCA CINEREA. Head ash-grey ; rest of the upper parts grey, tinged with rust colour ; wings dusky, the coverts edged with red ; lower parts white, faintly tinged on the breast with rose colour ; tail dark brown, the outer feather white at the tip and on the outer web, the next only tipped with white. Female without the rose tint on the breast, but with the upper plumage more decidedly tinged with red ; feet brown. Length five inches and a half; breadth eight and a half. Eggs greenish white, thickly spotted with reddish and greenish brown. THE Whitethroat is in England the most common of all the migratory warblers, and is generally diffused. It is essentially a hedge-bird, neither taking long flights nor resorting to lofty trees. Early in May it may be detected in a hawthorn or other thick bush, hopping from twig to twig with untiring restlessness, frequently descending to the ground, but never making any stay, and all the while incessantly babbling with a somewhat harsh but not un- pleasant song, composed of numerous rapid and short, notes, which have but little either of variety or compass. Occasionally it takes a short flight along the hedge, gene- rally on the side farthest from the spectator, and proceeds to another bush a few yards on, where it either repeats the same movements, or perches on a high twig for a few seconds. From time to time it rises into the air, performing K 130 SYL VIABLE. curious antics and singing all the while. Its short flight completed, it descends to the same or an adjoining twig ; and so it seems to spend its days. From its habit of creeping through the lower parts of hedges, it has received the popular name of "Nettle-creeper." From the grey tone of its plumage, it is in some districts of France called "Grisette" and in others, from its continuous song, " Babillarde" names, however, which are popularly applied without distinction to this species and the next. While singing it keeps the feathers of its head erected, resembling in this respect the Blackcap and several of the other warblers. Though not naturally a nocturnal musician, it does not, like most other birds, when disturbed at night, quietly steal away to another place of shelter, but bursts into repeated snatches of song, into which there seems to THE WHITETHKOAT. 131 be infused a spice of anger against the intruder. * Its food consists of insects of various kinds ; but when the smaller fruits begin to ripen, it repairs with its young brood to our gardens, and makes no small havoc among raspberries, cur- rants, and cherries. It constructs its nest among brambles and nettles, raised from two to three feet from the ground, of bents and the dry stems of herbs, mixed with cobweb, cotton from the willow, bits of wool, and horsehair. It usually lays five eggs. THE LESSEE WHITETHROAT. CURRUCA SYLVIELLA. Head and lore dark ash-grey ; rest of the upper parts greyish ash, tinged with brown ; wings brown, edged with ash-grey ; tail dusky, outer feather as in the last, the two next tipped with white ; lower parts pure silvery white ; feet deep lead colour. Length five inches and a quarter. Eggs greenish white, spotted and speckled, especially at the larger end, with ash and brown. GILBERT WHITE in his charming history says, "A rare, and I think a new little bird frequents my garden, which I have very great reason to think is the Pettichaps ; it is common in some parts of the kingdom; and I have received formerly dead specimens from Gibraltar. This bird much resembles the Whitethroat, but has a more white, or rather silvery breast and belly; is restless and active, like the "Willow-wrens, and hops from bough to bough, examining every part for food ; it also runs up the stems of the crown-imperials, and, putting its head into the bells of those flowers, sips the liquor which stands in the nectarium of each petal. Sometimes it feeds on the ground like the Hedge-sparrow, by hopping about on the grass plots and mown walks." The little bird of which the amiable naturalist gives so interesting a description, was, there is little doubt, that which is now called the Lesser * This night song is rarely heard except in the months of May and June. K2 J 32 SYL VIABLE. Whitethroat, then a "new bird," inasmuch as it had not been made a distinct species, and necessarily a " rare" bird, not because a few only visited Britain, but because, until he had himself set the example, competent observers of birds were rare. It differs externally from the preceding, in its smaller size, and the darker colour of its beak, upper plumage, and feet, and resembles it closely in its habits, though I have never observed that it indulges in the eccentric per- THE LESSER WHITETHROAT. pendicular nights which have gained for its congener, the Greater Whitethroat, the quaint sobriquet of " singing sky- rocket." It feeds, too, on insects, and is not found wanting when raspberries and cherries are ripe. But no matter what number of these it consumes, it ought with its companions to be welcomed by the gardener as one of his most valuable friends. For it should be borne in mind, that these birds, by consuming a portion of a crop of ripe fruit, do not at all THE LESSEE WHITETHEOAT. 133 injure the trees, but that the countless aphides and cater- pillars which they devoured at an earlier period of the year, would, if they had been allowed to remain, have feasted on the leaves and young shoots, and so not only have imperilled the coming crop, but damaged the tree so materially as to impair its fertility for some time to come. Those birds, therefore, which in spring feed on insects, and nourish their young on. the same diet, may be looked on as instruments employed by the providence of GOD to protect from injury the trees which are destined to supply them with support when insect food becomes scarce. But consider what would be the result if the proper food of birds were leaves, or if insects were permitted to devour the foliage unchecked ! our woods would be leafless, our gardens would become deserts. Not without reason then did the Psalmist exclaim, " LORD, how manifold are Thy works ! in wisdom hast Thou made them all." THE WOOD-WAKBLER. SYLVIA SYLVICOLA. Upper plumage bright yellowish green ; a broad streal^ of sulphur-yellow over the eye ; sides of the head, throat, insertion of the wings and legs bright yellow ; rest of the under plumage pure white ; second primary equal to the fourth, third and fourth with the outer web sloped off at the extremity ; legs pale brown. Length five inches and a half ; breadth eight and three quarters. Eggs white, speckled so thickly with purplish brown as almost to conceal the ground. THE Wood-warbler, Willow-warbler, and Chiff-chaff re- semble each other so closely in size, colour, and habits, that except by a practised observer, they are likely to be mistaken for one another. In song, however, they differ materially, and as this is begun early, and continued till very late in the season, it affords ready means of discrimi- nating the species. The Wood-warbler, or Wood- wren as it is sometimes called, arrives in England towards the end of April, and betakes itself to woodland districts, where it 134 SYL VIABLE. spends the greater portion of its time among the upper branches of lofty trees, constantly moving from place to place with rapid irregular flight, and frequently repeating its short and peculiar song. It feeds exclusively on insects, which it occasionally catches on the wing. Its song is difficult to describe. The name by which it is popularly known in some parts of France, Touite, is derived from the syllable " tweet" which, rapidly and continuously repeated THE WOOP-WARBLKK. many times, constitutes its song. These notes are uttered in a sweet tone, and with a tremulous accent, and are unlike those of any other bird. Gilbert White, who appears to have been the first who noticed the bird, describes it as "joyous, easy, and laughing." Sweet and others have observed, that the last notes of its strain are accompanied by a quivering of the wings, which accounts for their tremulous sound. THE WOOD-WAKBLEK. The Wood-warbler is much less frequent than either the Willow-warbler or Chiff-chaff, and on a close inspec- tion may be distinguished by its superior size, by the pure white of its under tail-coverts, and by the bright yellow line above the eye. The nest is composed of grass, ferns, and moss, and lined with fine grass and hair ; it is covered with a dome, an entrance being left sufficiently large to allow its contents to be seen, and is placed on the ground, in or near a wood, among thick herbage, or against the stump of a tree. The eggs are from five to seven in number, almost round, and so thickly spotted with purple- brown that the ground is almost invisible. THE WILLOW-WAEBLER SYLVIA TROCHILUS. Upper parts bright olive-green ; a narrow streak of yellow over the eye ; under parts yellowish white, palest in the middle ; feathers of the leg yellow ; second primary equal to the sixth ; third, fourth, and fifth with the outer web sloped off at the extremity ; feet stoutish ; legs light brown. Length nearly five inches ; breadth eight. Eggs white, more or less speckled with rust colour. THERE seems to be no sufficient reason why this bird should be named Willow-warbler or Willow-wren, as it shows no special preference for willows, nor does it frequent watery places. The popular name, " Hay-bird," is I think the better of the two ; for, except in the extreme west of England, wherever there are hay-fields and trees these birds are to be found ; they build their nests princi- pally of hay, and very frequently place it in the border of a hay-field. But, by whatever name it is known, it is a cheerful and active little bird, to which our woods and groves are much indebted for their melody. It is abun- dant and generally diffused, arriving in England about the middle of April, and remaining until October. During the greater part of this period, it may be seen fluttering about the tops of trees, hunting the twigs and leaves for insects, 136 SYLVIAD^E. and occasionally catching flies on the wing. It often, too, descends to the ground, and picks up insects among the herbage. I have never heard it sing on the ground ; but while employing itself aloft, it rarely allows more than a few minutes to elapse without going through its short and sweet song. This, though very agreeable, possesses no great variety, and is composed of about twenty or thirty notes, the latter ones of which are repeated rapidly, and form a natural cadence. For many years this pleasant little THE WILLOW-WARBLER. melody, or the simpler song of the Chiif-chaffj has been the first sound I have heard to announce the arrival of the summer birds of passage ;* perhaps it is on this account that it is with me, at all seasons, a favourite rural sound. Ornithologists seem well agreed that the Willow- warbler's food consists entirely of insects. This may be so, but I am much mistaken if a brood of this species annually hatched * I heard it this year, 1859, which was remarkable for its mild winter and spring, so early as the 19th of March. THE WILLOW- WAEBLER. 137 in a bank of furze adjoining my garden, do not, in con- junction with Blackcaps and Whitethroats, pay daily visits to a certain row of red raspberries in my garden. It may be that they come only in quest of aphides, but I have certainly seen them in dangerous proximity to clusters of the ripest fruit, which, when they were scared away, bore evident marks of having been pecked by birds. The nest of the Hay-bird resembles that of the "Wood-warbler, but it is lined with feathers. The eggs are usually from five to seven, and of the same size and shape, but the spots are rust-coloured and limited in number. THE MELODIOUS WILLOW-WARBLER SYLVIA HIPPOLAl'S OF CONTINENTAL AUTHORS. Upper parts ash-grey, tinged with green ; lore and orbit yellow ; larger wing- coverts dark brown, edged with dull white ; primaries and tail-feathers brown, edged with greenish grey ; under parts pale yellow ; lower mandible white. Length nearly five inches and a half. Eggs pale pink, irregularly spotted with deep scarlet or crimson. A WARBLER closely allied to the three last species is com- mon in the gardens and hedgerows of the Continent, and being larger and stronger than these, might be expected to visit England. It was not, however, until the year 1848 that it was observed in this country, when a specimen in its most perfect plumage was shot in Kent by a person who was attracted by its loud and melodious song, which is said to be far superior to that of either of the three other species, and to be equalled only by those of the Blackcap and Nightingale. The nest is generally placed pretty high up in the hedges and thickets, and in form most resembles that of the Chaffinch, but is somewhat smaller. The framework is thick, made of dry grass and the fine white shavings of the bark of the birch-tree, mixed with white lichens and cobweb. The eggs are of the size of those of the Linnet ; four or five in number. Its popular name in France is Grand Pouillet. THE CHIFF-CHAFF. SYLVIA RUPA OF CONTINENTAL AUTHORS. SYLVIA HIPPOLAIS OF BRITISH AUTHORS. Upper parts olive-green tinged with yellow ; above the eyes a narrow, faint, yellowish white streak ; under parts yellowish white ; feathers of the leg dirty white ; second primary equal to the seventh ; third, fourth, fifth, and sixth with the outer web sloped off at the extremity ; under wing-coverts primrose- yellow ; feet slender, dark brown. Length four inches and a half ; breadth seven and a quarter. Eggs white, sparingly spotted with dark purple or black. WHATEVER question there may be whether the name of Willow- warbler be appropriately applied to the last species, there can be no doubt that the Chiff-chaff is well named. Let any one be asked in the month of May to walk into a wood and to hold up his hand when he heard a bird call itself by its own name, "Chiff-chaff," he could not possibly fall into an error. The bird is so common, that it would be difficult to walk a mile in a woodland district without 138 THE CHIFF-CHAFF. 139 passing near one or more, and having little to say, it seems never weary of repeating its tale, " Chiff, chaff, cheff, chiff, chaff : " the syllables have a harsh sound pronounced by human lips, but when chanted in the silvery notes of a little bird, in the season of primroses and wild hyacinths, and accompanied by the warble of the Hay-bird, the full song of the Thrush, and the whistle of the Blackbird, they contribute not a little to the harmony of the woods. For two successive years a little yellowish bird, scarcely bigger than a wren, has established himself in my garden about the middle of April, and sedulously devoted himself to clearing away the aphides which infested some China roses trained against the walls of my house. Occasionally he would flutter against the windows, and give his attention to the spiders and gnats which nestled in the corners of the panes. The first year I took him for a Hay-bird, but, only too grateful for his kind offices, I was careful not to molest him. When, however, he appeared a second year, exactly at the same season, and performed a series of manoeuvres so precisely similar that it was impossible to doubt that the bird was not merely of the same species, but the same individual, I watched him more closely. The dark colour of his feet, as observed from within the house, as he was fluttering against the glass, decided the point that he was not a Hay-bird, and when he retired to an apple-tree hard by and treated himself to a song after his repast, no doubt remained that he was a Chiff-chaff. It is not often that the Chiff-chaff is thus familiar in its habits. More frequently it makes its abode in woods and groves, resem- bling the Hay-bird so closely in size, colour, and habits, that to distinguish the two is very difficult. The difference of note, however, is decisive ; and the colour of the feet (when the bird is near enough to admit of being thus distin- guished) is another certain criterion. The two birds frequent the same trees without rivalry or jealousy. They arrive in England about the same time I have heard the Chiff-chaff A? / 140 SYLVIAD.E. as early as the llth of April and sing all through the summer ; I have heard it as late as the 30th of September. Their nests, popularly called " wood-ovens," are alike, and placed in similar situations ; their eggs are of the same size and shape, but those of the Chiff-chaff are spotted with very dark purple instead of rust colour. The Chiff-chaff has been observed in England before the 1st of April ; a few have been seen even in mid-winter, and it is supposed that some habitually remain with us all the year, feeding on winter gnats and the pupse of small insects, but remaining wholly silent. . Other names by which it is known are " Chip-chop " and Lesser Pettichaps. THE DARTFORD WARBLER MELIZOPHILUS DARTFORDIENSIS. Upper parts dark greyish brown ; under, purplish red ; middle of the abdomen white ; tail long, dark brown, the outer feather tipped with white ; wings very short; quills ash-grey on the inner web, dark brown on the outer; feet yellowish ; bill yellowish white, with a black tip. Length five inches and a half. Eggs greenish white, speckled all over, and especially at the larger end, with brown and ash-grey. THIS species received its name from having been first shot on Bexley Heath, near Dartford, in 1773. It h#s since been observed on furzy commons in several of the southern and western counties, but is local and nowhere abundant. In its habits it resembles the Stone and Furze Chats, perch- ing on the upper sprays of the furze and whitethorn, but never still for a minute, throwing itself into various atti- tudes, erecting its crest and tail at intervals, frequently rising into the air with most fantastic movements, catching insects on the wing, and either returning to the same twig, or making a short flight to some other convenient bush. Its song is simple and shrill, consisting of the syllables " cha cha cha " several times repeated. This it utters in- differently when perched or on the wing. It keeps quite aloof from human habitations, and is so timid, that on the THE DARTFORD WARBLER. 141 approach of an observer, it creeps into a bush, and remains concealed until the danger is past. The nest as described by Montagu and Meyer is a flimsy structure, very like that of the Lesser Whitethroat, placed in the fork of a furze-bush selected for its thickness and difficulty of access. Whether it is migratory in its habits, seems to be not THE DARTKORU WARBLER. clearly ascertained. Many specimens have been observed in mid-winter, and Eennie states that he has seen one hovering over furze and singing like a Whitethroat, as early as the end of February. Perhaps, as is the case with Stonechats, some individuals migrate, while others remain with us all the year. 142 DALMATIAN KEGULUS. REGULUS MODESTUS. Upper parts greenish yellow ; a lighter streak passing from the base of the upper mandible through the crown to the back of the head, a lemon-coloured streak over each eye, a narrow dusky band through the eye, and a short lemon- coloured streak below the eye ; two lemon-colour bands across the wing ; quills dusky, edged with pale yellow ; under parts pale yellow. Length four inches ; breadth six and a half. Eggs unknown. THE right of this bird to be considered British, rests on the fact, that a single specimen was shot in Northumber- land, in 1838. THE GOLD-CREST. REGULUS CRISTATUS. Upper parts olive, tinged with yellow ; cheeks ash colour, without streaks ; wing greyish brown, with two transverse white bands ; crest bright yellow, tipped with orange and bounded on each side by a black line ; under parts yellowish grey. In the female the crest is lemon colour, and the other tints are less brilliant. Length three inches and a half. Eggs cream colour. THE Gold-crest, Golden-crested Kegulus, or Golden-crested Wren, though not exceeding in dimensions some of the larger humming-birds, and though decorated with a crest equalling in brilliancy of colour the gay plumage of tropi- cal birds, is a hardy little fellow, able to bear without shrinking the cold of an English winter, add to keep his position among the branches of high trees in the stormiest weather. Even during a heavy gale I have watched Gold- crests fluttering from branch to branch, and busily hunting for food, though the trees were waving like reeds. They are most numerous in winter, as a considerable number migrate southwards in October, but a great many remain with us all the year, preferring those districts where there are fir- plantations. Their whole life is spent in the air; I at least have never observed one on the ground. Their food consists of the insects which infest the leaves and twigs of trees ; THE GOLD-CREST. 143 and I have seen them capture small moths on the wing. While hunting for food, which appears to be all day long, they are never still, fluttering from branch to branch, hanging in all attitudes, and peering in all directions. From time to time they utter their thin and wiry call-note, which is by some compared to the cry of the shrew. It might be mistaken for the jarring noise made by two THE GOLD-CREST. branches which cross one another, or that of a damp finger rubbed lightly along a pane of glass. Early in spring the song commences; it is composed of about fifteen short notes, rapidly uttered at an exceedingly high pitch, and ending with a yet more rapid cadence. By the call-note or song the vicinity of the bird is far more frequently detected than by its actual appearance ; for the branches of firs in 144 SYL VIABLE. i woods are mostly at a considerable height from the ground, and our "little king" (saving his majesty) is hard to be distinguished from a fir-cone, except when he is in motion. Gold-crests are eminently social birds ; they generally hunt in parties of half a dozen or more, and do not often change their hunting-ground ; at least I infer as much from the fact that on various occasions I have observed the same bird on the same clump of trees, at intervals extending over several weeks. I could scarcely have been mistaken in the identity of the bird, as it had lost a leg, by what accident I know not ; but the loss did not at all interfere with its activity or spirits. Their sociability extends some- times to birds of other kinds, as the Creeper and the Tits of several species have been seen hunting in company with them. The habits of these birds being similar, they per- haps associate from a feeling of mutual protection, just as Sparrows, Buntings, and Finches make common cause, when they invade our rick-yards. The Gold-crests are, however, naturally less wary than any of the Tits. These last will at once decamp if disturbed, but Gold-crests will continue their hunting without taking any notice of a spectator. Several instances are recorded in which large flocks, consisting of several hundreds of these birds, have been observed at once ; these, it is supposed, must have migrated from higher latitudes, and not broken up into smaller parties after their arrival. The nest of the Gold- crest is a beautiful structure. Its external form is nearly that of a globe, with a contracted opening at the top. It is composed of moss and lichens, interwoven with wool and lined thickly with feathers. It is usually placed among the boughs of a silver-fir or spruce-fir, in such a manner as to be partially suspended from one branch and supported by another. The bird seems neither to court nor to shun the vicinity of human beings ; as I have found nests in the most lonely woods, and I have seen one in the branches of a spruce-fir, so close to my house that I could look into- THE GOLD-CREST. 145 the nest from my bedroom windows, and watch the old birds feeding their young. The eggs vary in number from five to eight, they are almost globular, and smaller than those of any other British bird. This is scarcely surpris- ing, seeing that the weight of a recently killed adult male which I have before me is eighty-seven grains : so that five and a half full-grown birds weigh but an ounce. THE FIRE-CRESTED REGL'LUS. REGULUS IGNICAPILLUS. Upper parts olive-green ; a dark streak passing through the eye, and another white one above and below ; crest brilliant orange, bounded in front and on each side by a black streak ; in other respects resembling the last. Female with all the colours less brilliant. Length four inches. Eggs cream colour. THIS species both in size and habits resembles the last, from which it is best distinguished by three dark lines on each side of its head. Hence it is called in France " Roitelet & triple bandeau" It is far less common than the Gold-crest, and has not been observed in the winter, when birds of the other species are most abundant. Its call-note is shorter than that of the Gold-crest, not so shrill, and pitched in a different key. The nests of the two birds are much alike. THE GREAT TIT. PARUS MAJOR. Head, throat, and a line passing down the centre of the breast, black ; back olive-green ; cheeks and a spot on the nape white ; breast and abdomen yellow. Length six inches ; breadth nine. Eggs white, speckled with light rusty. As this bird is no larger than a Sparrow, its surname " Great " must be understood to denote only its superiority in size to the other birds of the same family. It is, however, great-hearted, as far as boldness and bravery entitle it to this epithet, being ready to give battle to birds far its superiors 146 PAKHLE. in size, foremost to join in mobbing an intrusive Owl, and prepared to defend its nest against robbers of all kinds. Its powers of locomotion are considerable, as it is strong in flight, active on the ground, and as a climber is surpassed by few rivals. Its stout and much-curved hind claw gives it great facility in clinging to the twigs and branches of trees, sides of ricks, and even the walls of houses. Such situa- tions it resorts to in quest of its favourite food, caterpillars THE GREAT TIT. and pupae of all kinds, and it is most amusing to watch it while thus engaged. Attitude seems to be a matter of no consequence ; it can cling with perfect security to anything but a smooth surface. On trees it hangs from the branches, with its back either downwards, or turned sideways, and explores crevices in walls with as little regard to the vertical position of the surface to which it clings, as if it were examining a hole in the level ground. Its efforts to dis- THE GEEAT TIT. H7 engage a chrysalis from its cocoon are very entertaining. One scarcely knows which most to admire, the tenacity of its grasp, the activity with which it turns its head and body, or the earnestness and determination with which it clears away every obstacle until it has secured the prize. It does not, however, limit its food to insects ; it is accused of feeding occasionally on the buds of fruit-trees, but it is doubtful whether the bird has any other object in attack- ing these, than that of hunting out the insects that infest them. It is said also to be very fond of nuts, which it sticks into crevices in the bark of trees, and cracks by repeated blows of its beak. Whether it has this power, I do not know ; but that it will eat nuts of every kind, it is easy to prove by fastening the kernels of filberts or walnuts to the trunks of trees by means of stout pins. Tits, great and little, and Nuthatches, if there be any in the neighbourhood, will soon discover them, and if once attracted may thus be induced to pay daily visits to so productive a garden. A Great Tit of unusual intelligence, which frequents my garden at the present time, has been frequently observed to draw up by its claws a walnut suspended by a string from the bough of an apple-tree, and 'to rifle its contents, being itself all the while leisurely perched on the twig, and .keeping the nut firm by a dexterous use of its claws. A charge, amounting to a grave accusation against the Great Tit, and one which cannot be palliated by the plea that he has accomplices, is, that when driven by hunger and he has the opportunity, he attacks other birds, splits their skulls by means of his strong, sharp beak, and picks out their brains. The evidence in this case is, I fear, too strong to be rebutted. One story in particular, I find, of a Great Tit having been placed in a well-filled aviary. In the course of a single night, he had killed every one of his companions, with the exception of a Quail, and when he was dis- covered, he was in the very act of dealing to this the coup L 2 14-8 PARID^I. de grdce. His skill and discrimination in pecking holes in the sunniest side of ripe apples and pears are well known ; but to this reward for his services in destroying caterpillars he is justly entitled. The Great Tit builds its nest generally in the hole of a tree, employing as materials moss and leaves, and, for the lining, hair and feathers ; but as its habits lead it to our gardens, it conies into close contact with human beings and becomes familiar with them. Hence it occasionally builds its nest in quaint places, which bear ever so distant a resemblance to its natural haunts. An unused pump affords it an excellent harbour ; and the drawer of an old table, left in #n outhouse, has been found thus occupied. The notes of the Great Tit are various, but not musical. Its spring song must be familiar to every one ; though not every one who hears it knows who is the musician. It consists of but two notes, repeated frequently, and sounding as if made by a bird alternately drawing in and sending out its breath ; both together give a fair imitation of the sharpening of a saw with a file. Besides this, it in- dulges in a variety of chirps, twitters, and cheeps, some angry, some deprecatory, and some pert, which a practised ear only can refer to their proper author. THE BLUE TIT. PARUS C(ERULEUS. Crown of the head blue, encircled with white ; cheeks white, bordered with dark blue ; back olive-green ; wings and tail bluish ; greater coverts and secondaries tipped with white ; breast and abdomen yellow, traversed by a dark blue line. Length four inches and a half ; breadth seven inches and a half. Eggs as in the preceding, but smaller. THE Blue or Tom Tit so closely resembles the Great Tit in its habits, that, with trifling exceptions, a description of one would be equally applicable to the other. Though much smaller than his relative, the Tom Tit is equally THE BLUE TIT. 149 brave and pugnacious, and is even more quarrelsome, for he will fight with birds of his own kind ; and the Great Tit, if obliged to contest with him the possession of a prize, retires from the field. His food, too, consists principally of insects, but he is also very partial to meat. This taste leads him much to the neighbourhood of houses and other places where he can indulge his carnivorous propensities. A dog-kennel, with its usual accompani- ment of carrion, is a favourite resort, and there are THE BLUE TIT. 'probably few butchers' shops in country villages which he does not frequently visit. A bit of bacon suspended from the branch of a tree is a great attraction. He evinces little fear of man, and will hunt about the trees in our gardens without seeming to notice the presence of a stranger. He frequently pays visits, too, to roses trained against cottages, and will occasionally flutter against the glass to secure a spider or gnat, that he has detected while passing. His power of grasping is very great. I 150 PARID^E. have seen him cling to the moulding of a window for several minutes, without relinquishing his hold, though the projecting surface was merely a smooth beading. All this while he was engaged in tearing to pieces the cocoon which some caterpillar had constructed in a crevice ; and so intent was he on his occupation, that he took no notice of the tenants of the room, though they were only a few feet distant from him. He is more frequently seen on the ground than either of the other species, and where it is the custom to throw out crumbs and the scrapings of plates, for the benefit of little birds, the Blue Tit rarely fails to present itself among Sparrows and Redbreasts. The Tom Tit builds its nest of moss, and lines it with hair, wool, and feathers. This it places in a hole, either in a wall or tree, and is at so great pains to combine comfort and security for its brood, that it has been known to excavate, in a decayed stump, a chamber large enough for its nest, and to carry away the chips in its beak to some distant place, lest, we may suppose, they should betray its retreat. More frequently, how- ever, it selects a natural hollow, as, for instance, the stump of a small tree in a hedge, of which all the inner part is decayed ; nor does it despise human appli- ances if they will answer its purpose ; a disused pump, a bottle, or a flower-pot, have all been known to serve its turn. It lays six or seven eggs, and if some state- ments are to be credited, above twelve ; and in defence of its family, shows great courage. If a nest be molested, the bird, instead of endeavouring to escape, retains its place and makes an unpleasant hissing noise, and if this be not enough to deter the intruder, pecks his fingers with great vigour. Hence it has received the popular name of " Billy Biter." As a songster, it does not rank high ; yet it has some variety of notes, which it utters in short snatches, expressive rather than musical, as if the bird were trying to talk rather than to sing. THE CRESTED TIT. PARUS CRISTATUS. Feathers of the crown elongated and capable of being erected, black, edged with white ; cheeks and sides of the neck white ; throat, collar, and a streak across the temples black ; all the other upper parts reddish brown ; lower parts white, faintly tinged with red. Length four inches and three-quarters. Eggs white, spotted with blood-red. "THE Crested Tit," Montagu tells us, "is a solitary retired species, inhabiting only gloomy forests, particularly those which abound with evergreens." On the European Continent it is , found in Denmark, Sweden, Eussia, Switzerland, and some parts of France. In the large pine tracts in the north of Scotland, it is said to be not uncommon, and it is found also in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, but has not been observed in England. Its food consists of insects, berries of the juniper, and seeds of evergreens. It builds its nest in hollow trees, or in the deserted nests of squirrels and crows, and lays as many as ten eggs. f' THE COLE TIT. PARUS ATER. Crown of the head, throat, and front of the neck black ; cheeks and nape white ; upper parts grey ; wings bluish grey, with two white bands ; under parts white, tinged with grey. Length four inches and a half ; breadth nearly eight. Eggs like the last. THIS and the following species resemble each other so closely in size, habits, general hue and note, that at a distance it is difficult to distinguish them. There are, however, strong points of difference ; the head and neck of the present species being glossy black, with a patch of pure white on the nape of the neck and on the cheeks, while the head of the Marsh Tit is of a dull sooty black, without any admixture of white, nor is there a white spot on the cheeks. The Cole Tit is in many districts a common bird, inhabiting woods and hedgerows, and feeding on insects, for which it hunts with unceasing activity among the branches and twigs of trees. Its note is less varied than that of the Blue Tit, but sweeter in tone. It builds its nest in the holes of trees and walls, of moss, hair, and feathers, and lays six or seven eggs. THE MARSH TIT. PARUS PALUSTEIS. Forehead, crown, bead, and nape black ; upper parts grey ; wings dark grey, lighter at the edges ; cheeks, throat, and breast dull white. Dimensions and eggs as in the last. As has been said, the Marsh Tit and Cole Tit are so much alike that it requires a sharp, eye to distinguish them at a distance. On a closer inspection, however, the characters mentioned in the preceding paragraph become apparent, and there can be no question that they are distinct species. The Marsh Tit is a bird of common occurrence, being in some places less abundant, in others more so than the Cole Tit, while in others, again, the two are equally frequent. In those districts with which I am myself most familiar, it is hard to say which kind pre- ponderates. Though it freely resorts to woods and planta- tions remote from water, it prefers, according to Mon- tagu, low, wet ground, where old willow-trees abound, 154 PARIML in the holes of which it often makes its nest. Its note, I have already observed, is very like that of the Cole Tit, being less harsh than that either of the Blue or Great Tit. The peculiar double note, which I know no other way of describing than by comparing it to the syllables " if-he" rapidly uttered, and repeated in imitation of a sob, characterises, in a more or less marked degree, the spring song of all four. Another characteristic of the same species is, that all the members of a brood appear to keep much together for several months after they are fledged. At the approach of winter, they break up their societies, and are for the most part solitary till the return of spring. The Marsh Tit, like the Tom Tit, has been observed to enlarge the hole which it has selected for its nest> and to carry the chips in its bill to a distance, and it is equally courageous in defence of its eggs and young. THE LOKG-TAILED TIT. PARUS CAUDATUS. Head, neck, throat, breast, and a portion of the outer tail-feathers white ; back, wings, and six middle feathers of the tail black ; a black streak above the eye ; sides of the back and scapulars tinged with rose-red ; under parts reddish white ; tail very long ; beak very short. Length five inches and three-quarters ; breadth six inches and three-quarters. Eggs white, minutely and sparingly speckled with light red or plain white. ALL the Tits, of whatever species, are more or less sociable in their habits, hunting about during autumn in parties of half a dozen or more ; but some of them are given to be quarrelsome, not only towards other birds like the Great Tit, who actually murders them for the sake of picking out their brains but among themselves, as the Blue Tit, who has been noticed so intently engaged in combat with another bird of his own kind, that the observer caught them both in his hat. The Long-tailed Tits, however, are sociable after another sort. From the THE LONG- TAILED TIT. 155 time that a young brood leaves the nest until the next pairing season, father, mother, and children, keep together in irreproachable harmony. Exploring the same clump of trees in society, perfectly agreed as to whither their next flitting shall be, no one showing any disposition to remain when the rest are departing, molesting no one, and suffering as far as it can be ascertained no persecution, THE LONG-TAILED TIT. they furnish a charming example of a " happy family." Nomad in their habits, save that they indulge in no questionable cravings for their neighbours' property, they satisfy their wants with the natural produce of any convenient halting-place, when they have exhausted which, they take their flight, in skirmishing order, but generally in a straight line, and strictly following the lead 156 PARID^E. of their chief, to some other station : and when overtaken by night, they halt and encamp where chance has left them. Their only requisite is, in summer, the branch of a tree; in winter, some sheltered place where they can huddle together, and sleep until the next day's sun calls them to resume their erratic course.* Their food, during these jour- neys, consists of caterpillars, small beetles, and the pupa? of insects generally, and this diet they seem never or very rarely to vary.f The ripest fruits do not tempt them to prolong their stay in a garden, and insects that crawl on earth are in two senses beneath their notice. Their rapid progress from tree to tree has been compared to a flight of arrows. Singular as is their flight, they are no less amusing while employed in hunting for food, as they perform all the fantastic vagaries of the Tits, and their long straight tails add much to the grotesqueness of their attitudes. Seen near at hand, their appearance may be called comical. Their abundant loose feathers, the prevailing hue of which is grey, suggest the idea of old age, and, together with the short hooked beak, might give a caricaturist a hint of an antiquated human face, enveloped in grey hair. Many of the provincial names of the bird are associated with the ridiculous : thus, Long-tailed Mufflin, Long-tail Mag, Long-tail Pie, Poke-pudding, Huck-muck, Bottle Tom, Mum-ruffin, and Long-pod, pet names though they are, are also whimsical, and prepare one beforehand for the information that their owner is "just a little eccentric." But whatever be their name, I never hear the well-known " zit, zit," the pass-word which keeps them together, and * The name proposed for the Long-tailed Tit, by Dr. Leach, Mecistura vagans, is most appropriate. "Long-tailed Wanderer," for such is its import, describes the most striking outward charac- teristic of the bird, and its unvarying habit. t A young friend informed me that he had once shot one, with a beech-nut in its mouth. This it must have picked up from the ground, as the season was winter. THE LONG-TAILED TIT. 157 which always accompanies their journeyings, without stop- ping to watch the little family on their flight. The nest of this species is of most exquisite workmanship and beautiful texture. Its form is that of a large cocoon broadest at the base, or that of a fir-cone. It is sometimes fastened to the. stem of a tree, sometimes placed in a fork, but more frequently built into the middle of a thick bush, so that it can only be removed by cutting away the branches to which it is attached. The outer surface is composed principally of the white lichen which is most abundant in the neighbourhood, and so is least likely to attract attention. All the scraps are woven together with threads of fine wool ; the dome is felted together, and made rain-proof by a thick coating of moss and lichen, wool and the web of spiders' eggs. The walls are of moss. The interior is a spherical cell, lined with a profusion of feathers. A softer or warmer bed it would be hard to imagine. At the distance of about an inch from the top is a circular opening scarcely large enough to admit one's thumb. In this luxurious couch, which it has cost the female bird some three weeks of patient industry to complete, she lays ten or twelve eggs, which all in good time are developed into as many Bottle Tits ; but by what skilful management the ten or twelve long tails are kept unruffled, and are finally brought to light as straight as arrows, I can oifer no opinion. ISTests are occasionally found containing as many as eighteen or twenty eggs. In these cases it is affirmed that two or more females share a common nursery, and incubate together. Several males have also been observed feeding together during the breeding season ; so it may be that the close society, which had been preserved so strictly during the preceding winter, in some instances is con- tinued to a certain extent for another year. Certainly it is difficult to imagine how a single pair can manage to supply with food eighteen or twenty hungry young birds. THE BEAEDED TIT. CALAM6PHILUS BlARMICDS. Head bluish grey ; between the bill and eye a tuft of pendant black feathers pro- longed into a pointed moustache ; throat and neck greyish white ; breast and abdomen white, tinged with yellow and pink ; upper parts light orange-brown ; wings variegated with white, black, and red ; tail long, orange-brown, the outer feathers variegated with white and black. In the female, the moustache is of the same colour as the cheek, and the grey on the head is absent. Length six inches. Eggs white, with a few minute specks and streaks of dark red. THIS pretty bird is of local occurrence, being found in con- siderable numbers in several marshy districts where reeds abound, but in others being totally unknown. Their habits resemble those of the true Tits, but instead of spending their lives in trees, they confine themselves to the marshes, and are constantly employed in running up and down the stems of the reeds, hunting for their food, which consists of small molluscs (or water-snails) and the seeds of the reeds. like the Tits, too, they are sociable, always being observed in pairs or families ; not congregating like Sparrows for the sake of mutual protection, but seemingly THE BEARDED TIT. 159 from the pure love of each other's company. A writer in the " Magazine of Natural History " gives the following account of their habits : " I was told that some of these birds had been seen in a large piece of reeds below Barking Creek; and being desirous of observing them in their haunts, I went, accompanied by a person and a dog, to the above-named place, on a cold and windy morning ; the reed-cutters having commenced their operations, I was fearful of deferring my visit, lest my game might be driven away. Arrived on our ground, we traversed it some time without success, and were about to leave it, when our attention was roused by the alarm-cry of the bird. Look- ing up, we saw eight or ten of these beautiful creatures on the wing, just topping the reeds over our heads, uttering, in full chorus, their forcibly musical note, which resembles the monosyllable ping ! pronounced first slow and single, then two or three times in a more hurried manner, uttered in a clear and ringing, though soft tone, which well corre- sponds with the beauty and delicacy of the bird. Their flights were short and low, only sufficient to clear the reeds, on the seedy tops of which they alight to feed, hanging, like most of their tribe, with the head and back down- wards. After some time, we were fortunate enough to shoot one, a male, in fine plumage. I held it in my hand when scarcely dead. Nothing could exceed the beauty of the eye ; the bright orange of the iris, surrounded by the deep glossy black of the moustaches and streak above, receives additional brilliancy from the contrast, and struck me as a masterpiece of colour and neatness." These spe- cimens were observed in the month of December. Towards the end of April the Bearded Tit begins building its nest. This is composed externally of the dead leaves of reeds and sedges, and lined with the feathery tops of reed. It is generally placed in. a tuft of coarse grass or rushes near the ground, on the margin of the dikes, in the fen ; sometimes among the reeds that are broken down, but never suspended 160 AMPELID^E. between the stems. Two nests, described by Yarrell, were composed entirely of dried bents, the finer ones forming the lining ; and others, increasing in substance, made up the exterior. The eggs were from four to six in number, rather smaller than those of the Great Tit, and less pointed, white, and sparingly marked with pale red lines or scratches. The same author observes that "it is very abundant in Holland ; and numbers are brought alive from that country to the London markets for sale ; the birds being attractive in confinement from the beauty of the plumage, their graceful form and general sprightliness." I have seen it stated that the moustaches, from which the bird takes its name, are movable, and that their play gives a peculiar anima- tion to the expression of the bird's face, but I have never had an opportunity of verifying this remark. THE BOHEMIAN WAXWItfG. BOMBYCILLA GARRULA. Feathers of the head elongated, forming a crest ; upper plumage purplish red : lower the same, but of a lighter tint ; throat and lore black ; greater wing- coverts black, tipped with white ; primaries black, with a yellow or white angular spot near the extremity, six or eight of the secondaries and tertiaries having the shaft prolonged and terminating in a substance resem- bling red sealing-wax; tail black, tipped with yellow. Length eight inches. Eggs pale blue, with a few streaks of grey and black. THE Waxwing is an elegant bird, of about the size of a Thrush. It visits this country, and in fact every other European country where it is known at all, at irregular intervals, generally in flocks, which vary in number from eight or ten to some scores. Thus it is everywhere a stranger ; and nothing is known of its nesting or summer habits. It is perhaps on account of this ignorance of its natural history, that it has borne a variety of names which are as inappropriate as possible. Temminck describes it under the name Bombycivpra, or devourer of Bombyx, a large moth, a name quite unfit for a bird which lives THE BOHEMIAN WAXWING. 161 exclusively on fruits and berries. This has been softened into Bornbycilla, which means, I presume, a little Bombyx, though the bird in question is far larger than any known moth.* Its French name Jaseur, equivalent to the English one, Chatterer, is quite as inappropriate, as it is singu- larly silent. Why again it should be called Bohemian, no one seems to know ; for it is no more a resident in Bohemia, nor even more frequent there, than in England. In default of all certain information, then, I venture to surmise that, coming in parties, no one knows whence, and going no one knows whither, they may have received the name Bohemian, because they resemble in their habits the wandering tribes of gipsies, who were formerly called in- differently Egyptians and Bohemians. Taken in this sense, the Bohemian or Wandering Waxwing is a name open to no exception. The plumage of the bird is silky, and that of the head is remarkable for forming a crest, and being capable of being elevated, as in the Cardinal. Its black gorget and tiara, the patches of white, yellow, and black described above, make it very conspicuous for colouring, and the singularity of its appearance is much increased by the appendages to its secondaries and tertiaries, which re- semble in colour and substance red sealing-wax. In very old birds these waxen appendages are also to be found at the extremities of the tail-feathers, being no more than the shafts of the feathers condensed with the web. In its habits the Waxwing resembles the Tits. It feeds on fruit, berries, and seeds. Its call-note is a twitter, which it rarely utters, except when taking flight and alighting. It is generally considered that the Waxwing is a northern bird, and Dr. Eichardson, the arctic traveller, informs us that he one day saw a flock, consisting of three or four hundred birds, alight on one or two trees in a grove of * As the silkworm belongs to the genus JBombyx, the name Bonibycilla may have been given as descriptive of the plumage, which is remarkably silky in texture. M 162 MOTACILLLD^E. poplars, making a loud twittering noise. One of its Ger- man names, Schnee-vogel (snow-bird), was evidently given in this belief. It is sometimes caught and caged, but has nothing but its beautiful colouring to recommend it. . It is a stupid lazy bird, occupied only in eating and reposing for digestion. Its song is weak and uncertain. THE PIED WAGTAIL. MOTACILLA YARBELLII. Summer all the plumage variegated with white and black ; back and scapulars, chin, throat, and neck black ; a small portion of the side of the neck white. Winter back and scapulars ash-grey ; chin and^ throat white, with a black, but not entirely isolated, gorget. Length seven inches and a half. Eggs bluish white, speckled with dark grey. UNTIL the publication of Yarrell's admirable " History of British Birds," the family of the Wagtails were in a state of great confusion. The three species which were known to inhabit Great Britain had been considered identical with continental species. The observations of Mr. Gould led him to another conclusion \ this, namely, that our common White and Yellow Wagtails are almost unknown on the Continent, and that their con- tinental representatives are as little known here, while the species distinguished by the name of the " Grey Wagtail" has a wider range. It became necessary there- fore to define the several species by the imposition of new names. This task was gracefully performed by Mr. Gould's naming the British Pied Wagtail, after his "friend, W. Yarrell, Esq., as a just tribute to his varied acquire- ments as a naturalist." The specific name alba he re- tained, but applied exclusively to the continental species. The name "Rayi" was given to the British Yellow Wagtail, having been first described by our " countryman and naturalist, John Bay ; " and the Yellow Wagtail of the Continent, or rather one of them, retained the name THE PIED WAGTAIL. 163 Motacilla flava, or Grey-headed Wagtail. This last must be distinguished from the Grey Wagtail, which is a species common to Great Britain and the Continent, and of which the specific name is Bodrula. I am not prepared to admit that either " Grey," or " Grey-headed," are the best names that could have been found, inasmuch as the more con- spicuous colour of both is yellow ; but the reader, having had his attention drawn to the nomenclature of the family, THE PIED WAGTAIL. will, I doubt not, a*fter reading the following notices of the several birds, and reperusing the above remarks, have gained a tolerably clear view of the whole. The Pied Wagtail or Dishwasher is a familiar and favou- rite bird, best known by its habit of frequenting the banks of ponds and streams, where it runs, not hops about, pick- ing insects from the herbage, and frequently rising with a short jerking flight, to capture some winged insect, which M 2 164 MOTACILLID^E. its quick eye has detected hovering in the air. Its simple song consists of but few notes, but the tone is sweet and pleasing, and is frequently heard when the bird is cleaving its way through the air with its peculiar flight, in which it describes a series of arcs, as if it were every instant on the point of alighting, but had altered its mind. While hunting for food, it keeps its tail in perpetual motion. It shows little fear of man, and frequently approaches his dwelling. It may often be noticed running rapidly along the tiles or thatch of a country house, and it not un- frequently takes its station on the point of a gable, or the ridge of the roof, and rehearses its song again and again. Yery frequently, too, it perches in trees, especially such as are in the vicinity of ponds. Next to watery places, it delights in newly-ploughed fields, and hunts for insects on the ground, utterly fearless of the ploughman and his implements. A newly-mown garden lawn is another favourite resort ; so also is a meadow in which cows are feeding, and to these it is most serviceable, running in and out between their legs, and catching, in a short time, an incredible number of flies. The country scarcely furnishes a prettier sight than that afforded by a family of Wagtails on the short grass of a park, in July or August. A party of five or six imperfectly fledged birds may often be seen scattered over a small space of ground, running about with great activity, and picking up insects, while the parent birds perform short aerial journeys above and around them, frequently alighting, and transferring from their own mouths to those of their offspring, each in its turn, the insects they have just captured. They are at all times sociably disposed, being seen sometimes in small parties, and sometimes in large flocks. It has been noticed that when one of a party has been wounded by a discharge from a gun, another has flown down as if to aid it, or sympathise with it. Advantage is taken of this habit by bird-catchers in France. It is the custom to tie Wagtails THE PIED WAGTAIL. 165 by their feet to the clap nets, and make them struggle violently and utter cries of pain when a flight of the same kind of birds is seen approaching ; these stop their flight, and alighting are caught in large numbers for the spit, their flesh, it is said, being very delicate. They share too with Swallows the praise of being among the first to announce to other birds the approach of a Hawk, and join with them in mobbing and driving it away. About the middle of April, the Pied Wagtail begins to build its nest. This is usually placed in a hole in a bank or hedge, among stones, or in the hollow of a tree ; it is composed of dry grass and withered leaves, mixed with moss, and lined with wool, hair, and a few feathers. It is a compact and solid structure, capable of protecting the eggs and young from the damp soil, but is not gene- rally concealed with much art; and hence perhaps it is frequently selected by the Cuckoo, to lay an egg in. Towards autumn, Pied "Wagtails for the most part mi- grate southwards. In the midland counties they may be often observed in large companies, in October, halting for a few days wherever food is abundant, and then suddenly disappearing ; after which only a few stragglers are seen until the spring. They return northwards about the beginning of March. In the extreme south of England, they are numerous all the year round ; but as many instances have occurred of their alighting on a ship at sea, it is probable that the majority migrate to some southern climate, where the ponds do not freeze and gnats gambol at Christmas. 166 THE WHITE WAGTAIL. MOTACILLA ALBA. Summer head, breast, wings and tail variegated with black and white ; chin, throat, and neck black ; back and scapulars pearl-grey ; side of the neck as low as the wings white. Winter chin, throat and neck white, with an isolated black gorget. Length nearly seven inches and a half. Eggs bluish white, speckled with black. THE Wagtail called Motacilla alba by British orni- thologists previously to Gould and Yarrell, has been already described under the name of M. Yarrellii. The former name is now applied exclusively to a continental species, only a few specimens of which have been observed in this country, though it is far from improbable that it may visit us much more frequently than is supposed, as the two birds are precisely similar in habits and size, while there is no striking difference in the general tone of colour in the plumage. The White Wagtail is considered to be only a summer visitor with us ; but many of the other species remain in Britain all the year. THE GREY WAGTAIL. MOTACILLA BOARULA. Summer head and back bluish grey ; a pale streak above the eyes ; throat black ; under parts bright yellow ; tail very long. Winter chin and throat whitish, passing into yellow. Length seven inches and three-quarters. Eggs bluish white, speckled with dark grey. GREY WAGTAIL is not a very happy name for this bird, as the bright yellow "of its neck and breast are far more conspicuous than the more sober grey of the head and back ; yet, as there are other claimants for the more appropriate names " Yellow," and " Grey-headed," the young observer must be cautious while reading the de- scriptions of the several members of the family, or he may possibly fall into error. The Grey Wagtail is among THE GREY WAGTAIL. 167 the most elegant and graceful of British birds, and in delicacy of colouring is surpassed by few. Its habits are much the same as those of the Pied Wagtail, but it is even lighter and more active in its movements. It is less frequently observed away from water than that species, and though, like it, not altogether a permanent resident in England, it visits ,us at the opposite season, coming in autumn, and retiring northwards in spring. It does not THE GREY WAGTAIL. appear, however, to go so far north as Inverness-shire, but is occasionally seen about Edinburgh in winter ; 4 and, on the other hand, it is yearly met with in the southern counties, of England during summer, as on the streams which flow from Dartmoor. This partial migration seems to be characteristic of the family, and is difficult to account for. Why out of a certain number of birds of the same species, some should annually travel southwards, to supply 168 MOTACILLIDJE. the place of individuals belonging to an allied species, who have travelled yet further to the south, and why, on the reappearance of the latter in spring, the first should return to their northern haunts, are questions more easily asked than answered. The Grey Wagtail has "been repeatedly observed to indulge in a fancy which might well obtain for it the name of "window-bird." The first recorded instance occurs in an early number of the Zoologist* where it is stated, that every morning for a period of between three and four months, from the beginning of October to the end of January, a Grey Wagtail came to the window of a country house as soon as the blinds were drawn up, and darted against the panes of glass, pecking with its beak as if it saw some object. It would then retire, and after a pause repeat the operation, but from what motive no one could conjecture. A lady writes to me from Dewlish House, Dorsetshire : " We are constantly being disturbed by a yellow-breasted Water- Wagtail, which comes tapping at the windows or skylights, from the first streak of light till evening. What may be his object no one can say. It is too cold at present (March) for flies or spiders, and, had there been any hybernating there, he would have eaten them long ago, he comes so frequently. When, on going upstairs, or when sitting down in my room, I hear this loud repeated tapping, it is vain for me to open the window and try to entice him in with crumbs : he does not even notice them. This morning he woke me at about four o'clock. You would have said, ' Some one rapping at my window as a signal that I must get up.' An old servant tells me, 'Ah, 'twere just the same last spring, when the family were in London ; they say that it do mean something.' " The Grey Wagtail does not commonly build its nest in the southern counties of England, although instances * Vol. i. pp. 136, 231, 360. THE GREY WAGTAIL. 169, have occurred. More frequently it repairs in spring to the north of England and south of Scotland, and builds- its nest on the ground, or in the hole of a bank, or between large stones, and never at any great distance from the water. It is composed of stems and blades of grass, mixed with moss and wool, and lined with wool, hair and feathers. THE GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL. MOTACILLA FLAVA. Top of the head, lore, and nape lead-grey ; over the eye a white streak ; scapulars, back, and upper tail-coverts greenish olive, tinged with yellow ; chin white, in the young male yellow ; under parts bright yellow. Length six inches and a half. Eggs mottled with yellow, brown, and grey. THIS, one of the common Yellow Wagtails of the Con- tinent, is a rare visitor in this country. Its habits, nest, and eggs, closely resemble those of the next species. It is the Bergeronette printaniere (" Little shepherdess of the Spring") of the French, a pretty name, suggested by the habit, common to all the genus, of resorting to sheepfolds for the sake of feeding on the flies with which such places abound. RAY'S WAGTAIL. MOTACILLA BAYI. Top of the head, lore, nape, back, and scapulars pale olive ; over the eye a streak of bright yellow ; chin yellow ; lower parts of the same colour. Length six inches and a half. Eggs whitish, mottled with yellow, brown, and grey. RAY'S Wagtail, the third of the Yellow Wagtails placed on the list of British birds, is, next to the Pied, the best known species, being a regular summer visitor, and every- where tolerably common.. It is said by most authors to frequent the water rather less than the other species, and to prefer fields of peas and tares, open downs and sheep pas- tures; but, as far as my own observation goes, I have seen it far more frequently near water than elsewhere, and if I 170 MOTACILLID^E. wished to observe its 'habits, I should repair to the nearest canal or river, in the certain expectation of seeing a pair hunting among the aquatic weeds for their food, running along the sandy or muddy shore, perching on the broad leaves of the water-lily, and chasing each other with dip- ping flight through the air. I am inclined to believe that, though it may have often been noticed in dry pastures and stony places, yet that when so circum- stanced, it is only engaged on an exploring expedition RAY'S WAGTAIL. from its watery haunts; for it is scarcely possible that a bird so thoroughly at home in a weedy pond, can ever be long absent from such a locality from choice. Its habits are precisely similar to those of the Pied Wagtail, except that it visits us in the summer exclusively, retiring southwards in autumn. It may often also be seen in com- pany with that species. Besides its call-note, which con- sists of two shrill notes, the second of which is a musical tone lower than the first, it has a short and exceedingly RAY'S WAGTAIL. 171 sweet song, something like that of the Redbreast when at its best. This I have heard it utter whilst it was perched on a low bush overhanging a pond. Its nest was probably somewhere in the neighbourhood, for when disturbed it flew to a short distance only, alighted on another twig, and repeated its warble again. This was in the first week in May, and is the only occasion on which I ever heard it really sing. The nest resembles that of the Pied Wagtail, and is placed on the ground, usually in pea-fields. The popular name Washerwoman belongs to the whole family. The corresponding term, Lavandiere, is also found in France, and was given from the fanciful similarity between the beating of the water with its tail by the bird while tripping along the leaves of a water-lily, and the beating of linen in the water by washerwomen, a custom still existing in France, and some parts of England and Ireland. . THE TREE PIPIT. ANTHUS ARB6REUS. Hind claw shorter than the toe, and curved so as to form the fourth of a circle ; upper parts ash, tinged with olive, the centre of each feather dark brown ; a double band across the wing, formed by the yellowish white tips of the lesser and middle wing-coverts ; throat and region of the eye dull white ; breast reddish yellow, spotted, and at the sides lightly streaked with dark brown. Length six inches. Eggs dull white, variously mottled with purple brown. THE name Titlark is popularly applied to three common species of birds which were formerly placed in the same family with the Skylark. Modern ornithologists now place them in a distinct genus, the characters of which differ from those of the true Lark in that the beak is more slender and slightly notched near the point, the first three quills are nearly of the same length, and the outer toe is united with the middle one as far as the first joint. In colouring, how- ever, in general form, and, to a slight extent, in habits, namely, in the mode of feeding and nesting, there is much similarity between the genera ; but in the power of soaring, the Lark, though imitated by one species, is unrivalled, 172 ANTHID^E. The old name Titlark, then, must be understood to be merged in the more distinctive title, Pipit, given to three commpn kinds which severally frequent trees, meadows, and the seashore. The Tree Pipit alone is a migratory species, arriving in this country towards the end of April, and leaving us in the autumn. It is common in most of the wooded counties of England, except the extreme THE TREK PIPIT. west and north, but attracts little notice, being unostenta- tious in size and colour, while its song, except by the prac- tised ear, is likely to be lost in the general melody of the woods. Yarrell's succinct account of its most characteristic habit is so comprehensive and accurate, that the observer who wishes to make its acquaintance can scarcely fail by its help to identify the bird on its very first occurrence.* * Vol. i. p. 432. THE TREE PIPIT. 173 " The male has a pretty song, perhaps more attractive from the manner in which it is given, than the quality of the song itself. He generally sings while perched on the top of a bush, or one of the upper branches of an elm-tree standing in a hedgerow, from which, if watched for a short time, he will be seen to ascend with quivering wing about as high again as the tree; then, stretching out his wings and expanding his tail, he descends slowly by a half-circle, singing the whole time, to the same branch from which he started, or to the top of the nearest other tree ; and so constant is this habit with him, that if the observer does not approach near enough to alarm him, the bird may be seen to perform the same evolution twenty times in half an hour, and I have witnessed it most frequently during and after a warm May shower." Its descent to the ground is generally performed in the same manner. Its food con- sists of insects and small seeds, for which it searches among the grass or newly-ploughed ground, with the walking and running gait of the Wagtails, but without their incessant waving movement of the tail. The nest, which is placed on the ground, under a tuft of grass or low bush, and very frequently OIL the skirt of a wood or copse, is 'composed of dry grass and small roots, and lined with finer grass and hair. The eggs are usually five in number, and vary so much, that extreme specimens would scarcely seem to be- long to the same bird. In the predominating brown hue a tinge of red is, however, always perceptible, and by this it may be distinguished from the egg of the Meadow Pipit.* * "Amongst our land birds," says Hewitson, "there is no species the eggs of which present so many, or such distinct varieties, as those of the Tree Pipit. No one would at first believe them to be eggs of the same species ; and it was not till I had captured the bird upon each of the varieties, and also received, them from Mr. H. Doubleday, similarly attested, that I felt satisfactorily convinced upon the subject." THE MEADOW PIPIT. ANTHUS PEATENSIS. Hind claw longer than the toe, slightly curved ; upper parts ash, tinged with olive, especially in winter, the centre of each feather dark brown ; under parts reddish white, streaked with dark brown. Length five inches and three-quarters. Eggs dull white, variously spotted and mottled with brown. IT may be thought at the first glimpse that a difference in the comparative length of the hinder claws of two birds so much alike as the Tree and Meadow Pipits is scarcely sufficient to justify a specific distinction ; but when it is considered that a short and curved claw enables a bird to retain a firm grasp of a small twig, while a long and almost straight one is best adapted for perching on the ground, it will appear at once that, however similar two birds may be in all other respects, yet the slight one in which they differ is the point on which hinges a complex scheme of habits. So the Tree Pipit frequents wooded districts, and passes a large portion of its time aloft among the branches, while the Meadow Pipit finds its happiness on the ground. It is not, indeed, confined to the unwooded country, for no THE MEADOW PIPIT. 175 bird is more generally diffused, and the nests of both species, constructed of similar materials, may frequently be found in the border of the same field, yet it often finds a home in wild, barren districts, frequented by no other small birds but the Wheatear and King Ouzel. I have even more than once seen it alight on a tree, but this was apparently as a resting-place on which it perched previously to descend- ing to roost among the heath on a common. Had I not been near, it would most probably have dropped at once to its hiding-place as some of its companions did. From its attachment to commons and waste lands, the Meadow Pipit has received the names of Ling-bird and Moss- cheeper. In winter it is more abundant in the plains, where it may often be seen in small parties searching for seeds and insects in recently-ploughed lands, well marked by its running gait and the olive tinge of its upper plumage. Its song, which is not frequently heard, is a short and simple strain, sometimes uttered on the ground, but more generally, while rising or falling, at no great height in the air. Its nest is only to be distinguished from that of the Tree Pipit by the dark brown hue of the eggs, which are somewhat similar to those of the Skylark, only smaller. " The egg of the Cuckoo is more frequently deposited and hatched in the nest of the Meadow Pipit than in that of any other bird."* THE KOCK PIPIT. ANTHUS PETROSUS. Hind claw about equal in length to the toe, much curved; upper plumage greenish brown, the centre of each feather darker brown ; a whitish streak over the eye ; under parts dull white, spotted and streaked with dark brown. Length six inches and three-quarters. Eggs dull white, mottled with dingy brown. EXCEPT that it is somewhat larger, the Eock Pipit is very similar in form and colour to the last species. It is, how- ever, far more local, being confined exclusively to the sea- * Yarrell's "British Birds," vol. i. p. 429. 176 ANTHID^E. shore, but there of very common occurrence. Every one familiar with the sea-coast, must have observed it moving through the air with a jerking flight, occasionally alighting on a rock or on the beach near the line of high-water mark, searching busily for marine insects. In spring, it frequently takes little nights inland, never to a great dis- tance, repeating its simple song all the while, and chasing as if in sport some one or other of its companions. In THE ROCK PIPIT. winter, it seems to act as a guide to the smaller land birds, who, finding their supply of food diminished or altogether cut off by the frost, are attracted by its move- ments, and join it in searching for insects among the unfrozen "ridge of all things vile," left on the shore by the receding tide. Montagu says, that it has never been observed to be gregarious ; his THE BOOK PIPIT. 177 editor, however, Eennie, states that he has noticed it to be, if not quite gregarious, at least very nearly so, on the wild rocky shores of Normandy ; and, from my own acquaintance with its habits in Devon and Cornwall, I am inclined to agree with the latter. If not gregarious, it is at least sociable, and that too at seasons when the flocks could hardly have been family gatherings only. The same remark holds good of the Meadow Pipit. RICHARD'S PIPIT. ANTHUS RICHARDI. Bill strong; tarsus very long; hind claw much longer than the toe, slightly curved ; upper plumage light brown, the centre of each feather dark brown ; a broad white streak above the eye ; lower parts white, streaked with dark brown. Length six inches and a half. Eggs unknown. OF this rare bird very few specimens have been observed in England, and it is equally uncommon on the Continent. It cannot be confounded with either of the other Pipits, being much their superior in size. THE SKYLARK. ALAUDA ARVENSIS. Upper parts reddish brown, the centre of each feather dark brown ; a faint whitish streak above the eyes ; throat white ; neck and breast whitish, tinged with yellow and red, and streaked with dark brown ; tail moderate. Length seven inches and a quarter. Eggs greyish, thickly speckled with dark grey and brown. THE Skylark, a bird whose flight and song are better known perhaps than those of any other bird, needs but a simple biography. The favourite bird of the poets, its story might be told in extracts compiled from various authors whose muse has led them to sing of Nature. Much, how- ever, that has been written is but an amplification of the golden line, " Hark, the Lark at Heaven's gate sings ! " and not a little is an exaggerated statement of the height N 178 ALAUDID^E. to which it ascends, and the time which it remains sus- pended in mid-air. But the Skylark needs no panegyrists, so, with all due deference to those who have struck the lyre in its honour, I will endeavour to describe its habits and haunts in humble prose. The Skylark is a generally-diffused bird, adapted by the conformation of its claws for perching on the ground, and by its length and power of wing for soaring high in the >-'. ^Q^J^S^BB^^^AJ^\^^ "^#/%^ : air. Accordingly, its food consists of small insects and seeds, which it collects among the herbage of stubble- fields, meadows and downs, or in newly-ploughed fields. To this fare, it adds in winter and spring the tender stalk of sprouting corn. Hence it is regarded with deadly hos- tility by farmers, and hence, too, the quiet of the country is much disturbed at these seasons, by boys employed to frighten it away by screaming and plying a peculiar THE SKYLARK. 179 kind of rattle.* During autumn and winter, Larks congregate in large flocks, and occupy their time princi- pally in searching for food on the ground. If disturbed, they rise in a scattered manner, wheel about in the air until the flock is formed again, chirping from time to time, and then withdraw, not in a compact body, but at unequal distances from the earth and from each other, to a new feeding-ground, over which they hover with circling flight for some time before alighting. On trees they never perch ; though one or two may occasionally be seen settled on a quickset hedge or a railing. In North Britain, at the approach of severe weather, they flock together and migrate southwards. Great numbers also visit England from the Continent, arriving in Novem- ber, when they are caught in nets and traps for the table. Early in spring the flocks break up, when the birds pair, and for three or four months, every day and all day long, when the weather is fine (for the Lark dislikes rain and high winds), its song may be heard throughout the breadth of the land. Eising as it were by a sudden impulse from its nest or lowly retreat, it bursts forth, while as yet but a few feet from the ground, into exuberant song, and with its head turned towards the breeze, now ascend- ing perpendicularly, and now veering to the right or left, but not describing circles, it pours forth an unbroken chain of melody, until it has reached an elevation com- puted to be, at the most, about a thousand feet. To an observer on earth, it has dwindled to the size of a mere * Farmers would effect a great saving if they sowed their wheat deeper than is the usual practice. The only part of the young plant which the Lark touches is the white stalk between the grain and the blade. In its effort to obtain this it frequently destroys the whole plant, if the grain has been lodged near the surface ; but if the young shoot have sprouted from a depth of an inch or more, the bird contents itself with as much as it can reach* without digging, and leaves the grain uninjured and capable of sprouting again. N 2 180 ALAUDID^E. speck ; but, as far as my experience goes, it never rises so high as to defy the search of a keen eye. Having reached its highest 'elevation, its ambition is satisfied without making any permanent stay, and it begins to descend, not with a uniform downward motion, but by a series of droppings with intervals of simple hovering, during which, it seems to be resting on its wings. Finally, as it draws near the earth, it ceases its song and descends more rapidly, but before it touches the ground it recovers itself sweeps away with almost horizontal flight for a short distance and disappears in the herbage. The time consumed in this evolution is at the most from fifteen to twenty minutes, more frequently less; nor have I ever observed it partially descend and soar upwards again. A writer in the Magazine of Natural History maintains that " those acquainted with the song of the Skylark, can tell, without looking at them, whether the birds be ascending or stationary in the air, or on their descent ; so different is the style of the song in each case." Mr. Yarrell is of the same opinion, and I have little doubt that they are correct, though I am not certain that I have myself attained the skill of discriminating. In July, the Lark ceases its soarings and song together, but in fine weather, in October, it receives a new inspiration and is musical again. From time to time, during winter, if the season be mild, it resumes its aerial habits, but it neither ascends so high nor sings so long, two or three minutes becoming now the limits of its performance. Like most other birds, it sings least about noon and the first two hours of the afternoon : but it begins before sunrise, having been heard at mid summer as early as two o'clock in the morning, and it sometimes continues its song till late on into the night, having been heard at ten o'clock, when it was quite dark. Occasionally, too, it sings on the ground; and, in a cage, as all the world knows, it pours out its melody with as much spirit, as if its six inches of turf could be measured THE SKYLAEK. 181 by acres, and the roof of its little cage were the vault of heaven. The following stanza in French is equally successful in imitating the song of the Skylark and de- scribing its evolutions : La gentille Alouette avec son tirelire, Tirelire, retire et tirelirant, tire Vers la voute du ciel ; puis son vol en ce lieu Vire, et semble nous dire : Adieu, adieu, adieu. The Lark builds its nest in a hollow in the ground, the rut of a cart-wheel, the depression formed by a horse's hoof, or in a hole which it scrapes out for itself. The nest is composed of dry grass, and lined with finer fibres. It lays four or five eggs, and rears two broods- in the year. It displays great attachment to its young, and has been known, when disturbed by mowers, to build a dome over its nest, as a substitute for the natural shelter afforded by the grass while standing, and to remove its young in its claws to another place of concealment. In a cage, the male even is an excellent nurse. Mr. Weir men- tions one which brought up several broods entrusted to its care, and a similar instance has fallen under my own notice. Larks frequently become the prey of the Hobby and Merlin, which pounce on them as they are on the point of leaving the ground, and bear them off with as much ease as they would a feather. But if an intended victim discovers its oppressor in time, it instantly begins to ascend with a rapidity which the other cannot follow, carried on as it is by the impetus of its horizontal flight. The Hawk, foiled for this time, renews the chase and endeavours to soar above its quarry; if it succeeds, it makes a second swoop, sometimes with deadly effect ; but if it fails a second time, the Lark folds its wings, drops like lead to the ground, and, crouching among the herbage, often escapes detection. THE WOODLARK ALAUDA ARB6REA. Upper parts reddish brown, the centre of each feather dark brown ; a distinct ysllowish white streak above the eye passing to the back part of the head ; lower parts yellowish white, streaked with dark brown ; tail short. Length six inches and a half. Eggs greyish white, speckled and sometimes faintly streaked with brown. THE Woodlark is much less frequent than the Skylark, and is confined to certain districts. It is distinguished by its smaller size, short tail, a light mark over the eye, and by its habit of perching on trees, where the Skylark is never known to alight. It builds its nest very early in the season, sometimes so soon as the end of March, and probably rears several broods in the year, as it has been found sitting as late as September. It is consequently among the earliest songsters of the year, and among the last to bid adieu to summer. It sings on until the occurrence of severe frosts, and its note is among the sweetest and most touching sounds of nature. The song, though of less compass and less varied than that of the Skylark, is superior 182 THE WOODLARK. 183 in liqiiidness of tone, and is thought to resemble the syllables " lulu" by which name the bird is known in France. When soaring it may be distinguished from the Skylark not only by its song, but by its ascending in circles, which it describes, poets tell us, and perhaps correctly, with its nest for a centre. Sometimes, especially during sunshine after a summer shower, it alights on the summit of a lofty tree, to " unthread its chaplet of musical pearls," and its simpler lulu notes may be heard as it flies from place to place while but a few feet above the surface of the ground. In autumn, Woodlarks assemble in small sociable parties (but not in large flocks), and keep together during the winter. Early in spring these societies are broken up into pairs, and the business of the season commences. The nest is composed of bents and a little moss, and is lined with finer grass, and, though built on the ground, is generally concealed with more art than that of the Skylark, the birds availing themselves of the shelter afforded by a bush or tuft of grass. THE CKESTED LAEK, ALAUDA CRISTATA. Feathers of the crown black, edged with reddish brown and elongated into a crest ; upper parts reddish brown, with narrow dark streaks ; over the eye a yellowish white streak ; under parts dull yellowish white, with dusky streaks. Length six inches and three-quarters. Eggs greyish white, spotted with dark brown. THE Crested Lark, a rare visitor in Britain, is not uncom- mon in many parts of the Continent, where it principally frequents the high roads, quarries, and the uncultivated country. It is often seen perched on walls and the roofs of low cottages, and its song is said to be very sweet. Its nest and eggs resemble those of the Skylark. 184 THE SHORE LARK. ALAUDA ALPESTRIS. Throat, forehead, and ear-coverts yellow ; over the forehead a black band ; lore, moustache, and gorget black ; upper parts reddish brown ; breast and flanks yellowish white ; abdomen white. Length nearly seven inches. Eggs greyish white, spotted with pale blue and brown. THE Shore Lark, like the last, is a very rare visitor of Britain, and appears to be equally uncommon in France. A few have been shot in Norfolk, and in the high lati- tudes both of the Old and New Worlds it is a common resident on the rocky coasts. It builds its nest on the ground, and shares in the great characteristic of the family, that, namely, of soaring and singing simultaneously. In colouring, it is strongly marked by its black gorget and crest. THE SHORT-TOED LARK. ALAUDA BBACHYDlCTYLA. Upper parts yellowish brown, the centre of each feather darker ; a whitish yellow streak above the eye ; under parts yellowish white, almost without spots ; bill stout ; hind claw and toe short. Length five inches and a half. Eggs buff, without spots. YET rarer than either of the preceding, as a single speci- men only has been obtained in Britain. It is not un- frequent in many parts of France, where it is remarkable for its habit of running along the furrows in advance of the sportsman's dogs ; and is sometimes shot by mistake for a Quail. Its song is melodious, and, like the rest of the Larks, it sings while soaring. 185 THE LAPLAND BUNTING. PLECTROPHANES LAPP6NICA. Crown of the head black, speckled with red ; throat and breast black, a broad white band extending from the eye down the sides of the neck ; nape bright chestnut ; back, wings, and tail variegated with brown, white, and black ; under parts white, spotted at the sides with dark brown. Length six inches and three-quarters. Eggs pale ochre-yellow, spotted with brown THIS bird, as its name denotes, is an inhabitant of high northern latitudes ; and its occurrence in this country is very rare. A few only have been shot, in places remote from each other ; and in the year 1843, a female was cap- tured by a bird-catcher near Milnthorpe, in Westmoreland, and kept for some time in an aviary, where it soon became friendly with its companions and took its daily meal of rape, canary, or hemp seeds, and now and then a sprinkling of oats, with apparent satisfaction. In the arctic regions it inhabits hilly and mountainous districts, and spends most of its time on the ground, where it runs in the manner of Larks, and where also it builds its nest. The male is said to have a pleasing song, combining that of the Skylark and of the Linnet. SNOW BUNTING. PLECTROPHANES NIVALIS. Head, neck, portion of the wings, and lower parts white ; upper parts black, tinged here and there with red. Length six inches and three-quarters. Eggs pale reddish white, speckled and spotted with brown and pale red. THIS, though a northern bird also, does not confine itself so closely to the arctic regions as the preceding species ; but is of common occurrence in many parts of Scotland during autumn and winter, and later in the season in various parts of England. Macgillivray, whose acquaintance with British birds, especially those of Scotland, was very 186 EMBERIZID^E. accurate, was inclined to the opinion that the Snow Bunting or Snow-flake breeds on the higher Grampians, having observed a specimen on a mountain of this range so early as the 4th of August, while the migratory flocks do not appear until two months later. " About the end of October it makes its appearance along the coasts or on the higher grounds of the south of Scotland, and about the same period in the south of England, although it is there of much less frequent occurrence. Assembled in large straggling THE SNOW BUNTING. flocks, or scattered in small detachments, these birds may be seen flying rather low along the shore, somewhat in the manner of Larks, moving in an undulating line by means of repeated flappings and short intervals of cessation, and uttering a soft and rather low cry, consisting of a few mellow notes, not unlike those of the Common Linnet, but intermixed at times with a sort of stifled scream or churr. When they have found a fitting place, they wheel suddenly round, and alight rather abruptly, on which occasion the THE SNOW BUNTING. 187 white of the wings and tail becomes very conspicuous. They run with great celerity along the sand, not by hops, like the Sparrows and Finches, but in a manner resembling that of the Larks and Pipits ; and when thus occupied, it is not in general difficult to approach them, so that specimens are easily procured. At intervals they make excursions into the neighbouring fields, alight in corn- yards, at barn-doors, or even on the roads, where they obtain seeds of oats, wheat, and weeds, which I have found in them. In the villages along the coast of Lothian, they are sometimes, in spring, nearly as common as Sparrows, and almost as familiar. About the middle of April, or some- times a week later, these birds disappear and betake them- selves to their summer residence." * Its habits, as observed in England, are similar ; but the flocks are generally smaller. In the arctic regions, it is abundant from the middle or end of April to the end of September. Its nest is com- posed of dry grass, neatly lined with deer's hair and a few feathers, and is generally fixed in the crevice of a rock or in a loose pile of timber or stones. In spring it feeds principally on the buds of Saxifraga oppositifolia, one of the earliest of the arctic plants ; during winter, on grass seeds. Peculiar interest attaches to the Snow Bunting, from the fact that it is (according to Linnaeus) the only living animal that has been seen two thousand feet above the line of perpetual snow in the Lapland Alps. Mention of it frequently occurs in books of Arctic travels. I must not omit to state that the specimens obtained in Great Britain vary so considerably in the proportions of white and tawny in their plumage, that there were at one time considered to be three several species. In Norfolk, I have seen them in severe weather flocking with Larks, among which they make themselves so conspicuous by the white portion of their plumage, as to be popularly known by the name of "White-winged Larks." * Macgillivray's " British Birds," vol. i. p. 404. THE COMMON BUNTING. EMBERIZA MILIARIA. Upper parts yellowish brown, with dusky spots ; under parts yellowish white spotted and streaked with dusky. Length seven inches and a half. Eggs dull white, tinged with yellow or pink, and spotted and streaked with dark purple brown. THOUGH called tlie Common Bunting, this bird is by no means so abundant in England as the Yellow Bunting ; its name, however, is not misapplied, as it appears to be the most generally diffused of the family, being found all over the European continent, in the islands of the Mediterranean, in Asia Minor, and the north of Africa. In the latter district it appears as a bird of passage in November ; and about Martinmas it is so abundant as to become a staple article of food. At this season, all the trees in the public roads and squares of the villages are literally covered with THE COMMON BUNTING. 189 these birds. Macgillivray informs us that it is more abun- dant in the outer Hebrides than in any other part of the country he has visited ; and that it is there generally known by the name of Sparrow. In England it is a constant resi- dent; but as it is much more abundant in autumn and winter than in summer, it probably receives accessions to its numbers from the north. From its habit of congregating in large flocks in the winter and alighting on arable land to feed, after the manner of the Skylark, it is sometimes called "Lark Bunting," and, from its favourite food, "Corn Bunting." It builds its nest in a tuft of grass, often under the shelter of briers or a low bush, constructing it of dry grass with a lining of hair. Its song, which is harsh and unmelodious, consists of a number of short repetitions of the same note, terminating with a long one lower in tone, and is generally uttered by the bird perched the while on some slight elevation, such as a stone or the topmost twig of a furze-bush. On first rising, it allows its legs to drop as if broken. THE BLACK-HEADED BUNTING. EMBERIZA SCHCENICLUS. Head, throat and gorget black (in winter speckled with light brown); nape, sides of the neck, and a line extending to the base of the beak on each side, white ; upper parts variegated with reddish brown and dusky ; under parts white, streaked with dusky on the flanks. Female head reddish brown, with dusky spots ; the white on the neck less distinct ; under parts reddish white, with dusky spots. Length six inches. Eggs purplish grey, blotched and lined with dark purple brown. WHEREVER there is water, in the shape of a lake, canal, or river, b'ned by bushes and rushes, there the Black- headed Bunting is pretty sure to be seen at most seasons of the year. The male is strongly marked by his black head and white collar ; the head of the female is of the same colour as the body; but the white collar, of a less bright hue, she shares with her mate. " Reed Bunting " and "Reed Sparrow" are other names for the same bird. 190 EMBERIZID^E. In summer it rarely quits the vicinity of water. At this season its food consists of various seeds and insects ; but on the approach of winter it either forms small parties, or joins itself on to flocks of Yellow-Hammers, Sparrows, and Finches, and visits the stack-yards in search of grain. It builds its nest in low bushes, or among aquatic plants, very near the ground, employing bents, bits of straw, reeds, &c., and lining it with hair. The eggs are four or five in num- THE BLACK-HEADED BUNTING. ber, of a dull, livid purple colour, marked with irregular curves or blotches of darker purple, which remind one of the figure of the lines, so often seen on bramble leaves, made by leaf-eating grubs. Its note resembles that of the other Buntings, and is pleasant from its association with walks by > the river's side rather than for tone or melody. In Scotland the Black-headed Bunting is migratory, re- pairing southwards in October, and returning in March. THE YELLOW HAMMER. EMBERIZA CITEINELLA. Head, neck, breast, and lower parts bright yellow, more or less streaked with dusky ; flanks streaked with brownish red ; upper parts reddish brown, spotted with dusky. Female the yellow parts less vivid, and spotted with dull reddish brown. Length six inches and a quarter. Eggs purplish or yellowish white, speckled and lined with dark purple brown. THIS familiar and pretty bird appears to be generally diffused throughout all parts of the country, except the mountains. With its bright yellow head and breast it can scarcely fail to attract the attention of those even who are least observant of birds, and being by no means shy it will allow itself to be examined from a short distance. It may often be detected by its bright yellow plumage among the leaves of a hedge, neither fluttering nor hunting for food, but apparently waiting to be admired. As we approach within a few yards it darts out into the lane with rapid flight, displaying the white feathers of its tail, with tawny tail-coverts, perches on another twig some fifty yards in 191 192 EMBERIZID^E. advance, and, after one or two such manoeuvres, wheels away with rapid flight uttering two or three short notes as it passes over our head. In summer, especially during the hot afternoons of July, when most other birds have closed their concert for the season, it loves to perch on the top of a furze bush or other shrub, and repeat its simple song. This consists of about a dozen short notes, rapidly repeated and closed by a longer note, which I believe to be a musical minor third below. Sometimes this last note is preceded by another which is a third above. The effect is in some measure plaintive, and gives the idea that the bird is preferring a petition. In Devonshire it goes by the names of "Little-bread-and-no-cheese," and "Gladdy." Of the latter name I do not know the origin ; that of the former is clear enough ; for if the words " A little bit of bread and no cheese " be chanted rapidly in one note, descending at the word " cheese," the performance, both in matter and style, will bear a close resemblance to the bird's song. It has been noticed that the song of the Yellow Hammer may always be heard about three o'clock in the afternoon. In winter, Yellow Hammers assemble in large flocks, often mixed with other hard-billed birds, and resort to ploughed fields, or rick-yards. Macgillivray describes with singular accuracy their movements on these occasions. " When the ground is covered with snow, they congregate about houses, and frequent corn-yards along with other birds, retiring to the trees and hedges in the vicinity when alarmed. Their flight is undulated, light, strong, and graceful, and they alight abruptly, jerking out their tail-feathers. It is indeed surprising to see with what velocity they descend at once from a considerable height, to settle on the twigs of a tree which had attracted their notice as they were flying over it, and with what dexterity all the individuals of a flock perch in their selected places." The nest and eggs of the Yellow Hammer resemble those of the Common Bunting, but are smaller. The nest is THE YELLOW HAMMER. 193 most frequently placed close to the ground, or actually on the ground, among grass on the skirt of a meadow. Yarrell has suggested that the name " Yellow Hammer" should be written "Yellow Ammer" the word Animer being a well-known German term for Bunting; but as it is doubtful whether it be possible to alter a mode of spelling which has been in common use for two hundred years at least, I have retained the name applied to the species by our earliest ornithologists, Ray and Willughby. Collectors of eggs should carefully avoid cleaning the eggs of the Buntings, as the dark colouring matter with which they are blotched is easily rubbed off with a damp cloth. THE ORTOLAN BUNTING. EMBERIZA HORTULANA. Head and neck olive-grey, spotted with brown ; throat, orbits, and a narrow band stretching downwards from the gape, greenish yellow ; feathers of the back black, with reddish edges ; those of the lower parts brownish red, edged with ash-grey. Length six inches and a half. Eggs reddish white, spotted and lined with dark red-brown. THE Ortolan is so rare a visitor in England, that all our knowledge of its habits and haunts is derived from foreign sources. In France, where it is an object of " distinguished consideration," from the delicate flavour of its flesh, it is a migratory bird, arriving about the second week of April, and departing in autumn. The males appear first, and are soon afterwards followed by the females ; their favourite haunts being dry places planted with vines. Soon after their arrival, the female hollows out for herself a small hole at the foot of a vine by scratching and fluttering, after the manner of the domestic Hen. The sides of this hole she overlays with a thick bed of dry bents, and lines the interior with a soft mat of hair. She lays four EMBERIZID^E. or five eggs, which are very large in proportion to her own size. During the whole time of incubation, the male, perched on some dead twig in the neighbourhood, repeats with little intermission his monotonous song. The young 'are fed on caterpillars, grasshoppers, small beetles, and other insects ; the destruction of which is considered, and with reason, to be most beneficial to the vines, as each pair of birds rears two, and sometimes three broods in the year. The breeding season ended, Ortolans keep together, in small family parties of five or six, until the end of August and beginning of September, when they prepare to migrate. They are now fit to be caught for the table, and are cap- tured in vast quantities by the fowler's net. But the Or- tolan of the epicure is a creation of art ; so before the poor creatures are immolated they are submitted to a process of fattening. They are shut up in a room lighted by lamps kept constantly burning, and are plentifully supplied with a paste made of millet, flour, and water. The wretched birds, unable to distinguish day from night, have nothing to do but to eat and drink, and thus, in about a fortnight, become so fat, that to anticipate their dying from repletion it becomes necessary to kill them : they are then packed in small casks and sent to Paris. Numbers of these birds are annually sent to Leadenhall Market from Spain, twenty or thirty in a cage. The Ortolan, when captured, weighs about an ounce and a half ; but when fattened, three ounces. In appearance, the Ortolan most resembles the Girl Bunting, but may be distinguished by its tail, the two outer feathers of which are white, the rest black ; and by the greenish tint of its head and throat, from which it is sometimes called the Green-headed Bunting. THE CIRL BUNTING. EMBERIZA C1RLUS. Crown dark olive, streaked with black ; gorget and band above and below the eye bright yellow ; throat, neck, and band across the eye, black ; breast olive-grey, bounded towards the sides by chestnut ; abdomen dull yellow ; back brownish red, with dusky spots. Female the distinct patches of black and yellow wanting ; the dusky spots on the back larger. Eggs greyish, marked with ash-coloured and black blotches and lines. WITH the exception of its black chin and throat, this bird closely resembles the Yellow Hammer. Its habits, too, are much the same, so that little can be said of it which does not equally apply to its congener. It appears, however, to be much less patient of co^d, and is consequently mostly confined to the southern counties of England, especially Devon and Cornwall. It is frequent also in some parts of Surrey and Wiltshire. In the south of Europe, in the islands of the Mediterranean, and in Asia Minor, it is said to replace the Yellow Hammer, which is far less common. It is in the habit of perching higher than the Yellow Hammer, and is said to be partial to elm-trees. o2 =S3* ' THE CHAFFINCH. FRINGILLA CCELEBS. Forehead black ; crown and nape greyish blue ; back and scapulars chestnut, tinged with green ; rump green ; breast wine-red, fading towards the abdomen into white ; wings black, with two white bands ; coverts of the secondaries tipped with yellow ; tail black, the two middle feathers ash-grey, the two outer on each side black, with a broad oblique white band. Female head, back and scapulars, ash-brown, tinged with olive ; lower parts greyish white ; the transverse bands less distinct. Length six inches. Eggs greenish purple, streaked and spotted with purple-brown. " GAT comme Pinson," as gay as a Chaffinch, is a familiar French proverb, which describes not only the character of the bird, but the peculiar temperament which in France is an essential part of gaiety. The Chaffinch is a smart, lively, active bird, always in a bustle, flitting here and there incessantly, and staying long nowhere, always wearing a holiday look, so trim and spruce is he, and rattling through his song with wondrous volubility. It received the name ccelebs, bachelor, from Linnaeus, who observed that the flocks in winter are composed for the most part either exclusively of males or of females; and it has since his time been remarked that flocks of THE CHAFFINCH. 197 males are, in winter, more frequent in northern countries, of females in southern ; and it having been noted, more- over, that in midland countries there is, besides these flocks, the usual sprinkling of males and females who do not separate, it has been inferred that the females, and perhaps the young birds with them, migrate from high latitudes southwards in winter, while the males merely collect in flocks and find a feeding-ground nearer home. During the open weather of autumn and early winter, Chaffinches frequent stubble and ploughed fields, where they busily collect grain and the seeds of various weeds, and are not, I fear, very scrupulous whether they are engaged as gleaners of what is lost, or robbers of what is sown. In severe weather they resort to farmyards and homesteads, where, along with Sparrows, Buntings, and Greenfinches, they equally consider all they can find as provided for their own especial use. On the return of spring, they feed upon the young shoots, and for a few weeks show themselves great enemies to horticulture. Their visits to our flower-gardens, paid very early in the morning, are attested by scattered buds of polyanthuses, which they attack and pull to pieces as soon as they begin to push from between the leaves. In the kitchen-garden they are yet more mischievous, showing a strong inclination for all pungent seeds. "Woe to the unthrifty gardener, who, while drilling in his mustard, or cress, or radishes, scatters a few seeds on the surface ! The quick eye of some passing Chaffinch will surely detect them ; so surely will the stray grains serve as a clue to the treasure concealed beneath, and so surely will a hungry band of companions rush to " the diggings," and leave the luckless proprietor a poor tithe of his expected crop. Yet so large is the number of the seeds of weeds that the Chaffinch consumes in the course of a year, more particularly of groundsel, chick- weed, and buttercup, that he, without doubt, more than compensates for all his misdeeds ; and as his summer food 198 FEINGILLID^E. \ partially, and that of his young family exclusively, consists of caterpillars and other noxious insects, lie is in reality among the gardener's best friends, who should be scared away at the seasons when his visits are not welcome, and encouraged at all other times. The Chaffinch, though a wary bird, does not stand greatly in fear of man ; for if disturbed at a meal, he is generally satisfied with the protection afforded by the branches of the nearest tree, on which he hops about until the danger is past, uttering his simple but not unpleasing note, " twink" or "pink" as it is variously translated. To this cry it adds the syllable " tweet," frequently repeated in an anxious tone and with a peculiar restlessness of manner, which always indicate that its nest is somewhere very near at hand, and by which indeed it is very often betrayed. Its proper song commences very early in spring, and is continued until June or later. This must be the song which the poet had in view when he sang : " Then as a little helpless innocent bird, That has but one plain passage of few notes, Will sing the simple passage o'er and o'er, For all one April morning, till the ear Wearies to hear it." TENNYSON. It consists of from ten to twelve notes of the same tone, and about the same length, with the last but one elevated and accented, uttered rapidly at short intervals, and with- out the least variation. In Germany, this bird is so great a favourite that not a single tone of its voice has escaped the experienced ears of bird-fanciers. In some parts of Holland and the north of France, the passion for song Chaffinches amounts to a frenzy. Philharmonic societies are formed, whose exclusive object is to educate Chaffinches, and to organize vocal combats. The combatants, each in his cage, are placed a few yards from each other. One of them utters his strain, which is replied to by the other ; strict silence is imposed THE CHAFFINCH. 199 on the spectators, lest the attention of the birds should be distracted by their remarks or applause. The contest proceeds as long as the birds continue to utter their notes of defiance, and the victory is adjudged to the one who has the last word. The price paid for a bird of mark, and the pains bestowed on the capture of any bird which in its wild state holds out promise of being an apt pupil, are past belief, and the cruelty practised in producing a perfect songster I cannot bring myself to describe. After all, Bechstein's translator says that the notes of the wild Chaffinches in England are finer than any cage ones he has heard in Germany. English bird-fanciers, without going so far as their German brethren, profess to dis- tinguish three variations of song in the Chaffinch. The nest of the Chaffinch is an exquisite piece of work- manship, composed of moss, dry grass, fine roots felted together with wool, decorated externally with scraps of white lichens, and lined with hair and feathers. It is placed sometimes in the fork of a tree, sometimes against the bole, but more frequently than anywhere else it is built in among the twigs of an apple-tree ; but in every case it is attached to its support by wool interwoven with the other materials. The Chaffinch usually lays five eggs. THE BRAMBLING. FRINGILLA MONTIFRINGILIA. Head, cheeks, nape, and upper part of the back, black, the feathers (in winter) tipped with light brown or ash-grey ; neck and scapulars pale orange-brown ; wings black, variegated with orange-brown and white ; rump and lower parts white, the flanks reddish, with a few dark spots. Female crown reddish brown, the feathers tipped with grey, a black streak over the eyes ; cheeks and neck ash-grey ; all the other colours less bright. Length six inches and a half. Eggs yellowish white, spotted and streaked with dark red. LITTLE is known of the summer habits of this bird, though in the northern countries, in which it breeds, it must be very abundant, as in winter it occurs over the whole con- 200 FRINGILLID^E. tinent of Europe, and not unfrequently in enormous flocks. Pennant mentions an instance in which eighteen were killed at one shot a statement which I can well believe, having seen in the winter of 1853 by far the largest flock of small birds I ever beheld, and which was composed entirely of Bramblings. They were employed in search- ing for food on the ground in a beech wood, and, as I approached, flew up into the branches in thousands. The THE BRA.MBLINQ. Brambling, called also the Bramble Finch and Mountain Finch, resembles the Chaffinch in habits, size, and general tone of colour ; and as it often feeds in company with it, is probably sometimes confounded with it by an inex- perienced eye. It arrives in this country in November, and takes its departure early in spring, never having been known to breed here. Its song is said to be something like that of the Chaffinch, and its nest, built in fir-trees, to be constructed with the same marvellous art. THE HOUSE SPAKKOW. PASSER DOMESTICUS. Crown and back of the head dark bluish ash ; lore, throat, and front of the neck black ; above the eyes a band of uniform reddish brown, intermixed with a few small white feathers; upper feathers dark brown, edged with reddish brown ; a single transverse white bar on the wing ; cheeks, sides of the neck, and under parts greyish white. Female head, nape, neck, and breast ash-brown ; above the eye a light yellowish brown streak ; rest of the plumage less bright. Length five inches and three-quarters. Eggs white, spotted and speckled with dark grey and brown. WHAT were the haunts of the Sparrow at the period when men dwelt in tents, and there were neither farmhouses nor villages, much less towns and cities, it were hard to say. Certain it is now that thoroughly wild Sparrows are not to be met with in districts remote from human dwellings and cultivation ; they have left the hill-side and forest as if by common consent, and have pitched their tents where man builds, or ploughs, or digs, and nowhere else. In the city, the seaport town, the fishing village, the hamlet, the farmhouse, nay, near the cot on the lone waste and by the roadside smithy, they 202 FRINGILLID^E. are always present, varying in the amount of confidence they place in their patrons, but all depending on man to a certain extent. And not only do they court his society, but they have adopted his diet. Whatever is the staple food of a household, the Sparrows that nestle around will be right pleased to share it; bread, meat, potatoes, rice, pastry, raisins, nuts, if they could have these for the asking, they would not trouble themselves to search farther; but obliged, as they are, to provide for them- selves, they must be content with humble fare ; and so skilful are they as caterers, that whatever other birds may chance to die of starvation, a Sparrow is always round and plump, while not a few have paid for their voracity by their lives. Much difference of opinion exists as to whether Sparrows should be courted by man as allies, or exterminated as enemies. The fact that great efforts are at the present time being made to introduce them into New Zealand, where the corn crops suffer great injury from the attacks of insects, which the presence of Sparrows would, it is believed, materially check, leads to the conclusion that their mission is one of utility. That Sparrows consume a very large quantity of corn in summer there can be no doubt ; as soon as the grain has attained its full size, and long before it is ripe, they make descents on the standing corn, and if undisturbed will clear so effectually of their contents the ears nearest to the hedges, that this portion of the crop is sometimes scarcely worth the threshing. During harvest they transfer their attention to the sheaves, while the reapers and binders are occupied elsewhere ; as gleaners they are indefatigable ; they participate, too, in the joys of harvest home, for their food is then brought to their very doors. The most skilful binder leaves at least a few ears exposed at the wrong end of the sheaf, and these are searched for diligently in the rick ; and the barns must be well closed indeed into which they cannot find admission. At threshings and winnowings they are constant attendants, THE HOUSE SPARROW. 208 feeding among the poultry, and snatching up the scattered grains under the formidable beak of Chanticleer himself. At seed-time their depredations are yet more serious, as they now come in not simply for a share of the produce, but undermine the very foundations of the future crop. I once had the curiosity to examine the crop of a sparrow which had been shot as it flew up from a newly-sown field, and found no less than forty-two grains of wheat. A writer in the Zoologist* who professes himself a deadly enemy of the Sparrow, states that he once took 180 grains of good wheat from the crops of five birds, giving an average of thirty-six for a meal. JSTow if Sparrows had the opportunity of feeding on grain all the year round, they would be unmitigated pests, and a war of extermina- tion against them could not be waged too vigorously ; but during the far greater portion of the year they have not the power of doing mischief, and all this time they have to find food for themselves. Against their will, perhaps, they now hunt for the seeds of various weeds ; and these being smaller than grains of corn and less nutritive, they consume an immense number of them,' varying their repast with myriads of caterpillars, wire worms, and other noxious grubs. They thus compensate, certainly in part, perhaps wholly, for the mischief they do at other seasons ; and it is even questionable whether, if a balance were struck between them and the agriculturists, the obligation would not be on the side of the latter. It is scarcely necessary to say much of the habits of a bird which stands on such familiar terms with the human race as the Sparrow. During no period of the year do Sparrows live together in perfect amity ; if half a dozen descend to pick up a handful of scattered crumbs, each in his turn will peck at any other who comes too near his share of the feast, and, with a peculiar sidelong shuffle or hop, will show his intention of appropriating as large a portion * Vol. vi. p. 2299. 204 FRINGILLID^!. of the feeding-ground as he can. In spring, this bickering assumes a more formidable character. A duel is com- menced among the branches of a tree, obstinate and noisy ; all the Sparrows within hearing flock to the scene of combat, joining at first with their voices, and finally with their beaks ; a general riot ensues, with as little object seemingly as an Irish "row;" for suddenly the outcry ceases, and the combatants return to their various occupa- tions. A writer in the Naturalist gives an account of a fray of this kind, during which three male birds fell at his feet one after another either dead or dying ; but cases of this kind are very rare. Sparrows build their nests at a considerable elevation from the ground, but are by no means particular as to the locality. At the period when most farmhouses and cottages were thatched, the eaves were their favourite resort, and here they hollowed out for themselves most comfortable dwellings. The general employment of tiles or slates has interfered with this arrangement ; but they will fix upon any projection, niche, crack, or hole which will hold a nest, and if these are all occupied, content themselves with a tree ; but, as far as my own observa- tion goes, the number built in trees far exceeds that to be found in other localities. Very frequently they appropriate the nest of the House Martin ; but the story often told of a colony of Martins having walled up a Sparrow who had thus treated a member of their family is not worthy of credit.* The nest itself is a rude structure, composed mainly of straw and hay, and lined with feathers and any other soft materials which they can find. Two or three broods are reared every year, the number of eggs being usually five. The young are fed on worms, cater- pillars, and insects of various kinds. * See p. 279. THE MOUNTAIN OR TREE SPARROW. PASSEE MONTXNUS. Crown and back of the head chestnut-brown; lore, ear-coverts, and throat black ; neck almost surrounded by a white collar ; upper plumage resembling the last ; wing with two transverse white bars. The female scarcely differs from the male. Length five inches and a half. Eggs as in the last. THE Mountain Sparrow seems scarcely to deserve its name, as it is by no means confined to mountainous districts. It is abundant all over the European continent, and is to be met with here and there in many parts of England ; but it is nowhere so abundant as the House Sparrow, which it resembles in all respects, except that the head is of a bright chestnut colour, and the neck wears a white collar. I have never seen it except in society with the common species, and could never detect any difference either in flight or note ; but other observers state that the flight is slow and constrained, and that the note assumes more the character of a song. The nest is variously stated to be 206 FKINGILLID2E. placed in hollow trees, under the thatch of houses, in the holes of walls, and in deep wells ; a discrepancy which would lead one to suppose that the Tree Sparrow is as capricious in selecting a dwelling as his congener. THE GKEENFINCH. COOCOTHBAUSTES CHLORIS. All the plumage yellowish green, variegated with yellow and ash-grey. Length six inches. Eggs bluish white, speckled and spotted with purplish grey and dark brown. THE Greenfinch, or Green Linnet, is one of our most generally diffused birds. Its systematic name, Cocco- thraustes, " grain-crusher," would seem to have been given to it with reference to its habit of husking the barley and other seeds on which it feeds. No bird is a more frequent inhabitant of country gardens during the summer than this, being attracted, it would seem, not so much by the prospect of abundance of food, as by its fondness for building its nest in evergreens and the thick hedges of shrubberies. The lively greenish yellow tint of the plumage on its throat and breast sufficiently distinguish it from any other British bird ; and its note, when once iden- tified, can be confounded with no other song. Let any one who wishes to obtain a sight of one, walk anywhere in the country where there are trees, on a bright sunny day in May or June, and listen for a monotonous long-drawn croak, trying to pronounce the syllable "twe-e-e." No matter what other birds may be tuning their lays, the harsh monotone of the Greenfinch, if one be near, will be heard among them, harmonizing with none, and suggestive of heat and weariness. In a few seconds it will be repeated, without a shadow of variation either in tone or duration and if it be traced out, the author of the noise (music I cannot call it) will be discovered perched among the THE GEEENFINCH. 207 branches of a moderately high tree, repeating his mourn- ful ditty with extreme complacency for an hour together. Very often he takes advantage of the midday silence of the groves, and pipes away without any other competitor than the Yellow Hammer, whose song like his own is a constant accompaniment of sultry weather. The Green- finch has another note which is heard most frequently, but not exclusively, in spring. This is a single plaintive THE GREENFINCH. chirp which may be easily imitated by human whistling ; it resembles somewhat one of the call-notes of the Canary- bird or Brown Linnet, and, being full and sweet, harmo- nizes with the woodland chorus far better than the monotonous croak described above. Another of the notes is a double one, and closely resembles that of the "Pee-wit," hence it is called in some places " Fee-sweep." The Green- finch builds its nest, when not among evergreens, in some 208 FRINGILLID^E. tall thick bush either in a hedge or coppice. Less neatly finished than that of the Chaffinch, it is nevertheless a beautiful structure. It is composed externally of a framework of light twigs and roots, interleaved with moss and wool, to which succeeds a denser layer of the same materials lined with hair. It lays five eggs, which are of a light grey colour, almost white, variously speckled with purple, and of a long shape. In winter, Greenfinches con- gregate in large numbers, and feed together on the seeds of various weeds in stubble fields, or not unfrequently they descend on newly-sown fields of wheat, where they are very troublesome. If disturbed, they rise simultane- ously, fly rapidly only a few feet from the ground to another part of the field, but before they alight, wheel about several times with singular precision of movement, disappearing from the sight and reappearing according as the dark or light portion of their plumage is turned towards the spectator ; and by this peculiarity they may be distinguished from flocks of other small birds at a great distance. If repeatedly disturbed, they alter their tactics, and take refuge in the top branches of the neighbouring trees until their persecutor has turned his back, when they return to the charge with the same perseverance which they display in the repetition of their summer song. These flocks, probably, are composed of individuals which have banded together in some more northern climate, and emigrated southwards in quest of food ; for smaller parties, either unmixed, or associated with Sparrows, Chaffinches, and Buntings, frequent our farmyards and gardens in un- diminished numbers. THE HAWFINCH. COCCOTHRAUSTES VULGARIS. Lore, throat, and plumage at the base of the bill black; crown and cheeks reddish brown ; nape ash-grey ; back dark reddish brown ; wings black, great coverts white ; some of the quills truncated at the extremity ; under parts light purplish red ; tail short. Length seven inches. Eggs light olive-green, with a few brown spots and numerous irregular lines of a lighter tint. JUDGING from its conformation, one would, without know- ing anything of the habits of this bird, pronounce it to be a professor of some laborious occupation. Its short tail and wings unfit it for long aerial voyages, and its thick neck and ponderous bill denote the presence of great mus- cular power, and such, indeed, it both has and requires. It is not a common bird, and was until within the last few years considered to be migratory ; but so many instances have occurred in which its nest has been found, that no doubt is now entertained of its being a constant resident. In Berkshire I have several times seen two or three to- 210 FKINGILLID^E. gether busily occupied in picking up the seeds which had fallen from the cones of a spruce fir. On one occasion a nest was brought to me by a man who had found it built on some twigs which grew from the trunk of a tall oak- tree ; it was built of the tangled white lichens which grow on trees, on a foundation of a few roots, and contained five eggs. I afterwards discovered another nest of exactly similar structure, which I believed must have been built by the same bird, but it was empty. In Hertfordshire a single Hawfinch visited my garden one winter for several days in succession, and diligently picked up and cracked the stones of laurel cherries, from which Blackbirds had, a few months before, as busily stripped the pulp. In the cherry orchards in the neighbourhood they are not un- common, where, even if not seen, their visits are detected by the ground being strewed with halves of cherry-stones, which these birds split with their powerful beaks as cle- verly as a workman with the chisel. Their note I have never heard, but the proprietor of the orchards assured me that he had often detected their presence by the low twit- tering noise which they made, a description the truth of which a writer quoted by Yarrell confirms. I have never seen a nest in Hertfordshire, but on several occasions have observed their eggs among the collections made by the country boys in the neighbourhood. Besides cherry-stones, Hawfinches feed on hazelnuts, hornbeam seeds, the kernels of the fruit of the hawthorn, seeds of various kinds, and, when they can get them, green peas, for the sake of which they often venture into gardens. A writer in the Maga- zine of Zoology and Botany, vol. i., who has had many opportunities of watching them, states that they usually build their nests in trees at an elevation varying from twenty-five to thirty feet, and that the nest is composed of dead twigs, intermixed with pieces of grey lichen ; this last material varying much in quantity in different nests, but being never absent. THE GOLDFINCH. CARDUELIS ELEGANS. Back of the head, nape, and feathers round the base of the bill black ; forehead and throat blood-red ; cheeks, forepart of the neck and lower parts white ; back and scapulars dark brown ; wings variegated with black, white and yellow ; tail black, tipped with white. Length five inches. Eggs bluish white, speckled with pale purple and brown. THIS little bird, as sprightly in its habits as it is brilliant in its colouring, is perhaps a more general favourite than any other British bird. Though in its natural state less familiar with man than the Redbreast, and inferior as a musician to the Lark, the Thrush, and others of our resi- dent birds, it is more frequent as a caged bird than either, and thus is known to tens of thousands of city folk who never heard the wild song of the Thrush, nor saw a Red- breast under any circumstances. In a cage it is attractive 212 FRINGILLID M. from its lively movements, its agreeable song, and yet more from its docility, as it not only is readily tamed, but may be taught to perform various tricks and manoeuvres utterly repugnant to the nature of birds. Its affection, too, for its owner is not less remarkable. Of this many instances are, I doubt not, familiar to the reader ; but the following is not so well known. There was some years since in a small town, about twelve leagues from Paris, a tame Goldfinch, which belonged to a carrier, and which for many years regularly accompanied his master twice a week to and from the metropolis. At first it used to content itself with perching on the driver's seat, and from time to time flying a short distance ahead, or gamboling with other birds of the same kind that it encountered on the way. By-and-by it seemed to grow dissatisfied with the slow pace of the wagon, and took long flights in advance, still returning from time to time to its accustomed perch. At length, becoming more enterprising, it would leave its master in the lurch, and fly in advance the whole of the way, and announce his approach at the house in the city where he put up. If the weather was stormy, it would quietly await his arrival, taking up its quarters by the fireside; but if the weather was fine, it would, after making a brief stay, return to meet him. At every meeting, caresses and congratulations were exchanged, as fondly as if they had been separated for years. This romantic attach- ment was at length terminated by the disappearance of the bird, but whether through the instrumentality of a cat, a Hawk, or some mischievous boy, was never discovered. Whatever doubt may exist as to the services rendered to man by the Sparrow and Chaffinch, about the Goldfinch there can be no difference of opinion. The farmer has no better friend, and yet an abundance of Goldfinches on an estate is anything but a welcome sight; for it denotes abun- dance of its favourite food, the seeds of thistles. Where these weeds flourish, there, for the most part, Goldfinches THE GOLDFINCH. 213 are to be met with in considerable numbers. The French name, Chardonneret, denotes " a frequenter of thistles," and the ancient Greek and Latin name for it, Acanthis, is of similar import ; the Acanthis, Pliny tells us,* bears animosity against no living creature but the donkey, a beast which eats the flowers of thistles, and so deprives it of its food. To this dietary it adds the seeds of dandelions, cen- taury and other weeds, but shows a decided preference for the seeds of the compound flowers. Its nest is among the most beautiful that birds construct. One now before me is placed among the terminal branches cut from the bough of a Scotch fir which grew at an elevation of about twenty feet from the ground. It is encircled by upwards of a dozen leafy twigs which unite beneath its base, and form both a firm support and effectual shelter. The substance is composed of tufted white lichens (Usnea and Evernia), and a few fine roots and wiry stems of garden-thyme, felted together with wool so securely, that it is scarcely possible to remove one of them without damaging the whole. With these is intermixed a piece of worsted, and a thread of sewing cotton ; a few horse-hairs succeed, and the whole of the interior is thickly matted with the white silky down of the coltsfoot. Other nests vary in the materials employed, moss being sometimes used instead of white lichen, and willow-cotton or feathers instead of the down of the coltsfoot. Thistle-down is sometimes named as the material of the lining ; but this must be under unusual circumstances, that substance being gene- rally unattainable in spring. Besides fir-trees, the apple and elm are often selected by Goldfinches to build their nests in, and they not unfrequently resort to any low tree in a hedge or shrubbery. In autumn, Goldfinches assemble in flocks of from ten to twenty or more, and resort to waste places, or the borders of fields, where thistles abound, and it is hard to imagine a prettier sight * Nat. Hist. lib. x. cap. Ixxiv. 214 FKINGILLIDjE. than a party of these innocent and brilliant hunters, perch- ing, all heedless of spines and prickles, on the thistle heads, plucking out the seeds with the pappus attached, and cleverly separating the former from their appendage. While thus employed, they seem to take it for granted that no one will molest them, but continue their useful labour, twittering pleasantly all the while, until the spec- tator comes within a few yards of them, when they fly off like butterflies to another prickly bed. THE SISKIN. CARDU^LIS SPINUS. Crown black ; behind the eye a broad yellow streak ; all the plumage variegated with grey, dusky, and various shades of yellow and yellowish green ; wings dusky, with a transverse greenish yellow bar, and a black one above, and another black one across the middle of the tertiaries ; tail dusky, the base and edge of the inner web greenish yellow. Female all the colours less bright, and no black on the head. Length, four and a half inches. Eggs greyish white, speckled with purplish brown. THE Siskin, or Aberdevine, is best known as a cage-bird, as it is only a winter visitor in Great Britain, and during the period of its stay is retiring in its habits. Siskins are more frequently met with in the northern than the southern counties of England, but are common in neither. They are generally observed to keep together in small flocks of from twelve to fifteen, and may be heard from a considerable distance, as they rarely intermit uttering their call-note, which, though little more than a soft twittering, is as clear as that of the Bullfinch, to which it has been compared. Their flight is rapid and irregular, like that of the Linnet. They leave their roosting-places early in the morning, and usually alight on the branches of alder-trees, where they remain all day. The seeds of the alder, inclosed within scales something like those of the coniferous trees, form the principal food of these pretty little birds, who are obliged to hang at the extremities THE SISKIN. 215 * of the twigs in order to explore the seed-vessels on all sides. Occasionally, but less frequently, they are seen visit- ing heads of thistles and burdocks, and not unfrequently they descend to the ground for the sake of picking up scattered seeds. During the whole of their feeding-time, they never cease twittering and fluttering about joyously from twig to twig. Now and then, as if by preconcerted signal given by a leader, they all take flight to another THE SISKIN. tree, or, after a short evolution, return to the same from which they started. Should it happen that, while one little band is occupied in despoiling a tree, another is heard in the air, the latter is immediately invited by general acclamation to take part in the banquet, and rarely fails to accept the invitation. Owing to this sociability of character they are easily entrapped, provided that one of their own species be employed as a decoy bird. They soon 216 FEINGILLIDJE. / become reconciled to captivity, and are valued for then- readiness to pair with the Canary-bird, the note of which the joint offspring is thought to improve. A few instances are on record of the Siskin remaining in this country to breed. The nest, which in some respects resembles those of the Greenfinch and Chaffinch, is concealed with great care in the fork formed by two branches of a fir, with which it is so skilfully made to assimilate, that it is almost impossible to discern it from below. In France, Siskins are most numerous from the middle of October to the beginning of December. They are then supposed to travel southwards, and appear again, but in greatly dimi- nished numbers, in spring, at which period they are considered to be travelling towards their summer quarters in Russia and Scandinavia. THE COMMON LINNET. LINOTA CANNABf NA. Winter head ash-brown, the feathers dusky in the middle, those of the forehead more or less tinged with crimson ; back chestnut-brown, becoming brighter towards the scapulars and duller towards the tail ; tail-feathers black, edged towards the tip with reddish grey, the outer ones bordered with white ; primaries black, the first five with very narrow, the next five with broad, white edges, the rest of the wing-feathers tinged with red, all tipped with ash- grey ; under parts breast-feathers dull crimson or brown, edged with yellow- ish red ; abdomen dull white ; flanks reddish yellow ; beak brownish horn colour;' feet and toes brown; tail moderate. In summer the beak is of a bluish lead colour ; feathers of the forehead and crown greyish brown, tipped with crimson ; upper plumage uniform rich chestnut-brown ; breast crimson, with a few pale brown feathers intermixed. Length five inches. Eggs pale bluish grey, speckled with deep red. IT is not unusual in the country to hear mention made of the Brown, the Grey, and the Eose or Eed Linnet, the Greater Redpole and the Common Linnet, as if these were all different birds. Such, however, is not the case. The Linnet is a bird which varies its plumage considerably at different seasons of the year, in consequence of which, at a period when little attention was paid to Ornithology, the same individual was known by whichever of these names best described its characteristic colouring. Even by the THE COMMON LINNET. 217 earlier Ornithologists there were supposed to be two species, one of which was called linota, probably from its having been observed feeding on flax-seed (Linum) the other Cannabina, from having been seen to feed on hemp- seed (Cannabis). The two latter names are now associated to designate the " Common Linnet " in all its phases, linnets offer themselves to our notice in the evenings of autumn and winter more than at any other time. Large THE COMMON LINNET. flocks of them may then be observed making their way, with rapid and irregular flight, towards tall trees which happen to stand in the vicinity of a common or a furze- brake. On the summits of these they alight, with their heads, in stormy weather, always turned towards the wind, and after keeping up a continuous twittering for a few minutes, suddenly drop into their roosting- places among the furze and thick shrubs. At the 218 FRINGILLIO tongue. The alder and other trees are also sometimes visited, and they have been noticed to resort to thistles and pick the seeds from them. "In the autumn of 1821," says Macgillivray,* "when walking from Aberdeen to Elgin, by the way of Glenlivat, and along the Spey, I had the pleasure of observing, near the influx of a tributary of that river, a flock of several hundreds of Crossbills, busily engaged in shelling the seeds of the berries which hung in clusters on a clump of rowan (mountain ash) trees. So intent were they on satisfying their hunger that they seemed not to take the least heed of me ; and as I had not a gun, I was content with gazing on them, without offering them any molestation. They clung to the twigs in all sorts of posi- tions, and went through the operation of feeding in a quiet and business-like manner, each attending to his own affairs without interfering with his neighbours. It was, indeed, a pleasant sight to see how the little creatures fluttered among the twigs, all in continued action, like so many bees on a cluster of flowers in sunshine after rain." A writer in the Zoologist"^ thus describes the manoeuvres of a flock which he observed in 1849, in the county of Durham : " On the 15th July, when taking a drive in the western part of the county, where there are many thousand acres of fir-plantations, I had the good fortune to see a flock of birds cross my path, which appeared to be Crossbills ; so, leaving the gig, I followed some distance into a fir-planta- tion, where, to my great gratification, I found perhaps thirty or more feeding on some Scotch firs. The day being fine, and as they were the first I had seen in a state of wild nature, I watched them for about twenty minutes., Their actions are very graceful while feeding, hanging in * British Birds, vol. i. p. 425. t Vol. vii. p. 2527. THE COMMON CROSSBILL. 229 every imaginable attitude, peering into the cones, which, if they contain seeds, are instantly severed from the branch; clutched with one foot, they are instantly emptied of their contents, when down they come. So rapidly did they fall, that I could compare it to nothing better than being beneath an oak-tree in autumn, when the acorns are falling in showers about one's head, but that the cones were rather heavier. No sooner are they on the wing than they, one and all, commence a fretful, unhappy c'hirl, not unlike the Eedpole's, but louder." Another writer, in the Maga- zine of Natural History* thus records his experience : " From October, 1821, to the middle of May, 1822, Cross- bills were very numerous in this county (Suffolk), and, I believe, extended their flight into many parts of England. Large flocks frequented some fir-plantations in this vicinity, from the beginning of November to the following ApriL I had almost daily opportunities of watching their move- ments ; and so remarkably tame were they, that, when feed- ing on fir-trees not more than fifteen or twenty feet high, I have often stood in the midst of the flock, unnoticed and un- suspected. I have seen them hundreds of times, when on the larch, cut the cone from the branch with their beak, and, holding it firmly in both claws, as a hawk would a bird, extract the seeds with the most surprising dexterity and quickness. I do not mean to assert this to be their general habit ; but it was very frequently done when feed- ing on the larch. I have never seen them adopt the like method with cones of the Scotch or other species of pine, which would be too bulky for them to manage. Their method with these, and, of course, most frequently with the larch, was to hold firmly on the cone with their claws ; and, while they were busily engaged in this manner, I have captured great numbers ; many with a horse-hair noose fixed to the end of a fishing-rod, which I managed to slip over their head when they were feeding, and, by drawing * Number for January, 1834. 230 FRINGILLHXffl. it quickly towards the body, I easily secured them ; others I took with a limed twig, fixed in such a manner in the end of a rod that, on touching the bird, the twig quickly became disengaged, adhered to the feathers, rendered the wings useless, and caused the poor bird to fall perfectly helpless on the ground. In this manner, in windy weather, I have taken several from the same tree, without causing any suspicion of danger. On warm sunny days, after feed- ing a considerable time, they would suddenly take wing, and, after flying round for a short time, in full chorus, alight on some lofty tree in the neighbourhood of the plantations, warbling to each other in low pleasing strains. They would also fly from the trees occasionally for the purpose of drinking, their food being of so dry a nature. To captivity they were quickly reconciled, and soon became very familiar. As, at first, I was not aware what food would suit them, I fixed branches of the larch against the sides of the room in which I confined them, and threw them a quantity of the cones on the floor. I found that they not only closely searched the cones on the branches, but, in a few days, not one was left in the room that had not been pried into. I gave them canary and hemp-seed; but, thinking the cones were both amusement and employment, I continued to furnish them with a plentiful supply. I had about four dozen of them ; and frequently, whilst I have been in the room, they would fly down, seize a cone with their beak, carry it to a perch, quickly transfer it to their claws, and in a very short time empty it of its seeds, as I have very many times witnessed to my surprise and amusement." These accounts are most interesting, yet they are all equally defective in failing to describe the mode in which Buflbn's " useless deformity," the crossed bill, is employed in the work of splitting open a cone. This defect is supplied partially by Mr. Townson's description, quoted by Yarrell, and partly by the latter author in his own words. " Their mode of operation is thus : They first fix THE COMMON CROSSBILL. 231 themselves across the cone, then bring the points of the mandibles from their crossed or lateral position, to be im- mediately over each other. In this reduced compass they insinuate their beaks between the scales, and then, opening them not in the usual manner, but by drawing the inferior mandible sideways force open the scales." " At this stage," Yarrell proceeds to say, " the end of the tongue becomes necessary ; and this organ is no less admirably adapted for the service required. . . . While the points of the beak press the scale from the body of the cone, the tongue is enabled to direct and insert its cutting scoop underneath the seed, and the food thus dislodged is trans- ferred to the mouth; and when the mandibles are separated laterally in this operation, the bird has an uninterrupted view of the seed in the cavity with the eye on that side to which the under mandible is curved." The beak of the Crossbill then, far from being a defect in the organization of the bird, is a perfect implement always at its owner's command, faultless alike in design and execution, and exquisitely adapted to its work, not an easy one, of performing, by a single process, the office of splitting, opening, and securing the contents of a fir- cone, and he must be a bold man who could venture to suggest an improvement in its mechanism. It has been observed that young birds in the nest have not their mandibles crossed, and at this period such an arrangement would be useless, as they are dependent for food on the parent birds. It has also been observed that the side on which the upper mandible crosses the lower varies in different individuals ; in some it descends on the right side of the lower mandible, in others on the left. The bird appears to have no choice in the matter, but what- ever direction it takes at first, the same it always retains. The Crossbill is not believed to be generally a continuous resident in this country, though several instances are on record of its breeding with us. From the fact, too, that 232 FRINGILLHLE. young birds have often been observed imperfectly fledged, it may be surmised that such instances are not rare. Its nest, constructed of slender twigs of fir and coarse dry grass, and lined with fine grass and a few hairs, is concealed among the upper branches of a Scotch fir.* THE PAREOT CEOSSBILL. LOXIA PITYOPSITTACUS. Bill very stout, shorter than the middle toe ; point of the lower mandible not reaching so high as the ridge of the upper. Length seven inches. Eggs grey- ish white, marked at the larger end with large blood-red spots, the rest thinly speckled with the same colour. THIS bird, which resembles the Common Crossbill in colour and habits, frequents the Arctic regions, where the majority remain to breed. In summer it occasionally visits Prussia and Germany, resorting to the great pine- forests, and returning to the North at the approach of Spring. In France and Holland it is a yet rarer visitor, and in this country only a few specimens have been observed. THE WHITE-WINGED CEOSSBILL. LOXIA LEUCOPTERA. Bill longer than the middle toe ; upper mandible much compressed towards the tip ; plumage crimson, variegated with yellow ; tail black ; wings black, with two white bars. Length six and a quarter inches. Eggs white, marked with yellowish spots. THIS, like the last, is a northern bird, and of yet rarer occurrence in this country. In habits it resembles the Common Crossbill. * The name, " Sheldapple," supposed by Yarrell to be given to this bird on account of the habit ascribed to it of rifling the con- tents of apples, has reference perhaps to the varied tints of its plumage, as is undoubtedly the case with the Sheldrake, to be described hereafter. 233 THE BED-WINGED STABLING. AGELAlUS PH(ENICEUS. General plumage black ; bend of the wing red, lesser wing-coverts orange-yellow. Length nine inches. Eggs pale bluish white, spotted and streaked with dark brown. THE Red- winged Starling, or American Blackbird, is a rare straggler in this country. In the United States, where it congregates in enormous flocks, it commits serious ravages on the corn and rice crops, and in many of its habits resembles its European namesake. THE STABLING. STURNUS VULGARIS. Plumage black> with brilliant purple and green reflections, the upper feathers tipped with cream-colour ; under tail-coverts edged with white ; beak yellow ; feet flesh-colour, tinged with brown. Female spotted below as well as above. Young uniform ash-brown, without spots. Length eight and a half inches ; width fifteen inches. Eggs uniform pale greenish blue. THE Starling is a citizen of the world. From the North Cape to the Cape of Good Hope, and from Iceland to Kamtschatka, he is everywhere at home, and too familiar with the dealings of man to come within a dangerous distance of his arm, though he fully avails himself of all the advantages which human civilization offers, having discovered, long ago, that far more grubs and worms are to be procured on a newly-mown meadow than on the bare hill-side, and that the flavour of May-dukes and Coroons immeasurably excels that of the wild cherries in the wood. That dove-cots, holes in walls, and obsolete water-spouts are convenient resting-places for a nest, appears to be a traditional piece of knowledge, and that where sheep and oxen are kept, there savoury insects abound, is a fact generally known, and improved on 234 STURNID^E. accordingly. So, in suburban gardens, where even the Redbreast and Tits are unknown, Starlings are periodical visitors, and afford much amusement by their shambling gait, and industrious boring on the lawn for larvae in cherry orchards they are regarded with terror, on account of the amount of mischief they will accomplish in a short space of time ; and in the sheep-fold they are doubtless most cordially welcomed and their services thankfully received, THE STABLING. though there can be as little doubt that the visits are paid not for the benefit of the uncomfortable animals on whom they perch, but to indulge their own partiality for an occasional diet of ticks. The Starling is a handsome bird; seen at a distance it appears to be of a uniform black hue, but on closer inspec- tion its sable coat is found to be lustrous with reflections of THE STARLING. 235 purple and green, and every feather is tipped with white, or cream-colour a mantle of shot-silk garnished with pearls. Except during the nesting season, a Starling is rarely seen alone ; most commonly perhaps they are observed in parties of from six to twelve, hunting in orchards or meadows for whichsoever article of their diet happens to be in season. Wherever a colony of Eooks, Jackdaws, or Eock Pigeons has established itself, there most probably, or somewhere in the neighbourhood, a large party will assemble to roost, and will attend the others on all their foraging expeditions. In spring the flocks, small and great, break up into pairs, each withdrawing to a convenient nesting place, which is sometimes a hole in a tree, sometimes a building, a clifij or a cave. The nest itself is a simple structure, being composed of dry grass and roots, and contains generally five eggs. At this season the male bird adds to the chirping and twittering notes of both sexes, a soft and not unmusical note, which resembles more closely than any other sound with which I am ac- quainted the piping of a boatswain's whistle, and it is not uncommon to hear a party of choristers thus engaged, perched meanwhile on some high tree, even while incuba- tion is going on. The breeding season over, they become nomad in their habits. Many families unite into a flock, and explore the country far and wide for suitable feeding places, their diet being, up to this time, exclusively worms and insects. But no sooner does the fruit begin to ripen in the cherry districts, than the flocks, now assembled in countless multitudes, descend on the trees, and, if not observed and scared away, appropriate the whole crop. Newly-fledged Starlings are so different from their parents, that they might be mistaken; and indeed have been described by Montagu, Bewick, Knapp, and others, under the name of the Solitary Thrush. The plumage is of a uniform greyish brown, lighter beneath. It is not till the end of July or the beginning of August that the adult 236 STURNID/E. plumage begins to show itself, and then the young birds present a singular appearance, as the glossy black feathers, tipped with pearl, appear in irregular patches on various parts of the body. Starlings do not usually roost near the scene of their depredations, but from this season and thence until late in autumn they repair, as if by some preconcerted scheme, to a rendezvous common to many detachments. A writer in the Zoologist states, that there were formerly, near Melbourne in Cambridgeshire, some large patches of reeds, which were rented at a certain annual sum, and which the tenant sold to builders to use in making plaster- floors and ceilings of rooms. Towards autumn, Starlings resorted to them in such numbers to roost, that unless scared away, they settled upon the reeds, broke them down and rendered them completely useless. It required a person to keep watch every evening for some time, and fire at them repeatedly with a gun as they were settling down; but as the spot was a favourite one, they showed considerable reluctance in quitting it. Similar accounts are to be found in most books on ornithology ; that given by Bishop Stanley in his familiar " History of Birds," is one of the most striking passages in his admirable little book, and though too long for quotation, is well worthy of perusal. THE EOSE-COLOUEED PASTOR PASTOR ROSEUS. Head crested ; crest and neck black, lustrous with violet reflections ; back and lower parts rose-colour ; wings and tail lustrous brown. Length eight inches. A VERY beautiful bird, partaking the characters of the Starlings and Crows. It is an inhabitant of Syria, Asia Minor, and Africa, where it is gregarious in its habits, and does much mischief to the grain crops. In Europe it is of uncommon occurrence. THE CHOUGH. FR^GILUS GRACULUS. Plumage black, with purple and green reflections ; beak and feet coral-red ; claws black. Length sixteen inches; width thirty-two inches. Eggs yellowish white, spotted with ash-grey and light brown. CONTINENTAL authors state that the bird which we call the Chough or Red-legged Crow frequents the highest moun- tain regions and the confines of perpetual snow, and that hence it is sometimes known by the name of " Jackdaw of the Alps." Like the rest of its tribe, it is omnivorous, and lives in societies, like the common Jackdaw and Eook, but rarely deserting, and then only when pressed by hunger, the place of its birth. With us it is never seen inland, confining itself to the rocky sea-coast, where it builds its nest in inaccessible cliffs, and leads the same kind of life with its sable relatives the Crows and Jack- daws, though it never ventures, as they do, far from its sea-side strongholds. The name Chough was probably in 238 CORVULE. ancient times used as a common appellation of all the members of the family Corvidse which have black plumage, this one being distinguished as the "Cornish Chough," from the rocky district which it frequented. The famous lines in " King Lear," " The Crows and Choughs that wing the midway air Show scarce so gross as beetles : " point probably to the Jackdaw, which is abundant on the rocky coast of Kent, where the Chough has not been observed, though there is a traditional account of a pair which many years ago escaped from confinement and bred there. By its flight it is scarcely to be distinguished from the Jackdaw ; but if it comes near enough to the observer to betray the vermilion colour of its legs, it may be known at once, and, seen on the ground, its long curved bill, and more slender form, sufficiently distinguish it from all others to which it assimilates in colour and size. JSTot many years since, the Chough was far from un- common in several parts of the coast of Devon and Cornwall. It is now much less frequent, though it still lingers about the Lizard in the latter county, and is said to breed in the high cliffs near Combe Martin in Devonshire, in both of which places I have often looked out sharply for it, but have never been quite satisfied that I have seen one. It is said also to haunt the precipitous coast of several other parts of Great Britain, and to be found also in many parts of Ireland, but always preferring the least frequented localities. The peculiar habits of a bird so uncommon and secluded are little known, so far at least as they are characteristic of the bird in its wild state. In captivity its ways differ little from those of the rest of its tribe. It is inquisitive, intrusive, captious in temper, disposed to become attached to those who treat it well, fond of attracting notice ; in a word, it surpasses in intelli- gence most other tribes of birds, ranking among those THE CHOUGH. 239 members of the brute creation whose instinct amounts to something more than a formal compliance with certain laws which the rational creation has arbitrarily set down for their government. In mountainous districts, its food probably consists mainly of berries ; on our sea-coast, where such fare is of rare occurrence, insects and the rejectamenta of the sea-shore enter largely into its diet. It builds its nest of sticks, and lines it with wool and hair, preferring a cleft in a rock, but not refusing any old ruin conveniently situated for its purpose. It lays four or five eggs. THE RAVEN. CORVUS CORAX. Plumage black with purple reflections; tail rounded, black, extending two inches beyond the closed wings ; beak strong, black as weU as the feet ; iris with two circles, the inner grey, the outer ash-brown. Length twenty-five inches ; width four feet. Eggs dirty green, spotted and speckled with brown. THE Eaven, the largest of the Corvidse, and possessing in an eminent degree all the characteristics of its tribe except sociability, is the bird which beyond all others has been regarded with feelings of awe by the superstitious in all ages. In both instances in which specific mention of it occurs in Holy Writ, it is singled out from among other birds as gifted with a mysterious intelligence. Sent forth by Noah when the ark rested on the mountains or Ararat, it found a congenial home among the lonely crags strewed with the carcases of drowned animals, and by failing to return, announced to the patriarch that a portion of the earth, though not one fit for his immediate habitation, was uncovered by the waters. At a subsequent period, honoured with the mission of supplying the persecuted prophet with food, it was taught to suppress its voracious instinct by the God who gave it. The Raven figures prominently in most heathen mythologies, and is almost everywhere regarded' 240 CORVID^E. with awe by the ignorant even at the present time. In Scandinavian mythology it was an important actor ; and all readers of Shakespeare mnst be familiar with passages t i THE RAVEN. which prove it to have been regarded as a bird of dire omen. " The sad presaging Raven tolls The sick man's passport in her hollow beak, And in the shadow of the silent night Doth shake contagion from her sable wing." Marlowe. In the judgment of others, its friendly mission to the Tish- bite invested it with a sanctity which preserved it from molestation. THE RAVEN. 241 Apart from all traditional belief, the Raven derives its ill-omened character as a herald of death from the rapidity with which it discerns, in the vicinity of its haunts, the carcase of any dead animal. In the coldest winter days, at Hudson's Bay, when every kind of effluvium is greatly checked if not arrested by frost, buffaloes and other beasts have been killed when not one of these birds was to be seen ; but in a few hours scores of them have been found collected about the spot to pick up the blood and offal. "In Ravens/' says a writer in the Zoologist* "the senses of smell and sight are remarkably acute and power- ful. Perched usually on some tall cliff that commands a wide survey, these faculties are in constant and rapid exercise, and all the movements of the bird are regulated in accordance with the information thus procured. The smell of death is so grateful to them that they utter a loud croak of satisfaction instantly on perceiving it. In passing any sheep, if a tainted smell is perceptible, they cry vehe- mently. From this propensity in the Raven to announce his satisfaction in the smell of death has probably arisen the common notion that he is aware of its approach among the human race, and foretells it by his croakings." The same observant author, as quoted by Macgillivray,t says again : " Their sight and smell are very acute, for when they are searching the wastes for provision, they hover over them at a great height ; and yet a sheep will not be dead many minutes before they will find it. Nay, if a morbid smell transpire from any in the flock, they will watch it for days till it die." To such repasts they are guided more by scent than by sight, for though they not unfrequently ascend to a great height in the air, they do not then appear to be on the look- out for food. This duty is performed more conveniently and with greater success by beating over the ground at a low * Vol. L p. 215. t British Birds, vol. i. p. 510. R 242 COETLDM. elevation. In these expeditions they do not confine them- selves to carrion, but prey indiscriminately on all animals which they are quick enough to capture and strong enough to master. Hares, rabbits, rats, mice, lizards, game of various kinds, eggs, and the larger insects, all of these enter into their diet, and, wanting these, they resort to the sea-shore for refuse fish, or ransack dunghills in villages, before the inhabitants are astir, for garbage of all sorts. Pliny even relates that in a certain district of Asia Minor they were trained to hawk for game like the noble Falcons. Few of these qualifications tend to endear them to mankind ; and as they are dreaded by shepherds on account of their being perhaps more than suspected of making away with sickly lambs when occasion offers, and of plundering poultry -yards, Eavens are become, in popu- lous districts, almost unknown birds. I have only seen them myself on the rocky sea-shore of Devon and Cornwall, in the wilds of Dartmoor, and the Highlands of Scotland. There was for many successive years a nest built on a ledge of granite near the Bishop Rock, in Cornwall, a huge mass of sticks and what appeared to be grass, inaccessible from below, but commanded by a venturous climber from above. Where it still continues to breed inland, it places its nest, constructed of sticks and lined with the wool and fur of its victims, either on an inaccessible rock, or near the summit of a lofty tree, the ill-omened "Raven-tree" of romances. In the north of Scotland, in the Orkneys and Hebrides, where it is still abundant, it builds its nest in cliffs which it judges be inaccessible, both inland and on the sea-shore, showing no marked preference for either. Two pair never frequent the same locality, nor is any other bird of prey permitted to establish itself in their vicinity. Even the Eagle treats the Raven with respect, and leaves it to its solitude, not so much from fear of its prowess, as worn out by its pertinacious resistance of all dangerous intruders. Hence, in some districts, shepherds encourage Ravens, THE RAVEN. 243 because they serve as a repellant to Eagles ; while in others, where Eagles are of unusual occurrence, they allow them to build their nests undisturbed, but when the young are almost fledged, destroy them by throwing stones at them from above. Nevertheless the original pair continues to haunt the same locality for an indefinite term of years, and it is not a little singular that if one of them be killed, the survivor will find a mate in an incredibly short space of time. The geographical range of the Eaven is very exten- sive. Throughout all the zones of the Northern Hemi- sphere it is to be found ; and having this wide range, its physical constitution is strong, and it lives to a great age, amounting, as the ancients tell us, to twenty-seven times the period of a man's life. The note of the Eaven is well described by the word " croak" but it is said by those who have had the opportunity of observing it under various circumstances, to utter another sound, resembling the word " ivhii-ur" With this cry it very commonly intermixes another, sounding like " dung" uttered very much as by a human voice, only a little wilder in the sound. From the cry " croak " the Eaven no doubt derives its Latin name " Corvus," the French " Corbeau," and its common Scotch appellation " Corbie." THE CAEEION CEOW. CORVUS CORONA. Black, with green and violet reflections ; tail slightly rounded, extending an inch and a quarter beyond the closed wings ; iris dark hazel ; lower part of the beak covered with bristly feathers ; beak and feet black. Length nineteen inches ; breadth three feet. Eggs bluish green, spotted and speckled with ash-grey and olive. BREEDING early in the year, like the Eaven, the Carrion Crow builds its nest in some tree which, from its lofti- ness or other reason, is difficult of ascent, where its young ones are hatched about the time that most other R 2 244 CORVIDjE. birds are laying their eggs, and when. the lambing season is at its height. Then, too, its habits are most fully developed. Its young are clamorous for food, and will not be satisfied with a little. So the old bird sallies forth to scour the districts least frequented by man,, and makes every living thing its prey, provided that by force or cunning it can overpower it. If Grouse are plentiful, it is said that one pair, what with stealing .the eggs and THE CARRION CROW. carrying off the young, will in a season destroy more of them than the keenest sportsman. It will pounce on the leveret and bear it screaming from the side of its mother. It watches sheep which have strayed from the fold, and mangles the newly-born lambs, and even the ewes themselves, carrying them piecemeal to the young ones at home. If mowers are at work, the wary birds alight on some lofty tree, taking care to keep at a safe THE CARKION CROW. 245 distance, and when a nest has been laid bare by the scythe, their incredibly sharp eye discerns the prize which, whether it consist of eggs or callow young, is borne off in triumph. Lest their depredations should be discovered by the accu- mulation of egg-shells, feathers and bones, which are the natural consequence of these raids, they carefully carry to some distance everything that would tend to betray them, so that one might pass directly beneath the scene of these enormities unsuspicious of the evil existing overhead. Keen as this bird is in pursuit of such delicate fare, he can be, when occasion serves, as unclean a feeder as the Vulture, and he can, on the other hand, make a meal off corn. Mr. Knox states that in the Weald of Sussex, where the Eaven is common, it resorts to the brooks and ponds, which abound in fresh-water muscles (Anodon), and feeds on them most voraciously, especially after floods, when they lie scattered on the mud. The same author states that in winter it resorts to the sea-shore, and feeds on the oysters, muscles, small crabs, marine insects, worms, and dead fish which are cast up by the waves during the prevalent south-westerly storms. It has been frequently observed, he adds, to ascend to a great height in the air with an oyster in its claws, and after letting it fall on the beach, to descend rapidly with closed pinions and devour the contents. A similar instance of apparent reasoning is recorded of the same bird by Pliny, but with the substitution of walnuts for oysters. With such wandering habits, it seems at first sight strange that the phrase " as the Crow flies " should be adopted to mark distances in a straight line across the open country ; yet when it is borne in mind how many persons confound the Crow with the Eook, and even talk of the " Crows in a rookery," the suggestion will at once occur to the mind that the term owed its origin to its far gentler and more respectable relation, the Eook, whose evening flights from the feeding ground are among the most familiar sights of the country, and are invariably performed in a line so 246 CORVID.E. straight, that if a whole flock could be tracked through the air on any one evening it would be found scarcely to deviate from that of the preceding or the following. It is to be feared that this inaccurate application of names has done the Eook ill service ; yet the two birds are totally distinct. Crows are solitary birds, rarely being seen in more than pairs together ; Eooks are eminently sociable. Crows shun the haunts of men : Eooks court the vicinity of his dwellings. Crows are carnivorous ; Eooks feed principally on the grubs of beetles, worms, and noxious insects, reward- ing themselves occasionally for their services by regaling on corn and fruits, but rarely touching carrion or molesting living animals. In appearance the two birds are much alike ; the Crow, however, is somewhat smaller, the beak is stouter at the point and encircled at the base with numerous short feathers, while the bill of the Eook is encroached on by a white membrane which is almost bare of feathers. Both are noted for their intelligence ; the Crow has been known to remove its eggs from its nest when apprehensive of danger ; it was held in high con- sideration in the days of augury, and certain of its move- ments were considered to be indicative of changes in the weather. It builds its nest of sticks, and lines it with moss, straw, hair, and wool, and lays from four to six eggs. Like the Eaven, it is a widely-diffused bird, and attains a great age, outliving (the ancients said) nine generations of men, showing great attachment to any spot in which it has once fixed its home, and suffering neither its own progeny nor any other large birds to nestle in its vicinity. THE HOODED CEOW. CORVUS CORNIX. Head, throat, wings, and tail black, the rest of the plumage ash-grey; tail rounded; beak and feet black; iris brown. Length nineteen and a half inches ; breadth three feet two inches. Eggs bluish green, mottled with ash- grey and olive. THE Hooded Crow closely resembles the Carrion Crow, scarcely differing from it in fact except in colour. They are however perfectly distinct species, and for the most part exercise their calling in separate haunts. In Norway Hooded Crows are very abundant, to the almost total exclu- sion of the Carrion Crow and Kook, and, though not con- gregating so as to form a society like the last-named bird, they may be seen simultaneously employed in searching for food in groups which collectively amount to a hundred or more. They do not appear to be constant residents in 248 COKVID^E. any part of England ; for though numerous in the winter at Newmarket Heath and Royston (whence they are some- times called Eoyston Crows), and annually resorting to many parts of the sea-coast, they rarely breed so far south. In the Orkneys, Hebrides, and in all but the south of Scotland they are of more frequent occurrence than any other of the tribe, essentially belonging to the " Land of the mountain and the flood." One can scarcely traverse the shores of the salt-water lochs of Scotland without seeing a pair, or, in the latter part of the year, a small party of four or five of these birds, gravely pacing the shingle and sand in quest of food. As far as my own experience goes, I should consider the Hooded Crow as " half sea-bird," but it is said to be met with, in summer, in the very centre of the Grampians and other inland districts. Its diet consists of the smaller marine animals, such as crabs, echini, and mollusks, alive or dead, fish and carrion. At high water it retires inland, and skulks about the low grounds in quest of the eggs and young of Moor- fowl, thereby gaining the execrations of gamekeepers ; takes a survey of any adjacent sheepwalks, on the chance of falling in with a new-born lamb, or sickly ewe, whence it has but an ill name among shepherds ; and returns when the tide has well ebbed, to finish the day's repast on food of a nature light and easy of digestion. It is less wary of man than the Carrion Crow, and often comes within shot, but, being far too numerous to admit of being exterminated, is but little assailed. In the comparatively mild climate of the Scottish sea-coast, these birds find an abundant supply of food all the year round, and as there is no sensible diminution of their numbers in winter, it is supposed that those which frequent the English coast from October to March have been driven southwards by the inclement winters of high latitudes. They are then frequently observed on the coast of Norfolk and Sussex in parties of thirty or more, and it has been remarked that the hunting THE HOODED CROW. 249 grounds of the two species are defined by singularly precise limits, the neighbourhood of Chichester being frequented by the Carrion Crow, that of Brighton by its congener. It is abundant on the sea-coast of Norfolk in the winter, where I have seen it feeding with Gulls, Plovers, &c. In musical capabilities it is inferior even to its relative, its solitary croak being neither so loud nor so clear. The nest of the Hooded Crow, according to Macgillivray, is "large, composed of twigs, sea-weeds, heath, feathers and straws, and is always placed on a rock." It usually contains five THE ROOK. CORVUS FRUGILEGUS. Plumage black, with purple and violet reflections ; base of the beak, nostrils, and region round the beak bare of feathers and covered with a white scurf; iris greyish white ; beak and feet black. Length eighteen inches ; breadth three feet. Eggs pale green, thickly blotched with olive and dark brown. As the Hooded Crow is essentially the type of the Corvidse in Scandinavia and the Isles of Scotland, where the Carrion Crow and Eook are all but unknown, so in England the representative of the tribe is the Rook, a bird so like the Crow that it is called by its name almost as frequently as by its own, yet so different in habits that, instead of being under a perpetual and universal ban, it is everywhere encouraged and indeed all but domesticated. There are few English parks that do not boast of their rookery, and few proprietors of modern demesnes pretending to be parks, who would not purchase at a high price the air of antiquity and respectability connected with an established colony of these birds. Owing to their large size and the familiarity with which they approach the haunts of men, they afford a facility in observing their habits which belongs to no other birds ; hence all treatises on Natural History, and other publications which enter into the details 250 CORVID^E. of country life in England, abound in anecdotes of the Rook. Its intelligence, instinctive appreciation of danger, voracity, its utility or the reverse, its nesting, its morning repasts and its evening nights, have all been observed and more or less faithfully recorded again and again ; so that its biography is better known than that of any other British bird. It would be no difficult task to compile from these materials a good-sized volume, yet I doubt not that enough remains untold, or at least not sufficiently authenticated, to furnish a fair field of inquiry to any com- petent person who would undertake to devote his whole attention to this one bird for a considerable period of time. Such a biographer should make himself master of all that has been recorded by various authorities, and should THE ROOK. 251 then visit a large number of rookeries in all parts of the kingdom, collecting and sifting evidence, making a series of personal observations, and spreading his researches over all seasons of the year. Such an inquiry, trivial though it may seem, would not be without utility, for the Book, though it has many friends, has also many enemies, and, being everywhere abundant, its agency for good or evil must have serious results. The following account being imperfect from want of space, the reader who wishes to know more about this interesting bird, must refer to our standard works on Ornithology, and, above all, record and compare his own personal observations. In the early spring months Eooks subsist principally on the larvae and worms turned up by the plough, and with- out gainsay they are then exceedingly serviceable to the agriculturist, by destroying a vast quantity of noxious insects which, at this period of their growth, feed on the leaves or roots of cultivated vegetables. Experience has taught them that the ploughman either has not the power or the desire to molest them ; they therefore approach the plough with perfect fearlessness, and show much rivalry in their efforts to be first to secure the treasures just turned up. During the various processes to which the ground is subjected in preparation for the crop, they repeat their visits, spreading more widely over the field, and not only pick up the grubs which lie on the surface, but bore for such as, by certain signs best known to themselves, lie concealed. I need not say that in all these stages the wisdom of the farmer is to offer them every inducement to remain; all that they ask is to be let alone. Not so, however, when the seed-crop is sown. Grain, pulse, and potatoes are favourite articles of diet with them, and they will not fail to attack these as vigorously as they did the grubs a few days before. They are therefore undeniably destructive at this season, and all available means should be adopted to deter them from alighting on cultivated 252 ground. About the second week in March they desert the winter roosting places, to which they had nightly con- gregated in enormous flocks, leave off their wandering habits, and repair as if by common consent to their old breeding places. Here, with much cawing and bustling, they survey the ruins of their old nests, or select sites for new ones, being guided by their instinct to avoid all those trees the upper branches of which are too brittle for their purpose, either because the trees are sickly or in an in- cipient state of decay. Hence, when it has occasionally happened that a nestless tree in a rookery has been blown down, the birds have been saluted as prophets, while in reality the tree yielded to the blast before its fellows because it was unsound, the Eooks knowing nothing about the matter, except that signs of decay had set in among the upper twigs while as yet all seemed solid beneath. How the birds squabble about their nests, how they punish those thievishly disposed, how they drive away intruders from strange rookeries, how scrupulously they avoid, during building, to pick up a stick that has chanced to drop, how the male bird during incubation feeds his mate with the most luscious grubs brought home in the baggy pouch at the base of his bill, how every time that a bird caws while perched he strains his whole body forward and expands his wings with the effort, all these things, and many more, I must pass over without further notice, leaving them to be verified by the reader with the help of a spy-glass, or, what is far better, a good double opera-glass. I must, however, mention, in passing, the custom so generally adopted by sportsmen, of shooting the young birds as soon as they are sufficiently fledged to climb from their nests to the ad- joining twigs, or to perform their first tentative flight over the summits of the trees. It may be necessary to keep down their numbers, and Rook pie may be a dainty dish ; but I should be glad if some other means could be devised of destroying supernumeraries. I have, however, little THE ROOK. 253 doubt that Rooks during the whole of their lives associate the memory of these battues with the appearance of a man armed with a gun. Many people believe that Eooks know the smell of powder ; they have good reason to know it ; but that they are as much alarmed at the sight of a stick as a gun in the hand of a man, may be proved by any one who, chancing to pass near a flock feeding on the ground, suddenly raises a stick. They will instantly fly off, evi- dently in great alarm. While the young are being reared, the parent birds fre- quent corn-fields and meadows, where they search about for those plants which indicate the presence of a grub at the root. Such they unscrupulously uproot, and make a prize of the destroyer concealed beneath. They are much ma- ligned for this practice, but without reason ; for, admitting that they kill the plant as well as the grub, it must be borne in mind that several of the grubs on which they feed (Melolontha and Tipula) live for several years under- ground, and that, during that period, they would, if left undisturbed, have committed great ravages. I have known a large portion of a bed of lettuces destroyed by a single grub of Melolontha, having actually traced its passage un- derground from root to root, and found it devouring the roots of one which appeared as yet unhurt. Clearly, a Rook would have done me a service by uprooting the first lettuce, and capturing its destroyer. I must here advert to a peculiar characteristic of the Rook which distinguishes it specifically from the Crow. The skin surrounding the base of the bill, and covering the upper part of the throat, is, in the adult birds, de- nuded of feathers. Connected with this subject many lengthy arguments have been proposed in support of two distinct opinions : one, that the bareness above mentioned is occasioned by the repeated borings of the bird for its food ; the other, that the feathers fall off naturally at the first moult, and are never replaced. I am inclined to the 254 CORVID^E. latter view, and that for two reasons : first, if it be necessary (and that is not at all clear) that the Eook, in order to supply itself with food, should have no feathers at the base of its bill, I believe that nature would not have resorted to so clumsy a contrivance, and one so annoying to the bird, as that of wearing them away bit by bit; and, secondly, the bare spot is, as far as I have observed, of the same size and shape in all birds, and at all periods of the year, a uniformity which can scarcely be the result of digging in soils of various kinds, and at all seasons. I cannot, therefore, but think that the appearance in ques- tion is the result of a law in the natural economy of the bird, that the feathers are not rubbed off, but fall off, and that they are not renewed, because nature never intended that they should grow there permanently ; if not, why is there no similar abrasion in the Crow? The number of lambs eaten by Crows is very small after all, and birds' eggs are not always in season, nor is carrion so very abundant ; so that, during a great portion of the year, even Crows must dig for their livelihood, and the great distinction between a Crow and a Eook is, that the former has actually no bare space at the base of his bill. But the question is still open, and the reader may make his own observations, which, in Natural History, as well as in many other things, are far better than other people's theories. In very dry summer weather, Rooks are put to great shifts in obtaining food. Grubs and worms descend to a great depth to get beyond the influence of the drought, and the soil is too parched and hard for digging; they then retire to the sea-shore, to marshes, fresh-water and salt, to cabbage and potato gardens, and in the last-named localities they are again disposed to become marauders. To fruit gardens they are rarely permitted to resort, or they would commit great ravages. As the season advances, ripe walnuts are a very powerful attraction, and when they have discovered a tree well supplied with fruit, a race ensues THE BOOK. 255 between them and the proprietor as to which shall appro- priate the greater share, so slily do they watch for oppor- tunities, and so quick are they in gathering them and carrying them off in their beaks. In long winter frosts, or when the ground is covered with snow, they are again reduced to straits. Some resort to the sea-shore and feed on garbage of all kinds, some to turnip-fields where they dig holes in the bulbs. They have also been observed to chase and kill small birds, which, as near starvation as themselves, have been unable to fly beyond their reach, and I have even seen a Eook catch a small fish. I must not conclude this imperfect sketch without noticing a peculiar habit of Rooks, which is said to portend rain. A flock will suddenly rise into the air almost per- pendicularly, with great cawing and curious antics, until they have reached a great elevation, and then, having attained their object, whatever that may be, drop with their wings almost folded till within a short distance of the ground, when they recover their propriety, and alight either on trees or on the ground with their customary grave demeanour. Occasionally in autumn, as White of Selborne remarks, Sooth' d by the genial warmth, the cawing Rook Anticipates the spring, selects her mate, Haunts her tall nests, and with sedulous care Repairs her wicker eyrie, tempest torn. Similar instances of this unseasonable pairing are recorded by modern ornithologists. Efforts are sometimes made, and not always unsuccess- fully, to induce Rooks to establish a colony in a new locality. One plan is to place some eggs taken from a Rook's nest in that of some large bird which has happened to build in the desired spot, that of a Crow for instance, a Magpie, Jackdaw, Jay, or perhaps a Missel- thrush. If the young are reared, it is probable that they will return to 256 CORVID^E. breed in the same place in the following year. Another plan which has been tried with success is to place several bundles of sticks, arranged in the form of nests, among the highest branches of the trees which it is desired to colonize. Stray Rooks in quest of a settlement, mistaking these for ruins of old nests, accept the invitation and establish themselves if the locality suits them in other respects. THE JACKDAW. CORVUS MON^DULA. Crown of the head and upper parts black, with violet reflections ; back of the head and nape grey ; lower parts duller black ; iris white ; beak and feet black. Length thirteen inches; breadth twenty-seven inches. Eggs very light blue, with scattered spots of ash-colour and dark brown THIS lively and active bird, inferior in size as well as dignity to the Rook, yet in many respects resembles it so closely that it might be fabled to have made the Rook its model, and to have exercised its imitative powers in the effort to become the object of its admiration. A vain effort, however ; for nature has given to it a slender form, a shriller voice, a partially grey mantle, and an instinct which compels it to be secretive even in the placing of its nest. Its note, which may be represented either by the syllable "jack" or "daw," according to the fancy of the human imitator, sounds like an imper- tinent attempt to burlesque the full "caw" of the Rook ; it affects to be admitted into the society of that bird on equal terms ; but whether encouraged as a friend, or tolerated as a parasite whom it is less troublesome to treat with indifference than to chase away, is difficult to decide. Most probably the latter; for although it is common enough to see a party of Jackdaws dancing attendance on a flock of Rooks, accompanying them to their feeding-grounds, and nestling in hollow trunks of THE JACKDAW. 257 trees in close proximity to rookeries, they are neither courted nor persecuted ; they come when they like and go away when they please. On the other hand, no one, I believe, ever saw a flock of Eooks making the first advances towards an intimacy with a flock of Jackdaws, or heard of their condescending to colonize a grove, because their grey-headed relatives were located in the neighbour- hood. On the sea- coast, where Rooks are only casual THE JACKDAW. visitors, the Jackdaw has no opportunity of hanging himself on as an appendage to a rookery, but even here he must- be a client. With the choice of a long range of cliff" before him, he avoids that which he might have all to himself, and selects a portion which, either because it is sheltered from storms, or inaccessible by climbers, has been already appropriated by Sea-mews. The object of the Jackdaw in making church-towers its 258 COKVID^E. resort is pretty evident. Where there is a church there is at least also a village, and where men and domestic animals congregate, there the Jackdaw fails not to find food ; grubs in the fields, fruit in the orchards, and garbage of all kinds in the waste ground. Here, too, it has a field for exercising its singular acquisitiveness. Wonderful is the variety of objects which it accumulates in its museum of a nest, which, professedly a complication of sticks, may comprise also a few dozen labels stolen from a Botanic Garden, an old tooth-brush, a child's cap, part of a worsted stocking, a frill, &c. Waterton,* who strongly defends it from the charge of molesting either the eggs or young of pigeons, professes himself unable to account for its pertinacious habit of collecting sticks for a nest placed where no such support is seemingly necessary, and, cunning though it is, comments on its want of adroitness in introducing sticks into its hole : " You may see the Jackdaw," he says, "trying for a quarter of an hour to get a stick into the hole, while every attempt will be futile, because, the bird having laid hold of it by the middle, it is necessarily thrown at right angles with the body, and the Daw cannot perceive that the stick ought to be nearly parallel with its body before it can be conveyed into the hole. Fatigued at length with repeated efforts, and completely foiled in its numberless attempts to introduce the stick, it lets it fall to the ground, and immediately goes in quest of another, probably to ex- perience another disappointment on its return. When time and chance have enabled it to place a quantity of sticks at the bottom of the hole, it then goes to seek for materials of a more pliant and a softer nature." These are usually straw, wool, and feathers ; but, as we have seen, nothing comes amiss that catches its fancy. In addition to rocks, towers, and hollow trees, it sometimes places its nest in chimneys or in rabbit-burrows, but * " Essays on Natural History," First Series, p. 109. THE JACKDAW. 259 never, or in the rarest instances, among the open boughs of a tree. It lays from four to six eggs, and feeds its young on worms and insects, which it brings home in the pouch formed 'by the loose skin at the base of its beak. When domesticated, its droll trickeries and capability of imitating the human voice and other sounds are well known. By turns affectionate, quarrelsome, impudent, confiding, it is always inquisitive, destructive, and given to purloining ; so that however popular at first as a pet, it usually terminates its career by some unregretted acci- dent, or is consigned to captivity in a wicker cage. THE MAGPIE. PICA CAUDATA. Head, throat, neck, and back velvet-black ; scapulars and under plumage white ; tail much graduated and, as well as the wings, black, with lustrous blue and bronze reflections ; beak, iris, and feet black. Length eighteen inches ; breadth twenty-three inches. Eggs pale dirty green, spotted all over with ash-grey and olive-brown. THE Magpie, like the Crow, labours under the dis- advantage of an ill name, and in consequence incurs no small amount of persecution. Owing to the dispro- portionate length of its tail and shortness of its wings its flight is somewhat heavy, so that if it were not cunning and wary to a remarkable degree, it would pro- bably well-nigh disappear from the catalogue of British Birds. Yet though it is spared by none except avowed preservers of all birds (like Waterton, who protects it "on account of its having nobody to stand up for it"), it con- tinues to be a bird of general occurrence, and there seems indeed to be but little if any diminution of its numbers. Its nest is usually constructed among the upper branches of a lofty tree, either in a hedge-row or deep in a wood ; or if it has fixed its abode in an un wooded district, it selects the thickest thorn-bush in the neighbourhood and there 260 erects its castle. This is composed of an outwork of thorns and briers supporting a mass of twigs and mud, which is succeeded by a layer of fibrous roots. The whole is not only fenced round but arched over with thorny sticks, an aperture being left, on one side only, large enough to admit the bird. In this stronghold are deposited generally six eggs, which in due time are succeeded by as many young ogres, who are to be reared to birds by an unstinted supply THE MAGPIE of the most generous diet Even before their appearance the old birds have committed no small havoc in the neigh- bourhood ; now, however, that four times as many mouths have to be filled, the hunting ground must either be more closely searched or greatly extended. Any one who has had an opportunity of watching the habits of a tame Magpie, must have observed its extreme inquisitiveness and skill in discovering what was intended to be concealed, THE MAGPIE. 261 joined, moreover, to an unscrupulous habit of purloining everything that takes its roving fancy. Even when sur- rounded by plenty and pampered with delicacies it prefers a stolen morsel to what is legally its own. Little wonder then that when it has to hunt on its own account for the necessaries of life, and is stimulated besides by the cravings of its hungry brood, it has gained an unenviable notoriety as a prowling bandit. In the harrying of birds' nests no schoolboy can compete with it ; Partridges and Pheasants are watched to their retreat and plundered mer- cilessly of their eggs and young ; the smaller birds are treated in like manner ; hares and rabbits, if they suffer themselves to be surprised, have their eyes picked out and are torn to pieces ; rats, mice, and frogs are a lawful prey ; carrion, offal of all kinds, snails, worms, grubs, and cater- pillars, each in turn pleasantly vary the diet and, when in season, grain and fruit are attacked with as much audacity as is consistent with safety ; and might, whenever available, gives a right to stray chickens and ducklings. The young birds, nurtured in an impregnable stronghold, and familiarized from their earliest days with plunder, having no song to learn save the note of caution and alarm when danger is near, soon become adepts in the arts of their parents, and, before their first moult, are a set of inquisitive chattering marauders, wise enough to keep near the haunts of men because food is there most abundant, cautious never to come within reach of the fowling piece, and cunning enough to carry off the call-bird from the net without falling themselves into the snare. Even in capti- vity, with all their drollery, they are unamiable. Magpies, though generally distributed, are far more numerous in some districts than others. In Cornwall they are very abundant ; hence I have heard them called Cornish Pheasants. In Ireland they are said to be of comparatively recent introduction.* It is stated that they are in France * See Yarrell's "British Birds," vol. ii. p. 113. 262 COKVID^E. more abundant than in any other country of Europe, where they principally build their nests in poplar-trees, having discovered, it is said, "that the brittle nature of the boughs of this tree is an additional protection against climbers ! " " In Norway," says a writer in the Zoologist* " this bird, usually so shy in this country, and so difficult to approach within gunshot, seems to have entirely changed its nature : it is there the most domestic and fearless bird ; its nest is invariably placed in a small tree or bush adjoining some farm or cottage, and not unfrequently in the very midst of some straggling village. If there happens to be a suitable tree by the roadside and near a house, it is a very favour- able locality for a Norwegian Magpie's nest. I have often wondered to see the confidence and fearlessness displayed by this bird in Norway ; he will only just move out of your horse's way as you drive by him on the road, and should he be perched on a rail by the roadside he will only stare at you as you rattle by, but never think of moving off. It is very pleasant to see this absence of fear of man in Norwegian birds ; a Norwegian would never think of terrifying a bird for the sake of sport ; whilst, I fear, to see such a bird as "the Magpie sitting quietly on a rail within a few feet, would be to an English boy a temp- tation for assault which he could not resist. I must add, however, with regard to Magpies, that there is a super- stitious prejudice for them current throughout Norway : they are considered harbingers of good luck, and are con- sequently always invited to preside over the house ; and, when they have taken up their abode in the nearest tree, are defended from all ill ; and he who should maltreat the Magpie has perhaps driven off the genius loci, and so may expect the most furious anger of the neighbouring dwelling, whose good fortune he has thus violently dispersed." Faith in the prophetic powers of the Magpie even yet lingers in many of the rural districts of England also. *Vol. viii. p. 3085. THE JAY. GARRULUS GLANDARIUS. Feathers of the crest greyish white, streaked with black ; a black moustache from the corners of the beak ; general plumage reddish grey, darker above ; primaries dingy black ; secondaries velvet-black and pure white ; inner tertials rich chestnut; winglet and greater coverts barred with black, white, and bright blue ; upper and under tail-coverts pure white ; iris bright blue ; beak black ; feet livid brown. Length thirteen and a half inches ; breadth twenty- two inches. Eggs dull green, minutely and thickly speckled with olive-brown. THERE exists among gamekeepers a custom of selecting a certain spot in preserved woods, and there suspending, as trophies of their skill and watchfulness, the bodies of such destructive animals as they have killed in the pursuit of their calling. They are generally those of a few stoats or weasels, a Hawk, a Magpie, a cat, and two or three Jays. All these animals are judged to be destructive to game, and are accordingly hunted to the death, the Jay, perhaps, with less reason than the rest, for though it can hardly resist the temptation of plundering, either of eggs or young, any nest, whether of Partridge or Pheasant, that 264 CORVID^E. falls in its way, yet it does not subsist entirely upon animal food, but also upon acorns and various other wild fruits. The prevailing fashion among ladies of wearing in their hats the wings of ornamental birds, has given a stimulus to the ardour with which Jays are sought out. Nevertheless, owing to their cautious and wary habits, there are few wooded districts in which they are not more or less numerous. Their jarring unconnected note, which characterizes them at all seasons, is in spring and summer varied by their song proper, in which I have never been able to detect anything more melodious than an accurate imitation of the noise made by sawyers at work, though Montagu states that "it will, sometimes, in the spring utter a sort of song in a soft and pleasing manner, but so low as not to be heard at any distance ; and at intervals introduces the bleating of a lamb, mewing of a cat, the note of a Kite or Buzzard, hooting of an Owl, or even neighing of a horse. These imitations are so exact, even in a natural wild state, that we have frequently been deceived." The Jay generally builds its nest in a wood, either in the top of a low tree, or against the trunk of a lofty one, employing as material small sticks, roots, and dry grass, and lays five eggs. There seems to be a difference of opinion as to the sociability of the family party after the young are fledged, some writers stating that they separate by mutual consent, and that each shifts for itself; others, that the young brood remains with the old birds all the winter. For my own part, I scarcely recollect ever having seen a solitary Jay, or to have heard a note which was not immediately responded to by another bird of the same species, the inference from which is that, though not gregarious, they are at least social. When domesticated, the Jay displays considerable in- telligence ; it is capable of attachment, and learns to distinguish the hand and voice of its benefactor, accom- THE JAY. 265 panying him in his walks, making occasionally short ex- cursions on its own account, but returning home to roost. Education, however, does not alter its thievish nature, which appears in its fondness for purloining and secreting pens, knitting needles, and trinkets of all kinds. It will learn to imitate any noise that it hears frequently, the bark of a dog, the neigh of a horse, the call of chickens to be fed, and even a tune on a flageolet, modulating its harsh cry into a soft whistling. It may be taught, too, to imitate the human voice, and will catch, not merely the words, but the tone of voice in which they are uttered, holding an imaginary conversation between a child and an adult. There is little difference between the plumage of the male and female birds, both being equally marked by the brilliant blue of the wing-coverts. The male nestling may be distinguished from the female, so it is said, by having five or six of the feathers of the crest darker than in the other sex ; such a bird should therefore be selected for rearing in captivity. THE NUTCKACKEK. NUCfPRAGA CABYOCATACTES. Plumage sooty brown, spotted on the back and under parts with white ; tail black, barred with white at the extremity ; beak and feet horn-colour ; iris brown. Length thirteen inches. Eggs light buff, with a few greyish brown spots. THE Nutcracker Crow must not be confounded with the Nuthatch; the latter is a familiarly known little bird, whose skill in reaching the contents of hazel-nuts will come under our notice hereafter; the former is a large bird, as big as a Jay, which is only an occasional visitor in this country, and whose habits partake of those of the Crows and Woodpeckers. The propriety of its name is 266 MEROPID^E. questionable, according to Yarrell, who says that " it can- not crack nuts." Here perhaps there may be some little mistake. Its name is evidently a translation of the French Casse-noix. In England we mean by " nuts " fil- berts or hazel-nuts ; but the French word noix is applied exclusively to walnuts, our nuts being noisettes, or " little nuts ;" and French authors are agreed that its food consists of insects, fruits, and walnuts ; that is, the ordinary diet of its relative, the Eook, whose fondness for walnuts is notorious.* It lays its eggs in the holes of trees, and. except in the breeding season, is more or less gregarious in its habits. THE ROLLER. CORACIAS GARRULA. Head, neck, and under parts tinged with various shades of light blue, varied with green ; back and scapulars reddish brown ; tail blue, green, and black. Length twelve inches and a half. Eggs smooth shining white. ABOUT twenty specimens in all of this bird have been observed in England, the one of most recent occurrence being, I believe, one which was shot close to my garden, on the 20th of September, 1852. The winter home of the Roller is Africa, and it is said to be particularly abundant in Algeria. About the middle of April it crosses the Mediterranean, and seems to prefer the north of Europe to the south as a summer residence, being more abundant in Germany and the south of Russia than in France, though many proceed no further than Sicily and Greece. Its food consists mainly of caterpillars and other insects. The name Roller, being derived directly from the French Rollier, should be pronounced so as to rhyme with "dollar." * The Latin nvx, and Greek icdpvov, from which the systematic names of the bird are derived, point also to the walnut. 267 THE BEE-EATER MEROPS APIASTER. Forehead white, passing into bluish green ; upper plumage chestnut ; throat golden yellow, bounded by a black line ; wings variegated with blue, brown, and green ; tail greenish blue. Length eleven inches. Eggs glossy white. THIS bird, which, in brilliancy of plumage vies with the Humming-birds, possesses little claim to be ranked among soberly clad British birds. Stray parties are indeed met with from time to time, but at distant intervals. In the islands of the Mediterranean, and in the southern countries of Europe, they are common summer visitors, and in Asia Minor and the south of Eussia they are yet more frequent. They are gregarious in habits, having been observed, both in Europe, their summer, and in Africa, their winter resi- dence, to perch together on the branches of trees in small flocks. They also build their nests near each other. These are excavations in the banks of rivers, variously stated to be extended to the depth of from six inches to as many feet. Their flight is graceful and light, resembling that of the Swallows. Their food consists of winged insects, especially bees and wasps, which they not only catch when they are wandering at large through the air, but watch for near their nests. The inhabitants of Candia and Cyprus are said to catch them by the help of a light silk line, to which is attached by a fish-hook a wild bee. The latter in its endeavour to escape soars into the air, and the Bee-eater seizing it becomes the prey of the aerial fisherman. THE KINGFISHER ALC^DO ISPIDA. Back azure-blue ; head and wing-coverts bluish green, spotted with azure-blue ; under and behind the eye a reddish band passing into white, and beneath this a band of azure-green ; wings and tail greenish blue ; throat white ; under plumage rusty orange-red. Length seven inches and a quarter, width ten inches. Eggs glossy white, nearly round. HALCYON days, every one knows, are days of peace and tranquillity, when all goes smoothly, and nothing occurs to ruffle the equanimity of the most irascible member of a household ; but it may not be known to all my younger readers that a bird is in any way concerned in bringing about this happy state of things. According to the ancient naturalists the Halcyon, our Kingfisher, being especially fond of the water and its products, chooses to have even a floating nest. Now the surface of the sea is an unfit place whereon to construct a vessel of any kind, so the THE KINGFISHER. 269 Halcyon, as any other skilful artisan would, puts together on land first the framework, and then the supplementary portion of its nest, the materials being shelly matter and spines, whence derived is unknown ; though some main- tain that the principal substance employed is fishbones. During the progress of the work the careful bird several times tests its buoyancy by actual experiment, and when satisfied that all is safe, launches its future nursery on the ocean. However turbulent might have been the con- dition of the water previously to this event, thenceforth a calm ensued, which lasted during the period of incubation : and these were " Halcyon days " (Halcyonides dies), which set in seven days before the winter solstice, and lasted as many days after. What became of the young after the lapse of this period is not stated, but the deserted nest itself, called halcyoneum, identical, perhaps, with what we consider the shell of the echinus, or sea-urchin, was deemed a valuable medicine.* The real nest of the Kingfisher is a collection of small fish-bones, which have evidently been disgorged by the old birds. A portion of one which I have in my posses- sion, and which was taken about twenty years since from a deep hole in an embankment at Deepdale, Norfolk, con- sists exclusively of small fish-bones and scraps of the shells of shrimps. A precisely similar one is preserved in the British Museum, which is well worthy the inspection of the curious. It was found by Mr. Gould in a hole three feet deep on the banks of the Thames ; it was half an inch thick and about the size of a tea saucer, and weighed 700 grains. Mr. Gould was enabled to prove that this mass was deposited, as well as eight eggs laid, in the short space of twenty-one days. In neither case was there any attempt made by the bird to employ the bones as materials for a structure ; they were simply spread on the soil in such a way as to protect the eggs from damp, possessing * Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. x. cap. 32. xxxii. cap. 8. 270 ALCEDINID^E. probably no properties which, made them superior to bents or dry leaves, but serving the purpose as well as anything else, and being more readily available, by a bird that does not peck on the ground, than materials of any other kind. The wanderer by the river's side on a bright sunny day, at any season, may have his attention suddenly arrested by the sight of a bird shooting past him, either up or down the stream, at so slight an elevation above the water, that he can look down on its back. Its flight is rapid, and the colour of the plumage so brilliant, that he can compare it to nothing less dazzlingly bright than the richest feathers of the peacock, or a newly dug specimen of copper ore. After an interval of a few seconds it will perhaps be followed by a second, its mate, arrayed in attire equally gorgeous with emerald, azure, and gold. Following the course of the bird, let him approach cautiously any pools where small fish are likely to abound, and he may chance to descry, perched motion- less on the lower branch of an alder overhanging the stream, on some bending willow, or lichen-covered rail, the bird which but now glanced by hi like a meteor. If exposed to the rays of the sun, the metallic green of its upper plumage is still most conspicuous ; if in the shade, or surrounded by leaves, its orange coloured breast betrays its position. Not a step further in advance, or the fisherman, intent as he is on his sport, will take alarm and be off to another station. With beak pointed down- wards it is watching until one among a shoal of minnows or bleaks comes within a fair aim ; then with a twinkle of the wing it dashes head foremost from its post, plunges into the stream, disappears for a second, and emerges still head foremost with its struggling booty. A few pinches with its powerful beak, or a blow against its perch, deprives its prey of life, and the morsel is swallowed entire, head foremost. Occasionally, where convenient perches are rare, THE KINGFISHER 271 as is the case with the little pools left by the tide on the sea-shore (for the Kingfisher is common on the banks of tidal rivers as well as on inland streams and lakes), it hovers like a Kestrel, and plunges after small fish, shrimps, and marine insects. It once happened to me that I was angling by a river's side, quite concealed from view by a willow on either side of me, when a Kingfisher flew down the stream, and perched on my rod. I remained perfectly still, but was detected before an opportunity had been afforded me of taking a lesson from my brother sportsman. The Kingfisher is a permanent resident in this country, and may be observed, at any season, wherever there is a river, canal, or lake, those streams being preferred the banks of which are lined with trees or bushes. Like most other birds of brilliant plumage, it is no vocalist; its only note being a wild piping cry which it utters while on the wing. THE SWALLOW. HIRQNDO RUSTICA. Forehead and throat chestnut-brown ; upper patts, sides of the neck, and a bar across the breast black, with violet reflections ; lower parts dull reddish white ; tail very long and forked. Female with less red on the forehead and less black on the breast ; under parts whiter ; outer tail-feathers shorter. Length six inches and a half, width thirteen inches and a quarter. Eggs white, spotted with brown and dark red. THERE are many features in the life of the Swallow so prominent, that no undoniesticated bird is more thoroughly known. Like the Sparrow, it accompanies man wherever he fixes his dwelling; but, unlike the Sparrow, it is liable to be mistaken for no other bird; its flight is peculiar and all but ceaseless; at least, it is rarely seen except in motion; and it is absent during the greater portion of the year, so giving to itself a 272 HIKUNDINIM. twofold notoriety, being regretted at the season of its departure, and welcomed at its return. These three circum- stances, its migratory habits, its mode of flight, and attach- ment to the dwellings of man, have been the cause why, in all ages, it has been invested with especial interest. Its re- turn is universally greeted as prophetic of summer weather ; the very proverb that " one Swallow does not make a summer/' only indicates a popular belief; and its depar- THE SWALLOW. ture is among the first intimations of approaching winter. The Swallow consequently is the type of migratory birds ; if the Swallow is come, all take it for granted that the other summer birds have arrived, and when its twitter is no longer heard, we know that all the other birds of pas- sage are gone or going. Of the Swallow, therefore, it is said pre-eminently, "God sends us the Swallow in the first days of summer, to relieve us of the insects which the summer THE SWALLOW. 273 suns are calling into life. The home of the Swallow is all the habitable earth; it knows nothing of winter or winter's cold; its whole life is a continued festivity, and its song an eternal hymn in praise of summer and liberty." In remote ages the Swallow was considered to be endowed with supernatural intelligence ; it refused to build its nest in a certain town because it was polluted with crime ; in another, because it had been frequently burnt down ; it foretold tempests ; and, above all, it was noted for having taught men the healing properties of a certain herb,* by employing it to give sight to its young. Not only was it thus skilled in the healing art, but was in itself a medi- cine of no ordinary virtue. Even in the time of our countryman Ray, not two hundred years ago, its efficacy in various complaints was seriously believed : the whole body burnt, was considered a specific for weak eyes, quinsy, and inflamed uvula ; the heart was prescribed in epilepsy and in quartan ague, it was good also for strengthening the memory ; the blood was good for the eyes, especially if drawn from under the right wing ; a little stone some- times found in the stomach of young birds, called cheli- donius, tied to the arm, or hung around the neck, was a remedy against children's fits. This was to be searched for before or at the August full moon, in the eldest of a brood. Even the nest had its virtues, being, if applied externally, good for quinsy, redness of the eyes, and the bite of a viper. A century later " good old White," as Mr. Bell hap- pily calls him, published his account 6f the Swallow, to which the reader is referred as an admirable model of bird-biography, not only for the age, but as an authentic history full of fresh interest to the reader in all ages. The only point on which White had doubts was whether Swallows all migrate, or whether some of the * Chelidonium : Celandine or Swallow-wort, from x f *.&tv, " a Swallow." 274 EIltUNDINIDJE. young do not occasionally stay behind, and hibernate in hollow trees, holes of rocks, and the banks of pools and rivers. Mr. Bell considers the question as settled in the affirmative, namely, that they do all migrate; and such, no doubt, is the rule ; but with all respect for so high an authority, I am inclined to the opinion that individuals occasionally remain, perhaps in consequence of having been disabled by accident at the season when the migratory instinct was in its active force, or from some other cause unknown to us. Such stragglers would, if the succeeding winter proved severe, perish of hunger (that they become torpid I cannot suppose), but if it turned out to be mild they might survive till the following spring. This sup- position will account for the appearance of Swallows late on in winter; several instances of which have been recorded by authors who, whether accurate observers or not, certainly believed that they were reporting truly. That they were seen only on warm days is of course no evidence that they had been roused from a state of torpor by the unusual warmth. Sunny days in winter tempt people to walk abroad and to resort to the same places which winter-gnats would choose for their gambols. Here, too, the stray Swallow would be found ; but in dark stormy weather the gnats and the Swallow would stay at home, and the ornithologist would have little temptation to do otherwise. I happen to be myself among the number of those who on personal evidence believe that individual Swallows do remain in England long after the period of general migration. I was walking through a limestone quarry at Saltram on the bank of the Plym, in Devonshire, many years ago, on the 24th December, when I saw a Swallow, whether a Chimney Swallow or Martin, I cannot positively affirm, wheeling about, and evidently hawking for gnats near the face of the cliff. The season was a mild one, the air still, and the sun shining brightly against the limestone rocks, from which much heat was reflected. That the bird had been THE SWALLOW. 275 kept in captivity until the migratory season had passed, and then released, is certainly possible, but not probable. On any other supposition it must have remained either of its own free will, which is not likely, or from incapacity to accompany its congeners. Left alone it probably found a sheltered retreat in the face of the cliff, and sallied forth whenever the weather was inviting, making the most of the short days, and, on the finest, contenting itself with a scanty meal. The temperature of the west of England in winter it is quite able to bear ; in fact, it is not uncommon there for a whole winter to pass without any weather so severe as that which has characterized the whole of the present April (1860), though Swallows have returned, and contrive to find food enough to keep themselves alive. If therefore the bird which I saw managed to live on till Christmas Eve, there is no reason why it should not survive the whole of the winter. But as " one Swallow does not make a spring," so neither is one sufficient to upset a theory. There remains therefore the rule with the one exception to prove it, that Swallows do migrate. I have devoted to this question more space than the subject would seem to require, on the ground that th reader will find in White's " Selborne " a far more enter- taining and accurate description of the Swallow and its habits than I could hope to give, unless I were to tran- scribe what that author has said. A full account of all that has since been learnt of its history will be found, and no less pleasantly told, in Yarrell's "British Birds." For the sake of reference only I will add a short summary of what I may term its statistics. The Swallow is a migratory bird wherever it is found, that is in most of the countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The first Swallows arrive in this country about the llth of April, and are followed by others at various intervals, until the middle or end of May. On their arrival, they resort to those places which, being most sheltered, abound most in winged insects, these being T -2 276 HIRUNDINID.E. frequently the courses of rivers and canals. As the season advances, they spread themselves more generally over the country, still, however, being most numerous in the vicinity of water. In May they build their shallow open nests of mud and straw lined with feathers, a few feet down a chimney, in an outhouse, a bell-tower, the shaft of a de- serted mine, or any other place which is at once dry and dark, rarely in more exposed places. They lay four or five eggs, and rear two or three broods in a season. The young being, from the usual situation of the nest, unable to leave their nursery until they are fully fledged, require to be fed a long time, but they continue to be, partially at least, dependent on the parent birds for many days after they have learnt to hawk for themselves. The process of feeding is carried on while both old and young are on the wing; or the young, perched on the top of a house or the branch of a tree, receive in turn the morsels which their more skilful parents have caught for them. In autumn, many days before migration is actually about to take place, Swallows, old and young, assemble in large flocks, especi- ally towards evening, and roost on trees in the vicinity of water. At this season they seem to be more socially dis- posed, even during the day, than at any other period of their sojourn with us. In October they take their departure collectively, and so strongly is the migratory instinct then in force, that it overcomes parental affection, powerful though this feeling is in the Swallow ; some of the late broods being left behind. THE HOUSE MAETIK HIRUNDO URBICA. Head, nape and upper part of the back, black with violet reflections ; lower part of the back, and all the under parts, pure white ; feet and toes covered with downy feathers ; tail forked, moderate. Length five inches and a half. Eggs pure white. FOR a detailed history of the House-Martin or Window- Swallow, and its habits, I cannot do better than again refer my readers to White's "Selborne," which contains so admirable an account of the Swallow. The two birds indeed are so much alike in their leading habits, namely, migration, mode of flight, and food, that a descrip- tion of either will in many respects be applicable to the other. The House- Martin generally arrives a few days after the Swallow, and resorts to similar localities. In the early part of the season the most sheltered places 278 HIRUNDINID^E. are sought out, and the two species may frequently be seen hawking for flies in company. Later in the season its numbers are observed to be greatly increased, and it is joined by the Swift and Sand-Martin. Not that any society is entered into by the different species, or that they even sport together : but one may often stand on the bank of a canal, or by the margin of a pond, and see all four kinds glance by in varied succession, and in propor- tions which differ according as one or the other is most abundant in the neighbourhood. Acute listeners can, it is said, hear a snapping noise made by the bird as it closes its beak on a captured insect, but I must confess that though I have often tried to detect this sound, I have never succeeded. Swift as their passage is, and similar though the flight of all the species, no difficulty is found in distinguishing them. The Chimney-Swallow is suffi- ciently marked by its long forked tail and red chin ; the House-Martin by the snow-white hue of its abdomen and lower part of the back, and by its shorter tail, which is also forked : the Sand-Martin by its smaller size, its greyish brown back and dirty- white under plumage, as well as by its shorter, slightly forked tail : and the Swift can be distinguished at any distance by its shape, which resembles a bent bow, with the body representing an arrow ready to be shot. On a nearer view, the Swift is marked by its general black hue relieved only by a spot of white on the chin, which it requires a sharp eye to detect. All the species have the power of suddenly, and with the greatest rapidity, altering their course by a slight movement of the wings and tail. Immediately on its arrival in this country, the Martin pays a visit to its old dwelling, clings to its walls, peeps in or even enters, many times a day. One might fancy that there throbbed within its snowy bosom some pulse akin to that which kindles in the human traveller a longing for home and the familiar haunts of his early days. It has THE HOUSE MAETIN. 279 been- proved by several experiments, that the same birds return year after year to their old nests, and it is hard to believe, so thoroughly delighted do they seem, that they are guided simply by an impassive instinct. If so, why should they hang about the " old house at home " so many days before they begin to set in order again the future nursery 1 ? No elaborate plans of alterations and improve- ments are to be devised ; last year's family are launched on the world, and are quite equal to building for their own accommodation. No collecting of materials is requisite. The muddy edge of the nearest pond will provide plaster enough and to spare to carry out all necessary repairs : shreds of straw are to be had for the picking up, and farm- yard feathers are as plentiful as of yore. It would seem then a reasonable conclusion, that a bird endowed with an instinct powerful enough to guide it across the ocean, and a memory sufficiently powerful to lead it to the snug window corner of the same cottage where it reared its first brood, may live in the past as well as the present, and that its seeming joyousness is a reality, even mixed perhaps with hopeful anticipations of the future. As the reader may, if he will, have ample opportunity of watching the habits of a bird that probably builds its nest under the eaves of his own house, whether he dwell in a town, a village, or a lonely cottage, it is unnecessary to enter into further details of its biography. I must, however, say a few words on the often repeated story of the entombment of the Sparrow who had unfairly appropriated the nest, of a Martin. The intruder, so say the authorities (and several instances are recorded), having successfully resisted the endeavours of a dozen or twenty Martins to dislodge him, was walled up with plaster by the aggrieved party, who made common cause against him, and was sub- sequently taken out dead by the person who observed the incident. Some of the earlier naturalists relate instances of this without expressing any doubt of its accuracy; some 280 HIRUNDINID.E. modern naturalists agree with them ; others, and I must confess that I am among them, suspect a flaw in the evidence. Macgillivray's witnesses, "on whose veracity he depended," and I doubt not with sufficient reason "a tackle-maker, a slater, a nailor, a miller, the engineer of the mill, and a grazier" were I make no question trust- worthy men in all matters connected with the ordinary business of life, and in this case asserted what they believed they had seen; but they were none of them naturalists, and no one but a student of nature is aware of -the exact precision required both in observing and recording a passage in the life of an animal. In a case of this kind extraordinary precaution is requisite, for if it be true, the theory that man is the only reasoning animal, tumbles to the ground. Here we have in a bird and if in one why not in all? an application of the natural laws of property; a sense of injury; a conspiracy among the kindred tribe; an attempt to recover a right, out of which, on its failure, springs a spirit of revenge. Then must come a consultation, or, what is even more wonderful, an instinctive spontaneous agreement as to the proper mode of taking revenge ; and to crown the whole, a knowledge of the natural effect of plas- tering up an enemy in a cave without air, that is, that death would ensue ; and what can an animal devoid of reason know about death ? It is necessary then I think either to con- sider the evidence insufficient, or, admitting the accuracy as well as the veracity of the observers, to break down the wall which separates instinct from reason. I prefer the former alternative. THE SAND MARTIK HlRUNDO RIPARIA. All the upper parts, cheeks, and a broad bar on the breast, mouse-colour ; throat, fore part of the neck, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ; legs and feet naked with the exception of a few small feathers near the insertion of the hind toe ; tail forked, rather short. Length five inches. Eggs pure white. WHILE all the other British species of Swallow resort from choice to the haunts of man, the Sand or Bank Martin is indifferent about the matter. Provided that it can find a convenient place for excavating its nest, other considerations are omitted. It is said to he partial to the vicinity of water, but even this selection is rather to be attributed to the accidental circumstance that perpendi- cular cliffs often have rivers running at their base, than to any decided preference shown by the bird for such situations. Eailway cuttings carried through a sandy district offer, perhaps, equal attraction ; and it is probable 282 HIRUNDINID^E. that a majority of the colonies planted within the last twenty years overlook, not the silent highway of the river, but the unromantic parallel bars of iron which have enabled man to vie almost with the Swallow in rapidity of flight. The word colonies is applicable to few British birds besides the Sand Martin. Others of the tribe not un- frequently construct their nests in close proximity with each other, and, when thus associated, are most neigh- bourly hunting in society, sporting together, and making common cause against an intrusive Hawk ; but still this is no more than a fortuitous coming together. It so happens that a certain district offers good hunting ground, and the eaves or windows of a certain house are peculiarly well adapted for sheltering nests ; so a number of Window-Martins, not having taken counsel together, but guided each by independent choice, find themselves established sometimes so close together that their nests have party walls, like the houses in a street. They, ac- cordingly, make acquaintances, and are sociable to a limited extent. But Sand Martins go beyond this, they are comrades banded together by municipal laws, which no doubt they understand and obey, inhabiting dwellings which constitute a joint settlement, returning without fail to the familiar haunt after every annual migration, or if they desert a station, leaving no stragglers behind, and pitching their camp anew in some locality which common consent has pronounced to be an eligible one. They are not, however, exclusive. in their fraternization; as they hunt in society with their relatives the Swifts and Swal- lows, and even accompany them in distant flights. I have repeatedly observed Sand Martins flying about with others of the same tribe many miles away from their homes. They may readily be distinguished, as I have stated before, by their dingy mouse-coloured hue, smaller size, and less forked tails. I have never had an opportunity of watching a colony engaged in their mining operations at the busy THE SAND MAKTIK period of their year, that of nidification ; but from the description by Professor Eennie (" Bird Architecture") and that by Mr. E. D. Duncan, quoted by Macgillivray,* the sight must be most interesting. The task of the older birds must be a light one : not so, 'however, that of the younger members of the flock. The former have neither walls nor roofs to repair ; the holes which served them as nests the previous year, afford the same accommodation as before. All that is needed is, that the remains of the old nest should either be removed or receive the addition of a few straws and feathers to protect the eggs and young from direct contact with the cold sand ; their labours then are over. But the new colonists have a toilsome work to perform before they can enjoy the gratification of bringing up a family. The settlement is fixed probably in the perpendicular face of a bank of sand, gravel, or clay, at an elevation from the ground which varies from a few to a great many feet. Their claws are sharp and well adapted for clinging, the beak short, rigid, and pointed, no less well suited for excavating. Grasping the perpendicular surface of the bank with their claws, and steadying them- selves by means of their tails, they commence operations by pricking a small hole with their bills. This hole they gradually enlarge by moving round and round, and edging off the sand with the side of their bills, which they keep shut. Their progress is slow at first, but after they have made room to stand on the excavation, they proceed rapidly, still working with their bills, and carefully pushing out the loosened sano with their feet. At one time the male, at another the female, is the excavator. When their burrowing is impeded by the resistance of a stone, they either dig round it and loosen it, or, if it prove so large as to ctefy removal, they desist and begin another celL The form of the hole varies both in size and shape, but it rarely exceeds three or four inches in diameter, and more or less * British Birds, vol. iii. p. 600. 284 HIRUNDINID^E. approaches the circular form. The depth varies from a few inches to three feet, and the direction seems to depend on the nature of the soil encountered. In all, however, the extremity of the hole is enlarged to a diameter of five or six inches, and is situated above the level of the entrance, so that no rain-water can lodge. The work is performed only in the mornings, and is consequently carried over several days. The nest itself consists of straws of grass and feathers, and is placed in the terminal chamber. The eggs are five or six in number, pure white, and of a rather long shape. AMERICAN PURPLE MARTIK HIRUNDO PUBPUREA. General plumage shining purple-blue ; wings and tail black. Female paler and tinged with grey, lower parts light grey streaked with black. Length six inches and three-quarters. Eggs pure white. THIS bird, as great a favourite in North America as the Window-Martin is with us, has little claim to be con- sidered a visitor of our shores, a few straggling specimens only having been seen in this country. Its habits in America closely resemble those of its congeners. It builds its nest in boxes constructed for the purpose, called " Martin-boxes," and to each of these several pairs of birds frequently resort, and rear their broods in perfect harmony. They arrive in America at about the same period when Swallows visit us, and leave early in August. THE COMMON SWIFT. CYPSELUS APUS. General plumage sooty brown ; chin greyish white ; tarsi feathered ; bill, feet, and claws, shining black, Length eight inches, width seventeen inches. Eggs pure white. THE Swift is, perhaps, the strongest and swiftest, not merely of the Swallow tribe, but of all birds ; hence a voyage from Southern Africa* to England is performed without overtaxing its strength. It stands in need of no rest after this prodigious flight, but immediately on its arrival starts with a right good will on its pursuit of food, as if its journey had been but a pleasant course of training for its daily vocation. With respect to temperature, how- ever, its powers of endurance are limited ; it never proceeds far northwards, and occasionally even suffers from un- seasonably severe weather in the temperate climates where it fixes its summer residence. Mr. F. Smith, of the British * Livingstone mentions his having seen in the plains north of Kuruman a flock of Swifts, computed to contain upwards of 4000 individuals. 286 HIRUNDINID^E. Museum, relates in the Zoologist* that, at Deal, on the 8th of July, 1856, after a mild but wet day the temperature suddenly fell till it became disagreeably cold. The Swifts were sensibly affected by the atmospheric change ; they flew unsteadily, fluttered against the walls of the houses, and some even flew into open windows. "Whilst observing these occurrences," he says, "a girl came to the door to ask me if I wanted to buy a bat ; she had heard, she told me, that I bought all kinds of bugs, and her mother thought I might want a bat. On her producing it, I was astonished to find it, was a poor benumbed Swift. The girl told me they were dropping down in the streets, and the boys were killing all the bats ; the church, she said, was covered with them. Off I started to witness this strange sight and slaughter. True enough ; the children were charging them everywhere, and on arriving at the church in Lower-street I was astonished to see the poor birds hanging in clusters from the eaves and cornices ; some clusters were at least two feet in length, and, at intervals, benumbed individuals dropped from the outside of the clusters. Many hundreds of the poor birds fell victims to the ruthless ignorance of the children." Being so sus- ceptible of cold, the Swift does not visit us until summer may be considered to have completely set in. Instances are on record of its having been seen towards the end of April, but it generally brings up the rear of the migratory birds by making its first appearance in the first or second week in May. I must once more refer my readers to White's " Selborne" for a full biography oi" the bird ; at least for as much of it as is comprised within the twelve or thirteen weeks of its sojourn with us ; for early in August it makes itself, for a few days, more than ever conspicuous by its wheeling flights around the buildings which contain its nest, and then suddenly disappears. At this period, too, its note is more frequently heard than during any other * September, 1856, p. 5249. THE COMMON SWIFT. 287 part of its visit, and in this respect it is peculiar. As a general rule, birds cease their song partially, if not entirely, when their eggs are hatched. The new care of providing for the wants of a brood occupies their time too much to allow leisure for musical performance, so that with the exception of their call notes, and their cries of alarm or defiance, they are for a season mute. Few of our songsters, indeed, except the Redbreast and Wren, resume their song till the following spring ; but the Swift, who is virtually without feet (as the name apus denotes), neither perches on the ground in quest of food, nor on a tree for rest. An early riser, and late in retiring to roost, he is always on the wing. Thus, whether hunting on his own account, or on behalf of his mate and nestlings, his employment is unvaried, and the same amount of time is always at his disposal for exercising his vocal powers. These are not great ; he has no roundelay ; he neither warbles nor carols ; he does not even twitter. His whole melody is a scream, unmusical but most joyous ; a squeak would be a better name, but that, instead of conveying a notion that it results from pain, it is full of rollicking delight. Some compare it to the noise made by the sharpening of a saw ; to me it seems such an expression of pent-up joy as little children would make if unexpectedly released from school, furnished with wings, and flung up into the air for a game of hide-and-seek among the clouds. Such soarings aloft, such chasings round the pinnacles of the church- tower and the gables of the farm houses, no wonder that they cannot contain themselves for joy. Every day brings its pic-nic or village feast, with no weariness or depression on the morrow. The nest of the Swift is constructed of any scraps that the bird may chance ,to find floating in the air, for it literally never perches on the ground, where it could not stand, and whence it could not rise. These are rudely pressed together in any convenient aperture or moulding 288 CAPRIMULGID^. in a building, and apparently cemented together by some glutinous secretion from the bird's mouth. Two or some- times more eggs are laid, and the young, as a matter of necessity, remain in the nest until quite fledged. Another name for the Swift is Black Martin, and in heraldry it is familiarly known as the Martlet, the figure of which is a device of frequent occurrence in heraldic coats of arms, and denotes that the original wearer of the dis- tinction served as a crusader pilgrim. In Arabia it is still known by the name of Hadji, or Pilgrim, to denote its migratory habits. THE ALPINE SWIFT. CYPSELUS ALPINUS. General plumage greyish brown ; throat and middle of the abdomen pure white; tarsi feathered. Length nearly nine inches. Eggs pure white. THE Alpine or White-bellied Swift is, like the other species, a bird of passage, but it rarely visits this country so rarely, indeed, that every appearance is duly chro- nicled as a remarkable incident. Its usual summer resort is the mountainous parts of the continent of Europe, where, except that it builds its nest for the most part in cliffs, its habits are the same as those of the common species. THE NIGHTJAR CAPBIMULGUS EUROP^EUS. General plumage ash-grey, spotted and barred with black, brown and reddish brown; first three primaries with a large white patch on the inner web ; two outer tail-feathers on each side tipped with white. Length ten inches and a quarter, breadth twenty-two inches. Eggs whitish, beautifully marbled with brown and ash. THIS bird, we are told by the old naturalists, is a nocturnal robber who finds his way into the goat-pens, sucks the dugs of the goats, poisoning them to such an extent that THE NIGHTJAR. 289 the animals themselves are blinded, and their udders waste away. This fable it is necessary to notice in order to account for the strange name Goatsucker, by which it is still popularly known better than by any other. The bird itself is perfectly inoffensive, singular in form and habits, though rarely seen alive near enough for its peculiarities of form and colour to be observed. Its note, however, is familiar enough to persons who are in the habit of being THE NIGHTJAR. out late at night in such parts of the country as it frequents. The silence of the evening or midnight walk in June is occasionally broken by a deep whirring noise, which seemingly proceeds from the lower bough of a tree, a hedge, or paling. Having in it nothing of a chirp, warble, or whistle, it is unlike the note of a bird, or indeed any natural sound,, but most resembles the humming of a u 290 CAPRIMULGID^E. wheel in rapid revolution.* It is nearly monotonous but not quite so, as it occasionally rises or falls about a quarter of a note, and appears to increase and diminish in loudness. NOT does it seem to proceed continuously from exactly the same spot, but to vary its position, as if the performer were either a ventriloquist or were actually shifting his ground. Fortunate observers have been able to creep up close enough to make out that the bird perches with its feet resting lengthwise on a branch, its claws not being adapted for grasping, and turns its head from side to side, thus throw- ing the sound as it were in various directions, and pro- ducing the same effect as if it proceeded from different places. I have repeatedly worked my way close up to the bird, but as I labour under the disadvantage of being short- sighted, and derive little assistance from glasses at night, I have always failed to observe it actually perched and sing- ing. In the summer of 1859 a Nightjar frequented the immediate neighbourhood of my own house, and I had many opportunities of listening to its note. One evening especially, it perched on a railing within fifty yards of the house, and I made sure of seeing it, but when I had approached within a few yards of the spot from whence the sound proceeded the humming suddenly stopped, but was presently again audible at the other end of the railing which ran across my meadow. I cautiously crept on, but with no better success than before. As I drew near, the bird quitted its perch, flew round me, coming within a few feet of my person, and, on my remaining still, made itself heard from another part of the railing only a few yards behind me. Again and again I dodged it, but always with the same result ; I saw it, indeed, several times, but always on the wing. At last a longer interval of silence ensued, and when I heard the sound again it proceeded from a * Mr. Bell informs me that it is so like the croak of the Natter- Jack Toad, that he has more than once doubted from which of the two the sound proceeded. THE NIGHTJAR. 291 distant hedge which separated the meadow from a common. Here probably its mate was performing the domestic duty of incubation cheered by the dismal ditty of her partner ; but ! never saw her, though I undertook another nocturnal chase of the musician, hunting him from tree to tree, but never being able to discover his exact position, until the cessation of the sound and the sudden rustling of leaves announced the fact of his having taken his departure. In the dusk of the evening the Nightjar may commonly be seen hawking for moths and beetles after the manner of the Swallow-tribe, only that the flight is less rapid and more tortuous. 1 once saw one on the common mentioned above, hawking seemingly in company with Swifts and Swallows during the bright glare of a summer afternoon ; but most frequently it spends the day either resting on the ground among heath or ferns or on the branch of a tree, always (according to Yarrell and others) crouching close down upon it, in the line of the limb, and not across it. When perched on the ground it lies very close, " not rising (a French author says) until the dogs are almost on it, but worth shooting in September." During its flight it is said to utter a shrill whistling cry, but this I have never heard. The poet Wordsworth, whose opportunities of watching the Nightjar in its haunts must have been numerous, considers that the whirring note is an accom- paniment of the chase : " The busy Dor-Hawk chases the white moth . With burring note " " The burring Dor-Hawk round and round is wheeling : That solitary bird Is all that can be heard In silence, deeper far than deepest noon." An observer quoted by Macgillivray is of the same opinion, which is that also of a better authority than either, Gilbert White. One point in the economy of the Nightjar is still disputed, the use which it makes of its u2 292 CAPKIMULGID.E. serrated middle claw. White, and another observer, quoted by Yarrell, have seen the bird while on the wing capture insects with the claw and transfer them to the mouth. Wilson, on the other hand, states that the use of *this singular structure is to enable the bird to rid itself of vermin, to which it is much exposed by its habit of 're- maining at rest during the heat of the day. As he has actually observed a bird in , to " shriek." THE TEEE CEEEPER. CERTHIA FAMILIAR1S. Upper plumage mottled with yellowish brown, dark brown, and white ; a pale streak over the eyes ; throat and breast buff-white, becoming dusky towards the tail ; wings brown tipped with white and barred with white, brown, and dull yellow ; tail-feathers reddish brown, stiff and pointed. Length five inches, breadth seven inches. Eggs white, with small yellowish red spots. THE Tree Creeper, though a common bird, is less fami- liarly known than many others of much rarer occurrence, yet, if once observed, can be confounded with no other. In size it ranks with the Tits, Willow Wren, &c., but is less likely to attract notice than any of these, as it never alights on the ground, nor perches on the small twig of a tree. Its note, too, is weak, simple, and unpretending, amounting to no more than an occasional " cheep," which it utters from time to ,time while hunting for food, and v r hile performing its short nights. Any one, however, THE TREE CREEPER 303 who wishes to see the bird, and knows what to search for, can scarcely fail of success if he look well about him during a stroll through almost any wood of full grown trees. Half-way up the trunk of a rugged elm or oak he will observe a small portion of bark, as it were, in motion j the motion, and not the colour, betrays the presence of a small brown bird, which is working its way by a succes- sion of irregular starts up the trunk. Frequently it stops for a few seconds, and is evidently pecking at some small insect, quite noiselessly however. Its beak is not adapted for hammering ; it confines its attention there- fore to such insects as live on the surface of the bark. It utters a low " cheep," arid proceeds, not in a straight line up the tree, but turning to the right or left according as it descries a probable lurking-place of its prey : presently it disappears on the other side of the trunk, and again comes in view a few feet higher up. Now it reaches a horizontal branch; along this it proceeds in like manner, being indifferent whether it clings sideways, or hangs with its back downwards. Arrived at the smaller subdivisions of the bough it ceases to hunt ; but, without remaining an instant to rest, flies to the base of another bough, or more probably, to another tree, alighting a few feet only from the ground, and at once beginning a new ascent. This mode of life it never varies : from morning to night, in winter and in summer, it is always climbing up the boles of trees, and when it has reached the top, flying to the base of others. On one solitary occasion I observed one retrace its steps for a few inches, and stand for a second or two with its head downwards : but this is a most unusual position, as indeed may be inferred from the structure of its tail, the feathers of which are rigid, and more or less soiled by constant pressure against the bark. It frequently visits orchards and gardens in the country, displaying little fear of man, preferring perhaps to hunt on the far side of a tree when any one is looking on ; but not very particular 304 CEKTHIM. even about this, and certainly never thinking it necessary to decamp because it is being watched. To this indifference to the presence of human beings, it owes its name "fami- liaris" and not, as it might be imagined, to any fondness for their society, which, in fact, it neither courts nor shuns. It is a quiet, inoffensive creature, congregating with no other birds, and being rarely, except in spring, seen in company with even its own species. It builds its nest of small roots and twigs, scraps of bark and grass, and lines it with wool and feathers. A hole in a pollard willow is a favourite place for a nest ; in default of this a hollow in any other tree is selected, or the space between' the stump of a tree and a detached portion of bark. It lays from six to nine eggs, which are exceedingly like those of the smaller Tits. THE WEEK TROGL6DYTES VULGARIS. Upper plumage reddish brown with transverse dusky bars; quills barred al- ternately with black and reddish brown ; tail dusky, barred with black ; over the eyes a narrow light streak; under parts light reddish brown; the sides and thighs marked with dark streaks. Length three inches and three-quarters ; breadth six inches and a half. Eggs white with a few yellowish red spots towards the larger end, sometimes without spots. THROUGHOUT the whole of England the Wren is invested with a sanctity peculiar to itself and the Eedbreast. In the west of England I was familiar, as a child, with the doggerel rhymes : " Whoso kills a Robin or a Wran Shall never prosper boy nor man." In the north it is protected by a similar shield : " Malisons, malisons, mair than ten, Who harries the queen of heaven's Wren." In the Isle of Man a legend exists that there " once on a time " lived a wicked enchantress who practised her THE WEEN. 305 spells on the warriors of Mona, and thereby stripped the country of its chivalry. A doughty knight at length came to the rescue, and was on the point of surprising her and putting her to death, when she suddenly transformed herself into a "Wren and flew through his fingers. Every year, on Christmas Day, she is compelled to reappear in the island under the form of a Wren, with the sentence hanging over her, that she is to perish by human hands. THE WREN. On that day, consequently, every year, a grand onslaught is made by troops of idle boys and men on every "Wren which can be discovered. Such as are killed are sus- pended from a bough of holly and carried about in triumph on the following day (St. Stephen's Day), the bearers singing a rude song descriptive of the previous day's hunt. The song is preserved in Quiggin's Guide to the Isle of Man, as it was sung in 1853 ; and strange to say, it x 306 CERTHID^E. agrees almost word for word with a song which was cur- rent twenty years ago, and is so perhaps now, among the rustic population of Devonshire, though the actual hunt has in the latter case fallen into disuse. In several parts of Ireland, especially the south, there still exists a legend to the effect that a party of Irish soldiers were on the point of surprising their enemies (either Danes or Eoyalists, for the story varies) who lay fatigued and asleep, when a Wren perched on the drum and awoke the sentinels. An unhappy legend for the poor bird. For some weeks previous to Christmas, peasants assemble to revenge the treachery of the offender in the persons of his descendants. Every Wren that is seen is hunted to death, and the bodies, are carefully saved till St. Stephen's Day, when they are suspended from a deco- rated holly-bough and carried from house to house by the captors, accompanied by a song of which, in Conne- mara, this is the burden: " The Wran, the Wran, the king of all birds, St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze ; Although he is little, his family's great; So come out, kind ladies, and give us a trate." The version of the song in Hall's " Ireland," as it is sung in the neighbourhood of Cork, scarcely differs from the above, and a similar one may be heard on the same day within twenty miles of Dublin. That a custom so absurdly singular should exist in places so remote, is in itself evi- dence that it is of ancient origin, though whence derived it would be idle to inquire. The true story of the Wren is simple enough. It is a minute bird of unpretending plumage, distinguished easily by its erect tail and its habit of hiding in bushes and hedges, not clinging like the Creeper to the perpen- dicular or horizontal bough of a tree, but hopping from twig to twig, and occasionally taking a short direct flight THE WREN. 307 to another place of concealment, but rarely exposing itself by doing more than this. When hunting for its food, which is considered to be almost exclusively insects, it searches diligently holes and crannies of all kinds, and in all substances. I have known one make its way habitually through a zinc pipe into a green-house, and do much service there by picking aphides from the slender stalks of herbaceous plants, which bent into the form of an arch under even its trifling weight. While thus occupied it has suffered me to come within arm's length, but has taken no notice of me. Generally, it displays little fear of man; but, though in winter it resorts to the neigh- bourhood of houses in quest of food, it shows no dis- position, like the Eedbreast, to enter on terms of intimacy, nor is it sociable either with its own kind or other birds. Its call-note is a simple " chip, chip," which often betrays its vicinity when it is itself concealed from sight. ' Its proper song is full, loud, clear, and powerful, rapidly executed and terminating in a trill or shake, followed by two or three unimportant notes. This it utters occasion- ally in autumn and winter. About the middle of March the song of the Wren is among the most frequent sounds of the country. At this season one may often hear in a garden the roundelay of a Wren poured forth from the concealment of a low shrub; and, immediately that it is completed, a precisely similar lay bursts forth from another bush some twenty yards off. No sooner is this ended than it is answered, and so the vocal duel proceeds, the birds never interfering with each other's song, but uttering in turns the same combinations and arrangement of notes, just as if they were reading off copies of a score printed from the same type.* But the season is coming on when the Wren has to be occupied with other things than singing down a rival. Nest-making is with this bird something more * I have heard the same musical contest in August. x 2 308 CERTHIM:. than the laying of a few sticks across one another. It is not every one who has at once the time, the inclina- tion, and the steadiness of purpose to watch, from begin- ning to end, the completion of a Wren's nest. To most people, one or other of these qualifications is wanting, and to not a few all three. A friend of Mr. Macgil- livray,* however, performed the task, and furnished him with a most satisfactory detailed account of what passed under his observation. The whole passage is too long to quote, but it is well worthy of perusal not only for the interesting information which it contains, but as a specimen of the sort of note-making which satisfies the observer and carries conviction of its truthfulness to the reader. The nest was commenced at seven o'clock in the morning of the 30th May, by the female bird's placing the decayed leaf of a lime-tree in the cleft of a Spanish juniper. The male took no part in the work, but regaled his busy partner by singing to her all day long. At one period of the day she brought in bundles of leaves four, five, and even six times in the space of ten minutes. At other times, when greater care was needed in the selection of materials, she was sometimes absent for eight or ten minutes, but such was her 'industry that at seven o'clock the whole of the external workmanship was finished, the materials being dry leaves, felted together with moss. On the following day both birds joined in the work, beginning as early as half-past three o'clock in the morning, the materials being now moss and a few feathers. So the work proceeded, day after day, until the 8th of June, when the structure was completed, being a compact ball of dried leaves felted with moss and thickly lined with finer moss and feathers, domed over and having a small circular open- ing on one side. Dried leaves form the exterior of most Wrens' nests, unless they are placed in situations where such an appearance would attract the attention of a passer- * Macgillivray's " British Birds," vol. iii. p. 24. THE WEEN. 309 by. On a mossy bank, the outside would probably consist of moss ; under the root of a tree, of twigs ; in a hay-stack, of hay, and so on, the bird being guided by its instinct to select the least conspicuous material. The number of eggs laid is usually six, but as many as fifteen or sixteen have been observed. Any one residing in the country, who has given his attention to birds' nests, must have remarked what a large proportion of the 'Wrens' nests which he has discovered are in an unfinished state and contain no eggs. E used to suppose that the Wren was peculiarly jealous of having its nest touched, and always deserted it if any one meddled with it before the laying of eggs had commenced, and went away and built another. Another surmise was, that each pair of birds began four or five nests, and com- pleted that one only which they found from experience to be most eligibly situated. Both opinions are, it seems, erroneous. "During the period of incubation" (says a writer in the Magazine of Natural History) "the male, apparently from a desire to be doing something, constructs as many as half a dozen nests in the vicinity of the first, none of which are lined with feathers ; and whilst the first nest is so carefully concealed as to be seldom found, the latter are very frequently seen." Supposing this to be the true explanation, the Wren, whether " king of all birds" or no, is undeniably a sage possessing, if not reason, yet at least some mental endowment to which no name has been assigned as yet. THE HOOPOE. UPUPA EPOPS. Crest orange-red tipped with black ; head, neck, and breast purplish red ; back, wings, and tail barred with black and white ; under parts white. Length twelve inches, width nineteen inches. Eggs uniform lavender-grey. NOTHING appears to be known of the habits of this very foreign-looking bird from observation in Great Britain, for, although the public prints frequently record that one 310 CERTHID.E. has been seen, the announcement is invariably accom- panied by the name of the person who has obtained an undignified notoriety by shooting it. The season at which it is seen in this country is usually autumn, though a few instances have occurred of its having bred with us. In the south of Europe and north of Africa it is of common occurrence as a summer visitor, but migrates southwards in autumn. Its English name is THE HOOPOE. evidently derived from the French "Huppe," a word which also denotes "a crest," the most striking character- istic of the bird. It is called also in France " Puput," a word coined, perhaps, to denote the noise of disgust which one naturally makes at encountering an unpleasant odour, this, it is said, being the constant accompaniment of its nest, which is always found in a filthy condition, owing to the neglect of the parent birds in failing to remove THE HOOPOE. 311 offensive matter, in conformity with the laudable practice of most other birds. In spite of the martial appearance of its crest, it is said to be excessively timid, and to fly from an encounter with the smallest bird that opposes it. It lives principally on the ground, feeding on beetles and ants. On trees it sometimes perches but does not climb, and builds its nest in holes in trees and walls, rarely in clefts of rocks. It walks with a show of dignity when on the ground, erecting its crest from time to time. In spring the male utters a note not unlike the coo of a Wood-pigeon, which it repeats several times, and at other seasons it occasionally emits a sound something like the shrill note of the Greenfinch. But it is no musician and is as little anxious to be heard as seen. The nest is- a simple structure composed of a few scraps of dried grass and feathers, and contains from four to six eggs. THE NUTHATCH. SITTA EUJROPJEA. Upper plumage bluish grey ; a black streak across the eye ; cheeks and throat white ; under plumage dull orange-red ; outer tail-feathers black, with a white spot near the end, tipped with grey, the two central ones grey; beak bluish black, the lower mandible white at the base ; feet light brown. Length six inches. Eggs white, spotted with two shades of purplish red. STANDING, one winter's day, by the side of a pond, near a row of tall elms, and watching some boys sliding, I heard the few short twittering notes of a Nuthatch overhead, and it at once occurred to me how I should describe the note in such a way that it should be infallibly recognised. It is precisely like the sound made by a pebble thrown so as to bound along ice. This is the winter note. On fine sunny days in February it begins to add to its simple call a more musical sound, approaching a whistle. Further on in the season, the twitter is heard no more, and is exchanged altogether for a not unmelodious whistle, several times repeated, rarely protracted into 312 CERTHID.E. a bubbling sound, such as it might be supposed to make if it were rattling a pea in its throat. On these occasions it is usually perched in the branches of a tree, and may be distinguished by its bluish grey back, dull red breast, and short tail. The Nuthatch is not an accom- plished musician, and claims, therefore, to be pointed out by other characteristics. This is no difficult task to under- take ; for no British bird is more decidedly marked in its THE NUTHATCH. habits. In the first place, it Ms strong clasping claws, which admirably adapt it for climbing; and though it does not possess the rigid tail of the Woodpeckers to aid it in this operation, it has a short tail which never comes in the way. In most counties of England (except the extreme western and northern, where it is rare) any one walking through a woodland district and keeping a sharp look-out may observe a bluish bird, somewhat larger than THE NUTHATCH. 313 a sparrow, creeping by starts up the trunk of any rough barked tree. It is so intent on its occupation that of searching for insects in the crevices of the bark that it takes no notice of the observer, but pursues its course after a method of its own, but according to no rule that we can detect. Now it disappears on one side of the trunk and then shows itself a few inches higher on the other ; now it is lost to sight for a longer interval one would think it was hiding, or had taken its departure but no, there it is again, creeping, back downwards, along a horizontal branch ; arrived at the extremity it utters a double twitter, perhaps, and flies either to a new tree or to another branch of the same. This time it creeps from the extremity of a branch towards the bole of the tree, equally at ease whatever may chance to be its position, and no more affected by gravity than a fly. Arrived at the main stem it keeps on its course, still advancing by starts, and accompanying every movement, as, indeed, it has been doing all along, by an almost imperceptible twinkling of its wings, something like that which has gained for the Hedge Sparrow the sobriquet of " Shuffle-wing." That no other bird but the Nuthatch has the power of creeping down a tree I cannot say, for I once observed a Tree- creeper descend for a few inches; but no other British bird does habitually hunt after this method ; by this habit consequently it may be discriminated. Equally comfort- able in all positions, if it has any choice, or desires to rest, it clings to the upright trunk of a tree, head downwards. The Nuthatch is singular, too, in its mode of nidification. The only nest which I have thoroughly examined was built in the hollow of an apple-tree,* and was composed entirely of scraps of birch-bark. The Naturalist con- tains a description of one made of beech-bark, though probably here, too, birch is meant; others are described * See the Author's " Birds' Nests," p. 12. (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.) 314 CERTHHLE. as being made of dry leaves and nioss ; but, whatever the materials may be, the nest itself is invariably placed in the hole of a tree. There are good reasons for believing that in case of necessity the bird enlarges the cavity to make its dwelling sufficiently commodious, chips of wood having been sometimes found in the vicinity; but what makes the Nuthatch singular among British birds is, that it not only enacts the carpenter when occasion arises, but adds the vocation of plasterer. In the case above alluded to I do not know that its powers were called out in either of these capacities. As a plasterer it had no occasion to work, for the opening to the hole was so small that it required to be cut away in order to admit a boy's hand, but many instances are recorded when it selected a hole with a large orifice which it contracted by lining it with a thick coat of mud and gravel. This parapet, constructed either to keep out bulky intruders or to keep in the young birds, if injured or destroyed will be found restored after a short lapse of time ; and so devoted a mother is the hen bird that she will suffer herself to be taken rather than desert her brood. I have rarely noticed a Nuthatch on the ground during winter, but in spring and summer it adds to its diet terrestrial insects and worms, and is said also to be partial to red currants not a singular taste. But the fruit which has an especial charm for the Nuthatch is that from which it derives its name.* Its keen eye detects the ripening filbert in the garden or orchard before the hazels in the wood are beginning to turn brown, and it then despises less dainty food. One by one the clusters are pecked open and their contents purloined, carried, perhaps, to some convenient storehouse for future banquetings. f *From the French hacker, "to chop;" hence also "hatchet." 1 1 have given elsewhere my reasons for believing that the Nut- hatch stores away\its food. See "Eambles in the Four Seasons," Spring, p. 47. (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.) THE NUTHATCH. 315 At any rate the owner of filbert trees where these birds abound has need to keep a daily watch, or his share in the produce will prove exceedingly small I have seen trees bearing a fine crop of husks but nearly all empty. The proprietor had suffered them to remain till they were ripe, the Nuthatches had taken a different view of the case and preferred them unripe rather than not at alL But what, it may be asked, can a bird little larger than a Sparrow find to do with a filbert, or even a hazel-nut ? Here we have a fresh distinctive feature in the biography of the Nuthatch. The bird carries off its prey in its beak, and when in want of a meal wedges the nut in the crevice of some rough-barked tree, such as an oak', an elm, or a walnut. This done, he takes his stand, head downwards, above the nut, throws back his head to gather force for a blow, and then brings it violently forwards many times in rapid succession, aided, too, by the weight of his body and a clapping of the wings in exact time with each stroke. By dint of repeated blows thus dealt by his strong beak, even the hard shell of a filbert at last gives way ; a small hole is the result, which is soon enlarged, and the kernel becomes the hardly-earned prize. My readers must not suppose this an imaginary scene, though new to them. Any one who will take the trouble to examine the trunks of old oaks and elms will be sure to find shells still remaining wedged into the bark, and if during a ramble in the woods in autumn or winter, or even in early spring, he should happen to hear a smart tapping, let him follow the direction of the sound, and he will stand a fair chance of discovering the clever little nut- cracker at work. If in the course of his operations the bird happens to dislodge a nut, so nimble is he that before it reaches the ground he will have caught it in his beak.* Acorns and the nuts of yew-berries, and probably other * See an amusing account of the Nuthatch in the Zoologist, vol. i. p. 213. 316 CERTHID^E. hard seeds, are similarly treated by the Nuthatch ; cherry- stones, I suspect, are beyond his powers, yielding only to the massive beak of the Hawfinch. The Nuthatch may easily be induced to visit gardens by wedging hazel or Spanish nuts into the bark of trees ; a walnut fastened on by a pin is equally effectual. But no more enticing bait can be set than a lump of fat meat, which should be tied tightly by a string to the horizontal branch of an apple tree or any other tree, a good view of which can be commanded from the house. If the weather be severe and the ground covered with snow, it is surprising what a variety of birds will come to partake of the unknown food. Robins, Sparrows, Tits of several kinds, Chaffinches, and others flock for a share, not without sundry bickerings, alarms, and semblances of fighting. But should a Nut- hatch happen to appear, all retire until his highness is satisfied. He enters upon the scene in a way of his own. Other birds alight on a bough or twig at some little distance from the banquet and make gradual advances. Not so the Nuthatch ; he darts forward in a horizontal line, as if propelled by a missile, sticks by his claws to whatever part of the branch he happens to touch, not caring in what attitude he alights, stops for a second as if to assure himself in what direction his head is pointing, creeps nimbly round to the morsel, takes his stand on it and hammers away until he has separated a large lump. This he then seizes in his beak and retires to a place of seclusion, leaving the inferior animals to squabble to their hearts' content over the crumbs which he has dislodged, and presently discomfits them again by a reappearance. What his powers as a combatant may be I cannot say ; great, it may be supposed, for no one is inclined to do him battle, and he is not sociably disposed even towards those of his own kind. THE CUCKOO. ' CUCULUS CANORUS. Upper plumage bluish ash colour, darker on the wings, lighter on the neck and chest ; under parts whitish with transverse dusky streaks ; quills barred on the inner webs with oval white spots ; tail-feathers blackish, tipped and spotted with white : bill dusky, edged with yellow ; orbits and inside of the mouth orange-yellow ; iris and feet yellow. Young ash-brown, barred with reddish brown ; tips of the feathers white ; a white spot on the back of the head. Length thirteen inches and a half, breadth twenty-three inches. Egg dull white, speckled all over with ash-brown. No bird in a state of nature utters a note approaching so closely the sound of the human voice as the Cuckoo ; on this account, perhaps, partially at least, it has at all times been regarded with especial interest. Its habits have been much investigated, and they are found to be unlike those of any other bird. The Cuckoo was a puzzle to the earlier naturalists, and there are points in its biography which are controverted still. From the days of Aristotle to those of Pliny, it was supposed to undergo 318 CUCULID^E. a metamorphosis twice a year, appearing during the summer months as a Cuckoo, " a bird of the hawk kind, though destitute of curved talons and hooked beak, and having the bill of a Pigeon ; should it chance to appear simultaneously with a Hawk it was devoured, being the sole example of a bird being killed by one of its own kind. In winter it actually changed into a Merlin, but reappeared in spring in its own form, but with an altered voice, laid a single egg, or rarely two, in the nest of some other bird, generally a Pigeon, declining to rear its own young, because it knew itself to be a common object of hostility among all birds, and that its brood would be in consequence unsafe, unless it practised a deception. The young Cuckoo being naturally greedy, monopolized the food brought to the nest by its foster parents : it thus grew fat and sleek, and so excited its dam with admiration of her lovely offspring, that she first neglected her own chicks, then suffered them to be devoured before her eyes, and finally fell a victim herself to his voracious appetite."* A strange fiction, yet not more strange than the truth, a glimmering of which appears throughout. We know well enough now that the Cuckoo does not change into a Merlin, but migrates in autumn to the southern regions of Africa; but this neither Aristotle nor Pliny could have known, for the common belief in their days was, that a continued pro- gress southwards would bring the traveller to a climate too fierce for the maintenance of animal life. Now the Merlin visits the south of Europe, just at the season when the Cuckoo disappears, and returns northwards to breed in spring, a fact in its history as little known as the migration of the Cuckoo. It bears a certain resem- blance to the Cuckoo, particularly in its barred plumage, certainly a greater one than exists between a caterpillar and a butterfly, so that there were some grounds for * Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. x. cap. ix. THE CUCKOO. 319 the belief in a metamorphosis, strengthened not a little by the fact that the habits of the bird were peculiar in other respects. Even so late as the time of our own countrymen, Willughby and Eay (1676), it was a matter of doubt whether the Cuckoo lay torpid in a hollow tree, or migrated during winter. These authors, though they do not admit their belief of a story told by Aldrovandus of a certain Swiss peasant having heard the note of a Cuckoo proceed from a log of wood which he had thrown into a furnace, thought it highly probable that the Cuckoo did become torpid during winter, and were acquainted with instances of persons who had heard its note during unusually mild winter weather. The assertion again of the older naturalists, that the Cuckoo is the object of hatred among birds generally, seems credible, though I should be inclined to consider its habit of laying its eggs in the nests of other birds as the cause rather than the consequence of its unpopularity. The contrary however is the fact, numerous anecdotes of the Cuckoo showing that it is regarded by many other birds with a respect which amounts to infatuation, rather than with apprehension. The statement that it lays but one egg is erroneous, so also is the assertion of Willughby that it invariably destroys the eggs found in a nest pre- viously to depositing its own. Pliny's assertion that the young bird devours its foster brothers and sisters is nearer the truth, but his account of its crowning act of impiety in swallowing its nurse, is, I need not say, altogether unfounded in fact. Having disposed of these errors, some of which are entertained by the credulous or ill-informed at the present day, I will proceed to sketch in outline the biography of this singular bird, as the facts are now pretty generally admitted. The Cuckoo arrives in this country about the middle of April, and during the whole of its stay leads a wan- dering life, building no nest, and attaching itself to no 320 CUCULID^E. particular locality. It shows no hostility towards birds of another kind, and little affection for those of its own. If two males meet in the course of their wandering they frequently fight with intense animosity. I was once witness of an encounter between two birds who chanced to meet in mid-air. Without alighting they attacked each other with fury, pecking at each other and changing places just as one sees two barn-door cocks fight for the supremacy of the dunghill Feathers flew in profusion, and in their passion the angry birds heeded my presence so little that they came almost within arm's length of me. These single combats account for the belief formerly enter- tained that the Cuckoo was the only sort of Hawk that preyed on its own kind. It does not pair, and it is unusual to see even a male and female together. It is however, frequently accompanied by a small bird of another kind, said to be, and I have no doubt correctly, a Meadow Pipit. There does not appear to be any intimacy or any hostility between the ill-matched pair. The larger bird flies first, the lesser one as if spell-boulid follows it : if the Cuckoo perches in a tree, the Pipit posts itself on another hard by, or on another branch of the same; if the Cuckoo alights on the ground, the Pipit is by its side. The Cuckoo hunts for its food both in trees and on the ground. On its first arrival it lives principally on beetles, but when caterpillars become abundant it prefers them, especially the hairy sorts. In the months of May and June, the female Cuckoo lays her eggs, (the number of which is variously estimated from five to twelve,) choosing a separate locality for each, and that invariably the nest of some other bird. The nests in which the egg of a Cuckoo has been found in this country are those of the Hedge Sparrow, Robin, Redstart, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Wagtail, Pipit, Skylark, Yellow Bunting, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Blackbird and Wren; the Pipit being the most frequent. In some of THE CUCKOO. 321 these instances, the position and structure of the nest were such that a bird of so large a size could not possibly have laid an egg in the usual way. Hence, and from other evidence, it is pretty clear that the egg is in all cases laid at a distance from the nest and carried by the bird in her bill to its destination. The bird can have no diffi- culty in accomplishing this seemingly hard task ; for the gape of the Cuckoo is wide, and the egg disproportionately small, no larger in fact than the egg of the Skylark, a bird only a fourth of its size. The period during which a nest is fit for the reception of a Cuckoo's egg is short ; if a time were chosen between the completion of the nest and the laying of the first egg by the rightful owner, the Cuckoo could have no security that her egg would receive in- cubation in good time, and again if the hen were sitting there would be no possibility of introducing her egg sur- reptitiously. She accordingly searches for a nest in which one egg or more is laid, and in tne absence of the owner lays down her burden and departs. There are certain grave suspicions that "the intruder sometimes makes room for her own egg by destroying those already laid; but this, if it be true, is exceptional. We see now the reason why the egg of the Cuckoo is small. If it were very much larger than the rest, it might excite suspicion, and be either turned out, or be the cause of the nest being deserted; it would require moreover a longer incubation than the rest, and would either fail to be hatched, or produce a young Cuckoo at a time when his foster-brothers had grown strong enough to thwart his evil designs. As it is, after fourteen days' incubation, the eggs are hatched simultaneously, or nearly so, the Cuckoo being generally the first. No sooner does the young bird see the day, than he proceeds to secure for himself the whole space of the nest and the sole attention of his foster-parents, by insinuating himself under the other young birds and any eggs which may remain unhatched, and hurling them over Y 322 CTJCULID^E. the edge of the nest, where they are left to perish. " The singularity of its shape," says Dr. Jenner, "is well adapted for these purposes ; for, different from other newly-hatched birds, its back from the shoulders downwards is very broad, with a considerable depression in the middle. This de- pression seems formed by nature for the design of giving a more secure lodgment to an egg or a young bird, when the young Cuckoo is employed in removing either of them from the nest." To the question which naturally suggests itself, " Why does the young Cuckoo thus monopolize the nest and the attentions of its foster parents'?" the solution is plain. The newly-hatched bird must of necessity be less in size than the egg from which it proceeded, but a full-grown Cuckoo exceeds the dimensions of a whole brood of Pipits ; its growth therefore must be rapid and cannot be maintained without a large supply of food. But the old birds could not possibly with their utmost exertions feed a brood of their own kind and satisfy the demands made by the appetite of the voracious stranger as well. The latter consequently sUves them from this impossible task, and, by appropriating to his single use the nourishment intended for a brood of four or five, not only makes provision for his own well-being, but helps them out of a difficulty. So assiduously is he taken care of that he soon becomes a portly bird and fills his nest ; in about three weeks he is able to fly, but for a period of four or five weeks more his foster-parents continue .to feed him. It is probable that the young Cuckoo actually exercises some fascination over other birds. There is a case on record in which a pair of Meadow Pipits were seen to throw out their own young ones to make room for the intruder. In another instance, a young Cuckoo which had been taken from the nest and was being reared by hand escaped from confinement. Having one of its wings cut, it could not fly, but was found again, at the 'expiration of a month, within a few fields of the THE CUCKOO. 323 house where it was reared, and several little wild birds were in the act of feeding it. The Bishop of Norwich* mentions two instances in which a young Cuckoo in captivity was fed by a young Thrush which had only just learnt to feed itself. In the days when omens were observed, it was con- sidered a matter of high import to hear the song of the Nightingale before that of the Cuckoo. Thus Chaucer " it was a commone tale That it were gode to here the Nightingale, Moche rathirf than the lewdej Cuckowe singe." So, when on a certain occasion he heard the Cuckoo first, and was troubled in consequence, he represents the Night- ingale as thus addressing him : " be thou not dismaied For thou have herd the Cuckow erst than me, For if I live it shall amendid be The nexte Maie, if I be not afraied." More recently Milton thus addresses the Nightingale : " Thy liquid notes that close the eye of day, First heard before the shallow Cuccoo's bill, Portend success in love." Whether any traces of this popular belief yet linger in our rural districts, I do not know ; but I can recall my childish days in the west of England (where there are no Nightingales), when I looked forward with implicit faith to the coming of the Cuckoo, to " eat up the dirt," and make the Devonshire lanes passable for children's spring wanderings. The song of the Cuckoo, I need scarcely remark, consists of but two notes, of which the upper is, I * Familiar History of Birds. f Earlier. J Unskilful. Y 2 324 CUCULID.E. believe, invariably E flat, the lower most frequently C natural, forming, however, not a perfect musical in- terval, but something between a minor and a major third. Occasionally two birds may be heard singing at once, one seemingly aiming at a minor, the other a major third ; the effect is, of course, discordant. Sometimes the first note is pronounced two or three times, thus "cuck-cuck- cuckoo," and I have heard it repeated rapidly many times in succession, so as to resemble the trilling note of the Nightingale, but in a lower key. The note of the nest- ling is a shrill plaintive chirp, which may best be imitated by twisting a glass stopper in a bottle. Even the human ear has no difficulty in understanding it as a cry for food, of which it is insatiable. Towards the end of June the Cuckoo, according to the old adage, "alters its tune," which at first loses its musical character and soon ceases altogether. In July the old birds leave us, the males by themselves first, and the females not many days after; but the young birds remain until October. THE GEEAT SPOTTED CUCKOO. OUCULUS GLANDARIUS. Feathers of the head dark ash colour, elongated, forming a crest ; upper plumage greyish black, mostly tipped with white ; throat and breast reddish white ; under parts white. Length fifteen inches and a half. AN exceedingly rare visitor of the British Isles. It inhabits the wooded districts skirting the sultry plains of North Africa, and occasionally finds its way across the Mediterranean to Spain and Italy. Little is known of its habits, except that it builds a nest and rears its young. 325 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. COCCYZUS AMERICANUS. Upper plumage, wings, and two central tail-feathers yellowish brown, the next, on each side black, the rest black tipped with white, the outer on each side white on the outer web ; under parts greyish white ; flanks and thighs pale brown. Length twelve inches. Eggs uniform greenish blue. THIS bird, better known to readers of the American poets by the name Cow-bird, from its frequently repeated note "cow," has little claim to a place among British birds? not having been seen in this country more than half a dozen times. Unlike the familiar English Cuckoo it builds a nest, and rears its young most assiduously. It is peculiar from its habit of beginning to sit as soon as it has laid its first egg. Thus if a nest be examined in which five eggs have been laid, it will be found perhaps to contain one young bird nearly fledged, one much younger, a third just hatched, an egg ready to be hatched, and another recently laid. I find no reason assigned for this strange deviation from the usual habits of birds; but possibly the young birds may, like their European relatives, be very voracious, so that to supply a whole brood at once with food would overtax the powers of the parent birds. The probability of this inference is strengthened by the fact that the female bird lays ten or eleven eggs in a single season. THE WOOD PIGEON OR RING DOVE. COLUMBA PALUMBUS. Head, cheeks, neck, and upper part of the tail, bluish grey ; back and wing- coverts darker ; a white crescent-shaped spot on each side of the neck sur- rounded by scale-like feathers with green and purple reflections ; primaries grey towards the base, white in the middle, and dusky towards the extremity, with the outer web white; tail barred with black at the end; abdomen whitish ; bill orange, powdered with white at the base ; iris light yellow ; feet blood-red; claws brown. Length sixteen and a half inches. Eggs pure white. AMONG the Israelites Pigeons and Turtle Doves were the only birds that could be offered in sacrifice; and even prior to the Mosaic dispensation they were selected by GOD, along with sheep and oxen, as fit to constitute a burnt offering.* Being thus classed with tame animals, it is probable that they were domesticated at a very early period. Hence we need not be surprised that naturalists are undecided as to the species from which the numerous * Genesis xv. 9. THE WOOD PIGEON OR KING DOVE. 327 varieties of Pigeons to be found in almost all civilized countries -were originally derived. Two hundred years ago the taste for keeping different sorts of Pigeons was as strong as it is in the present day, and the popular names of Runts, Croppers, Shakers, Carriers, Jacobins, Turbits, Barbaries, Tumblers, Horsemen, Spots, &c., modern though they may sound, were then applied to the very same varieties which are described under these names in recent " Guides to the Poultry-yard." Many of these were of foreign origin, and were known at a remote period in various eastern countries, so that there can be no doubt that the custom of keeping tame Pigeons is of very ancient date. Naturalists are now pretty well agreed that all the domestic varieties were derived originally from the Rock Pigeon, resting their opinion mainly on the fact that this bird and all the numerous sorts of tame Pigeons, whatever other peculiarities they may have, agree in the character- istic habit of perching and nesting in rocks or masonry, whereas all other species of wild Pigeon found in the Old World frequent trees. The Pigeons feed almost exclusively on vegetables, and in some of their habits approach the gallinaceous birds, with which accordingly they are classed. They are fur- nished with long and powerful wings, by help of which they can sustain a rapid and continuous flight. They seek their food mostly on the ground, but do not scratch with their feet, and are more given to bathe in water than to flutter in a bath of dust, though in this habit also they not unfrequently indulge. They are furnished moreover with a large crop, in which the food supplied to their young is partially macerated and reduced to a kind of pulp before the latter are fed. This process is carried on more by the agency of the receiver than of the giver, as the young birds, instead of opening their mouths and allowing the food to be dropped in, help themselves by inserting their bills into the sides of the old bird's mouth. Their mode of drinking 328 COLUMBINE. differs from that of the true gallinaceous birds ; they do not take short sips, lifting the head after every draught, but satisfy their thirst by one continuous immersion of the whole bill. They build their nests of a few sticks, and lay two white eggs. Some of the foreign species are distinguished by their brilliant plumage. Those inhabiting Britain are unmarked by gaudy tints, but redeemed from plainness by the me- tallic glossy lustre of their neck feathers. The Wood Dove, called also Wood Pigeon and King Dove, is the largest British species, exceeding in dimen- sions most varieties of the domestic Pigeon. The summer wanderer through a wood in almost any part of the coun- try can scarcely fail to have been disturbed in his medita- tions by the sudden napping of wings of some large bird, which, without uttering any note, dashes through the foliage of a neighbouring tree, and makes off with hurried flight for some distant part of the wood. Seen through the openings of the trees, its predominant tint is blue-grey, but a large patch of white is distinctly perceptible on each wing. It might be mistaken for a hawk, so rapidly does it cleave its way through the air ; but birds of prey are too wary to betray their movements by the sound of their wings ; they, too, rather launch into the air, than start with a violent clapping of their pinions. A Jay might make a similar noise ; but when alarmed it always utters its harsh scream, and, if it comes in sight, may at once be distinguished by the striking contrast of its white and black feathers. The bird just disturbed can scarcely, then, be anything but a Wood Dove, perhaps frightened from its nest, perhaps attending on its mate, or it may have been simply digesting its last meal, or waiting until sent forth by the cravings of hunger in quest of a new one ; for the bird, though exemplary as a spouse and parent, has a large crop which is never allowed to remain long empty. The food and habits of Wood Pigeons vary with the season. THE WOOD PIGEON OR RING DOVE. 329 In spring and summer they are most frequently seen alone or in pairs. They then feed principally on the tender leaves of growing plants, and often commit great ravage in fields of beans and peas. Spring-sown corn is attacked by them both in the grain and the blade, and as soon as young turnips have put forth their second pair of leaves, they, too, come in for their share of devastation. As the season advances, they visit the corn-fields, especially those in the vicinity of their native woods, preferring, above all, those parts where the corn has been laid, and where a neighbouring grove or thicket will afford them a ready retreat if disturbed. They are very partial also to oily seeds of all kinds, and it is said that since colza has been extensively grown* in the south of France, Wood Pigeons have become a scourge of agriculture, and that con- sequently war is waged on them unsparingly. It has been remarked also, that they have become much more abundant in Scotland in consequence of " the great increase in the cultivation of turnips and clover, which afford them a con- stant supply of food during winter, and the great increase of fir woods, which are their delight, both for roosting and rearing their young." * At the approach of autumn they assemble in small flocks, and resort to oak and beech woods, especially the last, where acorns and beech-mast, swallowed whole, afford them an abundant and generous diet. They are now in great demand for the table, but, being very cautious and shy, are difficult of approach. A good many, however, are shot by men and boys, who dis- cover beforehand in what particular trees they roost, and, lying in ambush to await their arrival, fire at them as they drop in in small parties. In winter, the small flocks unite and form large ones. So large, indeed, are these some- times in severe seasons, that it is fair to suppose that their numbers are considerably augmented by subsidies from colder climates, driven southwards perhaps by scarcity of * Mr. Hepburn, in the Zoologist, vol. i. p. 370. 330 COLUMBHLE. food. In districts abounding in oak and beech woods, they find abundance of food during the greater part of the winter ; but when this supply is exhausted, or the ground is covered with snow, they repair once more to the turnip- fields, and feed on the green leaves. Hunger, however, does not rob them of their shyness, nor make them confiding ; for let a human figure appear in ever so large a field where a flock is feeding, the alarm is at once caught and communicated to the whole party, who lose no time in displaying the white bar on the wing, and are soon beyond the reach of fowler and gun. Among the first woodland sounds of spring and the last of autumn is the note of the King Dove, often continued for a long time together, always monotonous, bat never wearisome. It is generally considered to be tinged with melancholy, and on this account the bird itself is supposed to have been named the Queest * or Cushat "Deep toned The Cushat plains ; nor is her changeless plaint Unmusical, when with the general quire Of woodland harmony it softly blends." Grahame, Wordsworth celebrates it under a name generally given to the next species : " I heard a Stock Dove sing or say His homely tale, this very day ; His voice was buried among trees, Yet to be come at by the breeze. It did not cease ; but cooed and cooed, And somewhat pensively he wooed ; He sang of love with quiet blending, Slow to begin, and never ending ; Of sorrows, faith, and inward glee ; That was the song, the song for me." * Latin questus, a complaining. THE WOOD PIGEON OR RING DOVE. 331 And again, still more happily : " Over his own sweet voice the Stock Dove broods." The note may be imitated by attempting to whistle, in a very deep tone, the syllables " cooe-coo-roo-o-o-o ; " or still more closely by clasping the hands together, so as to form a hollow, open only between the second joints of the thumbs, and blowing the same words over the orifice. "With a little practice so close an imitation may be pro- duced, that a genuine cooer may be beguiled into giving an answer. I may add, too, that with the same natural instrument and with a greater expenditure of breath the hoot of the Owl may be imitated; with a gentler effort and a quiver of the tongue the coo of the Turtle Dove may be nearly approached. The Wood Dove has never been considered to be the origin of the domestic Pigeon, nor will it breed in cap- tivity. There is no difficulty, however, in rearing birds taken young from the nest ; and birds so brought up will alight with perfect confidence on the person of their foster nurse, and feed from his hand or mouth. The nest of the Wood Dove is an unsubstantial structure, composed of sticks so loosely put together that the eggs or young birds are sometimes visible from below. It is placed in a fork or among the branches of a tree : a thick fir is preferred ; but nests are to be met with in ivy and thorn bushes either in a wood, coppice, or, more rarely, in a hedge-row. The number of eggs is always two. The male bird assists in the office of incubation. ' THE STOCK DOVE. COLUMBA (ENAS. Head, throat, wings, and lower parts, bluish grey ; the lower parts of the neck with metallic reflections, no white spots ; breast wine-red ; a black spot on the two last secondaries and some of the wing-coverts ; primaries grey at the base, passing into dusky ; tail grey, barred with black at the extremity, the outer feather with a white spot on the outer web near the base ; irides red- dish brown ; bill yellow, red at the base ; feet red ; claws dusky. Length twelve and a half inches. Eggs white. THE Stock Dove is by some persons supposed to be so called from its having been believed at one time to be the origin of the domestic Pigeon ; but as it bore the name before the above question was mooted, it is more reasonable to suppose that it derived its name from its habit of nest- ling in the stocks of trees, and not on the branches like the King Dove, nor in caves like the Eock Dove. Kay and Willughby, who treat the domestic Dove as a distinct species, gave it the name of QEnas (from the Greek oinos, wine), and Vinago (from the Latin vinum), from the purpled THE STOCK DOVE. or wine-red hue of its breast and wings. Temminck does not hesitate to identify the domestic Pigeon with the Eock Dove, without even hinting the possibility of its having derived its origin from ^he Stock Dove. Since, therefore, the two birds have no marked resemblance, it may be reasonably supposed that the relationship between them rests solely on the narrow foundation that there exists a wild Pigeon, popularly called a Stock Dove, and that the word " stock " has among other meanings that of " paren- tage " or a origin/' Thus the name gave rise to a theory which, having a plausible show, was hastily assumed, and was then employed to prove a fact which will not bear the test of examination. The Stock Dove in its habits closely resembles the Eing Dove, from which it cannot easily be distinguished at a distance. When tolerably near, a sharp eye can detect the absence of the white patch on the wings and of the ring round the neck. Its flight is more rapid, and it rarely perches on a slender bough, preferring to alight on a main branch or stump. Its note is softer, and ap- proaches that of the tame Pigeon. But the great mark of distinction is that on which I have supposed its name to be founded : that it does not build its nest among the branches of trees, but in the side of a stump, or other locality, where no one would even think of looking for a Eing Dove's nest. Yarrell states that, "in the open countries of Norfolk and Suffolk, this species frequently makes its nest in holes in the ground, generally selecting a rabbit's burrow." In Surrey, I am informed, several pairs of Stock Doves an- nually build their nests on the stumps of ivy which cling to the walls of "The Oaks," near Carshalton, and, being never disturbed by the inmates, are comparatively tame during the breeding season. By some writers the Stock Dove is considered to be migratory in its habits, spending the summer with us, and flying southward at the approach of autumn. That it shifts its quarters under certain cir- cumstances is pretty clear. White, who had never seen 334 COLUMBID^E. its nest, says that it used to be abundant at Selborne " from ^November to February." Yarrell saw two old birds ex- posed for sale with Eing Doves, in London, on the 4th of January. The fact probably is, that it resorts in spring to the neighbourhood in which it was bred, as a convenient place for rearing its own young, and at the end of summer repairs to woods and groves better adapted for supplying it with its favourite food, acorns and beech-mast. There it flocks together with Eing Doves, vast numbers of which assemble in winter in some districts, and when the fowler plies his occupation shares their fate. It is, however, by no means so common a bird as the Eing Dove at any sea- son, nor is it so generally distributed. In the North it is certainly only a summer visitor ; and, on the other hand, it is most abundant in the south of Europe and in Africa during winter. THE EOCK DOVE. COLUMBA LIVIA. Plumage bluish ash, lighter on the wings ; rump white ; neck and breast lustrous with green and purple reflections, without a white spot ; two transverse black bands on the wings ; primaries and tail tipped with black ; rump white ; outer tail-feather white on the outer web ; irides pale orange ; bill black ; feet red. Length twelve and a half inches. Eggs white. THE Eock Dove, though a bird of extensive range, is less generally known in its natural condition than either of the other British species. As its name imports, its favourite place of resort is the rocky coast ; but this it frequents, not because it has any predilection for the sea-shore and its productions, but that its instincts teach it to make lofty rocks its stronghold, just as the natural impulse of the Eing Dove is to find safety in the forests. If, as is now generally admitted, this species is the original of all the numerous varieties of tame Pigeon, it must inhabit most countries of the eastern hemisphere ; for a pigeon- THE ROCK DOVE. 335 fancier's dove-cot, to be complete, must contain several sorts which were first brought from remote regions : and we know that in Egypt, Phoenicia, and Persia, Pigeons had a mythological importance at an early date. It is said that the Pigeons which have established themselves in various public buildings of continental cities, as Saint Mark at Venice, and Pont Neuf at Paris, are exclusively Eock THE KOCK DOVB. Pigeons ; and I have seen it stated that they frequent the towers of Canterbury Cathedral; but it is possible that these may be in all cases derived from tame birds escaped from domestication, and resuming, to a certain extent, their wild habits and original plumage. That they resort to ruinous edifices near the sea in retired districts is beyond question, as I have seen them flying about and alighting 336 COLUMBID.E. on the walls of an old castle in the island of Kerrera, near Oban, in the Western Higlilands, indifferent, seemingly, whether they nestled in the lofty cliffs on the mainland, where they are numerous, or on the equally secure ruins of masonry in the opposite island. That they are truly wild here there can be no doubt. Indeed, the precipitous shores of Scotland, the Hebrides, and Orkneys, afford them exactly the kind of retreat that suits their habits ; and here among inaccessible rocks they build their nests and, on their return from their inland marauding expeditions, pass their nights. Their attitudes, mode of flight, progression when on the ground, note, and manner of feeding, are the same as those of the common tame Pigeon ; and, as might be expected, both wild and tame birds agree in declining to perch on trees. Macgillivray, who had opportunities of watching them in their native haunts at all seasons, informs us that they leave their caves * in the crags at early dawn, and, pro- ceeding along the shore, unite with other parties on their way till they reach the cultivated grounds, where they settle in large flocks, diligently seeking for grains of barley and oats, seeds of wild mustard and other weeds, picking up also the small snails f which abound in sandy pastures near the sea. In summer they make frequent short visits of this kind, returning at intervals to feed their young. In winter they form much larger flocks, and, making the best use of their short day, feed more intently, thus holding out a temptation to the fowler, who, if sufficiently wary, can sometimes approach near enough to kill a large number at a shot. They are supposed to pair for life ; and this, I believe, is generally the case with tame Pigeons. They lay two eggs, and sit for three weeks. The male and * " The Dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth." Cant. ii. 14. t Helix ericetorum, a flattish, striped shell ; and Bulimus acutus, an oblong, conical shell, mottled with grey and black. THE ROCK DOVE. 337 the female sit, alternately relieving each other. They breed twice a year, but the number of eggs never exceeds two. Hence the old Scottish saying, "a doo's cleckin," for a family of only two children a boy and a girl. They may be distinguished from the other common species while flying, by showing a large patch of white between the back and the tail. THE TUKTLE DOVE. COLUMBA TUKTUR. Head and nape ash, tinged with wine-red; a space on the sides of the neck composed of black feathers tipped with white ; neck and breast pale wine- red ; back ash-brown ; primaries dusky ; secondaries bluish ash ; scapulars and wing-coverts rust-red with a black spot in the centre of each feather ; abdomen and lower tail-coverts white ; tail dusky, all but the two middle feathers tipped with white, the outer feather edged with white externally ; irides yellowish red ; feet red ; bill brown. Eggs white. three thousand years ago the Turtle Dove had the distinction of being enumerated among the pleasant things of spring: "Lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone ; the flowers appear on the earth ; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our land." * Less sweetly, but to the same effect, sings a poet of the last century: " The cuckoo calls aloud his wand'ring love, The Turtle's moan is heard in ev'ry grove ; The pastures change, the warbling linnets sing : Prepare to welcome in the gaudy spring ! " PHILIPS. There is no melody in the song of the Turtle, as it consists of a single note, a soft, sweet, agitated murmur, continued without pause for a long time, called a " moan " f both by *Cant. ii. 11, 12. f " Nee gemere aeria cessabit Turtur ab ulmo." VIRGIL. Nor shall from lofty elm the Turtle cease to moan. Z 338 COLUMBIDJE. Latin and English poets, not from its being suggestive of pain, but because there is no other word which describes it so nearly. I have already had occasion to remark how unsatisfactory are most of the attempts which have "Been made to represent the songs of birds by combinations of letters, but the Latin name of the Turtle-dove, Turtur, is a notable exception. Pronounced " tur-r-r tur-r-r," it will instantly recal the note to any one who has once heard it. The French name also, Tourterelle, can belong to this bird alone. The Turtle Dove is found in all the southern countries of Europe; in Palestine, aud many other parts* of Asia, including the islands south of China. In England it is a visitor in the southern and midland counties only, arriving THE TURTLE DOVE. 339 in spring and remaining with us until the end of Septem- ber. Its favourite places of resort are groves, belts of trees, and tall hedge-rows in cultivated districts. Here it builds its unsubstantial nest of a few sticks, and lays two eggs. Its food consists of seeds of various kinds, and it has the discredit of resorting to fields of green wheat for the sake of feeding on the milky grain. I am doubtful whether this charge can be sustained. Often enough when walking through a corn-field one may see two or three Turtle Doves rise suddenly from the thick corn with a rustle and low cry of alarm, rapidly dart away in the direction of the nearest grove, disappearing in the shade, all but a white segment of a circle, formed by the tips of their tail- feathers ; but on examining the spot from which they rose, I have been unable to detect any ears of corn rifled of their contents, though the ground was thickly matted with weeds, which might have furnished them food. I am informed by a young friend that he has often shot them while in the act of rising from such situations, and has invariably found their crops distended with the green seed-vessels of a weed common in corn-fields, the corn- spurrey (Sp&rgula arvensis). This being the case, the Turtle Dove is more a friend than an enemy to the farmer, even if it sometimes regales on ripe grain or interferes with the occupation of the gleaner. It is also very par- tial to vetches. I have met with an instance where a Turtle Dove paid daily visits to one particular spot, under a hedge in a field, and though fired at by the owner of the field many times, under the idea that it was a rare bird, it soon returned ; and when at last shot, its crop was found to be full of vetch seeds which had been accidentally spilled from a bag. The Turtle Dove is smaller than any of the other British Doves. When flying, it seems scarcely larger than a Missel _ Thrush ; but it is more slender in shape, and its wings are much longer. It beats its wings, too, more 340 COLUMBIDJ3. rapidly, and moves through the air with greater velocity. The tints of its plumage are more varied than in the other British species, but far inferior in brilliancy to many foreign ones. The Turtle Dove so frequently kept in a cage is the Collared Turtle Dove (Columba risoria), a native of India and China. This species is distinguished by a black crescent on the back of the neck, the horns of which nearly meet in front. Turtle Doves are much kept in Germany, owing to a strange popular superstition that they are more predisposed than the human species to nervous disorders and rheumatism, and that when any of these complaints visit a house, they fall on the birds rather than on their owners. PASSENGER PIGEON. ECTOPISTBS MIGRATOEIUS. Head and upper plumage bluish grey ; neck and breast deep chestnut passing through salmon colour to white cm the abdomen ; sides of the neck lustrous with green and purple ; tail graduated, with the four middle feathers longest, blackish brown in the middle, white at the sides ; bill black ; irides red ; legs reddish orange ; claws black. Length seventeen inches. Eggs white. THIS bird has no other claim to be set down as British than such as can be derived from the fact that a few specimens have been seen here at distant intervals of time. It is a native of the New World, and is the subject of some of the most interesting narratives of the American Ornithologists. THE COMMON PHEASANT. PHASIANUS COLCHICUS. Head and neck glossy, with metallic reflections of green, blue, and purple ; sides of the head bare, scarlet, minutely speckled with black; general plumage, spotted and banded with orange-red, purple, brown, yellow, green, and black, either positive or reflected ; tail very long, of eighteen feathers, the middle ones longest. Female light brown, marked with dusky ; sides of the head feathered ; tail much shorter. Length three feet. Eggs olive-brown. THE Pheasant has many enemies, and but for the protec- tion afforded to it by gamekeepers, would probably soon disappear. The climate suits it pretty well, and at most seasons of the year it finds abundance of food ; but in 342 PHASIANID^E. hard winters the supply diminishes, or fails altogether ; and were not food specially scattered about for it in its haunts, it would either die off from being unable to with- stand cold and hunger together, or become so weak that it would fall a prey to the smaller rapacious animals, who are not a match for it when it is strong and active. A healthy cock Pheasant has been known to beat off a cat ; a sickly one would be unable to compete with a magpie or jay. It is, in fact, an exotic running wild, and enabled to do so only by the care of those who help it to surmount the inconveniences of a life spent in a foreign land. The Pheasant is said to have been brought originally from Colchis, a country on the sshores of the Black Sea, and to have derived its name from the river Phasis, the famous scene of the expedition of the Argonauts, bearing date about 1200 years before Christ. From this epoch it is said to have been known to the Athenians, who en- deavoured to acclimatize it for the sake of its beauty as well as the delicacy of its flesh. The Eomans received it from the Greeks ; but it was little known, except by name, in Germany, France, and England, until the Crusades. The custom was then introduced from Constantinople of sending it to table decorated with its tail-feathers and head, as a dish for kings and emperors a special honour until that time confined to the Peacock. "Willughby, in the seventeenth century, says of it that, from its rarity, delicacy of flavour, and great tenderness, it seems to have been created for the tables of the wealthy. He tells us, too, that the flesh of Pheasants caught by hawking is of a higher flavour, and yet more delicate than when they are taken by snares or any other method. The kings of France greatly encouraged the natural- ization of the Pheasants in the royal forests, both as an object of sport and as an acquisition to the festive board, and were imitated by the nobles and superior clergy. In the fourteenth century, all the royal forests, THE COMMON PHEASANT. 343 the parks of Berry and the Loire, all the woods and vine- yards of the rich abbeys, were peopled with Pheasants. The male bird was protected by the title of " Eoyal game of the first class," and the killing of a hen was forbidden under the severest penalties. During the period between the reigns of Henry IV. and Louis XVI. its estimation increased. During the revolution royal edicts were little heeded. Pheasants, no less than their owners, forfeited their dignity, which, however, rose again somewhat under the empire. Waterloo, and succeeding events, brought desolation to the Pheasantries as well as to the deer-parks of France ; and now the royal bird, French authors tell us, is likely to disappear from the country. Already, the space which it occupies is reduced to a thirtieth part of the national territory. The centre of this privileged province is Paris ; its radius is not more than five-and- twenty leagues, and is decreasing every year. Pheasants have disappeared from the districts of the Garonne and Rhone, while in Touraine and Berry a few only are to be found in walled parks. If the Pheasant should ever, in this country, lose the protection of the Game Laws, it will probably dwindle away in like manner. Under existing circumstances, it offers an inducement to poaching too tempting to be re- sisted. Gamekeepers engage in more affrays with poachers of Pheasants than of all the other game-birds taken col- lectively; and if the offence of destroying them were made less penal than it is at present, they would doubtless diminish rapidly. Next to "Wood Pigeons, they are said to be the most destructive of all British birds ; so that farmers would gladly do their utmost to exterminate them : their large size and steady onward flight combine to make them an " easy shot " for the veriest tyro in gunnery, while the estimation in which they are held for the table would always secure for them a value in the market. 344 PHASIANIMl. The places best adapted for Pheasants are thick woods in the neighbourhood of water, where there is abundance of shelter on the ground, in the shape of furze-bushes, brambles, tall weeds, rushes, or tussack grass ; * for they pass their lives almost exclusively on the ground, even roosting there, except in winter, when they fly up in the evening, and perch on the lower boughs of middling- sized trees. In April or May, the female bird scratches for herself a shallow hole in the ground under the shelter of some bushes or long grass, and lays from ten to fourteen eggs ; but not unfrequently she allows might to prevail over right, and appropriates both the nest and eggs belonging to some evicted Partridge. The situation of the nests is generally known to the keepers, and all that are considered safe are left to be attended to by the owner. Such, however, as are exposed to the depredations of vermin or poachers are more frequently taken, and the eggs are placed under a domestic hen. Much to the encouragement of dishonest practices, Pheasants' eggs have a marketable value ; and it is to be feared that many proprietors of recently purchased estates are not suffi- ciently cautious in stocking their woods with none but eggs honestly come by. Pheasant chicks are able to run about and pick up their own food soon after they have escaped from the egg. This consists of grain, seeds, small insects, especially ants and their eggs, and green herbage. When full grown, they add to this diet beans, peas, acorns, beech-mast, and the tuberous roots of several wild plants. A strip of buck- wheat, of which they are very fond, is sometimes sown for their special benefit along the skirt of a plantation. To turnips, red clover, and young wheat, they are very destructive ; their large size giving them a facility of doing mischief enjoyed by no other common bird that frequents cultivated fields. In seasons of scarcity they will enter * Air a cesspit osa. THE COMMON PHEASANT. 345 the farmyard, and either quietly feed with the poultry, or, less frequently, do battle with the cocks for the sove- reignty. A story is told, in the Zoologist, of a male Phea- sant, which drove from their perch, and killed in succession, three fine cocks. The proprietor, with a view to prevent further loss, furnished a fourth cock with a pair of steel spurs. Armed with these, the lawful occupant was more than a match for the aggressor, who, next morning, was found lying dead on the ground beneath the perch. Another has been known to beat off a cat ; and a third was in the habit of attacking a labouring man. The female is a timid, unoffending bird, as peaceful in her demeanour as quiet in her garb. The tints of her plumage, far less gaudy than in the male, are a protection to her in the nesting season, as being less likely to attract the notice either of poachers or vermin. Indeed, were she always to lie close, her nest would not be easily discovered, for the colour of her feathers so closely resembles that of withered leaves, that she is, when sitting, less conspicuous than her uncovered eggs would be. Common Pheasants are occasionally found having a large portion or even the whole of their plumage white. These, though highly ornamental when mixed with the common sort, are not prized, owing to their being a more con- spicuous mark for poachers. The " Ringed Pheasant " occasionally shot in English preserves is not, as some maintain, a distinct species : it differs from the typical form of the bird only in that the neck is partially surrounded by a narrow white collar passing from the back of the neck to the sides, but not meeting in front. 346 TETKAONID^E. THE CAPEBCAILLIE. TBTEAO UROGALLUS. Feathers of the throat elongated, black ; head and neck dusky ; eyes with a bare red skin above and a white spot below ; wings brown speckled with black ; breast lustrous green ; abdomen black with white spots ; rump and flanks marked with undulating lines of black and ash colour ; tail black with white spots ; beak horn white ; eyebrows naked, red, beneath the eye a white spot. Length two feet ten inches. F emale a third smaller, barred and spotted with tawny red, black, and white ; throat tawny red, unspotted ; breast deep red ; tail dark red with black bars, white at the tip ; bill dusky. Eggs dull yellowish white speckled with yellowish brown. THE Capercaillie, Wood Grouse, or Cock of the Woods, was a rare bird in Scotland in Pennant's time (1769), and was found only in the Highlands north of Inverness. It has since become extinct; but efforts have been made with some amount of success to introduce it anew. In the pine forests of Sweden and Norway it is still indi- genous, but, being a large and beautiful bird, is much sought after, and is annually receding from the haunts of men. It is also found in some of the central countries of Europe, as Poland and the Jura mountains, where it is said to be rather common. It is not only an inhabitant of woods, but passes its time for the most part in trees, and feeds in great measure on the young shoots of the Scotch fir. In summer it adds to its dietary berries, seeds, and insects, for which it searches among bushes or on the ground, returning to the woods to roost. The male bird has obtained great celebrity for his marvellous performances when serenading the hens during the morning and evening twilight in spring. "During his play, the neck of the Capercaillie is stretched out, his tail is raised and spread like a fan, his wings droop, his feathers are ruffled up, and, in short, he much resembles in appearance an angry Turkey Cock. He begins his play with a call something resembling the words peller, peller, pelkr; these sounds he repeats at first at some little intervals, but, as he proceeds, they increase in rapidity, until, at last, and after perhaps THE CAPERCAILLIE. 347 the lapse of a moment or so, he makes a sort of gulp in his throat, and finishes by drawing in his breath. During the continuance of this latter process, which only lasts a few seconds, the head of the Capercaillie is thrown up, his eyes are partially closed, and his whole appearance would denote that he is worked up into an agony of passion." * This performance, however attractive it may be to those for whose benefit it is intended, exercises a fascination over himself which is often dangerous ; for the sportsman, well acquainted with the sound, is thus guided to his perch, and, shy though the bird is at other times, is able to get near him unperceived or unheeded, and summarily closes his performances. The Capercaillie hen makes her nest upon t^e ground, and lays from six to twelve eggs. She is said to sit for four weeks. The young keep with her until towards the approach of winter. The size of the full-grown bird varies considerably according to the latitude in which it is found. In Lapland the male weighs about nine or ten pounds, but in the southern provinces of Sweden as much as seventeen pounds. The hen usually weighs from five to six pounds. THE BLACK GROUSE. TETRAO TETRIX. Throat-feathers not elongated ; plumage black with violet reflections ; a broad white band on the wings ; secondaries tipped with white ; lower tail-coverts white; tail much forked, the outer feathers curved outwards. Eyebrows naked, vermilion; beneath the eye a white spot. Length twenty-three inches. Female smaller ; head and neck rust-red barred with black ; rump and tail-feathers black barred with red ; belly dusky brown with red and whitish bars ; tail slightly forked. Eggs dull yellow spotted and speckled with reddish brown. THE Black Grouse is a native of the northern countries of Europe and of the mountainous districts of the central part of the continent. In the south it is unknown. Of a hardier nature than the Pheasant, and less fastidious in its dietary, it braves the most inclement seasons, and is * Lloyd's "Field Sports of the North of Europe." 348 TETRAONID^E. never stinted in its supply of food. Moreover, as it rarely wanders far from its heath-clad home, it would pro- bably, if it enjoyed the privilege of insignificance, be abundant in all the extensive waste lands of Britain. But its large size, the excellent flavour of its flesh, and the excitement of the sport which it affords, all tend to keep down its numbers, so that a moor well stocked with Black Grouse is a possession not to be thought lightly of THE BLACK GKOUSE. by the highest and wealthiest. The male bird is, in sport- ing phraseology, a Black Cock, the female a Grey Hen ; and it is the etiquette of the field to shoot Cocks only, the Hens being left for breeding. The Black Cock re- sembles, in one of its most striking peculiarities, its near relative, the Capercaillie. " During the spring," says Mr. St. John, " and also in the autumn, about the time the first hoar frosts are felt, I have often watched the Black Cocks in the early morning, when they collect on some THE BLACK GROUSE. 349 rock or height, and strut and crow with their curious note, not unlike that of a Wood Pigeon. On these occasions they often have most desperate battles. I have seen five or six Black Cocks all fighting at once ; and so violent and eager were they, that I approached within a few yards before they rose. Usually there seems to be a master-bird in these assemblages, who takes up his position on the most elevated spot, crowing and strutting round and round with spread-out tail like a Turkey Cock, and his wings trailing on the ground. The hens remain quietly near him, whilst the smaller or younger male birds keep at a respectful distance, neither daring to crow, except in a subdued kind of voice, nor to approach. If they attempt the latter, the master-bird dashes at the intruder, and often a short mblee ensues, several others joining in it, but they soon return to their former respectful distance. I have also seen an old Black Cock crowing on a birch-tree with a dozen hens below it, and the younger Cocks looking on with fear and admiration. It is at these times that num- bers fall to the share of the poacher, who knows that the birds resort to the same spot every morning." The food of these birds is abundant in quantity, and though simple, yet partakes of an extensive assortment of flavours. Twigs of the fine-leaved heath (Erica cinerea), and heather (Calluna) ; buds of the willow and birch ; the tender shoots of cotton-grass, sedge, and grass; and whortleberries, cranberries, and crowberries, are the prin- cipal items of their bill of fare, varied according to the season. In the months of February, March, and April, they do much mischief to plantations by destroying the tender shoots of Scotch and Silver Fir. " In searching for food, the Black Grouse frequents the lower grounds of the less-cultivated districts, not generally removing far from the shelter of woods or thickets, to which it be- takes itself as occasion requires. It sometimes makes an excursion into the stubble-fields in search of the seeds of 350 TETRAONID^E. cereal plants, and in summer and autumn includes those of the grasses and rushes. While thus employed, it walks and runs among the herbage with considerable agility, and, when apprehensive of danger, flies off to a sheltered place, or settles down and remains motionless until the intruder passes by. It perches adroitly, and walks securely on the branches ; but its ordinary station is on the ground, where also it reposes at night. It may often, especially in spring, be seen on the turf-top of the low walls inclosing plantations. Its flight is heavy, direct, and of moderate velocity, and is capable of being protracted to a great distance."* The Grey Hen constructs a rude nest of withered grass and a few twigs in the shelter of some low bush, and lays from five to ten eggs. The male bird takes no part in the bringing up of the brood, but leaves the duties of incubation and attention to the wants of his family to the hen, who devotes herself wholly to the careful nurture of her little ones. While the poults are in their nonage, she assiduously leads them about where food is most abundant ; and if surprised by an intruder, leaves them to hide among the heath and ferns, creeps rapidly herself to some distance, and then rises in a fluttering manner, so that a stranger to her habits would suppose her to be wounded. By the 20th of August the young are supposed to be fully fledged, und the sportsman is expected not only to show his skill as a marksman, but his quickness of eye in discriminating between males and females as the covey rises. The former are to be distinguished by their richer colouring, and by the more strongly marked white on the wings. At this season the old Black Cocks club together. The Black Cock is found in greater or less quantities in the moorland districts of many of the English counties, but is most abundant in the north of England and Wales, and in Scotland. * Macgillivray. THE RED GROUSE. LAGOPUS SCOTICUS. Plumage chestnut brown, marked on the back with black spots and beneath with black lines ; a fringe of small white feathers round the eyes, and a white spot at the base of the lower mandible ; a crimson fringed band above the eyes ; some of the feathers of the abdomen tipped with white ; tail of sixteen feathers, the four middle ones chestnut with black bars, the rest dusky ; feet and toes covered thickly with grey hair-like feathers. Female the red eye-lid less conspicuous ; colours not so dark and tinged with reddish yellow, the black spots and lines more numerous. Length sixteen inches. Eggs reddish ash colour, nearly covered with blotches and spots of deep red-brown. THE diminution of the number of Pheasants in France, owing to a relaxation of the efforts formerly made to protect them, and the abundance of the same birds in those parts of England where unceasing care is taken of them in severe or protracted winters, tend to prove the great difficulty of preserving a foreign bird in a country which is not in every respect adapted to its habits and constitution. On the other hand, the undiminished 352 abundance of Red Grouse in Great Britain, in spite of the absence of all artificial protection, and notwithstanding the vast quantity which annually fall a prey to vermin, poachers, and sportsmen, proves as satisfactorily that where a bird has become abundant, in a country in all respects suited to its constitution and producing an inex- haustible supply of its natural food, it is impossible to extirpate it. If we ever had occasion to adopt a bird as a national emblem, the choice might for one reason fall on the Red Grouse. It is a native of the British Isles, and is found in no other country. On the moors of Scotland, the hilly parts of the north of England, the mountains of Wales, and the wastes of Ireland, it is as wild and free as the Gull on the sea-cliff. It frequents extensive heaths where man could not protect it if he would, and finds no stint of food where few living things can exist but insects and some of the larger rapacious animals which make it their special prey. Eagles, Falcons, Buzzards, Crows, Foxes, Martins, and Polecats, all wage against it incessant war; it is wholly without armour, offensive or defensive ; yet its numbers are undiminished. And we may confidently say that, as long as there are large tracts of land in Great Britain unreclaimed, there will be Grouse. Red Grouse must, occasionally, fall in the way of the wanderer over the Scottish moors, whatever may be the object of his rambles ; but a sportsman alone is privileged to make the bird his study at all seasons. My sketch, therefore, of the Grouse is to be considered as taken, not from the limited observation which I have been enabled to make, when I have chanced to start a bird on the hills of Westmoreland or the Highlands, but to be compiled from the notes of others who have had more ample means of observing its habits. " The Brown Ptarmigan, generally known by the name of Red Grouse, as compared with the Black Grouse, is met with in Scotland on all kinds of surface, provided it THE RED GROUSE. 353 be covered with heath, whether Calluna vulgaris (Ling) or Erica, cinerea (Common Purple Heath), from the level of the sea to the height of about two thousand feet. The low sandy heaths of the eastern counties of the middle division appear to be less favourable to it than the more moist peaty tracts of the western and northern districts, where the shrubs on which it feeds attain a great size." Its food appears to be much the same as that of the Black Grouse, to which it is similar in many of its habits ; but it never perches on trees. It has, moreover, a decided predilection for the national grain of Scotland. Hence the cultivation of small tracts of land with oats in the neighbourhood of. moors where it abounds is an unprofit- able labour. Its name, Lag6pus (Hare-footed), is equally appropriate as descriptive of its thickly-clothed foot and its fleetness as a runner ; by some French ornithologists it is enume- rated among Velocipedes, for the latter reason. On ordinary occasions it does not fly much, but keeps concealed among the heath, seldom choosing to rise unless its enemy comes very near. Red Grouse pair early in the season, and build their nests generally on the borders between heath and lea ground, with a view to providing their young with an open nursery-ground, on which to learn the use of their legs, as well as a safe retreat on the approach of danger. The nest is loosely constructed of straws and twigs which may chance to lie about near the selected spot. The number of eggs is usually six or seven ; the hen sits very closely, allowing the shepherd almost to trample on her before she springs. The period of hatching is a perilous one for the chicks, for, as they break the shell, they utter a small but shrill chirp a certain signal to some watchful Hooded Crow that a prey is at hand : he traces up the sound, drives the mother from her nest, and destroys the whole brood. Once fairly hatched, the danger decreases ; the young A A 354 TETRAONID.E. birds, while still quite small, show great readiness in concealing themselves. When disturbed they separate in all directions, couch on the ground, squeeze between objects that seem to defy all passage, work their way through the cover, or, if they fancy that an eye is fixed on them, lie as motionless as stones. "When so far grown as to be able to fly, they still prefer the shelter afforded by the cover; but if hard pressed the old cock usually rises first, with a cry which some compare to the quack of a Duck. The hen and young birds show no hurry in following his example, but take wing singly, and at unequal intervals not like Partridges, which always rise in a covey. This is the period when they afford the easiest hot to the sports- man, who often puts them up almost beneath his feet, or under the very nose of his dogs. Later in the season a great change takes place, and this, it is said, whether the birds have been much harassed or not. Become cautious and wild, they no longer trust to concealment or swiftness of foot, but, discovering from a great distance the approach of danger, they rise most frequently out of shot, so that it requires skill and patience to get near them. A slight and early snow sometimes makes it more easy to approach them, at least for a few hours ; but ordinarily, not even extreme cold, or a covering of snow a foot thick, appears to tame them at all. Under such circumstances, they collect in enormous "packs," and betake themselves to some particular part of the moor from which the snow has been more or less drifted. These packs keep together during winter, and at the beginning of spring separate and pair, not, however, without some previous altercations; but these are soon over, and they lose much of their shyness, venturing close to the roads, and being little disturbed by the passage of the traveller. THE PTAKMIGAK LAGOPUS VULGARIS. Winter plumage pure white, a black line from the angle of the beak through the eye ; outer tail-feathers black ; above the eyes a scarlet fringed membrane ; bill and claws black ; tarsi and toes thickly clothed with woolly feathers. Female without the black line through the eyes. Summer plumage wings, under tail-coverts, two middle tail-feathers, and legs white ; outer tail-feathers black, some of them tipped with white ; rest of plumage ash-brown, marked with black lines and dusky spots. Length fifteen inches. Eggs reddish yellow, spotted and speckled with deep reddish brown. THIS beautiful bird is the Schneehuhn, " Snow-chick," of the Germans, the White Partridge of the Alps and Pyrenees, and the Gaelic Tarmachan. Whilst most birds shrink from cold, the Ptarmigan, on the contrary, seems to revel in it, and to fear nothing so much as the beams of the sun. Not even when the valleys rejoice in the livery of spring does it desert the snowy regions altogether, and, when the mist- wreaths clear away, it avoids the rays of the sun by seeking the shady sides of the mountains. Only when the northern regions or lofty mountains are A A 2 356 TETRAONID.E. so thickly covered with, snow as to threaten it with starva- tion does it repair to districts where the cold is somewhat mitigated, but never lower into the valleys than where it may quench its thirst with snow. " The male bird," says a field naturalist, " has been seen, during a snow-storm in Norway, to perch himself on a rock which overtopped the rest, and to sit there for some time as if enjoying the cold wind and sleet, which was drifting in his face ; just as one might have done on a sultry summer's day on the top of the Wiltshire downs, when a cool air was stirring there." * The same writer observes : " I have generally found the Ptarmigan concealed among the grey, lichen- coloured rocks on the summits of the fjelds, and so closely do they resemble these rocks in colour that I could scarcely ever see them on the ground ; and sometimes when the practised eye of my guide found them, and he would point out the exact spot, it was not until after a long scrutiny that I could distinguish the bird within a dozen yards of me. Frequently we would find them on the snow itself, and many a time has a large circular depression in the snow been pointed out to me, where the Ptarmigan has been lying and pluming himself in his chilly bed. He is a noble bird, free as air, and for the most part uninter- rupted in his wide domain; he can range over the enormous tracts of fjeld, seldom roused by a human step, and still more seldom hunted by man. When the winter clothes his dwelling in a garb of snow, he arrays himself in the purest and most beautiful white; when the summer sun melts away the snow, and the grey rocks appear, he, too, puts on his coloured dress, and assimilates himself once more to his beloved rocks. But the young Ptarmigans are my especial favourites : I have caught them of all ages ; some apparently just emerged from the egg, others' some weeks older ; they are remarkably pretty little birds, with their short black beaks and their feathered toes ; and so * Rev. A. C. Smith, in the Zoologist, vol. viii. p. 2977. THE PTAKMIGAN. 357 quickly do they run, and so nimble and active are they in escaping from you, that they are soon beneath some pro- jecting stone, far beyond the reach of your arm, where you hear them chirping and calling out in defiance and derision. The call of the old Ptarmigan is singularly loud and hoarse ; it is a prolonged grating, harsh note, and may be heard at a great distance." This has beer, compared to the scream of the Missel Thrush ; but Macgillivray says it seems to him more like the croak of a frog. Ptarmigans pair early in spring, and build their nest of grass bents and twigs in a slight hollow behind a stone or bush, and lay from seven to twelve eggs. The young are able to run about as soon as they are hatched, and, as we have seen, are most expert and nimble in concealing them- selves. The hen bird when surprised with her young brood counterfeits lameness, and runs about in great anxiety, as if wishing to draw attention from her chicks to herself. Their food consists of the fresh green twigs of heath and other mountain plants, seeds, and berries. "While feeding they run about, and are shy in taking flight even when they have acquired the use of their wings, but crouch on the approach of danger, and remain motionless and silent. When at length they do rise, they fly off in a loose party, and mostly in a direct line, for a distant part of the mountain, the movement of their wings resembling that of the Grouse, but being lighter in character. Early in the season, a long time before Grouse, the coveys of Ptarmigans unite and form large packs, and it is while thus congregated that they perform their partial migrations from the high grounds to what they consider a milder climate, the Nor- wegian valleys. There, while the ground is covered thickly with snow, they, to a certain extent, modify their habits, and perch on trees, sometimes in such numbers that the branches seem to be altogether clothed in white. It does not appear that any of these flocks make long journeys or 358 TETRAONID^E. cross the sea. In Scotland they are no more numerous in winter than in summer, nor have they been observed to take refuge in the woods. In the comparatively mild temperature of Scotland there occurs no lengthened period during which they cannot find their simple food somewhere in the open country ; they consequently do not leave the moors, but only descend lower. The Ptarmigan is neither so abundant nor so generally diffused? in Scotland as the Grouse. It is said to have existed at one time in the north of England and in Wales : if so, it has totally disappeared, nor is it known in Ireland. THE COMiMON PARTKIDGE. PERDIX CINEREA. Face, eye-brows, and throat, blight rust-red ; behind the eye a naked red skin ; neck, breast, and flanks, ash colour with black zigzag lines, and on the feathers of the flanks a large rust-red spot ; low on the breast a chestnut patch shaped like a horse-shoe ; upper parts ash-brown with black spots and zigzag lines ; scapulars and wing-coverts darker; quills brown, barred and spotted with yellowish red ; tail of eighteen feathers, the laterals bright rust-red ; beak olive-brown ; feet grey. Female, less red on the face ; head spotted with white ; upper plumage darker, spotted with black ; the horse -shoe mark indistinct or wanting. Length thirteen inches. Eggs uniform olive-brown. VERY few, even of our common birds, are more generally known than the Partridge. From the 1st of September to the 1st of February, in large towns, every poulterer's shop is pretty sure to be decorated with a goodly array of these birds ; and there are few rural districts in which a walk through the fields will fail to be enlivened by the sudden rising and whirring away of a covey of Partridges, in autumn and winter ; of a pair in spring. At mid- summer they are of less frequent appearance, the female being too busily occupied, either in incubation or the training of her family, to find time for flight ; and at this season, moreover, the uncut fields of hay, clover, and corn, afford facilities for the avoiding of danger, by concealment rather than by flight. The habits of the Partridge, as of the Grouse, are especially terrestrial. It never flies, like THE COMMON PARTRIDGE. 359 the Lark, for enjoyment ; and as it does not perch in trees it has no occasion for upward flight. Still, there are occasions when Partridges rise to a considerable distance from the ground, and this seems to be when they meditate a longer flight than usual. A friend, to whom I am indebted for many valuable notes on various birds, tells me that when a covey of Par- tridges are disturbed by a pack of hounds, they lie close at THE COMMON PARTR1DGK. first, as if terrified by the noise and bent on concealing themselves ; but when the pack actually comes on them they rise to a great height, and fly to a distance which may be measured by miles at least, so he supposes, as he has watched them diminish and fade from the sight before they showed any sign of preparing to alight. The Partridge, though decorated with no brilliant colours, which would tend to thwart it in its habit of 360 TETRAONID^E. concealing itself among vegetation of the same general hue as itself, is a beautiful bird. Its gait is graceful, its feet small and light, its head well raised ; and its plumage, though devoid of striking contrasts, is exquisitely pen- cilled, each feather on the back and breast being veined like the gauzy wings of a fly. The most conspicuous part of the plumage of the male bird, the horse-shoe on its breast, is invisible as it walks or crouches, and the general tone approaches that of the soil Partridges pair early in the year ; but the hen does not begin to lay until May, nor to sit until towards the be- ginning of June. The nest is merely a depression in the ground, into which a few straws or dead leaves have been drawn. It is sometimes placed among brushwood under a hedge, but more frequently in the border of a field of hay, clover, or corn, or in the wide field itsel The mow- ing season, unfortunately, is not noted in the calendar of Nature ; so the mother-bird, who is a close sitter, is not unfrequently destroyed by the scythe, or, at all events, is driven away, and returns to find her eggs carried off to be intrusted to the care of a domestic hen. In unusually wet seasons, nests which have been fixed in low situations are flooded, and the eggs being thus reduced to a low temperature become addle. When this has taken place, the Partridge makes a second laying, and a late brood is reared. Notwithstanding this, however, Partridges are exceed- ingly prolific, and are said to be increasing in numbers in proportion as new lands are reclaimed from the waste. It must certainly be admitted that, in bad seasons, they are treated with a consideration that would scarcely be shown towards them if they were simply destroyers of grain and had nothing to recommend them as objects of sport or as delicacies for the table. When abundant, they fall freely before the sportsman's gun ; but when the coveys are either small or few, they are treated with forbearance, and THE COMMON PARTRIDGE. 361 enough are left to stock the preserves for the ensuing year. While the hen is sitting, the male bird remains some- where in the neighbourhood, and gives timely warning of the approach of danger : when the eggs are hatched, he accompanies his mate, and shares in the work of teaching the young to shift for themselves a lesson which they begin to learn at once. The food both of old and young birds is, to a great extent, insects. The young are espe- cially fond of ants and their pupae or larvae. During the present year (1860), in which there were no broods of Par- tridges, I was much struck by the fact that stubble-fields abounded, to an unusual degree, with ant-hills. In ordinary seasons, these are found torn to pieces and levelled. This year, scarcely one was touched ; and even at the present time, the end of October, winged ants are far more nume- rous than they usually are at this time of the year. Be- sides insects, Partridges feed on the seeds of weeds, green leaves, grain spilt in reaping, and on corn which has been sown. This last charge is a serious one ; yet, on the whole, it is most probable that Partridges do far more good than harm on an estate, the insects and weeds which they destroy more than making amends for their consump- tion of seed-corn. I might fill many pages with anecdotes of the devotion of Partridges to their maternal duties their assiduity in hatching their eggs, their disregard of personal danger while thus employed, their loving trickeries to divert the attention of enemies from their broods to themselves, and even the actual removal of their eggs from a suspectedly dangerous position to a place of safety ; but with many of these stories the reader must be already familiar if he has read any of the works devoted to such subjects. The number of eggs laid before incubation commences varies from ten to fifteen, or more. Yarrell says, "Twenty- eight eggs in one instance, and thirty-three eggs in two 362 TETKAONID.E. other instances, are recorded as having been found in one nest ; but there is little doubt, in these cases, that more than one bird had laid eggs in the same nest." This may be ; but I find in a French author an instance in which no less than forty-two eggs were laid by a Partridge in captivity, all of which, being placed under a hen, would have produced chicks, but for the occurrence of a thunder storm accompanied by a deluge of rain which flooded the nest, when the eggs, which all contained chicks, were on the point of being hatched. The average number of birds in a covey is, I believe, about twelve ; quite enough to supply the sportsman and to account for the abundance of the bird. The character of the Partridge's flight is familiar to most people. Simultaneously with the startled cry of alarm from the cock comes a loud whirr -r-r as of a spinning- wheel : away fly the whole party in a body, keeping a horizontal, nearly straight line : in turns each bird ceases to beat its wings and sails on for a few yards with ex- tended pinions ; the impetus exhausted which carried it through this movement, it plies its wings again, and if it have so long escaped the fowler, may, by this time, con- sider itself out of danger, for its flight, though laboured, is tolerably rapid. The call of the Partridge is mostly uttered in the even- ing, as soon as the beetles begin to buzz. The birds are now proceeding to roost, which they always do in the open field, the covey forming a circle with their heads outwards, to be on the watch against their enemies, of whom they have many. They feed for the most part in the morning and middle of the day, and vary in size according to the abundance of their favourite food. In some districts of France, it is said, the weight of the Par- tridges found on an estate is considered as a fair standard test of the productiveness of the soil and of the state of agricultural skill. THE COMMON PARTRIDGE. 363 Most people are familiar with, the distich : " If the Partridge had the Woodcock's thigh, It would be the best bird that e'er did flie ; " but every one does not know that the saying was in vogue among epicures in the reign of Charles II. THE RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. PERDIX RUFA. Throat and cheeks white, surrounded by a black band, which spreads itself out over the breast and sides of the neck in the form of numerous spots and lines, with which are intermixed a few white spots ; upper plumage reddish ash ; on the flanks a number of crescent-shaped spots, the convexity towards the tail rust-red^ the centre black, bordered by white ; beak, orbits, and feet, bright red. Length thirteen and a half inches. Eggs dull yellow, spotted and speckled with reddish brown and ash colour. THE Red-legged Partridge, called also the French and Guernsey Partridge, is a stronger and more robust bird than the common species, which it also greatly surpasses in brilliancy of colouring. As some of its names indicate, it is not an indigenous bird, but a native of the south of Europe, whence it was first introduced into England in the reign of Charles II. To Willughby, who lived at that period, it was unknown except as a native of the continent of Europe and the islands of Guernsey and Jersey. Towards the close of the last century it was re-introduced into Suffolk, where it has become numerous ; so much so, indeed, in some places, as to have gained the better of the common species. Its flight is rapid, but heavier and more noisy than that of the common Partridge. It is less patient of cold, and less able to elude the attacks of birds of prey. It is quite a terrestrial bird, very slow in taking flight, and never perching except when hard pressed, when, on rare occasions, it takes refuge among the thick branches of an oak or pinaster; here it considers itself safe, and watches the move- ments of the dogs with apparent unconcern. Sometimes, 364 TETRAONID^l. too, when closely hunted, it takes shelter in a rabbit's burrow or the hole of a tree ; but under ordinary circumstances it runs rapidly before the dogs, and frequently disappoints the sportsman by rising out of shot. The Grey or Common Partridge frequents rich cultivated lands ; the Eed Partridge prefers uncultivated plains, " which summer converts into burning causeways, winter into pools of water monotonous landes, where skeletons of sheep pasture without variation TTIK BED-LKOOED PARTRIDGE. on heath and the dwarf prickly genista. It delights, too, in bushy ravines, or the steep sides of rocky hills covered with holly, thorns, and brambles ; and when it resorts to vineyards, it selects those situated on the sides of steep slopes, where marigolds and coltsfoot are the principal weeds, rabbits and vipers the most abundant animals." 4 Red Partridges are consequently most numerous in the * Toussenel. THE KED-LEGGED PARTKIDGE. 365 least cultivated districts of France, especially those between the Cher and the Loire, and between the Loire and the Seine. Towards the east they do not extend beyond the hills of Epernay, and do not cross the valley of the Meuse. The flesh of the Eed Partridge is considered inferior to that of the Grey, and the bird itself is less esteemed by sportsmen as an object of pursuit. In England it seems to retain its natural taste of preferring bushy heaths to inclosed land. In the mode of incubation and rearing the young the two species are much alike. THE BARBARY PARTRIDGE. PERDIX PETR6SA Upper part of the head of a deep chestnut, which spreads on the sides of the neck into a collar, narrower in front and spotted with white ; feathers near the ears rust-red ; throat and a band over the\eye bluish ash ; upper plumage ash-red ; on the wing eight or ten spots, light blue bordered with orange ; flanks barred transversely with white, black, and orange ; beak, orbits, and feet red. Length thirteen inches. Eggs dull yellow, speckled with greenish yellow.. THIS bird is of about the same size as the Red-legged Par- tridge. In Europe it is confined to the mountainous dis- tricts of the south and the islands of the Mediterranean. In Algeria it is the most common species. Its habits resemble those of the preceding, though it is somewhat more easily induced to perch on trees. Two specimens only are known to have been killed in England, which may have been hatched from foreign eggs, or they may have found their way hither as stragglers. In either case this bird has little claim to be considered British. It nests in the fields or in bushy places among the mountains. 366 TETRAONID^E. THE VIKGDttAN COLIN. ORTYX VIRGINIANA. Throat, neck, and a band through the eye, white ; a black band from the base of the bill bounding the white neck ; upper plumage brownish chestnut, mottled with black and grey ; breast reddish white, with transverse black lines ; belly white, with semicircular black lines ; flank-feathers chestnut, bordered with black and white. Length nine inches. Eggs white. THE Virginian Colin, or Virginian Partridge, is a native of the country after which it is named. Though, like the Partridge, a terrestrial bird, it occasionally perches on the boughs of low trees, and differs materially from it in building a nest shaped somewhat like that of the Willow Wren, with a dome. Eepeated attempts have been made to naturalize these birds in England, and, it would seem, with some success, as they have been known to breed, and specimens of various ages have been shot in different parts of the country. THE COMMON QUAIL. COTURNIX VULGARIS. Head mottled with black and reddish brown, with three parallel longitudinal yellowish streaks ; upper plumage ash-brown, variegated with black and straw- colour ; neck reddish yellow, with a double crescent of dusky brown ; breast pale reddish brown, streaked with white ; bill and feet yellowish brown. Female paler, and wanting the double crescent on the neck. Length eight inches. Eggs yellowish white, blotched or speckled with dusky brown. I SHALL here depart from the method which I have pursued, so far as to preface my description of the Quail with tw6 passages from the Holy Scriptures. The first occurs in the 13th verse of the 16th chapter of Exodus : "And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp." The other is in the 12th chapter of Numbers, verses 31, 32 : "And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and THE COMMON QUAIL. 367 let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails : he that gathered least gathered ten homers : and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp." The facts THE COMMON QUAIL. in these two narratives, to which I would wish to draw attention, are : the season of the year at which the occurrence took place, namely, in the first month of the Jewish year, shortly after the Passover ; the precise time, in the night ; the vast number of which the flocks were composed ; that they came from the sea ; and that they fell as if exhausted with their long flight. In both instances, the miracle consisted in the fact that the coming of a 368 TETRAONID^:. providential supply of animal food was foretold. As to the particular bird which is referred to under the name translated in our version, "Quails," only two opinions worth noticing have been offered one, advanced by Hasselquist and Burckhardt, that the bird in question is the Pin-tailed Sand Grouse (Pterocles Alchata, or setarius) ; the- other, that it is the Coturnix of ancient and modern naturalists. The objection to the former view is, that the Sand Grouse, though abundant in the East, is not in the habit of making long nights, has very powerful wings, is never seen fatigued by migration, and is at all times a tenant of the wilderness, far from water. A powerful argument in favour of the other rests on the traditional etymology of the Arabs, who call the Quail selva, the Hebrew name for the bird in question being I^JfcP selav. Taking it, then, for granted, that the selav of the Pentateuch is the selva of the Arabs, and the bird which we call the Quail, we have here one of the earliest recorded notices of the instinctive habits of a known animal, and one which the reader will probably admit, when he has read what follows, to be fair evidence that, in this particular instance at least, no change has taken place in the most noticeable habits of the animal during a period of more than three thousand years. In the case of domesticated animals as the Pigeon, for instance great changes may be produced by artificial means in a hundredth part of the time ; but I am now speaking of a bird which has been submitted to none but natural agencies, and I desire only that the reader should compare the incidental notice of a wild bird contained in the Pentateuch with the following more detailed description of the same bird, still existing in a wild state, compiled from various authorities. Pliny* says, " Quails always arrive before Cranes; they are small birds, and, when they come to us, terrestrial in their habits, rather than birds of flight. Their appearance is not unattended with danger to sailors, when they draw * Nat. Hist. lib. x. cap. xxiii. THE COMMON QUAIL. 369 near to land ; for they often alight on the sails, invariably by night, and swamp the vessels, &c." " This species," says a French naturalist, " is probably the most productive of all winged creatures ; and it could not well be otherwise, or it would be unable to withstand the war of extermination declared against it by human beings and birds of prey. One may get an idea of the prodigious number of victims which the simple crossing of the Mediterranean costs the species by two well known and often quoted facts. The Bishop of Capri, a wretched islet scarcely a league in length, which lies at the entrance of the Bay of Naples, used to clear a net revenue of 25,000 francs a year (1,OOOZ.) by his Quails. This sum represents 150,000 Quails at the lowest computation. In certain islands of the Archipelago, and parts of the coast of the Peloponnese, the inhabitants, men and women, have no other occupation during two months of the year than that of collecting the Quails which are showered on them from heaven, picking and cleaning them, salting them (' they spread them all abroad for themselves ') and pack- ing them away in casks for transportation to the principal markets of the Levant j that is to say, the migration of Quails is to this part of Greece what the migration of herrings is to Holland and Scotland. The Quail-catchers arrive at the shore a fortnight in advance, and every man numbers his ground to avoid disputes. The Quail arrives in France from Africa early in May, and takes its departure towards the end of August." Another French author says, " Like -Kails, Woodcocks, Snipes, and many of the waders, the Quail, when it travels towards the sea shore, flies only in the night. It leaves the lands, where it has passed the day, about the dusk of the evening, and settles again with the dawn of the morning." Not unfrequently, while performing their transit, they become weary, and alight on vessels, or fall into the sea, and are "drowned, " Being at a small town on BB 370 TETRAONID^. the coast, in the month of May," says M. Pellicot, " I saw some boats come in with ten or a dozen sharks. They were all opened before me, and there was not one which had not from eight to twelve Quails in its body." " Enor- mous flights are annually observed at the spring and fall, after crossing an immense surface of sea, to take a brief repose in the islands of Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, Crete, in the kingdom of Naples, and about Constantinople, where, on these occasions, there is a general shooting match, which lasts two or three days. This O.CCUTS always in the autumn. The birds, starting from the Crimea about seven at night, and with a^ northerly wind, before dawn accomplish a passage of above sixty leagues in breadth, and alight on the southern shore to feed and repose. In the vernal season the direction of the flight is reversed, and they arrive in similar condition on tjie Eussian coast. The same phenomena occur in Malta, &c."* On its arrival, the Quail betakes itself to open plains and rich grassy meadows, especially where the soil is calcareous, and avoids woody countries. During the early part of summer it frequents cornfields, saintfoin, and lucern. In September it is found in stubble and clover fields, and among the weeds growing in dry ponds, or it finds shelter in any crops which may yet remain standing. In warm countries it resorts to vineyards, attracted, it is said, not so much by the grapes as by the numerous small snails with which the vines are then infested ; for the crops of the late birds are generally found filled with these mollusks. In locomotion it makes more use of its feet than its wings, and when put up is never induced to perch on a tree. Its flight resembles in charac- ter that of the Partridge, but it rarely flies far, and when it alights makes awkward attempts to conceal itself, but often fails, and may sometimes be captured with the hand. In June or July the female lays from eight to fourteen * Colonel C. H. Smith. THE COMMON QUAIL. 371 eggs in a hole in the ground, and brings up her young without the assistance of the male. Towards the end of August the old birds migrate southwards, and are followed by the young. Before the end of October all have disappeared, though instances have occurred of their being shot during winter, especially in seasons when the harvest has been a late one. The flesh of the Quail is considered a great delicacy, and many thousands are caught in France, and imported to the London markets, for the table. They are placed in low flat cages, scarcely exceeding in height the stature of the bird, for the reason that in confinement, the birds, in their effort to escape, would beat themselves against the upper bars, and destroy themselves. These are said to be all old males. Quails inhabit the eastern continent, from China where they are said to be carried about in winter by the natives, to keep their hands warm to the British Isles. With us they are nowhere plentiful, but are occasionally shot by sportsmen in most parts of the country. In cornfields, on the shores of Belfast Lough, in the north of Ireland, they are of frequent occurrence. THE ANDALUSIAN HEMIPODE. HEMIPOD1US TACHYDROMUS. Head dusky brown, with three longitudinal bands of reddish yellow; throat white ; neck and breast rust-red, the feathers on the side yellowish with a black spot ; belly white ; back mottled with black and rust-red ; scapulars barred with black and rufous ; wing-coverts yellowish, spotted with rust-red and black; quills dusky, edged with dull white. Length six inches. Eggs unknown. A NATIVE of Sicily and Spain, and occurring sometimes as a straggler in the plains of Languedoc, where it is known as the Turnix. It is a small bird, resembling the Quail both in size and plumage, but well distinguished by the B B 2 372 TETRAONID^. absence of a hind toe. It is found also in the North of Africa, especially among the thickets and dwarf palms of Mount Atlas. In habits it resembles the Quail, except that it is a solitary bird. Two specimens only have been seen in Great Britain THE GREAT BUSTARD. OTIS TARDA. Head, neck, breast, and edge of the wing ash grey ; on the crown a longitudinal black streak ; bill with a tuft of elongated loose feathers on each side of the lower mandible ; upper plumage reddish yellow, streaked transversely with black ; lower whitish ; tail reddish brown and white, barred with black. Female smaller, -without a moustache, the streak on the crown fainter. Length nearly four feet. Eggs olive-brown, irregularly blotched with dull red and deep brown. THE Great Bustard was formerly not unfrequent in Britain, but of late years it has become so rare that it is now impossible to describe its habits on the testimony of a living eye-witness. In several parts of the Continent it is indeed still to be met with ; but I find so many discrepancies in the various accounts which I have con- sulted, that it is hard to believe all the writers who describe it to have had the same bird in view. Some of these the reader may examine for himself. The earliest mention of it which I find occurs in the Anabasis of Xenophon, who describes a plain or steppe near the Euphrates full of aromatic herbs, and abounding with Wild Asses, Ostriches, and Bustards (Otis). The latter, he says, '"could be caught when any one came on them suddenly, as they fly to a short distance like Part- ridges and soon give in. Their flesh is delicious." Pliny's description of the Bustard is very brief. He says it approaches the Ostrich in size ; that it is called Avis tarda in Spain, Otis in Greece ; its flesh is very disagreeable, in consequence of the strong scent of its bones." Our country- THE GREAT BUSTARD. 373 man Willughby, who wrote in the middle of the seven- teenth century, gives a longer account. " The Bustard has no hind claw, which is especially worthy of notice ; for by this mark and by its size it is sufficiently distinguished from all birds of the tribe. It feeds on corn and the seeds of herbs, wild cabbage, leaves of the dandelion, &c. I have found in its crop abundance of the seeds of cicuta, with but a few grains of barley even in harvest-time. It is THE GREAT BUSTARD. found on the plains near Newmarket and Royston, and elsewhere on heaths and plains. Bustards are birds of slow flight, and raise themselves from the ground with difficulty, on account of their size and weight ; hence, without doubt, the name tarda was given to them by the Latins. By the Scotch, on the authority of Hector Boe- thius, they are called Gustardce." M. Perrault, who wrote in 1676, ,gives an account of a tame Bustard which was kept for a whole summer in 374 STRUTHIONIDvE. a garden, and died of cold in the winter. "He killed mice and sparrows with his bill by pinching their heads, and then swallowed them whole, even when of consider- able size. It was easy to observe a large mouse going down his throat, making a moving tumour till it came to the turn of the neck ; it then moved backwards, and although out of sight, yet its progress was traced by the feathers between the shoulders separating, and closing again as soon as it passed into the gizzard. He was fond of worms, and while the gardener was digging, stood by him and looked out for them. He ate the buds of flowers, and particularly of roses ; also the substance of cucumbers, but not the outside. From these observations the Bustard is evidently fitted more particularly to live on animal food." The average number of Bustards annually supplied to Chevet, the great game-dealer of the Palais Royal, Paris, is six. Its principal place of resort in France is the wild country between Arcis-sur-Aube and Chalons ; in most other districts it is as little known as with us. Several authors of undoubted veracity state that the adult male Bustard has a capacious pouch, situated along the fore part of the neck, the entrance of which is under the tongue, capable of holding several quarts of water it is said not less than seven. Montagu, in his " Orni- thological Dictionary," expresses his doubt whether the bird could carry as much as seven quarts, or fourteen pounds, while flying; he admits, however, that "it is large, as may be seen in the Leverian Museum : " and he adds, " that it is only discoverable in adults, as it is most likely intended for the purpose of furnishing the female and young in the breeding with water." Of this pouch a figure is given by Yarrell, copied from "Edwards's Gleanings of Natural History," and there inserted on the authority of Dr. James Douglas, the discoverer. Some doubts having arisen in Mr. Yarrell's mind as to the THE GREAT BUSTARD. 375 accuracy of the statement, he took much pains to ascer- tain the truth by dissecting several adult males, and found no peculiarity of structure a result which was also arrived at by Professor Owen, who dissected one with a view of obtaining a preparation of the supposed pouch for the Museum of the College of Surgeons. A paper by Mr. Yarrell,* read before the Linnean Society since the publi- cation of his admirable work on Ornithology, contains many other interesting particulars respecting this bird, to which the reader is referred. Bustards have been seen in England at various intervals during the last eighty or a hundred years, sometimes in small flights and sometimes as solitary specimens, more frequently in Norfolk than in any other county; but they have ceased to breed in this country. I lately met a gentleman in Norfolk who well recollected the time when Bustards were to be met with in that county. They were occasionally seen in the middle of the large uninclosed plains with which Norfolk formerly abounded, and in such situations he had himself seen them. The last occasion was some time about the year 1825, when he once or twice had a shot at one, but could not get near enough to bring it down. When disturbed they moved off rapidly, employing both their feet and wings, rising heavily, but at an angle so acute that they advanced perhaps a hundred yards before they attained the height of a man. When once on the wing, they flew swiftly. They formerly bred in the parish of Deepdale, and he could himself recollect an instance when an attempt was made to rear some in captivity from the eggs, but failed. * Lin. Trans, vol. xxi. p. 155. 376 THE LITTLE BUSTAED. OTIS TETRAX. Crown and back of the head yellowish brown, with brown spots ; sides of the head and throat deep ash-grey, surrounded by a white collar ; lower part of the neck black ; breast with a broad white collar succeeded by a narrow black one ; rest of the lower parts white ; upper plumage yellowish, streaked and spotted with black. Female throat white ; sides of the head, neck, and breast yellow, streaked and (below) barred with dusky. Length seventeen and a half inches. Eggs uniform olive-brown. A NATIVE of the wide plains bordering both shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and of many similar places in Asia. It was formerly abundant in France, even more so than the Quail is at present. In the days of falconry it was in great request under the name of Canepetiere (from cane, a duck, and pierr t e, a stone), which seems to have been given to it from the fact of its frequenting rocky rather than watery places, and flying like a Duck. It resembles the Great Bustard in figure and habits; but far from rivalling the Turkey in size, it is less than a Pheasant. It is said that it is obliged to run before it can take wing ; and that, though shy of men on foot, it allows itself to be approached by vehicles or men on horseback. It has now become so rare in France, that in many districts where it was once abundant its very name is unknown. It may, however, still be occasionally seen nailed to a wall, among birds of prey. In Algeria it is much prized by sportsmen, who call it Carthaginian Hen, or African Pheasant ; and its flesh is said to be more delicate than that of the Woodcock. A few specimens only have been obtained in England, and those principally in the south. It is, therefore, to be considered a rare straggler. Outarde, the French name of the Bustard, is supposed to be a corruption of the Latin avis tarda of Pliny; but if THE LITTLE BUSTARD. 377 we consider it to* be derived from oie tarde, " a slow goose " (and Pliny, it must be remembered, classes the bird with geese), not only shall we be helped towards the Scottish name Gustard, but see a reason why the name Canepetieie should be given to a bird, resembling the Outarde in figure, but as much inferior to it in size as the Duck is to the Goose ; these last being also birds which bear a correspond- ing resemblance to each other in shape and habits. THE CKEAM-COLOURED COUESER CURSOBIUS EUBOP^IUS. Plumage reddish cream colour; wing-coverts bordered with ash-grey; throat whitish ; behind the eyes a double black bar ; lateral tail-feathers black towards the tip, with a white spot in the centre of the black ; abdomen whitish. Length nine inches. Eggg unknown. THOUGH the specific name Europasus would seem to imply that this bird is of frequent occurrence in Europe, this is not the case. Not more than three or four have been observed in Great Britain, at various intervals, from 1785 to 1827; and on the Continent it is an equally rare visitor to the plains of Provence and Languedoc. It is a native of Syria, Egypt, and Abyssinia, frequenting pools and other moist situations. It is singularly fearless of man, and when disturbed prefers to run, which it does very swiftly, rather than to take flight. Its winter resi- dence is supposed to be the central lakes of Africa, from which it returns to the countries named above early in autumn, and disappears at the approach of winter. Nothing is known of its nidifi cation. ".'. .> THE GREAT PLOVER. CEDICN^MUS CR^PITANS. Upper parts reddish ash with a white spot in the middle of each feather; space between the eye and beak, throat, belly, and thighs, white ; neck and breast tinged with red, and marked with fine longitudinal brown streaks ; a white longitudinal bar on the wing ; first primary with a large white spot in the middle ; second, with a small one on the inner web ; lower tail-coverts reddish, the feathers, except those in the middle, tipped with black; beak black, yellowish at the base ; irides, orbits, and feet, yellow. Length eighteen inches. Eggs yellowish brown clouded with greenish, blotched and spotted with dusky and olive. THOUGH a citizen of the world, or at least of the eastern hemisphere, this bird is commonly known under the name of Norfolk Plover, from its being more abundant in that county than in any other. It is also called Thick-knee, from the robust conformation of this joint; and Stone Curlew, from its frequenting waste stony places and utter- ing a note which has been compared to the sound of the syllables curlui or turlui. Like the Cuckoo, it is more THE GREAT PLOVER. 379 frequently heard than seen, but that only by night. In some of its habits it resembles the Bustard, and is said even to associate, in Northern Africa, with the Lesser Bus- tard. Its favourite places of resort are extensive plains j it runs rapidly when disturbed, and when it does take wing, flies for a considerable distance near the ground before mounting into the air. By day the Thick-knee confines itself to the ground, either crouching or hunting for food, which consists of worms, slugs, and beetles, under stones, which it is taught by its instinct to turn over. After sunset, it takes flight, and probably rises to a great height, as its plaintive whistle, which somewhat resembles the wail of a human being, is often heard overhead when the bird is invisible. It is singularly shy, and carefully avoids the presence of human beings, whether sportsmen or labourers. Yet it is not destitute of courage, as it has been seen to defend its nest with vigour against the approach of sheep or even of dogs. Nest, properly speaking, it has none, for it contents itself with scratching a hole in the ground and depositing two eggs. The males are supposed to assist in the office of incubation. The young inherit the faculty of running at an early age, being able to leave their birth- place with facility soon after they are hatched; but the development of their wings is a work of time, for their body has attained its full size long before they are able to rise from the ground. Before taking their departure south- wards in autumn, they assemble in small parties, number- ing from four to six or seven, when they are somewhat more easy of approach than in spring. In the chalky plains of La Marne in France they are very numerous ; and here, by the aid of a light cart, fowlers in quest of them have little difficulty in shooting large numbers, the birds being less afraid of the approach of a horse than of a human being. But when obtained they are of little value, as their flesh is barely eatable. 380 CHARADRID^E. The Great Plover is migratory, visiting the eastern and southern counties of England in the beginning of April, and retiring in August or September. Their nights are always performed by night, for which their large and prominent eyes well suit them, as well as for capturing nocturnal beetles, which form part of their food. THE COLLAEED PRATINCOLE. GLAREOLA TORQUATA. Crown, nape, back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, greyish brown ; throat and front of the neck white, tinged with red, and bounded by a narrow black collar, which ascends to the base of the beak ; lore black ; breast whitish brown ; lower wing-coverts chestnut ; under parts white, tinged with brownish red ; tail-coverts, and base of tail-feathers, white ; the rest of the tail dusky, much forked ; beak black, red at the base ; irides reddish brown ; orbits naked, bright red ; feet reddish ash. Length nine inches and a half. Eggs pale stone colour, spotted with grey and dusky. THE Pratincole, called on the Continent, but without good reason, "Perdrix de mer," or Sea Partridge, is a rare visitor to Great Britain, inhabiting for the most part the northern part of Africa, and the countries in the vicinity of the Don, the Volga, the Caspian, and the Black Sea. It has been observed also from time to time in several of the countries of Europe. In some of its habits it resembles the Plovers, as it frequents open plains and runs with great rapidity. In nidification, also, and in the shape, colour, and markings of its eggs it is associated with the same tribe ; while in its mode of flight and habit of catching flies while on the wing, it approaches the Swallows. Hence it was named by Linnseus, Hirundo pratincola, and under this designation it is figured in Bewick. Its true place in the system is, however, undoubtedly among the waders, several of which not only feed on insects, but are expert in catching them on the wing. THE GOLDEN PLOYEE. CHARADRIUS PLUVIALIS. Winter Upper plumage dusky, spotted with yellow; cheeks, neck, and breast mottled with ash-brown and buff; throat and abdomen white ; quills dusky, white along the shafts towards the end ; beak dusky, feet deep ash-colour ; irides brown. Summer Upper plumage greyish black, spotted with bright yellow ; forehead and space above the eyes white ; sides of the neck white, mottled with black and yellow ; lore, throat, neck, and lower parts deep black. Length eleven inches. Eggs yellowish green, blotched and spotted with black. THE Golden Plover is a common bird in the south of England during the winter months, and in the mountainous parts of Scotland and the north of England during the rest of the year; yet so different are its habits and plumage at the extremes of these two seasons, that the young naturalist who has had no opportunities of observing them in their transition stage, and has had no access to trust- worthy books, might be forgiven for setting down the two forms of the bird as distinct species. In the hilly districts of the north of Europe, Golden Plovers are numerous, sometimes being, with Ptarmigans, the only birds which relieve the solitude of the desolate 382 CHAKADRIDJ3. wastes. Though numerous in the same localities, they are not gregarious during spring and summer, and are remark- able for their fearlessness of man. So tame, indeed, are they that, in little-frequented places, when disturbed by the traveller they will run along the stony ground a few yards in front of him, then fly a few yards, then stand and stare and run along as before. On such occasions they frequently utter their singular cry the note so often referred to in Sir Walter Scott's poems which, like the Nightingale's song, is considered simply plaintive or pain- fully woe-begone, according to the natural temperament or occasional mood of the hearer. This bird builds no nest ; a natural depression in the ground, unprotected by bush, heather or rock, serves its purpose, and here the female lays four eggs, much pointed at one end, and arranges them, in accordance with the custom of the Plover tribe, in the form of a cross, with the smaller end inwards. " The young," says Macgillivray, " leave the nest imme- diately after they burst the shell, and conceal themselves by lying on the ground. At this period the female evinces the greatest anxiety for their safety, and will occasionally feign lameness to entice the intruder to pursue her. I have several times seen one fly off to a considerable dis- tance, alight in a conspicuous place, and tumble about as if in the agonies of death, her wings flapping as if they had been fractured or dislocated." When the young are fledged, they unite into flocks and resort to the moist cultivated lowlands where earthworms are abundant. While engaged in feeding they run rapidly, occasionally stopping as if to look around them, and trample on the ground as if to alarm the worms and frighten them from their holes. They are not much in the habit of fre- quenting marshes for the purpose of feeding, but several times in the day they repair to watery places for the sake of bathing, or, more probably, of cleansing their feet from the mud contracted in this occupation. THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 383 At the approach of autumn, no matter where their summer may have been passed, Plovers migrate southwards in large flights, those from Scotland to the southern counties of England, where they frequent wide moist pastures, heaths, and reclaimed marsh-land. From the northern parts of the continent of Europe they take their departure in October, either to the European shores of the Mediter- ranean, or to the plains of Northern Africa. In these migrations they are not unfrequently joined by Starlings. They travel in close array, forming large flocks much wider than deep, moving their sharp wings rapidly, and making a whizzing sound, which may be heard a long way off. Now and then, as if actuated by a single impulse, they sweep towards the ground, suddenly alter the direction of their flight, then wheel upwards with the regularity of a machine, and either alight or pursue their onward course. This habit of skimming along the ground and announcing their approach beforehand, is turned to good purpose by the bird-catcher, who imitates their note, attracts the whole flight to sweep down into his neighbourhood, and captures them in his net, a hundred at a time, or, when they are within range, has no difficulty in killing from twelve to twenty at a shot. Not unfrequently, too, when some members of a flock have been killed or wounded, the remainder, before they remove out of danger, wheel round and sweep just over the heads of their ill-fated companions, as if for the purpose of inquiring the reason why they have deserted the party, or of alluring them to join it once more. This habit is not peculiar to Plovers, but may be noticed in the case of several of the sea-side waders, as Dunlins and Sanderlings. In severe winter weather they desert the meadows, in which the worms have descended into the ground beyond the reach of frost, and so of their bills, and resort to the muddy or sandy sea-shore. In the Hebrides it is said that they do not migrate at all, but simply content themselves with shifting from the moors 384 CHARADRID^E. to the shore and back again, according to the weather. In the northern parts of France, on the other hand, they are only known as passengers on their way to the south. From making their appearance in the rainy season they are there called pluviers, whence our name Plover, which, however, is supposed by some to have been given to them for their indicating by their movements coming changes in the weather, in which respect indeed their skill is marvellous. The Golden Plover, sometimes called also Yellow Plover, and Green Plover, is found at various seasons in most countries of Europe ; but the Golden Plovers of Asia and America are considered to be different species. THE DOTTEREL. CHARADRIUS MORINELLUS. Winter Head dusky ash ; over each eye a reddish white band, meeting at the nape ; face whitish, dotted with black ; back dusky ash, tinged with green, the feathers edged with rust-red ; breast and flanks reddish ash ; gorget white ; beak black; irides brown; feet greenish ash. Summer Face, and a band over the eyes white ; head dusky ; nape and sides of the neck ash ; feathers of the back, wing-coverts, and wing-feathers, edged with deep red ; gorget white, bordered above by a narrow black line ; lower part of the breast and flanks bright rust-red ; middle of the belly black ; abdomen reddish white. Young birds have a reddish tinge on the head, and the tail is tipped with red. Length nine inches and a half. Eggs yellowish olive, blotched and spotted with dusky brown. THE Dotterel, Little Dotard, or Morinellus, "little fool," received both the one and the other of its names from its alleged stupidity. " It is a silly bird," says Willughby, writing in 1676 ; "but as an article of food a great deli- cacy. It is caught in the night by lamp-light, in accord- ance with the movements of the fowler. For if he stretch out his arm, the bird extends a wing ; if he a leg, the bird does the same. In short, whatever the fowler does, the Dotterel does the same. And so intent is it on the movements of its pursuer, that it is unawares entangled in THE DOTTEEEL. 385 the net." Such, at least, was the common belief; and Pennant alludes to it, quoting the following passage from the poet Dray ton : " Most worthy man, with thee 'tis ever thus, As men take Dottrels, so hast thou ta'en us : Which, as a man his arme or leg doth set, So this fond bird will likewise counterfeit." THE DOTTEKEL. In Pennant's time, Dotterels were not uncommon in Cam- bridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire, appearing in small flocks of eight or ten only, from the latter end of April to the middle of June ; and I have been informed by a gentleman in Norfolk that, not many years since, they annually resorted also, in small flocks, to the plains of that county. Of late years, owing most probably to their bein^g much sought after for the table, they have become rare ; and the same thiiig has taken place in France. c c 886 CHARADRID^E. The Dotterel has been observed in many of the English counties both in spring and autumn, and has been known to breed in the mountainous parts of the north of England ; but I may remark that the name is frequently given in Norfolk and elsewhere to the Ringed Plover, to which bird also belong the eggs collected on the sea-coast, and sold as Dotterel's eggs. THE RINGED PLOVER. CHARADRIUS HIATICULA. Forehead, lore, sides of the face, gorget reaching round the neck, black : a band across the forehead and through the eyes, throat, a broad collar, and all the lower parts, white ; upper plumage ash-brown ; outer tail-feather white, the next nearly so, the other feathers grey at the base, passing into dusky and black, tipped with white, except the two middle ones, which have no white tips ; orbits, feet, and beak orange, the latter tipped with black. Young Colours of the head dull ; gorget incomplete, ash-brown ; bill dusky, tinged with orange at the base of the lower mandible ; feet yellowish. Length seven and a half inches. Eggs olive-yellow, with numerous black and grey spots. ON almost any part of the sea-coast of Britain, where there is a wide expanse of sand left at low water, a bird may often be noticed, not much larger than a Lark, grey above and white below, a patch of black on the forehead and under the eye, a white ring round the neck, and a black one below. If the wind be high, or rain be falling, the observer will be able to get near enough to see these markings ; for sea birds generally are less acute observers in foul weather than in fair. On a nearer approach, the bird will fly up, uttering a soft, sweet, plaintive whistle of two notes, and, having performed a rapid, semicircular flight, will probably alight at no great distance, and repeat its note. If it has settled on the plain sand or on the water's edge, or near a tidal pool, it runs rapidly, without hopping, stoops its head, picks up a worm, a portion of shell-fish, or a sand-hopper, runs, stops, pecks, and runs again, but does not allow any one to come so near as before. The next time that it alights, it may select, perhaps, the beach THE KINGED PLOVER. 387 of shells and pebbles above high-water mark. Then it becomes at once invisible; or, if the observer be very keen-sighted, he may be able to detect it while it is in motion, but then only. Most probably, let him mark ever so accurately with his eye the exact spot on which he saw it alight, and let him walk up to the spot without once averting his eye, he will, on his arrival, find it gone. It has run ahead with a speed marvellous in so small a biped, THE RINGED PtOVER. and is pecking among the stones a hundred yards off. Its name is the Einged Plover, or Ringed Dotterel. Fisher- men on the coast call it a Stone-runner, a most appropriate name ; others, call it a Sea Lark. In ornithological works it is described under the former of these names. The Ringed Plover frequents the shores of Great Britain all the year round. It is a social bird, but less so in spring than at any other season ; for the females are then c c 2 388 CHARADEIDJE. employed in the important business of incubation, and the males are too attentive to their mates to engage in pic- nics on the sands. The nest is a simple hollow in the sand, above high-water mark, or on the shingly beach; and here the female lays four large, pointed eggs, which are arranged in the nest with all the small ends together. The young are able to run as soon as they break the shell ; but, having no power of flight for a long time, avoid impending danger by scattering and hiding among the stones. The old bird, on such occasions, uses her wings ; but not to desert her charge. She flies up to the intruder, and, like other members of the same family, endeavours to entice him away by counterfeiting lameness or some injury. The Ringed Plover sometimes goes inland to rear her young, and lays her eggs in a sandy warren, on the bank of a river or the margin of a lake ; but when the young are able to fly, old and young together repair to the sea- shore, collecting in flocks, and for the most part continuing to congregate until the following spring. Their flight is rapid and sweeping, consisting of a succession of curves, while performing which they show sometimes their upper grey plumage, and at other times the under, which is of a dazzling white. Occasionally, too, as they wheel from one tack to another, every bird is lost sight of, owing to the perfect unanimity with which, at the same instant, they alter their course, and to the incapacity of the human eye to follow the rapid change from a dark hue to a light. Not unfrequently one falls in with a solitary individual which has been left behind by its companions, or has strayed from the flock. Such a bird, when disturbed, utters its whistle more frequently than on ordinary occa- sions, and, as its note is not difficult of imitation, I have often enticed a stray bird to fly close up. to me, answering all the while. But it has rarely happened that I have succeeded in practising the deception on the same bird a second time. 389 THE KENTISH PLOVER CHARADRIUS CANTIANUS. Forehead, a band over each eye, chin, cheeks, and under parts, white ; upper part of the forehead, a band from the base of the beak extending through the eye, and a large spot on each side of the breast, black ; head and nape light brownish red ; rest of the upper plumage ash-brown ; two outer tail-feathers white, the third whitish, the rest brown ; beak, irides, and feet, brown. Female wants the black spot on the forehead, and the other parts black in the male are replaced by ash-brown. Length six and a half inches. Eggs olive-yellow, spotted and speckled with black. THE Kentish Plover differs from the preceding in its in- ferior size, in having a narrower stripe of black on the cheeks, and in wanting the black ring round the neck. It is found from time to time in various parts of the counties of Kent, Essex, Sussex, and Norfolk, but is most abundant on the shores of the Mediterranean. Its habits resemble closely those of the allied species. On the authority of the Greek historian Herodotus, a little bird is found in Egypt called the Tro'chilus, which is noted for the friendly and courageous office it performs for the Crocodile. This unwieldy monster, having no flexible tongue wherewith to cleanse its mouth, comes