BIOLOG T

LIBRARY

THE BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX

i

THE

BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

A CONTRIBUTION

TO

tffifce Iteral f istarg 0f

BY

JAMES EDMUND HARTING, F.Z.S,

LONDON:

JOHN VAN VOORST, 1, PATERNOSTER ROW.
M.DCCC.LXVI.

BIOLOGY
LIBRARY

G

BIOLOGY

G

E. NEWMAN, PRINTER, 9, DEVONSHIRE STREET, BISHOPSGATE.

INTRODUCTION.

" THE advantages of local Faunas," says Professor
Bell,* " are too generally understood and acknow-
ledged to require any lengthened proof or illus-
tration.

" It may, indeed, be doubted whether the study
of the animals of particular tracts of country have
not contributed, more than any other means, to
the advancement of Zoological knowledge, espe-
cially as regards those important branches of it,
the geographical distribution of animals, and the
influence of climate, of soil, and of other local
circumstances, in determining the range of species,
the changes of varieties, and the extent and periods
of migration."

From time to time there have issued from the
press various local Natural Histories ; but no

* ' History of British Quadrupeds,'

811995

VI INTRODUCTION.

work, so far as I am aware, has yet been pub-
lished upon any branch of the Zoology of Mid-
dlesex.

To write the complete Natural History of a
county is an undertaking for which few can find
time, even if they possess the necessary qualifi-
cations ; but by a division of labour the task
becomes not only lightened, but more perfectly
executed ; and it has been with a view of contri-
buting towards a Natural History of Middlesex that
I have ventured to publish these notes on birds.

I do not profess to be a scientific Ornithologist,
according to the modern acceptation of the term, that
is to say, I neither understand nor take an interest
in the endless and complicated subgenera, and other
fanciful divisions, which some naturalists adopt ;
but I am an ardent lover of the study of the habits
and manners of birds, and of the wonderful adapta-
tion of their structure to those habits. With this
love of the feathered race, and the advantage of
constant observation owing to a continued residence
in the country, I have endeavoured to note down
such particulars, gleaned during my rambles, as
may enable a stranger to form a good notion of

INTRODUCTION. Vll

the distribution of our resident and migratory
birds. I have not aimed at giving minute descrip-
tions, which may be found in the works of Messrs.
Yarrell, Jenyns, Gould, and other authorities. I
have merely endeavoured to state, as concisely
as possible, the name of the species, whether resi-
dent or migratory, the season of the year when
each is most frequently seen, the length of time
they remain with us, and the localities in which
they are to be found during their stay. In many
cases, also, I have added various particulars re-
specting their food and habits which I have noted
down at different times from actual observation in
the course of my rambles.

Amongst our British birds are many spe-
cies so closely allied, and so nearly resembling
each other, that it requires a practised eye to dis-
tinguish them. Of these I may mention the
Willow Wren and Chiff Chaff, the Gold Crest and
Fire Crest, the Cole Tit and Marsh Tit, the Pied
and White Wagtail, and the Green and Wood
Sandpipers. With regard to these and a few
others, I have deemed it advisable to point out
the distinguishing characteristics, for the advantage

Vlll INTEODUCTION.

of those who may wish to extend their orni-
thological inquiries in the county. In such cases
I have necessarily been compelled to depart from
my rule of abstaining from particular descrip-
tions. In noticing, also, such scarce birds as
the Spotted Sandpiper, Schinz' Sandpiper, and
Sabine's Gull, here for the first time recorded as
having occurred in Middlesex, with other rarities
(as the Little Kinged Plover) which have fallen
to my own gun, a particular description has been
given, when practicable, either because the birds
were obtained in a fresh state, or because the
description of the species as British by other
authors, has been taken from a limited number of
specimens. This seemed advisable, in order to con-
firm or add to such former descriptions.

It frequently happens that we become aware of
the presence of a bird long before it is seen, merely
by its note. This is more especially the case with
the waders. In order to distinguish birds when at
a distance, we should be well acquainted not only
with their flight but also with their note ; and on
this account, wherever it has been practicable, I
have reduced the notes to a key by means of a

INTRODUCTION. IX

small whistle.* The musical expression thus ob-
tained I have introduced into the text, but the
reader must not attempt to interpret these notes
by the piano ; for by this means he will not obtain
the faintest notion of the sounds which they are
intended to convey. The reason of this will be
obvious ; the pipe of a bird is a wind instrument,
the piano is a stringed one. A flute or flageolet
will give the proper sound, but the most perfect
expression will be obtained with a small whistle,
two and a half inches long, and having three perfo-
rations, similar to the whistle used by the Sardinian
Picco who performed so wonderfully in London
some years since. By reducing the length of the
tube by a stop or plug, the whistle may, by expe-
riment with the bird, be adjusted to the exact pitch,
and the stop be then fixed.

I have found a whistle so constructed very useful
as a bird-call when I have been anxious to get a
shot at Plovers, Sandpipers, and other waders.

* The high notes of the smaller birds are so much above
the reach of the ear that it is scarcely possible to take them
down.

X INTRODUCTION.

In enumerating the various species recorded, I
have thought it expedient to follow some fixed plan
or system, and I have adopted that pursued hy
Mr. Yarrell as being the most simple and natural
of modern systems. Those who desire to see
figures of the birds here noticed may refer to the
* History of British Birds ' by that author, where
they will be found faithfully and beautifully de-
lineated.

It will be seen, from the following pages, that
no less than 225 species of birds have been found
in Middlesex. Of these 60 are resident, 68 migra-
tory, and 97 rare and accidental visitants.

The woods around Hampstead, Highgate, Edge-
warebury, Stanmore, Pinner, and Harrow, still
afford protection to various members of the Hawk,
Owl, Crow, and Woodpecker families, in spite of
the persecution they are constantly receiving at the
hands of keepers, birdstuffers, and mere collectors.
The Warblers are found suddenly scattered over
the country at the period of their vernal migration.
Wheatears and Stonechats then appear on the fal-
lows ; Whinchats in every grass-field ; Willow
Wrens and noisy Whitethroats in the green lanes ;

INTRODUCTION. XI

and the handsome Butcher-bird in the tall tangled
hedges, while all along our brooks the Sedge War-
blers and amusing Tits are found hunting inces-
santly for their insect food.

Owing to the greater portion of the farms in
this county being grass-land, and to the compara-
tive scarcity of stubble and root- crops, Partridges
are by no means so numerous as in adjoining
counties, and Pheasants are only to be found where
strictly preserved.

Peewits breed regularly with us every year, and
Golden Plovers are not uncommon in winter. At
that time, too, Fieldfares and Eedwings find plenty
of food in the hawthorn hedges, and flocks of Wood
Pigeons visit the cleared bean-fields and stubbles
wherever these are to be found.

In the order to which the Peewit and Golden
Plover above-mentioned belong, — viz., the Gral-
latores, or Waders, as well as in the Order Nata-
tores, this county has proved singularly rich,
considering that it is a midland county and cannot
boast of the attractive sea- coast which Norfolk,
Sussex, and other counties famous for this class
of birds possess.

Xll INTRODUCTION.

The large reservoirs of Kingsbury and Elstree,
and the River Brent and Silk Stream, to say
nothing of the Thames, appear to have a special
attraction for various species of waders and wild
fowl which visit us during the year ; no less than
forty-six species of the former and twenty-one of the
latter having at different times occurred. Snipe,
both the Common and the Jack, are numerous
in winter ; occasionally a Woodcock is killed, and,
more rarely, a Solitary Snipe (Scolopax major).
At this season, too, the Common Wild Duck
and Teal are frequent visitants at the reservoirs
above-named, as well as in the brooks and quiet
ponds which lie out in the fields at a distance from
any road.

The heronries at Osterley Park, in this county,
and Wanstead Park in the adjoining county of
Essex, send forth many a long-legged visitor, and,
in the autumn particularly, this species is common
enough. I have seen seven or eight of these birds
at one time, fishing within a few yards of each
other. When the water of the reservoirs has been
drawn off for the service of the Regent's Canal,
the herons obtain plenty of food among the shoals

INTRODUCTION. Xlll

of Roach and Gudgeon with which the tributary
Brent abounds.* They also find plenty of frogs
and water-rats along the brooks.

In the spring and autumn, when the wind blows
from the east and south-east, we frequently find
Gulls upon the river and larger pools ; and flocks
of graceful Terns may be seen fishing at the re-
servoirs when they visit us on their way to and
from their breeding-stations. The subject of mi-
gration is a curious one, and the laws which govern
it are yet imperfectly understood; but to advance
here all that might be said in this regard would be
beyond the limits of the present work. It appears
highly probable, from their constitution, that most
birds incline to remain as much as possible in
the same temperature throughout the year, and
hence their gradual movements north and south
as they feel the effects of heat and cold. If a

* The reservoirs here referred to are those at Kingsbury,
Elstree, and Ruislip, and a sketch of the first-named, or
rather of a portion of it, was selected as a frontispiece from
the fact that so many rare and beautiful birds have been at
various times observed there.

b

XIV INTRODUCTION.

sudden change comes, like a sharp frost, we find
birds lying dead under the hedges. This is a proof
of their sensitiveness. Some species better able to
endure cold, but still averse to it, if they do not
die, disappear suddenly, and we are often sur-
prised at the extraordinary scarcity of a species
one day which on the previous day was plentiful.
I have always attributed the cause to sudden change
of weather. No doubt the abundance or scarcity
of food has some influence upon birds in their
migration, but not to the same extent, I conceive,
as change of temperature.

The assistance I have received from various
sources, whilst preparing these notes for the press,
merits some recognition at my hands.

To my valued friend, Mr. Frederick Bond, I am
particularly indebted for numerous communications
respecting the birds of this county, with which,
as a sportsman and a naturalist, he has been
acquainted for more than thirty years.

Mr. W. H. Power has furnished me with some
interesting information relating more particularly
to the neighbourhood of Ealing; and I am indebted

INTRODUCTION. XV

to Mr. Belfrage for many ornithological notes from
Muswell Hill.

Several of the London taxidermists have sent
me various particulars relating to rare species
captured in this county and transmitted to them
for preservation ; and, whenever such captures
have heen previously recorded on such authority
as that of Messrs. Yarrell, Jenyns, or Gould, I
have noticed it in my text, generally in the author's
own words.

I have gleaned some information from the pages
of ' The Zoologist,' and have thus heen enabled to
avail myself of the experience of Mr. Newman,
Mr. Mitford, Mr. H. Hussey, and other observant
naturalists in this county.

As before stated, these notes are offered rather
as a contribution towards a Natural History of
the county than as a complete treatise. Should
they tend to awaken a taste for the study of Nature
in those who have hitherto been unobservant, or
induce those who already possess such tastes to
prosecute the study with renewed vigour, and
acquire fresh knowledge concerning our Fauna,

XVI INTRODUCTION.

I shall rejoice to think that my task, besides being
one of pleasure to myself, has proved a source of
entertainment and utility to others.

J. E. H.

Kingsbury,
June, 1866.

WHISTLE USED AS A BIRD-CALL.
(Reduced one-fourth.)

THE

BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

ORDER EAPTOEES.— Family FALCONIDJE.

GOLDEN EAGLE, Aquila chrysaetos.

WHITETAILED EAGLE, Aquila albicilla. Although
I am unable to record the actual capture of
either the Golden Eagle or Whitetailed Eagle in
Middlesex, both these birds have nevertheless been
observed in the county, and therefore deserve a
passing notice. During the autumn of 1859, a
gentleman well acquainted with the bird saw a
Golden Eagle on the wing in the neighbourhood
of Barnet, and the following week the capture of one
in Kent was reported. He conjectures that it was
the same bird.

"The Whitetailed Eagle, as a species, is more
numerous than the Golden Eagle, and on some
parts of the coast may be seen frequently."

The individuals which have occasionally been
observed straying inland, in search for food, have
no doubt followed the course of a river from its

BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

mouth. Yarrell records several instances in which
the Whitetailed Eagle has heen killed within a
few miles of London, and mentions, amongst other
places, Henley, Epping, Coomhe Wood, and Wim-
bledon Common. It is more than prohahle, there-
fore, especially when we consider the great height
at which an Eagle soars, that this bird has unper-
ceivedly visited the county much oftener than has
been stated.

OSPEEY, Falco haliceetus. Although the Osprey
has several times been killed in the adjoining
counties of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire,
and has been shot on the Thames at Maidenhead,
I am at present aware of one specimen only which
has been actually obtained in Middlesex, though
I have no doubt that this species, like the last-
named, has frequently paid us a visit without being
noticed.

On the 1st October, 1863, an Osprey was shot
near Uxbridge, and on the following day I h d
an opportunity of examining it. It proved on
dissection to be a male, and was probably in its
third year. The stomach was empty, with the
exception of a small quantity of coarse sand, but
the bird was nevertheless in good condition. It
had been observed in the neighbourhood of Ux-
bridge for some days before it was killed, and many
attempts were made to secure it before it was finally
shot.

RAPTORES. o

In September, 1865, a pair of Ospreys fre-
quented for some days a sheet of water on the
estate of Mr. J.* D. Taylor, of Southgate. As
this property is in a ring fence, and strictly pre-
served, the Ospreys no doubt discovered an agreeable
resting-place, and finding themselves undisturbed for
some time, remained, and were observed to capture
fish, which they carried to the mast-head of a plea-
sure-boat, where they devoured it. In so doing,
the boat was rendered so dirty as for some time
afterwards to be unfit for use. At night it was
supposed that they roosted in the adjoining wood.
It would seem that the pleasure derived from obser-
vation of these noble birds in a state of freedom
was excelled by a desire to possess one or both
of them; and unfortunately, with this view, they
were several times shot at. Instead of the desired
result, however, this only had the effect of driving
them away. They visited a piece of water about
four miles distant, belonging to a friend of Mr.
Taylor's, at Enfield, and soon afterwards disappeared,
and were not again seen.

PEREGRINE FALCON, Falco peregrinus. This noble
bird was formerly not uncommon in the winter
and early spring, when gunners were not so nu-
merous, and Ducks and Teal more plentiful than at
present in our brooks and reservoirs. A pair of
these birds for many years frequented the top of

B %

4 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

St. Paul's, where it was supposed they had a nest :
and a gentleman with whom I am acquainted has
assured me that a friend of his once saw a Pere-
grine strike down a Pigeon in London, his attention
having been first attracted hy seeing a crowd of
persons gazing upwards at the hawk as it sailed in
circles over the houses.

In the winter of 1857, a young bird of this
species was caught by a birdcatcher between Hamp-
stead and Finchley ; and I have seen a female
Peregrine that was shot in January, 1862, at Forty
Farm, in the parish of Harrow. During the second
week of November 1865, a Peregrine was killed
in Canon's Park, Edgeware, and another seen. The
following week one was shot at Stanmore, and it
is supposed that these were a pair. This Falcon
has also been killed near Highgate, at South-
gate, and on Old Oak Common.

HOBBY, Falco subbuteo. This handsome bird,
in appearance like a little Peregrine, is with us a
summer visitant. It is, however, of such unfre-
quent occurrence, that it may be of interest to
mention the instances of its appearance or capture
which have come under my notice. A specimen
in the collection of Mr. Bond was taken by a bird-
catcher at Kilburn, and one in the possession of
Mr. Spencer was caught on Primrose Hill, as late
as the month of October. On the 13th May, 1861,
three eggs of the Hobby were taken from an old

RAPTOKES. 5

crow's nest in Pinner Wood, and one of these I
have since added to my collection.

A correspondent sent me word that a Hobby
had been killed at Harrow during the early part
of 1862; and on the 24th April, 1863, Mr. Bond
shot a beautiful bird of this species at Kingsbury.
I saw it the same day and afterwards dissected it.
Although the plumage was that of an adult male,
it proved, to my surprise, to be a female, and a
cluster of rudimentary eggs was apparent in the
ovary. Upon opening the stomach, I found it
full of the elytra and remains of large beetles and
chafers, which confirms the statement of Mr.
Yarrell respecting the food of this species.

I have seen a handsome male Hobby in the
collection of Mr. James Dutton, of Hammersmith,
which was shot at Chiswick, in July, 1863 ; and I am
informed by that gentleman that a second was
more recently obtained in the same locality. I
once found the remains of a Hobby, which had
been shot, in Bishop's Wood, Hampstead.

Meyer, in his ' Illustrations of British Birds,'
says that the Hobby may be distinguished from
the Merlin or Kestrel, when flying, by its narrow-
pointed wings and slender form, and adds that it
chooses for its prey, larks, swallows, and martins,
which it pursues in the air, following them easily
in all their evolutions, and strikes with such

B 3

6 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

unerring aim that it seldom fails to secure the
selected prey.

I have seen a female Hobby which was killed
on Hampstead Heath, while in pursuit of a wounded
swallow. This was on the 22nd August, 1864.

Mr. Belfrage, who has kept the Hobby in confine-
ment in his garden at Muswell Hill, observed that
the note of this bird is so similar to that of the
Wryneck, that in the spring, when he has had fre-
quent opportunities of hearing both birds at once,
he could scarcely distinguish the one from the
other. This remark I am able to confirm, from
observation of a tame Hobby which I have kept
for some time, and which is still alive.

MERLIN, Falco cesalon. Visits the South of
England in October, about the time that the Hobby
retires. In this county it is a rare visitant. Only
two instances of its occurrence have come under my
notice. In the winter of 1857, a birdcatcher netted
an immature female Merlin on Hampstead Heath ;
and an unusually large bird of this species was shot
at Stone Bridge, on the Brent, in April, 1861. The
latter specimen I obtained for my collection. From
the size and markings, I believe it to be also an
immature female, but this fact was not ascertained
when it was skinned. Meyer says that the Merlin,
when on the wing, may be distinguished from the
Hobby by the greater length of its tail in pro-
portion to the wings, and by its more robust form.

RAPTORES. 7

KESTREL, Falco tinnu^culus. By far the com-
monest hawk we have, and particularly numerous
in autumn. It appears to be partially migratory,
for comparatively few pairs remain here to breed.
Mr. Belfrage informs me that he once found a pair
of these birds nesting in a hollow tree. A remark-
able instance of fearlessness in a Kestrel in defending
its nest, came under my observation in the spring
of 1864. A lad had climbed to the nest in a tall
fir-tree, and was about to grasp the eggs, when
the bird which he had disturbed from them swooped
at his hand, which he withdrawing suddenly, one
of the eggs was broken to pieces by the talons of
the bird.

A curious incident occurred here one day in
November, 1865. A cat belonging to a neighbour was
lying concealed in a drain in a meadow, watching her
opportunity to seize a field-mouse, when a Kestrel
swooped upon a mouse, so close to her that with
a sudden spring she caught the bird, and even-
tually killed it ; a termination to her hunt as un-
looked for by her as it was unexpected by the
Kestrel, who had probably been so intent upon
the moving mouse as to overlook the motionless
cat. This was related to me by the owner of the
cat, who took the bird from her a few minutes
after the event.

During the autumn of 1862 I observed Kes-
trels almost daily, and frequently saw three or

8 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

four on the wing at once. The food of this bird
appears to be chiefly field-mice (Mm sylvaticus and
Arvicola agrestis), grasshoppers, and beetles. Occa-
sionally, too, it will eat carrion ; and it is to be
regretted that farmers and keepers take every
opportunity of shooting or trapping the Kestrel,
under the mistaken notion that it is destructive
to game and poultry, for it is in reality a most
useful bird.

SPARROWHAWK, Falco nisus. Formerly common
in Caen Wood, Hampstead, and in the woods near
Edgewarebury, Stanrnore, and Pinner. It is still
to be seen occasionally, but this species is gradually
becoming scarcer, owing to the persecution wrhich
it meets with on all sides.*

It has been doubted whether the female Sparrow-
hawk ever has a slaty -blue back like the adult
male. That this is the case with this species, as
well as with the Hobby,! I have little doubt.
Mr. Bond informs me that he has more than once
shot a Sparrowhawk in the male plumage, which

* Unfortunately this is not the only bird that is
becoming scarce here ; for, under the mistaken notion
that they do more harm than good, not only hawks and
owls, but crows, magpies, jays, and even woodpeckers,
and many other of our handsomest British birds, are
alike shot down indiscriminately, and nailed against a
tree or barn to rot.
| See ante, p. 4.

EAPTORES. 9

proved on dissection to be a female,* and I believe
that the difference of plumage will be found to depend
upon age. The Sparrowhawk is sometimes sur-
prisingly bold, and I can vouch for the following
fact, which I scribbled down in my note-book at the
time : —

"June 7, 1863.— Old Powell, at Harrow Weald,
was at work in his garden yesterday, when a Sparrow
dashed up against him, closely pursued by a Spar-
rowhawk. The Hawk, nothing daunted by his
presence, seized the Sparrow, which had fallen at
Powell's feet, and bore it screaming away."

I have heard of other similar instances ; and in
the majority of cases the female Sparrowhawk,
which (as is the case with all the females of the
Raptores) is the larger bird, was the delinquent.

Of a pair of Sparrowhawks in my own collection,
the male was obtained at Edgewarebmy and the
female at the Well Springs in this parish ; and I
have seen others which had been trapped or shot
at the Hale, Edgeware, Brockley Hill, and Elstree.
A nest was taken in the Mount, Harrow, in the
spring of 1861, from the top of a Scotch fir; but it
is rarely that the Sparrowhawk is found breeding
here.

By far the greater number of specimens which

* See a letter from him on this subject in the ' Magazine
of Natural History.'

10 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

have come under my notice have been females ; but
I apprehend that the reason of this is, that the
female Sparrowhawk is much bolder than the male,
and that it more frequently conies near us when in
search of food. The male bird, on the contrary,
being of more retired habits, keeps to the woods.
Mr. Belfrage tells me that he has remarked the
same with regard to the Kestrel.

KITE, Falco milvus. A curious fact, touching the
earlier Ornithology of Middlesex and the economy
of London, is mentioned by the old naturalist,
Charles Clusius, in a note to his translation of the
works of the French Ornithologist, Pierre Belon.
He says : " Vix majorein in Cairo milviorum fre-
quentiam conspici existirno, quam Londinii Treno-
bantimn in Britannia, qui nullo non anni tempore
frequentissimi istic apparent, cum eos enim inter-
ficere vetitum sit, ut spurcitiam in plateas, vel etiam
ipsum flunien Thamesin qui urbein alluit ab incolis
ejectum, legant et devorent ; maxima quantitate eo
confluent, adeoque cicures redduntur, ut.per confectas
etiam homines prsedain ab ipsis in alto volantibus
conspectarn, comissere non vereantur, quod ssepe
numero dum istic essem, adrniratus sum." — Op. C.
Clusii, p. 108.

Clusius visited England during the reign of Eliza-
beth, in 1571, and a fact like this, of daily occurrence,
and therefore little likely to be recorded by a native
of London, would at once strike a foreigner. As

BAPTOEES. 11

the Kite is now one of our rarest birds, and is hardly
ever seen in the neighbourhood of London, this
reminiscence of its former frequency, when it was a
welcome guest, is most interesting to an ornitho-
logist. According to Mr. Yarrell, "in the southern
counties of England, the Kite is rare." The fol-
lowing notice of the occurrence of this bird at
Kingsbury, I have extracted from * The Zoologist '
for 1850 :—

" On Wednesday the 3rd inst., as I was standing
in the village (Kingsbury) talking to a friend, a fine
specimen passed over our heads within twenty yards :
it is the only one I have ever seen in this neighbour-
hood."— F. Bond, April 9, 1850.

I have since been informed by Mr. Bond that,
subsequently to this notice, and about five years
later, he saw, from the windows of his own house,
a Kite sailing over Grove Park, in the same
parish. The forked tail was seen very plainly, and
the general appearance of the bird was unmis-
takeable.

COMMON BUZZARD, Falco buteo. Accidental, being
more partial to wooded districts. Some years ago,
a fine male Buzzard was caught by a birdcatcher at
Kilburn, and was purchased by Mr. Bond for his
collection. I have only once seen a buzzard in this
county. It was sailing in circles over the fields
between Edgeware and Mill Hill ; and although this
bird has the reputation of being very sluggish in its

12 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

habits, with its large broad wings it certainly looks
majestic when in flight. It has occasionally been
seen in the neighbourhood of Harrow, and once at
Harrow Weald. One day in May I paid a visit to
an old keeper residing at the last-mentioned place,
with whom I used frequently to converse on the
subject of birds and shooting, and from whom at
odd times I have received some useful information.
His first exclamation on seeing me that day was,
" Oh, Sir ! you should have been here this morning,
we had such a beautiful Buzzard-hawk flew over
our garden." He knew the bird well, and had once
kept a pair in confinement. His son also saw the
bird, and told me of it before he knew that his
father had seen it.

On my asking the old man how he could account
for the appearance of a straggler of this species, at
this time of year, and in a neighbourhood where it
is so rarely observed, he replied that he had seen
the bird more frequently in the midland counties,
and he had remarked that whenever one of a pair
had been shot or trapped, the survivor wandered often
to a considerable distance in search of a new mate,
and he had little doubt but that such was the case
with the bird he had seen that morning.

HEN HARRIER, Falco cyaneus. Accidental. An
adult male Hen Harrier was shot several years since
in the parish of Willesden, and in 1862 another was
seen near Blackpot Farm, Kingsbury. This latter

E APT ORES 13

bird was observed several times, and many attempts
were made to secure it, but in vain. From its size
and markings, it was supposed to be a female, or
" Ringtail." Yarrell observes that no less than
twenty lizards were found in the stomach of one
killed near London.

Family STRIGIIXE.

EAGLE OWL, Strix bubo. I am only aware of one
instance in which this rare British bird has been
obtained in a wild state in Middlesex. The fol-
lowing notice of its occurrence at Hampstead is
communicated by Mr. Thomas Hall, in ' The
Zoologist ' : —

" On the 3rd of November, 1845, my father pre-
served for Mr. Burgess, Temple House, Hampstead,
a female specimen of the Great Horned Owl (Strix
bubo). It was caught, after much trouble, in a hedge
near the house, and was kept for some time, until
it died. It was very fierce during its captivity, and
had been severely wounded in the wing by shot,
previously to its capture."

From the rare beauty of this species, and the
readiness with which it submits to confinement, it
has always been a great favourite with those who
delight in keeping live birds in their grounds,
although its scarcity in England renders it, of course,
difficult to procure. Many years ago, the Earl of

14 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Burlington had an Eagle Owl alive in the park at
Chiswick ; and Edwards, in his ' Natural History of
Birds/ mentions one that was kept " at the Mourn-
ing Bush Tavern, by Aldersgate, London." Sir
Hans Sloane, too, had one of these birds which he
kept for many years alive in London, and which was
well known to the curious of his time.

LONG-EARED OWL, Strix otus. This species is
partial to woods and plantations, where it remains
concealed during the day, and from its retired habits
it is not often that an opportunity occurs for ob-
serving it. A male bird in the collection of Mr.
Bond was obtained in Colin Deep Lane, Hendon ;
and one in my own collection was shot at the Well
Springs, Kingsbury, on the last day of December,
1862. This latter bird was in company with another,
which was also shot, but which I did not see. I
think it very probable, however, that they were a
pair. In June, 1861, some eggs of this species
were taken from an old tree in Wembley Park, and
one of the birds which was caught on the nest was
afterwards sold in London. On the 29th May, 1863,
I obtained four eggs of the Long-eared Owl from a
hollow tree in Canon's Park, Edgeware ; and more
recently I have seen a Long-eared Owl, which was
shot in January, 1865, in Forty Lane, between
Kingsbury and Preston ; and another in the col-
lection of Mr. Mitford, of Hampstead, which was
obtained in that neighbourhood. This species was

EAPTORES. 15

at one time common in Caen Wood, Hanipstead,
and may still occasionally, though rarely, be seen
there. It is also found in Pinner Wood, where 1
have reason to believe that it breeds, and in Euislip
Wood, on the north-west side of the county. The
food of the Long-eared Owl is very similar to that
of its congeners, consisting chiefly of field-mice and
small birds.

SHORT-EARED OWL, Strix brachyotus. An occa-
sional winter visitant. In the winter of 1840-41, a
male and female of this species were killed in a field
near Kingsbury Reservoir. A few years later, towards
the end of October, a pair of Short-eared Owls rose
with a covey of Partridges and were shot by Mr.
Bond and his brother, each, oddly enough, killing a
Partridge and an Owl. One of the Owls was of an
unusual variety, being so light in colour as to look
almost white at a distance. Since that time several
Short- eared Owls have been killed in this neigh-
bourhood. One was shot in November, 1860, near
Caen Wood, Hampstead. Another was killed in an
open field, near the same wood, in December, 1861.
This bird I saw very shortly afterwards. Several
examples have occurred near Scratch Woods, Edge-
warebury, and on Edgewarebury Common. The
last of which I have heard was killed at Edgeware-
bury in November, 1865.

It is asserted that the Short-eared Owl never
perches, but roosts upon the ground, and a writer

c 2

16 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

in "The Zoologist" (p. 8818) says, he has taken
some pains to inquire from good authorities whether
they ever saw this species perching, and he has
invariably been answered in the negative. In all
the examples that have come under my notice, the
birds were shot in the open country, and not from
trees. It is well known that the Short-eared Owl
is more diurnal in its habits than any other of the
genus ; that it seeks its food by day in the open
meadows and among coarse herbage, and is thus
more frequently found by sportsmen upon the
ground ; but I think it not unlikely that it retires
to a tree to roost at night.

The food of the Short- eared Owl consists of small
birds and field-mice, particularly the latter ; and I
have often thought it a wonderful provision of nature
that, just at the time when the ground is cleared of
crops, and the field-mice are more easily seen and
captured, the Short-eared Owl arrives to thin their
numbers.

When we reflect on the great amount of devasta-
tion which is occasionally committed by mice, we
cannot but consider the Owls as our best friends ;
and overlooking the small and unfrequent loss
of a young rabbit or partridge, we should cer-
tainly extend [to them protection and encourage-
ment.

BARN or WHITE OWL, Strix flammea. This Owl,
the commonest of our Strigidce, breeds under the

EAPTOEES. 17

church eaves, and here and there in hollow trees.
The nest is generally placed so securely that the
eggs are with difficulty obtained.

I have only once been able to reach the nest of a
Barn Owl in Kingsbury Church, and then found
but a single egg. I have several times, however,
obtained eggs of this bird from hollow trees in
Canon's Park, Edgeware, and I have reason to be-
lieve that the Barn Owl breeds regularly in Northolt
Church and in the tower of the old church at
Stanrnore.

Upon examining a great number of pellets,
picked up under the eaves of our village church, I
was rather surprised to find that they contained a
greater proportion of the skulls and bones of birds
than of mice or voles. In some years, as for
example the autumn of 1862, the short-tailed vole
(Arvicola agrestis) was particularly numerous, a
favourite cat often bringing in three or four a
day for a period of about three months. I had,
therefore, supposed that these voles, being so much
easier to capture than small birds, would form the
chief food of the Barn Owls; but it proved other-
wise : the skulls I obtained were almost invariably
those of Finches-*

* I am told by two excellent naturalists that this is
contrary to their experience.

c 3

18 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

The flight of an Owl, whether by day or night, is
so peculiar as to distinguish it at once from every
other bird. Shakespeare, who must have been a
close observer of nature, has happily characterized
it, when he speaks of " the night-owl's lazy flight."*
Elsewhere, the same poet truly says that, —

" The Owl, if he arise by day,
Is mocked and wondered at ; "t

for although the Short-eared Owl is, to a certain
extent, diurnal in its habits, the contrary is the case
with the other members of the family, and it is
unusual to see an Owl abroad before twilight.
Nevertheless, a few instances of the Barn Owl
flying by day have occasionally come under my own
observation ; but I have always considered that in
every such case, the bird must have been disturbed
or frightened, and that the flight was not a voluntary
one. It is disputed by some naturalists whether
the Barn Owl ever hoots ; but although its usual
note is a screech, I think there can be little doubt
that it also hoots occasionally ; and good evidence of
this fact will be found in ' The Zoologist ' for Octo-
ber, 1863, p.- 8765.

TAWNY OWL, Strix aluco. Eare. An adult male
of this species was shot at the Well Springs, Kings-

* Henry VI., Part m., Act n.. Sc. 1.
I Henry VI, Part in., Act v., Sc. 4.

RAPTORES. 19

bury, in the spring of 1844, and another was killed
in Caen Wood, Hampstead, in the spring of 1859.
A third, in the collection of Mr. Mitford, of Hamp-
stead, was also obtained in that neighbourhood.
The Hon. F. C. Bridgeman, who has published a
short notice of the birds of Harrow', says that a nest
of this bird was found in a hollow tree in the Grove,
Harrow, in the spring of 1862 ; and I am informed
by Mr. J. W. Ford, of Enfield, that the Tawny Owl
has occasionally been observed in that neighbour-
hood. The ordinary food of this bird consists of
water-rats, field-mice, and small birds. I have,
however, heard of its capturing fish; and in the
stomach of an adult Tawny Owl, shot in April,
which I examined, I found nothing but insects, the
greater number of which were large moths.

SCOPS-EARED OWL, Strix scops.* "One example
of this little Owl was taken some time since near
London." f

LITTLE OWL, Strix passerina.l This Little Owl,
which is occasionally found in England, is not the
Strix passerina of Linnaeus, but Strix passerina of
Latham, Pennant, Montagu, Bewick, and Temminck.

* This, and the two following species, I have inserted on
the authority of Edwards and Yarrell as having been
obtained in this county.

f YarrelTs British Birds, vol. i., p. 128.

I Id. vol. i., p. 163.

20 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

The Strix passerina of Linnaeus, which is also the
Strix passerina of Bonaparte (Consp. Gen. Avium,
p. 36), and Strix arcadica of Teinminck (Man, vol. i.,
p. 96) has not been found in this country. It is a
smaller bird, and corresponds with the Sparf-uggla
(Sparrow Owl) of the Swedes. It is the Strix pygmcza
of Bechstein and Meyer, and Strix noctua of Retzius.*
As some confusion seems to exist in the identifi-
cation of the smaller Owls, it may be as well to
point out here the distinguishing characters of the
bird which occasionally visits this country.

Mr. Wheelwright, writing on the Ornithology of
Lapland, and referring to the Swedish Little Owl
(Strix passerina of Linnaeus) says : "It differs from
the Little Owl of Britain, in that its toes are covered
thickly with downy hair-like feathers, even to the
very claws, and the tail extends nearly an inch and
a half beyond the closed wings, whereas in the
British bird it is scarcely longer than the wings
themselves. Moreover, in the Little Owl of Britain,
the first wing-feather is equal in length to the sixth,
the second like the fifth, the third longest. In
the Little Swedish Owl, the first is like the ninth,
the second like the sixth, the third and fourth the
longest."

* The synonym of Strix nudipes, applied to our Little
Owl by Nilsson, is a misnomer, as the bird has feathered
toes like its Swedish congener.

BAPTORES. 21

Edwards gives a coloured plate and description of
a Little Owl, and adds, that " the bird from which
it was taken came down a chimney in St. Catherine's
parish, by the Tower of London, and was supposed
to be a foreign bird escaped from on board some
ship in the river Thames ; but I have since been
informed by Peter Theobald, Esq., of Lambeth, that
just such another Owl came down one of his chim-
neys, by which I imagine it is a native of England,
though little known."

The first-mentioned example " was a hen, many
eggs being found on opening it, and the bird being
living when I made my observations on it, enabled
me to make the description more perfect. It was
the property of a gentleman in St. Catherine's, a
neighbour of my good friend Mr. Joseph Ames,
Secretary to the Society of Antiquaries, London,
who procured me a sight of it." *

I have been assured by Mr. Constantine Minasi
(brother to the late Consul for the Two Sicilies), a
gentleman well acquainted with birds, that some
years ago, while returning one evening from shooting
at Kenton Park, Sunbury, he distinctly saw a
Little Owl on the wing.

TENGMALM'S OWL, Stria: Tengmalmi " In 1836,
a specimen, recently shot, was purchased at a

* Edwards' ' Gleanings in Nat. Hist.,' vol. i., p. 228.

22 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

poulterer's shop in London." * But this may have
come from Holland. I have frequently seen Owls and
Hawks of different species in Leadenhall Market,
which had been sent from Holland with the wild
fowl.

ORDER INSESSOEES.— Family LANIAD.E.

GREAT GREY SHRIKE, Lanius excubitor. A winter
visitant of rare occurrence.

Mr. Edward Newman, in a letter to me dated
10th January, 1863, made the following remark with
regard to this bird, which I have thought of sufficient
interest to quote here. He says : " It visits England
regularly but rarely every winter, but very seldom
in the summer. I have taken great pains to collect
the occurrence of this bird in England. It passes
southwards and northwards exactly at the same time
as Collurio, but does not travel the same journey;
so that Excubitor may be passing from the Orkneys
to the Thames exactly at the same moment that
Collurio is passing from the Thames to the Mediter-
ranean."

In the "Zoological Journal" for April, 1825, p. 26,
Mr. Yarrell says that, in January of that year, " a
Great Grey Shrike was taken in a clap-net near

* Yarrell's ' British Birds,' vol. i., p. 163.

INSESSORES. 33

London, by a birdcatcher, in the act of striking at
his decoy linnet. This bird fed well in confinement,
several times taking small birds or raw meat from
the hand ; but was very eagerly parted with by his
new master on finding that the note of the Shrike,
once heard, had stopped the songs of all his wild
birds."

Mr. Spencer tells me that, in November, 1831, he
saw a fine Grey Shrike in a field between Kilburn
and Hampstead. A male of this species was shot at
Wembley Park in January, 1841, by the gardener of
the Eev. Mr. Gray, and two were obtained at Kentish
Town and Kilburn in the winter of 1850, as recorded
by Mr. Newman in ' The Zoologist ' for that year.
A keeper with whom I am acquainted caught one of
these birds in a net near Harrow, and subsequently
shot another in the same neighbourhood.

A specimen in my own collection was shot, in the
adjoining parish of Hendon, in the winter of 1854.
This bird, when first seen, was flying along the
brook between Hendon and the Hyde, in pursuit of
a small bird, and the shooter at the time was igno-
rant of the species. He told me afterwards that,
although he had lived many years in the neighbour-
hood, and had shot a great number of birds, some of
them rare, yet this is the only bird of the kind he
had ever seen.

As recently as November, 1862, a specimen of
this Shrike was killed near Kentish Town.

24 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

EEDBACKED SHRIKE, Lanius collurio. A common
summer visitant, usually arriving about the first
week in May, and remaining until the end of August.
After the young are hatched and able to fly, they
keep together in families until the time comes for
them to leave us. I have counted as many as seven
together in a hedge-row in August. On examining
the contents of the stomach of some specimens killed
early in August, I found only the remains of beetles
and chafers ; no trace of any small bird, nor flesh of
any sort. This bird has not been numerous here of
late years. Perhaps this is owing to the prevailing
habit of " plashing," * or " laying " the hedges, for
the Butcher-bird delights in a tall tangled hedge.

Family MUSCICAPIDJE.

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER, Muscicapa grisola. A re-
gular summer visitant, in some years very numerous,

* En passant, the word " plash " was, perhaps, originally
written " pleach," meaning a fold or twist. In Shakespeare's
play of Henry V., we read of France that —

" . . . all her husbandry doth lie in heaps,
Corrupting in its own fertility ;
Her vine, the merry cheerer of the heart,
Unpruned dies ; her hedges even pleach'd,
Like prisoners wildly overgrown with hair,
Put forth disordered twigs." — Act v., Sc. 2.

This description well applies to a modern plash'd hedge.

INSESSORES. 25

though in others scarce. It generally builds in
enclosures and gardens, a favourite site being the
branch of a peach or pear-tree against a wall. It is
a fearless bird, usually allowing a near approach
before taking flight, and then often it will return to
the perch it has just left, or alight again at a little
distance from it. One day in July I was much in-
terested in watching a Spotted Flycatcher feeding
her young. The little family, four in number, were
perched upon a low bough of an elm, and huddled so
close together that it was difficult to make them out
until the old bird brought food, when their bills
were opened simultaneously. The parent bird
alighted in the road, and after a few seconds appa-
rent rest, darted into the air, seized a fly, and then
flew straight with it to the bough where her young
were. This was repeated as long as I remained
there, the old bird invariably alighting in the road,
and with one motion seizing a fly and conveying it
to its destination. Hence I was unable to ascertain,
and have not yet discovered, whether the bird
walks or hops, for it always rose from the spot where
it alighted. It is a very silent bird, and I have never
heard it utter any song.

Mr. Jesse, in the second part of his ' Gleanings,'
mentions a nest of this Flycatcher which was found
fixed in the ornamental crown on the top of a lamp
near Portland Place in London, containing five eggs
which had been sat upon !

D

26 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

A nest of this species, which I took in June,
1862, was lined with the flowering heads of grasses,
and was "bright green when four eggs were laid.

PIED FLYCATCHER, Muscicapa atricapilla. Acci-
dental, and found only at the period of migration in
spring and autumn. Pennant records one example
of this bird, killed near Uxhridge ; and Yarrell
mentions a young male of the year, in his own
possession, killed in September, " much nearer to
London," but the precise locality is not stated. A
full description of that bird, however, is given at
p. 190, vol. i., of his ' History of British Birds.'

In May, 1842, a male of this species was shot at
The Hyde, which is situate between Kingsbury and
Hen don. In the spring of 1849, during the month
of May, Mr. Spencer shot a Pied Flycatcher, also a
male, in Mill-Field Lane, near Highgate. It was
sporting in the lower branches of an oak, and at a
distance he at first mistook it for a Goldfinch.

Earty in May, 1859, four Pied Flycatchers, two
males and two females, were taken alive by a bird-
catcher in Bishop's Wood, Hampstead, and one pair
of these I have in my collection. A fifth was caught
the same week, at the same place, and was sold by
the birdcatcher soon afterwards to an amateur col-
lector.

The Hon. F. C, Bridgeman, in a notice of the
birds of Harrow which has lately appeared in print,
writes as follows : " I know of one authenticated

INSESSOEES. 27

instance of this rare bird here : a nest with three
eggs was taken in the Grove about the year 1836,
and the eggs are still preserved."

Family MERULID.E.

The DIPPER, Cinclus aquaticus. This bird, as
Mr. Yarrell observes, " may be said to be local
rather than rare, and is seldom found in the counties
around London." "The nearest spot," he continues,
" in which I have heard of a Dipper being seen, was
at a Watermill tail at Wyrardisbury, on the Colne,
about two or three hundred yards above the place
at which it falls into the Thames, just below Bell
Weir."

Mr. Bond once saw a Dipper in a bird-stuffer's
shop in London that had recently been shot at the
stream which runs through Wembley Park. It had
been sent to London for preservation, the sender,
however, being ignorant of the species.

In the spring of 1862 a solitary Dipper was ob-
served at the brook near Colin Deep Lane, Hendon.
It was so accurately described, both as to appearance
and habits, by the man who saw it, as to leave no
doubt, apparently, of the species. On hearing it
described as a dark brown bird with a white breast,
I suggested that it was a Eing Ouzel, for that bird
is often to be found here in spring and autumn ; but
he knew the Ring Ouzel, and said the bird in

28 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

question was more like a Wren in shape and action,
and flew like a Kingfisher. This would seem con-
clusive ; but it is singular that this solitary Dipper,
if it really was one, should have found its way to
our quiet brook.

I have had many opportunities of observing the
Dipper in the north of England and in Ireland, and
from a study of its habits, and an examination of
several specimens which I have shot, I am led to
believe that the character of this pretty bird has
been greatly detracted from by those who assert that
it lives on the ova of fish, trout, and salmon. That
the Dipper may occasionally feed on ova, or even
on small fry, when an opportunity occurs, I do not
deny, but I consider this the exception and not the
rule. The food more frequently consists of water-
beetles (Dytiscidce) and their larvae, water-spiders
(Argyroneta), dragon-flies (Agriori) and their pupae,
the larvae of caddis flies, and small rnollusca ; such,
at least, was the nature of the food in all the speci-
mens which I examined.

MISSEL THRUSH, Turdus viscivorus. A common
resident, but a shy bird, never admitting a near
approach except when the cold of winter has tamed
it. Unlike many of its congeners, it is seldom found
feeding under hedges, but keeps rather to the open
fields. It usually builds in the fork of a tree, pre-
ferring one that is ivy-covered, and it is one of the
earliest birds to commence nesting. Some authors

INSESSORES. 29

have asserted that the Missel Thrush never makes
use of mud in the composition of its nest, hut in all
those I have examined, I found a very distinct layer
of mud between the outer frame-work of the nest
and the inside lining of fine grass. The food of this
bird consists of worms, snails, and hedge fruit, such
as hips and haws, holly and ivy berries, and mis-
seltoe.

As soon as the young fly, this species, like the
Common Starling, is to be found in small flocks. I
have no doubt that this fact has frequently led
to their being mistaken for Fieldfares, and that,
in consequence, the latter have been reported as
appearing here long before their usual time of
arriving.

FIELDFARE, Turdus pilaris. A regular winter
visitant, generally arriving either the last week of
October or the first of November, and remaining
till the third week of April. Occasionally, however,
I have observed a much later stay. In 1863 I shot
one out of a flock, on May 4th. Mr. Bond tells me
that a pair once remained in the neighbourhood of
Kingsbury throughout the summer, but did not
breed.

The Fieldfare is always a shy and suspicious bird,
unless tamed by severe frost or scarcity of food.
During the hard winter of 1854-5, these birds suf-
fered so much that, on one occasion, I walked up to
a Fieldfare in an open meadow, took it up in. my

D 3

30 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

hand, and brought it home with me. I kept it alive
for two days, providing it with a good supply of haws,
but it died nevertheless on the third day. The
favourite food of the Fieldfare, at least in winter,
seems to be the fruit of the hawthorn, but it also
lives upon the berries of the holty, ivy, and missel-
toe, varying this diet with snails and worms.

Mr. Spencer tells me that he once saw a Field-
fare which was nearly black, in a field near Kilburn,
and would have mistaken it for a Blackbird, except
for its note, and the fact of its being with others of
its species.

The call-note of the Fieldfare is a difficult one to
imitate, and sounds like the word " fu-igh," while
the alarm-note is more quickly repeated, and sounds
like " tcha-cha-cha."

SONG THRUSH, Turdus musicus. A common resi-
dent, and one of the earliest breeders. Mr. Belfrage,
when residing at Muswell Hill, once observed a
Thrush sitting during and after a snow storm. And
I once found a Thrush's nest, containing one egg,
on the 2 3rd February.

Yarrell says, " Occasionally this bird has been
known to make its nest in an open shed, or tool-
house ;" and this statement I can confirm, for on the
18th April, 1862, I found a nest of this species,
containing five young birds, placed upon a beam in
an open shed.

We should protect the Thrush for its utility in

INSESSOEES. 31

our gardens, no less than for its charming song.
When the young are in the nest, the number of
caterpillars and insects with which the parent birds
feed them is almost incredible, while, throughout
the year, this bird renders us good service by de-
vouring the snails, which would otherwise devour
our vegetables and plants. Every one must have
observed the method which the Thrush employs to
extract the snail from its shell by dashing it against
a stone. But a curious fact, perhaps not generally
known, is, that when a thrush has been frightened
from a snail after he has chipped the shell without
extracting the animal, the snail has power to repair
the damage it has sustained, and a new shell forms
where the old has been destroyed. My attention
was directed to this, some time ago, by Professor
Bell, who showed me several shells of the com-
mon garden snail (Helix aspersa) which had been
curiously patched with new material, and looked as
if the new piece had been "let in" and cemented
round the edge. This, of course, could not have
been the case where a piece was completely chipped
out and detached from the shell ; the new shell must
have been formed by a secretion from the animal
gradually hardening on exposure to the air.

The Kev. Leonard Jenyns and other naturalists
have observed that the Thrush " does not collect in
flocks during the winter." While shooting in Sep-
tember, I have been surprised to see the number of

32 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Thrushes that we have put up in crossing a turnip-
field. Sometimes twenty or thirty have appeared in
this way, and although they did not rise en masse,
still there were often a dozen or more on the wing
at once ; and, as they were all in the same field, we
may, I think with propriety, speak of them as a
flock. From this circumstance I am inclined to
believe that Thrushes are partially migratory, moving
southwards at the approach of winter.

REDWING, Turdus iliacus. A regular winter visi-
tant, appearing ahout the second week of October,
generally before the Fieldfare, and, as far as I have
been able to observe, retiring before that species.
It is easily distinguishable from the Common
Thrush by the rufous colour of the sides, and par-
ticularly by the yellowish-white line over the eye.
By means of the latter mark, I have with a good
glass distinguished Redwings from Thrushes while
feeding under a hedge at the distance of two fields
from me. Great diversity of opinion appears to
exist as to whether the Redwing sings in England,
or not ; but I cannot help thinking that the solution
of the difficulty depends entirely upon the definition
of the word " singing." What constitutes a song ?
The Rev. A. Matthews is as positive that he has
heard a Redwing sing, as Mr. Doubleday and
others * are certain that this bird does not sing in

* « Zoologist,' pp. 8946, 9040, 9104, 9106, &c.

INSESSORES. 33

England ; and yet I have little doubt but that each
of them has heard exactly the same note, the only
difference being that Mr. Matthews calls it " a song,"
and his opponents say, " it is no song ; it is merely
a clear, loud, and prolonged twittering, and very
different from the real song of the Redwing, which
the bird only utters in the breeding season during the
months it is absent from England." In numerous
instances I have approached very close to Redwings,
and with a good glass watched them with open bills
and distended throats, uttering the peculiar note to
which I have alluded, and which is the same, I
believe, to which Mr. Matthews refers. I think it
is best expressed by the word " twittering." I have
never heard a Redwing utter any other sound than
this prolonged and really musical twittering, except
the call-note, which is harsh and not unlike that of
the Fieldfare. The conclusion, therefore, at which
I arrive is this : if it be granted that this pecu-
liar " twittering " is worthy to be called a song, and
moreover that this is the only song which the Red-
wing has, then assuredly the Redwing does sing in
England. But if, on the other hand, it be said that
this " twittering " is not a song, and that the bird
has another and a different note, which is as much
a song as that of the Thrush, but is uttered only
in the breeding season, then we must conclude that
the Redwing does not sing in England, and that, if
the bird has been heard to sing its breeding-song

34 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

in England, it must be considered an exception
and not the rule. I am strengthened in this
belief by Mr. Newman, who says : * " I am willing
to admit that negative evidence cannot be fairly
weighed against positive evidence like that of Mr.
Matthews ; but it is a little remarkable that Mr.
Doubleday, Mr. Yarrell, Mr. Bond, Col. Newman,
Mr. Fox, Mr. Bechstein (to say nothing of my-
self), all of whom have made this a special object
of inquiry, should never have detected a Redwing
in the act of singing ; it certainly tends to show that
the singing is very exceptional, and not the normal
habit of the bird, as in the case of the Song Thrush.".

A few instances are on record of a pair of Red-
wings having remained in this country throughout
the summer, and nested here. In ' Charlesworth's
Magazine of Natural History,' Mr. Blyth notices
two or three such instances, and mentions the state-
ment of a dealer that a nest was taken at Barnet.

BLACKBIRD, Turdus merula. A common resident,
preferring tall hedgerows and the sides of copses.
Like its congener, the Song Thrush, it loves to feed
out in the clover and turnip -fields in autumn. On
the 4th September, 1863, I counted seventeen
Blackbirds in an acre of turnips. An unusual
site for a Blackbird's nest is mentioned in ' The
Zoologist.' A correspondent, writing from Willesden

* « Zoologist,' p. 9040.

INSESSOKES. 35

Green, says :* "On the 3rd of May, 1862, a Black-
bird selected as a site for its nest a hole in the
nearly perpendicular side of a ditch close to a
footpath at Willesden Green ; it was very carefully
concealed, and overhung by luxuriant grasses. It
afterwards contained four eggs ; but before they
could be hatched, the nest was taken. We more
than once saw the parent fly from the hole."

On the 8th May, 1864, I found a Blackbird's
nest made entirely of green moss, and placed in a
yew-tree, ten or twelve feet from the ground. I can
only account for this unusual circumstance by sup-
posing that no other materials could be found, or,
there being no trees but evergreens in the neigh-
bourhood, the bird had made use of the green moss
more effectually to conceal the nest.

Pied varieties of this bird have not unfrequently
occurred in this county. Three or four have come
under my own observation.

KING OUZEL, Turdus torquatus. A passing visi-
tant, appearing in spring and autumn. I have three
specimens of this bird in my collection, all obtained
in the neighbourhood of Kingsbury; and I have
seen others that were killed at Kilburn, Hampstead,
Hendon, Edgeware, and Harrow Weald. Two of
those which I have, were shot as late as the 25th
April, and proved to be a pair. They had been

* ' Zoologist,' p. 8947.

36 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

observed on an unfrequented tract of land, with
three others, for more than a fortnight previously,
and it appeared, from a close examination, that
both birds must have been sitting, inasmuch as the
breast of each was destitute of the soft down which
always covers it before incubation has commenced.
I found, moreover, rudimentary eggs in the ovary of
the female. I then regretted that the birds had
been shot, for it would have been interesting to have
established the fact of the Ring Ouzel breeding in
this county. The remaining three birds I watched
daily, in the hope of discovering a nest, until the
1st Maj'', when they disappeared. I have since
heard that, in 1861, a pair of Ring Ouzels were
killed at Hampstead as late as the llth May. They
were shot by Mr. Ward, in Mill-Field Lane, while
feeding on some ivy-berries within twenty yards of his
house. The Ring Ouzel appears to be very partial to
ivy-berries. A male bird, shot at Kingsbury on the
18th April, 1864, had the stomach filled with them.

The note of this bird, when on the wing, has been
compared to the noise made by striking two large
stones together ; and this description is not inapt.

GOLDEN ORIOLE, Oriolus galbula. A rare summer
straggler. In 1857, a beautiful male Oriole was shot
at the Well Springs, in the parish of Kingsbury, and
was disposed of to a dealer in London. Mr. Bond
has in his collection another specimen, also a male,
that was shot on the llth May, 1851, at Harlesden

INSESSORES. 37

Green. In May, 1862, two friends residing at
Hampstead observed a male Oriole in a garden at
Frognal. They obtained a near view of the bird,
and were able to watch it for some minutes before it
took flight.

In addition to these occurrences, I find the fol-
lowing entry relating to this species in my note-
book for 1863 :—

" May 1st. — Mr. Cottam, of Stone Grove, Edge-
ware, told me this evening that on last Easter
Monday, April 21st, he saw a Golden Oriole on
some park palings about five miles from Edgeware,
on the high road between Edgeware and Barnet."

Family

HEDGE SPARROW, Accentor modularis. Common
everywhere — a harmless and confiding little bird,
building within sight of our windows, and rendering
good service by its destruction of insects in the
garden. Its song is something like that of the
Wren, but less varied, shrill, and rather sprightly.
I have occasionally seen light- coloured varieties.

EOBIN KEDBREAST, Sylvia rubecula. Commoner
even than the last, owing, perhaps, to a current
superstition that it is unlucky to kill a Robin, or to
take its eggs. Hence it lives unmolested, while the
nests of Hedge Sparrows, "Jenny Wrens," and
other small birds, are plundered without remorse.
The song of the Robin is of a plaintive character,

E

38 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

with andante movements, and almost always in the
minor key.

Although generally building a new nest every
spring, the Robin occasionally makes use of the
nest of the previous year. A friend writing from
Norwood in the spring of 1863, says, —

" Last year a pair of Robins built a nest in my
uncle's wood-house, and brought their young off
safely, leaving an addled egg in the nest. I after-
wards threw this egg away. This year a pair of
Robins, I believe the same pair, built a nest in a
basket in the wood-house, and brought their young
off, leaving as before an addled egg. As the basket
was wanted, nest and egg were inconsiderately
thrown away. Last Friday I went into the wood-
house, and from the behaviour of a Robin suspected
a nest there. I looked about, and soon found that
she had laid five eggs in the old last years nest on
the shelf. I took three eggs, and on Sunday another
egg was laid. I regret to say, however, that the
nest has since been deserted."

An instance, which I think very unusual, of a
Robin making use of the deserted nest of another
bird, came under my notice in the summer of 1865.
A pair of Robins took possession of the deserted
nest of a Hedge Sparrow in a yew-tree in a garden,
and after the eggs were laid the hen bird sat so
close that several times, on looking in upon her, my
face was within a foot of the nest, so that I had full

INSESSORES. 39

opportunity of examining both bird and nest, and
satisfying myself with regard to both.

A brood of young Kobins was hatched in our
garden, and, without being confined in any way, they
became so tame that they would come through the
window to the breakfast table for crumbs, and would
follow my father in the garden and light upon his
head, until, through their fearlessness, they at last
fell prey to a cat.

REDSTART, Sylvia Phcenicurus. A regular summer
visitant, generally arriving about the second week
in April, and remaining until September. Small
beetles, flies, and spiders, form the chief food of the
Redstart, while it fortunately visits us at a time of
year when caterpillars become troublesome and
require thinning. Its notes, which are short and
weak, hardly deserve the name of song.

I am inclined to think that the males of this species
arrive before the females, for I have observed males
often ten or twelve days before any females, when I
have been looking out for their arrival in April. I
have seen this bird here as late as September 7th.

BLACK REDSTART, Sylvia Tithys. A rare winter
visitant. This bird was first added to the British
fauna by Mr. Bond, who shot a specimen in a brick-
field at Kilburn, on the 25th October, 1829. A full
description of this bird will be found in a letter
from Mr. Gould to Mr. Vigors in the c Zoological

Journal' (Vol. May 1829 to Feb. 1830, p. 102).

E 2

40 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Yarrell says: "Another example has since been
seen in the Regent's Park." And a third, a female,
was shot in a brick-field at Shepherd's Bush.

STONECHAT, Saxicolarubicola. Found here through-
out the year, but less common in winter, the greater
number departing as that season approaches. The
song and call-note of this bird are not unlike those of
its congener the Whinchat. The food also is similar,
and consists of grubs, small beetles, and flies. One
day in May I found a nest of this species, being
attracted to the spot by the actions of the old birds.
It was built in an old stone wall, but at such a
distance from the hole or crevice by which the birds
entered, that I was unable to see whether there
were eggs or young. As I approached the wall, the
old birds retired to a little distance, the male uttering
an angry note ; but no sooner had I discovered the
nest, and commenced trying to dislodge a stone to
obtain a better view, than the hen bird immediately
returned, flew up against me, threw herself on the
ground at my feet with all her feathers ruffled, at
the same time uttering a peculiar angry note. I
once thought to catch her, but she eluded my grasp,
although continuing near me, and expostulating as
before. I was so pleased with this show of affection
that I at once desisted from examining the nest,
and retired to some distance to watch the birds
further. After some tinfe, they both perched on
the wall, close to the nest, and the hen, after some

INSESSORES. 41

hesitation, at length found courage to enter. In a
few seconds she issued from the crevice, and was
then apparently satisfied, for she uttered quite a
different kind of note, and joined the male hird in a
short flight, returning again to perch upon the wall,
where I then left them. How delighted Gilbert
White would have been with such a display of
" ffvopyn" as he has termed this natural love of
animals for their young.*

WHINCHAT, Saxicola rubetra. A common summer
visitant, much more numerous than the last. The
Stonechat is generally found among heath and
furze, which would account for its comparative
scarcity in this county, but the Whinchat is common
in enclosures as well as on wastes. In some seasons
it is particularly numerous. In 1861 we had an
extraordinary visitation of Whinchats, but although
the birds themselves were so plentiful, but few nests
were found, so carefully were they concealed in the
long grass. A favourite situation for their nests is the
banks of the railway between Kenton and Harrow,
where they build in numbers.

Gilbert White says,t " Whinchats and Stonechats
stay with us the whole year." I have never found
this to be the case. I think it probable that a few
pairs of Stonechats may remain in the winter, as

* See Letter XIV. to Hon. D. Barrington.
f Id., Letter XXXIX.

E 3

42 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

I have observed this species in November and
February. But with regard to the Whinchat, I
believe that this species leaves us in September
until the following April. I once saw a Whinchat
on September 19, but this is the latest stay for the
species which I have noted. This bird has rather a
pleasant, although not very varied song, which it
generally utters from the top of a spray or low
bough of a tree. Its alarm-note is a double note,
so given as to sound almost like one, and is followed
by the sound " chook, chook."

WHEATEAE, Saxicola cenanthe. Eeniains with us
about six months in the year, from the middle of
March to the middle of September. The Wheatear
may be known at any distance by its peculiar motion
on the ground — running instead of hopping, stopping
suddenly when at full speed to pick up an insect,
and flirting the tail up and down. The white rump
is very conspicuous, and affords a good mark of
distinction when the bird flies. Its favourite haunts
are old gravel and chalk pits, and, above all, rabbit-
warrens, where it makes its nest in a deserted burrow.

After the annual moult, which follows the breeding
season, the plumage becomes very different. In
few other birds, perhaps, is there so complete a
change. The old males turn from bright bluish
grey above to dull brown ; in this respect in their
winter plumage approaching in colour to the females
in summer dress, while the latter, as the season

INSESSOEES. 43

advances, become nearly of a uniform greyish brown.
The white upper tail coverts, however, at all times
remain conspicuous.

Gilbert White says,* " Some Wheatears continue
with us the winter through ; " but I have never seen
any after September until the following March.

Mr. Belfrage, writing to me from Muswell Hill,
says : " One day I wounded a Wheatear slightly,
and succeeded in capturing it. I took it home,
where I placed it in a lark's cage and fed it upon
worms and insects. It fed well, and soon got so
tame as to come down from its perch at my whistle.
While I continued to whistle, it walked up and
down in front of the cage, stretching its head out
and apparently enjoying the sound. It would also,
when called, come down and take a common house-
fly, of which it seemed very fond, from my fingers,
without showing any signs of timidity." Flies and
small beetles form the principal food of the Chats,
and, indeed, of all the Warblers.

GRASSHOPPER WARBLER, Sylvia locustellaJ A
regular summer visitant, though not particularly
numerous as a species. Several specimens have

* Letter XXXIX.

f The rare Warbler, known as Savi's Warbler (Sylvia
luscinoides), has been found breeding on the Thames, but
not near enough to entitle it to be catalogued as a county
bird. (See ' Zoologist, p. 1307.)

44 BIRDS OP MIDDLESEX.

been obtained on Hampstead Heath, and I have
frequently observed it at Willesden, Hendon, and
Kingsbury. It is more often heard than seen,
being a very shy and restless bird, as Yarrell very
truly describes, " secreting itself in a hedge-bottom
and creeping along it for many yards in succession,
more like a mouse than a bird, seldom going far
from a thicket, a patch of furze, or covert of some
sort, and returning to it again on the least alarm."
By lying down at full length, and keeping perfectly
still for some time, I have occasionally been able to
get a good view of this bird, and to watch it for
some minutes. But it was not often I could do this,
owing to its restless motion, small figure, and the
usually dark background of bank or underwood
against which it moved. I have more frequently
heard this bird in the evening than at any other
time ; fo*, unlike other Warblers, it seems unusually
silent in the daytime. I have on more than one
occasion heard a Grasshopper Warbler singing as
late as eleven o'clock at night. Its song, or rather
trill, is most musical ; quite unlike that of any other
Warbler, somewhat resembling the tinkling of a
little silver bell.

In the spring of 1861 a nest of this species, con-
taining six eggs, was taken near Harrow by the
Hon. F. C. Bridgeman, and I have known other
nests to have been obtained at Hampstead.

SEDGE WARBLER, Sylvia phragmitis. A summer

INSESSORES. 45

visitant, arriving in April and leaving in September.
Between these two months this bird may always be
found along the course of our brooks, and at quiet
reedy ponds. It is a noisy little bird, singing all
day and throughout half the night. " The marshy
banks of the Thames, on either side of the river,
where beds of willows or reeds abound, are well
stocked with this bird, although, from the wet and
muddy nature of the ground, they are not very easy
to get at."

EEED WARBLER, Sylvia arundinacea. This species
is local, perhaps, rather than rare, and is seldom,
seen in the north and north-west portions of the
county, although common along the Thames and
the Colne. It visits us about the same time that
the Sedge Warbler does.

It may be distinguished from the Sedge Warbler
by its being a longer and slimmer bird, and by its
note and different flight. In the Sedge Warbler,
the most conspicuous characters are a white line
over the eye, a darker back, and dark centre to wing
feathers, with lighter margins. In the Reed Warbler,
the feathers are more uniform in colour.

Mr. Mitford, writing from Hampstead, gives the
following interesting particulars relating to the
Heed Warbler : —

" This very pretty little Warbler I had only asso-
ciated years ago with what I then thought its only
haunts, such as reed-beds in fens, marsh- ditches.

46 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

and river-banks ; in short, wherever reeds were to
be found ; but the last few years I have become more
intimate with it in quite another aspect, namely, so
near London as Hampstead, where I have a garden
far away from water in any shape, and bordered on
two sides by a high road ; yet here, for some years,
it has not failed to appear about the middle of May,
much later than the arrival of our common War-
blers, and for the last three years a pair have bred
in the garden, — the first year in a Corcorus, — the
nest, as in reeds, being firmly attached to three
stems ; the last two seasons in a lilac, in the same
manner. The lilac is close to my hall- door, and
neither the noise of children or dogs disturbed
them in their labours, and the male sang cheerily
through the day, invariably accompanying the female
in her search for materials for the nest ; but never,
that we could see, assisting her in actually carrying
such matters, or in constructing the nest itself.
They were so far from exhibiting any shyness in
their habits, that they rambled over the standard
roses, and were constant visitors to the balcony of a
Venetian window which was full of plants, and near
which some of us were usually sitting. These nests
were fastened and held together by any little bits of
twine, and thread, or hair, that they could pick up
in the vicinity of the house. Mr. Bond suggested,
the other day, that we might have two species of
bird at present under this name, but the eggs were

INSESSORES. 47

exactly similar to those taken from reeds ; and at
Bath, where the river Avon is bordered by gardens,
I have formerly found their nests in shrubs near the
water ; but I confess I was much astonished to find
this bird entirely away from water and so near
London. I may add that last summer (1863) I
found four pairs of this bird here breeding in gar-
dens under similar circumstances. The young I
observed were very much fed on Aphides, taken
from a sycamore, the adjoining tree to that con-
taining the nest. As soon as the eggs were hatched,
the male nearly discontinued his song, gave up
his idle life, and devoted himself to his parental
duties." *

This peculiarity in the Reed Warbler of breeding
at a distance from water, has also been remarked by
a friend at Ealing.f Writing to me upon the sub-
ject, he says : " This bird used to breed every year
in some lilac bushes in our garden at Ealing. This
was at least half a mile from the nearest stream of
water. If a stone were thrown into the bush in
which its nest was placed, it would instantly com-
mence, even at night-time, its noisy chattering, as if
in anger and defiance." On shooting one of these
birds, it was pronounced by several naturalists to be
the Reed Warbler (Sylvia arundinacea) .

Mr. Mitford shot a pair of the birds observed at

Zoologist,' p. 9109. f Mr. W. H. Power.

48 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Hampstead, but on a comparison with specimens of
the Keed Warbler it was found that they differed
from that bird in several respects. The head proved
narrower and darker in colour, the tail longer, the
wings slightly longer, and the tarsi shorter and
thicker. Should more specimens be obtained agree-
ing in the above particulars, this difference, coupled
with the fact of the bird being found at a distance
from water (in this respect differing from S.
arundinacea), would justify its being considered a
distinct species. The subject is one of much interest,
and deserving the attention of naturalists.

NIGHTINGALE, Sylvia luscinia. A regular summer
visitant, arriving towards the end of April and
departing in August. Before the discovery was
made by London birdcatchers, a favourite locality
for the Nightingale was Harrow Weald. It is now
by no means so common a bird in the county as
formerly.

A quondam keeper of my acquaintance, an adept
in the art of birdcatching, told me that at one time
he rented a cottage for which he paid £IQ a year.
If there was what he called " a good Nightingale
season," he made more than enough to pay his rent
by the capture and sale of these birds ! In one
season alone he caught fifteen dozen, receiving
eighteen shillings a dozen for them in London. He
told me also that, on one occasion, he caught 110
less than nineteen Nightingales before breakfast in

INSESSORES. 49

the grounds of one gentleman, and in sight of the
windows ; for which, as I told him, he ought to have
been transported.

It is a pleasure to add that, in spite of such per-
secution, there are still many copses within a short
distance of London where the wonderful song of
the Nightingale may be heard throughout the summer
evenings.

In the ' Monthly Magazine ' for April, 1858, will
be found (pp. 211, 212) an interesting article on the
management of Nightingales, by a gentleman at
Highgate, who was very successful in rearing these
birds.

BLACKCAP, Sylvia atricapilla. An annual summer
visitant, but not common, arriving early in April,
and leaving about the last week of August. It has
been called the contralto singer among birds, and
this title is certainly not undeserved. Its song-
occupies about three bars of triple time ; and,
although frequently repeated, is somewhat varied in
every repetition. Unlike that of some other birds,
it is not commenced high and gradually finished
diminuendo, but, on the contrary, it begins with two
or three short double notes, gradually crescendo, up
to a loud and full burst of song. This passage fre-
quently occurs : —

Smalt, til T T i 111 T 7 t

50 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Occasionally instances have occurred of Black-
caps being shot, and others heard, during winter,
in the neighbourhood of London.

Mr. Shirley Hibberd says :* "At Dulwich, Horn-
sey, Kensington, and St. John's Wood, the Blackcap
may be heard every season, soon after the last days
of March, but it makes its way only into such of the
more urban districts as enclose within their boun-
daries much rural scenery."

In a subsequent note the same writer remarks
that " many true British residents are true migrants
as to London, and all the true migrants come into
song later near London than elsewhere throughout
the land."

GARDEN WARBLER, Sylvia hortensis. A summer
visitant, but less common than the last. In some
seasons, however, I have found both this and the
last species very plentiful in the Hampstead woods.
The Garden Warbler is a very beautiful songster,
and will sometimes sit in the midst of a thick bush
in the evening, like a Nightingale, and maintain a
continued warble for twenty minutes without a
pause. Its song is somewhat irregular, both in tune
and time, but it is wonderfully deep and mellow for
so small a bird. It sometimes commences its song
like a Blackbird, but always ends with its own. In
general habits it somewhat resembles the Willow

* ' Intellectual Observer,' No. XXXIX., p. 174.

INSESSORES. 51

Wren, for it seems constantly in motion, hopping
from bough to bough in search of insects, and
singing at intervals.

COMMON WHITETHROAT, Sylvia cinerea. A regular
summer visitant, common everywhere. No one,
while taking a country walk in June, can have failed
to notice this noisy little bird, sometimes on a high
spray, sometimes dancing and jerking in the air,
pouring forth its garrulous song.

LESSER WHITETHROAT, Sylvia curruca. A sum-
mer visitant. This and the last-named species are
two of the commonest Warblers we have. The song
of this bird is less powerful than that of the Common
Whitethroat, being merely a kind of convulsive
laugh or call, occupying about half a bar of common
time.

A correspondent, writing from Willesden, says : *
" For the last few years a pair of Lesser White-
throats have regularly built in the tall hedge of our
garden at Willesden Green, at the height of nearly
six feet from the ground. It is the Lesser White-
throat's usual habit about here to place its nest
higher than most of its congeners, excepting some-
times the Blackcap. The Lesser Whitethroat is one
of the earliest to arrive of our summer Warblers,
and usually has its nest completed early in May :
last year we found an egg on the 28th April. The

* ' Zoologist,' p. 8949.

52 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Common Whitethroat, on the contrary, seldom
builds till the end of May or June."

WOOD WREN, Sylvia sibilatrix. A summer visit-
ant, but, owing to its partiality for woods, somewhat
local. Mr. Bond has obtained specimens of the
Wood Wren at Kingsbury, where I have also ob-
served it, and I have some eggs of this species that
were taken near Edgeware. In the more wooded
neighbourhoods of Stamnore, Bushey, and Pinner,
the Wood Wren is more plentiful ; and I have noticed
this bird frequently in Lord Mansfield's woods at
Hampstead. It may easily be recognized at a dis-
tance by its song, which is very different from the
Willow Wren, or Chiff Chaff, the only two species
with which it can be confounded. It has a gra-
duated strain of twelve or fourteen notes, begun
high, and finishing in demi-semiquavers diminuendo.
And a peculiarity in this song is, that the first four
or five notes are repeated moderate and staccat6,
while the remainder is hurried to the end. The
nest of the Wood Wren differs from those of the
Willow Wren and Chiff Chaff in never having the
lining of feathers which theirs invariably have.

WILLOW WARBLER, Sylvia trochilus. A common
summer visitant. Nest and eggs found every year.
It has a pleasant, laughing song, repeated from
time to time with considerable pauses between,
beginning in a pretty high key, forte, and diminish-
ing to lower tones, scarcely audible. Mr. J. V.

INSESSORES. 53

Stewart, in a list of the birds on the northern coast
of Donegal, says : * " Its song, if deserving of that
name, consists of ten whistling notes, which it runs
through the gamut of B, thus : —

ntf;a«j£ _ K k v _ „

The latter notes are very soft, and run into each
other."

I am satisfied that the Willow Wren and Chiff
Chaff do a vast amount of good in ridding the trees
of caterpillars during the summer, for I have re-
peatedly seen the birds with their bills literally
crammed with these insects (a small green species),
which they carried to their young in the nest.

The latest stay which I have observed the Willow
Wren to make in this county has been September
30th.

CHIFF CHAFF, Sylvia rufa. The commonest of the
three Willow Wrens, and one of the first of our
summer migratory birds to arrive. In 1862 the
Chiff Chaff was very numerous, and I found a great
number of nests. Its usual note sounds like " chiff-
chaff, chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff;" now and then changing
to "chaff- chiff, chaff-chiff;" or, by doubling them,
to « chiffy-chaffy, chiffy-chaffy."

The Wood Wren, Willow Wren, and Chiff Chaff,

* ' Magazine of Natural History,' vol. v., p. 581.

F 3

54 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

all closely resemble each other, and by one not
used to notice the distinctive characters of birds
may be easily confounded. The Chiff Chaff, how-
ever, may be known by its smaller size and darker
colour, and the colour of its legs, which are dark
brown. The legs of the Willow Wren are pale
flesh-colour, while the Wood Wren is a brighter
green above and a purer white beneath, the yellow
line over the eye more distinct, the tail shorter,
and the wings longer in proportion. In addition,
the song of each differs sufficiently to afford, when
at a distance, a good means of distinction.

DARTFORD WARBLER, Sylvia provincialis. This
species, as its name implies, is considered a very
local one. It is peculiarly a southern species,
but is, I think, more common than is generally
supposed.

The fact of its being a very shy bird, and of
retiring habits, has led to the supposition that it is
rare ; but if any one will take the trouble to visit
any large patch of furze or gorse, and there lie
down and wait patiently, when all is quiet, the
chances are a Dartford Warbler will come forth
from its retirement and soon make its presence
known by its lively song, which is very pleasing,
and not unlike that of the Whitethroat. In its
search for insect food I have observed that the
Dartford Warbler generally commences at the bottom
of a bush and works its way to the top in a zigzag

INSESSORES. 55

direction, creeping more like a mouse than a bird,
and, on reaching the highest spray, it pours forth a
rapid, lively song, and then either dives out of
sight or flies off to another bush, there ^o resume
its search. Sometimes I have seen it rise into the
air, and, like the Whitethroat, remain for several
seconds, dancing and jerking in the air, singing
noisily the whole time. In appearance it is one of
the prettiest of our Warblers, for the rich claret
colour of the under parts, and its bright pink eye,
contrast greatly with the plain sombre hue of our
other Sylviadae. I have seen this species on Stan-
more Common and Harrow Weald Common. A
birdcatcher residing at Hampstead tells me that
he has caught Dartford Warblers on Hampstead
Heath, and has found their nests after a patient
search. This species has also been obtained on Old
Oak Common and Wormwood Scrubs.

GOLDEN -ORES TED REGULUS, Regulus cristatus.
This beautiful little bird appears unable to bear
much cold, and it is, doubtless, on this account
that it moves southwards at the approach of winter,
and is more numerous here during that season than
at any other time of year. It is exceptional, I
think, to find any remaining here to breed, although
I have observed a pair building in some fir-trees in
Colin Deep Lane, Hendon, and in the summer of
1863 a nest with six eggs was taken at Elstree. A
friend residing at Hampstead tells me that the

56 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Goldcrest is occasionally to be seen there in sum-
mer, wherever any larch or fir-trees ahound, and
that he has more than once taken the nest. Mr.
Belfrage has found this species breeding at Muswell
Hill, and I have obtained a nest and eggs in the
neighbourhood of Pinner.

The song of the Goldcrest is a short strain,
repeated at intervals, and although somewhat weak,
is not disagreeable. It is generally warbled in-
wardly in such a way that the bird, although per-
haps near, appears to be at some little distance.

It is erroneously supposed by many that the only
difference between the Goldcrest and the Firecrest
consists in the crest of the latter being of a more
flaming yellow than that of the former. If this were
so, the difficulty in distinguishing the two species
would be great. A much clearer difference than
this, however, exists. The Firecrest invariably has
a white line both above and below the eye, and a
black line running through the eye; hence Tem-
minck calls it, " Eoitelet a triple bandeau." These
three lines are absent in the Goldcrest.

Family PAKIDJE.

CRESTED TIT, Parus cristatus. Mr. W. Warner,
the lessee of the fishery at Kingsbury, has a small
collection of birds shot in that neighbourhood. On
looking through this collection, I was agreeably

INSESSOEES. 57

surprised to find a specimen of the Crested Tit.
This bird, he assured me, was shot in the spring of
1860 in a small spinney in Cool Oak Lane, Kings-
bury. The person who shot it had large shot in
his gun, so that the specimen in consequence was
somewhat shattered ; but it has been tolerably
well preserved, and, as a British-killed and local
specimen, much interest attaches to it. With the
exception of one shot a few years ago at Blackheath,
by Mr. Engleheart, in his own garden, this is the
only instance that has come to my knowledge of
the Crested Tit having been found so far south in
England.

GREAT TIT, Parus major. A common resident.
Two facts relative to this species I do not remember
to have seen mentioned in print. The first, its
change of note at different seasons of the year ; the
second, its diversity of habits. Not only does it
closely resemble other members of the genus in its
flight and actions, and, like them, is to be seen
hanging, head downwards, in search of insect food,
but I have frequently observed it climbing like
a Creeper, and hammering at a crevice like a Nut-
hatch.

BLUE TIT, Parus cceruleus. Like the last-named,
resident throughout the year, and in its habits
one of the most interesting and amusing birds to
observe.

COLE TIT, Parus ater. Appears most numerous

58 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

in autumn and winter, but resides with us all the
year round. Owing to the great similarity which
exists between the eggs of this bird and those of
the Blue and Marsh Tits, great care should be
observed in identifying the species before taking
the nest. I have found the Cole Tit nesting at
Kingsbury, Edge ware, Elstree, and Harrow.

MARSH TIT, Parus palustris. Of the five resident
species of Parus, this is, perhaps, the most uncom-
mon, although it can hardly be said to be rare. I
have seen it at all the brooks, at Elstree reservoir,
Stanmore Marsh, and at Kingsbury. Mr. Belfrage
has observed it twice at Muswell Hill, and speci-
mens have been obtained at Caen Wood, Hampstead.
This species may be at once distinguished from the
Cole Tit by the absence of the white spot on the
nape, which is always present in the last-named.

LONGTAILED TIT, Parus caudatus. A common
species, found here throughout the year. In the
autumn and winter it may be observed in small
parties, varying from five or six to ten or more. On
the 31st December, 1862, 1 counted eleven together,
and on the same day I saw a Longtailed Tit without
a tail. I was at first puzzled to make out what it
was, for the absence of tail gave it a very odd
appearance.

It may not be out of place here to draw attention
to the fact that continental specimens of this bird
differ chiefly from those found here, in having a

INSESSORES. 59

white head. Whether this peculiarity points to a
difference of race only, or is sufficient to constitute
it a distinct species, is a question for ahler naturalists
to determine. Further observation on this point
may furnish some interesting results. I have, how-
ever, seen two British-killed specimens of the Long-
tailed Tit, hoth of which had white heads. One
of these is in the Museum at Newcastle-on-Tyne,
the other is in the fine collection of Mr. John
Hancock.

On the 24th October, 1863, I saw rather an
unusual sight, namely, four species of Parus within
a few yards of each other. A little family of Long-
tailed Tits, and a pair of Blue Tits, were climbing
about the low branches of an oak, while a Cole Tit
and a pair of Great Tits were chattering and hunting
in the hedge immediately below them. Earwigs,
spiders, woodlice, and small beetles, form the prin-
cipal food of the Tits, and they prove good friends
to us in summer by carrying off great numbers of a
small green caterpillar.

BEARDED TIT, Parus biarmicus. I have not yet
been fortunate enough to see the Bearded Tit in
this county, although Mr. Yarrell says that it is to
be found on the banks of the Thames, from London
upwards, as far as Oxford ; and the Rev. L. Jenyns,
in his 'Manual,' observes that it has been found
between Erith and London. I think the fact of its
being partial to a fenny district, where reed-beds

60 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

abound, will account for its being but seldom seen
Middlesex.

In the year 1743, the Countess of Albeinarle
brought with her from Copenhagen a large cage full
of these birds, when she returned from her attend-
ance on one of the princesses of Great Britain who
was espoused by the Prince of Denmark ; and some
of these having made their escape, the Count de
Buffon supposes that, from this circumstance, a
colony was formed in England.

Edwards (who calls this species the Least Butcher-
bird, bat refers to Albin's description of it under
the name of Bearded Titmouse), writing in 1743,
observes, that he was favoured with a sight of the
birds brought over by the countess, and adds, " I
have seen some others of the same kind, both cocks
and hens, shot among the reeds in marshes near
London, though they are not well enough known
in England to have a name."

Family AMPELID.E.

BOHEMIAN WAXWING, Bombycilla garrula. The
earliest notice which I have been able to find of the
occurrence of the Waxwing in this county, appears
in an old quarto volume, 1794, entitled "Portraits
of Eare and Curious Birds, with their descriptions,
from the Menagerie at Osterley Park," by W.
Hayes. A coloured illustration of this bird is

INSESSORES. 61

given, and the author says : " The subj ect of this
plate, together with the female, was shot at Hanwell,
in Middlesex, in December, 1783, by Mr. West-
brook, who kindly indulged me with the liberty of
making this drawing. The female was killed, but
the male being only wounded in the wing soon re-
covered, and became sociable and lively. It gave the
preference to fresh juniper-berries rather than any
other food. It was presented to Lady Ducie, and
placed in the menagerie, where it lived some time."
Two beautiful specimens of the Waxwing were
shot some years ago by a gardener in the service of
a gentleman at Highgate. Great numbers of this
bird visited this country in 1850, and several ex-
amples were obtained in the neighbourhood of
London. In the 'Zoologist' for 1850 there is a
note from Mr. Newman, the able editor of that
periodical, dated January 22nd, in which he says :
" I have notices of this bird having been killed last
week in many localities round London, — Harrow-
on-the Hill, Kilburn (seven specimens), Eltham,
Kainham, Wimbledon, &c., and I have seen these in
the flesh." A male of this species, in the collection
of Mr. Bond, was killed some years since near
Cricklewood, on the Edgeware Eoad. Like most of
our winter visitants, the Waxwing comes to us from
the north, but from the infrequency and uncertainty
of its visits, its habits in this country are little
known.

G

62 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Family MOTACILLIDJE.

PIED WAGTAIL, Motacilla Yarrellii. A common
species, resident throughout the year. I am satisfied,
however, that the Pied Wagtail is partially migra-
tory ; for although common in summer, and most
numerous in autumn, when it may he observed in
small parties of seven or eight, yet very few are to
be seen here throughout the winter, and I have no
doubt that a great number of Pied Wagtails move
southwards as that season approaches.

WHITE WAGTAIL, Motacilla alba. When we
consider that this bird is common on the opposite
shores of France, it is somewhat surprising that it
is not more numerous in England, especially when
we reflect how many short- winged birds, in migrating
here, cross a much larger tract of water than that
which separates us from France. But I have no
doubt that, owing to its close resemblance to the
Pied Wagtail, this species has been much over-
looked, and that it visits this country regularly
every summer in company with the numerous other
small birds which flock hither at that season.

The following paragraph, relating to its occur-
rence in Middlesex, is extracted from 'Yarrell's
' British Birds' (vol. i., pp. 428, 429). " It happened
that late in the month of May, 1841, my friend
Mr. Frederick Bond found two pairs of this White
Wagtail frequenting the banks of the Keservoir at

INSESSORES. 63

Kingsbury, and succeeded in shooting three of the
birds, two males and one female, and very kindly
gave me one of the males. Mr. Bond also told me
in the spring of 1843, that he had again seen one
example near Kingsbury Keservoir."

In the spring of 1859, Mr. Spencer obtained two
specimens at the same place, and another pair was
observed there in the spring of 1862. I have noticed
this species at Harrow Weald, in May.

Mr. William Borrer, of Cowfold, Sussex, has so
clearly pointed out the leading features by which
this bird may be distinguished from the Pied Wag-
tail, and the two species are so frequently con-
founded, that it may not be out of place to quote
his words here. In the White Wagtail, he says,
" the head is covered with a distinct hood of pure
black, perfectly defined, and not mixing either with
the grey of the back, or with the white of the fore-
head ; the white on the cheeks and sides of the
neck completely separates the black of the head
from that of the throat and breast, there being no
black before the shoulders ; the sides also are much
lighter, and the tail somewhat longer. In the female
there is no mixture of black on the back and nape,
which there is in all the females of the Pied Wag-
tail that I have examined."

GREY WAGTAIL, Motacilla boarula. An uncertain
winter visitant ; in some years tolerably numerous,
in others scarce. I have seen it at Kingsbury

G 2

64 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Beservoir, at Henclon, and at Hampstead. Mr. F.
Power lias observed a Grey Wagtail running along
the leads of his house in London, and Mr. Belfrage
has seen this species at Muswell Hill. Although I
have found the Grey Wagtail breeding in Northum-
berland in May, yet in the south it appears to be
only a winter visitant. It is sometimes, though
rarely, however, found here in summer. Edwards,
in his ' Gleanings,' figures a male bird of this species
in summer plumage, which was shot near London;
and I have seen a second in summer plumage which
was killed at Hampstead.

GREYHEADED WAGTAIL, Motacilla neglecta. I
have inserted this species on the authority of Mr.
Yarrell. At p. 439, vol. i., of his ' British Birds,' the
following paragraph occurs : " Another was taken in
April, 1837, "a short distance north-east of London.
From this bird the figure at the head of this subject
was taken. This bird was a fine male in full summer
dress."

In May, 1864, Mr. W. H. Power shot an imma-
ture bird of this species at Kingsbury Keservoir.
He was first attracted by the note, and in a letter to
me upon the subject, some months later, he says :
" It was not the plumage or size of the bird that
made me think it was a Greyheaded Wagtail, so
much as the note, which first attracted my attention,
being certainly different from that of the yellow
species, and this induced me to shoot the bird in
order to examine it."

INSESSOKES.

65

Much importance, I think, attaches to this remark,
for practical ornithologists must be well aware how
frequently they are enabled to distinguish one
species from another at a distance by means of its
note. In the case of nearly allied species, attention
to this point is of great utility, and when taken in
connection with the flight and motion on the ground,
it is surprising at what a distance a bird may be
named with certainty, even when too far off to dis-
tinguish colour.

The Greyheaded Wagtail is so very nearly allied
to its congener the Yellow Wagtail, that it is not
surprising that they are frequently confounded.

In the immature state it is not easy to distinguish
them. When fully adult? the chief points of differ-
ence between these two species may, perhaps, be
best set down as follows : —

YELLOW WAGTAIL.

Head . . pale olive.

Over eye . . yellow line.

Chin and throat yellow

Two outer tail-feathers on
each side white, with a
streak of black on the
inner side.

All the others brownish-black.

GREYHEADED WAGTAIL.

Head ''• .. L . grey.

Over eye . . white line.

Chin . . white.

Two outer tail-feathers on
each side white, with a
black border on the inner
side of each ; that of the
second feather being broader
than that of the first. The
third feather black, with a
narrow outer edge of white.
The six central tail-feathers
nearly uniform black.
G 3

66 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

The females of both species most resemble each
other. The measurements of each scarcely differ.

EAY'S WAGTAIL, Motacilla campestris. A regular
summer visitant, remaining with us from April to
September. But although it passes the breeding
season here, the eggs are seldom obtained, for the
nest is always very carefully concealed. It is very
compact in form, and is usually placed in a hole in
the ground (oftentimes the depression made by a
horse's hoof), surrounded with tall herbage.

Family ANTHID.E.

TREE PIPIT, Anthus arboreus. The Pipits hold
an intermediate place between the Wagtails and
Larks, having the slender bill of the former, and
(with one exception) the long hind claw of the
latter.

Few lovers of Nature, while walking through
country lanes and fields in May, can have failed to
observe a small brown bird, perched on the topmost
twig of an oak. Bising ten or twelve feet into the
air with joyous song, it hovers for a few seconds
over the tree, singing the while, and then with
wings expanded and almost meeting over its back,
and legs hanging straight, it drops perpendicularly
upon the twig from which it rose. A few seconds'
rest, and the song and flight are repeated, often many
times from the same branch. This is the Tree Pipit.

INSESSOEES. 67

It is an annual summer visitant, arriving in April, and
common enough throughout the summer months.
It is much prized by birdcatchers for its song, being
superior in that respect to the Meadow Pipit or Tit-
lark, and may be at once distinguished from that
bird by its larger size and short hind claw.

MEADOW PIPIT, Antltus pratensis. A common
species, resident throughout the year. It prefers
moist situations, such as water-meadows, brook-
sides, and turnip-fields, after rain, where it feeds on
small flies and beetles. It may often be observed in
company with Wagtails, following cattle and seizing
the flies which they disturb with their hoofs.

ROCK PIPIT, Anthus aquaticus. This species,
although common on some parts of the coast, is
rarely found inland.

Mr. Bond killed seven at Kingsbury Eeservoir, in
October, 1845 ; and the Hon. F. C. Bridgeman, in a
notice of the ' Birds of Harrow,' which has lately
appeared in print, says : " A specimen of the Rock
Pipit was caught by a birdcatcher here during No-
vember, 1862. Being uncertain what kind of Pipit
this was, I skinned it, and took some trouble to dis-
cover its right name ; it proved to be, without doubt,
the Anthus obscurus." On the 20th March, 1866,
while walking round the Reservoir at Kingsbury,
my attention was attracted by two Pipits, which were
feeding on some dead weeds at the edge of the water.
On being disturbed they flew a short distance and

68 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

again alighted. Their large size, and peculiar flight
and note, made me suspect that they were the Rock
Pipit. To make certain I shot one of them, and
found my suspicion verified. The wind had been
blowing from E.N.E., which might account for the
appearance of a coast-bird here.*

When visiting different portions of the coast, I
have had good opportunities of studying the habits
of the Rock Pipit, and many a walk along shore has
been enlivened by the sprightly actions and short
sweet song of this bird.

Like its congener, the Tree Pipit, it may be seen
rising into the air with a sudden burst of song, till,
having attained the height of thirty feet or more, it
slowly descends again, with upturned motionless
wings. Its favourite position seems to be 011 the
very edge of the water, where it finds its principal
food, and this consists of small insects, beetles, and
mollusca. The nest is compactly formed of fine
grasses, and is generally well concealed in a hollow
of the ground among thick herbage. The eggs
nearly resemble some varieties of the Tree Pipit,
but are slightly larger, a greenish white ground
colour, closely freckled over with pale brown and
grey.

RICHAED'S PIPIT, Anthus Ricardi. This fine

* The same day I saw a Gull (Larus ridibundus) at this
sheet of water.

INSESSORES. 69

species was first made known as an occasional
visitor to England by the late Mr. Vigors, M.P.,
who obtained a specimen that was " taken alive in
the neighbourhood of London in October, 1812."
Mr. Gould, in his * Birds of Europe/ mentions two
instances that have occurred of the capture of this
species, also " near London," in the spring of 1836 ;
and Mr. Kennie, in his edition of ' Montagu's Orni-
thological Dictionary,' notices two specimens, one
of which was " taken alive in Copenhagen Fields."
This last, I believe, was the bird referred to by
Mr. Vigors.

Richard's Pipit is a native of the east, and, as
may be supposed, is of rare occurrence in England.
It may be distinguished from the other British Pipits
by its superior size, measuring seven and three-
quarter inches in length, and by the greater length
and stoutness of the tarsus.

PENNSYLVANIAN PIPIT, Anthus Pennsylvanicus.

Anthus ludovicianus, Audubon, * Birds of America,'

1841, 40, pi. 150.
„ Buonaparte, 'Conspectus Avium,'

1850, 2119.
„ spinoletta* Buonaparte, ' Synopsis,' 1828,

90.
Alauda Pennsylvanica,'Brissou, ( Ornith.,' i. 419.

* This is not the Anthus spinoletta of Linnseus, but the
Alauda ludoviciana of the Systema Nature, 1788, i. 793.

70 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Alaudarubra . . Gmelin, ' Syst. Nat.,' 1788, i.

794,

„ rufa . . Wilson, 'Amer. Orn.,' 1812, 89,
pi. 89.

This rare visitant from North America is not in-
cluded in Yarrell's ' History of British Birds,'
although Pennant, Edwards, and Montagu all speak
of it as having been taken in England.

On the authority of the two last-named authors, I
have given it a place in this Catalogue.

Edwards describes and figures it* under the title
of " Lark from Pennsylvania," and says : " I have
found it in the neighbourhood of London." Mon-
tagu calls it the Eed Lark, Alauda rulra t (as also
do Pennant and Latham), and after fully describing
the bird, he adds, " the above description was taken
from a specimen which was killed in Middlesex, and
now in my possession."

As this species, from its close resemblance to
other members of the genus, has probably been
often overlooked, I have given the above synonyms
to establish its identity and to furnish references for
those who may have the opportunity of obtaining
specimens which they have, perhaps, hitherto looked
upon as only a variety of one of our commoner
Pipits.

* Edward's 'Gleanings,' ii. 185, pi. 297.
| Montagu's ' Ornithological Dictionary, 1805-13, art.
Bedlark.

INSESSORES. 71

Mr. H. E. Dresser, a naturalist well acquainted
with American birds, in a recent letter to me upon
the subject, says : " I have two skins of this bird,
and can lend you one for inspection. It is the only
Pipit found in America, the nearest approach to one
being the Missouri Skylark, an almost unknown
bird. It is not unlike our Titlark, and, by a casual
observer, would easily be mistaken for it. Its habits
are also like those of our Titlark."

It appears also to approach the Motacillidce more
closely than any other of the Pipits, a peculiarity in
this species (as observed by Edwards) being that
" when the wing is closely gathered up, the third
quill from the body reaches to its tip, which is a
constant characteristic of the Water Wagtail genus."
The state of plumage which has obtained for it the
specific names of rubra and rufa, is no doubt that
which is assumed in the breeding season.

Since the above lines were written, I have met
with a note by Mr. Swainson,* in which he says :
" The little Pennsylvanian lark of Edwards is pro-
bably a variety of ours, in which * the outer feathers
on each side of the tail are white, and the two next
to them have white tips. The under side, from bill
to tail, is of a light reddish brown, with dusky spots.'
In one bird these spots are confined to the breast
and flanks. His figure is poor. That of Wilson is

I l Fauna Boreali Americana/ part ii., Birds.

72 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

well drawn, but so inaccurately coloured that, but
for the description, we should have supposed it
represented another species."

Family ALAUDIDJE.

SKY LARK, Alauda arvensis. Common resident,
and one of the earliest birds to commence singing
in the spring. I have found the eggs as early as
April 4th.

One day in May, a Sky Lark's nest was found on
Primrose Hill, containing four eggs. The previous
day being Sunday, and the hill as usual crowded
with people, it is curious that the nest should have
escaped detection, and that the hen bird should have
continued to visit the nest and lay.

Larks only pair for the breeding season. When
that is ended, they begin to flock, and by the end of
autumn may be seen congregated in great numbers.

WOOD LARK, Anthus arborea. Kesident through-
out the year, but nowhere common in the county.

Mr. Thompson, in his ' Birds of Ireland,' says that
the Wood Lark is seldom found upon the clay ; it
prefers a warmer soil. It is noticeable that the
soil in Middlesex is chiefly clay, and that the Wood
Lark in this county is rare. At one time this bird
might usually be found in the neighbourhood of
Barn Hill, a woody height overlooking the parishes
of Kingsbury, Willesden, and Harrow. But London

INSESSORES.

73

birdcatchers have much contributed to exterminate
the species.

I have heard many people express a difficulty in
distinguishing this bird from the Sky Lark, owing
to their similarity in colour. When separately
viewed, perhaps, this is excusable; but a further
acquaintance with the rarer bird, and a close com-
parison of the two, will show that they differ in
many respects. This may, perhaps, be best shown
as follows : —

SKY LARK.

Entire length, 7 in. 3 lines.
Bill, stout.

No line over the eye.

Ear-coverts light-brown, with
dark brown tips.

Crest- feathers short.

Spots on breast, on a brown-
ish white ground, look
confused and indistinct.

Abdomen, dirty white.

Tail, 2 in. 9 lines; feathers
long and lanceolate, giving
the tail a forked appear-
ance when half closed ;
outer web of outside tail-
feather white.

WOOD LARK.

Entire length, 6 in. 3 lines.

Bill, same length but more
slender.

Yellowish white line over
the eye, extending to the
occiput.

Ear-coverts dark brown, with
black tips.

Crest-feathers long.

Spots on breast on a lighter
ground, and more distinct,
resembling the Pipits.

Abdomen, purer white.

Tail 2 in. 2 lines ; feathers
short and ovate, giving
tail square appearance
when half closed ; outer
web of outside tail-feather
brownish black, with very
narrow white margin.

74 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

SKY LARK.

Tarsus, stout, 1 inch, dark
brown ; toes 1 inch, dark
brown ; claws black ; hind
claw long, but variable.

WOOD LARK.

Tarsus, slender, 10 lines,
light brown ; toes, 10 lines
light brown; hind claw
somewhat shorter.

SHORE LARK, Alauda alpestris. A rare visitant
to this country, being an inhabitant of the northern
parts of Europe, Asia, and America. Has once
occurred in this county, an example having been
taken alive by a birdcatcher on Hackney Marshes in
March, 1865. It was kept alive for some months,
and became tolerably tame, feeding well in confine-
ment. Its call-note was said to resemble that of the
Sky Lark, although a correspondent in * The Ibis '
(January, 1862), alluding to three live specimens of
this bird which had been taken at Brighton, says :
" The cry is like that of a Snow Bunting, or that of
the chick of the domestic fowl." Some interesting
particulars relating to the habits of the Shore Lark
in the breeding season, gleaned from the works of
Audubon and Sir John Kichardson, will be found in
Yarrell's 'British Birds,' vol. i., pp. 467, 470.

Family EMBERIZID^:.

LAPLAND BUNTING, Emberiza Laponica. In Sep-
tember, 1828, an immature male of this species was
caught in Copenhagen Fields ; and two years later,

INSESSOEES. 75

a female was taken in Battersea Fields, near the
Eed House. Both these birds are now in the col-
lection of Mr. Bond.*

SNOW BUNTING, Emberiza nivalis. A rare winter
visitant from the north. A male Snow Bunting was
shot near Edgeware in the winter of 1840. In
October, 1862, I purchased from a birdcatcher a
pair which he had taken near Kingsbury Eeservoir,
in company with Bramblings. And an adult male
was shot at Kingsbury on the 8th February, 1865,
by Mr. Charles Wharton, as recorded by him in ' The
Zoologist' for April, 1865. This last-named was
feeding in company with some Larks and Meadow
Pipits among the dead weeds collected on the edge
of the Keservoir. The call-note of the Snow Bunting
is something like that of the Linnet.

COMMON BUNTING, Emberiza miliaria. Provin-
cial, Corn Bunting and Bunting Lark. Eesident
throughout the year; but not being so generally
distributed in the county as the Yellow Bunting, it
is less entitled to be called " common." The name
Corn Bunting is more appropriate. It generally
renders itself conspicuous by perching on the top-
most twig of an oak or small hedgerow tree, whence
it utters its peculiar monotonous cry.

Its flight somewhat resembles that of the Lark,
and its resemblance in colour to that bird, together

* Vide ' Zoological Journal, vol. v., pp. 103, 1 04.

H2

76 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

with its habit of feeding in similar situations, often
in company with Larks, has probahly obtained for
it the second provincial name above given.

Although I have stated that this species is resident
throughout the year, it is nevertheless, to a certain
extent, migratory, for there is a perceptible increase
to the numbers in summer, and as perceptible a
decrease in winter.

The eggs vary much in size and colour, and the
nest, from its situation among tangled herbage, is
not an easy one to find.

BLACKHEADED BUNTING, Emberiza schoeniclus. A
common resident, usually to be found by reedy
ponds, and along the brook sides, where it feeds on
the small beetles and aquatic insects to be obtained
in such situations. It has a great partiality for
water, and I have seen a Blackheaded Bunting,
when in pursuit of food, walk into the water like a
true wader, until the water reached above the tarsus.
The males, to a certain extent, lose their black heads
in winter and reassume them in March. Specimens
shot in midwinter show that this change is effected,
not by a complete moult, as is the case with other
birds, but by a gradual change of colour in the
feathers.

Some feathers from the head of a Blackheaded
Bunting in February were half black, half brown ;
and I have never seen a male bird of this species
with the head of a uniform brown in winter.

INSESSORES. 77

YELLOW BUNTING, or YELLOWHAMMER, Emberiza,
citrinella. This is our commonest species of Bunt-
ing, and is resident throughout the year. Many
birds, of late years, have suffered a considerable
decrease in their numbers, from an interference with
their nesting-places, and owing to the prevailing
habit of " plashing," or laying the hedgerows, and
an increased cultivation of waste lands, they have
gradually been driven further and further from our
homesteads.

Happily the sprightly Yellowhammer is not one
of these. He makes his nest in a hedge-bank, or at
the foot of a low-growing bush, — a preference being
given to furze, — and while other and less sociable
birds seek their living in the open fields, he con-
fidingly visits our rick yards and poultry yards to
pick up the scattered grain. In the summer he
makes us a return for what he thus takes, by car-
rying off great numbers of destructive caterpillars.

His song, scarcely worthy of the name, must be
familiar to all, from the monotonous and frequent
repetition with which it is uttered during the summer
months. Reduced to writing, it is, —

£

CIRL BUNTING, Emberiza cirlus. Peculiarly a
southern species, and in this county only an occa-
sional visitant, seldom coming so far north. It has

H 3

78 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

been observed and shot at Peckbam, and more than
once near Harrow. Two specimens have been killed
on Hampstead Heath ; one by Mr. Dugmore, junior,
in April, 1855 ; the other by Mr. K. Power, in the
spring of 1860. I have seen a bird of this species
that was shot near Kingsbury Eeservoir in the
autumn of 1859, and two others in the collection of
Mr. Mitford, of Hampstead, which were obtained in
that neighbourhood. A nest, with three eggs, of the
Girl Bunting, was taken near Wembley Park in
Majr, 1861, and one of the eggs with the nest, is now
in my collection.

ORTOLAN BUNTING, Emberiza hortulana. Some
years ago there was a birdcatcher in the vicinity of
Kilburn to whom Mr. Bond used to pay occasional
visits, on the chance of obtaining any rarities that
had been caught in his nets. One morning he found
him with three newly-caught Ortolans. The man
having mistaken them for hen Yellowhammers, had
wrung their necks, and, in so doing, had completely
taken off the heads of two of them. The third is
now in Mr. Bond's collection.

" In 1837 another male Ortolan was caught near
London, along with Yellow Buntings, in a bird-
catcher's net, and deposited in the aviary at the
Zoological Gardens, as recorded by Mr. Blyth."*

* Yarrell's ' British Birds,' vol. i., p. 529 ; and ' Zoolo-
gical Journal,' vol. iii. p. 498.

INSESSORES. 79

In May, 1863, while staying at Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, I took the opportunity of visiting the museum
there, and, amongst other rarities, I noticed an
Ortolan Bunting, labelled as follows : " Green-
headed Bunting, Emberiza Tunstalli, Lath, and
Mont. Emberiza Chlorocephala, Gmel. From the
Allan Museum. This was the specimen from which
the bird was first described as a species. It was
caught near London." This same specimen is
figured in Brown's ' Illustrations of Zoology.'

Family FRINGILLID^E.

CHAFFINCH, Fringilla coslebs. Common resident,
occasionally subject to variety. Although I have
frequently observed this species at all times of year,
I have never been able to note the separation of the
sexes in winter, of which Gilbert White speaks.

On the 29th April, 1861, 1 took a nest of the
Chafnnch, containing three eggs of a pale blue
colour, without spots, the blue being of about the
same tint as in the Wheatear's egg. The nest,
placed in a thorn-bush, was much the same as usual,
except that, instead of the usual dark-coloured
horsehair for lining, in this case it was white, and
there was more white wool used in the nest than is
generally seen.

On the 12th May, 1862, I had a similar nest of
the Chafnnch brought me, containing three eggs of

80 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

the same pale blue colour, but with a few very
minute specks at the larger end.

Eepeated observation of a similarity in the colour
of eggs to the substance upon which they are laid
induces the following speculation. A bird being
unable to find any other materials than those of a
particular colour — query, whether it has the power
of laying eggs which approximate in colour to the
substance upon which they are laid, and thus afford
less chance of discovery — or whether the bird,
previous to laying, is instinctively cognizant of the
colour of its eggs, and is in consequence led to select
such materials in the construction of its nest as
may most nearly resemble them in colour ?

BE AMBLING, or MOUNTAIN FINCH, Fringilla mon-
tifringilla. Appears towards the end of autumn in
small flocks. Its flight and general appearance at a
distance is not unlike that of the Chaffinch, but it
may be always distinguished from that species by
the white colour of the upper tail-coverts, which at
all seasons of the year is conspicuous. A favourite
locality for Bramblings is Caen Wood, Hampstead,
where they resort to feed upon the fallen beech-
mast. A few small flocks may generally be found in
the autumn along the banks of Kingsbury Reservoir.
They appear to be attracted by the seeds of the bar
marigold, Bidens tripartita, or, more likely, those of
Polygonum hydropiper, which is very common there,
and is much liked by small birds. Such numbers of

INSESSORES. 81

these resort to the banks of this reservoir in autumn,
that I have frequently seen half-a-dozen London
birdcatchers busily employed there with their nets
all day long in the month of October. The birds
generally caught are Larks, Greenfinches, Chaf-
finches, Goldfinches, Linnets, and Lesser Redpoles,
and, occasionally, Twites, Bramblings, and Tree
Sparrows. I have frequently questioned some of
these veteran birdcatchers as to the species captured
by them at different times, and seldom without ob-
taining some interesting information from them.
All agreed in saying that the Lesser Hedpole is
becoming very scarce, and that they do not take as
many in a season now as they used formerly to take
in a week. A Mealy Redpole has not been caught
for many years. The Twite has always been more
or less uncommon, and one of the most difficult
birds to take is the Brambling ; for this bird is so
very shy, that it will cross and recross the nets
without alighting. If it flies low enough, therefore,
it is generally caught on the wing by pulling the nets
as it flies across. The Brambling has been seen
here in February, and I have a handsome male that
was caught at Edge ware as late as April 18th. I
have kept two pairs of Bramblings in an aviary since
October, 1864, in company with Linnets, Gold-
finches, Twites, Lesser Eedpoles, &c., but they
have as yet shown no disposition to breed, although
provided with materials for a nest, and set a good

82 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

example by other birds, which not only layed but
hatched their eggs.

TREE SPARROW, Fringilla montana. Like the
last, an uncertain visitant, occasionally appearing
in small flocks in autumn, and remaining till the
spring. I have one, an adult male, in my collection,
that was caught at Kingsbury by a birdcatcher in
October, 1862, together with several of the common
species with which it was feeding ; and Mr. W. H.
Power has three others which he killed at the same
place in November, 1864. In the autumn of 1857
this species was so plentiful in that neighbourhood
that a dozen might have been killed at a shot. It
has occasionally been observed in small flocks
during winter in the neighbourhood of Harrow, and
at Elstree. Although to a casual observer there
may appear to be a close resemblance between this
species and the next, it may be distinguished by its
chocolate -coloured head, more slender bill, and the
triangular patch of black on each cheek.

HOUSE SPARROW, Fringilla domestica. The com-
monest of all common birds ; but, though so much
persecuted and despised, a clean and well-fed country
Sparrow is by no means a bad-looking fellow, and
besides being an amusing bird to observe, and dis-
playing a good deal of cunning withal, it sets us a
good example by its cheerful and contented dispo-
sition under adverse circumstances.

Sparrows, too, have a great diversity of habits. I

INSESSORES. 83

have seen them dart into the air like a Flycatcher to
seize a passing insect, and climb a tree, inspecting
every crevice, like a Creeper. They are very pugna-
cious, and I have often been amused in watching the
contests that take place when a pair of these birds
endeavour to turn out a pair of Martins from their
nest. On two or three occasions, when I had shot
one of the old Sparrows, I found that the survivor
soon found another mate, and returned to renew the
contest for possession.

Varieties not unfrequently occcur. In the winter
of 1860-1, a pure white Sparrow was frequently seen
in the neighbourhood of a rick-yard at Kingsbury,
and I find, on referring to my note -book for the year
1863, that on September 19th, and during several
previous days, a white Sparrow had been observed
in Kenton Lane, between Kingsbury and Kenton.
A pair of white Sparrows were shot within a few
days of each other in the grounds of Sudbury Hill
House, near Harrow, in the autumn of 1860 ; and a
cream-coloured variety was shot at Willesden Green
Farm in September, 1863. In August, 1864, a yellow
or straw-coloured Sparrow was several times seen
by a friend at Sudbury ; and one day in November,
1865, while driving to London, I saw on the road,
near Kilburn, a Sparrow which had the quill-feathers
in each wing white.

GREENFINCH, Fringilla Moris. A common re-
sident, flocking with Sparrows, Chaffinches, and

84 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Yellowhammers in winter. The Greenfinch is an
amusing bird in confinement, and is easily tamed.
A pair in my aviary, which were captured in the
autumn, built a nest the following spring, and laid ;
but unfortunately, before the eggs could be hatched,
they were accidentally broken.

HAWFINCH, Fringilla coccothraustes. There are
many birds, which in some years are numerous, and
in others comparatively scarce, owing probably,
amongst other causes, to the plenitude or scarcity
of their food, insects or seeds, as the case may be.
The Hawfinch is one of these. Formerly this bird
was looked upon as an occasional visitant rather
than as a resident, and when, perchance, a nest was
discovered, the fact was generally recorded as of
unusual occurrence. Within the last few years,
however, this species has been perceptibly in-
creasing, and I have received notices of its appear-
ance in many parts of this county. In the neigh-
bourhood of Kingsbury I have observed for many
seasons that the Hawfinch is most numerous during
the month of February, when there appears to be a
partial migration. In February, 1862, several were
killed in this parish, one of which I have at present
in my collection ; and in February, 18G4, Haw-
finches were unusually numerous, not only here at
Kingsbury, but also at Stanmore, Edgeware, Hen-
don, Harrow Weald, and Hampstead. At the last-
named place they breed annually, in the woods

INSESSORES. 85

belonging to Lord Mansfield. In 1863 I obtained
a nest containing five eggs, together with the old
male bird, in Bishop's Wood ; and during the pre-
vious summer, a boy took three nests with eggs in
Caen Wood. Mr. Spencer tells me he has seen
as many as fourteen or fifteen at one time in these
woods, feeding on the beech-mast. Mr. Power says
the Hawfinch is common about the park at Baling
throughout the year. He has several times obtained
birds in full summer plumage, and has seen the
young of this species shot in the neighbourhood.
This bird has been taken as near London as Netting
Hill, and Mr. Dutton, of Hammersmith, writes me
word that it has been obtained in the neighbour-
hood of Chiswick, and has nested there in the Hor-
ticultural Gardens.

The Hon. F. C. Bridgeman, writing from Harrow,
says : " The neighbourhood of Harrow seems to be
rather a favourite place of resort for these birds,
though they are not common in most places, and
they seem to be rather on the increase than other-
wise. On the 7th May, 1863, I saw a nest of the
Hawfinch situated at the top of a tall apple tree in
the Grove (Harrow), containing five eggs. It was
composed of small sticks and twigs slightly lined
with hay and one or two feathers."

Mr. Belfrage says the Hawfinch has been found
breeding at Muswell Hill ; and I learn from Mr.
J. W. Ford, of Enfield, that the bird has nested in

i

86 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

that neighbourhood also, but is there considered
rare.

GOLDFINCH, Fringilla carduelis. At one time
common, but now seldom seen ; owing, no doubt,
to the increased cultivation of waste lands, and the
disappearance of gorse and thistles, which seem to
have a great attraction for this species. A few may
be seen in autumn and in the early spring, but they
do not remain to breed here as formerly.

SISKIN, Fringilla spinus. This handsome little
Finch is an uncertain visitant, appearing occasionally
towards the end of autumn, in company with Linnets
and Lesser Kedpoles. Mr. Shirley Hibberd, in an
article entitled 'The Birds of London,' * says : "Now
and then during winter I see that rare but lovely
little oddity, the Siskin. During the past few
months (Christmas, 1864-5), several have appeared,
and, as of yore, always careless, merry, full of anti-
podean feats, and singing a song which is the most
comical ever heard out of an avicular larynx."

This species was formerly plentiful during most
winters among the alders in the brook near the
Decoy at Hendon, and has been found, though
rarely, at Kingsbury, Elstree, Stanmore, and Harrow
Weald. Mr. Spencer once saw a flock of twenty or
thirty Siskins, near Caen Wood, Hampstead, feeding
on the alders, and I learn from him that, in 1853, a

* ' Intellectual Observer,' No. XXXIX., p. 174.

INSESSORES. 87

pair built there to his knowledge. This species,
according to Meyer,* has twice been found nesting
as near London as Wimbledon Common. In the
neighbourhood of Ealing, Hanwell, and West Dray-
ton, the Siskin is rather more common in winter.
During the autumn of 1865 we were visited by an
unusual number of Siskins, and I saw several which
had been taken near Hendon by a birdcatcher, in
company with Lesser Redpoles.

The food of this handsome little bird consists of
the seeds of grasses and thistles, together with small
insects, and it appears to be very fond of the seeds
of the alder.

LINNET, Fringilla cannabina, vel linota. Resi-
dent throughout the year, but, like the Goldfinch,
not so common now as heretofore. Both these
species appear to prefer uncultivated lands and
wastes, and such unfrequented spots as are now,
alas ! becoming scarce. In autumn I observe the
Linnet in small flocks upon the stubble and cleared
bean-fields, and in much greater numbers among
the weeds on the banks of the Reservoir at Kings-
bury, where they appear to find plenty of food in
seeds of various kinds. At night they roost upon
the ground, among the thick grass and dry weeds.
I have frequently disturbed large flocks of them
very early in the morning and late at night. I have

* ' Illustrations of British Birds and their Eggs.'

i 2

88 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

taken the eggs on Stanmore Common, Harrow
Weald Common, and Hampstead Heath.

MEALY KEDPOLE, Fringilla canescens. Mr. Yar-
rell says : * " The occurrence of the Mealy Eedpole
in the vicinity of London is rare, even to those men
who, obtaining their livelihood by birdcatching, trap
hundreds of dozens of birds in the course of the
year. The Lesser Kedpole, on the contrary, is
(sometimes) very common." I am enabled, however,
to add this species to my list on the authority of
Mr. Bond, who obtained some specimens at Kings-
bury several years ago. I learn also from the same
gentleman that in the autumn of 1861 he saw several
in that neighbourhood, and some of them were
afterwards taken by a birdcatcher. In October,
1863, three Mealy Bedpoles were caught near Kil-
burn, together with some Linnets. This species is
known to the London birdcatchers by the name of
Stony Eedpole.

The Hon. F. C. Bridgeman, in a notice lately
published of the ' Birds of Harrow/ says, that the
Mealy Eedpole is occasionally seen and caught near
Harrow.

I have very recently seen a pair of Mealy Eedpoles
which were obtained near Elstree. The person in
whose possession they were informed me that this
bird may be obtained there every year, but that the

* ' History of British Birds.'

INSESSORES. 89

Lesser Redpole is very scarce there. This appears
somewhat curious ; for in the neighbourhood where
I reside the reverse of this is the case ; the Lesser
Redpole is caught every autumn by the London
birdcatchers, while the Mealy Redpole is very rarely
obtained. It is possible that this may be owing to
a difference in their food. At all events, it is notice-
able that in the neighbourhood of Elstree, where
the Mealy Redpole is found, there is a good deal of
alder growing, of the seeds of which it is very fond,
while in the vicinity of Kingsbury, where this bird
is scarce, the alder is also scarce, and the Lesser
Redpole, comparatively speaking, common.

LESSER REDPOLE, Fringilla linaria. Our smallest
British Linnet. Generally appears towards the end
of autumn in small flocks, and may then be found
among the weeds along the banks of Kingsbury
Reservoir, on Hampstead Heath, Wormwood Scrubs,
Harrow Weald Common, and Stanmore Common.

I am assured by Mr. Spencer that in May, 1857,
while taking a walk in the neighbourhood of Crickle-
wood, he discovered an old male Redpole feeding its
young. The fact of this species breeding so far
south is interesting, and is, moreover, of such rare
occurrence as naturally to raise a doubt in the
minds of ornithologists, were it not that in this
instance the fact is well authenticated. Mr. Spencer
not only obtained a near view of the male bird, but
had leisure to examine the nest and young.

I 3

90 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

TWITE, Fringilla montium. A rare visitant,
appearing in autumn. Specimens have been obtained
at Kingsbury, Harrow, and Kilburn. On the 18th
October, 1863, I saw a solitary Twite on Harrow
Weald Common, and in October of the following
year several were taken alive by some birdcatchers
near Kingsbury Reservoir, from whom I purchased
two pairs for my aviary. The Twite may be readily
distinguished from its congeners by its long forked
tail and yellow bill.

BULLFINCH, Pyrrhula vulgaris. Formerly very
common, but since it has become the custom to lay
the hedges, this bird, which delights so much in a
high tangled hedge, has become scarce. It used to
breed here regularly at one time, but now it is more
frequently observed in winter and early spring,
leaving us for some more favourable locality when
the breeding season arrives.

In a summer-house belonging to Lord Mansfield
at Hampstead, a Bullfinch made its nest among the
honeysuckle and eglantine, and although the sum-
mer-house was constantly used, the bird was not
deterred from hatching five eggs.

This species is occasionally subject to variety.
" A Pied Bullfinch was caught at Harrow during
the winter of 1862. It was a hen bird, with patches
of white about the crown of the head and both
wings."

PINE GROSBEAK, Pyrrhula enucleator. Yarrell

INSESSOHES. 91

mentions a female bird of this species in his own
possession which was shot some years ago at Harrow -
on-the-Hill. This hird has since passed into the
collection of Mr. Bond.

CROSSBILL, Loxia curvirostra. A rare and uncer-
tain visitant. Great flights appeared in the neigh-
bourhood of London in 1756-7 ; and it appears to
have been plentiful in various parts of England from
the winter of 1835 to that of 1839. In the latter
year several were shot at Stamnore. In 1855, a year
noted by Mr. Yarrell as one in which Crossbills were
numerous, seven of these birds were obtained near
Hampstead by a birdcatcher. He shot them out of
a small fir-plantation, where they appeared to be
busy extracting the seeds from the fir-cones. Mr.
Spencer has obtained fourteen of these birds in
Hampstead Woods, and a pair from this locality are
in my own collection. In 1860 five or six Crossbills
were caught near Bushey, by a birdcatcher with a
call-bird.

Mr. Belfrage informs me that, when residing at
Muswell Hill, some years ago, a young Crossbill
was picked up from one of his garden-walks, and
had apparently fallen from a nest. It was taken
into the house and fed for some time, but was ulti-
mately allowed to escape. The person who found
it, observing that one mandible was twisted over
the other in an odd way, and not knowing the bird's
peculiarity, endeavoured to straighten it !

92 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

In September, 1863, a female Crossbill was caught
alive at Harrow, by Mr. A. Fuller.

PARROT CROSSBILL, Loxia pityopsittacus. A bird
of this species was shot at Harrow in January, 1850,
as recorded by Mr. Yarrell in his ' History of British
Birds ' (vol. ii. p. 24). The following note from
Mr. Edward Newman, in ' The Zoologist' for 1850,
I believe refers to the same specimen : " I have just
seen a fine male specimen of the Parrot Crossbill,
killed yesterday at Harrow- on- the -Hill." January
22, 1850.

Family STURNDXE.

EEDWINGED STARLING, Sturnus prcedatorius. This
bird is a native of North America, but occasionally
stragglers have found their way across the Atlantic,
and have been noticed so many times in England
that the species is now included in the British list.
Mr. Bond has in his collection a specimen of this
bird, which was shot in the autumn of 1844, in a
reed-bed at Shepherd's Bush. The locality was then
described as " a swampy situation, about three miles
west of London, on the Uxbridge Road, where an
extensive tract of land, from which brick-earth has
been dug out, is overgrown with reeds." This bird,
which was a male, is described by Mr. Yarrell in his
* History of British Birds.'

Wilson, the American ornithologist, quoting Ed-
wards, refers to another specimen " shot in the

INSESSOEES. 93

neighbourhood of London many years ago ; on
being opened, its stomach was found to be filled
with grub-worms, caterpillars and beetles."

COMMON STARLING, Sturnus vulgaris. Generally
distributed over the county, where it is resident
throughout the year. After the nesting season the
broods unite and form large flocks, when they keep
together until the following spring. As winter
approaches there is a perceptible increase in the
number of Starlings, which leads us to suppose that
they are to a certain extent migratory, and that
many move southwards before the cold weather sets
in. An interesting trait in Starlings is their beau-
tiful mode of flight in the evening before retiring to
roost, and the variety and intricacy of the evolu-
tions which they execute at that time is singularly
curious. Where the locality is favourable, they
evince a preference for reed-beds, but frequently
roost in shrubberies among the evergreens.

I do not remember to have seen anywhere noticed
the partiality which Starlings have for water. I
have not only seen them running along the edge of
a stream or pool, with the entire leg submerged, but
have also observed them bathing in great enjoy-
ment, throwing the water over their backs like
ducks, and occasionally dipping their heads. In
such situations they feed upon some small species
of Coleoptera; the stomachs of several which I
examined were filled with these, looking like a mass

94 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

of small black beads. At other times their food
consists of grain, worms, larvae, and some of the
smaller species of Helix, while they render good
service to the sheep and cattle by perching on their
backs and ridding them of the insects with which
they are infested.

In March, 1863, a white Starling was several
times seen between Kingsbury and Kenton, and
several attempts were made to shoot it, but without
success.

ROSECOLOURED PASTOR, Pastor roseus.* This
rare visitant from the East, though several times
obtained in the adjoining counties of Essex, Hert-
fordshire, and Buckinghamshire, so far as I am
aware, has only once occurred in Middlesex. A
specimen was killed many years ago at Norwood.
From this bird Edwards drew his figure, and first
noticed the species as British. Referring to the
coloured plate in his ' Natural History of Birds,'
that author says : " You may see this bird very
perfect, curiously stuffed, and set on a perch at
Salter's Coffee House, in Chelsea, where I had
liberty to draw it. Though this bird is not a native
of England, yet it was shot at Norwood, near
London ; for it often happens that birds not natives

* No doubt called Pastor, i. e. Shepherd, from its habit
of following sheep and cattle to seize the insects which they
disturb.

INSESSORES. 95

are, through storms or other accidental causes
unknown to us, brought over hither."

Family CORVID.E.

RAVEN, Corvus corax. As may he supposed, the
Raven is a rare bird in Middlesex. Mr. Jesse, in
his * Gleanings/ mentions a Raven which was taken
from a nest on the top of an elm tree in Hyde Park,
and I am assured by Mr. J. W. Ford, of Enfield,
that twenty years ago this bird used to breed regu-
larly in his neighbourhood, in a tree which is still
called " The Raven's Tree."

Early one morning in May, 1850, one of the park-
keepers observed two Ravens fighting desperately in
the Regent's Park. One of them was killed by the
other, and was picked up by the keeper, who disposed
of it to a London dealer. A Raven in the collection
of Mr. Bond was also obtained in the Regent's
Park.

CARRION CROW, Corvus corone. Generally distri-
buted throughout the county, although nowhere nu-
merous. It is not gregarious, like the Rook, but
keeps in pairs, and may always be distinguished from
the latter bird by its not having the bare space at
the base of the bill, which is characteristic of the
Rook. It generally selects as a site for its nest a
tall tree in a hedgerow, but I have taken the eggs in
the woods at Hampstead and Highgate, and have

96 BIKDS OF MIDDLESEX.

noted the species as breeding regularly at Enfield,
Hendon, Edgewarebury, Kingsbury, Pinner, and
Greenford. Owing to its destructive habits, the
Carrion Crow has but few friends, and it is singular
how it has contrived to exist in such numbers, in
spite of the persecution it everywhere meets with.
Its extreme wariness must be the cause of this.
Amongst the long list of crimes attributed to this
bird, not the least heinous are those of carrying off
game-eggs and killing weak and sickly lambs. But,
while having regard to these offences, we should not
overlook the fact that the Crow cannot obtain lamb
and eggs all the year round, and the examination of
several birds shows that grubs, snails and beetles
form a considerable portion of their food.

" Even the blackest of them all, the Crow,

Renders good service as your man-at-arms,
Crushing the beetle in his coat of mail,
And crying havoc on the slug and snail." *

I have not unfrequently noticed the Crows pacing
along the muddy shores of the Keservoirs at low
water in search of the mussels which are then
exposed, and of which they appear very fond. When
a shell proves unusually hard and impregnable, they
will rise into the air with it, and drop it from 9,
height to break it, following it quickly in the descent

* Longfellow, ' Birds of Killingworth.'

INSESSORES. 97

to swallow the contents. This manoeuvre I have
several times witnessed.

HOODED, or GREY CROW, Corvus comix. An
occasional winter visitant from the north, appearing
about the end of October, and leaving in April.
The Hooded Crows, " on their arrival in this country,
frequent marshes near the sea, and the banks and
shores of tidal rivers, inhabiting both sides of the
Thames as high up as within a few miles of London."
They are exceedingly wary birds, and when inland
keep to the open country, so that it is a difficult
matter to get within shot of them. When driving
or riding, however, I have sometimes been per-
mitted to approach within forty yards of a Grey
Crow before it took flight.

Like the Carrion Crow, this bird is omnivorous,
and nothing seems to come amiss to it. Its fa-
vourite habitat is the sea-shore, where it preys on
small crabs, limpets, and mussels, and now and then
a disabled sandpiper, or a stranded carcase.

When inland, its food consists of earth-worms,
grubs, and large beetles, with (not unfrequently, I
suspect) game eggs and young birds. It is very
partial, also, to freshwater mussels, arid, like the
Carrion Crow, visits the river banks at low water to
pick up those which are then exposed.

The foregoing remarks, it should be observed,
have not been made from a study of the Grey Crow

98 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

in this county, where it is a rare bird, but are the
result of observations made at various times in
other parts of England and Ireland.

The Hooded Crow, more frequently to be seen
towards the mouth of the river, is seldom observed
in the interior of the country, and during the last
fifteen years I am not aware that more than half-a-
dozen examples have been killed inland. These
few, at long intervals, were obtained in the winter or
early spring at Cricklewood, Hendon, Kingsbury,
and Bushey. On one occasion in April, while
walking in the Eegent's Park, a Hooded Crow
passed over my head within shot. It was flying
very leisurely, on the look-out for food, apparently,
and was heading in the direction north-east.

An old keeper with whom I am acquainted, and
who knows this bird well from the number he has
seen and trapped further north, informed me that
many years ago, before the ground between Kensal
Green and Kilburn was built upon, a pair of these
birds frequented a large field there belonging to a
Mr. Harper ; and from the fact of his having seen a
pair at the same place during several successive
springs, he suspected that they were the same birds,
and nested in the neighbourhood.

ROOK, Corvusfrugilegus. Perhaps no birds afford
us better opportunities of observing their habits
than the Rooks. Resident with us throughout the
year, and very generalty distributed over the

INSESSORES. 99

county,* they place themselves, as it were, under
our protection, by building in sight of our windows,
and are constantly in view. They are amongst the
earliest birds to nest ; I have observed them building
on February 36th, and have taken the eggs on
March 22nd.

" The partiality which Eooks evince for building
their nests on any trees sufficiently lofty tbat are
occasionally to be found in various parts of crowded
cities, must have been observed n,ot only in London
but elsewhere.f In the spring of 1838, a pair of
Rooks began to form a nest on the crown which
surmounted the vane of St. Olave's Church, in Hart
Street, Crutched Friars. Many persons will re-
member the nest built on a single, and not very
lofty tree, near the corner of Wood Street, Cheap-
side, in the season of 1836, and two nests were built
and occupied in the year 1845. Some years since,
a pair built their nest between the wings of the

* Some idea of the number of Eooks may be formed
when it is stated that within the space of five miles by
three, the author has reckoned eleven rookeries, each con-
taining on an average twenty nests (many of them nearly
twice that number). If we allow a pair of old birds to each
nest, and only four young ones, which will be below the
mark, we have in one year 1320 birds in the area above
mentioned.

f Goldsmith gives an interesting account of the Rooks
observed by him in the Temple Gardens.

K 2

100 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

dragon of Bow Church, and remained there till the
steeple required repairs. In the gardens of two
noblemen in Curzon Street, Mayfair, a considerable
number of Books have built for many years, and
these, probably, received an addition at the destruc-
tion of the Rookery in the gardens of Carlton
House,"

A colony of Books are still in possession of some
tall thin trees in a little back garden in Gower
Street, close to thjs University ; and another colony
is established in a large tree in the Marylebone
Road, opposite Devonshire Place.

" At an old mansion not far from London, sur-
rounded by a number of very fine elms, a singular
mark of the sagacity of Rooks was recently observed.
Many of these trees had become very old, and it
was,- therefore, determined to fell a few of them every
year, and plant young ones in their place. The
oldest of the trees were accordingly condemned to
be felled, and a portion of the bark taken off to indi-
cate those which were to come down. These trees
were soon forsaken by the Rooks, and it was subse-
quently observed that, immediately after any of the
other elms, were marked in a similar manner, the
Rooks at once forsook the trees, as if fully aware
that the removal of the bark was a notice to them
to quit."

During the nesting season the male bird is very
attentive to the female, bringing her food of all sorts,

INSESSORES. ,«, ' 1Q1,

which he thrusts into her bill even when she accom-
panies him in search of it ; this I have repeatedly
witnessed. A very dry spring is fatal to young
Rooks, for the parents are in consequence unable to
provide the usual supply of food, and have to travel
long distances, and work very hard, to support their
families. This was verified so literally in the spring
of 1864, that in this and some adjoining parishes
the owners of Bookeries abstained from the annual
shooting in May, in consequence of the scarcity of
birds.

So much has been written on the usefulness or
otherwise of the Book, while the abundance of the
species so easily admits of an investigation of the
question by every one interested in it, that little
need be said here upon the subject. Although there
can be no doubt that grain, acorns, potatoes, turnips,
and fruit, with occasionally eggs and young birds,
are all in turn devoured by the Books, we should
not be too hasty in condemning them for this, but
should take into consideration the fact that, during
the year, they destroy innumerable quantities of
slugs, snails, worms, beetles, and grubs. And when
we reflect upon the ravages committed by a single
species (the wire-worm) which is greedily devoured
by Books, we can hardly fail to arrive at the con-
clusion that the amount of evil committed on the
one hand is counterbalanced by the good rendered
on the other. It is possible to be too lenient and

K 3

BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

indulgent, but it appears to us that Nature, in the
distribution of species, maintains an even balance,
which should not be interfered with. We declare
war against birds which prey upon insects, and we
discover our mistake when our crops are nearly
destroyed. We assist in exterminating Hawks and
Owls, and small birds and mice unduly increase.
Should not our motto rather be, " Live, and let
live?"

JACKDAW, Corvus monedula. Thinly distributed
in the county, where it is resident throughout the
year. It is a sociable bird, and may generally be
seen flocking with Rooks and Starlings, in search of
the same sort of food. I have noticed Jackdaws
breeding annually in the ivy-covered church-tower
at Stanmore and in the church spires of Northolt,
Harrow, and Hampstead. I have also obtained the
eggs from some hollow trees on the Eosslyn Park
Estate, Hampstead, and from some old pollards in
the neighbourhood of Harrow Weald.

It is not an uncommon thing to see Jackdaws in
London, and I know more than one house in the
chimneys of which Jackdaws build every year.

A curious variety of this bird, in the collection of
a friend, was killed some years ago at Hammer-
smith. The scapulars, and part of the back, are of
a beautiful bronze colour.

MAGPIE, Corvus pica. A resident species, thinly
distributed over the county. In the neighbourhood

INSESSORES. 103

of London the Magpie is a scarce bird, but in the
more wooded and retired districts of Mill Hill,
Edgewarebury, Brockley Hill, Bushey, Ruislip, and
Pinner, it may be observed more frequently. In
the autumn it is not an uncommon thing to see five
or six Magpies in company ; for the young remain
sometime with their parents after leaving the nest.
They roost together at night, and during the day
disperse in search of food. Mr. Yarrell has counted
twenty-eight Magpies together in Kensington Gar-
dens, and many instances are on record of still
larger flocks having been seen at evening.* I once
found a nest of this species containing the unusual
number of eight eggs, all marked exactly alike, and
apparently laid by the same bird. As a rule, five,
or at most six, is the full complement.

JAY, Corvus glandarius. Resident throughout the
year, but nowhere numerous. I have noted this
species as occurring at Enfield, Mill Hill, Edge-
warebury, Stanmore, Elstree, Northolt, Harrow,
Wembley, and Kingsbury. In the autumn, Jays,
like Magpies, may be observed in little parties of
seven or eight, the young remaining with their
parents for some time after they have left the nest.

They are noisy and quarrelsome birds, and seem
always at war, even with their own species. A
friend once killed, at the Well Springs, Kingsbury,

* See ' Zoologist,' pp. 7817, 7846, 7931.

104 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

a female Sparrowhawk and a Jay at one shot, and a
second Jay with the other barrel. They were all
fighting on the ground, when he came upon them
suddenly, and three or four more Jays that were
in the melee escaped.

Jays are very fond of fruit, and a correspondent
assures me that some of these hirds used to visit his
garden at Muswell Hill regularly in the spring to
rob a damson-tree, and that they always took care
to come early in the morning.

Family PicnxzE.

GREEN WOODPECKER, Picus viridis. Although
this bird is generally throughout England styled
the Common Woodpecker, in the county of Middle-
sex the term is misapplied, for as a species it is not
so common as the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. It
is nowhere plentiful, even in those woods which are
strictly preserved, and where, consequently, it has a
better chance of increasing.

It has been observed at Trent Park, Enfield, in
the woods at Hampstead, in Canon's Park, Edge-
ware, at Mill Hill, Stanmore, Brockley Hill, Harrow,
and Kingsbury, and in Wembley Park. I have seen a
young bird in the spotted plumage which was shot in
Colin Deep Lane, Henclon, in the autumn of 1859.
Mr. Belfrage informs me that the Green Wood-
pecker used to breed regularly in the grounds of

INSESSORES. 105

the late Mr. Black, of Muswell Hill, formerly known
as The Grove, and now the Alexandra Park; and
that he has observed it between Muswell Hill and
Highgate, and in the Churchyard at Fryern Barnet.

The food of the Woodpecker consists exclusively
of insects, and, judging from my own observations,
and from the stomachs of several which I have
examined, a preference is given to ants and their
larvae. One day in August I had an opportunity of
watching a Green Woodpecker very closely, while at
work on an ant-hill. In a small field by the side of
a wood, where there were numerous ant-hills, I sud-
denly surprised a pair of these birds. One of them,
seeing me approach, flew into the wood, while the
other continued feeding. Quietly adjusting my glass
to the proper focus, I was enabled to watch every
movement of the handsome bird. Breaking open
the top of the ant-hill with his bill, and scattering
with it the mould in all directions, he darted out a
wonderfully long tongue, and drew in with it numbers
of ants. This was repeated as long as I watched
him, until two labourers, inopportunely coming by,
frightened him back to the wood. I could not detect
him making use of his feet to scrape away the earth ;
this was always removed with the bill.

An instance of the wonderful and rapid way in
which the Woodpecker can cut out a hole in a tree
has lately come under my notice. A young col-
lector, who was anxious to obtain some eggs of this

106 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

species, watched a pair of birds almost incessantly
from the time they commenced excavating till the
first egg was laid. At five o'clock one Friday morn-
ing, he saw the hen bird alight upon an oak, at about
ten feet from the ground, and pick off a piece of
bark about the size of a shilling, and fly away with
it. This manoeuvre was repeated several times.
Both birds then laboured at the tree to make a hole,
and by seven o'clock on the following Sunday morn-
ing they had cut through two inches of wood, and
made a hole eight inches deep, in which at the hour
last-named a single egg was found. This tends to
prove that the Woodpecker, in selecting a tree in
which to deposit its eggs, does not always make use
of one which is unsound.

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, Picus major. For-
merly this species was not uncommon, particularly
in the neighbourhood of Barn Hill, and round
Uxendon and Forty Farms, in the parishes of
Kingsbury and Harrow. Now it is one of our
rarest birds.

Yarrell mentions the fact of this species having
bred in Kensington Gardens. It is occasionally
seen in the woods at Hampstead, and I have ob-
served it at Wembley Park.

In April, 1860, Mr. Spencer saw five of these
birds in Caen Wood, Hampstead, which he believes
were four males and one female ; the former were
engaged in a fierce conflict, apparently for the

INSESSOKES. 107

possession of the latter, and lie watched them for
some little time before making his presence known.
He then shot two, which proved to be male and
female.

In the spring of 1862 a nest of this species, con-
taining four young birds, was found in an oak in the
lane leading from Edgeware Toll-bar to the Hale ;
and in October of the same year, a Great Spotted
Woodpecker was observed upon an old willow near
the brook at Forty Farm in this parish. I have
more recently noticed this species in Wembley
Park.

MIDDLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER, Picus medius*
Temm. I have inserted this species in my Cata-
logue on the authority of Mr. Spencer. Having
spent more than thirty years among birds, and
having had many opportunities of studying the

* The Kev. L. Jenyns, in his ' Manual of British Verte-
brates/ says : " The Middle Spotted Woodpecker of Montagu
and other English authors is only the young of this species
(P. major). The Picus medius of Temminck is distinct, but
not hitherto found in this country."

Mr. St. John, however, in his ' Natural History of the
Highlands,' says (p. 76) : " Amongst the rare feathered
visitors to these woods I forgot to mention the Spotted
Woodpecker, Picus medius, which bird I killed in Inver-
nesshire. I was attracted to the spot where he was clinging
to the topmost shoot of a larch-tree, by hearing his strange,
harsh cry."

108 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

habits and change of plumage of our Woodpeckers,
his opinion, if not to be received as conclusive, is,
at all events, worthy of consideration. He believes
that there exists a third British species of Spotted
Woodpecker, Picus medius of Temminck, interme-
diate in size between P. major and P. minor, often
confounded with the former, and of more rare occur-
rence than either. In June, 1846, he shot a pair of
birds at Caen Wood, Hampstead, which he believes
to be the Middle Spotted Woodpecker, P. medius.
It is somewhat smaller than P. major, and con-
siderably larger than P. minor. The red on the
head extends to the top of the crown, which is not
the case with P. major. There is rather more white,
also, on the scapulars, and the red of the under tail-
coverts is not so brilliant. On obtaining this pair
of birds Mr. Spencer skinned them, and sent the
bodies to Mr. John Askew, who took them to Mr.
Yarrell, and he decided that they were the bodies of
old birds. This would seem a sufficient answer to
the argument that they were the young of P. major.
When Mr. Spencer, however, produced the skins,
Mr. Yarrell suggested that the young of P. major
did not attain the adult plumage until after the
second or third year, and that, consequently, the
birds in question might be old birds, and yet the
young of P. major. It has been ascertained, how-
ever, beyond doubt, that the young of this species
assume the adult plumage at the first moult, and

INSESSORES. 109

that they are completely moulted by the end of
October. The birds in question were shot in June.
The young of P. major, obtained in July, were in
deep moult.

LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER, Picus minor. In
this county of more frequent occurrence than the
Greater Spotted Woodpecker, or even the Green
Woodpecker. I have a pair in my collection which
were shot in Bishop's Wood, Hampstead ; and I
have seen four other specimens which were ob-
tained there in 1861.

A pair of these birds was shot at Turnham Green
in April, 1854, as recorded in * The Zoologist ' for
that year (p. 4329) ; and in the spring of 1859 Mr.
Spencer obtained a pair at Caen Wood, Hampstead.
As recently as April, 1864, a pair of these handsome
little birds was observed in a garden at Hampstead,
and on the 17th of that month the female (since
presented to me) was shot there. With regard to
this pair, a friend, writing to me from. Hampstead,
says : " On April 17th I was in the Priory all day.
About one o'clock, as I was leaving to go home, I
noticed a beautiful male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
upon a tree near me. After watching him for some
time, I went home for my gun, but came back just
in time to see his departure. I could then hear one
tapping for a long time in the next garden ; but,
although I lay down on the grass and waited
patiently, three hours elapsed before any bird of

110 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

this species appeared. One then alighted upon
the same tree where I had first seen the male
bird. Upon shooting it I found it was the female.
I waited till dark for the male, hut saw nothing of
him. From a person at the Priory I learned that
these birds had bred there last year, and reared a
brood. Two days later, on April 19th, I again saw
the male bird on his favourite tree. The note is
very like that of the Wryneck, but lower and more
musical. There are several of them at Frognal
(Hampstead) now. They come continually to a
particular tree."

I have observed this species in the neighbourhood
of Brockley Hill and Elstree, and specimens have
been obtained at Harrow. It is not an uncommon
bird about Brentford, Kew, Han well, and Ealing,
especially in spring and autumn ; for although resi-
dent throughout the year in England, I have reason
to believe that this species is partially migratory.
A nest of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which I
found one day in May, had two entrances, from
opposite sides of the tree ; the holes were as nearly
as possible in a line, and led to a larger cavity from
which the hen bird might thus escape on one side if
assailed on the other.

GREAT BLACK WOODPECKER, Picus martins. I
am aware that many naturalists attempt to throw
discredit upon the reported occurrence of the Great
Black Woodpecker in Britain, but I have never yet

INSESSORES. Ill

heard any argument to convince me of the impos-
sibility of its appearance here. Looking at the
form and anatomy of the bird, I see no reason why
it should not cross the sea as easily as the Wryneck
and all the short- winged Warblers which visit us in
summer.

Standing upon an eminence, I have seen the
Green Woodpecker in full flight cross an extensive
valley in a very short space of time. The line of
flight was undulating, it is true, like that of a Wag-
tail, but at the same time rapid. I have also seen
the Great Spotted Woodpecker cross an acre or two
of park in the same way ; and from the power these
birds displayed, I have no doubt their flight could
have been easily sustained for a considerable dis-
tance. There seems to me, then, nothing wonderful
in finding a Great Black Woodpecker in England.
But since it is decidedly not indigenous, nor yet a
regular visitant, all records of its occurrence here,
to be of value, should be thoroughly well authenti-
cated.

In mentioning the only [two instances •• of which
I am aware of the appearance of the Great Black
Woodpecker in Middlesex, I am, unfortunately,
unable to speak from personal observation, and can
only refer, in the first case, to what I have gleaned
from the work of a reliable authority, Colonel Mon-
tagu, and in the second case to what has been
related to me by an eye-witness.

112 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Col. Montagu, in the supplement to his ' Orni-
thological Dictionary,' states that a Great Black
Woodpecker was shot, in the winter of 1805, on the
trunk of an old willow tree in Battersea Fields. It
is not very likely that the author could have mistaken
the bird, or intended to refer to the Great Black and
White Woodpecker (Picus major), seeing that he
has given the latter species a separate consideration
in thejsame volume. It is, moreover, observable
that, besides being an accurate observer himself,
Col. Montagu was usually careful to sift and prove
the correctness of reports furnished to him whenever
they related to the occurrence or capture of rare
species.

With regard to the other instance to which I
have referred, I am assured of the facts by no other
than the person who saw the bird, and whose word
I have never had reason to doubt.

Mr. Spencer, the well-known taxidermist of Great
Portland Street, having a brother who was keeper
to Lord Mansfield at Hampstead, had many oppor-
tunities of visiting and exploring the large woods
called Caen Wood, Mutton Wood, Wild Wood, and
Bishop's Wood, and of observing, shooting, and
examining many of our rarer birds whose shy habits
conceal them from the general observer. Early one
morning in May, 1845, while walking through the
thickest part of Caen Wood, Mr. Spencer was sud-
denly startled to see a Black Woodpecker dart

INSESSORES. 113

between the trees and alight upon an oak at some
distance. It was extremely shy, and he was scarcely
ever able to approach within a hundred yards of it.
On the following morning he again visited the spot,
on the chance of getting a shot at the bird, and
again saw it ; but it was too wary to allow of a suffi-
ciently near approach. On the third day he was
unavoidably prevented from visiting the wood, but
on the morning of the fourth day he saw the bird
again for the third and last time.

My informant is still living, and able to vouch for
the truth of the above statement.

WRYNECK, Yunx torquilla. A regular summer
visitant, generally appearing about the second week
of April, a few days before the Cuckoo. It is a most
beautiful and interesting bird to observe, and in its
food and habits somewhat reminds us of the Wood-
peckers. Like them, it breeds in holes of trees, and
lives upon similar food, which consists chiefly of
ants and their larvae. The note of the Wryneck
more nearly resembles that of the Kestrel than any
other bird with which I am acquainted, and, if the
sound could be expressed in words, it would, per-
haps, be most correctly rendered, " Oh, dear, dear,
dear, dear, dear, dear."

The nest is not an easy one to find, situated as it
is in a hole of a tree, sometimes at a considerable
height from the ground. The eggs are pure white.

L 3

114 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Family CERTHIAD^.

COMMON CREEPER, Certhia familiaris. Resident
throughout the year, although not very abundant.

I have always thought the Creeper an unusually
silent bird, and more particularly so in the winter,
when I have never heard it utter any note. Its
summer note is very low and monotonous. I have
frequently approached within a few paces of a
Creeper as it commenced ascending a tree, be-
ginning at the height of about two feet from the
ground ; and although this bird has the stiff-pointed
tail-feathers which are conspicuous in the Wood-
peckers, I never observed that it stiffened them and
made use of them in any way as a prop while
climbing. On the contrary, whenever I have been
close enough to see the tail distinctly, I have noticed
that it dragged behind like that of a mouse. This
bird, like the last-named, builds in holes, and lays
five or six small eggs, white spotted with light red.
Its eggs may generally be distinguished from those
of the Tits by being more pointed at the smaller
end, and in having their spots chiefly in a cluster at
the large end.

WREN, Troglodytes vulgaris. Common everywhere.
Its song, which is wonderfully loud for so small a
bird, is frequently uttered on the wing while it
flies from one hedgerow to another ; and besides its
ordinary song, it has a curious note of fear, which

INSESSOEES. 115

it utters at intervals, and which somewhat resembles
the winding-up of a clock.

A curious freak in the nesting of this species has
lately come under my notice. A pair of Wrens built
their nest on an old stump, and hatched their young.
Finding themselves undisturbed, they resorted to
the same place the following year, where they found
their old nest. Instead of repairing it, however, and
using it again, they built another on the top of it,
and had thus a "storied" house. The "ground-
floor," however, was only visited occasionally, for
the little family was brought up in the " first-floor "
room.

HOOPOE, Upupa epops. A rare summer visitant
from North Africa. The earliest notice which I
have been able to find of its appearance in this
county, occurs in Edwards' 'Natural History of
Birds,' 1743. That author gives a coloured plate
and description of a specimen which had been shot
at Norwood, and was presented to him by Dr.
Eeeves, President of the College of Physicians. In
an old quarto volume, dated 1794, entitled * Por-
traits of Rare and Curious Birds, with their de-
scriptions, from the Menagerie at Osterley Park,'
the author, W. Hayes, referring to a coloured plate
of the Hoopoe, says : " This very beautiful bird had
been seen several times in this menagerie ; every
scheme that could be thought of was put in practice
to take it alive, but without eifect ; and as it was

116 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

observed that its visits were less frequent, and that
it became more cautious, it was at last shot by
the menagerie-keeper, and by the late Mr. Child's
particular order this drawing was made for his
collection."

In the summer of 1830, a Hoopoe was shot near
Caen Wood, Hampstead. One was killed by Mr.
Sullivan on the 28th September, 1832, in his own
grounds at Fulham, as recorded by Mr. Gould ; and
in 1850 another was obtained at Golder's Green.
The last of which I have heard was shot at Neasdon
in April, 1865, by Mr. S. Marshall, of that place, who
has had the bird preserved.

NUTHATCH, Sitta europea. This is so thoroughly
a wood bird, that in this county it is local rather
than rare. I have never seen it at Kingsbury,
although many years ago Mr. Bond obtained speci-
mens in this parish, and others at Brockley Hill. I
have observed it, however, at The Hale, Edgeware,
Mill Hill, and Elstree, and it has been noticed in
the grounds of Lord Tenterden at Hendori ; in Caen
Wood, Hampstead ; in Mill Field Lane, Highgate ;
and in the neighbourhood of Harrow, where it is
not uncommon in autumn, where any large trees
abound.

In January, 1862, I saw a pair of Nuthatches
upon a large oak at Bentley Priory, Stanmore, my
attention having been first drawn to them by their
loud note, which struck me as being not unlike that

INSESSOBES. 117

of the Great Tit, although much louder. Like the
last-named bird, its note varies at different seasons
ofthe year ; that which is uttered in the breeding-
season being very different to that which is heard at
other times. I believe that Nuthatches pair for life,
and remain in pairs throughout the year, not flock-
ing in winter like other birds; for I have never
observed the young following their parents in the
autumn, as is the case with some species ; from
which I infer that, as soon as they are out of the
nest, the old birds leave them to shift for them-
selves.

The nest is a difficult one to find, secreted as it
always is in the hole of a tree. On the 10th
May, 1863, 1 obtained ten beautifully-marked eggs
of this species from an old tree at Harrow Weald.

A few years ago this bird was comparatively com-
mon in the neighbourhood of Ealing, especially in
autumn, when it might frequently have been heard
and occasionally seen running up and down the
elm -trees, hammering at the bark, and uttering at
intervals its not unpleasing note. Of late years it
has become much more rare. Mr. Power observed
a particular bird of this species at Ealing, which
was in the habit of carrying off the acorns from an
evergreen oak, but what it did with them he was
never able to ascertain. I have seen a Nuthatch
constantly on a certain gate-post that had a fissure
in the top, in which it used to fix acorns and beech-

118 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

mast, and then hammer at them and extract the
kernels. I think it not unlikely, therefore, that the
bird observed by Mr. Power was carrying the acorns
to a similar crevice, the more easily to get at the
contents. A writer in * The Field Naturalists'
Magazine ' states that he has noticed this bird in
Kensington Gardens ; and Mr. Yarrell, in his ' His-
tory of British Birds,' observes that it is common
there.

Mr. Bond says that the Nuthatch, particularly
during May, oftentimes sits upon the dead bough of
a tree, and from thence darts into the air to seize
the passing insects like a Flycatcher. It is much
more expert in climbing than the Woodpeckers. I
have never seen one of the latter birds descend a
tree head first, but the Nuthatch will climb in every
direction.

Family CUCULID^E.

CUCKOO, Cuculus canorus. A regular summer
visitant, generally appearing about the 23rd April,
and leaving us in Aegust. Yarrell asserts that
Cuckoos do not pair. On several occasions I have
seen two Cuckoos in company, one chasing the
other, and always supposed that they were male and
female ; but an observant friend writing to me upon
the subject, says: "I believe Yarrell to be right
in saying the Cuckoo does not pair. I have

INSESSORES. 119

Seen as many as three male Cuckoos following a
female."

Mr. W. H. Power writes me word that he once
saw as many as ten Cuckoos on the wing at once,
and on another occasion disturbed even a greater
number from a plantation where they were congre-
gating in June. He thinks it not unusual to find
Cuckoos in small flocks. The fact of this bird
singing at night I apprehend is now too well known
to require any comment. I have frequently heard a
Cuckoo as late as 11 o'clock, P.M.

Mr. Timbs sa}^s : * " The Cuckoo begins to sing
early in the season, with the interval of a minor
third ; the bird then proceeds to a major third, next
to a fourth, then a fifth, after which his voice breaks
without attaining a minor sixth. The Cuckoo may
be said to have done much for musical science, be-
cause from this bird has been derived the minor
scale, the origin of which has puzzled so many ; the
Cuckoo's couplet being the minor third sung down-
wards."

My friend Mr. Bond has kindly furnished me
with the following list of nests in which he has
known a Cuckoo's egg to have been found ; and
with regard to those to which an asterisk is pre-
fixed. I am able to corroborate him from my own
observations.

* <

Things Not Generally Known.'

ISO BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Redbacked Shrike.
Spotted Flycatcher.

* Hedge Sparrow.

* Robin Redbreast.

* Redstart.

* Nightingale.
Blackcap.

* Garden Warbler.

* Sedge Warbler.

* Reed Warbler.

Willow Wren.

* Pied Wagtail.

* Yellow Wagtail.
Grey Wagtail.

* Tree Pipit.

* Meadow Pipit.

* Sky Lark.

* Yellowhammer.

* Greenfinch.
Wren.

I have but two more species to add to this list,
namely, the Blackheaded Bunting and Wheatear.
In June, 1860, a friend of mine found a nest of the
latter bird containing three eggs of the Wheatear
and one of the Cuckoo. The nest was placed under
a clod, and in such a position as strongly to favour
the opinion of some naturalists that the Cuckoo
first lays her eggs and then deposits them with her
bill in the nest.

Occasionally an adult Cuckoo is obtained in the
reddish-brown plumage peculiar to the young bird,
but this happens very rarely. I know of two in-
stances in which old birds have been shot in this
state of plumage, one having been previously ob-
served for three summers, and the other for five
or six : they were both females, and I believe an
adult male of this colour has never been obtained.

The adult brown Cuckoo is thought by some to
be a distinct species, and has been figured and
described under the name of Cuculus hepaticus ;

INSESSOEES.

but I think there can be little doubt that it is only
a variety.

Family MEROPID.E.

BEE-EATER, Merops apiaster. I have seen a
stuffed specimen, said to have been killed many
years ago between Kingsbury and Hampstead ; but
owing to the length of time that has elapsed since
its capture, I have been unable to obtain any par-
ticulars respecting it.

Family HALCYONID^.

KINGFISHER, Alcedo ispida. Resident throughout
the year, although many leave us at the approach of
winter. A few pairs breed on the banks of the Brent
and Silk stream, and also along the Thames and
Colne. Kingfishers always appear most numerous in
autumn, and naturally so, for the young are then
flyers and may be found at all our brooks. I hardly
know a prettier sight, or one more gratifying to the
naturalist, than that of a Kingfisher feeding. Many
a time have I lain at full length, by the water-side,
and screened by a thick bush, watched one of these
birds dart into the stream from a favourite stump,
and, seizing a passing fish, return with it to its
perch. Invariably holding its prey behind the gills,
it would, on regaining the stump, knock the fish
several times against the wood, until stunned or

M

BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

dead, and then swallow it whole, head first. I have
heen astonished to see how many fish so small a
bird could swallow consecutively ; I once saw a
Kingfisher take five good-sized minnows, one after
the other. That this bird is capable of being tamed
may be seen by any one who will take the trouble
to visit the fish-house in the Zoological Gardens,
where there are at present several live Kingfishers.
One of these is so tame that it will readily perch
upon the keeper's right hand, and seize a fish from
his left. Although a shortwinged bird, the King-
fisher has great powers of flight. I have more than
once seen one fly out across a harbour until the eye
could follow it no longer. Mr. Henry Hussey, on
Christmas Day, 1863, saw one flying over the Ser-
pentine in Kensington Gardens, a singular locality
for such a bird.

In an interesting communication from Mr. J. H.
Belfrage, of Muswell Hill, referring to the King-
fisher, he says : " A curious instance of the instinct
displayed by one of these birds came under my
own observation. We had occasion to empty a small
pond in our garden, for the purpose of having it
cleaned out. When that process had been gone
through, there still remained about three inches of
water, and into this shallow pool we turned about
four dozen very small Prussian carp. The follow-
ing day a Kingfisher appeared, and continued to
visit the pond daily, until all, or nearly all, the little

INSESSOKES. 123

carp had disappeared. The bird was frequently
seen there, perched upon the railings of the pond,
or flying away from it, scared by our approach ; but
when the pond was filled by the rain it disappeared,
and was not seen again. There were then only one
or two fish left, and I never remember to have seen
a Kingfisher in the neighbourhood either before or
since." By what curious instinct, then, was this
bird led to an isolated pond far from its usual
haunts, and at a distance from any stream, where it
became aware not only of the sudden appearance of
fish, but also of the sufficient shallowness of the
pool to enable it to take them ?

Family HIRUNDINID^E.

SWALLOW, Hirundo rustica. A regular summer
visitant, arriving in April and leaving in October.
I once saw a solitary bird here as late as the
9th November. Swallows frequently have two,
if not three, broods in a year. They roost
upon the willows and shrubs that grow along the
course of our brooks, and I have often been sur-
prised at the great number I have disturbed when
walking along a brook late in the evening. It is
not unlikely that this propensity to roost among
willows and near water has given rise to the
popular delusion that Swallows retire under water
in winter.

M 2

124 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

I used to think at one time that. Swallows were
destructive in the neighbourhood of bee-hives, having
frequently seen a Swallow take a bee on the wing.
But a writer in ' The Field Naturalist's Magazine,'
who formerly shared the same opinion, says that he
shot several Swallows after they had passed and
repassed his hives several times, and upon opening
them was surprised to find that, although the
stomachs were literally crammed with drones, there
was not a vestige of a working bee. By what curious
instinct is the bird thus led to make a distinction so
much in our favour ?

Varieties of the Swallow occasionally are met
with. I have seen a pure white specimen which
was shot some years ago at The Hyde.

I have several times seen a bird which I take to
be the Barn Swallow of America (H. rufa), and
which, I believe, is not uncommon in England. It
differs chiefly from H. rustica in having the under
parts, from chin to vent, light chestnut instead of
white. Mr. W. H. Power says that he has more
than once shot Swallows with the under part of a
light chestnut, but as these were generally obtained
in the spring he took them to be merely fine-
coloured males of H. rustica.

MARTIN, Hirundo urbica. A common summer
visitant, arriving, like the Swallow, in April, but
generally later than that bird, and leaving in
October. The rapidity with which these birds build

INSESSORES. 125

is astonishing. By July 24th a pair of Martins
had completed a nest under our eaves, and hatched,
for the second time, two young. On that day,
through the thoughtlessness of a servant, the nest
was knocked down, when it was found to contain an
addled egg and two young birds, which were killed
by the fall. The following day the old birds com-
menced to rebuild, and by the 29th, five days later,
a new nest was finished, and subsequently a new
brood was hatched.

SAND MARTIN, Hirundo riparia. Another of our
visitants, and generally the first of the genus Hi-
rundo to arrive. In some seasons they are numerous,
but although they may be seen almost every day
during summer at our reservoirs, they do not breed
there, the banks being too shallow and sloping to
admit of excavation.

This species breeds in some chalk-pits at Pinner,
and at Hampstead, on the property of Lord Mans-
field, where an old sand-bank is completely riddled
with their holes. In June, 1863, some eggs were
taken by a friend from some holes in a pit-bank on
Hampstead Heath. The Sand Martin may also be
found breeding in many places along the banks of
the Thames. Mr. Gould, in his beautiful folio work
on British Birds, now in the course of publication,
says : " A nest taken from the bank of the Thames
on the 4th of July, 1854, was composed of a layer of
grasses, above which was a second layer of the Swan's

M 3

126 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

breast-feathers, so placed as to curl over the eggs,
forcibly reminding one of the calyx of a tulip or
white water-lily. Although the hole was damp, the
platform of grasses and feathers formed a warm and
dry receptacle for the eggs, which were a pearly
white, and six in number."

Mr. Gould is of opinion that the Sand Martin has
occasionally two broods in the year.

One day in August, 1863, I saw an immense flight
of these birds on the ground near Kingsbury Reser-
voir. I was on the opposite side of the water when
I first found them, with my glass, and being in a
boat, rowed gently towards them. They allowed me
to approach within fifty yards, and I computed at
the time that there must have been about six hun-
dred birds congregated there. It was very curious
that all those that I could obtain a clear view of had
their heads turned in the same direction, which was
S.S.W. They never moved while on the ground, but
rose in a cloud as I continued to approach, and
settled again at a greater distance from me. I have
no doubt that they were congregating to migrate. I
saw a similarly large flock at the same place the
following year, on September oth, and Mr. Belfrage
has noticed a similar occurrence with regard to
Swallows on the banks of the Thames at Hampton.

PURPLE MARTIN, Hirundo purpurea. With the
exception of one that was shot near Kingstown, in
the county of Dublin, there have only been two

INSESSORES. 127

British examples of this bird recorded, and these
are said to have been observed at Kingsbury Reser-
voir in September, 1842. The capture of these is
mentioned in Yarrell's ' British Birds ' (vol. ii.,
p. 267), and from one of them the figure which
adorns that work is taken. The following are Mr.
Yarrell's words : " During the first week of Septem-
ber, 1842, two other examples of the same species
were shot by Mr. John Calvert, of Paddington, at
the Kingsbury Reservoir. One of these specimens
was lent me by F. Bond, Esq. ; it was a young bird
of the year, and the outside tail-feathers were not
fully grown up. From this bird the figure here
inserted was taken. Since then Mr. John Calvert
very kindly brought me his bird to examine, and
this proved to be an old male, rather larger than the
young bird, and of very brilliant plumage. These
two birds, though shot during the same week, were
not both killed on the same day ; two or three days
intervened, and the brood might, therefore, have
been raised in this country." Although I have no
doubt that Mr. Yarrell received this statement and
inserted it in his work in perfect good faith, on
making inquiries I have since received such unsatis-
factory information respecting these birds, that,
were it not for Mr. Yarrell's mention of them, I
should not have noticed the species in this Catalogue.
SWIFT, Cypselus apus. A regular summer visitant,
usually the last of the Hirundinidce to arrive, and

128 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

the first to leave us. Upon reaching this country,
towards the end of April or beginning of May, the
noisy Swift soon makes known its arrival by its wild
scream, " swee-ree-e" as it dashes overhead, and so
rapid are its movements on the wing, that were not
our attention attracted by its cry it would often-
times, like an- arrow, pass us unobserved. An inge-
nious naturalist has computed that the Swift is able
to fly at the rate of ninety miles an hour.

The birds which in summer are daily seen wheel-
ing over our reservoirs and about the river must
travel a considerable distance to breed, for there are
but few favourable sites for nesting in the above-
mentioned neighbourhoods which they frequent in
search of food. Many years ago some Swift's eggs
were taken from under the eaves of an old cottage
on Roe Green, in the parish of Kingsbury. In
June, 1862, I obtained some eggs from Northolt
Church, where I believe these birds breed annually.
Some nests have also been found in the church-
steeple at Harrow, and in an old barn in that neigh-
bourhood. A curious and unusual site for a Swift's
nest was under the low eaves of a noisy rail way -sta-
tion. In the spring of 18G5 two pairs of Swifts
were building under the eaves of the station at
Spring Grove, Isleworth.

ALPINE SWIFT, Cypselus alpinus. One day in
August, 1841, a white-bellied Swift was seen sport-
ing with a number of the common species over the

INSESSORES. 129

Reservoir at Kingsbury. The following day a bird
of this species was shot near Beading, and Mr. Bond
obtained it for his collection. It is conjectured that
this was the same bird seen at our reservoir.

Family CAPRIMULGID.E.

NIGHTJAR, Caprimulgus europceus. This beautiful
summer visitant may be said to be local rather than
rare, evincing a partiality for ferny commons and
tracts of low underwood surrounded by cover. It
is a difficult bird to find, except in the evening,
when it comes abroad to feed, for by day it rests
either on the ground, where it sits very close, until
almost trodden upon, or on a bough of some rugged
tree, where, on account of its mottled plumage, and
its curious habit of sitting lengthwise instead of
crosswise upon the branch, and crouching close, it
frequently escapes detection. Its flight is very
silent, and its evolutions on the wing, when in
pursuit of moths and chafers (its usual food) are
very graceful. The provincial name of " Moth
Hawk" is an appropriate one; but its soubriquet
of " Goat-sucker" conveys a very erroneous impres-
sion. The country people say that they have seen
this bird assail the udders of their flocks, to
suck their milk, and hence give it the name of
Goatsucker ; but a little patient observation, and an
examination of a few specimens, would show them
that the food of this harmless bird is not milk, but

130 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

flies and moths, which cattle frequently disturb
from the grass, and which the Nightjar darts down
to seize as they fly round the legs of the sheep or
cow.

A remarkable feature in the Nightjar is the pecti-
nated claw on the middle toe of each foot, the use
of which has been much disputed by naturalists.
By some it is said to be employed to grasp the
insects which are taken on the wing,* while others
maintain that the bird makes use of it " to comb
out the hairs set along the upper edge of the mouth
on each side, or to clear the delicate edges and
angles of the mouth from the sharp hooks on the
legs of insects." f

In the parish in which I reside the Nightjar is a
very uncommon bird : during the last ten years, I
have only noted the occurrence of three specimens,
in each case in autumn. In the summer of 1852 a
pair were obtained, with two eggs, in Caen Wood,
Hampstead. The nest is very simple, placed on
the ground under shelter of an overhanging bush or
tuft of heather, and the eggs are oval, white, beauti-
fully marbled over with pale slate-colour and light
ash-brown. I have seen a handsome pair of Night-
jars which were shot in Scratch Wood, Edgeware-

* White's ' Selborne,' Letter XXXVII. to Mr. Pennant,
and Atkinson's * Compendium of Ornithology,' p. 108, note,
f Yarrell's ' British Birds/ vol. ii., p. 284.

INSESSOBES. 131

bury. In the neighbourhood of Elstree this species
is rather more plentiful, and Mr. Power informs me
that around Ealing, also, the Nightjar is not un-
common.

Mr. J. H. Belfrage once saw a young bird of this
species in the woods which skirt the back of Forty
Green. It was crouching among some dry sticks
when he disturbed it, and flew to a neighbouring
tree, where it so effectually concealed itself that he
was unable to discover it again. The mottled colour
of its plumage, closely resembling the tree upon
which it sat, increased the difficulty in seeing it.
The same gentleman has also noticed the Nightjar
at Laleham, where he has seen three or four on the
wing at once, hawking over the river at dusk.

The earliest date at which I have seen this hand-
some summer visitant here is the 8th May. On that
day last year I watched one through my glass for a
long time, as he sat upon the highest spray of a
Scotch fir in a plantation and uttered his peculiar
churring note. Although this " churr-r-r-r " is its
usual note, I have heard the Nightjar make a dif-
ferent noise on the wing, which sounds like " wh-ip-
wh-ip," but I have not yet satisfied myself whether
this sound proceeds from the bird's throat or whether
it is caused by striking the wings above the back as
it flies.

During September, when shooting among low
underwood and felled timber, I have sometimes

132 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

disturbed a Nightjar, and on such occasions, when
flying away startled, its flight so much resembles that
of a Hawk that I have twice seen a keeper shoot
one, exclaiming, " There goes a Hawk ! "

Some keepers kill this bird systematically, and
will not be persuaded that it is perfectly harmless
and really useful. One man actually took a pride in
showing me six of these beautiful birds hanging
upon an oak, in company with some Sparrowhawks,
Jays, Magpies, and Stoats. It was useless for me
to point to the bill and assert that it was not formed
for tearing flesh like that of a Hawk. The answer
received was, "You may depend upon it, Sir, they're
reg'lar varmint, like all the rest of 'em, and I always
kills 'em whenever I gets a sight on 'em."

ORDER RASOEES — Family COLUMBIDJE.

RING DOVE, Columba palumbus. A few pairs
breed with us every year, but this species is most
numerous in the winter and early spring, when large
flocks pass over and occasionally drop down upon
the cleared bean-fields and stubbles. " The Ring
Dove, by not feeding on insects, renders no service
to man while visiting his fields. On the contrary, it
is known to injure him considerably in his crop of
rising clover. As soon as this plant begins, under

RASORES. 133

the influence of the vernal sun, to expand its leaves,
the King Dove attacks the heart-shoot with fatal
severity ; and much address is required on the part
of the farmer to scare the birds from their favourite
food." * During the autumn and winter months the
Ring Dove feeds voraciously on turnip-tops and
varies its diet with peas, beans, acorns, and beech-
mast, and the berries of the hawthorn and holly.

The few nests of the Eing Dove which I have
found in this county were almost all placed in ivy-
covered trees; but elsewhere I have remarked a
preference for fir-trees and thorns.

This bird may always be distinguished from the
Stock Dove at a distance by its superior size and
conspicuous white collar. The two species are not
unfrequently found flocking together.

A writer in ' The Intellectual Observer ' for April,
1865, says : " Of what race or descent, of what origin
or history, are the Guildhall pigeons ? I know not ;
but if any naturalist inquires after city birds, they
claim first mention, and might well have a place in the
civic emblazonment of arms. It is rarely any one has
the audacity to trap or lure a city pigeon. They
are as sacred as Storks in Holland, and the birds of
good omen that built in the temples and residences
of classic Greece." The ornithologist in London

* Waterton's ' Essays in Nat. History,' 1st Series, p. 148.

N

134 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

will find colonies of these pigeons at the Royal
Exchange, at the terminus of the South-E astern
Railway at London Bridge, and at the British
Museum.

STOCK DOVE, Columba <enas. Mr. Blyth says that
this hird is rare in the South of England ; hut Mr.
Yarrell, I think more correctly, observes that Co-
lumbus anas is, in truth, a southern species. It
was called Stock Dove, not hecause it was supposed
by some to he the original stock of our domestic
pigeons, hut from its habit of nesting in stocks or
pollards.*

The specific name of anas is derived from " o/voj,"
and was given to it on account of the vinous claret
colour of the neck-feathers.

I have occasionally observed small flocks in this
county in the autumn and winter, but have seldom
seen more than ten or a dozen individuals in each.
This bird was formerly not uncommon in the
Hampstead woods, and breeds so near London as

* In all works on Ornithology to which I have referred,
the Stock Dove is said to breed only in such situations as
these, and in deserted rabbit-burrows ; but in the summer of
1865 I discovered several pairs of this species nesting in
cliffs facing the sea, after the fashion of the Eock Dove.
Some notes on this new habitat will be found in the ' Zoo-
logist' for 1865, p. 9670, and in ' The Field' of April 14,
1866.

BASQUES. 135

Richmond. Mr. Jesse, in his ' Gleanings,' observes
that some pairs of Stock Doves build every year in
holes of old oak pollards in Richmond Park, and
that the keepers there alwaj^s take the young, which
they say are excellent eating. It is more than pro-
bable that some few pairs of the Stock Dove remain
to breed in this county also ; for I have now and
then seen a pair of birds here very late in the spring,
and on one occasion Mr. Power shot one of a pair
as late as the 13th May. The following year he
killed three on July 13th, and one of them proved to
be a bird of the year. ' ,

On the 27th April, 1863, 1 saw a pair of Pigeons
about some pollard trees at Kingsbury, and, by
crawling some distance on hands and knees, I ob-
tained a sufficiently near view of the birds to satisfy
myself that they were Stock Doves. I failed, how-
ever, to discover any nest in the neighbourhood,
although, as I subsequently saw the birds again near
the same spot, I have little doubt but that they were
breeding.

Early in April, 1863, while walking along the
brook called Silk Stream, a Stock Dove flew out
of a clump of fir-trees, passing close enough to
enable me to distinguish the species. The following
week, on April llth, I again walked to the same
spot ; it was late in the evening, and small flocks of
Fieldfares were coming in successively to roost in
the firs. Nothing, however, specially attracted my

N 2

136 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

attention until I repassed the spot on my return an
hour later. I then saw at the foot of a fir-tree, and
on the edge of the stream, a dead Stock Dove. The
body was still warm, hut the head had disappeared,
and feathers were lying scattered in all directions,
while the footprints of a rat were plainly visible on
the soft mud around the bird. This set me thinking.
Had the Stock Dove returned to roost in the firs
and been attacked by the Fieldfares, who perhaps
considered these trees there private property, not to
be invaded by a stranger ? or what had been the
cause of death ? The footprints of a rat were visible
on the mud, and the bird had evidently been nibbled
at. The much-vexed question occurred to me — Is
the water-rat carnivorous ? It had become dark, or
I might have solved this latter question by patiently
waiting and watching ; but I could only speculate
while I carried home the pigeon for a roast. During
the summer months the common brown rat (Mus
decumanus) is frequently to be found in the country,
and often occupying water-rat holes. But supposing
the rat in question was of this species, how did he
obtain the bird ?

The food of the Stock Dove is very similar to
that of its congener the Eing Dove, but a fact very
much in its favour is that, instead of confining its
attention so much to turnips and clover, it feeds a
good deal upon the seeds of some troublesome
weeds. The crops of some specimens, examined as

RASORES. 137

soon as they were killed, contained a quantity of
seeds of the wild mustard or charlock.

TURTLE DOVE, Columba turtur. A summer visit-
ant from the South, arriving towards the end of
April and leaving in September. During the latter
month these birds may be seen in small flocks upon
the stubbles, gleaning the scattered grain. They
are very timid and difficult to approach, but, by
sending some one round to the other side of the
field to drive them, you may obtain a good shot as
they pass over your head. They are very fair
eating, but not equal in flavour to the Eing Dove.

I fancy Turtle Doves have two broods in the
year, for I have found the eggs in May and July.
The nest is generally placed in an ivy-covered tree,
upon a branch close to the trunk.

I have known an instance of our British Turtle
Dove pairing with an African Collared Turtle Dove,
and a very pretty cross was the result, but whether
the brood thus produced are fertile I have not yet
ascertained.

Family

PHEASANT, Phasianus colchicus. A few stragglers
occasionally found in thick hedgerows and bean-
fields, but nowhere plentiful in the county, even
where strictly preserved.

Mr. Murdoch, in his * Observations on Game and
the Game Laws,' justly remarks that " Pheasants

N 3

138 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

have been, in truth, a profitable stock on the ground.
They have been subsisting on weeds* and insects
injurious to cultivation, and upon other substances
not useful to man, and in return they furnish him
with an article of wholesome and delicate food."
This opinion is strengthened by the remarks of
Mr. St. John, who says t that most, if not all, grami-
nivorous birds amply repay the farmer for their food
by the quantity of weeds they destroy during a great
part of the year.

Pheasants are fond of acorns, beans, beech-mast,
haws, and blackberries. Buckwheat appears to be
specially attractive to them, and many small land-
owners, by sowing a little of this, profit by their
proximity to game-preserves, and bag an occasional
brace or two of birds. On examining the crop of
a pied Pheasant, shot in October, 1864, I was sur-
prised to find in it a common slow-worm (Anguis
fragilis) which measured eight inches in length. It
was not quite perfect, having lost the tip of the tail,
otherwise, if whole, it would probably have mea-
sured nine inches.

Family TETRAONID^E.
PALLAS' SAND GROUSE, Syrrhaptes paradoxus.

* Tuberous roots of the Silver weed (Potentilla anserina)
recognized.

f ' Tour in Sutherlandshire,' vol. ii., p. 218.

BASOEES. 139

During the summer of 1863 a good deal of interest
was excited by the appearance in this country of
great numbers of this Sandgrouse. These rare wan-
derers from the steppes of Tartary appeared first on
the eastern coast, and gradually dispersed themselves
over the whole face of the country.

Mr. Henry Stevenson, in an interesting paper in
' The Zoologist ' for September, 1863, records the
capture of no less than sixty-three specimens in
Norfolk and Suffolk alone, and expresses an opinion
that the birds which there appeared so simulta-
neously were members of one large flock, which had
become scattered by frequent alarms.

I am enabled to include this species in the present
Catalogue from the fact that, in the month of July,
1863, two of these birds were killed, at a double
shot, by Mr. John Eead, near South Minims. They
were both males, and in perfect plumage, except
that in one specimen one of the elongated tail-
feathers had been shot away. They were excessively
plump, and their crops were filled with the seeds of
red clover and common plantain. In the gizzards
were the same two kinds of seeds in a semi-commi-
nuted state, and mixed with an abundance of small
semi-transparent gravel stones, scarcely larger than
the seeds.

The capture of these two birds is recorded by
Mr. Newman, in * The Zoologist ' (p. 8685), in
which periodical will be found various particulars

140 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

respecting the food and habits of this interesting
species.*

PARTRIDGE, Perdix cinerea. The hest Partridge
ground lies in the north portion of the county,
where the hirds are usually very fine and healthy,
but, owing to the greater part of the land in Middle-
sex being grass-land, and roots and stubble com-
paratively scarce, Partridges are nowhere very
plentiful.

In the 27th year of his reign, Henry VIII. issued
a proclamation in order to preserve the Partridges,
Pheasants, and Herons " from his palace at West-
minster to St. Giles-in-the-Fields, and from thence
to Islington, Hampstead, Highgate, and Hornsey
Park." Any person, of whatever rank, who should
presume to kill or in anywise molest these birds,
was to be thrown into prison, and visited by such
other punishments as should seem meet to his
highness the king.

How oddly this proclamation would now read to
the present inhabitants of Westminster and St. Giles,
where a Partridge or Pheasant is no longer to be
found, except on the poulterer's stalls.

Partridges pair very early, and the hen bird is
generally sitting by the middle of April. I am not
aware that more than one brood is reared in a
season, but on one occasion a nest of young Par-

* See pp. 8682, 8708, 8721, 8726, 8769, 8826, 8849.

RASORES. 141

tridges, just hatched, was found between Kingsbury
and Harrow as late as the 12th August.

EEDLEGGED PARTRIDGE, Perdix rubra. Until
very recently, I was not aware that this handsome
species had ever been seen in Middlesex, and I am
still inclined to think that its occurrence here is
quite accidental.

In October, 1865, a gentleman of my acquaintance
killed two Redlegged Partridges out of a covey near
Brockley Hill, and a farmer at Elstree assured me
that a brood had been reared upon his farm the same
year, and that he had shot several of them on the
4th September.

By a glance at the map it will be seen that the
two localities above-mentioned are at no great dis-
tance from the borders of Hertfordshire, in some
parts of which county the Eedlegged Partridge is
not uncommon.

QUAIL, Perdix coturnix. Of rare occurrence. In
the spring of 1842, a nest of thirteen eggs was
taken in a field between Kingsbury and Har-
row, about half-a-mile from Harrow Church, and
another nest, containing eight eggs, was taken
also near Harrow, in May, 1848, and was pur-
chased by Mr. Bond for his collection. The
bird has once been killed at Boreham Wood, and,
about six years ago, towards the end of June, a
solitary specimen of the Quail was shot in a field
near Bishop's Wood, Hampstead, by Mr. Ward, of

142 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

that place. That the Quail is a friend to the
farmer, and a hird everywhere to be encouraged,
the reader will be inclined to admit on perusing the
following extract : " On examination of the food
contained in about thirty Quails, shot at various
times and places during winter and early spring,
seven- eighths of it was found to consist of the seeds
of weeds, such as the different species of plantain
(Plantago), persicaria (Polygonum, P. minus, &c.),
dock (Rumex), wild vetch (Vicia), chickweed (Stel-
laria, &c.) . The crop of one bird being filled with
the seeds of Stellaria media, I reckoned a certain
number of them; and judging of the rest accord-
ingly, found that there could not be less in it than
3,500."*

ORDER GRALLATORES.— Family CHARADRHDJE.

GREAT PLOVER, STONE CURLEW, or THICK-KNEE,
CEdicnemus crepitans. According to the observa-
tions of the Hon. and Kev. W. Herbert, the Stone
Curlew is found only on chalk, or on ploughed land
where there is a chalk subsoil. He says : " It never
strayed to the sand or gravel, and consequently was
not upon the heaths, but in the chalky turnip-fields."

* Thompson's 'Natural History of Ireland,' vol. ii. p. 76.

GRALLATORES. 143

Whether this may be taken as an invariable rule or
not, I must leave it to others to determine ; but it is a
remarkable fact that in this county, where there is but
little chalk, the Stone Curlew is a very scarce bird.
I know of one instance only in which it has occurred
in Middlesex. This was a male bird, which was
shot towards the end of April, 1848, in a fallow
field near Bushey Heath, and was taken for pre-
servation to Mr. Spencer, of Great Portland Street,
from whom I received a notice of the fact.

GOLDEN PLOVER, Charadnus pluvialis. Visits
us in flocks towards the end of autumn, and is,
perhaps, most numerous about the end of November.
At this time I am pretty sure of finding a flock upon
some fallows between Kingsbury and Stanmore.
On the 23rd November, 1861, 1 computed that there
were nearly two hundred birds in a flock which I
saw there. I have frequently noticed this species
feeding in company with Fieldfares and Starlings,
but independently of its size the Golden Plover
may always be distinguished when on the ground at
a distance, by its peculiar motion ; running with short
quick steps, and stopping abruptly ; now and then
dipping down the head to seize a worm, and ele-
vating the tail considerably ; while ever and anon
its clear plaintive whistle falls pleasantly upon the
ear. When walking over the Cheviots in the
breeding season, the whistle of the Golden Plover
seemed unceasing, and proceeded from the birds

144 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

while on the ground ; but in the winter I have never
remarked these birds to call much except when
disturbed and on the wing.

Their plaintive note, when heard upon a wild
moor or mountain-side, has something indescribably
pleasurable about it ; and, like Burns, I never hear
the loud, solitary whistle of the Curlew, or the wild
mixing cadence of a troop of Plover, without feeling
an elevation of soul, like the enthusiasm of devotion
or poetry. Although a wary and suspicious bird,
there are times when the Golden Plover will suffer
a near approach before taking flight. In the breeding
season I have several times crept within forty yards
of a Golden Plover on the ground, and during rain
they appear so loth to rise, that by moving very
slowly the sportsman may generally get well within
shot before they take the alarm.)

I have remarked the same thing, however, with
regard to other birds, e. g., the Dunlin and Eing
Plover. I shall never forget the disappointment I
experienced when, on one occasion, during a heavy
shower, having approached by boat within thirty
yards of a flock of Golden Plover, I calculated upon
bagging at least a dozen, and when the flock rose
from the mud flat on which I found them, both
barrels missed fire !

The period at which the Golden Plover assumes
the summer plumage seems to var}^ considerably. I
have seen birds killed on the same day, some in

GRALLATORES. 145

almost perfect summer dress, and others with only
a few scattered black feathers on the breast. Mr.
W. Jeffery, of Eatham, Sussex, drew my attention
to the fact that the Grey Plover (Vanellus melano-
gaster) is occasionally found with yellow spots on
the back and wings, like a Golden Plover, and
showed me a specimen in which this peculiarity was
very marked. Owing, perhaps, to this circumstance,
and to the fact that in winter the golden spots of
C. pluvialis become very faint, the two species are
not unfrequently confounded. But if any one will
once take the trouble to compare the two birds to-
gether, he will never again mistake them. The
Golden Plover is the smaller bird, has shorter and
more slender legs and bill, and has no hind-toe like
the Grey Plover ; while the long feathers under the
wings in the Golden Plover are white, and in the
Grey Plover black.

If not a positive benefactor, the Golden Plover
may at all events be considered a harmless visitor.
Its food appears to be chiefly small beetles and
earth-worms, mixed with a good deal of gravel or
grit.

DOTTEREL, Charadrius morinellus. The Hon. and
Eev. W. Herbert, to whom I have referred under the
head of Great Plover, observes that the Dotterel is
peculiar to dry chalk districts, and feeds chiefly on
small green beetles, which are probably peculiar to
such localities. The absence of chalk, therefore,

o

146 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

may, perhaps, account for the scarcity of the species
in this county. A small flock, or " trip,"* as it is
called, of these "birds, appeared in April, 1858, on
Burnt Oak Farm, in the parish of Kingsbury. One
of them was shot, and is now in the collection of
Mr. Bond.

KINGED PLOVER, Charadrius hiaticula. A regular
visitant in spring and autumn. Small flocks appear
early in May, and remain about the reservoirs for
some days. They then leave us, and, after an absence
of about seven weeks, reappear in flocks of from
half-a-dozen to twenty or more, when young birds as
well as old are seen. Some young birds, shot towards
the end of July accorded well with the description
given in Yarrell's ' British Birds,' having the beak
almost entirely black ; no black band over the white
on the forehead ; the lore, ear-coverts, and collar
round the lower part of the neck only dusky ; and
the legs and toes pale yellow. With regard to
the food that they find here, I have examined the
stomachs of a good many, and found them to contain

* The various terms applied to different species of
winged game when in flocks, are as follows : — A brood of
Grouse ; a covey of Partridges ; a bevy of Quail ; a nid of
Pheasants ; & flight of Woodcocks ; a wisp of Snipe ; a team
of Wild Ducks ; a spring of Teal ; a skein of Geese (when
flying ; a gaggle of Geese (when at rest) ; a wing of Plover ;
a trip of Dotterel ; a sege of Herons ; a herd of Swans ; a
dropping of Shelldrake ; a covert of Coots.

GRALLATORES. 147

either the remains of small beetles and worms, or a
mass of semi-digested vegetable matter, — sometimes
both, — and invariably some small particles of coarse
sand or gravel.*

Yarrell says that Ringed Plovers pair and go
to nest early in the season, and he mentions the fact
of Mr. Salmon having found eggs by the 30th March.
I may observe that only old birds are to be found
here in May, being then apparently on the way to
their breeding-grounds ; and we do not see the young
until the end of July or beginning of August. I have
found these birds breeding on the coasts of Sussex
and Lancashire. In Sussex, on the 9th May, a very
small proportion of the nests found contained eggs,
and in Lancashire eggs were quite fresh, and evi-
dently just laid, on May 31st. From the 14th to
the 18th May, inclusive, I have looked for the
eggs of this bird at a breeding station on the North-
umberland coast, but, although I saw several old
birds, I failed to discover either eggs or young. I
suspect that the more northward the breeding-
ground, the later the period of incubation.

With regard to Mr. Yarrell's statement of Mr.
Salmon having found these eggs on March 30th,
there must, I think, be some mistake about the

* In specimens shot at different times on the coast, I
have found, in addition to worms and insects, sandhoppers
and fragments of shell .

o2

148 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

date, or else it is the exception and not the rule, to
find this bird breeding so early. Otherwise I must
have met with young birds at the times and places
above mentioned.

The statement of the Kev. L. Jenyns* that "this
species pairs in May," is more in accordance with
my own experience.!

There is something very wild and plaintive in the
cry of the Ring Plover, when heard by the sea-shore,
or across a waste of sand or shingle, which situa-
tions are its usual haunts. Its ordinary note is, —

/% T :£• r -£• ' i*- i :ff-

'.

In the breeding season it differs somewhat ; the first
note is doubled, and it is then, —

Whether we have two species of Ringed Plover
confounded under one name (C. hiaticula) is, I think,
a question which deserves the attention of natural-
ists. I have remarked not only a great difference in

* ' Manual of British Vertebrate Animals.'
f Mr. Thompson, in his ' Birds of Ireland,' has given
dates of the nesting of this species, as observed in various
localities, and the earliest date given is " May 6th " — the
locality, " coast of Wexford."

GRALLATORES. 149

point of size between individuals obtained at dif-
ferent places (and even, occasionally, at the same
place), but also that some birds have the base of
both mandibles yellow, while others have the base
of the under mandible only of that colour ; and
again, that some have the outer tail-feather on each
side pure white, which Mr. Yarrell says is a distin-
guishing character of the Kinged Plover, while
others show a dusky spot on the inner web of that
feather.

LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, Charadrius minor. In
noticing the occurrence of this rare British bird in
Middlesex, I am happy to be able to speak from
personal observation.

On the 30th August, 1864, while strolling round
the reservoir at Kingsbury with my gun, on the look
out for Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, and other waders
that usually visit us at this time of year, I ob-
served a small bird feeding on the shore within a
few yards of a Green Sandpiper. The latter was
very wild, and rose out of shot, but the former
remained feeding, and allowed me to approach
within fifty yards. I at first mistook it for a young
Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula, never dream-
ing of Charadrius minor. As soon as it rose my
finger was on the trigger, but hearing the bird's
note, which was not at all like that of the Ringed
Plover, but rather like that of the Common Sand-
piper, I was induced to wait and mark the bird

o 3

150 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

down, in order to observe it more carefully. As it
flew away I remarked no white line across the wings,
and this strengthened my belief that it was not the
Common Ringed Plover. Watching it until it again
alighted, about a hundred yards distant, I crawled
along on hands and knees, and obtained a good view
of the bird as it ran along the edge of the water,
occasionally stopping to pick up food. In its flight
and note it appeared rather to resemble the Sand-
pipers, but its actions when on the ground were
much like those of the Ringed Plover. It did not
associate, however, with the last-named species,
although there was a little flock of them also at the
water. After watching it for some time, I put it up
again and shot it. On picking it up there could be
no doubt of the species — a veritable Little Ringed
Plover, although evidently a young bird.

More slender in form than the Common Ringed
Plover, the legs are lighter in colour, and the bill
almost black. I say " almost black," because in the
living bird the base of the under mandible is deci-
dedly tinged with yellow, which fades, however, and
becomes black after the bird has been dead a few
hours. Many authors say " the bill is wholly black,"
but they probably described from specimens which
had been some time preserved, and consequently had
lost colour ; and on this account, no doubt, they
have also overlooked a peculiarity which at once
attracted my attention. The eye, which is full and

GRALLATORES. 151

dark, almost black, is surrounded by a circle of a
beautiful bright yellow, and looks as if it were set in
gold, but this colour entirely disappears soon after
death. At the time it reminded rne a good deal of
the eye of the Great Plover (CEdicnemus) on a small
scale.

I had then an opportunity, for the first time, of
satisfying myself that the Little Ringed Plover differs
also considerably from the Common Hinged Plover
in the following respects :

The shaft of the first quill-feather only, in the
wing, is white ; and the white spots, which are always
present on the webs of the wing-feathers in the
common species, and which give the appearance of
a white bar across the wing in flight, are in the
Little Ringed Plover absent, and in lieu thereof the
tips only of the wing-feathers are margined with
dull white. In the last-named species, also, there is
a dusky spot on the inner web of the outer tail-
feather on each side, which feather in the Common
Ringed Plover is always pure white. The number
of tail-feathers, however, is the same.

Before skinning my specimen I took it to Mr.
Gould, together with a Common Ring Plover, which
I had killed the same day, and which was useful for
comparison. Mr. Gould then carefully ascertained
the exact measurements and weight of each, which
were as follows : —

152 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Common Ringed Little Hinged

Plover. Plover.

Weight . . 2£ oz. 24 grs. . 1| oz. 65 grs.

Total length . . 7i inches . . 6£ inches.

Tail , • . . . 2i „ . . 2f „

Extent of wings . .15 „ . .13 „
Length of wing from

carpal joint to end of

first quill- feather . 5£ „ . . 4i „

Tarsus . . .1 inch (full) . 1 inch

I subsequently dissected the birds, and found the
Common King Plover to be an adult female in the
autumn dress, and the Little Ring Plover an imma-
ture male of the year. The difference, therefore, be-
tween their respective weights was probably greater
than it would have been had both birds been adult.
The measurements, I think, would scarcely vary ;
at all events they would not vary in the same
proportion as the weight. If one may draw
conclusions from a single specimen, the food of
the two species is very similar, for the stomach of
C. hiaticula contained the remains of worms and
beetles, and numerous small pebbles, while that
of C. minor was filled with small beetles and a
single caddis-worm, but contained no sand or
pebbles of any sort.

I carefully preserved the sternum of each, and
found a considerable difference in the measurement
of the corresponding parts, thus : —

GRALLATORES. 153

Common Hinged Little Ringed

Plover. Plover.

Total length of keel . 1 inch 6 lines . 1 inch 4 lines.
Length of keel from

base of corracoids . 1 „ 5 „ 1 „ 3 „

Greatest depth of keel . 7^- lines ... . 5 £ lines.

Length of corracoid . 7£ „ . . 6 ,,

Length of clavicle .10 „ . .''• . 8 „

Length of scapular . 1 inch 1 line .11 „
Greatest width of furcal

bone . . .4 lines . . 3 „

The only note which I have heard uttered by the
Little Einged Plover is, —

m

Since writing the above, I have been informed by
Mr. Mitford, of Hampstead, that he shot a little
Kinged Plover at the same piece of water on the
20th August, of the same year. This specimen,
which was also immature, he intended to have pre-
served, but being called from home before he had
time to skin it, it was unfortunately cooked and
eaten.

He remarked a curious fact with regard to it,
which was that, a few minutes after it had been
shot, it was as stiff as if it had been dead for some
hours, from which he inferred that the bird nad only
just arrived from passage, as he had remarked the

154 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

same thing with regard to other birds killed soon
after their arrival at the time of their migration to
this country.

LAPWING or PEEWIT, Vanellus cristatus. This
species is resident with us throughout the year, but
receives an increase to its numbers in spring and
autumn, when large flocks are frequently seen on
the fallows and wastes. At one time these birds
used to breed regularly in a large rushy field near
Kingsbury Reservoir, but, finding their nests con-
tinually plundered, they deserted the place and
moved to a less frequented spot about two miles
distant. In a rough field, near Elstree Reservoir,
I have known more than twenty nests found in a
day. Mr. Belfrage has remarked that Peewits breed
at Chertsey, and I have found the eggs at Kenton
and at Wembley. I have tried to rear the young,
which run as soon as hatched, but have never suc-
ceeded in keeping them alive for more than a few
days.

The ordinary note of the Peewit is —

In the breeding season, as we approach the nest,
it is —

GRALLATORES. 155

uttered quicker and more frequently, as the bird
tumbles in the air in the most grotesque way, while
it endeavours to allure us away from the eggs.
Sometimes the note is —

and this is generally uttered when the birds are on
the ground and pairing. It is, perhaps, the most
efficient note to use as a call.

In some places the Lapwing is known by the
name of Green Plover, and it is this bird which fur-
nishes us with the delicacy known as " plover's eggs."

It is easily known at a distance by its black and
white appearance, rounded wings, and slow, laboured
flight.

SANDERLING, Caliclris arenaria. This handsome
little bird maj^, with propriety, be considered as the
connecting link between the Plovers and Sandpipers.
Like the former it has no hind toe, and any one who
has examined a recently- killed specimen cannot fail
to have remarked the high Plover-shaped head which
this bird possesses, while its bill, in length and sub-
stance, appears intermediate between those of the
two above-mentioned genera.

It is more maritime in its habits than many of its
congeners, frequenting the sands and mud-flats by
the sea, and seldom flying far inland. The plumage,

156 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

which varies quite as much as that of the Dunlin,
differs according to the season.

Many persons confound this hird with the Dunlin,
calling both Stints, but it may be easily known at
all times of the year from that bird by its superior
size, shorter and stouter bill, longer and stouter
tarsus, and particularly by the absence of a hind toe.
The Sanderling, moreover, never at any season has
the black breast-feathers which mark the summer
plumage of the Dunlin.

I am not aware of more than three instances of
its occurrence in this county. In a note in ' The
Zoologist,' dated 17th June, 1844, Mr. Bond has
recorded the fact that one was shot at Kingsbury
Reservoir, and I have seen two others which were
obtained at the same piece of water about ten years
later. These two were in the autumn plumage.
No collector, so far as I am aware, has yet ob-
tained authentic eggs of the Sanderling, and where
this bird breeds seems to be still a mystery.
Throughout the autumn and winter months they
may be seen in flocks on some parts of the coast,
but as soon as the warm spring days return, they
suddenly depart, no one knows whither. I once
shot three Sanderlings on the Lancashire coast as
late as the 30th May, but this must be an unusual
date at which to find them here, or they must be
late breeders. On looking to the contents of the
stomach, I found the food to consist of small

GRALLATORES. 157

univalves, sandhoppers, and marine insects, mingled
with minute particles of gravel.

TURNSTONE, Strepsilas interpres. It is very rare
to find this species so far inland, so thoroughly
marine is it in its habits, and I am not aware, more-
over, that it is considered common on any part of
our coast. It retires to the far North for the
breeding season, and appears to be most plentiful
here in the autumn and early spring.* Although its
habits confine it chiefly to the sea-shore, individuals
nevertheless occasionally mingle with a flock of
Ring Plovers or Dunlin, and thus stray some little
distance inland in company with these birds.

This usually happens about the time that the
various flocks of waders are migrating in spring and
autumn.

On the 24th August, 1865, I most unexpectedly
met with a Turnstone so far inland as the Reservoir
at Kingsbury, which must be thirty miles from the
nearest sea-point. I was walking round this sheet
of water with my gun, and had just fired both barrels
at a couple of Ring Plovers, killing one and missing
the other ; and while standing perfectly still, endea-
vouring to mark down the fugitive, a bird came
flying up the water, uttering a loud note, which at

* The latest stay that I have remarked for this species is
the 18th May, on which date I once shot two out of a flock
on the Northumbrian coast.

158 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

once attracted my attention, and not observing me,
I suppose, alighted within gunshot upon the shingle.
I instantly recognized it as a Turnstone, and quickly
endeavoured to load one barrel with as little delay
as possible, knowing that the bird could only be a
passing visitant, and would make no stay here were
it unmolested. The first motion of my arm, how-
ever, alarmed it, and, again uttering its peculiar loud
twitter, it got up and passed close enough for me to
see that it was a young bird. It then rose high in
the air, and flew down the water, when I lost sight
of it, and never again saw it.

On mentioning this circumstance the following
day to the keeper, he informed me that he had
noticed this bird at the water for two days pre-
viously, but it had eluded his attempts to shoot it.
He described the species accurately, and added that
many years ago he had killed two, late in autumn,
at the same Reservoir.

OYSTERCATCHER, Hamatopus ostralegus. Pro-
vincial, Sea-pie. From the contrast of its colours,
black and white body, orange bill, red eye, and pink
legs and feet, the Oystercatcher is one of the most
attractive of our waders, and I hardly know a pret-
tier sight than a flock of these birds, as viewed
through a glass, feeding upon a rocky shore at low
water. The changing attitudes in the flock, now
compact, now scattered, with an occasional quarrel
for a mussel or small crab, furnish a study alike for

GRALLATORES. 159

the naturalist and artist ; while ever and anon a
noisy individual utters its ringing call-note —

or, if disturbed and on the wing, its loud, clear
whistle —

The Oystercatcher is essentially a seashore bird,
and is rarely found at any distance inland. In a
list of water birds occurring at Kingsbury Keservoir,
published in ' The Zoologist' for 1843, I find the
Oystercatcher included ; and in July, 1859, Mr. Bond
shot a male of this species at the same piece of
water. I have recently examined a specimen in
winter plumage, killed at Elstree Reservoir, early in
April, 1866.

Mr. Yarrell says : " I have known this bird killed
as high up the Thames as Oatlands (near Shepper-
ton) , which is at least fifty miles from the mouth of
the river."

In its usual haunts the Oystercatcher is extremely
wary, and keeps out in the open and most exposed
part of the coast, generally in small flocks of about
ten or a dozen. On this account it is very difficult
to approach, except under cover or in a boat. Many

p 2

160 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

a time have I crawled on hands and knees for half-
a-mile along the sands to try and get a shot, without
success, and no one who has not tried it knows the
luxury of standing upright after this tiring work.
Unless the ground present some cover in the shape
of a sea wall or a few scattered boulders of rock, the
surest way to obtain a shot is with a boat. Instead
of rowing alongshore, however, it is better to put
out to some distance, and then bear down directly
on the flock. In this way they allow a nearer ap-
proach, and as they almost invariably follow the
coast-line, or cross the water when flying, a good
right or left shot may be obtained. If you are well
concealed, you may arrest the flight of a single bird,
and attract it within shot by imitating the call-note
above given, but this artifice seldom succeeds with a
flock unless it consists of only a few birds. The
loud whistle secondly noted above is more fre-
quently heard in the breeding season, and is uttered
frequently, as if in alarm when the eggs or young
are approached. At this season the Oystercatcher
becomes more fearless. On two or three occasions
when I had found the nest, one of the parent birds
continued to fly round me within shot. This I sus-
pected to be the female, but the plumage of both
sexes is so similar that they can only be distin-
guished by dissection.

Many authors state that the Oystercatcher always
lays four eggs. Out of a score of nests which I have

GRALLATORES. 161

taken (during the last week of May and first week of
June) not one of them contained four eggs. The full
complement appeared to be three, for in several in-
stances I found three eggs so much incubated that
it was impossible to blow them.

I have noticed a peculiarity which this bird appears
to have, in common with some few other of the
waders. When alighting at the edge of the water,
the flocks always pitch with their heads to the wind,
and no doubt the reason for this is, that were they
to alight with the wind at their backs, they might be
carried over the edge into the water.

In concluding my notes on this species, it may be
observed that the term ' Oystercatcher ' is a misno-
mer; for, although the bird has a long powerful
bill with which it can detach limpets from the rock,
and break open mussels and small crabs, an oyster
entirely baffles all its attempts.

Family ARDEID^E.

HERON, Ardea cinerea. The Heron is a common
resident, and appears most numerous in autumn, at
which season many may be seen in the course of a
walk, fishing at our reservoirs and brooks. The
majority of these are young birds. One day in
September I counted seven within a short distance
of each other.

There is a heronry at Osterley Park, in this

p 3

162 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

county, the seat of Earl Jersey,* and another at
Wanstead Park, in the adjoining county of Essex,
the property of Lord Cowley ; arid it is no doubt to
these colonies that the stragglers which we see
belong.

I have elsewhere observed that the Eegent's Canal
Compan}^ draw off the water from the reservoirs of
Kingsbury and Elstree, in order to supply the lochs
on the canal, and when the water has been much
reduced by this means, as well as by evaporation
and want of rain, the Herons are in their glory.
They are then enabled to wade out to some distance,
and regale themselves among the roach and eels
with which the reservoirs abound. One day in
November, 1864, a full-grown young Heron was
found at Kingsbury firmly held by a fishing line, the
hook fixed in its throat, and the line twisted round
its legs ; it had swallowed a bait set for pike.

A favourite haunt of the Heron is the Well Springs
at Kingsbury, before mentioned. Besides the brook
there is a quiet sheltered pond, and it is not an
uncommon thing to find two or three Herons fishing
there in the evening.

Their feeding-time is usually at daybreak and
dusk. In the middle of the day I have seen three
or four in company standing out in the middle of a

* There was formerly also a heronry at Oatlauds Park,
near Shepperton, but this no longer exists.

GRALLATORES. 163

field, apparently resting themselves and digesting
their morning meal.

At this time they are very difficult to approach, as
they keep at a distance from all cover which can
conceal an enemy. At daybreak, however, I have
more than once come suddenly upon a Heron while
busily employed under the steep bank of a brook,
and have thus been able to knock him down
with snipe-shot before he could get out of range.
It was ludicrous to observe the surprise of the
bird when he first became aware of my pre-
sence, and, with a hoarse croak, clumsily endea-
voured to get away. Under similar circumstances,
a friend once got within ten 37ards of a Heron,
which was either so surprised or frightened at his
appearance that, instead of attempting to fly, it
crouched down in the water, and he was compelled
to throw a stone at it before it would rise. I once
witnessed the same thing with regard to a Snipe.

The Heron is one of the earliest birds to breed,
and generally lays in March. It is one of the few
waders which resort to trees for the purpose of
nidification. I climbed to a nest in one of the
heronries above mentioned, on the 5th April, and
brought down four eggs, which were considerably
incubated. The nest was situated upon the top of
an elm, composed of large twigs, principally elm
and willow, and lined with smaller twigs, fibre, and
dry grass.

164 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

The bright bluish green eggs, equal in size to
those of a Wild Duck, contrasted prettily with the
dark material upon which they were laid. Two
of the eggs were more incubated than the others,
from which we may infer that the bird commences to
sit before the full complement is laid. Several other
nests on the same day contained young of various
ages, so that no precise date for laying can be given.

If, in the early part of the spring, the weather be
mild and open, the Herons commence building
much sooner than otherwise.

PURPLE HERON, Ardea pur pur ea. Mr. Selby has
recorded the capture of a Purple Heron, " near
London," but gives no particulars nor date.

SQUACCO HERON, Ardea ralloides. A specimen of
this bird was shot at Kingsbury Keservoir in 1840,
and a second example has since been obtained at
the same place, but I am uncertain of the exact
date.

BITTERN, Ardea stellaris. Owing to the increased
drainage of marsh and waste lands, this handsome
species is everywhere becoming scarce. It was for-
merly in much request for the table, being considered
a delicacy, and in bills of fare of some of the ancient
city feasts the Bittern, as well as the Heron, appears
as game. The nature of the soil in Middlesex
cannot be considered favourable to this species, for
it is a marsh-loving bird ; consequently instances of
its occurrence in this county are rare. A specimen

GEALLATOEES. 165

was obtained at Kingsbury Reservoir in 1843, as
recorded in * The Zoologist ' for that year, and
Mr. Jaines Button, of Hammersmith, sent me word
that a fine Bittern was shot at Jessop's Ait, Chis-
wick, on the 7th January, 1854. About the same
time another was killed near Kew Bridge, by the
toll-keeper there. A fourth example occurred at
Redhill, in the parish of Hendon, during the winter
of 1856. This bird was shot at the brook running
through the field which adjoins " The Bald-faced
Stag," and either that winter or the following a
Bittern was killed at Stanniore by Mr. F. King.

LITTLE BITTERN, Ardea minuta. Rare. Colonel
Montagu mentions one which was shot near London
in the month of May, 1782, and was placed in the
Leverian Museum.

The Rev. L. Jenyns, in his ' Manual of British
Vertebrates,' records the occurrence of a specimen
at Uxbridge Moor, and adds that this bird has been
killed, in more than one instance, near London.

A male Little Bittern, in good plumage, shot at
Elstree Reservoir in 1840, is in the collection of
Mr. Bond, and another, also a male, was more
recently obtained at Kingsbury Reservoir. The
capture of the last-named specimen is recorded in
' The Zoologist' for 1843. On the 18th September,
1847, a Little Bittern was killed on the River Lea,
near Enfield, by a bargeman, and sent to Mr. Bond.
It was a young bird of the year, and from its

166 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

appearance had probably been bred in the neigh-
bourhood, as there were some remains of the nestling
down and it was not fully fledged.

NIGHT HERON, Ardea nycticorax. According to
Pennant, the first specimen of the Night Heron
kitted in England was shot near London in May,
1782, since which time, probably, many others have
been obtained in this county without any record
preserved. In a list of water birds occurring at
Kingsbury Eeservoir, which was published in * The
Zoologist ' for 1843, the Night Heron is included.

As its name implies, this bird is nocturnal in its
habits, secreting itself by day among reeds and
rushes, and takes wing on the approach of evening,
with harsh, disagreeable notes, to visit its feeding
grounds.

SPOONBILL, Platalea leucorodia. So far as I am
aware, that rare visitant, the Spoonbill, has only
once been observed in the county. On the 23rd
October, 1865, a pair of Spoonbills were seen at
Kingsbury Reservoir, and, on being disturbed and
shot at, flew to some little distance and alighted in
a field near a flock of geese. It is conjectured that
one of the birds was wounded, and, dropping down
to rest, was joined by the other, for had not this
been the case both birds would probably have gone
away at the first alarm. However this may be, they
were pursued by two gunners, who, finding them
very shy, and not to be approached directly, employed

GRALLATORES. 167

a third person to go round and drive them, whilst
they concealed themselves in a favourable position
under a bank where some overhanging bushes
formed a good screen. This plan had the desired
effect ; for the birds on being again disturbed came
right over them, and were both killed. I heard of
the occurrence the following day, and, ascertaining
that the birds had been sent to London for preserva-
tion, I traced them to the birdstuffer with whom
they had been left, and fortunately arrived in time
to see them before they were skinned. I then care-
fully noted down the description and measurements
of each, and the same evening saw them skinned,
and ascertained the sexes by dissection.

They proved, on examination, to be male and
female birds of the year. The bill was of a brownish
flesh-colour, darker towards the tip (the reverse of
what is seen in old birds), and in both specimens
was very soft and weak, that of the male bird being
the darker of the two.

The chin and lore of both were completely bare ;
the former of a yellow and the latter of a greyish
colour.

A remarkable feature was the tongue, so won-
derfully small in comparison with the length of bill :
in the two specimens under examination, the
tongue was not more than an eighth part of the entire
length of bill. There was no appearance of any
crest in either bird, nor could any trace of buif-

168 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

colour be observed on tbe breast. The true colour
of the eye could not with certainty be determined,
since the birds had been dead for some time before
I saw them ; but it appeared that the irides were
hazel and pupils black. The upper portions of the
plumage were of a dirty white colour, darker on the
back and scapulars, the under parts of a purer
white. All the quill-feathers with black shafts,
presenting a curious and very pretty appearance
when expanded. The first four quill-feathers white,
with dark brown tips, as follows : — First, with dark
brown stripe on outer web ; second, first half of outer
web brown, then white ; third and fourth outer webs
nearly all white. The first quill shortest ; the
second longest in the wing. The tail square and
white ; the legs black. The feet semi-palniated,
and with the under surface remarkably concave.

The respective measurements of each were as
follows : —

Male. Female.

ft. in. ft. in.

Total length . . 2 7£ . . 2 6J

Length of bill V .07 . . 0 6f

„ wing from carpus 1 2£ . . 1 2
tibia fy£% . 0 7£ . . 0 7|
tarsus « ; ;:-. 0 5-£ . . 0 5^
tail . . 0 5 . . 0 ft

Extent of wings . .44 ..43

Both birds were in pretty good condition ; the
male being the plumper and heavier bird of the two.

GRALLATORES. 169

With a view of ascertaining what food they had
recently obtained, I carefully examined the stomach
of each. That of the female was almost empty,
with the exception of a few small fish-bones (from
their size, probably roach), a small mass of vegetable
fibre, together with the fruit of a Sparganium and a
single carpal of a Potamogeton, probably P. pecti-
natus. That of the male was distended with a larger
quantity of small bones and remains of fish. The
bones had the appearance of being ground up small,
being all very much of one size, although the inner
coating of the stomach was by no means rough or
hard, and there were no traces of gravel or quartz,
nor, indeed, of any substance which would produce
or aid such a result.

I was informed by two or three persons who saw
these Spoonbills on the wing, that they flew like
Herons, but faster, and with the head and neck
stretched out like a Duck instead of being thrown
back, Heron-like, between the shoulders. They
were not heard to utter any note. I examined the
birds carefully with a view to ascertain whether they
had escaped from confinement, but as the wings
were quite perfect, the tail-feathers not in the least
worn, and the whole plumage, although immature,
yet in good order, I have no doubt that the birds
were really wild. Moving southwards at the approach
of winter, and tempted, no doubt, to make a resting-
place of the expansive reservoir above-named (which

Q

170 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

would be perceived by a bird in flight at a con-
siderable distance), they had unfortunately alighted,
and, as it would seem, had barely time to snatch a
hasty meal before they met a cruel and unexpected
death.

Family SCOLOPACIDJE.

CURLEW, Numenius arquata. Although not a
regular visitant like some of the Sandpipers and
Plovers, the Curlew is occasionally observed during
the periods of migration in spring and autumn. It
is generally heard before it is seen, and has a loud
note, which may be rendered thus : —

Besides this note, which sounds like "cour-lieu,"
it has another harsher call, " wha-up ; " * and in the
spring I have heard a note like " whee-ou, whee-ou,"

Curlews differ much in size, and I have often
been surprised at the great variation which exists
in the length of the bill in different individuals. A
friend has suggested that this difference is one of
sex ; and I have made a note of his suggestion, in
order to test it by the dissection of any specimens

* In some parts of the country the Curlew is known by
the name of " Whaup."

GRALLATORES. 171

I may obtain. I incline to think, however, that age
is more probably the cause of the variation.

WHIMBREL, Numenius phaopus. Provincial, Tit-
terel. A rare visitant. Mr. Spencer tells me that
he has once observed this species at Kingsbury
Eeservoir ; his brother killed one there in the spring
of 1850, and I have seen an indifferent specimen
which was shot at the same piece of water in the
autumn of 1859. So recently as the 10th May,
1866, a solitary Whimbrel was shot at Kingsbury
by Mr. Charles Wharton, of Willesden. It was a
male bird, and the measurements, as given by Mr.
Wharton, in 'The Zoologist' for June, 1866, were
as follows : — Length, from tip of bill to end of tail,
17 J inches ; length of bill, 3j inches ; extent of
wing, 28|- inches.

It is not an uncommon bird on the Sussex coast
in spring and autumn, where it is sometimes seen
in large flocks. At the approach of the breeding
season it retires North. It is a wary and difficult
bird to shoot, and is best approached in a boat. It
has a loud clear note, which sounds very musical
when heard over the water.

SPOTTED or DUSKY REDSHANK, Totanusfuscus. Of
rare occurrence. A fine bird of this species, in full

Q 2

172 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

breeding plumage, was killed at Kingsbury Reser-
voir, in June, 1841, and was for some time in the
possession of a gentleman at Eton. I understand
that it is now in the collection at Eton School. A
second example, in winter plumage, was shot at
Stone Bridge, on the Brent, in 1849 ; and in August,
1859, a third was killed at the reservoir above
named.

REDSHANK, Totanus calidris. An uncertain visit-
ant, appearing occasionally at the periodical migra-
tions in spring and autumn. Mr. Jesse forwarded to
Mr. Yarrell a bird of this species, which had been
killed at Hampton in autumn. Mr. Bond has shot a
few specimens at different times at Kingsbury Re-
servoir, and Mr. Mitford saw one there as recently
as the 25th April, 1865. I have three examples in
my own collection, obtained at the same piece of
water ; one an adult male in summer plumage, shot
in May, 1863 ; and two, male and female birds of
the year, killed on the 17th August following. The
two latter birds have not the rich markings peculiar
to the adult bird in summer plumage, their breasts
being almost spotless ; the bill, head, and back
lighter in colour, and the legs of a paler orange tint.
On examination I found the stomachs of these birds
filled with a mass of vegetable fibre which I was
unable to recognize, together with numerous small
particles of gravel.

GREEN SANDPIPER, Totanus ochropus. There are

GRALLATORES. 173

many birds which, though never found breeding in
England, visit us either occasionally by accident, or
regularly at certain periods of the year. Owing to
the increased and increasing number of field-natu-
ralists throughout the country, the habits of most
of these, during their stay with us, are now, pro-
bably, pretty well known. There are, nevertheless,
a few about which we have still something to learn,
and amongst these few, I believe, may be classed
the Green Sandpiper.

In the various ,works on British birds which I
have perused, the information afforded on the habits
of this species is very scant. Most authors agree in
considering it a scarce and uncertain visitant to this
country, and indeed assert that its habits are yet
imperfectly understood.

Having had good opportunities of studying the
habits of this bird in Middlesex, the following notes,
it is hoped, will be the more acceptable to ornitho-
logists, since they are the result, not of plagiarism,
but of actual observation.

Notwithstanding its reputed rarity, I have long
considered the Green Sandpiper as a regular visitant
to this country in spring and autumn. It appears
first in April, and generally arrives about the 25th
of that month, and may then be found, singly or in
pairs, along the brook sides, where it frequents the
little bays of mud and sand that are often formed
where the stream winds. At this time of year the

Q 3

174 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Green Sandpiper seldom stays more than a month,
generally departing again in the third week of May,
as, I believe, to breed further north.* The period
occupied in journeying from this country to Lapland
or Sweden and back, and in rearing a brood of
young, appears not to exceed six or seven weeks ;
for I have seen this species in Middlesex on the
25th May and the 17th July. After the bird has
returned to us again in July, it appears in no hurry
to depart for some time. The duties of incubation
are over, the old birds are accompanied by their
young, and nothing but the cold of winter would
seem to drive these united families from our
shores.

From July to November inclusively, I have ob-
served Green Sandpipers at the brooks and ponds,
and not unfrequently in wide ditches where a little
water is collected. Occasionally, though rarely, I
have known a Green Sandpiper killed in December
and January.!

* On dissecting a female Green Sandpiper, shot on the
last day of April, I found rudimentary eggs in the ovary,
which strengthened the impression that this bird, like many
other of the Sandpipers, makes a resting-place of our waters
on its way to and from its breeding grounds.

f The Rev. L. Jenyns, in his ' British Vertebrate
Animals,' referring to this bird, calls it " an occasional visitant
in this country, principally during the autumnal and winter
mouths, but scarcely to be called common."

GRALLATORES. 175

These birds, in autumn, keep in little family
parties of five or six, until their numbers have been
thinned by the sportsman, who discovers that, like
many other Sandpipers, they are a good substitute
for Snipe, both as regards sport and food. As the
autumn advances, they leave the open sheets of
water, such as reservoirs and large ponds, where
they may be first seen on their return, and betake
themselves to the more sheltered brooks, where they
run along the edge of 'the water under the shelving
bank, and seldom appear in the more exposed and
deeper portions of the stream.

By crawling on hands and knees I have sometimes
been enabled to watch a Green Sandpiper unob-
servedly, and when on the ground it looks very
small compared with its appearance when flying.

It is more sluggish in its movements than the
Common Sandpiper, and, when in search of food,
it works one piece of ground thoroughly before
trying another. Now the Common Sandpiper gets
over the ground at a great rate, picking up a bit
here and a bit there, but probably leaving a good
deal behind, and in this respect reminding us of
the too-eager sportsman in the Partridge season
who does not half work his ground, and leaves many
birds behind him.

The Green Sandpiper, however, is not so much a
surface feeder, but bores a good deal for its food,
and I have often seen a small tract of mud

176 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

completely covered with holes made by this bird. On
examining specimens killed in the months of April,
May, July, August, September, October, and No-
vember, I found the food to consist of insects ;
chiefly small beetles, spiders, very small red worms,
and woodlice, the first-named in the greatest pro-
portion. Occasionally the stomach contained a
small mass of vegetable fibre which I could not
recognize ; but I never found any common earth-
worms, and remarked that the Green Sandpiper
does not appear to require so much grit to aid its
digestion as many others of the genus. It is ex-
ceedingly wary, and rises on the least alarm, never
suffering a near approach, like some Sandpipers,
after it has once caught sight of you. When on the
wing, the white upper tail- coverts afford a conspi-
cuous mark of distinction, and offer a pretty contrast
with the dark back and wings of the bird. The
note is very musical. Some Sandpipers utter a cry
on rising ; but this species generally rises silently,
and flies some little distance before piping, and on
this account, unless the sportsman is on the look-
out, it often escapes a shot. As winter approaches,
the Green Sandpipers gradually disappear, and after
the last week of October it is rarely that one is seen
until the following April. As I have before stated,
however, I have obtained a bird of this species
during the first week of November, and I have
heard, on reliable authority, of the occurrence of a

GEALLATOEES. 177

few in December and January. It is somewhat sin-
gular that this bird, though remaining with us during
so many months in the year, should never have
been discovered breeding here. Mr. Wheelwright,
the only Englishman, I believe, with the exception
of the late Mr. Wolley, who has taken the eggs of
the Green Sandpiper, says that a peculiarity in its
breeding habits is, that instead of nesting on the
ground like other waders, it makes use of the de-
serted nest of some other bird, and frequently lays
its eggs at a considerable height from the ground.

This fact not being generally known may, per-
haps, account for the eggs never having been taken
in England. The search may always have been
made in a wrong direction.

WOOD SANDPIPEE, Totanus glareola. I am in-
clined to think that the Wood Sandpiper is not so
rare a bird as is generally supposed ; so few persons
are acquainted with its specific distinction, that it is
probably often mistaken for the Green Sandpiper,
and on that account it may be well to point out here
in what respects it differs from that bird.

It is rather smaller in size, has proportionately
a shorter bill and longer tarsus ; the legs are lighter
in colour, and it has not the white markings under
the wings which are conspicuous in the Green Sand-
piper. A marked difference, also, exists in the tail-
feathers. In the Green Sandpiper the tail is, for
the greater part, white ; the outside feather on each

178 BIKDS OF MIDDLESEX.

side with, one small dark spot on the outer web
near the end ; the next feather with two dark spots ;
the third and fourth with two rather broad dark
bands ; the fifth and sixth with three or four dark
bands ; but all the marks are on the distal half of
the tail-feathers, leaving the basal half pure white.

In the Wood Sandpiper, the tail-feathers are
barred with narrow transverse white bars on a
ground colour of greenish black. The axillary
plume in the Green Sandpiper is greyish black,
with narrow angular white bars : in the Wood Sand-
piper it is white, faintly marked with transverse
dusky bars.

There is another point, also, in which these birds
differ, and which appears to have been hitherto
overlooked. In the Wood Sandpiper the shaft of
the first quill-feather is white, the remaining shafts
dusky ; whereas in the Green Sandpiper the shafts
of all the quill feathers are dusky.

Mr. Bond has obtained five specimens of the
Wood Sandpiper at Kingsbury Keservoir. I saw
one at the same place on the 4th August, 1863, just
after it had been killed. The person who shot it
told me that he had wounded another which was in
company with it, but not having broken a wing it
managed to escape. He was ignorant of the species,
and called them Greenshanks, but said that he had
several times shot such birds before at the same
piece of water.

GRALLATORES. 179

I have seen two birds of this species in the col-
lection of Mr. Minasi, which were shot by that
gentleman at Kingsbury Keservoir. He remarked
that they looked smaller and lighter in colour than
the Green Sandpiper when flying, and he at first
mistook them for the young of that species. Both
birds were in summer plumage.

COMMON SANDPIPER, Totanus hypoleucos. Pro-
vincial, Summer Snipe. This bird does not belie
its name, being the commonest species of Sand-
piper that visits us, generally arriving about the
first week in May, and after leaving us for June
and July — to breed, as I believe, further North —
it returns again at the end of July or beginning
of August, and remains until the middle of Sep-
tember. Both old and young birds are then to
be found. This bird and the Green Sandpiper
always remain here later than any other species,
and, unlike the Kinged Plover, Dunlin, and some
others, they do not stay so much at the broad water
of the reservoirs, but may be found singly, or in
pairs, along the course of our brooks.

The stomachs of several specimens which I have
examined contained either a mass of semi- digested
beetles and aquatic insects, or vegetable matter only ;
and, as in the case of the Hinged Plover, there
were always several minute pebbles or particles of
coarse sand. The note, which is loud for so small a
bird, sounds like " weet-weet-weet."

180 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

SPOTTED SANDPIPER, Totanus maculavius. A
native of North America, and of rare occurrence in
England, where not more than half-a-dozen speci-
mens have as yet heen met with. A hird of this
species, formerly in the possession of Mr. Milton, and
sold with his collection at Messrs. Stevens' in April,
1852, was stated to have been obtained at Kingshury
Reservoir. It was purchased at the sale by Mr.
Bond, who traced it to the person who had received
it in the flesh and stuffed it, and fully satisfied him-
self of the truth of the statement.

GREENSHANK, Totanus glottis. A rare and uncer-
tain visitant in spring and autumn. A specimen, in
the collection of Mr. Bond, was obtained in this
parish in 1839. Two Greenshanks were shot at
Kingsbury Reservoir on 2nd September, 1844, both
of them birds of the year. In August, 1862, I saw
one at this Reservoir for three successive days ; it
was exceedingly shy, and although I tried to ap-
proach it both by land and in a punt, I could never
get within shot. On 1st August, 1863, seven Green-
shanks appeared at the Reservoir. Two days later
four of them had disappeared, and of the remaining
three one was afterwards shot ; the others escaped.

One day in August, 1864, I flushed a Greenshank
from a small pond on Hungry Downs, between
Kingsbury and Stanmore. It uttered a peculiar
whistle on rising, which first attracted my attention.
I marked it down in the corner of a field, where I

GRALLATORES. 181

knew there was another pond, and upon walking
there again disturbed the bird, and obtained a good
view of it. There had been a heavy fall of rain in
the morning, and the footprints and borings of the
bird were plainly visible on the mud around the pond.

The Greenshank is a very wary bird, and diffi-
cult to approach except under cover ; but I have
sometimes put one up within shot from a salt-marsh,
where the herbage was pretty tall and thick. On
one occasion, under shelter of a sea-wall, I was
enabled to get pretty close to three Greenshanks
that were feeding on a mud- flat. A peculiarity
which I remarked in their manner of feeding was,
that they placed the bill upon the surface, the under
mandible almost parallel with the mud, and as they
advanced, scooped from side to side, after the fashion
of the Avocet, leaving a curious zigzag line im-
pressed upon the mud. The food consists of small
mollusks and beetles.

AVOCET, Recurvirostra avocetta. Its graceful
form and beauty of colour, black and white, with
long blue legs, render this bird one of the most
attractive of our waders. Fifty years ago it was
not uncommonly met with in our fens as a summer
visitant, and specimens might occasionally be seen
hanging up for sale in the London markets.

The extensive drainage of marsh land, and culti-
vation of wastes where it used to breed, together
with a great increase in the number of gunners,

R

182 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

will probably account for its present extreme rarity
as a British bird.

By chance, perhaps through adverse winds, an
Avocet makes its appearance at the period of migra-
tion in spring or autumn ; but if not shot from its
attractive colour, it makes but a temporary stay,
and, impelled by curious instinct, speeds away to a
more secluded region, where it may rear its brood in
safety. A curious habit, which has obtained for it
the name of Scooping Avocet, has been alluded to
under the head of " Greenshank."

So far as I am aware, the Avocet has but once
been observed in Middlesex. A solitary bird, in
fine plumage, was shot at Kingsbury Eeservoir in
May, 1854, by a gentleman unknown in the neigh-
bourhood, who carried the bird, for preservation, to
London, where it was seen by an acquaintance, who
lately informed me of the fact.

BLACKTAILED GODWIT, Limosa melanura. Owing,
probably, to the extraordinary difference between the
summer and winter plumage of the Godwits, which
change from a bright chesnut beneath in summer
to a pale stone-colour in winter, a good deal of con-
fusion has been created by some authors, who state
that there are several species of Godwit in England.

There are but two species, the Blacktailed and
the Bartailed, both of which undergo the same sea-
sonal change of plumage. At a distance the former
may always be known from the latter by its superior

GRALLATORES. 183

length of leg. In the Blacktailed Godwit the tarsus
measures three inches, and the bare part of the tihia
one inch and three-quarters ; whereas, in the Bar-
tailed Godwit, the tarsus measures hut two inches,
and the hare part of the tibia only three-quarters of
an inch. In addition to this, a closer inspection
will show a marked difference in the tail-feathers, a
difference sufficiently indicated by the names which
have been given to each. An examination of some
specimens in April and May showed the food to
consist chiefly of small univalve shell-fish.

The Blacktailed Godwit is the rarer of the two
species in England, although, curiously enough, its
eggs are far oftener met with than those of its con-
gener. It has occasionally been found breeding in
our fens, which has never been the case with L. rufa.

Mr. Yarrell, in his * History of British Birds,'
referring to the occurrence of this species in
England, notices three examples which appeared
at Kingsbury Eeservoir in spring ; and the occur-
rence of this rare wader in the county is also re-
corded in ' The Zoologist' for 1843.

BART AILED GODWIT, Limosa rufu. Examples of
this, the Common Godwit, have occasionally been
found at our reservoirs and on marshy ground, but
it is a scarce and uncertain visitant.

An experienced wild-fowler informs us that the
Godwits come with an east wind, and are more
plentiful in mild winters than in severe ones. At

R 2

184 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

this time of year they may be found upon the coast
in flocks, and in their winter dress greatly resemble
Whirnbrel, from which birds, however, they may be
distinguished at a distance by their note, which
sounds like " lou-ey, lou-ey."

The Bartailed Godwit has twice been observed
in this county in the spring ; on both occasions at
that famous resort of waders, Kingsbury Eeservoir.
In May, 1851, an adult bird was shot there, in full
summer plumage, and on the 29th April, 1863, four
others were seen at the same sheet of water.

BUFF, Machetes pugnax. Female, Reeve. An
uncertain visitant, appearing occasionally during
the vernal and autumnal migrations in May and
August. On the 25th August, 1864, Mr. W. H.
Power saw three of these birds at Kingsbury Reser-
voir, and shot one of them, which proved to be an
old male. On the 21st May, 1866, during a high
wind from the east, five Ruffs passed over the head
of a friend* who was walking round this sheet of
water, and he shot one of them, a Reeve, in very
beautiful plumage. Previously to the above dates
several Ruffs had been killed in the county, and
since the formation of the reservoir at Kingsbury, in
1838, about a dozen examples of this bird have been
killed there. The curious frill which is peculiar to
the male bird, and from which he derives his name,

* Mr. W. Swindell.

GRALLATORES. 185

is only assumed during the breeding season. After
that time the Euff and Reeve are so much alike
that they can only he distinguished with certainty
by dissection. The colour of the legs varies a good
deal in different individuals ; being in some orange,
in others grey, and in others again yellowish brown.
I have only once been fortunate enough to see this
bird in a wild state, on which occasion I met with a
Eeeve when Snipe-shooting in October. It was
remarkably tame, and as I did not fire when it first
rose, being anxious to observe its habits, it dropped
again within twenty yards of the spot from whence
it rose, and commenced feeding. It uttered no cry,
and flew slowly, with a lazy beat of wing. After watch-
ing it for some time, on its again rising I killed it. An
examination of the stomach showed the food to con-
sist of numerous small mollusca, worms, and beetles.
WOODCOCK, Scolopax rusticola. Formerly not
uncommon in winter, but now scarce. This, pro-
bably, is owing to the increased cultivation of waste
lands, and the careful way in which the hedges are
now trimmed, and ditches cleared ; the Woodcocks
no longer being able to find the thick cover in
which they used once to delight. In the more
wooded neighbourhoods of Edgewarebury and Stan-
more, where game is strictly preserved, Woodcocks
are more frequently seen, though by no means plen-
tiful ; and seldom a season passes in which I do not
hear of one or two having been shot at Harrow Weald,

R 3

186

BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Kingsbury, and Willesden. Wembley Park used to
be a famous place for Cocks.

The male and female Woodcock closely resemble
each other, but may be distinguished by the follow-
ing marks, as pointed out by the Eev. Mr. Bree :* —
11 The front, or outer edge, of the first quill-feather
of the cock bird is marked alternately with dark and
light spots, of a somewhat triangular shape, while in
the hen the corresponding feather is without spots,
and, in lieu of these, presents a uniform light-
coloured stripe, extending the whole length of the
feather."

SABINE'S SNIPE, Scolopax SabinL It is much
disputed whether Sabine's Snipe is a distinct species,
or only a variety of the Common Snipe. In support
of the latter view, it is asserted that it is not only a
rare bird in Britain, but that no locality is known
where it is common ; nor have the eggs ever been
discovered. On the other hand, if we consider how
very much varieties differ inter se, it appears sin-
gular that of the comparatively few varieties of the
Common Snipe which have been noticed, the ma-
jority of them should agree in being of the same
dark colour and similarly marked. I have seen
five specimens of the so-called Scolopax Sabini : one
in the collection of my friend Mr. Knox, of Trotton,
Sussex, which was shot on Appledram Common,

* ' Magazine of Natural History,' vol. iii., p. 147.

GEALLATOEES. 187

near Chichester ; one in the British Museum, from
Queen's County, Ireland ; and three Irish specimens
in the Dublin University Museum ; and I am in-
clined to believe that S. gallinago and S. Sabini are
distinct species, for the following reasons : — Firstly,
in S. Sabini, there is a total absence of white in the
plumage, and none of the buff- coloured markings
on the head and back which appear in S. gallinago ;
secondly, the number of tail-feathers in S. Sabini is
twelve, whereas S. gallinago has fourteen ; thirdly,
the tarsus in S. Sabini is stouter and about an eighth
of an inch shorter than in S. gallinago ; fourthly, in
S. Sabini the eye is placed much higher in the head,
as in S. rusticola; and lastly, if S. Sabini were only
a variety of S. gallinago, however dark in colour the
feathers might be, they would at all events be of the
same shape. But it will be observed that in S. gal'
linago the feathers of the back are lanceolate in
form, while in S. Sabini they are more ovate ; in
this respect more nearly resembling S. rusticola.

A specimen of Sabine's Snipe is recorded in
Morris's 'Game Birds and Wild Fowl' as having
been obtained near London. In the winter of 1860-
61, two friends were shooting along the Brent, when
a Snipe rose, at which they both fired, and the bird
fell. On picking it up, they remarked that it was an
extraordinarily dark-coloured Snipe, but as it was
much shattered it was not thought worth preserving.
Some of the feathers, however, were afterwards shown

188 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

to a well-known taxidermist, and he expressed an
opinion that, judging from the shape and colour of
the feathers, the bird killed was Sabine's Snipe.

GREAT or SOLITARY SNIPE, Scolopax major. This
bird affects drier situations than the Common Snipe,
and is generally met with in autumn, when the few
which visit us at that time, on their migration south-
wards, rare generally found to be young birds. As
its name implies, it is much larger than the Common
Snipe, and of a stouter build. It flies more slowly
and steadily than that bird, and may be recognized
by its peculiar habit of spreading the tail, which has
a very rufous appearance, like a fan, and by its having
the under parts spotted instead of white. It differs
also in some other respects, which are apparent on
a closer inspection ; as, for instance, in having the eye
placed very high in the head, like the Woodcock,
and in having sixteen tail-feathers instead of fourteen.

Seldom a year elapses without specimens of the
Great Snipe being obtained in some of the eastern
counties, but in Middlesex it is a rare bird. A
specimen, in the collection of Mr. Bond, was killed
in Hendon Fields in November, 1851, and five years
subsequently another was shot, late in autumn, on
the Brent, by William Sawyer, the keeper at Kings-
bury Reservoir. I have seen a third, which was
killed on Bushy Heath.

COMMON SNIPE, Scolopax gallinago. A few of these
birds annually make their appearance here in

GRALLATORES. 189

August, possibly driven from the moors by the
grouse-shooters ; but the large " wisps" of Snipe do
not come until October, from which month, until the
end of March, the bird is tolerably common, and
may be found at the brooks, ponds, and wide ditches,
as well as upon any marshy ground. During a sharp
frost they get to the sides of running streams and to
the little dykes that intersect large water-meadows.

The food consists chiefly of small mollusca, insects,
and earth-worms, and I have sometimes found a
mass of vegetable matter in the stomach.

Occasionally, where the situation is favourable,
Snipe remain throughout the summer. They are
early breeders, and I have taken the eggs in Sussex,
considerably incubated on the 29th April, although,
in Lancashire, on the 3rd May, I found some eggs
perfectly fresh. Probably the same observation made
with regard to the Ringed Plover applies here, viz.,
that the further north the breeding-place, the later
the period of incubation.

The situation of the nest is not always similar ; I
have seen it sometimes within a few yards of a pool
of water, a slight depression in the ground, with no
other lining than some dry blades of the grass
which grew around it and were trodden down;
sometimes at a considerable distance from water,
the hollow made by a horse's hoof thickly lined
with dry grass. On one occasion I found a nest
which was buried in the top of a tall tussock, with

190 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

waving rushes completely overhanging and almost
concealing it. The eggs, always four in number,
vary a good deal in the markings, but the ordinary
type is a pale olive-brown ground-colour with dark
purplish-brown blotches chiefly at the larger end.

The peculiar noise called " drumming," which the
Snipe is sometimes heard to make, has been the
subject of much discussion among sportsmen and na-
turalists. Some assert that the sound proceeds from
the bird's larynx, while others maintain that it is pro-
duced with the wings. From personal observation I
have no doubt that the latter is the more correct view,
and I came to this conclusion from remarking that
the "drumming," or, more properly, the "buzzing"
sound was only produced when the bird was on the
wing, and descending through the air in a diagonal
line, at which time a shivering of the wings was very
perceptible. On one occasion, having disturbed a
pair of Snipe from their nest, they continued to fly
round me in circles, making this peculiar noise for
nearly half-an-hour. Sometimes, when they passed
pretty close to me, falling diagonally through the
air, I could perceive that the bill was closed, while
the wings shivered. As both these birds were heard
to " drum," it is presumed that the sound is not
peculiar to the male bird, as some have supposed.

Early one morning I surprised a Snipe standing in
the middle of a very shallow brook, and apparently,
at the same moment, he became aware of my

GRALLATORES. 191

presence. Instead, however, of taking wing, he
crouched down in the middle of the water, immersing
the bill, and keeping the head and back as flat as
possible. In that position the bird remained for
more than a minute, and at a distance might well
have been mistaken for a stone ; but having come
out on purpose to try and shoot a few Snipe, I did
not feel inclined to let him escape, and so threw a
pebble at him, when he rose and was killed.

Snipe are occasionally found so near London as
Hampstead Heath, which is somewhat curious, con-
sidering that that neighbourhood is now so thickly
populated. I remember to have seen in ' The Field'
newspaper, a few years since, a notice to the effect
that a live Snipe was found one winter's day in the
Strand. It was fluttering along the pavement, and,
oddly enough, was picked up by a gamekeeper, who,
like itself, was a stranger in London, and who, as
may be supposed, was considerably surprised at
meeting with this country acquaintance there.

JACK SNIPE, Scolopax gallinula. The first flights,
so far as I have been enabled to observe, arrive here
during the first week of October. I once shot three
Jack Snipe as early as the 2nd of that month, but
they generally arrive about the 7th. This bird
appears to have such an attachment to particular
localities, that at any time in the month of October
I can walk to a certain spot, feeling confident of
finding a Jack Snipe. At one pond in particular,

192 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

which is bordered by flags, and appears to furnish
some specially attractive food, I have frequently put
up two or three of these birds at once, although, by
the way, Mr. Yarrell says the Jack Snipe is even more
solitary in its habits than the Common Snipe. So
far as my limited experience goes, I have always been
led to think the contrary ; for I have often found
several Jack Snipe within a few yards of each other.
On one occasion I flushed six from about half-an-
acre of marsh. As a rule, they will be very close,
even after a gun has been fired, and will almost
suffer themselves to be trodden on before rising.

One day a Jack Snipe got up, which I shot at and
missed, but killed with the second barrel. Without
moving, I reloaded, and, cocking my gun, made a
single step in advance, when another Jack Snipe
rose within three yards of me. This was curious ;
for notwithstanding the noise made by firing twice,
and then reloading, the bird never stirred until I
moved my feet. I have since thought that perhaps
the vibration of the ground, or the movement of the
herbage, caused by walking was felt by the bird, and
alarmed it more than the noise. The Jack Snipe
really appears to be so deaf that the French name
for it, " Becassine sourde," is not an inappropriate
one. It is very light, weighing only about two
ounces. I once watched two of these birds running
over the weeds in a pond, apparently in pursuit of
insects. On my approach they retreated hurriedly

GRALLATORES. 193

to some rushes at the side of the pond, and I had
some little difficulty to make them rise.

I once kept a Jack Snipe in confinement for some
days, and, as the bird is a very difficult one to
observe when on the ground in its wild state, a
transcript of some notes made on its movements in
my aviary may be interesting.

" October 8th. — Found some Jack Snipe to-day,
and shot three. One of them, curiously enough, was
struck in the carpal joint of each wing, which caused
the bird to fall. It being otherwise apparently un-
injured, I carried it home alive in my pocket, and
turned it into the aviary, first shaking down some
straw temporarily, for cover, and putting in a supply
of worms and water.

" October 9th. — Jack Snipe alive and well. Cut
several large sods with plenty of rushes growing on
them, and put them in the aviary instead of the
straw. Procured an old tea-tray and filled it with
water, strewing some gravel and sand at the bottom,
thus making a capital pool. Scattered some worms
among the rushes and in the water, and left the
bird in quiet.

"October 10th. — Jack Snipe alive and active, but
still very shy, and will not feed while I am near.
Looked in later in the day, and found him still
squatting in the rushes. Gave him some boiled
liver, chopped fine, which Mr. Hancock says is a
fine thing for all waders in confinement, as it more

s

194 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

nearly approximates to their insect food than any-
thing else.

" October llth. — Until to-day Jack Snipe has
been very shy, hiding in the rushes on the least
alarm. This morning, while watching through a
window in the aviary, I saw him come out and feed.
I had previously fancied, and, indeed, read some-
where, that the Jack Snipe moved with the body
nearly horizontal like a Land Kail, but I am now
able to state, from my own observation, that the bird
walks in a very erect position, with a firm and stately
tread, nodding his head at every step. On seizing a
worm he passes it through his bill, pinching it all
over from end to end, and then swrallows it whole. Al-
though he will pick up a worm from the surface, he
prefers boring for one and drawing it from a sod.
He stands in the pool which I have made for him,
and picks up small particles of gravel strewn on the
bottom, but does not appear to drink much. When
at rest, the head reclines upon the back, between the
shoulders, giving the bird the appearance of having
no neck ; the bill rests on the ground in front, the
breast touches the ground, and the tarsus and tibia
touch and are parallel. On the least alarm the bird
rises so suddenly as to cause an involuntary start on
the part of the observer.

" October 12th.— At 6 A. M., this morning, Jack
Snipe was alive, and apparently doing well. Before
coming into breakfast at nine o'clock I again visited

GRALLATORES. 195

the aviary, when, much to my disappointment, I
found him dead among the rushes."

BROWN SNIPE, Scolopax grisea. A specimen of
this rare Snipe, in the collection of Mr. Bond, was
killed some years ago on the banks of the Thames,
near Battersea ; and a second, in my own collection,
was shot on the Brent, near Stone Bridge, in Octo-
ber, 1862.

The summer plumage of this bird has procured
for it the name of Redbreasted Snipe. Both the spe-
cimens above mentioned are in autumn plumage, with
only a faint tinge of buff upon the breast. It is a
native of North America, and, in some parts of that
continent, is very plentiful It is very rarely met with
in England. By some naturalists it is considered as
the connecting link between the Snipe and Sand-
pipers, and in its relative proportions and general
colour it is intermediate between these two families.

CURLEW SANDPIPER, Tringa subarquata. Two
examples of the Curlew Sandpiper, both birds of the
year, were obtained at Kingsbury Reservoir on the
2nd September, 1844. A third, killed some years
later at the same place, is in the collection of Mr.
Bond. Mr. W. H. Power informed me that his
brother shot a Curlew Sandpiper at this Reservoir
on the 17th September, 1864, which was in company
with a flock of Ringed Plovers ; and that on the 2nd
September following they each killed a Curlew
Sandpiper, out of a flock of Ring Plovers, at the same

196 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

place. These birds were in autumn plumage, with
just a faint trace of buff-colour on the breast. I
have seen a bird of this species, in autumn plumage,
in the collection of Mr. Minasi, which that gentle-
man shot at the same piece of water. ^

As far as I have been able to observe, the Curlew
Sandpiper is more fearless than many other of the
waders, and will suffer a near approach before taking
wing. I once shot a Curlew Sandpiper which
allowed me to approach within a few yards, although
a flock of birds with which it had been feeding had
taken wing some time previously. It appears very
sociable in its habits, and may generally be seen
with a flock of Ringed Plovers or Dunlins. From
the former it is easily distinguished when on the
wing, and, when flying among a flock of the latter,
it may be recognized by its upper tail-coverts, which
are white. The note is something like that of the
Dunlin, but louder. It is very rapid in flight, but,
if not fired at, will, like the Jack Snipe> alight again
at no great distance.

KNOT, Tringa canutus. In a note upon the arrival
of summer birds at Kingsbury, dated 17th June,
1844, and published in 'The Zoologist' for that
year, the occurrence of the Knot at Kingsbury Re-
servoir is mentioned ; but this is the only notice of
the appearance of this species in the county that I
have been able to obtain.

The Knot, like the Godwits and the Curlew

GRALLATORES. 197

Sandpiper, has such a very different appearance in
summer and winter, that in these two states of
plumage it might well be considered as belonging to
two distinct species. During the summer months the
general colour of the Knot, from chin to vent, is a
bright chesnut, while the back is prettily mottled with
brown, grey, and buff. After the autumnal moult
the colour of the under parts gradually gets lighter
and lighter, until, in mid-winter, it is pure white, at
which time the upper part of the head and back is
almost of a uniform grey. A precisely similar change
is observed in the Blacktailed and Bartailed God-
wits, and in the Curlew Sandpiper, although these
birds never become so purely white beneath as the
Knot.

Upon examining the contents of the stomach of
two Knots killed in May, I found in one of them
three shells of the common periwinkle, and in the
other about one hundred and fifty small univalve
shells belonging to the genera Rissoa and Turbo.

LITTLE STINT, Tringaminuta. Occasionally found
at our reservoirs during the periodical migrations
in spring and autumn, but more commonly at the
latter season, when the little flocks which arrive here
consist chiefly of young birds.

Towards the end of August, 1862, five Little
Stints, two old and three young, were shot at the
Reservoir at Kingsbury, and one of them, an adult
female, I obtained for my collection.

s 3

198 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Early in May, 1863, Mr. Bond saw a pair at the
same place ; and on October 9th of the same year,
of a second pair which visited us, I was fortunate
enough to secure the male. Mr. W. H. Power and
his brother killed four Little Stints at Kingsbury
Eeservoir in the autumn of 1864.

On the 10th June, 1865, an unusual date to find
this species, four Little Stints appeared at the same
piece of water, and one of them was shot \>y Mr. H.
Greenwood, of Hampstead. This specimen I had
subsequently an opportunity of .examining, and it
proved to be an adult bird in summer plumage.
The diiferent appearance which it presented in
comparison with examples obtained in the same
locality in spring and autumn was very striking.
The upper portion of the plumage had a rich reddish
brown tinge, like the same parts in the Dunlin
when in summer dress. The spots on the throat
and upper part of the breast were also of a rufous
tint, like the same parts exhibited by the Sander-
ling in summer.

TEMMINCK'S STINT, Tringa Temminckii. This
graceful little bird, our least British Sandpiper, is
frequently confounded with the Little Stint, T. mi-
nuta, and so escapes notice ; but, on a careful com-
parison, it will be found to differ from that species
in several particulars. Temminck's Stint may be
regarded as a miniature Common Sandpiper, exhibit-
ing a more uniform colour throughout, and having

GRALLATORES.

199

light-coloured legs ; while the Little Stint, like a
miniature Dunlin, displays a more mottled and varied
plumage, and has black legs. Nor need the parallel,
I think, be confined to the plumage only, for, as far
as my experience goes, Temminck's Stint, like the
Common Sandpiper, affects the soft mud around in-
land pools and marshes, while the Little Stint, like
the Dunlin, prefers the sand and shingle of the sea-
shore. The most essential differences between these
two species may, perhaps,..be best shown as follows: —

TEMMINCK'S STINT.

Colour, more uniform.

Tarsus, light brown, short and
slender.

Wings, first quill-feather with
white shaft ; all the other
quill-feathers with dusky
shafts.

Tertial-feathers reach to very
near the end of the pri-
maries.

Tail, three outer feathers on
each side almost white ; *
the first outside white,
with a faint dusky spot on
outer web ; the second
white, with a narrow dusky
streak on outer web ; the
third white, with broad
dusky streak on outer web.

and

LITTLE STINT.
Colour, more varied.
Tarsus, black, longer

stouter.
Wings, all the quill-feathers

with white shafts.

Tertial-feathers do not reach
within a quarter of an inch
of end of primaries.

Tail, three outer feathers on
each side all pale grey ; no
white.

In India this bird is called the Whitetailed Stint.

200 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Although Temminck's Stint assumes a more
mottled plumage in summer, and the Little Stint
a more uniform colour in winter, the difference in
the wing and tail-feathers, as pointed out above,
will be at all times, I think, a sufficient guide in
determining the species.

Temminck's Stint is occasionally, although rarely,
found here during the migration in spring and
autumn. The earliest notice which I have met with
of the occurrence of this species in Middlesex, is
contained in the last volume of Yarrell's * British
Birds.' At p. 75, vol. iii., that author says : " Mr.
Bond sent me word that he met with a pair of old
birds in the spring of 1839, on the margin of Kings-
bury Reservoir, in Middlesex, and several young
ones in the autumn of the same year, obtaining one
of the old ones and five young ones." In May, 1859,
Mr. Spencer received a specimen that had been
killed by his brother at this Reservoir. Mr. Bond
shot a young bird of this species at the same piece
of water on 31st August, 1861, which he has since
presented to the British Museum.

Several small Stints, said to be Temminck's,
appeared at the Reservoir on the 4th August, 1863,
and one of them was shot ; but as I unfortunately
did not see it, I am unable to say for certain whether
it was T. Temminckii or T. minuta.

DUNLIN, Tringa variabilis. A regular passing
visitant in spring and autumn, and the first, of

GRALLATORES. 201

the genus Tringa, to arrive. I have a pair in my
collection in summer plumage, killed at Kingsbury
as early as April 7th. It frequents large sheets of
water, such as the Eeservoirs of Kingsbury, Ruislip,
and Elstree, and is seldom found along the streams,
as is the case with the Common and Green Sand-
pipers.

On the return of this species in August after the
breeding season the plumage is very different to that
assumed in April. It becomes much duller ; the
rich reddish brown of the upper parts changes to a
dull grey, and the black feathers on the breast
disappear entirely, leaving all the under parts pure
white.*

The period at which the Dunlin arrives at its full
summer plumage probably depends upon the age of
the bird. I saw two on the llth June, one of which
had a rich reddish brown back and completely black
breast, the other a grey back and scarcely any trace of
black on the under parts. The latter was, no doubt,
the younger bird, and probably a bird of the previous
year.

The Dunlin has more rarely been found here in
winter.

* In the autumn of 1865 I saw an entirely white Dunlin,
which had been recently shot at Aldborough, on the Suffolk
coast. The quill-feathers were much worn, and the bird
had the appearance of great age.

202 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Four of these birds were seen at Kingsbury
Reservoir by a local keeper, who is well acquainted
with the species, on the 4th January, 1864. They
were near the edge of the water, and crowding so
close together that he believed he could have killed
all four at a shot, and would have made the experi-
ment had he not been crawling to Ducks. Most
of our Sandpipers may be distinguished, when on
the wing, by their note. That of the Dunlin is —

It is usually more tame and fearless than many of
the Sandpipers, and will occasionally suffer a near
approach before taking wing.

The beautiful flight of the Dunlin, when in large
flocks, must have been observed by all who, from
time to time, pay a visit to the seaside. The ap-
pearance which they present when moving in a large
body through the air has been faithfully described
by Mr. Thompson in his * Natural History of Ire-
land.' " When immense flocks divide, fly right and
left, and shoot into single strings, they strike upon
the eye while the sun 'shines upon them, and the
dark banks of the bay serve as background, like
silver lines, occasionally of great length. A flock
flying for a great distance just above the margin of
the flowing tide, has strongly resembled, from their

GRALLATORES. 203

white plumage being displayed, a single wave sweep-
ing rapidly onwards. When the back or breast is
turned towards the spectator every bird is indi-
vidualized, or distinctly marked ; but when they
sweep so as to show only the line of the back, they
are almost invisible."

Family

LAND KAIL or COBN CRAKE, Gallinula crex. A
common summer visitant, generally appearing about
the first week in May, and in some seasons parti-
cularly numerous. As the farms in this county are
nearly all grass-farms, and we have very little clover
or seed crops to afford a shelter for these birds after
the hay is cut, they generally leave us about the end
of July ; and although I have found Bails abundant
in September in Sussex and Hampshire, it is rarely
that they are to be found here in that month. I
cannot help thinking that a few must stay with us
the whole winter, for specimens are sometimes Seen
in the London markets at Christmas ; and I once
saw a Land Bail just after it had been shot, early
in January. This bird, however, may have been
wounded, and thus disabled from joining the flight
at the time of its migration.

SPOTTED CRAKE, Gallinula porzana. Owing to
the manner in which this bird hides amongst thick
cover, and to its unwillingness to take wing, it is

204 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

not often seen, and is, therefore, considered rare.
Mr. Yarrell accurately remarks that this species is
more aquatic in its habits than the last-named, fre-
quenting the sides of streams and ponds wherever
a good supply of rushes or flags is to be found
wherein to hide. It is a very shy bird, and seldom
seen on the wing ; for being by nature of slender
and compressed form, like all the Eails, it makes its
way through thick rushes or flags with the greatest
ease, and, unless hard pressed, is always very loth
to rise.

Notwithstanding this, however, sportsmen, with
the aid of a good dog, occasionally flush and kill a
specimen, and I am able to record the capture of no
less than twelve in this county. Others, probably,
have occurred of which I have not heard. Mr. Blyth
saw a Spotted Crake in the London market in the
month of January, 1834 ; and one, in the collection
of Mr. Bond, was obtained some years later at
Kingsbury, as recorded in * The Zoologist' for 1843.
Two specimens were shot at Jessop's Ait, Chiswick,
in the autumn of 1862, by a market-gardener named
Anstice ; and in the following year one was shot near
Stone Bridge, on the Brent, on the 16th October,
which proved to be a bird of the year ; and another,
now in the collection of Mr. Button, of Hammer-
smith, was killed at Jessop's Ait, above-mentioned,
on the 12th November. This last bird, which I
have seen, is a female. Mr. Button informs me

GRALLATORES. 205

that he has seen two others, in a birdstuffer's shop,
which were also obtained at Chiswick in the autumn
of 1863.

I have seen two specimens of the Spotted Crake
in the collection of Mr. Minasi, which were shot by
Mr. W. K. Heseltine, at Laleham, in 1857 ; and
another, in the same collection, which was caught
some years previously at Hyde Bridge, on the Brent,
by a retriever belonging to Mr. Minasi.

With regard to the last example of which I
have heard as having occurred in this county,
my friend, Mr. W. H. Power, writes me word as
follows : —

" I shot one of these birds at West Drayton, as it
was crossing the river Colne, which here divides the
counties of Middlesex and Buckinghamshire. My
dog started it from an osier-bed full of tall reeds,
and I killed it under the impression that it was a
young Moorhen. This was on the 2nd August,
1860."

LITTLE CRAKE, Gallinula pusilla. Montagu truly
observes that the habits of the smaller species of
Gallinules are their principal security : — " They are
not only equally capable of diving and concealing
their bodies under water, with only the bill above
the surface to secure respiration, but run with
celerity and hide themselves amongst the rushes
and flags of swampy places, and are with great diffi-
culty roused, even with the assistance of dogs,

T

206 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

depending more on concealment in thick cover
than upon their wings to avoid danger. From
these circumstances it is that they are so rarely
obtained."

Yarrell mentions a specimen of the Little Crake,
belonging to Mr. Foljambe, which was purchased in
the shop of a London poulterer in May, 1812.
About the same time Mr. Plasted, of Chelsea, ob-
tained another, which was shot on the banks of the
Thames near that place. This latter bird corre-
sponded with the figure and description of Montagu's
Olivaceous Gallinule, and was believed to be an
adult male.

MOORHEN, Gallinula chloropus. Common resi-
dent. Found all along our brooks and at quiet
pond sides.

I hardly know a prettier object in a country walk
than a Moorhen in its proper haunt. Look at
that bird running along the bank, startled at our
approach as we follow the winding brook. Now he
stops to listen, and, with stately tread, lifts his
dainty green legs, and peers about with bright hazel
eye. Now he has caught sight of us, and, quick as
thought, has run to the edge and dropped like a
stone into the water. Now we have lost him ! no :
there he is again, ten yards further on, and making
for that clump of rushes on the opposite side. How
he nods his head at every stroke, and flirts up his
little white tail, uttering at intervals a sharp " keck-

GRALLATORES. 207

keck !" How pretty those white feathers under the
wing look, and how the bright red bill contrasts with
the dark colour of the head ! Now he has gained
the rushes, and feels safe, and there he will hide till
we are gone.

If surprised in a small pool where there is little
cover, the Moorhen, instead of taking wing, dives,
and, coming towards the surface in the vicinity of
some water-plant, remains entirely submerged, with
the exception of the bill, which it just protrudes
above the surface to enable it to breathe.

From what I have observed, I believe that a Moor-
hen cannot remain in this position without some
assistance from a reed, water-lily, or other plant.
In other words, it brings itself to anchor by means
of its long toes with which it grasps the stalk of a
plant, and thus keeps its body below the surface
while its bill only is above. Sometimes, in shallow
water, the feet touch the ground, and the toes are
then inserted in the mud or gravel.

On one occasion, while walking along the Brent,
I surprised a Moorhen in a shallow. The bird must
have seen me before I observed it ; for I first be-
came aware of its presence by noticing the bright red
forehead on the surface of the water. As the brook
at that particular spot was too shallow to admit of
the bird's diving, and as there was no friendly cover
near at hand, it continued submerged for several
minutes, until I threw in a stone, when, with one

T 2

208 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

motion, it rose from the water into the air and flew.
While it remained in the water I was not more than
three yards from it, and was easily able to see that
it touched the bottom of the shallow.

On another occasion I suddenly disturbed a Moor-
hen in a small isolated pond with plenty of cover
at a short distance from the brink, but none near
enough to reach quickly without flying. An elm
tree had fallen half-way across the pond, and at
several feet from the bank it overhung the water for
some distance without touching it. The Moorhen
first dived and re-appeared two or three times, and
then, as if inspired with a sudden thought, dived
again and came up under the fallen tree, but showing
only the head and keeping the rest of the body en-
tirely submerged. All my efforts to drive it from
thence were unavailing, and it then occurred to me
that, by crawling out along the tree, I might possibly
be able to seize the bird unawares. Accordingly,
handing my coat to a friend who stood on the bank
to tell me when I should be directly over the spot, I
crawled on hands and knees along the tree, until, at
my friend's signal, I knew that I was immediately
above the Moorhen. I then quietly put my hand
in the water, about two feet behind it, and groped
gently along until I could feel the legs. There were
several small branches growing laterally from the
tree, and many of these were under water. I soon
discovered that the Moorhen's feet passed round

GBALLATORES. 209

and under one of these, and that by this means the
body was kept submerged. I had little time then
for reflection, fearing lest the bird might escape ;
so, seizing the legs, I drew it out of the water and
brought it safe to land.

It is, perhaps, scarcely fair to draw conclusions
from two or three instances ; but, as I have never
observed a Moorhen submerge its body and keep
its head or bill above water, except in the vicinity
of water-plant, reeds, or branches, I think I am not
far wrong in concluding that the bird is unable to
exercise this peculiar habit without the assistance
which is thus afforded.

There seems to be some difference of opinion as
to whether the male and female Moorhen both
have the red forehead and the red garter; but I
have now little doubt upon this point, having satis-
fied myself, both by observation of the birds alive
and by dissection after death.

I have often seen the female bird on the nest,
with crimson forehead ; and in several cases where
I have known a single pair of Moorhens, and no
more, to frequent a small pond, I have remarked
that both birds had the conspicuous red patch.

Again, after a Moorhen hunt in the autumn,
when some three or four brace had been bagged,
there were often found to be as many males as
females, and all had the red forehead unless they
were young birds. My own observations, therefore,

T 3

210 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

induce the following conclusions. When fully adult,
both sexes have the red forehead as well as the red
garter (though, possibly, the male may have the
brighter colour), but when immature neither sex is
so marked. In young birds the forehead and legs
are olive-coloured, and remain so until the following
spring, when the red colour appears as in the parent
birds; but the period at which this change takes
place no doubt depends upon the age of the birds,
those which are hatched first in the preceding year
being the first to show the red in the succeeding
spring.

WATER BAIL, Rallus aquaticus. From its skulk-
ing habits seldom seen. It runs with great rapidity,
and is a difficult bird to flush without the help of a
good dog. On one occasion I chased a Water Eail
for about thirty yards along a wide ditch, and,
although close behind, and making frequent though
ineffectual attempts to cover it with my cap, it would
not take wing, and succeeded in reaching a thick
patch of cover, where I lost it. On visiting the spot
early next morning with a setter, it was nowhere to
be found.

I have not yet satisfied myself whether this bird
is resident in the county throughout the year or not.
I have searched diligently, and made various in-
quiries, but have only been able to ascertain one
instance in which the Water Eail has been seen
here in summer and a nest found. This was at a

GRALLATORES. 211

small pond near Kingsbury, where a dog belonging
to my friend Mr. Bond caught several young birds
one summer. With this exception, the few speci-
mens which I have seen in this county were all
obtained between September and March. I am
inclined, therefore, to consider that this bird with us
is only a winter visitant.

Mr. Spencer shot a Water Rail, in January, at
Silk Stream, in Hendon parish ; and I have seen
two others that were killed in December, 1861. A
fourth occurred near Elstree Reservoir towards the
end of October, 1863 ; and Mr. W. H. Power has
twice shot this bird in the neighbourhood of Han-
well and West Drayton, where he states that it was
formerly not uncommon. He has only observed it
between the 25th October and the middle of March,
and, owing to its retiring habits, and the thick cover
which it frequents in summer, it is difficult to ascer-
tain whether it remained to breed. I have seen
three specimens in the collection of Mr. Minasi, all
of which were killed by himself and his brother (the
late Consul for the Two Sicilies) on the banks of
the Brent ; and Mr. J. W. Ford, of Enfield, informs
me that this bird has occasionally been killed in his
neighbourhood.

As recently as the 26th September, 1865, one
was shot on the Brent, in Willesden parish, by Mr.
W. H. Greenwood, of Hampstead.

212 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Family LOBIPEDID^E.

COOT, Fulica atra. The Coot is only found resi-
dent throughout the year on such pools of water as
are strictly preserved.* Except during winter, it
is a rarer bird than the Moorhen, but at that sea-
son, especially if the weather be severe, it visits us
in some numbers, in "coverts" of from ten to
twenty and upwards. The greatest number of
Coots reckoned in one "covert" inland, was forty-
one; but when the fresh-water pools and rivers,
which this bird much prefers to the sea, are frozen
up, they visit the coast, and may there be counted
by hundreds. A Coot may always be known from a
Moorhen on the water by its attitude ; the former
swims with head and tail very low, the head poked
forward ; the latter, vice versa, with head erect and
tail jerked up almost at right angles to the back.
The Moorhen's white tail, or, rather, under-tail
coverts, also serve to distinguish it, the same parts
in the Coot being black.

In some respects Coots differ a good deal from
other water-birds in their habits. They feed by day
and roost at night, grazing like geese on the tender
leaves and shoots of young grass, and varying their

* A Coot, with perfect wings, has twice been observed
upon the Serpentine in Hyde Park.

GRALLATORES. 213

food with fresh-water molluscs, small fish, and'
aquatic insects. Again, most wild fowl, when
wounded, endeavour to escape by swimming or
diving ; but a wounded Coot makes for the land,
and its running powers are so great, that, especially
over a mud flat, the sportsman will find great diffi-
culty in bagging it, before it gains cover, without the
aid of a good dog.

Coots pair in April, making a large nest of flags
or rushes by the water- side, and laying from five to
seven eggs of a stone-colour speckled with black.
The note of the Coot somewhat resembles that of
the Moorhen, but is more guttural. It has been
likened, not inaptly, to the sound " krew," sharply
pronounced.

Although the two birds, in many points, have
some resemblance, the difference of structure, par-
ticularly in the bare patch on the forehead, from
whence the name " Bald Coot," and the peculiar
formation of foot, has caused Fulica atra to be
placed in a distinct family, Lol)ipedid<z, that is the
lobe-footed kind. To this family, also, belongs the
bird next to be considered.

GREY PHALAROPE, Phalaropus platyrhyncus. The
few examples of this graceful little species which
are met with in England generally appear in autumn,
and are, for the most part, young birds on their
way south, it is supposed, for the winter. So sel-
dom does an opportunity occur for observing it, that

214 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

the habits of the Grey Phalarope are but little known,
and, so far as I am aware, no authentic specimens
of its eggs have been received in this country. Mr.
Bullock, in a letter to Col. Montagu, referring to
the Rednecked Phalarope,* a bird, it is presumed,
of very similar habits, says : " It swims with the
greatest ease, and, when on the water, looks like a
beautiful miniature of a Duck, carrying its head
close to the back, in the manner of a Teal."

In the ' Zoological Journal' for April, 1825, Mr.
Yarrell has recorded the fact that a Grey Phalarope
was shot while swimming on the Thames, near
Battersea, in November, 1824. It was seen there
by a gardener, who went home, a distance of a
mile and a half to fetch his gun, and, on his
return, found the bird still swimming and feeding
near the same spot. " It proved to be an old female,
having nearly completed its winter plumage, but
still bearing sufficient marks of its summer dress to
form an interesting state of change." Mr. Bond shot
a pair of Grey Phalaropes at Kingsbury Reservoir,
in September, 1841, killing the female on the 28th
and the male on the 30th of that month ; and I learn
from Mr. Spencer that his brother shot two birds of
this species, at the same sheet of water, in the autumn

* This bird, although commoner in some parts of Britain
than the Grey Phalarope, and breeding in limited numbers
in the Orkneys, has not been met with in Middlesex.

NATATORES. 215

of 1850. I have lately seen a specimen in winter
plumage which was killed in November, 1862, on
the Thames, at Blackwall.

ORDER NATATORES.-— Family ANATIDJE.

GREYLAG GOOSE, Anser ferus. This species, al-
though supposed by many to be the original stock
of our domestic goose, and formerly not uncommon
in most winters, is now rarely met with in England.
The term " greylag" has no reference, as some sup-
pose, to the colour of its legs, which are pink, but is
probably a modification of the word "lake" (lacus,
Lat. ; lago, It.) When flying, or at a distance, this
bird so closely resembles the other so-called Grey
Geese — that is, the Bean, Pinkfooted, and White-
fronted Geese, that it is impossible to distinguish
the species. On a nearer inspection, however, it
cannot be confounded with any of these, except,
perhaps, the Pinkfooted, which it resembles more
than any of the others, but from which it differs
in a few points to be mentioned presently. The
following table will suggest the readiest means of
distinguishing the four species of British Grey
Geese

216

BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

SPECIES.
GREYLAG . . .

BEAN. . . .
PINKFOOTED

WHITEFRONTED

BILL.

Flesh-colour ; nail

white.
Orange ; nail, edges

and base black.
Pink; nail and base

black.

Pink; nail and base
white ; forehead
white.

LEGS.
Flesh-colour.

Orange.

Pink, tinged with
vermilion, like
Egyptian Goose.

Orange.

In addition to these differences of bill and legs,
the first and third differ from each other in the
following respects. The Greylag invariably has
some black feathers on the belly, which the other
has not, and the grey colour in the wings of the
Greylag runs through the wing like a double bar,
which is very conspicuous when the pinions are
stretched ; whereas in the wing of the Pinkfooted
Goose the grey colour is more uniformly distributed
in a mass.

It is the Greylag Goose which is still to be found
breeding in the Highlands. Mr. St. John once
thought that the Pinkfooted Goose bred on one of
the lakes in Sutherlandshire, and went there to
ascertain this point, accompanied by my friend, Mr.
John Hancock. The birds proved, however, without
exception, to be the Greylag.

Wild Geese may be known on the wing by their

NATATORES. 217

peculiar mode of flight. They generally proceed in
a wedge-like form with a single bird as leader ; but,
if only a few in number, they fly in a straight line,
in close order, looking as if linked together by a
string; hence they are spoken of as a "skein" of
geese. When in the water or on land, they are called
by the fowler a " gaggle." Their habit is to remain
on the water by day, flying inland in search of food
a little before dusk. They may then be looked for
upon the fields of growing corn, where they do much
damage by nibbling off the tender shoots and young
blades. They are generally wary enough to keep in
the centre of the field, so that it is not easy to get
within shot of them.

Occasionally a small skein of Geese drop down
upon our reservoirs in hard weather, but seldom stay
longer than a day, for their large size at once attracts
attention, and they either get shot or frightened
away. An intelligent labourer tells us that, in former
years, he has several times seen Wild Geese in
winter upon some of the small retired ponds on
Hungry Downs, and that on one occasion he counted
fourteen there. During the winter of 1800-61 two
Geese were shot by the keeper at Kingsbury Reser-
voir, out of a gaggle of thirty which alighted in a
field on the Brent, in the parish of Hendon. From
his accurate description of them, I have no doubt
that they were Anser ferus. In January, 1864, I
observed some small skeins of Grey Geese passing

u

218 BIKDS OF MIDDLESEX.

over, but they made no stay. They were at too
great a height to determine the species. My last
memorandum with regard to Geese seen here is to
the effect that four- and- twenty passed over Kingsbury
early one morning during the first week of March,
1865. They were flying in the direction S.\V.

It is more than probable that the Bean Goose, A.
segetum, which is generally known as the Common
Wild Goose, and which is of more frequent occur-
rence in winter than the Greylag, has many times
been killed in Middlesex, but of this I have no
direct proof. In a note in ' The Zoologist' for 1843,
Mr. Bond, referring to wild-fowl killed at Kings-
bury Reservoir, says : " One or other of the Grey
Geese has occurred several times, but I have not
been able to get hold of one to examine."

WHITEFRONTED GOOSE, Anser albifrons. Pro-
vincial, Laughing Goose and Bar Goose ; the former
synonym arising from its noisy cackle when on the
wing ; the second, from the dark bars upon its breast.
Although it has been stated above that the Greylag
Goose is supposed to be the original parent of our
domestic stock, many naturalists consider that the
Whitefronted Goose has a stronger claim in this
regard, and urge in support of their views that many
of our tame birds are found to have the character-
istic orange legs and white forehead of A. albifrons.

An experienced wildfowler says that this bird does
not come so far inland as the other Grey Geese, and

NATATORES. 219

seldom alights in corn-fields, its favourite resorts
being fens, marshes, and rivers near the sea-coast,
where, from its being a regular winter visitant to
this country, it is often shot by puntmen.

Meyer, in his finely-coloured work,* mentions a
Whitefronted Goose which he shot on the Thames,
near London, in February, 1847.

This species is not uncommon on the poulterers'
stalls in London, from November till March, and
fetches a good price for the table. Looking at some
Whitefronted and Pinkfooted Geese in March, 1865,
as they hung in a poulterer's stall, there appeared a
noticeable difference in the wings, the Whitefronted
having dark grey, and the Pinkfooted light grey
shoulders.

BRENT GOOSE, Anser brenta. This is the smallest
and most abundant of our British Geese, but, from
being exclusively marine in its habits, never feeding
on fresh-water herbage, nor resorting to the fields
and marshes, like the Grey Geese, its appearance so
far inland must be considered as purely accidental,
and probably to be attributed to unusually severe
weather on the east coast. Mr. Bond has recorded
the occurrence of this species at Kingsbury Reser-
voir, in ' The Zoologist' for 1843.

REDBREASTED GOOSE, Anser ruficollis. A very
rare visitant to this country, being a native of

Illustrations of British Birds. '

u

220 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Northern Asia and Siberia. Col. Montagu, in his
' Ornithological Dictionary,' states, on the authority
of Dr. Latham, that a bird of this species was shot
near London in the severe frost of 1766. This
bird passed into the collection of Mr. Tunstall, and
is now preserved in the museum at Newcastle-on-
Tyne, where I saw it in May, 1863. From this
specimen Bewick executed the beautiful engraving
in his ' British Birds.'

CANADA GOOSE, Anser canadensis. Many winters
ago five of these birds appeared on the Reservoir at
Kingsbury. Mr. Bond observed them on the water
while taking a stroll with his gun, and with some
difficulty managed to stalk them. He got a single
shot, killing one dead, and wounding another so
severely that it was barely able to get away and top
the wall at the head of the reservoir. Notwith-
standing a long search he failed to find it that day,
but the following week he learnt, from the landlord
of the ' Spotted Dog' at Willesden, that a Goose
exactly answering his description had been killed
some days previously by a boy who found it lying,
disabled, in a ditch, and had furnished him with an
excellent dinner. Mr. Bond was of opinion at the
time, from an examination of the bird first killed,
that it was not an escaped specimen, but a veritable
wild goose. The weather at the time was very
severe.

MUTE SWAN, Cygnus olor. So much has been

NATATORES. 221

said by Mr. Yarrell, in his admirable treatise on
British Birds, with regard to this Swan, and so fully
and ably has that author described the swanneries
in Middlesex, whether belonging to the Crown, to
private individuals, or public companies, that I can
here add nothing which would not be a repetition.

As I have drawn attention, however, in many
instances to the notes of birds, I may now include
that of the Swan. This bird being identified with
Orpheus, and called also the bird of Apollo, the god
of Music, powers of song have been often attributed
to it and as often denied. It is, however, perfectly
true that it has a soft low voice, rather plaintive,
and with little variety, but not disagreeable. I have
heard it often in the spring, and sometimes later in
the season, when moving slowly about with its
young. Col. Hawker, in his ' Instructions to Young
Sportsmen,' says : " The only note which I ever
heard the Wild Swan in winter utter, is his well-
known ' hoop.' But one summer evening I was
amused with watching and listening to a domesti-
cated one as he swam up and down the water in the
Regent's Park. He turned up a sort of melody
made with two notes, C, and the minor third E flat,
and kept working his head, as if delighted with his
own performance."

The melody, taken down on the spot by a
first- rate professor, Auguste Bertini, was as fol-
lows : —

u 3

222 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Allegro, or by Maelzel's Metronome =126.

WILD SWAN or HOOPER, Cygnus ferus vel musicus.
Formerly an occasional winter visitant to the Thames
and our reservoirs, but none have been seen for
many years. It is only during severe weather that
Wild Swans come so far inland, and even then they
make no stay, for their conspicuous size and colour
at once attract attention, and all the guns in their
neighbourhood are directed towards them.

Although a Swan rises very heavily from the
water, flapping along the surface for some distance
before it is fairly on the wing, yet, when once
launched, it is a bird of powerful flight, and the loud
whistling sound caused by the rapid beats of its
pinions may be heard at a considerable distance,

Tame Swans in hard weather will occasionally
take flight, and wander a long way from ther owners,
but the sportsman need never be afraid of shooting
a tame Swan in mistake for a wild one ; for as the
bird comes within shot, flying with outstretched neck,
which looks unnaturally long for the body, he has
only to look at the head, and if the base of the bill
appears very black, with the tip yellow, let him
reserve his fire ; but if the colours are reversed, and

NATATORES. 223

the bright yellow appears close to the forehead, let
him aim a little in advance and pull. He will have
the satisfaction of picking up the largest of all wild
fowl, if not the most dainty.

A smaller species of Wild Swan, now well-known to
naturalists hy the name of Cygnus Bewickii, has, of
late years, frequently heen met with in England.
Until attention was drawn to its specific distinction,
it was confounded with the commoner species, hut
besides being about a third smaller than C. ferns, it
differs from that and other species of Swan slightly
in the form and colour of the bill, and considerably
in its anatomical structure.*

From its general outward resemblance, however,
to C. ferus, it is easily overlooked, and it is not im-
probable that among the Wild Swans which, from
time to time, have been shot in this county, C. Be-
wickii has occurred, although not recorded.

In February, 1861, while passing through Lea-
denhall Market, I noticed at one of the poulterers'
stalls a Swan which was new to me. My attention
was first attracted by the colour of the legs, which
were grey instead of black, and, on a closer inspec-
tion, the shape and arrangement of colour in the
beak differed considerably from the only three species
of Cygnus with which I was acquainted. Believing
it to be the Polish Swan (C. immutaUlis of Yarrell),

* See Yarrell's ' British Birds,' vol. iii., p. 205.

224 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

a rare visitant from the Baltic, I should have pur-
chased the bird for preservation, had it not heen that
it was evidently long killed, and much disfigured
with mud and congealed blood. I therefore con-
tented myself with making a sketch of the head,
and noting down some particulars in my pocket-
book, when, on reaching home and referring to
authorities, I found my suspicions verified ; it was,
without doubt, C. immutabilis.

Mr. Yarrell, who named the species "immutabilis"
from a peculiarity in the C}rgnets, which are always
white instead of grey, like those of other Swans, ob-
served that, " during the severe weather of January,
1838, several flocks of these Polish Swans were
seen pursuing a southern course along the line
of our north-east coast, from Scotland to the
mouth of the Thames, and several specimens were
obtained."

SHOVELLER, Anas clypeata. An occasional winter
visitant, never appearing in any numbers, and, al-
though arriving in company with other Duck, always
separating on reaching the inland fresh water. The
habits of the Shoveller bring it nearer to the shore,
where it seeks its food in shallow water, while the
majority of the other species which visit us keep out
in deeper water, obtaining their food by diving during
the day, and coming inshore at night.

Seldom more than five or six Shovellers are seen
here at one time. Occasionally I have known a

NATATORES. 225

single pair to remain about the fresh-water pools until
comparatively late in the spring,* when all the other
Ducks had departed except the Common Wild
Duck.

GADWALL, Anas strepera. A rare bird in England,
where it is an uncertain winter visitant. So far as
I am aware, but one example has occurred in Mid-
dlesex. This was an adult male, which was obtained
at Kingsbury Reservoir in 1842-43, and is now in
the collection of Mr. Bond. The word " Gadwall"
is said to imply " Grey Duck," and its loud voice
has procured for it the specific term " strepera."

The habitat of this species seems to be E. and
N.E. Europe; and the British Islands generally lie
too far west to be much visited by it.

PINTAIL, Anas acuta. The Pintail is seldom found
in any numbers on the coast, and is considered to
be rather an inhabitant of fresh water. It has occa-
sionally been killed on our reservoirs and fresh-
water pools in winter, but its appearance is very
uncertain.

It is a particularly graceful bird in all its move-
ments, and, from the way in which it carries the
head and neck, occasionally skimming the bill along
the surface of the water, it puts us much in mind of
a Swan.

The food of the Pintail, when inland, seems to be

* Latest stay observed, April 9th.

226 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

chiefly vegetable matter and the seeds of aquatic
plants. On the coast the diet is varied with small
univalve shell fish. It is excellent eating.

A remarkable instance of affection in a bird of
this species came under my observation in the winter
of 1863-64. A sportsman, returning home late one
evening, surprised a pair of ducks in an old gravel-
pit, now half full of water. As they rose he killed
the duck with the only charge he had left, dropping
her in the middle of the water. Before he could
get her out, he observed that the drake, which had
flown to a considerable distance, finding himself
alone, returned to the spot, and, notwithstanding
that his enemy was still moving on the bank, after
making one or two circles in the air, alighted on the
water close to the dead body of his mate. Swimming
round and round her, from time to time he uttered
a mournful note, and appeared very unwilling to
leave the spot. Instead of pitying the distress of
the poor mallard, and regretting the loss he had
occasioned, the sportsman, I am sorry to add, has-
tened home, the distance of nearly a mile, and pro-
curing some more powder and shot, returned and
killed the faithful bird, which still remained upon
the water near its mate. I saw the pair shortly
afterwards ; they were the Pintail Duck, in re-
markably good plumage.

WILD DUCK, Anas boschas. Of the Wild Ducks
which are observed here during the year, by far the

NATATOKES. 227

greater number are winter visitants, a few pairs only
remaining throughout the summer to breed in fa-
vourable localities. The arrival of the winter visitants
generally commences in October, and, as the season
advances, especially if there be much cold and ice,
a gradual increase in the numbers takes place, which
reaches its maximum height in February, after which
time a perceptible decrease is observed, and by the
end of March none are to be seen, except the few
scattered pairs which meditate nesting.*

" Wild Ducks rarely collect into dense flocks, like
Brent Geese or Widgeon ; they are more scattered,
and hence do not offer such tempting shots. They,
and Teal also, differ from those birds and from other
wild fowl by suddenly bounding from the water
right into the air, without giving any warning
to the shooter ; whereas the others swim a little
off, or give some indication that they are about to
rise." f

* While I am writing (20th April, 1866), a Wild Duck is
sitting upon twelve eggs about a mile from hence. Yester-
day, April 19th, she had left the nest, and was swimming at
some little distance from it, when I came suddenly upon
her. Instead of taking wing, she only swam slowly away
from me, and seemed in no way alarmed at a setter who
stood eyeing her from the bank. On my speaking to the
dog, she rose off the water, and, after circling round two or
three times, went off in the direction of the nest.

f Thompson's 'Natural History of Ireland/ vol. iii. p. 83.

228 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

Ducks always fly with the head and neck stretched
out in a line with their bodies, and may be distin-
guished from Widgeon by the steadier and greater
regularity of their movements in the air, and, when
within range, the brown of the Duck's feathers may
be distinctly discerned. Ducks, when bent on long
flights, do not all move through the air at the same
altitude, but some much higher than others ; and
large flights generally seem to have a break in the
centre, and present a figure very much resembling
the outline of North and South America as it appears
on the map. When flying near the surface of land
or water they are often in a confused mass.*

Occasionally I have found a pair of Wild Ducks
in a small quiet pond at a distance from any road,
and in autumn often come upon them in ditches,
where they resort to pick up acorns, of which they
seem very fond. At other times they feed upon the
seeds and leaves of aquatic plants, worms, snails,
and small shell-fish.

In ' The Zoologist ' for 1860-64 (pp. 6922, 9049) will
be found a list of the wild fowl observed in winter
in the London waters. From this list it appears
that, exclusive of hybrids, no less than eight species
have been noticed — viz., Gadwall, Widgeon, Teal,
Shoveller, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Ferruginous
Duck, and Golden Eye. The observer, Mr. Henry

* Folkard's ' Wild Fowler,' p. 113.

I

NATATORES. 229

Hussey, thinks that " they are too numerous to have
escaped from the Zoological Gardens, and the faci-
lities for breeding in the other London waters are
very small indeed. Hence it is more than probable
that the birds, having perfect wings, are really wild
birds."

While on the subject of London waters and wild
fowl, I am tempted to give the following extracts for
the amusement of ornithologists in London.

" St. James' Park was much enlarged and improved
by Charles II., who added several fields to it, and
caused it to be planted with lime-trees. He also
contracted the water into a canal, 100 feet broad
and 2800 long, with a decoy and other ponds for
water-fowl. The same monarch had likewise an
aviary adjoining to the Bird-cage Walk, thus named
from the cages which were hung in the trees."*

" Charles," says Gibber, " was often here amidst
crowds of spectators, feeding his ducks and playing
with his dogs, and passing his idle moments in affa-
bility even to the meanest of his subjects, which
made him to be adored by the common people ; so
fascinating in the great are the habits of conde-
scension."

TEAL, Anas crecca. Of late years Teal have much
decreased in numbers, and, though formerly regular
winter visitants, are now very uncertain in their

* * London and Middlesex,' by Rev. J. Nightingale.

X

230 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

appearance. Within the last five or six years I have
remarked that they are most plentiful here in Fe-
bruary, during which month they may be found in
the brooks and at quiet pools which lie at a distance
from any public thoroughfare.

Teal, as a rule, suffer a much nearer approach
than any other species of Duck, and, on being dis-
turbed at a brook which has plenty of cover along
the banks, they will, after flying a short distance,
drop down suddenly again, like Snipe and Wood-
cock. Owing to this peculiarity, a friend once
bagged five Teal out of one " sprig," in three double
shots.

During the winter I frequently see Teal swimming
in company with Wild Ducks ; but, although they
mingle together when on the water, on being dis-
turbed the species alwa3rs separate, the Teal going
oif in one flock, the Ducks in another.

Mr. Thompson says : " On looking to the contents
of the stomachs of twenty-seven Teal, killed at
various times, from late in autumn until the be-
ginning of spring, I have ascertained that they feed
chiefly on the seeds of aquatic plants of various
kinds ; among others, of rushes, duckweed (Lemna),
&c. ; also on other vegetable matter, and occasionally
on insect larvce ; a quantity of sand and gravel, like-
wise, is taken into the stomach."

The nest is generally placed at a distance from
water, and, being concealed with much care, it

NATATORES. S31

requires a careful search to discover it. I once had
the extraordinary good fortune to find three Teal's
nests in one day. They were all situated among
heath, and, as they exactly resembled each other,
the description of one will suffice. I accordingly
extract, verbatim, from my note-book.

" Between two preserved covers lay an open tract
of unbroken ground, about fifty acres in extent. A
strong growth of heather, about a foot high, waved
over a thick carpet of soft moss (two species), while
here and there, in a small open space, a little pool
or puddle appeared. Although it would have been
difficult to find a more suitable locality for a Teal's
nest, the thick growth of heather almost made me
despair of finding one ; and I stood still, musing for
some time, when my eye fell upon a feather — a small
feather — clinging to a spray of heather. This appa-
rently insignificant circumstance was to me most
significant. Peering under the bush on which it
hung, great was my delight at discovering the neat
little nest of a Teal containing ten fresh eggs.
Placed in a hollow at the foot of the overhanging
bunch of heather, it was composed of moss and dry
grass, very compact, and lined with down from the
bird's breast. The poor Duck, in ftying from her
home, had dropped a feather at her doorway, which
betrayed her."

The young, as soon as hatched, are extremely
lively, and display wonderful power in diving. Under

232 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

date April 29th, I find the following entry in my
note-book :—

" While observing a Snipe which continued to fly
round me, ' drumming/ my attention was diverted
by the peculiar chirping of some young chicks, and,
looking along the narrow and shallow stream, which
ran into the pond on my left, I saw on my right
several young Teal, only a few days old, actively
swimming towards me. As soon as they caught
sight of me, instead of retreating to the flags on
either side of the stream to hide, they instantly
dived, and, the water being clear, although with a
muddy bottom, I could easily see them shooting
along, with outstretched necks, looking more like
fish than birds. Thinking to catch one, I held my
umbrella over the water, prepared to strike, when,
although so much above me, they seemed to perceive
my movements, and turned rapidly, continuing their
dive.

" By a quick stroke, however, I held one to the
bottom with my umbrella in one hand, while I seized
the little fellow by the legs with the other. The
rest, meantime, escaped. My little captive appeared
to be only three or four days old, and was wonder-
fully active and noisy. His description was as
follows : * —

* I depart, in this case, from my rule of abstaining from
particular descriptions ; firstly, because young Teal are dif-

NATATORES. 233

" Upper mandible brownish grey, a distinct nail
at the extremity; edges emarginate and yellowish
pink ; under mandible yellowish pink ; inner edges
of both perceptibly serrated. Crown, nape, back,
and sides dark olive-brown ; over the eye a yellow
line ; a dark brown line from base of bill through
eye to occiput, meeting the dark brown on head.
Cheeks yellowish, with dark spot on the ear; chin
and neck yellowish ; throat dusky ; breast and belly
a nondescript colour, between yellow, grey, and
white. Wings rudimentary, dark olive-brown above,
yellow beneath, small white plumules in place of
secondary quills. Legs and toes minutely reticu-
lated, pale brown ; webs a darker brown, almost
black."

WIDGEON, Anas Penelope. A regular winter visit-
ant, arriving towards the end of October, their
numbers increasing as the season advances. In
most winters Widgeon are more plentiful than any
other species of wild fowl, affording capital sport to
the wild fowler, and furnishing a very dainty dish.

" Their movements on the wing are quicker than
Ducks, and the size of their bodies being smaller,

ficult to obtain at any time, and an opportunity of examining
one seldom occurs ; and secondly, because the delicate colour
of the bill and legs so quickly fades after death, that a de-
description from life may be with some naturalists a deside-
ratum.

x 3

234 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX

and their necks shorter, it is not difficult to distin-
guish their species. Widgeon, when in flight, always
keep up their call-note ; Ducks fly in silence." *

This last remark, however, is not in accordance
with my own experience, for I have frequently heard
Ducks, when suddenly sprung, commence to quack,
continuing their cry until out of hearing.

Mr. Waterton remarks f that the Widgeon differs
from many other wild fowl, both in the nature of its
food and in the time of procuring it. " The Mallard,
the Pochard, and the Teal obtain nearly the whole
of their nourishment during the night. On the
contrary, the Widgeon procures its food in the day-
time, and that food is grass."

I have observed Widgeon call a good deal at night.
Their soft whistling note, like " whee~ou, ivhee-ou"
may be heard on still nights at a great distance.
When sitting on the water, they look smaller and
blacker than Ducks.

COMMON SCOTER, Anas nigra. Provincial, Velvet
Duck and Black Duck. This is almost exclusively
a sea bird, and is seldom seen inland, except during
heavy gales, when it comes no further from the coast
than possible, but accepts the nearest refuge, and
that only as a temporary retreat.

I have seen two examples of the Common Scoter

* Folkard's • Wild Fowler.' London, 1859, p. 113.
f ' Essays in Natural History,' 1st Series, p. 180.

NATATORES. 235

which were shot on Kingsbury Reservoir in severe
weather ; and a local keeper states that many years
ago, before this sheet of water was so much fre-
quented, a few ' Black Ducks ' generally made their
appearance every winter.

POCHARD or DUN BIRD, Anas ferina. A winter
visitant, varying much in numbers in different years.
It is a wary and suspicious bird, and on this account,
as well as through its expertness in diving back
through the pipe, it is rarely taken in a decoy. Like
the Wild Duck and Teal, it feeds chiefly at night, its
diet consisting of the seeds of aquatic plants and other
vegetable matter, varied with different species of fresh-
water shells.* The note is a low whistle, except when
the birds are suddenly sprung, when the}T quack like
the Wild Duck. Dun Birds fly very rapidly, with a
noisy twitter of the wing, and may be known by the
shortness of their pinions and their heavy-looking
bodies, and especially by their filing in a closely-
packed lump, and not in line or figure as Widgeon
and Duck.

FERRUGINOUS or CASTANEOUS DUCK, Anas nyroca.
This bird, sometimes called the " W7hiteeyed Po-
chard," is a rare winter visitant from the East. It
somewhat resembles the Pochard in appearance, but
may be distinguished by its smaller size, dark brown

* Some bivalves belonging to the genus Pisidium recog-
nized.

236 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

back, and a white bar across the wing. Examples
are occasionally seen in the London market,hanging
up with other wild fowl, but are probably imported
to this country from Holland.

So far as I am aware, the Ferruginous Duck has
only once occurred in Middlesex, if we except the
birds seen by Mr. Hussey,* which it is not certain
were not escaped and semi-domesticated specimens.

On the 24th December, 1863, Mr. W. H. Power
was shooting at Kingsbury Reservoir, and, sheltered
by the high bank at the head of this sheet of water,
he approached sufficiently near to a solitary Duck to
kill it with a cartridge. It proved to be a female of
this species, and is now preserved in Mr. Power's
collection.!

SCAUP, Anas marila. Willughby remarks that
this bird is called the Scaup Duck, because it feeds
upon " scaup," i. e., broken shell-fish. It is almost
exclusively a sea bird, and is seldom found inland
upon fresh water, except in severe weather.

Two examples only of this Duck have come under
my notice in Middlesex. They were both killed at

* See ante, p. 228.

f The Rev. L. Jenyns and Mr. Yarrell state that speci-
mens of the Red-crested Pochard, or Whistling Duck (Anas
rufind) have been obtained in the London market ; but these
may have come from Holland, from whence great numbers
of wild fowl are sent to our markets every winter. This
bird is an inhabitant of North-eastern Europe.

NATATORES. 237

Kingsbury Reservoir. One of them is in the collec-
tion of Mr. Bond, who recorded its capture in * The
Zoologist' for 1843 ; the other is in the collection of
Mr. C. Minasi, and was, I believe, obtained about
the same time.

TUFTED DUCK, Anas 'fuligula. A regular winter
visitant, but varying much in numbers in different
years. As many as thirty have been seen at one
time during hard weather upon Kingsbury Eeservoir,
but it is seldom that so many can be counted in one
" team ; " the more usual number is ten or a dozen.
They are expert divers, and in open water difficult
to get at, but a little hard work and stratagem will
repay the sportsman who bags a couple ; for, besides
affording good sport, he will find them excellent
eating.

Mr. Thompson says that in fresh water the Tufted
Duck feeds upon the seeds of several species of
plants, soft vegetable matter, insects of various
kinds; amongst others, the Notonecta, or boat-fly,
and minute bivalve shells, such as Pisidia. In one
example were four of the Limneus pereger, full-
grown shells and animals, both being perfect.

Some Tufted Ducks, killed on the coast, exhibited
numerous small rnollusca, Rissoa ulvce, and other
Rissoce, together with Littorince, and small shells of
Mytilus edulis. In addition to this food, all con-
tained sand and gravel.

GOLDENEYE, Anas clangula. An uncertain winter

238 BIEDS OF MIDDLESEX.

visitant, never appearing in large flocks like some
others of the Duck tribe, but usually seen in little
parties of ten or a dozen. These parties keep much
by themselves, and seldom associate with the Com-
mon Wild Ducks and Mallards, as do the Pochard,
Teal, and some others, which, no doubt, is owing to
a difference in their habits and in the nature of their
food. The Goldeneyes are expert divers, and, from
their extreme wariness and the difficulty of ap-
proaching them, afford capital sport to the wild-
fowler.

They generally keep out in the open water by
day, coming inshore to feed by night, where they
remain till morning. At early dawn, after feeding,
they appear lazy and disposed to remain alongshore,
so that, if there be any cover to screen an approach,
the sportsman will find this the best time to get at
them. Col. Hawker, in speaking of these birds,
which in some places are called " Curres," gives
the following good advice : * — " If you see a single
" Curre " by day, when he dives, you must run ; and
the moment he comes up, squat down. So you may
go on till within ten yards of him, and then stand
ready to shoot him as he flies up, which he will do
on coming up again and seeing you suddenly appear
so close."

I have found this plan very successful, not

* ' Instructions to Young Sportsmen,' p. 310.

NATATORES. 289

only with Ducks, but also with Grebes and
Divers.

In the winter of 1863-64, out of a small flock of
Goldeneyes which visited Kingsbury Reservoir,
three were shot by Mr. W. H. Power. On the 25th
March, 1865, I saw two male Goldeneyes at this
sheet of water. They were very shy, and kept out
a long way from the shore. I tried to approach
them, both by land and in a boat, but could never
get within gunshot of them. On the 2nd April
following, two male Goldene3res, probably the same
two, were on this reservoir, and I again tried, un-
successfully, to get a shot at them.

SMEW, Mergus albellus. A rare winter visitant,
seldom coming so far inland, except in severe
weather.

Mr. Bond has recorded, in * The Zoologist ' for
1843, the occurrence of a single bird of this species,
which was shot on Kingsbury Reservoir. Mr.
Spencer informed me that his brother killed three
of these birds at the same sheet of water in January,
1849 : two of these were immature males, the third
an adult female. The last Smew which came under
my notice as having been killed in the county was
a fine old male bird, shot at the above-named reser-
voir during the winter of 1860-61. The adult male
Smews are rarely met with, the majority of the birds
which visit us being females and immature males.
But little is known respecting 'the habits of this

240 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

species in the breeding season, or of its nidification,
and, with the great majority of collectors, an egg of
the Smew is still a great desideratum.

REDBREASTED MERGANSER, Mergus serrator. Pro-
vincial, Sawbill. This species has been shot two or
three times on Kingsbury Reservoir, but in every
instance in winter. Mr. Yarrell observes that they
visit the Thames, and he received from Mr. Jesse a
fine specimen that was killed during severe weather
above Putney Bridge.

Mr. James Button, of Hammersmith, wrote me
word that two Redbreasted Mergansers were shot
on the river in his neighbourhood, in January,
1854, and another specimen, in his brother's col-
lection, was killed on the river, near Chiswick, in
the winter of 1855.

GOOSANDER, Mergus merganser. A fine male
Goosander was shot at Kingsbury, several winters
ago, by a labouring man, who, thinking the bird
unique, refused a crown for it, and carried it to
London, expecting to sell it for a fabulous sum.

I have occasionally seen Goosanders hanging up
in the London markets in the spring, but could
never obtain satisfactory proofs of any having been
killed in the county. These were almost invariably
females and immature males.

NATATORES. 241

Family COLYMBID^E.

GREAT CRESTED GREBE, Podiceps cristatus. I
cannot learn that this handsome bird has ever been
seen in Middlesex in the peculiar stage of plumage
from which it derives its name ; the few examples
which have occurred have all been in winter or im-
mature plumage, minus the crest. Mr. Yarrell has
recorded the capture of a young bird in its first
winter, which was shot on the Thames at Penton
Hook, near Laleham, and I have seen three examples
in winter plumage which were shot during February
and March, in different years, at Kingsbury Reser-
voir. On the 24th March, 1865, and following day,
I noticed a bird of this species at the same sheet of
water, and find the following entry relating to it in
my note-book for that year.

" On the first day the reservoir was frozen over,
with the exception of a long, narrow space in the
centre, and in this confined spot, out of gunshot
from the shore, the Great Grebe appeared to
feel safe. The ice was too thick to permit the
use of a boat, and yet not sufficiently strong to
bear our weight, while several cartridges aimed
point-blank at the bird were, owing to the distance,
ineffectual in killing or inducing it to change its
quarters. On the afternoon of the second day the
ice broke up with loud cracks, and, in a strong wind

Y

242 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

and violent storm of rain, we proceeded in search of
the Great Grebe again.

It was with difficulty discovered swimming very
low in the water, and showing little more than head
and neck, and oftentimes invisible amid the rough
waves. As the boat approached within gunshot, and
a cartridge sped over the water, the bird, with
scarcely an effort, disappeared, and in a prolonged
dive soon doubled the distance between itself and
its pursuer. Stretching to the oars again, we drew
near, and another charge of No. 5 was sent after the
hapless Grebe, but apparently ducking the flash it
escaped the shot, and appeared in an unexpected
direction two hundred yards away. The diving
powers possessed by this bird are so extraordinary
that, to one who has never seen it, a true descrip-
tion would appear an exaggeration. In an hour's
hard rowing we could never keep pace with the bird,
and shot after shot was fired, at long distances, while,
like a phantom, it escaped unscathed. Once, arid
once only, in the pelting storm, did it rise upon the
wing ; hemmed into a corner it was forced either
to dive under the boat or fly. The right trigger had
been pulled as it sat upon the water, and the cap
snapped, when the bird, stretching its long narrow
wings, flew low across the bows, a fair cross-shot ;
but, in the previous excitement of rowing, the gun
had got wet, and a deliberate and confident aim only
resulted in the vexation of another misfire, while the

NATATORES. 243

object of our desire flew steadily on, and was lost in
the distance amid the rough water. Cold, wet, and
disappointed, we turned homewards in the driving
rain, and left Podiceps cristatus in the enjoyment of
the liberty it had so hardly earned. The following
day it had disappeared.

The food of the Grebes is chiefly fish, but they
also take numbers of insects.

A fine Crested Grebe, kept on the water in St.
James's Park, is mentioned by Mr. Yarrell, and
Mr. Thompson says : " This was probably the same
individual which afforded much amusement to a
friend and myself one evening at the end of April,
by the extreme agility displayed in flycatching. It
pursued its prey in all possible ways, shooting its
neck vertically upwards for any passing over-head,
the next moment to one side or other, and again
making a rush along the surface of the water for two
or three yards after some winged insect. I never
saw so much agility displayed by any bird in this
pursuit ; all the numerous species of Anatida on the
water, though busied by flycatching also, were the
veriest dolts compared with the Grebe."

EARED GREBE, Podiceps auritus. The rarest of
our British Grebes. The earliest notice which I
have been able to find of its occurrence in this
county, is in Edwards' * Gleanings.' That author,
writing in 1743, says that he found several birds of
this species in the London markets, during the hard

244 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

winter of 1839, but had never previously observed
it. He subsequently obtained one which was " taken
about the large ponds at Hampstead, near London,
and sent alive to Sir Hans Sloane, who, when it
died, sent it to me that a draft of it might be pre-
served." Of this example the author gives a coloured
figure and description, and adds that, as he had the
bird soon after it was dead, before the colour of the
eyes and feet was changed, he was thereby enabled
to describe it accurately. He does not give the
date of the capture, but the description given is
that of an adult male in imperfect summer plumage.

In the ' British Miscellany' (p. 19, t. 70) there is
a representation of a male and female of this species,
accompanied by the nest and eggs, which were taken
in a pond on Chelsea Common, in June, 1805. Two
specimens, killed at Kingsbury Reservoir in 1841,
are mentioned in Yarrell's ' British Birds ' (vol. iii.,
p. 421), and the subsequent occurrence of this rare
species at the same sheet of water is recorded in
' The Zoologist ' for 1843.

LITTLE GREBE, Podiceps minor. Provincial,
Dabchick. This interesting little bird appears
most numerous in spring and autumn, when there
is apparently a migration through the county. It
seldom remains to breed, except in the most fa-
vourable localities, such as quiet ponds, where an
abundance of flags, or other thick cover, affords
sufficient shelter ; and the majorit}^ of the birds

NATATORES. 245

which have come under my notice were in the winter
plumage. I have noted the species as occurring at
Hampstead, Hendon, Elstree, and Kingsbury. On
the llth February, 1863, Mr. Henry Hussey ob-
served a Little Grebe on the Serpentine in winter
plumage. He has also, on one occasion, seen this
bird on the Bound Pond in Kensington Gardens.
He says : " It kept well out in the middle of the
pond, but, by means of a glass, I could distinguish
its size, shape, and action, and satisfy myself that it
was not a young duck, of which, indeed, there was
not one in the pond. It seems to me very extra-
ordinary that a bird whose powers of flight are sup-
posed to be very small, should make its appearance
in a pond without an atom of cover in or near it, and
surrounded by many miles of brick and mortar."

The activity displayed by the Little Grebe when
in pursuit of fish, its usual food, may be witnessed
by all who will pay a visit to the Regent's Park
Zoological Gardens, where several are at present in
excellent health.

BLACK-THROATED DIVER, Colymbus arcticus. Barely
found inland, except during severe weather. So far
as I am aware, but one example has occurred in
Middlesex. This was a young male, which was shot
by Mr. Bond in the winter of 1843, at Kingsbury
Beservoir.

BEDTHEOATED DIVER, Colymbus septentrionalis.
Of more frequent occurrence than the last-named.

Y 3

246 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

I have seen a Kedthroated Diver in winter plumage
that was killed on the Thames, between Kichmond
and Twickenham, nearly opposite Eel-Pie Island ;
and birds of this species have frequently been seen,
and occasionally shot, on Kingsbury Reservoir,
during winter. The last which came under my
notice was killed there on the 9th February, 1864.

Family LARID^E.

COMMON TERN, Sterna hirundo. Provincial, Sea
Swallow. During the periodical migrations in spring
and autumn we are visited by several species of
Tern, of which the most numerous is Sterna hirundo.
These birds generally arrive with an east wind, and,
if not disturbed, remain upon the river and about
the reservoirs for some days. The first flocks arrive
during the first week of May, and consist almost
entirely of old birds. In August, on the return south-
wards, young as well as old birds are seen. At night
I have seen them roosting upon boats, and upon posts
projecting above the water below high-water mark.
The flight of all the Terns is exceedingly graceful,
and there can hardly be a prettier sight, or one more
interesting to the ornithologist, than a flock of these
birds fishing in undisturbed enjoyment.

A peculiar trait in the character of Terns is, that
when one is killed or wounded its companions fly
screaming towards it, and the quickness with which

NATATORES. 247

they perceive its fall is very surprising. They dart
down until almost touching it, and, finding that it
cannot rise, keep circling over it with mournful
cries, until repeated shots deal death or teach them
caution. Sir William Jardine truly says,* that all
the Terns are very light, and the body being com-
paratively small, the expanse of wings and tail so
buoys them up, that, when shot in the air, they are
sustained, their wings fold above them, and they
whirl gently down like a shuttlecock.

When inland the food consists of small fish, which
are taken very dexterously, with a graceful plunge ;
while, in specimens killed on the coast, I have found,
in addition, shrimps and small sand-eels. In Mid-
dlesex the Common Tern justifies its name, and is
more frequently met with than any of the other
species, although in some years the Black Tern is
very common. Examples have frequently been met
with on the Thames, more than forty miles above
Gravesend. None of the four species which visit us
ever remain to breed.

ARCTIC TERN, Sterna arctica. Although less plenti-
ful than the last-named, small flocks visit us annually
in spring and autumn, the two species frequently
consorting together. The habits of both S. hirundo
and S. arctica are very similar, and the general
resemblance such, that, except by the note (which is

* ' British Birds/ vol. iv., p. SJ75.

248 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

difficult to imitate),* it is impossible to distinguish
them on the wing.

The Arctic Tern is so frequently confounded with
the Common Tern, which it certainly very much
resembles, that I may be excused for departing, in
this case, from my rule of abstaining from descrip-
tions, to point out here the leading features by which
the two species may be distinguished. Many authors
give measurements of the wing, tail, and total length ;
but, from an examination of a great number of spe-
cimens of each, it appears that individuals of the
same species vary so much, according to sex and
age, that these measurements are practically of but
little use. We are also told that the Arctic Tern
is always much darker beneath than its congener,
but I have seen some Common Terns, shot in June,
which were quite as dark as many Arctic Terns
which I have examined. Again, many naturalists
say that while the bill of the Common Tern is red,
with a black tip, that of the Arctic is invariably red
throughout its whole length ; but this is only the
case with fully adult birds. The young of both

* Mr. W. Thompson remarks that the cry of the Common
Tern resembles the sound "pirre," and that of the Arctic,
" che-eep, cheep, or chip" when uttered quickly ; while that
of the Roseate Tern sounds like "crake,'" uttered in a hoarse
grating key. See * Nat. Hist, of Ireland,' vol. iii., pp. 273,
284.

NATATORES.

249

species at first have the bill of a dark horn-colour,
orange-red at the base. As the bird gets older, the
dark colour recedes further from the base, while the
red becomes brighter, and finally only the tip of the
bill remains black in the Common Tern, while in the
Arctic species the black colour disappears entirely.
The only features which really appear to be constant,
and may consequently be considered indicative of
the species, are the comparative length of bill and
tarsus, and the length of closed wings in proportion
to the tail. In a few words, the differences may be
shortly stated as follows : —

COMMON TERN.

Bill, longer and stouter, ave-
rage = 2 in., red, black at
tip.

Tarsus, longer, average Si-
lines.

Tail, equal to, or (generally)
shorter than closed wings.

Under parts, whiter.

Black-cap, extends perhaps a
little further, and is more
pointed in form.

This last statement requires confirmation. In
most cases the shape and colour of the eggs may
be taken as a good indication of the species to which
they belong, but those of the Common and Arctic
Terns so nearly resemble each other, and at the
same time vary to such an extent in the colour and

ARCTIC TERN.

Bill, shorter and more slen-
der, average =1 in. 6 lines,
in old bird red throughout.

Tarsus, shorter, average 6£
lines.

Tail, longer than closed
wings.

Underparts, greyer.

Black-cap, rather shorter and
more rounded in form.

250 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

disposition of their markings, that it is scarcely
possible to separate them when mixed.

LESSER TERN, Sterna minuta. Examples of this
graceful little bird are observed here in spring and
autumn, but it is very irregular in its movements,
and is the least common of the Terns which visit us.
In appearance and habits it much resembles the
Common Tern, and its note is also similar. (See
ante, p. 248, note.)

BLACK TERN, Sterna nigra. Next to the Common
Tern this is the commonest of the four species
which visit us, and is the earliest to appear in the
spring. In 1863 I shot one on the 25th April ; it
proved to be a male bird in incipient summer plumage.
Adult males in full summer dress are seldom ob-
tained, the majority of those which appear in spring
being old birds in winter or incipient summer plum-
age, and, in autumn, the females and young of the year.

The Black Tern evinces a great partiality for
fresh water, and, so far as I have been able to ob-
serve, does not prey upon fish to the same extent as
its congeners. The stomachs of several which I
examined contained a quantity of insects. Their
flight is very graceful, closely resembling that of the
Swallow (hence the popular name of Sea-Swallow),
and, during May, they may be seen sporting over
the water in company with innumerable Swallows
and Sandmartins, with whom they always appear to
be on very good terms.

NATATORES. 251

SABINE'S GULL, Larus Sabini. This rare and
beautiful little Gull, from its peculiar form of tail,
which is forked, and from the slenderness of its hill
and legs, may well he considered as the connecting
link between the Terns and Gulls. It was first met
with and killed * by Captain Sabine, E.A., in July,
1818, on low rocky islands off the west coast of
Greenland, and was described and named after him
by his brother, Mr. Joseph Sabine, in the 12th vol.
of the 'Linnsean Transactions.' Three specimens
only were known to Mr. Yarrell as having occurred
in England,\ and Mr. Thompson records but four
captures in Ireland.!

The species was first described as British by the
last-named gentleman, in a paper read before the
Linnaean Society, in April, 1834, and in every
instance, hitherto, the specimens obtained in Britain
have been young birds in the plumage of the first
year.

I have now the pleasure of recording the capture
of a fourth example in England, and the additional
satisfaction of being able to include it in my Cata-
logue of Middlesex birds.

Early in September, 1862, Mr. J. Sorrell, of the
Trinity House, proceeded in a boat towards the

* In the adult black-headed plumage.

f Yarrell's ' British Birds,' vol. iii., p. 550.

t Thompson's ' Birds of Ireland,' vol. iii., pp. 309 — 314.

252 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

mouth of the river for the diversion of shooting
Gulls, which, at this season of the year, appear in
some numbers ; and, when nearly opposite Blackwall,
he killed the rare specimen which is now "before
me.

Referring to Mr. Thompson's description of the
first British example recorded, and which was taken
from a young bird shot in Belfast Bay, I find, on
comparison, that it will apply to the bird now under
consideration, except in a few particulars presently
to be mentioned. The description of the Thames
bird is as follows : —

Bill slender and dark brown ; irides hazel ; fore-
head, cheeks, throat, and sides of neck white ; crown,
nape, back, scapulars and wing-coverts smoke-gray,
the tip of each feather margined with dirty white,
giving all the upper parts of the plumage a peculiar
mottled appearance. Throat, breast and under parts
white. Primaries black, with outer half of inner
webs white, and the 4th, 5th and 6th tipped with
white : secondaries white : upper and under tail-
coverts white. Tail-feathers twelve in number,
white, with tips black to the extent of an inch from
their extremities, giving the appearance of a broad
black band when the tail is spread. The two outer
tail-feathers the longest, the two centre ones the
shortest (an inch shorter) ; the intermediate ones on
each side growing shorter as they approach the
centre, giving the tail a very forked appearance

NATATORES. 253

when spread. * Legs, toes and webs flesh-colour ;
nails dark brown.

The measurements as follows :t —

Inches. Lines.

Total length . . . 11 6

Length of bill . . ' . ' . * „ 10

„ wing from carpus . . 10 6

tail . . . '•:.• 4 6

„ tibia (bare portion) . . „ 9

„ tarsus . . .15

„ middle toe and nail . .12

Extent of wing . . . . 26 „

It will be seen, from the above description, that it
applies to a bird of the year, and it is somewhat
remarkable that none but immature examples of this
species have hitherto been met with in Great Britain,
all of which were obtained in autumn.

The bird now under consideration differs from
that described by Mr. Thompson in the following
particulars: — the "space immediately above the
eye," instead of being " white," is pale grey ; the
" under part of the throat and upper part of the
breast," instead of being " pale ash-colour," is white ;

* This is, probably, sufficiently conspicuous when the
bird is flying to afford a ready means of distinguishing it.

f It is proper to state that these measurements were
taken after the bird was stuffed, and cannot, therefore, be
considered as quite exact.

z

254 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

and there is no " white spot of an oval shape " on
the outer web of the sixth primary. From this I
conclude that the hird now before me is older than
that described by Mr. Thompson, and approaches
more nearly the adult plumage.

LITTLE GULL, Larus minutus. Almost as rare a
visitant to this country as the last-named, being an
inhabitant of Eastern Europe. It was first noticed
as a British species by Col. Montagu, who described
a specimen in the collection of Mr. Plasted, which
had been shot on the Thames near Chelsea. This
was a young bird in the plumage of the first year,
and at the sale of Mr. Plasted's collection it passed
into the possession of Mr. Leadbeater. I have
lately seen a beautiful specimen of the Little Gull
in nearly mature spring plumage, which was shot
from a boat while flying over the Thames in Black-
wall Reach, in the early spring of 1863. Adult
birds in summer have the head black, in this respect
resembling the mature Sabine's and Blackheaded
Gulls at the same period of the year.

BLACKHEADED GULL, Larus ridibundus. Of the
few species of Gulls which visit us in spring and
autumn, the Blackheaded Gull is certainly the com-
monest. It would be more properly described as
the Brown-headed Gull, for the colour of the head
in summer certainly approaches nearer to brown
than black. An old bird of this species in the
breeding plumage, with red bill and legs, hazel eyes

NATATORES. 255

with orange eyelid, and the back and wings pale
grey, while all the under parts are snowy white, is
one of the most beautiful of all the Gulls.

In winter the brown head disappears almost
entirely, a few spots or streaks only of that colour
remaining on the crown, ear-coverts, and nape.
The young birds may always be known from their
parents by having the grey of the back more or less
spotted with brown, the scapulars, particularly, pre-
senting a very mottled appearance, and by having
the tail, which is square, and in old birds pure
white, barred with black at the extremity.

The Blackheaded Gull differs chiefly from others
of the genus in its partiality for fresh water, and in
its breeding inland in colonies upon the ground
instead of in cliffs facing the sea. Oftentimes the
centre of a marsh is selected, where, from the treach-
erous nature of the soil, the eggs are comparatively
safe. Elsewhere, when discovered, they are eagerly
carried off and sold as " Plover's eggs," and, in
truth, are very good eating. When visiting a breed-
ing station of the Blackheaded Gull during the last
week of May, 1864, one or two facts presented them-
selves which seemed worthy of note. In the first
place none but old birds in full summer dress were
breeding ; amongst several hundred I could not
detect a single bird in the plumage of the second
year. In the next place the period of laying seemed
uncertain, varying with different individuals, some

z 2

256 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

having young hatched while others had empty nests,
or only a single fresh egg. Again, it appeared that
incuhation commences as soon as the first egg is
laid, for some nests contained both eggs and young
birds.

The nests, as usual, were placed on the ground
within a few feet of each other, and were, for the
most part, built in tussocks of coarse grass, and
composed entirely of the same material. The ma-
jority of them contained three eggs each, but many
had four, and, in a few instances, I noticed three
eggs, cracked, and a young bird. Several of the
young birds, two or three days old, were running
about or hiding in the coarse herbage, while over-
head, it might be safely asserted, hundreds of the
parent birds were dashing about on outstretched
wings, rending the air with their wild screams. It
was truly a beautiful and interesting sight! The
variety which exists in eggs of the Blackheaded Gull
is very curious, and, if we except those of the Com-
mon Guillemot, perhaps no other eggs vary so much.
I may mention a few of the most marked varieties
which I have taken, the common type being dark
olive-brown, with dark spots and blotches. — Var. 1.
Green, with darker spots or blotches. Var. 2. Light
grey, with olive blotches. Var. 3. Pale sea-green,
with a zone of brown spots at larger end. Var. 4.
Pale bluish white, with scarcely any markings at all.

There is no breeding station of the Blackheaded

NATATOEES. 257

Gull in Middlesex, but the bird is (or was) plentiful
towards the mouth of the Thames, both in Kent and
Essex, breeding on some of the low flat islands on
the coast, and in the marshes of the interior.

I have seen and shot several at Kingsbury,*
which must be thirty miles from the sea, but it is
only during spring and autumn (when the birds are
on their way to and from their breeding-grounds), or
after a gale, that they are found so far inland.
Nearer the coast I have seen them in flocks upon
the ploughed fields, busily searching for worms and
grubs, thus rendering good service to the farmer.
Besides worms, the stomachs of several which I
examined contained small beetles and flies, remains
of fish and shrimps, and small univalve shells be-
longing to the genus Rissoa.

The Blackheaded seems the most fearless of all
the Gulls, and, like the Lesser Tern, will occa-
sionally suffer a very near approach.

Early one winter's morning, while standing on
Wellington Quay, Dublin, I was much entertained
in watching a flock of Blackheaded Gulls which
were hovering round the mouth of a sewer and pick-
ing up the bits of offal which floated out. At first,
on my approach, they seemed disposed to retreat,

* The last I killed so recently as the llth April, 1866. It
was one of three immature birds which frequented the reser-
voir at Kingsbury for two or three days.

z 3

258 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

but finding that I had no hostile intentions,
they continued their fishing, and I was enabled
to watch them at the distance of about forty yards.
Seeing that they were getting but a precarious
breakfast from the water, it occurred to me to try
and feed them. Accordingly I got a roll at the
nearest baker's, and began throwing small pieces
into the water. At first the birds paid no attention,
and I inclined to think my good intentions in their
regard were not appreciated ; but at length one
bolder than the rest swooped down and carried off
one of the pieces. His example was shortly followed
by others, and I soon had the inexpressible delight
of seeing the whole flock busy feeding within a few
yards of me as I leant over the quay.

Their flight was exceedingly graceful and buoyant,
and oftentimes in circling round, on the look-out for
food, the birds swept so close to my face that with
a butterfly-net I might have caught one. I was
particularly interested with the dexterous way in
which a piece of bread was taken from the water.
Hovering for an instant over the spot, the bird
swooped down, and bending the body in the form of
a semicircle, it seized the morsel in its bill without
wetting the wings or body, and only just skimming
the water with its toes.

KITTIWAKE, Larus tridactylus. Neither the Kit-
tiwake nor the Common Gull, next to be considered,
are met with so frequently as the Blackheaded Gull,

NATATORES. 259

which is, in fact, the " Common*' Gull in Middlesex,
nor do they appear so regularly in the spring and
autumn. In severe weather, after a strong wind
has been blowing from the east or north-east, a few
individuals are sometimes seen, but they make no
stay. Sir Humphrey Davy says :* — " I believe that
the reason of this migration of sea-gulls and other
sea-birds to the land, is their security of finding
food. They may be observed at this time feeding
greedily on the earth-worms and larva?, driven out
of the ground by severe floods, and the fish on which
they prey in severe weather in the sea leave the sur-
face when storms prevail, and go deeper." On re-
ferring to my note-books for different years, under
the head of Kittiwake Gull, I find record of one
killed at Elstree Eeservoir in May, 1850 ; another
at the same place in the spring of 1858 ; three at
Kingsbury Reservoir in May, 1859 ; one at this
sheet of water in August, 1863 ; and another, a fine
adult male, now in my collection, shot also at Kings-
bury, on the 3rd April, 1865. This last bird was in
company with two Blackheaded Gulls, which disap-
peared, with loud screams, when their companion
fell.

The Kittiwake may always be known from the
Common Gull, which it closely resembles in size
and colour when fully adult, by the absence of a

* ' Salmonia,' p. 193.

260 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

hind toe, which peculiarity has obtained for it the
specific name of tridactylus.

COMMON GULL, Larus canus. This bird, although
called the " Common" Gull, is by no means so in
Middlesex, and indeed, so far as I have been able
to observe, it is nowhere so numerous in the South
of England as its congener the Kittiwake. The few
examples which have been met with in this county
must be considered as accidental visitants. Mr.
Jesse notices one that was killed in winter at
Hampton Court, and I have seen some half-dozen
examples in different stages of plumage which were
shot lower down on the Thames, by Blackwall, in
September. Three specimens of this Gull have
come under my notice at Kingsbury ; the last, on
the 5th January, 1864, was an adult bird in winter
plumage. Dr. Gtinther informed me that towards
the end of October, 1865, he observed a flock of
these Gulls in Bushy Park. They numbered about
twenty, and were so busily engaged in fishing at one
of the ponds that he was enabled to approach within
a very short distance, and thus identified the species.
A larger, brown Gull, believed to have been a Skua,
accompanied them, and remained in the neighbour-
hood for several days.

The variation of colour in the legs and toes of
different individuals of Larus canus is very remark-
able. Not only do the old birds differ in this respect
from the young, which is the case with many birds,

NATATORES. 261

but the former also differ inter se in summer and
winter. An old bird, killed in June, had the tarsi
and toes bright yellow, while another adult bird,
shot in February, had the same parts greyish green.
Two old birds, procured in October, exhibited the
yellow colour only around the tarsal joint, the rest
of the leg and foot being pale greenish grey. Tem-
minck calls this species " Mouette d pieds bleus."

LESSER BLACKBACKED GULL, Larus fuscus. In a
list of water-birds occurring at Kingsbury Reservoir,
published in ' The Zoologist ' for 1843, the occur-
rence of the Lesser Blackbacked Gull is recorded ;
but it is a rare bird in Middlesex, and only met with
in severe weather, or after there has been a preva-
lence of east wind. I have seen a young bird of
this species, which was shot at Kingsbury Reservoir,
in autumn ; and in October, 1865, "William Sawyer,
the keeper at this reservoir, killed a fine old bird in
good plumage.

Gulls appear to be longer in arriving at maturity
of plumage than, perhaps, any other class of birds.
Many species attain the adult plumage after the first
moult ; but I believe most, if not all, of the Gulls
pass three years in a state of gradual transition
before they display the colours of their parents.
Whether they pair and breed before they have
assumed the adult plumage has not yet, so far as I
am aware, been ascertained, but my own observa-
tions lead me to think that they do not.

262 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

When visiting a stronghold of the Lesser Black-
backed Gull at the Fame Islands, in the breeding
season, I do not remember to have seen a single
individual at this time in the mottled plumage pecu-
liar to the immature bird. And I have remarked
the same thing with regard to the Blackheaded* and
Herring Gulls, f Independently of its smaller size,
the Lesser Blackbacked Gull may be distinguished
from its congener, the Great Blackbacked Gull, by
the colour of its legs, which (in adult birds) are
yellow; those of the larger species being flesh-
colour.

HERRING GULL, Larus argentatus. An accidental
visitant ; no regular migration in spring and autumn
taking place, as in the case of the Terns.

The few Herring Gulls which I have seen, killed
on the Thames and at our reservoirs (generally in
autumn), were all immature birds.

In other counties I have remarked a habit of the
Herring Gull, when inland, of visiting newly-
ploughed ground, to feed on the worms and grubs
which are turned up ; and there can be little doubt
that in this respect it is a very useful bird to the
farmer.

The different cry of different Gulls, although

* See ante, p. 255.

f See " A Visit to the Dorsetshire Coast in the Nesting
Season," ' Zoologist,' 1865, p. 9677.

NATATOKES. 263

difficult to imitate, is worthy of attention, since it
helps us to determine the species at a distance, and
this is the more important in the case of immature
birds. The ordinary note of the Herring Gull is a
hoarse laugh or cackle, of five syllables, so to speak,
and sounding like " wa-a-a-a-agh" quickly uttered.

GREAT BLACKBACKED GULL, Larus marinus. This
Gull may often be seen towards the mouth of the
Thames, and used formerly to breed there, in the
marshes on the flat shores of Kent and Essex.
Occasionally individuals stray up the river to a
considerable distance. I have heard of one which
was killed as high up as Putney during a frost. Mr.
Bond shot an old bird of this species many years ago
at Kingsbury Eeservoir. On the 7th March, 1862,
I saw a large grey Gull at this sheet of water, which
I took to be an immature specimen of the Great
Blackbacked Gull : it had probably been driven
inland by the east wind of the previous day. On
looking to my note-book for 1864, also, I find an
entry to the effect that, on the 5th January, in that
year, two large grey Gulls, probably of this species,
were seen at Kingsbury. The cry of this bird
sounds like " ke-dw, ke-aw."

In September, 1863, 1 brought home a live Great
Blackbacked Gull which had been slightly winged. It
was a bird of the year, in the mottled plumage pecu-
liar to all young Gulls. As it is still alive (May, 1866)
and in good health, I have had an opportunity of

364 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

observing the change of plumage for two years and a
half, and so gradually does this change take place
that it is only at long intervals that any great dif-
ference of plumage can be noticed. When the bird
was first captured, it was spotted all over. In Sep-
tember, 1864, when, perhaps, fifteen months old, the
spots on that portion of the plumage which ulti-
mately remains white, disappeared, and the back
and wings from being spotted became light brown,
with patches of dark grey feathers appearing here
and there at regular intervals. The bill at this time
was of a dark horn-colour; the eye very darkjbrown,
almost black ; the legs and toes light brownish white.

In September, 1865, at the age of two years and
three months, the head, neck, breast, and tail had
become a purer white ; but the crown and nape were
still speckled with dark grey, and the distal half of
the tail was transversely and irregularly marked with
grey. On the back and wings the light brown
feathers had given way, in irregular patches, to
others of a dark grey colour, and the upper parts
might now be described as almost of a dark slate-
colour, just a tinge of brown still pervading. The
bill was gradually getting lighter in colour at the
base, but might still be described as of a light horn-
colour ; the eye dark brown ; the legs and toes a
nondescript colour between brown, pink, and white.

In May, 1866, at the age of three years, the full
adult plumage not yet attained, the description of

NATATORES. 265

the bird was as follows : — Bill, black at tip, extreme
point white, base yellowish white ; eye dark brown,
pupil black, eyelid yellow ; crown pure white, nape
white, with longitudinal light brown streaks (as
in Larus canus), the feathers of the nape being white
with light brown quills and tips ; back and wings
above brownish black, approaching nearly to black,
the feathers being of two shades, and darkest towards
the roots. [This induces the inference that the
change is effected, not by a complete moult, but by
a gradual change of colour in each feather, the light
tips wearing off and giving place to new material of
a darker shade.] The whole of the under parts pure
white ; upper and under tail-coverts pure white ;
principal tail-feathers white, marbled with light
brown, the two centre ones the most devoid of
markings. Wings, first primary black with white
spot at tip (one inch long by half-an-inch wide) ;
second primary black, with smaller circular white
spot of a quarter of an inch diameter ; third and fourth
black, with just the tip of feather white and much
worn, the inside web of each feather much lighter,
inclining to grey. Secondaries dark slate-colour,
inner webs lighter, tips white. Legs and feet pale
flesh-colour, lightest at tarsal joint, darkest on webs ;
toes dark horn-colour.

The omnivorous habits of the genus Gull are fully
exemplified in this tame bird. Nothing seems to
come amiss to him, — meat, both raw and cooked,

2 A

266 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

fish, mice, small birds, snails, worms, and flies, are
all consumed in turns, as opportunity offers. If a
live mouse is turned down on the lawn before him,
he at once gives chase, and, coursing rapidly in
pursuit of it, like a Wagtail after a fly, seizes it with
unerring aim behind the head, and after a sharp
pinch or two, which crushes the skull and larger
bones, the unfortunate mouse is swallowed whole.
Sparrows and other small birds are treated in the
same way, being invariably first crushed and then
swallowed, head-first, whole. In this way I have
seen him take five Sparrows in rapid succession.

A curious fact with regard to this Gull is that he
catches Sparrows for himself very dexterously, and
the way in which he does it is this : — About the time
that the fowls are being fed, he makes his way to
the poultry-yard, and, mingling with the hens, walks
very slowly about with head drawn in, so as to make
his neck look very short, and as if, in fact, he were
trying to look as much like a fowl as possible. As
soon as the general rush for the grain is over, the
Sparrows drop down one by one, and then it is that
the Gull, drawing gradually within reach, sud-
denly darts out his long neck and seizes an un-
fortunate Sparrow by the head. So rapidly is this
done that escape for the unsuspecting Sparrow is
hopeless, and in another second he is crushed and
devoured.

As I have said, this Gull has swallowed as many

NATATORES. 267

as five Sparrows at a meal, and his capacity in this
respect is very wonderful. On one occasion a cat
brought two of her kittens out upon the lawn to
enjoy the sun, but while engaged in bringing the
second, the first was unceremoniously carried off by
the Gull, who thought, no doubt, he had secured a
good meal. Instead of tearing it up piecemeal,
however, as a Hawk would have done, he vainly
endeavoured to swallow it whole, and while thus
engaged he was discovered by a horrified member of
the family with the kitten's head down his throat,
while he was making frantic efforts to get the rest of
the body to follow. Of course the poor kitten was
rescued and restored to its anxious mother, and the
Gull was left to testify his disappointment by the
most discordant cries.

A little white terrier is extremely jealous of
the Gull, and whenever the latter appears at the
window to be fed, the dog rushes forward, barking
furiously, but always contriving to keep just out of
reach of the formidable bill. One day the dog was
observed in the garden, trotting slowly towards the
house, while his enemy the Gull was standing unseen
by him behind a Laurustinus, as if watching for an
opportunity to be revenged. No sooner had the
dog passed the shrub than he was seized by the
back, violently shaken, and carried, howling, across
the lawn, without offering the least retaliation. He
was then released, and probably never ran so fast in

2 A 2

268 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

his life before as he then did, to escape. Ever since
he has kept at a most respectful distance, and, when-
ever he is obliged to pass by the Gull, his walk
quickens to a trot, and the trot to a gallop, as if
his ribs still smarted with the sharp digs he had
received.

In the garden this Gull is very useful, feeding
upon snails, worms, and beetles, and I have several
times seen him running like a Wagtail in pursuit
of flies and moths.

He is now so tame that he comes up to the house
to be fed, and will take a Sparrow from my hand.
When he feels hungry he usually makes his presence
known by a loud trumpeting or braying, which often
has the desired effect ; but occasionally, when I have
passed him without taking any notice, I have received
a reminder in the shape of a sharp pinch in the calf
of the leg.

As soon as the wounded wing got well, he used
to take long flights in the neighbourhood, but
always returned to be fed. At length, for fear that
he might get shot, I was compelled to cut one wing
to keep him at home, and here he still lives a useful
and ornamental under-gardener.*

* I regret to say that, since these notes were written,
this amusing bird is dead. He was discovered one morning
in the small fish-pond, where he took his daily swim, cold and
stiff. A post-mortem examination failed to reveal the cause

NATATORES. 269

GLAUCOUS GULL, Larus glaucus. An immature
specimen of the Glaucous Gull was purchased in
London, in a fresh state, by Mr. Bartlett, during
the winter of 1838. This winter was a very severe
one, and numbers of rare wild fowl visited us
from the north. It is not improbable, therefore,
that the bird in question was killed upon the river,
or upon one or other of the large sheets of water
in the county. It was placed in the collection
of Mr. Yarrell, and a full description of it will be
found at p. 619, vol. iii., of that author's ' History
of British Birds.'

POMARINE SKUA, Lestris pomarina. The Skua
Gulls differ so much in their structure and habits
from the others of the family Larida, that they have
been considered entitled to generic distinction. They
seldom take the trouble to fish for themselves, but
give chase to other Gulls and force them to dis-
gorge the fish which they have taken, and so active
are they on the wing, that they frequently catch a
disgorged fish before it reaches the water. A

of his death, which can only be accounted for by supposing
that, owing to a clipped wing and the removal of some steps,
he was detained a prisoner in the water all night, and perished
from cold and cramp. The night in question was excessively
cold, and before morning there was a sharp frost. Ex-
cept in very calm weather, Gulls never remain all night
upon the water.

2 A 3

270 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

young bird of this species was shot some years
ago at Kingshury ; the exact date I have been
unable to ascertain, but the capture of this spe-
cimen is recorded in ' The Zoologist' for 1843.

Another example, also a young bird, was killed
near Harrow in 1841, and, more recently, a third was
picked up dead in Wembley Park. Mr. Yarrell men-
tions an example of this species that was shot some
years since in Hackney Marshes, near London, and
observes that early in the winter of 1837 many
were received in the London markets for sale,
and among them were eight or ten birds which had
been caught alive.

I have lately seen a young Pomarine Skua which
was shot on the Thames, towards the mouth of the
river, in August, 1862.

KICHARDSON'S or ARCTIC SKUA, Lestris Richard-
sonii vel parasitica. The following notice relating
to the occurrence of this species in Middlesex occurs
in Yarrell's ' British Birds,' vol. in., p. 633 :— " Some
years since I saw a young bird that had just been
shot on the Thames at Battersea ; and in the autumn
of 1842 four young birds of the year were shot on
the Reservoir at Kingsbury, a few miles north of
London. Two of these specimens were more uni-
formly dark brown than the other two, from having
lost many more of the light brown margins of the
first set of feathers."

In the * Zoological Journal ' for April, 1825,

NATATORES. 271

there is a note from Mr. Yarrell to the effect that
a young Arctic Gull (Lestris parasiticus) was shot on
the Thames, near Battersea, in September, 1824.
This, probably, is the specimen referred to in the
s History of British Birds.'

In the autumn of 1862 an immature bird of this
species was shot on the Thames, in Greenwich
Reach, and is now in my collection. Several of
the Common Skua (Lestris cataractes) were ex-
hibited for sale in the London market during the
winter of 1837, but no particulars of their capture
could be obtained.

FORETAILED PETREL, Thalassidromo, Leachii. The
Petrels being such thoroughly oceanic birds, are of
rare occurrence in a midland county ; but, as in the
case of Gulls and Terns, individuals are occasionally
driven inland by severe weather, and are generally
found to be much exhausted. A Petrel of this
species was caught alive, in an exhausted state, by
a man at work on the high road between Edgeware
and Stanmore, on the 4th January, 1850. Mr.
Yarrell says several have been observed "near
London," and one, shot near the Steam Mill, op-
posite Bow Creek, in March, 1864, lately came under
my notice.

STORM PETREL, Thalassidroma pelagica. The same
remark will apply to this as to the last-named species :
it is only after a prevalence of high winds, or severe
weather on the coast, that it leaves its true element

272 BIRDS OF MIDDLESEX.

and comes inland. A Storm Petrel was shot in
November, 1824, from a coal -barge, while flying
over the Thames between the bridges of Blackfriars
and Westminster. The capture of this specimen is
recorded by Mr. Yarrell in the * Zoological Journal'
for April, 1825, and in the 'History of British
Birds,' where, however, the date given is March,
1825.

Towards the end of October, 1857, a Storm Petrel
was knocked down with a stick and caught on the
Edge ware Road, at Paddington, about seven o'clock
in the evening. It was a wet, windy night, and the
bird was much exhausted. It was supposed to have
strayed up the river from the coast.

APPENDIX.

SCHINZ'S SANDPIPER, Tringa Schinzii (Buona-
parte). While the foregoing pages were in the
press, I accidentally met with a county-killed spe-
cimen of this rare Sandpiper in the collection of
my friend Mr. H. E. Dresser. He had purchased
it at a sale at Messrs. Stevens' in December, 1865,
but no particulars respecting it were given in the
Sale Catalogue, nor could he ascertain where it
had been killed. On taking down the case in
which it was mounted, in order to examine the
bird more narrowly, I discovered on the back a
small label, on which was written, " Schinz's Sand-
piper. Shot by Mr. Goodair at Kingsbury Keservoir,
1856."

The particular season at which it was killed
does not appear ; but the bird is in winter plumage,
and may possibly have found its way to our reser-
voir in company with a flock of Dunlins, the only
Sandpipers which visit us in winter.

I have associated the name of Buonaparte with
the specific name given above, in order to distin-
guish the subject of these notes from the European
Tringa Schinzii of Brehm, which is now con-
sidered to be only a variety of the Dunlin, Tringa
variabilis.

274 APPENDIX.

Tringa Schinzii of Buonaparte is a native of
North America, and of extremely rare occurrence
in England. Although resemhling the Dunlin in
habits and general appearance, particularly in the
winter plumage, it may be distinguished from that
bird by its shorter and straighter bill, longer and
more slender legs, white upper tail-coverts, and
longer wings, which, when closed, reach con-
siderably beyond the tail.

Four examples only of this bird are recorded
to have been met with in Great Britain. It is,
therefore, gratifying to me to add a fifth example
to the list, and I have the additional satisfaction of
being able to include this species amongst the
" Birds of Middlesex."

INDEX I.

Page

A.

Crow, Carrion ...

95

„ Hooded

97

Avocet . .

. 181

Crossbill, Common

91

„ Parrot . ,

92

Cuckoo .

118

B.

Curlew . -. . '. .

170

„ Stone

142

Bee-eater

. 121

Bittern, Common .

. 164

T)

Little

. 165

X/»

Blackbird

. 34

Dipper ....

27

Blackcap
Brambling . , .

. 49

. 80

Diver, Blackthroated
„ Redthroated

245
245

Bullfinch

. 90

Dotterel . . .

145

Bunting, Blackheaded

. 76

Dove, Ring .

]32

Girl

. 77

„ Stock . . ,

134

Common .

. 75

„ Turtle

137

Lapland .

. 74

Duck, Ferruginous

235

Ortolan .

. 78

„ Gadwall .

225

Snow

. 75

„ Goldeneye .

237

Yellow .

. 77

„ Pintail

225

Buzzard, Common

. 11

„ Pochard

235

„ Redcrested (note)

235

„ Scaup.

236

C.

„ Scoter

234

„ Shoveller .

224

Chaffinch .

. 79

„ Tufted

237

Chiff Chaff . -•

. 53

„ Wild . . .

226

Coot .

. 212

Dunlin . .

200

Corncrake . .

. 203

Crake, Little

. 205

E.

„ Spotted

. 203

Creeper

. 114

Eagle, Golden

1

276

Eagle, Whitetailed

INDEX.

Page

1 Gull, Sabine's

Page
251

F.

H.

Falcon, Peregrine .

3

Harrier, Hen

Fieldfare

29

Hawfinch

Flycatcher, Pied .

26

Hedge Sparrow

Spotted

24

Heron, Common

„ Night

G.

„ Purple

„ Squacco

Gadwall

225

Hobby ..' .

Goatsucker .

129

Hooper

Godwit, Bartailed .

183

Hoopoe .

Blacktailed

182

Goldcrest

55

Goldeneye

237

J.

Goldfinch

86

Goosander

240

Jackdaw

Goose, Brent

219

Jay

„ Canada

220

„ Greylag

215

,, Redbreasted

219

K.

„ Whitefronted

218

Grebe, Eared

243

Kestrel .

„ Greatcrested

241

Kingfisher .

„ Little

244

Kite .

Greenfinch .

83

Kittiwake

Green shank .

180

Knot

Grosbeak, Pine

90

Grouse, Sand

138

Gull, Blackheaded.

254

L.

„ Common

260

„ Glaucous

269

Landrail

Great Blackbacked

263

Lapwing

Herring

262

Lark, Shore .

Kittiwake

258

„ Sky .

Lesser Blackbacked

261

„ Wood .

Little .

254

Linnet .

12

84

37

]61

166

164

164

4

222
115

102
103

7

121

10

258

196

203
154

74

72
72
87

m

INDEX.

277

Page

Page

M.

Petrel, Forktailed .

. 271

„ Storm . »

. 271

Magpie . . j *

102

Phalarope, Grey .

, 213

Martin, House ;•« •

134

Pheasant . „

. 137

„ Purple >

126

Pipit, Meadow

. 67

„ Sand 'tfttii

125

, Pennsylvania!!

. 69

Merganser, Kedbreasted .
Merlin . . •,;...-,'. .

240
6

, Richards' ,n •
, Rock .

. 68
. 67

Moorhen

206

, Tree . ;'.,;

. 66

Plover, Golden

. 143

, Great

. 142

N.

, Little Ringed

. 149

, Ringed

. 146

Nightingale . v' * *

48

Pochard . '.

. 235

Nightjar . ,v<-: .

129

Nuthatch . .„*•

116

Q.

0.

Quail . . ,; : .-

. 141

Oriole, Golden

36

Osprey . .;., .

2

R.

Ouzel, Ring .

35

Owl, Barn .

16

Rail, Land .

. 203

Eagle .

13

„ Little .

. 205

Little .

19

,, Spotted

. 203

Longeared

14

„ Water .

. 210

Scopseared

19

Raven . ..

. 95

Shorteared

1£

Redbreast

. 37

Tawny .

18

Redpole, Lesser

. 89

Tengmalm's

21

„ Mealy

. 88

Oystercatcher

158

Redshank, Common

. 172

„ Spotted or

Dusky

. 171

P.

Redstart, Common

. 39

Black .

. 39

Partridge . . .

140

Redwing

. 32

„ Redlegged

141

Regulus, Goldencrested

. 55

Pastor, Rosecoloured

94

Ring Ouzel .

. 35

Peewit ....

154

Robin ...

. 37

2 B

278

INDEX.

Page

Page

Book . 1. .

. 98

Swallow

123

Ruff ..

. 184

Swan, Bewick's

223

„ Common or Mute

220

„ Polish .

223

S.

„ Wild, or Hooper .

222

Swift, Common

127

Sanderling .

. 155

„ Alpine or White-

Sand Grouse

. 138

bellied

128

Sandpiper, Common

. 179

Curlew .

. 195

Dunlin

. 900

T.

Green .

. 172

Schinz's

. 271

Teal . . . .

229

Spotted

. 180

Tern, Arctic .

247

Wood .

. 177

„ Black .

250

Scaup .

. 236

„ Common

246

Scoter, Common .

. 234

„ Lesser .

250

Shoveller

. 224

Thickknee or Stone Cur-

Shrike, Great Grey

. 22

lew .

142

,, Redbacked

. 24

Thrush, Missel

28

Siskin .

. 86

Song

30

Skua, Pomarine

. 269

Tit, Bearded .

59

„ Richardson's

or

Blue

57

Arctic

. 270

Cole

57

Smew .

. 239

Crested .

56

Snipe, Brown

. 195

Great .

57

„ Common

. 188

Longtailed

58

„ Great .

. 188

Marsh

58

„ Jack .

. 191

Turnstone

157

,, Sabine's

. 186

Twite .

90

Sparrow, Hedge

. 37

„ House

. 82

„ Tree

. «2

W.

Sparrowhawk

. 8

Spoonbill
Starling, Common .

. 166
. 93

Wagtail, Grey
, Greyheaded

63
64

„ Redwinged

. 92

Pied

62

Stint, Little .

. 197

Ray's

66

„ Temmitick's

. 198

White

62

Stonechat

. 40

Yellow .

66

INDEX.

279

Page

Page

Warbler, Dartford .

. 54

Woodpecker, Green

104

„ Garden .

. 50

„ Great Black .

110

„ Grasshopper

. 43

„ „ Spotted .

106

Reed

. 45

Middle Spotted

107

„ Savi's

. 43*

„ Lesser Spotted

109

Warbler, Sedge

. 44

Wren, Common

114

Water Rail .

. 210

„ Reed .

45

Waxwing

. 60

„ Willow . .

52

Wheatear

. 42

„ Wood . . .„

52

Whimbrel .

. 171

Wryneck .;.

113

Whinchat

. 41

Whitethroat, Common

. 51

„ Lesser

. 51

Y.

Widgeon

. 233

Woodcock

. 185 Yellowhammer

77

INDEX II.

A.

Accentor modularis, 37
Alauda arborea, 72
„ arvensis, 72
„ alpestris, 74
Alcedo ispida, 121
Anas acuta, 225
„ boschas, 226
„ crecca, 229
„ cristata, 237
„ clangula, 237
„ clypeata, 224
„ ferina, 235
„ marila, 236
„ nigra, 234
„ nyroca, 235 (note)
„ penelope, 233
„ strepera, 225
Anser albifrons, 218
„ brenta, 219
„ canadensis, 220
„ ferus, 215
„ ruficollis, 219
Anthus arboreus, 66
„ aquaticus, 67

Ricardi, 68

„ Pennsylvanicus, 69
„ pratensis, 67
Ardea cinerea, 161
„ minuta, 165
„ nycticorax, 166
„ purpurea, 164
ralloides, 164

Ardea stellaris, 1 64

B.

Buteo vulgaris, 11
Bombycilla garrula, 60

C.

Calidris arenaria, 155
Caprimulgus europseus, 129
Certhia familiaris, 114
Charadrius hiaticula, 146
„ minor, 149
„ morinellus, 145
„ pluvialis, 143
Cinclus aquaticus, 27-
Columba senas, 134
„ palumbus, 132

turtur, 137
Colymbus arcticus, 245

,, septentrionalis, 245
Corvus corax, 95
cornix, 97
corone, 95
frugilegus, 98
glandarius, 103
monedula, 102
pica, 102
Crex porzana, 203
„ pratensis, 203
„ pusilla, 205

2 B 3

282

INDEX.

Cuculus canorus, 118

„ hepaticus, 119
Cygnus Bewickii, 223
„ ferus, 222
„ immutabilis, 223

olor, ^20

Cypselus apus, 127
„ alpinus, 128

E.

Emberiza cirlus, 77

citrinella, 77
hortulana, 78
lapponica, 74
miliara, 75
nivalis, 75
schoeniclus, 76

F.

Falco albicilla, 1

aesalon, 6

buteo, 11

chrysaetos, 1

cyaneus, 12

haliseetus, 2

milvus, 10

nisus, 8

peregrinus, 3

subbuteo, 4

tinnunculus, 7
Fringilla ccelebs, 79
„ cannabina, 87
„ canescens, 88
„ carduelis, 86
„ chloris, 83
„ coccothraustes, 84
„ domestica, 82
„ linaria, 89

Fringilla linota, 87
„ montana, 82
„ montifringilla, 80
„ montiurn, 90
„ spinus, 86

Fulica atra, 212

G.

Gallinula chloropus, 206

H.

Haematopus ostralegus, 158

Hirundo purpurea, 126

„ riparia, 125

„ rustica, 123

„ urbica, 124

L.

Lanius collurio, 24

„ excubitor, 22
Larus argentatus, 262
canus, 260
fuscus, 261
glaucus, 269
marinus, 263
minutus, 254
ridibundus, 254
Sabini, 251
tridactylus, 258
Lestris parasitica, 270
„ cataractes, 271
„ pomarinus, 269
„ Richardsonii, 270
Limosa melanura, 182

rufa, 183

Loxia curvirostra, 91
„ pityopsittacus, 92

INDEX.

283

M.

Machetes pugnax, 184
Mergus albellus, 239
„ merganser, 240
„ serrator, 240
Merops apiaster, 121
Motacilla alba, 62

boarula, 63
flava, 66
neglecta, 64
Eayi, 66
Yarrellii, 62
Muscicapa atricapilla, 26
grisola, 24

N.

Numenius arquata, 170
„ pha30pus, 171

0.

GEdicnemus crepitans, 142
Oriolus galbula, 36

P.

Parus ater, 57

biarmicus, 59
cffiruleus, 57
caudatus, 58
cristatus, 56
major, 57
palustris, 58
Pastor roseus, 94
Perdix cinerea, 140
„ cotumix, 141

Perdix rubra, 141
Phalaropus hyperboreus, 213
Phasianus colcbicus, 137
Picas major, 106
„ martius, 110
„ medius, 107
„ minor, 109
„ viridis, 104
Platalea leucorodia, 166
Podiceps auritus, 243
,, cristatus, 241
„ minor, 244
Pyrrhula enucleator, 90
„ vulgaris, 90

E.

Rallus aquaticus, 210
Recurvirostra avocetta, 18.1
Regulus cristatus, 55

S.

Saxicola cenanthe, 42
„ rubetra, 41
,, rubicola, 40
Scolopax gallinago, 188
gallinula, 191
grisea, 195
major, 188
rusticola, 185
Sabini, 186
Sitta europa3a, 116
Sterna arctica, 247
„ hirundo, 246
„ minuta, 250
„ nigra, 250
Strepsilas interpres, 157
Strix aluco, 18

284

INDEX.

Strix bubo, 13

,, brachyotus, 15

„ flammea, 16

„ otus, 14

„ passerina, 19

„ scops, 19

., Tengmalmi, 21
Sturnus praBdatorius, 92

„ vulgaris, 93
Sylvia arundinacea, 45

„ atricapilla, 49

„ cinerea, 51

„ curruca, 51

,, hortensis, 50

„ locustella, 43

„ luscinia, 48

„ luscinoides, 43, note

„ phoenicurus, 39

„ phragmitis, 44

„ provincialis, 54

„ rubecula, 37

„ rufa, 53

„ sibilatrix, 52

„ tithys, 39

„ trochilus, 52
Syrrhaptes paradoxus, 138

T.

Thalassidroma Leachii, 271
„ pelagica, 271

Totanus calidris, ] 72
„ fuscus, 171

Totanus glareola, 177

glottis, 180
„ hypoleucos, 179
„ macularius, 180
„ ochropus, 172
Tringa canutus, 196
minuta, 197
Schinzii, 273
subarquata, 195
Temminckii, 198
variabilis, 200
Turdus iliaca, 32
merula, 34
musicus, 30
pilaris, 29
torquatus, 35
viscivorus, 28
Troglodytes vulgaris, 114

U.

Upupa epops, 121

V.

Vanellus cristatus, 154
„ melanogaster, 145

Y.

Yunx torquilla, 113.

E. NEWMAN, PRINTER, DEVONSHIRE STREET, BISHOPSGATE.

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