1

r

t A -. . -

OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

AN ACCOUNT OF

THE MIGRATORY BIRDS

WHICH PASS THE SUMMER IN

THE BRITISH ISLANDS. •'• • * •••

BY J. E. HARTING, F.L.S., F.Z.S.

AUTHOR OF A " HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS,"

A NEW EDITION OF WHITE'S "SELBORNE,"

ETC., ETC.

ILLUSTRATED FROM DESIGNS BY THOMAS BEWICK.

LONDON:
BICKERS AND SON,

i, LEICESTER SQUARE.

BIOLOGY

LIBRARY

G

BIOLOGY
R
G

CHISWICK PRESS :— PRINTED BY WHITTINGHAM AND WILKINS,
TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE.

PREFACE.

|

I ^OR those who reside in the country and
-*- have both leisure and inclination to ob-
serve the movements and habits of birds, there
is not a more entertaining occupation than that
of noting the earliest arrival of the migratory
species, the haunts which they select, and the
wonderful diversity which they exhibit in their
actions, nidification, and song.

There is something almost mysterious in the
way in which numbers of these small and deli-
cately formed birds are found scattered in one
day over a parish where on the previous day not
one was to be seen ; and the manner of their
arrival is scarcely more remarkable than the
regularity with which they annually make their
appearance.

That most of them reach this country after
long and protracted flights, crossing the Medi-

811997

VI PREFACE.

terranean, the Bay of Biscay, and the English
Channel is an undoubted fact. They have been
seen to arrive upon our shores, and have been
observed at sea during their passage, often at a
considerable distance from land.

But how few of those who notice them in this
country know where they come from, why they
come, what they find here to live upon, how,
when, and where they go for the winter !

In the following chapters an attempt has been
made to answer these questions, and to give
such information generally about our summer
migratory birds as will prove acceptable to
many who may be glad to possess it without
knowing exactly where to look for it. Some of
these sketches were originally published in the
Natural History columns of " The Field" during
the summer of 1871, and as a reprint has fre-
quently been asked for, I have now carefully
revised them and made some important addi-
tions and emendations, besides adding to the
series a dozen or more chapters which have
never before appeared.

PREFACE. Vll

The illustrations, from designs by Thomas
Bewick, will, it is conceived, add considerably to
the attractiveness of the volume, and will enable
the reader to dispense with particular descrip-
tions of the species, which it might be otherwise
desirable to furnish. These may be found,
moreover, in other works devoted to British
Ornithology.

JAMES EDMUND HARTING.

July, 1875.

T

CONTENTS.

Page

HEWheatear i

The Whinchat 9

The Stonechat 13

The Wood Warbler .16

The Willow Warbler 24

The Chiff-chaff 28

The Nightingale . . . . . . .32

The Blackcap 44

The Orphean Warbler 51

The Garden Warbler 59

The Common Whitethroat . . . .67

The Lesser Whitethroat 71

The Redstart 74

The Sedge Warbler 81

The Reed Warbler .... ... 83

The Grasshopper Warbler 86

Savi's Warbler 88

The Aquatic Warbler 91

The Marsh Warbler 92

The Great Reed Warbler 101

The Rufous Warbler . . . . . . 103

The Pied Wagtail 106

The White Wagtail ' . .no

The Grey Wagtail 112

The Yellow Wagtail 117

X CONTENTS.

Page

The Grey-headed Wagtail . . . . .121

The Meadow Pipit 124

The Rock Pipit . ... 130

The Tree Pipit . . . . . . .135

The Water Pipit . .... 138

Richard's Pipit . . . . . . .142

The Tawny Pipit . . . . . . .146

The Pennsylvanian Pipit . . . . . .149

The Red-throated Pipit 152

The Spotted Flycatcher 155

The Pied Flycatcher . . . . . 160

The Swallow . . , . . '. . . . 170

The Martin . . . . . . . . 184

The Sand Martin . .. . ... . • '. • 187

The Common Swift ... .'.-.* . 191

The Alpine Swift . .. . .. . . . 199

The Nightjar . . . . ' . . . . . 204

The Cuckoo . . . . . .219

The Wryneck . .... 242

The Hoopoe . . . . . . . . 249

The Golden Oriole . . . . , . 262

The Red-backed Shrike . . . .. -, . 276

The Turtle-dove . . . -. . . '.282

The Landrail or Corncrake . . . .288

General Observations . . . . . 299

Conclusion . . . . . > . 330

Index . ; . . 335

THE WHEATEAR.

(Saxicola cenantke.)

ON E of the earliest of our feathered visitors
to arrive is the Wheatear, which comes
to us as a rule in the second week of March ;
and, although individuals have been seen and
procured occasionally at a much earlier date,
there is reason to believe that the spring migra-
tion does not set in before this, and that the
birds met with previously are such as have
wintered in this country ; for it has been

well ascertained that the Wheatear, like the

B

jS/*- OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Stonechat, occasionally remains with us
throughout the year. It is a noticeable fact
that those which stay the winter are far less shy
in their habits, and will suffer a much nearer
approach.

The name Wheatear may have been derived
either from the season of its arrival, or from its
being taken in great numbers for the table at
wheat harvest. Or, again, it may be a corrup-
tion of whitear, from the white ear which is very
conspicuous in the spring plumage of this bird.
Many instances are on record of Wheatears
having come on board vessels several miles
from land at the period of migration, and from
the observations of naturalists in various parts
of the country it would appear that these birds
travel by night, or at early dawn. I do not
remember any recorded instance in which they
have been seen to land upon our shores in the
daytime.

In Ireland, according to Mr. Thompson,1

1 " Nat. Hist. Ireland;" Birds, i. pp. 176, 177.

THE WHEATEAR. 3

the Wheatear arrives much later than in Eng-
land, and does not stay the winter. With
regard to Scotland, Macgillivray states1 that it
is nowhere more plentiful than in the outer
Hebrides, and in the Orkney and Shetland
Islands ; and from the fact of his having ob-
served the species near Edinburgh on the 28th
of February, we may infer that a few, as in
England, occasionally remain throughout the
year.

The number of Wheatears which used to
be taken years ago upon the South Downs in
autumn was a matter of notoriety.

" Hereabouts," says an old chronicle of East-
bourne, " is the chief place for catching the
delicious birds called Wheatears, which much
resemble the French Ortolans ; " and Wheatears
play an important part in the history of this
town. Squire William Wilson, of Hitching,
Lord of the Manor of East-Bourne, was in
Oliver Cromwell's time vehemently suspected

i «

Hist. Brit. Birds/' ii. p. 292.

4 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

of loyalty to the Stuarts ; and one Lieutenant
Hopkins, with a troop of dragoons, swooped
down on Eastbourne to search the squire's
house, and, if needful, arrest him as a Malignant.
The squire was laid up with the gout; but Mis-
tress Wilson, his true wife, with the rarely-fail-
ing shrewdness of her sex, placed before Lieu-
tenant Hopkins and his troopers a prodigious
pie filled with Wheatears, " which rare repast,"
the chronicle goes on to say, " the soldiers did
taste with so much amazement, delight, and
jollity," that the squire upstairs had ample time
to burn all the papers which would compromise
him, and when Lieutenant Hopkins, full of
Wheatear pie, came to search the house, there
was not so much treasonable matter found as
could have brought a mouse within peril of a
prcemunire. At the Restoration the Lord of
the Manor became Sir William Wilson of East-
bourne, a dignity well earned by his devotion to
the Royal cause ; but the chronicle goes on to
hint that Charles II. was passionately fond of
Wheatears, and that possibly the liberality of

THE WHEATEAR. 5

the squire, in supplying his Majesty's table with
these delicacies, may have had something to do
with the creation of the baronetcy.

The abundance of Wheatears at certain
seasons on the Hampshire downs was noticed
by Gilbert White in a letter to the Hon. Daines
Barrington in Dec. 1773. Since this excellent
naturalist penned his observations, however,
many changes in the haunts and habits of birds
have been remarked. For example, the Haw-
finch, which he referred to as " rarely seen in
England, and only in winter," is now found to
be resident throughout the year, and nesting
even in the proximity of London and other
large cities. The Landrail, which he noted as
" a bird so rare in this district that we seldom
see more than one or two in a season, and those
only in autumn," is now so plentiful in the same
neighbourhood that I have shot as many as
half a dozen in one day in September, within
a few miles of Selborne. The Common
Bunting, which in 1 768 was considered to be a
" rare bird " in the district referred to, may now

6 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

be heard there in full song — if song it can be
called — throughout the month of May. Whilst
walking from Liss to Selborne, I have on two
occasions met with a bird which Gilbert White
had not observed — the Cirl Bunting ; and, to
return to the Wheatears, these birds, which
were formerly so plentiful in autumn that the
shepherds trapped them by dozens, are now far
less numerous at the same season, and the
practice of snaring them has perceptibly de-
clined.1 It was remarkable that, although in
the height of the season — i. e.y at wheat harvest
— so many hundreds of dozens were taken, yet
they were never seen to flock, and it was a rare
thing to see more than three or four at a time ;
so that there must have been a perpetual flitting
and constant progressive succession.

The Wheatear is partial to commons and

1 As to other changes in the fauna and flora which have
taken place since Gilbert White's day in the district of which
he wrote, the reader may be referred to the Preface to my
edition of the " Natural History of Selborne " recently pub-
lished.

THE WHEATEAR. 7

waste lands, old quarries, sand hills, and downs
by the sea, and it is in these situations that we
may now look for him without much fear of
disappointment. Like all the chats, the Wheat-
ear is very terrestrial in its habits, seldom perch-
ing on trees, although often to be seen on gate-
posts and rails, where a broader footing is
afforded it. Its song is rather sprightly, and is
occasionally uttered on the wing. The contrast
between the spring and autumn plumage of this
bird is very remarkable. If an old bird be
examined in September, it will be found that
the white superciliary streak has almost dis-
appeared; the colour of the upper parts has
become reddish brown ; the throat and breast
pale ferruginous, lighter on the flanks and
belly ; while the primaries and tail at its ex-
tremity are much browner. On raising the
feathers of the back, it will be found that the
base of each feather is grey ; and in spring this
colour supersedes the brown of winter, which is
worn off, and the upper parts assume a beautiful
bluish grey, while the under parts become pure

8 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

white. In this species, therefore, it is evident
that the seasonal change of plumage is effected
by a change of colour in the same feather, and
not by a moult.

The nest of the Wheatear is generally well
concealed in the crevice of a cliff or sandbank,
or in an old rabbit burrow. Where these con-
veniences are not accessible, the nest may be
found at the foot of a bush, screened from view
by grass or foliage. The eggs, five or six in
number, are of a delicate pale blue, occasionally
spotted at the larger end with pale rust colour.

The geographical range of the Wheatear is
very extensive for so small and short- winged a
bird. It is found in the Faroe Isles, Iceland,
and Greenland ; in Lapland, Norway, Sweden,
and Denmark ; throughout Europe to the
Mediterranean ; in Egypt, Arabia, Asia Minor,
and Armenia.

THE WHINCHAT.

(Saxicola rudetra.)

ELDOM appearing before the end of the
first week in April, the Whinchat arrives
much later than the Wheatear, and is much
less diffused than that species. By the end of
September it has again left the country, and I
have never met with an instance of its remain-
ing in England during the winter months. On
several occasions correspondents have forwarded
to me in winter a bird which they believed to be
the Whinchat, but which invariably proved to

IO OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

be a female, or male in winter plumage, of the
Stonechat — a species which is known to reside
with us throughout the year, yet receiving a
large accession to its numbers in spring, and
undergoing corresponding decrease in autumn.

In the southern counties of England the
Whinchat is sometimes very numerous, and may
be found in every meadow perched upon the
tall grass stems or dockweed. The abundance
or scarcity of this species, however, varies con-
siderably according to season. In some years
I have noticed extraordinary numbers of this
little bird, and in others have scarcely been
able to count two or three pairs in a parish.
I have generally found that a cold or wet
spring has so affected their migration as to
cause them apparently to alter their plans, and
induce them to spend the summer but a short
distance to the north or north-west of their
winter quarters.

It is a little remarkable that in Ireland the
Whinchat is far less common than the Stone-
chat, the reverse being the case in England.

THE WHINCHAT. I I

Mr. Thompson says, in the work already
quoted (p. 175), (< In no part of Ireland have
I seen the Whinchat numerous, and compared
with the Stonechat it is very scarce." In the
south of Scotland, according to Macgillivray, it
seldom makes its appearance before the end
of April, that is, more than a fortnight after its
arrival in England. It extends to Sutherland,
Caithness, and the outer Hebrides (cf* More,
" Ibis," 1865, p. 22), and has occasionally been
met with in Orkney, but not in Shetland. In
winter it migrates to the south-east, and at that
season is not uncommon in Egypt, Nubia, and
Abyssinia, travelling also through Asia Minor,
Arabia and Persia, as far eastward as the north-
west provinces of India. In a south-westerly
direction this species, passing through Spain
and Portugal, proceeds down the west coast of
Africa to Senegal, Gambia, and Fantee.

The Whinchat differs a good deal in its
habits from the Wheatear, and on this account,
as well as on account of certain differences of
structure, it has been placed with the Stone-

12 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

chat and other allied species in a separate
genus (Pratincold). It is doubtful, however,
whether these differences are sufficient to en-
title them to anything more than a specific
separation.

The Whinchat perches much more than does
the Wheatear, and may be seen darting into the
air for insects, after the manner of a Flycatcher.
It derives its name, of course, from the fact of
its being found upon the whin, or furze, a
favourite perch also for its congener the Stone-
chat. The derivation of the word whin I have
never been able to ascertain.

Although the two species are frequently con-
founded, the Whinchat may be always distin-
guished from the Stonechat by its superciliary
white streak, by the lighter-coloured throat and
vent, and by the white bases of the three outer
tail feathers on each side. Both species make
a very similar nest, which is placed on the
ground and well concealed, and lay very similar
eggs, of a bright blue faintly speckled at the
large end with rust colour.

THE STONECHAT.

(Saxicola rudicola.)

AS has been already stated, the Stonechat
may be found in a few scattered pairs
throughout the country all the year round. At
the beginning of April, however, a considerable
accession to its numbers is observed to take
place, owing to a migration from the south and
south-east. It takes up its residence on moors
and heaths, and many a lonely walk over such
ground is enlivened by the sprightly actions
and sharp " chook-chook" of this little bird.

14 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

The male in his wedding dress, with jet black
head, white collar, and ferruginous breast, is
extremely handsome ; and the artist who is
fond of depicting bird-life would scarcely find
a prettier subject than a male Stonechat in this
plumage upon a spray of furze in full bloom.

In Ireland the Stonechat is considered to be
a resident species, and this is attributed by Mr.
Thompson to the mild winters of that island.
In Scotland, on the contrary, Sir Wm. Jardine
has observed that the Stonechat is not nearly
so abundant as either the Whinchat or the
Wheatear, and frequents localities of a more
wild and secluded character. It ranges, how-
ever, to the extreme north of the mainland of

Scotland, and is included by Dr. Dewar in his

%
list of birds which he found nesting in the

Hebrides. It is said not to breed in either
Orkney or Shetland.1

The geographical range of the Stonechat is
rather more extensive than that of the Whin-

1 Cf. More, " Ibis," 1865, p. 22.

THE STONECHAT. 15

chat, for besides being found throughout the
greater part of Europe to the Mediterranean, it
goes by way of Senegal to South Africa, and
extends eastward through Asia Minor, Palestine,
and Persia, to India and Japan. In Europe,
however, its distribution is somewhat remark-
able, inasmuch as it is confined chiefly to the
central and southern portions of the continent,
and in Norway and Sweden is unknown. The
Whinchat, on the other hand, breeds in these
countries, and has been met with as far north
as Archangel. In winter the male Stonechat
loses the black head, and the colours in both
sexes are much less vivid than in summer.
Here again, as with the Wheatear, the change
of plumage seems to be effected by a change of
colour in the same feathers, and not by a moult.
Apropos of this subject, the reader may be
referred to an article contributed by me to the
Natural History columns of " The Field," i6th
September, 1871, on variation of colour in
birds.

THE WOOD WARBLER.

(Phyllo scopus sibilatrix?)

\ LTHOUGH often taken to comprehend
i* *• every species of warbler, Professor Newton
has recently shown1 that the genus Sylvia of
Latham should be restricted to the group of
fruit-eating warblers next to be described, and
that the generic term which has priority for the
willow wren group is Phylloscopiis of Boie.

From its larger size, brighter colour, and finer
song, the Wood Warbler deserves to be first

1 Yarrell, "Hist. Brit. Birds," 4th ed. vol. i. pp. 427, 442.

THE WOOD WARBLER. Ij

noticed; and the first step should be to dis-
tinguish it from its congeners. Perhaps none of
the small insectivorous birds have been more
confounded one with another than have the
members of this group, not only by observers
of the living birds, but by naturalists with skins
of each before them. Taking the three species
which annually visit us — i. e., the Wood War-
bler, the Willow Warbler, and the Chiff-chaff-
it will be found on comparison that they differ
in size as follows —

Length.

Wing.

Tarsus.

Wood Warbler .

5*2 in.

. 3-0 in.

. 0-7 in.

Willow Warbler .

5*0 M

. 2-6 „

. 07 „

Chiff-chaff. . ..

47 »

• 2-4 „

. 0-6 „

Not only is the Wood Warbler the largest of
the three, but it has comparatively the longest
wings and the longest legs. The wings, when
closed, cover three-fourths of the tail. In the
Willow Wren, under the same circumstances,
less than half the tail is hidden. The Chiff-
chaff's wing is shorter again: In my edition of
White's " Selborne," founded upon that of Ben-

c

1 8 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

nett, 1 8 75, pp. 56, 57, will be found a long foot-
note on the subject, with woodcuts illustrating
the comparative form of the wing in these three
birds. Mr. Blake- Knox, in " The Zoologist "
for 1866, p. 300, has pointed to the second
quill-feather, depicted in a sketch accompany-
ing his communication, as being an unfailing
mark of distinction.1 When we reflect, how-
ever, upon the variation which is found to
exist in the length of feathers, owing to the age
of the bird, moult, or accident, too much stress
ought not to be laid upon this as a character.
At the same time there is no doubt that, taken
in connection with other details, it will often
assist the determination of a species. After
examining a large series of these birds, I have
come to the conclusion that, as regards the
wings, the following formulae may be relied on :
Wood Warbler, 2nd:=4th ; 3rd and 4th with

1 Mr. Blake-Knox subsequently corrected his statement,
remarking that he had by mistake written second instead of
third primary quill. The first primary is so rudimentary as
almost to escape observation.

THE WOOD WARBLER. 19

outer webs sloped off towards the extremity.
Willow Warbler, 2ndzz6th ; 3rd, 4th, and 5th
sloped off. Chiff-chaff, 2nd=7th ; 3rd, 4th, 5th,
and 6th sloped off.

The Wood Warbler is much greener on the
back and whiter on the under parts than either
of its congeners, and has a well-defined super-
ciliary streak of sulphur-yellow, which, in the
Willow Wren, is much shorter and paler. The
legs of the Wood Warbler and Willow Wren
are brownish flesh-colour, while those of the
Chiff-chaff are dark brown. After the first moult,
the young of all three species are much yellower
in colour than their parents. Hence the mistake
which Vieillot made in describing the young of
P. trochilus as a distinct species under the name
of flaviventris.

Although the majority of the Sylviidcz are
fruit-eaters, the species now under considdfe,-
tion are almost entirely insectivorous ; * they
are also more strictly arboreal in their habits,

1 Dr. Bree states that he has occasionally observed the
Willow Wren taking currants from his trees.

20 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

and as regards the character of their nests,
they differr emarkably from other members
of the Sylviidcz in building domed nests on
or near the ground, instead of cup -shaped
nests at a distance from it. The Yellow-billed
Chiff-chaff — or Icterine Warbler, as it should
now be called1 — however, forms an exception
to the rule, as will be seen later. As these
little birds make their appearance at a season
when caterpillars and destructive larvae begin
to be troublesome, the good they do in ridding
the young leaves and buds of these pests is
incalculable. I have watched a Willow Wren
picking the green aphis off a standard rose-tree,
and have been as much astonished at the quan-
tity which it consumed as at the rapidity of the
consumption. The Wood Warbler is not nearly
so sociable as either the Willow Warbler or the
Chiff-chaff. It keeps to the tops of trees in
woods and plantations, and seldom comes into
gardens ; hence it is not so often seen. Al-

1 See Professor Newton's edition of Yarrell's " History of
British Birds." vol. i. p. 360.

THE WOOD WARBLER. 21

though not rare, it is somewhat local, and in the
British Islands, it appears, is confined exclu-
sively to England and the south of Scotland.
Mr. Thompson has included it with hesitation
amongst the birds of Ireland ; for although the
description given to him of certain birds and
eggs seemed to apply to this species, it was
stated that the nest which contained the eggs
was lined with feathers. Now, the Willow
Wren invariably makes use of feathers for this
purpose, but the Wood Warbler does not. The
nest of the latter is composed entirely of dry
grass and leaves, occasionally mixed with a little
moss ; and although I have sometimes found
horsehair inside, I do not remember to have
seen or heard of an instance in which any
feathers were employed. The eggs, five or six
in number, are white, closely freckled over with
reddish brown.

Mr. Blake- Knox, a well-known naturalist,
resident in the county of Dublin, says (" Zoolo-
gist," 1866, p. 300), "I tried very hard this
year to add the Wood Wren to our Dublin

22 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

avifauna, and though I killed some dozens of
snowy-white-bellied Willow Wrens, they were
all the common Sylvia trochilus. That the bird
is Irish I am sure, for I have heard it. Should
an Irish ornithologist see this, will he try for
it, if he should live in a wooded district, such as
the counties Wicklow and Wexford ? I am
sure it is neglected for want of a certain dis-
tinction." Since this note was published, the
Wood Wren has actually been obtained in Ire-
land, a specimen having been shot in the county
of Fermanagh by Sir Victor Brooke, and pre-
served by him in June, 1870. Another was
obtained the same year at Glen Druid in the
county of Dublin, as reported by Mr. Blake-
Knox. Both Sir William Jardine and Macgil-
livray have referred to the Wood Warbler being
found northward to the middle districts of Scot-
land, a circumstance which appears to have been
overlooked by Mr. Yarrell, since he says (vol. i.
p. 349, 3rd edit.), " I am not aware of any
record of its appearance in Scotland." This
statement, however, has been rectified in the

THE WOOD WARBLER. 23

fourth edition of this standard work by Pro-
fessor Newton, who remarks : " In Scotland it
is known to breed regularly in the counties of
Dumfries, Wigton, Lanark and Berwick, the
Lothians and Perthshire, and occasionally in
those of Roxburgh, Selkirk, Renfrew and Stir-
ling." Mr. A. G. More, in an article " On the

<
Distribution of Birds in Great Britain during

the Nesting Season," published in the " Ibis "
for 1865, observes (p. 26), that the Wood War-
bler " in Scotland ranges further north than the
Chiff-chaff, having been observed by the Duke
of Argyle in Argyleshire and at Balmoral."

According to Mr. Robert Gray, of Glasgow,
it has been observed in Inverness and Aber-
deenshire, and Mr. Edwards has found it in
Banffshire.

Beyond the British Islands the Wood Warbler
is found throughout Europe, though rare in the
north, and it extends eastward to Siberia and
southward to Algeria, Egypt and Abyssinia.
It arrives in this country generally about the
middle of April, and leaves again in September.

THE WILLOW WARBLER.

(Phylloscopus trochilus.}

T^HE Willow Warbler is much more
generally distributed than the last-named
bird; but it is possible that it is considered
commoner from the difference in the haunts of
the two species— the Wood Warbler, as already
remarked, keeping further away from habitations.
As a rule, the Willow Wren arrives in this
country about the end of the first week in
April— that is to say, before the Wood Warbler,

THE WILLOW WARBLER. 25

but not so early as the Chiff-chaff, which is the
first of the genus to appear.

Yarrell speaks of these birds as " having
acquired with us the general name of Willow
Warblers, or Willow Wrens, from their pre-
vailing green colour;" but Thompson, in his
" Birds of Ireland" (i. p. 192), says, "this name
was doubtless bestowed upon the bird originally
on account of its partiality to willows, which
I have frequently remarked, the twigs and
branches of the common osier (Salix viminalis)
abounding with aphides, being on such occasions
its chief favourite." There is yet another sug-
gestion— i.e., that the name may have been
bestowed from the circumstance that these little
birds make their appearance just as the willow
is budding.

It is marvellous how these tiny creatures can
sustain the protracted flights which are necessary
to transport them from their winter to their sum-
mer quarters ; and yet that they make these long
journeys is well ascertained. On the 23rd of
April a Willow Wren came on board a vessel

26 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

eighty miles from Malta and fifty from Cape
Passaro, the nearest land. Two days later
another alighted on the rigging sixty miles from
Calabria, and one hundred and thirty-five from
Mount Etna. On the 26th of April, eighty
miles from Zante and one hundred and thirty
from Navarino, a Willow Wren and a Chiff-chaff
were found dead on board, presumably from
exhaustion, as they were apparently uninjured.
Many other such instances are on record.

The present species may be regarded as the
commonest of the three which visit us, being
generally dispersed in favourable localities over
the whole of Great Britain and Ireland. Al-
though it has not been met with in the Hebrides,
the Willow Wren has occasionally been seen in
Orkney, and the late Dr. Saxby has recorded a
single instance of its occurrence in Shetland.
Through every country in Europe it seems to
be well known as a periodical migrant.

The winter quarters of the Willow Wren are
to a certain extent those of its congeners, that
is to say, Northern Africa and Palestine, where

THE WILLOW WARBLER. 27

it is very numerous in the cold season, but it
has been found much further southward. Mr.
Ayres sent a specimen to Mr. Gurney from
Natal ; the late Mr. Andersson met with it
in Damaraland, S.W. Africa; and Mr. Layard
some years since procured specimens at the
Cape. As is often the case with allied species,
the remarks as to habits and food which have
been applied to the Wood Warbler will apply
almost equally well to the present species.
The distinction between the birds themselves
has been already pointed out. The nests of
the Willow Wren and Chiff-chaff are both lined
with feathers, the eggs of the former being
white spotted with red ; while those of the
latter are white spotted with purple, chiefly at
the larger end.

Varieties in this group of birds are rarely
met with, and it may therefore be worth notice
that in May, 1861, a primrose-coloured Willow
Wren was shot at Witley Park, in the parish of
Witley, Surrey, and forwarded for inspection to
the editor of " The Field."

THE CHIFF-CHAFF.

(Phyllo scopus rufa^)

\ LTHOUGH the smallest of the three
* *- species, the Chiff-chaff is apparently the
hardiest of them all, for it often braves the winds
of March, and makes its appearance in England
long before the leaves have given signs of
approaching summer. As I have already
pointed out the means of distinguishing this
little bird from its congeners, and have referred
to its nest and eggs, it will suffice to state that,
like the Willow Wren, it is a regular summer

THE CHIFF-CHAFF. 29

visitant to England, Scotland, and Ireland ; that
it is the earliest of the summer warblers to visit
us ; and that it remains with us until the first
week of September, when it migrates to the
south-east to spend the winter in a warmer
climate. It appears to be common at that
season in Italy, Sicily, the Maltese Islands, and
Asia Minor ; and Mr. Blyth has found it as far
to the eastward as Calcutta.

Old English authors, who knew the Garden
Warbler as the Greater Pettychaps, gave the
Chiff-chaff the name of the Lesser Pettychaps,
presumably from its general resemblance to it
in miniature. These two names, however, may
now be considered as obsolete.

Whilst on the subject of Willow Warblers, we
may refer to the fact that a single example of
another species, P. hypolais (vel icterina, the
oldest name for it), which is common enough on
the other side of the German Ocean, is recorded
to have been taken in England, and another in
Ireland. The bird is known as the Yellow-billed
Chiff-chaff, Melodious Willow Warbler, and

3O OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Icterine Warbler.1 So long ago as June, 1848,
the English specimen referred to was killed at
Ey thorn e, near Dover, and the fact was com-
municated by Dr. Plomley to Mr. Yarrell, who
published it in his " History of British Birds."
A second British example of this species was
shot at Dunsinea, county Dublin, in June, 1856,
and is now in the Royal Dublin Society's
Museum.2 In size it equals the Wood Warbler,

and resembles k somewhat in colour, but it has

%

a shorter wing (275 in. instead of 3 in.) ; the
whole of the under parts are sulphur- yellow, and
the legs and toes are slate colour. These cha-
racters may serve to distinguish it at once
should it again be met with by ornithologists in
England. Should its song be heard, all doubts
would at once be set at rest, for as a warbler it
is far superior to any of the three species just
mentioned. I have had many opportunities

1 See Professor Newton's edition of Yarrell's " History of
British Birds," vol. i. p. 360.

2 This specimen was recorded at the time by Dr. Carte in
the " Journal of the Royal Dublin Society," vol. i. p. 440.

THE CHIFF-CHAFF. 3!

of seeing and hearing this little bird in Holland,
and can testify to the power and variety of its
song. Frequently I contrived to get within a
few feet of it, and could almost see the notes as
they poured out of its tiny throat. The eggs
when fresh are the most lovely imaginable, being
of a bright pink with dark purple spots, scattered
chiefly at the larger end. The nest, as I have
already hinted, is cup-shaped, and placed at a
little height from the ground ; the bird in this
respect departing from the usual habit of the
Willow Warblers.

These notes being intended rather as sugges-
tions for those who desire to know a little about
our summer birds, than as a condensed history
of the species, I may observe, in concluding
this chapter, that those who are anxious to glean
further particulars about the Willow Warblers
and their allies, will do well to consult an
excellent article on the subject by Professor
Schlegel, published (in French) in 1851 in the
" Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society
of Amsterdam."

35 —

THE NIGHTINGALE.

(Philomela luscinia.)

T N common with one or two allied species,
•*• the Nightingale differs so materially in
structure and habits from the garden or fruit-
eating warblers (Sylvia), with which it has been
generally associated, that most naturalists now-
adays are agreed in regarding it as the type
of a separate genus (Philomela}. For want of
a better English name, and as indicating their
haunt, the members of this genus may be
called " thicket warblers." As regards structure,

THE NIGHTINGALE. 33

they differ from the Garden Warblers in having
the bill less compressed towards the tip, and
wider near the gape ; the legs much longer and
not scutellated, the toes more adapted for walk-
ing than perching. In habits they are more
retired, concealing themselves in thickets and
copses, living a good deal on the ground, where
they find the principal portion of their food, and
building a loosely-constructed nest on or near
the ground, instead of a more compact structure
at a distance from it.

The sole representative of this genus in
England is the far-famed Nightingale ; and of
all the summer migrants to this country, no
species probably has attracted more attention, or
given rise to more speculation and discussion
amongst naturalists. The most remarkable
fact in connection with its annual sojourn in
England is its very partial distribution. When
we find this bird in summer as far to the
westward as Spain and Portugal, and as far to
the northward as Sweden, we may well be
surprised at its absence from Wales, Ireland,

D

34 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

and Scotland ; and yet it is the fact that the
boundary line, over which it seldom if ever
flies, excludes it from Cornwall, West Devon ;
part of Somerset, Gloucester, and Hereford ;
the whole of Wales (d fortiori from Ireland),
part of Shropshire, the whole of Cheshire,
Westmoreland, Cumberland, Durham, and
Northumberland. I am well aware that the
Nightingale has been stated to have been
heard and seen in Wales, Cumberland, and
even in Mid-Lothian (see "Zoologist/' p. 241) ;
but, even if they could be relied on in every
case, which is doubtful, these instances can only
be regarded as exceptional. In those counties
only to the east of the line indicated can the
bird be considered a regular summer visitant.
Mr. Blyth has expressed the opinion1 that the
Nightingale migrates almost due north and
south, deviating but a very little indeed either
to the right or left. "There are none in
Brittany," he says, " nor in the Channel Islands,

1 Note to his edition of White's " Selborne," 1836, p. 141.

THE NIGHTINGALE. 35

and the most westward of them probably cross
the Channel at Cape la Hogue, arriving on the
coast of Dorsetshire, and thence apparently
proceeding northwards, rather than dispersing
towards the west ; so that they are only known
as accidental stragglers a little beyond the third
degree of wrestern longitude." They arrive
generally about the end of the second week in
April, and it is a well-ascertained fact that the
males invariably precede the females by several
days. In 1867 three London birdcatchers,
between April 13 and May 2, took 225 Night-
ingales, and the whole of these, with five or six
exceptions only, were cock birds. The previous
year these same bird-catchers had supplied the
dealer by whom they were employed with 280
Nightingales, of which not more than sixty were
hens. From these statistics we may infer that
in no locality would Nightingales be more
plentiful if unmolested than in the neighbour-
hood of London ; but if one dealer only is
instrumental in capturing between 200 and 300
in the season, it is easy to account for the

34 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

and Scotland ; and yet it is the fact that the
boundary line, over which it seldom if ever
flies, excludes it from Cornwall, West Devon ;
part of Somerset, Gloucester, and Hereford ;
the whole of Wales (a fortiori from Ireland),
part of Shropshire, the whole of Cheshire,
Westmoreland, Cumberland, Durham, and
Northumberland. I am well aware that the
Nightingale has been stated to have been
heard and seen in Wales, Cumberland, and
even in Mid-Lothian (see "Zoologist/' p. 241) ;
but, even if they could be relied on in every
case, which is doubtful, these instances can only
be regarded as exceptional. In those counties
only to the east of the line indicated can the
bird be considered a regular summer visitant.
Mr. Blyth has expressed the opinion1 that the
Nightingale migrates almost due north and
south, deviating but a very little indeed either
to the right or left. "There are none in
Brittany," he says, " nor in the Channel Islands,

1 Note to his edition of White's " Selborne," 1836, p. 141.

THE NIGHTINGALE. 35

and the most westward of them probably cross
the Channel at Cape la Hogue, arriving on the
coast of Dorsetshire, and thence apparently
proceeding northwards, rather than dispersing
towards the west ; so that they are only known
as accidental stragglers a little beyond the third
degree of western longitude." They arrive
generally about the end of the second week in
April, and it is a well-ascertained fact that the
males invariably precede the females by several
days. In 1867 three London birdcatchers,
between April 13 and May 2, took 225 Night-
ingales, and the whole of these, with five or six
exceptions only, were cock birds. The previous
year these same bird-catchers had supplied the
dealer by whom they were employed with 280
Nightingales, of which not more than sixty were
hens. From these statistics we may infer that
in no locality would Nightingales be more
plentiful if unmolested than in the neighbour-
hood of London ; but if one dealer only is
instrumental in capturing between 200 and 300
in the season, it is easy to account for the

o

6 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

scarcity of the species. On the arrival of the
hen birds the cocks soon pair, and assist in
building, during which time, and during the
time the hens are sitting, they are in full song.
When the young are hatched the males leave
off singing, and busy themselves in bringing
food to the nest.

The song generally ceases before the end of
the first week in June. Occasionally, however,
I have heard a Nightingale sing on through-
out June, but accounted for this by supposing
that the nest had been robbed, and that the
cock was singing while the hen hatched a
second brood. Naturalists who live in
London need not travel more than five miles
from Charing Cross to hear the Nightingale in
full song. Nay, a friend who is well acquainted
with the note, has heard the bird frequently in
Victoria Park, which is only two miles distant
from the Bank of England, and on several oc-
casions attentive observers have recognized the
unmistakable notes of the Nightingale in the
Botanical Gardens, Regent's Park, and in Ken-
sington Gardens.

THE NIGHTINGALE. 37

It is curious how wide-spread is the belief
that the Nightingale warbles only at eve.
The reason, no doubt, is that amidst the
general chorus by day its song is less noticed
or attended to. But that it sings constantly
by day is a fact, of which we have satisfied
ourselves repeatedly. Moreover, it is by no
means the only bird to sing at night. The
Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Wood-
lark, Skylark, and Thrush, may often be heard
long after sunset; while the Cuckoo is fre-
quently to be heard at midnight, and the Land-
rail constantly.

It would appear that of the large number of
persons who profess a love for song birds very
few, comparatively, have the ear to distinguish
a song unless they can see the author of it.
Hence it frequently happens that they listen to
a Thrush or Blackcap in the early spring, and
immediately inform their friends that they have
heard the Nightingale weeks before it has
reached this country.

Many poets have perpetuated the odd belief

40 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

cannot be doubted, however, that this was the
result of accident rather than design ; and Mr.
Hewitson, in his " Eggs of British Birds," has
adduced two similar instances in the case of the
Hedge Sparrow.

The nest of the Nightingale is a very loosely-
made structure, composed for the greater part
of dead leaves, and placed upon a hedge bank,
generally at the root of some stout shrub or
thorn. The eggs, usually five in number, are,
like the bird itself, of a plain olive-brown
colour. The young Nightingales are spotted
like young Robins, having the feathers of the
upper portions of the plumage tipped with buff
colour. In some respects the Nightingale assi-
milates very much in habits to the Robin ; and
advantage has been taken of this in localities
where the Nightingale is unknown to introduce
its eggs into the nests of Robins, with a view to
having the young reared in the neighbourhood,
and so induced to return to it. But although,
as regards hatching and rearing, the plan has
been successful, the birds have never returned

THE NIGHTINGALE. 41

to the place of their birth. For some inex-
plicable reason, a limit appears to be set to
the migration of the Nightingale, which has
no parallel in the case of other migrants.

As autumn approaches it moves southwards
towards the Mediterranean, and spends the
winter months in North Africa, Egypt, and
Asia Minor. We cannot help thinking that the
Nightingale and many other birds which visit
us in summer and nest with us, must also nest
in what we term their winter quarters ; other-
wise it would be impossible, considering the
immense numbers which are captured on their
first arrival, not only in England, but through-
out central and southern Europe, to account for
the apparently undiminished forces which reap-
pear in the succeeding spring.

The late Mr. Blyth, however, was of a dif-
ferent opinion. Criticizing the above remarks,
he wrote :—

" The only birds known to me that breed in
their winter quarters are two species of Sand-
martin (Cotyle riparia and C.sinensis). In India

42 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

I have been familiar enough with birds in their
winter quarters, and have no hesitation in
asserting that migratory species (with the re-
markable exceptions named) do not even pair
until they have returned to their summer haunts.
Were they to do so, I could not but have
repeatedly noticed the fact, and must needs
have seen very many of their nests and young."

To my suggestion that from Mr. Layard's
observation of young birds there, the Common
Swallow, H. rustica, probably breeds at the
Cape during the season that it is absent from
the British Islands, Mr. Blyth replied :—

" According to my experience of Hirundo
rustica (and I have had the best opportunities for
observation), it decidedly does not breed in its
winter quarters. Some birds of this species,
which pass their non-breeding season within the
tropics, may migrate south instead of north, and
breed in the summer of the southern hemi-
sphere instead of that of the northern hemi-
sphere ; but there is no reason to suppose that
they are the same individuals. Were it so, the

THE NIGHTINGALE. 43

Cape colony would indeed be flooded with
Hirundo rustica. Besides, these birds renew
their plumage (as the Cuckoo likewise does)
when in their winter quarters ; whereas the
Sand-martins (Cotyle), as I am all but sure from
recollection, resemble the great majority of our
summer migrants in moulting before they
take their departure equatorward. That our
British Sand-martin (C. riparia] breeds in
Egypt during the winter months is noticed in
the ( Proceedings of the Zoological Society'
for 1863 (p. 288), and that its ordinary repre-
sentative in India and the countries eastward
(C. sinensis) does the same I can vouch from
personal observation, having myself taken both
eggs and young about the turn of the year from
their burrows in the banks of the Hugli ; while
Mr. Swinhoe noticed their breeding when in
their winter haunts, in the 'Ibis' for 1863,
p. 257, and 1866, p. 134."

THE BLACKCAP.

(Sylvia atricapilla.}

1 ^ IVE species may be conveniently grouped
-*- under the generic term Sylvia, or Fruit-
eating Warblers, and these, with one exception,
visit Great Britain regularly in the spring. Two
of them, the Blackcap and Garden Warbler, en-
joy little more immunity from traps and birdlime
than does the Nightingale. Their fine song
marks them at once as the prey of the profes-
sional bird-catcher, and during the month of
April immense numbers are taken daily. The
Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat are also

THE BLACKCAP. 45

sought after as cage-birds, but not to the same
extent, for their song is neither so musical nor
so varied.

In no part of the country are these four
species more plentiful than in the south-eastern
counties of England ; and the neighbourhood of
the metropolis seems to have some special at-
traction for them. Far from shunning " the
busy haunts of men," they appear to be nowhere
more at home than in our gardens and orchards.
The reason is obvious as soon as we become
acquainted with their habits, and the nature of
their food. We then discover that their motives
are not so disinterested as we might suppose,
since the real attraction \sfruit. Upon this the
parent birds live to a great extent ; and after
bringing up their young upon various kinds of
insects which infest fruit trees — in which they
unquestionably do us good service — they intro-
duce their progeny at length to the more palat-
able pulp upon which they themselves have
been faring so sumptuously. No wonder, then,
that the large market-gardens of Kent, Surrey,

46 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

and Middlesex should entice such numbers of
these little birds to remain in their vicinity
throughout the summer.

The Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) is the ear-
liest of the genus to make his appearance,
and seems to be hardier also than any of his
congeners. Many instances are on record of
Blackcaps having remained in this country
throughout the winter, and this has been
noticed as particularly the case in Ireland. It
is rather singular that Mr. Yarrell, in referring
to the sister isle, says that the Blackcap " has
been taken, once at least, in the north of Ire-
land," as if he were of opinion that its occurrence
there were doubtful, or at least extremely rare.
Mr. Thompson, in his excellent " Natural His-
tory of Ireland" (vol. i. p. 183), notices the
Blackcap as a regular summer visitant there ;
but he adds that it must be considered very
local. In Scotland it is considered rare, being
confined chiefly to the south ; but since the
observations were published from which these
remarks are drawn, considerable changes seem

THE BLACKCAP. 47

to have taken place in the local distribution
of many species of birds. This is notably the
case with the Blackcap and Garden Warbler,
both of which have followed cultivation, .and
now are found commonly in localities where
twenty years ago they were either unknown or
stated to be extremely rare.

The Blackcap, like the Nightingale, appears to
migrate almost due north and south, and ranges
from Lapland to the Cape. It is resident in
Madeira, the Azores, and the Canaries, and is
also found throughout the year in Northern
Africa and Southern Italy. In the fine col-
lection of African birds (Passeres and Picaricz]
belonging to Mr. R. B. Sharpe, I have seen
a specimen of the Blackcap from Senegal. In
Spain and Portugal it is found only on the
migration in spring and autumn. Mr. God-
man, in his interesting work on the " Natural
History of the Azores," has described a curious
variety of the Blackcap which is found in these
islands, " having the black marking on the head
extending to the shoulders and round under the

48 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

throat," and he was informed that individuals
were sometimes found with " the whole of the
under parts of the body black." This variety
appears to have been met with also in Madeira,
from whence it was described by Heineken
("Zool. Journ." v. p. 75). A figure of it will
be found in Jardine and Selby's " Illustrations
of Ornithology," pi. 94.

However much observers may be deceived
by song, there is no mistaking either sex of the
Blackcap as soon as the bird comes in view.
The black crown of the male and the brown
crown of the female suffice to distinguish the
species amongst every other of our summer
migrants. There is something very peculiar,
too, about the half-hopping, half-creeping
motions of all the Fruit-eating Warblers, which
distinguishes them at once from other small
birds frequenting the same haunts.

The males invariably arrive some days before
the females ; but both sexes seem to leave the
country much about the same time — that is,
early in September.

THE BLACKCAP. 49

The nests of all the species in the genus
Sylvia, as compared with those of the finches
and linnets, are slovenly and loosely-made
structures ; and that of the Blackcap is no
exception to the rule. The birds take some
pains, however, to conceal it, and both male
and female bestow a good deal of trouble upon
it. It is generally placed a few feet from the
ground, and is composed of dry bents, and
lined with horsehair. The eggs, usually five in
number, are white clouded with pale brown,
and sparsely spotted with black towards the
larger end. They closely resemble the eggs of
the Garden Warbler, but differ in being smaller,
and as a rule of a warmer tint ; the pink or
reddish-brown colour with which the eggs of
the Blackcap are often suffused is not found in
those of its congener. Both sexes take their
turn at incubation, relieving one another to
feed ; but the male will often feed his partner
on the nest, and then sit and sing to her. As
to the song, it is simply delightful. I refrain,
however, from attempting a description, for two

E

5O OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

reasons. The attempt has been made very often,
and mere verbiage can convey but a very faint
notion of its nature. It must be heard to be
appreciated. If I were asked the question,
" How am I to know the song when I hear
it ?" I would reply, " Approach the bird as
slowly and as noiselessly as possible, until you
can see the individual singing." This is the
only way to learn the songs of birds. The note
of each species then becomes impressed upon
the memory, and can afterwards be detected
without hesitation when the bird is not in sight.
To acquire this knowledge, however, of the
songs of birds, one thing is necessary — an ear
for music. This, unfortunately, cannot be im-
parted by teaching ; and unless it exist as a gift
of nature, the delight of music can never be
experienced. There is this consolation, how-
ever, for those who are not musicians — they
cannot feel so much the loss of a pleasure
which they have never experienced.

THE ORPHEAN WARBLER.

(Sylvia orpkea.)

r I ^HE Orphean Warbler, as its name implies,
-*- is another noted song bird ; but, though
not uncommon in some parts of Europe and
Asia, its claim to be included amongst our British
warblers rests on very slender grounds. So
long ago as July, 1848, a pair of this species
were observed in a small plantation near We-
therby, and the hen bird was shot and for-
warded to Sir William Milner, who informed
Mr. Yarrell of the fact. On this single instance
it was included by the last-named naturalist in
his " History of British Birds." Since the last
edition of that work was published (1856),
there is reason to believe that the Orphean
Warbler has occurred again at least on two
occasions in England. In June, 1866, the late
Sergeant- Major Hanley, of the ist Life Guards,
well known as a bird fancier, purchased a young

52 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

warbler, which had been chased and caught by
a boy near Holloway. Mr. Blyth, who saw it
in the following December, pronounced it to be
without doubt a female Orphean Warbler. As
the bird when caught was unable to fly, it is
evident that a pair must have nested in the
neighbourhood. I have seen a nest and eggs
which were taken in Notton Wood, near Wake-
field, in June, 1864, which certainly appertained
to none of our common warblers, and the eggs
could not be distinguished from well-authen-
ticated eggs of Sylvia orphea? Mr. Howard
Saunders has reported a similar nest and eggs
from East Grinstead. The eggs differ from
those of the Blackcap and Garden Warbler in
being white, spotted, chiefly at the larger end,
with ash-grey. The bird may be briefly de-
scribed as a large form of the Blackcap, ex-
ceeding it by half an inch in total length, and
by a quarter of an inch in length of wing, the
male having the black crown which characterizes

1 Cf. " Handbook of British Birds," p. 106.

THE ORPHEAN WARBLER. 53

our well-known songster, and resembling it
generally in appearance. It differs, however, in
having the bill shining black instead of horn
colour, the under parts white instead of grey,
the legs brown instead of slate colour, and the
outer tail feathers margined with white instead
of being uniformly grey. In habits and mode
of life it assimilates, as might be expected, very
much to the species with which we are so
familiar. Those who have seen the nest, state
that it is large for the size of the bird — a loose
and open structure, rather shallow, and gene-
rally placed in a low bush near the ground.
Mr. Yarrell has given very scanty information
about this species, particularly as regards its
geographical distribution, from which it might
be inferred that very little is known of it.
This, however, is not the case.

While the Blackcap migrates almost due north
and south, the Orphean Warbler migrates west-
wards and northwards from the east and south-
east, and vice versa. In North-west India, par-
ticularly in the neighbourhood of Umballah, it

54 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

is tolerably common. The Rev. Canon Tristram
found it numerous in Palestine, and especially
abundant under Mount Hermon. Messrs. Elwes
and Buckley include it in their list of the birds
of Turkey (" Ibis," 1870, p. 19), and Lord
Lilford has noted its occasional occurrence in
spring in the Ionian Isles. Rlippell includes it
amongst the birds of Arabia and Egypt,1 but
either it is not very common in Egypt, or it has
escaped the searching eyes of many English
ornithologists in that country. Mr. O. Salvin
found it tolerably common in the Eastern Atlas,
and it has also been met with in Tripoli (cf.
Chambers, " Ibis," 1867, p. 104). As it is thus
found in North Africa, and, according to Pro-
fessor Savi, is a summer visitant to Italy, one
would naturally expect to find it in Malta ; but
Mr. C. A. Wright, who has paid great attention
to Maltese ornithology for many years, states
that he has never met with it himself, and that
only one instance of its occurrence in Malta is

1 "Syst. Uebers. d. Vogel Nord-Ost Afrika's," p. 57.

THE ORPHEAN WARBLER. 55

known to him. In Spain it has been observed
as a summer visitant both by Lord Lilford and
Mr. Howard Saunders. The last-named natu-
ralist says (" Ibis," 1871, p. 212) that it nests
there in May, and refers to the frequent in-
equality in the size of eggs in the same nest — a
peculiarity which does not seem to have been
previously noticed. In Portugal it appears to
be only an occasional summer visitant, appa-
rently not straying so far westward as a rule
I am not aware that it has been found further
to the south-west than Morocco. Mr. Tyrwhitt
Drake met with it in this country in 1867, but
considered it rare.

According to the observations of Von der
Mlihle, in his " Monograph of the European
Sylviuta" and of Captain Beavan on various
birds in India (" Ibis," 1868, pp. 73, 74), there
is good reason to believe that both the
Blackcap and the Orphean Warbler com-
pletely lose the black crown in winter, and
reassume it at the approach of the breeding
season.

56 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Criticizing these remarks, however, the late
Mr. Blyth wrote : —

" Do the males of these birds lose the black
cap in winter ? Certainly not the former — at
least as observed in captivity — and therefore I
cannot help doubting exceedingly that they do
so in the wild state. Upon a bad Indian draw-
ing of the Orphean Warbler, reproduced in the
' Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' for
1851 (p. 195, pi. 43), the supposed Artamus
tUtoillatus was sought to be established. The
habits of the Orphean Warbler are thus de-
scribed in Jerdon's 'Birds of India' — in which
country, by the way, it passes the winter, the
males then retaining their black cap : — ' It fre-
quents groves, gardens, hedges, single trees, and
even low bushes on the plains ; is very active
and restless, incessantly moving about from
Dranch to branch, clinging to the twigs, and
feeding on various insects, grubs, and caterpil-
lars, and also on flower buds. It is sometimes
seen alone, at other times two or three together.'

THE ORPHEAN WARBLER. 57

Undoubtedly it must needs feed also on soft
fruits. The hen of this bird bears a'n exceed-
ingly close resemblance to the Lesser White-
throat, except in size ; while the cock bird fur-
ther differs in having the black cap at all seasons.
There is likewise in India the Sylvia, or Citrruca,
affinis, which resembles our Lesser Whitethroat,
excepting in being as large as our Common
Whitethroat. The latter bird has lately turned
up in the north-west of India; and the British
Lesser Whitethroat is the only one of the group
which extends its range eastward to Lower
Bengal, where it occurs, however, only above
the tideway of the rivers, upon the sandy soil in
which the Baubul ( Vachelia farnesiana) grows
plentifully. There I have observed our fami-
liar little friend in abundance during the winter
months, but never upon the alluvion or mud
soil ; and the same remark applies to Hippolais
rama. It has been suggested to me that there
may be a race of * Blackcap ' that visits Eastern
Europe, the males of which have a rufous-brown

58 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

cap like the females. In our race of Blackcap
the diversity of the sexes is very noticeable,
even in nestlings."

Captain Beavan, in the article before referred
to, says : " Specimens of the Orphean Warbler,
procured on the 22nd of October, had no trace
whatever of a black head, and were considered
by Colonel Tytler to be the young of the year ;
but in my opinion the state of the plumage was
not sufficiently juvenile ; and I think that the
old birds adopt a different colouring according
to the time of year, probably putting on the
black head as the breeding season approaches."
To this observation the editor of the " Ibis "
appended the following note : "That this view of
the case is correct there is probably little doubt
(cf. Von der Muhle, ' Monogr. Europ. Sylv./
p. 48)."

From these observations it was surmised
that the same might be the case with the
Blackcap.

THE GARDEN WARBLER.

(Sylvia /wrtensis.)

TO those who are unacquainted with the
bird, the Garden Warbler may be best de-
scribed as equal in size to the female Blackcap,
resembling it in colour without the chestnut
crown, having the belly pure white instead of
greyish white, and the legs lighter in colour. It
appears much later than the Blackcap, seldom
arriving before the end of April. Both sexes are
alike in outward appearance ; but it has been
ascertained, by careful observers who have dis-

6O OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

seated the birds, that the males invariably arrive
in this country before the females. Pennant,
Montagu, and other old authors, called this bird
the Greater Pettychaps, while they bestowed the
name of Lesser Pettychaps — presumably from
its resemblance in miniature — upon the Chiff-
chaff.

Throughout England the Garden Warbler
appears to be pretty generally distributed. Mr.
A. G. More, however, in his essay on the Dis-
tribution of Birds in Great Britain during the
nesting season (" Ibis," 1865, p. 25), speaks of
it as scarce in Cornwall and Pembrokeshire, and
absent from Wales. Mr. Rodd, on the other
hand, characterizes the Garden Warbler as a
summer visitant to East Cornwall, and says it
" breeds annually in the woods at Trebartha, in
North Hill, from whence specimens of its nest
and eggs have been received." 1 He adds also
that it has once been met with near Penzance ;
and that in the autumn of 1849 several speci-

1 See " List of British Birds, as a Guide to the Ornithology
of Cornwall," 2nd edition, 1869, p. 15.

THE GARDEN WARBLER. 6 1

mens were obtained from Scilly. Dr. Bullmore,
in his M Cornish Fauna " (p. 1 7), confirms Mr.
Rodd's statement that it is a summer visitant to
East Cornwall.

It will be remarkable if this bird is not found
to be common in some parts of Wales, since it
not only occurs in Ireland, but is not nearly so
scarce there as the observations of Mr. Thomp-
son would lead us to suppose. In his " Natural
History of Ireland" (Birds, vol. i. p. 185), this
naturalist refers to the Garden Warbler as ex-
tremely rare in Ireland, and notices its occur-
rence only in the counties of Cork and Tippe-
rary. If I mistake not, Mr. Blake-Knox has
met with it in the county of Dublin ; I have
myself observed it in Wicklow ; and Sir Victor
Brooke has lately assured me that in the
county of Fermanagh, about Lough Erne, it is
common in summer, and nests regularly in the
neighbourhood of Castle Caldwell, to the north-
west of that county. In the same neighbour-
hood, he added, the Blackcap is unknown.
When we remember the number of naturalists

62 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

with whom Mr. Thompson was in correspond-
ence in all parts of Ireland, it is singular that so
few of them should have been able to report
the presence of this bird in their respective
districts. I have already referred to the
changes which have taken place in the local
distribution of many species of birds within the
last twenty or thirty years, and there is no
reason for doubting that the statements pub-
lished by Mr. Thompson in 1849, and the
observations of naturalists of the present day,
are both perfectly correct, and that the Garden
Warbler, like many other birds, is now common
in localities where formerly it was unknown.
The number of resident naturalists in Wales is
very small as compared with England ; never-
theless, it is to be hoped that those who have
the opportunity will examine into the truth of
the alleged absence from Wales of this bird, and
publish the result of their investigations.

The limit of the Garden Warbler's range
northwards in the British Islands has not been
satisfactorily ascertained. That it is found in

THE GARDEN WARBLER. 63

many parts of the south of Scotland we know
from the observations of Macgillivray and the
late Sir William Jardine ; but we have yet to
learn whether it penetrates to the Highlands or
visits the Hebrides. According to Selby, it is
found throughout the greater part of Scotland ;
but Mr. Robert Gray, in his recently published
" Birds of the West of Scotland," is disposed to
think that it is not commonly distributed. It is,
as he says, very difficult to judge of the com-
parative numbers of so shy a bird, as it is even
less frequently noticed, save by the patient
observer, than some other species of greater
rarity. " In the sheltered and wooded districts
of the midland and southern counties," he adds,
"it is one of the most attractive songsters,
tuning its loud and gleeful pipe on the top of
some fruit tree an hour or two after daybreak,
and again about the dusk of the evening.
These love notes, however, are not of long con-
tinuance, for the bird becomes silent after the
young are hatched, unless a second brood is
reared, when the same wild yet mellow black-

64 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

bird-like song is again for a short time heard.
Mr. Sinclair has observed the Garden Warbler
at Inverkip in Renfrewshire, where the richly-
wooded preserves afford it a constant shelter
during its summer sojourn." In Shetland, ac-
cording to Dr. Saxby,1 it is a rare autumn
visitor, usually occurring in September. By
exercising great caution he has sometimes
approached within a few feet of the bird, and
watched it picking the green aphides from the
sycamore leaves. It does not appear to have
been observed in Orkney. Its range north-
wards in Europe, according to Nilsson, ex-
tends to Sweden, where it is observed to be
a regular summer visitant, arriving in May
and leaving in August. In all the countries
bordering the Mediterranean it appears to
be well known. Mr. Saunders informs me
that it is common in Spain in spring and
autumn ; and Mr. Wright, referring to its pre-
sence at the same seasons in Malta, where it is

1 "The Birds of Shetland," p. 73.

THE GARDEN WARBLER. 65

known as the far-famed " beccafico " of the
Italians, says that as many as a hundred
dozen are sometimes brought in at a time.1
Lord Lilford has once found this bird nesting
in Epirus.2 The late Mr. C. J. Andersson met
with it as far south as Damaraland, South-west
Africa. In habits the Garden Warbler closely
resembles other members of the genus. Shy
and restless, it differs from the Blackcap in its
inferior powers of song, and from the White-
throats in being less garrulous. It is neverthe-
less a 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 several minutes without a pause. Its song
is somewhat irregular, both in time and tune,
but it is wonderfully mellow for so small a bird.
It sometimes commences its song like a Black-
bird, but always ends with its own. In some of
its actions it resembles the Willow Wren, for it
seems constantly in motion, hopping from bough

> " Ibis," 1864, p. 67. 2 « Ibis," 1860, p. 231.
F

66 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

to bough in search of insects, and singing at in-
tervals. It is very partial to fruit of all kinds,
but at the same time destroys vast numbers of
caterpillars, spiders, and aphides. Much against
my inclination I have shot a few Garden War-
blers in the spring soon after their arrival, for
the purpose of ascertaining the nature of their
food, and can therefore affirm, from personal
inspection, that they destroy quantities of insects
which are destructive to foliage. Under the
head of Blackcap, I have referred to the nest
of the Garden Warbler for the purpose of com-
parison, and need only add here that it is gene-
rally well concealed, and that, unless the owner
is seen near the nest, it is oftentimes not very
easy to distinguish the eggs from those of its
congener, which have been already described.

THE COMMON WHITETHROAT.

(Sylvia cinerea.}

1 ^AR from leading a retired life like the last-
-*• named bird, the Whitethroat forces itself
into notice by its noisy chattering and repeated
sallies into the air. We cannot walk along a
country lane in May without being reminded
at every twenty yards of the presence of this
demonstrative little bird. With crest-feathers
erect and half-extended wings, it bustles in and
out, gesticulating loudly, and seems to live in a
perpetual state of excitement.

68 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

The country lads call it the " Nettle Creeper,"
from its frequenting overgrown ditches and
hedgebanks where the nettle is plentiful,
amongst the stems of which it builds its
nest. It comes to us about the third week in
April, and remains until the end of August.
It is very generally distributed in the British
Islands, and is as common in Ireland as it is
in England. In the north of Scotland it
is said to be rare ; but a correspondent of
Mr. More finds it breeding regularly in Mull
and lona.1 It visits Scandinavia in summer,
and is found also at that season in Russia and
Siberia. It is one of the commonest birds in
spring and autumn in Malta, and is occasionally
observed in Corfu in September and October.
In winter it is not uncommon in Asia Minor
and North-east Africa. Amongst the birds col-
lected at Aboo, North-west India, by Dr. King,
in September, 1868, Mr. Hume found one which
both he and M. Jules Verreaux identified at

i Cf." Ibis," 1865, p. 25.

THE COMMON WHITETHROAT. 69

once as Sylvia cinerea. Unlike the Garden
Warbler, the Whitethroat sings a good deal on
the wing, sometimes returning to the branch it
has just left, after the manner of a Tree Pipit,
sometimes re-alighting elsewhere. The song,
which is commenced on arrival, generally ceases
early in the month of July. Its habits, and as
Mr. Thompson says, the grotesquely earnest
appearance which the erected crest, feathers,
and distended throat impart when singing,
render this bird one of the most interesting of
our warblers. It seems to prefer the tallest and
thickest hedgerows, where there are plenty of
brambles and briars, and ditches which are
choked with weeds and nettles. It does not
keep, however, to the fields and lanes, but
visits our gardens and orchards in company
with its young to pilfer currants, raspberries,
and other fruit when ripe. The caterpillars to
be found on the currant trees are favourite
morsels with this bird, and we should not forget
that if it takes a few currants it is also the
means of saving a good many.

7<D OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

The nest of the Whitethroat is generally
placed near the ground, amongst nettles or
other rank herbage, and is constructed of dry
grass-stems and horsehair. The eggs, usually
five in number, are minutely speckled all over
with ash-brown or ash-green, and spotted at the
larger end with gray. I have watched an old
Whitethroat bringing food to its young, and
have been surprised to see in how short a space
of time it contrived to find food and return to
the nest. Sometimes it was impossible to see
even with a glass what this food was, but at
other times I could plainly discern a cater-
pillar wriggling between the mandibles.

T

THE LESSER WHITETHROAT.

(Sylvia sylviella.)
HIS is not nearly so common a bird, nor

so generally distributed in Great Britain, as
the last-named. It is confined more or less to the
midland and southern counties of England, is
very rare in Scotland, and unknown in Ireland.
Mr. Rodd, in his " List of Birds" before quoted,
says the Lesser Whitethroat is only seen in
Cornwall during the autumn migration, and then
only occasionally at Scilly. In Wales it appears
to be equally scarce (cf. More, "Ibis," 1865,

72 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

p. 25), but it is possible that, from its general
resemblance to the last-named bird, it may have
been often overlooked. The respective measure-
ments of the two species are as follows :—

Total length. Wing. Tarsus.

Common Whitethroat . 5*5 in. . 2*9 in. . *8 in.
Lesser Whitethroat . . 5*2 „ . 2-5 „ . 7 „

Independently, however, of its smaller size,
the Lesser Whitethroat may be distinguished
by its black ear-coverts, and by the absence of
the pale rufous edgings to the secondaries,
which are so conspicuous in the larger species.
The legs also are slate-coloured instead of yel-
lowish-brown.

In haunts, habits, and mode of nesting the
two species are very similar, and what has been
said of one will apply almost equally well to the
other. Both arrive also about the same time —
namely, the third week in April ; and by the
end of August, when the young are strong
enough to shift for themselves, they depart
again southwards. Although the nests of the two
species are very similar, the eggs of the Lesser

THE LESSER WHITETHROAT. 73

Whitethroat have a much clearer ground-colour,
and are never so profusely freckled as those of
its congener. On the contrary, the spots of
ash-brown, or ash-green, are almost always at
the larger end, leaving the smaller end of the
egg almost spotless.

The range of the Lesser Whitethroat south-
ward is probably more or less identical with
that of the Common Whitethroat. It is abun-
dant in Spain in winter and early spring, but
does not remain to breed there. In Malta,
strange to say, it has only been recognised once;
but in Egypt and Nubia, especially from Den-
dera to the First Cataract, it is very numerous
in winter. Individuals of this species have been
seen to alight on vessels in the Mediterranean,
even when upwards of sixty miles from the
nearest land, and thus its ability to migrate
from Europe to Africa, and back, is sufficiently
established. Eastward it penetrates to Lower
Bengal, where, in the cold season, it is said to
be not uncommon.

THE REDSTART.

(Ruticilla phcenicura?)

in its actions, and more vi-
vidly coloured than many of our Summer
Migrants, the Redstart cannot fail to attract at-
tention in the districts which it frequents during
its sojourn with us. It would be difficult,
indeed, to find a more beautiful little bird than
the male Redstart in his nuptial plumage. The
pale grey colour of the head and back, relieved
by a silvery white spot upon the forehead and

THE REDSTART. 75

a jet-black throat, contrasts strongly with the
bright chestnut of the breast, upper tail coverts,
and tail. From the bright colour of its tail, in
fact, it has derived the name Redstart, which is
simply the Anglo-Saxon equivalent for " Red-
tail." " Fire-tail," " Brand-tail," and " Quick-
start," are other local names by which it is
variously known. The last-named has refer-
ence to the singularly characteristic movement
of the tail, which is rapidly flirted horizontally
instead of vertically, as in the case of most
other birds.

Upon this point, however, there seems to be
some difference of opinion. Macgillivray, a
high authority in such matters, observes, " As
to the motion of the tail in this bird, which has
supplied some observers with a subject of dis-
pute, I am convinced that it is vertical — that is,
up and down, and not alternately to either side,
although at each jerk the feathers are a little
spread out, as is the case with those of many
other birds of this order, as the Stonechat and
Whinchat" I feel .sure, notwithstanding this

76 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

opinion, that I have frequently observed a
horizontal movement.

Its mode of progression on the ground has
been compared by the same observer to that of
the Wheatear, " for it neither walks nor runs,"
he says, " but advances by leaps." I cannot,
however, completely endorse this view, for I
have frequently seen a Wheatear run, and at
times very rapidly. " Unless on a wall, or on
bare ground, however, it seldom hops much, for
it procures its food chiefly by sallying after
insects on the wing, or by alighting on the
ground to pick up those which it has observed
amongst the herbage, and on trees it flies from
branch to branch."

Although generally distributed in England
and Scotland, the Redstart is nowhere very
common, being most plentiful, apparently, in the
southern counties of England, and becoming
rarer as we proceed northward. In Ireland it
is scarcely known at all, and does not visit the
Hebrides. On the Continent, however, it has
a tolerably wide range, extending from Arch-

THE REDSTART. 77

angel throughout Scandinavia and the whole of
Europe, except Portugal, to the Mediterranean,
which it crosses to visit North Africa, Egypt,
and Abyssinia for the winter season.

The haunts which it affects in this country
are generally not far removed from human
habitation, and it is not unusual to find the nest,
containing five or six pale-blue eggs, upon a
peach or plum-tree against a wall ; upon a cross-
beam of a summer-house ; or in a hole of a wall
or tree, as opportunity may serve. The eggs
are very similar to those of the Hedge Sparrow,
but are invariably smaller and paler. It picks
up most of its food, such as small beetles,
spiders, and worms, on the ground ; and its
actions when thus engaged remind one more of
the Robin than of the Wheatear, as Macgil-
livray thought. At other times it will sit upon
an exposed branch, and dart forth into the air,
like a Flycatcher, to secure a passing insect.
Its song, though sprightly, is weak and seldom
prolonged. It is generally poured forth from
some bough or other " coign of vantage," but is

78 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

occasionally uttered as the bird hovers on the
wing, or flies from spray to spray.

Although a very shy bird, the Redstart occa-
sionally takes up its quarters close to the house,
and when once it has selected a site for its nest
and hatched its young, it manifests such attach-
ment for them as to allow a very near approach,
and will even permit a visitor to stroke it as it
sits upon the nest.

The beauty of its plumage, its sprightly and
at times incessant song, and the good which it
effects in ridding plants and fruit-trees of the
green aphis, commend it to the notice and pro-
tection of all owners of gardens.

The Common Redstart has scarcely quitted
our shores in autumn before its congener, the
Black Redstart (Ruticilla tithys), arrives to pass
the winter here, and occasionally even to linger
on until the more familiar species returns again
with the spring. But since it is properly re-
garded as a winter visitant to this country,
any lengthened description of the species,
and of its haunts and habits, would be out of

THE REDSTART. 79

place here. I shall therefore merely ob-
serve that it may be distinguished from the
Common Redstart by the sooty-black colour of
the breast and belly, which parts in the other
are orange -brown, and that it generally ar-
rives about the first week in November, and
remains until the end of March or beginning
of April.

The origin of the specific name "tithys"
seems to be somewhat doubtful, although seve-
ral ornithologists have attempted an explanation.
Hemprich and Ehrenberg (" Symbolae Phy-
sicse," fol. bb), and Von Heuglin (" Orn. Nord-
Ost Afrika's," i. p. 334) have referred it to T «•»»?,
ultor, with which, however, in the opinion of
Professor Newton ("Ann. Mag. Nat. History,"
Ser. 4, x. p. 227), it can have nothing to do.
Professor Newton himself, in the magazine just
quoted, and in a footnote to his edition of
Yarrell's " History of British Birds/' i. p. 333,
writes : " Sylvia tithys (by mistake) Scopoli,
Annus I. Historico-naturalis, p. 157 (1769).
This naturalist admittedly took his specific

80 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

name from Linnaeus, who spelt the word ' titys *
as did Gesner ; but the best classical authorities,
Stephanus, Porson, and Passow, consider ' titis '
to be right. This originally meant a small chirp-
ing bird, and is possibly cognate with the first
syllable of our ^Vmouse and /zVlark." After the
opinion expressed by such authorities, it may ap-
pear somewhat presumptuous on my part to offer
a suggestion; but there is yet another explanation,
which has apparently been overlooked. Might
not the word " tithys " (more correctly " tithus"}
be derived from the Greek adjective nOoj, Orf, 0<?t/,.
which has the same signification as Ti0«<ro?, that
is, " reared up in the house, domesticated."
Compare the domestic hens of Dioscorides, T»0a»
o/jv*0£ff. The term ''domesticated" would be well
applied to the Black Redstart, which is a very
familiar bird, frequently perching on house-tops
and garden walls, and building in holes and
crannies in the neighbourhood of man's
dwelling.

THE SEDGE WARBLER.

(Salicaria phragmitis^]

T EAVING the woods, gardens, and planta-
-• — ' tions, and proceeding to the river side, we
meet with a very different class of birds — the river
warblers. This is a very numerous family, and
were we about to treat of all the known species,
it might be advisable for simplicity's sake to
group them into sub-families. As we are con-
fining our attention, however, for the present, to
those species only which have been met with in
the British Islands, it will be less confusing if
we dispense with this subdivision, and notice

G

82 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

them under the same generic name — Salicaria.
The various members of this genus may be
distinguished by their short wings, rounded
tails, tarsus longer than the middle toe, large
feet, long and curved claws, and large hind toe
with strong curved claw. They differ, too, from
other warblers in their habit of singing at night.
There are eight species which have all more or
less a claim to be included in the British list,
although three only can be regarded as regular
summer migrants. These three are the Sedge
Warbler (S. phragmitis), the Reed Warbler (S.
strepera), and the Grasshopper Warbler (S. locus-
tella). The others are Savi's Warbler (S.
luscinoides], the Aquatic Warbler (S. aquatica],
the Marsh Warbler (S. palustris), the Great
Reed Warbler (S. arundinacea), and the Rufous
Warbler (S. galactoides).

The Sedge Warbler and the Reed Warbler
generally arrive much about the same time in
April, but, from some unexplained cause, the
latter is much more restricted in its distribution
than the former. The Sedge Warbler is found

THE SEDGE WARBLER. 83

throughout the British Islands, but the Reed
Warbler is almost unknown in Ireland, and its
nest has only once been met with in Scotland.1
As a rule, it is seldom, if ever, to be seen further
north than Yorkshire and Lancashire, and does
not breed either in Devon or Cornwall. It
may thus be said to be almost confined to the
eastern, midland, and south-eastern counties of
England. Beyond the British Islands, too, it is
less erratic in its movements than its congeners.
The Sedge Warbler visits Scandinavia, Russia,
and Siberia, and is found throughout Europe in
summer, and in North Africa and Asia Minor
in winter. The late Mr. Andersson sent speci-
mens even from Damaraland, S.W. Africa.
The Reed Warbler does not migrate as far
north as this ; but Mr. Gurney has received a
specimen from Natal ; and if we may rely on
the identification of specimens obtained by
Mr. Hodgson, it ranges as far eastward as
Nepal.

1 This was in Haddingtonshire, by Mr. Hepburn. See
"Ibis," 1865, p. 24.

84 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

I have sometimes heard persons express
their inability to distinguish these two species
apart ; but there ought to be no difficulty in the
matter. The Sedge Warbler has a variegated
back, with a conspicuous light streak over the
eye ; the Reed Warbler has a uniform pale-
brown back, and the superciliary streak very
faint. The actions of the two birds are not
unlike, but their nesting habits are very dif-
ferent. S.phragmitis builds on the ground or
very near it, making a nest of moss and grass,
lined with horsehair, and laying five or six eggs
of a yellowish-brown colour, with a few scattered
spots or lines of a darker colour at the larger
end. 61 strepera suspends its nest between reed
stems or twigs, round which a great portion of
the nest is woven, and the entire structure is
much larger, deeper, and more cup-shaped. The
materials are long grasses, flowering reed-heads,
and wool, the lining being composed of fine
grass and hair. The eggs, five or six in number,
are greenish-white speckled with ash-green and
pale-brown. The habit which the Reed War-

THE SEDGE WARBLER. 85

bier has of occasionally nesting at a distance
from water is now probably well known to
ornithologists. It was noticed by Mr. R. Mit-
ford in the " Zoologist " for 1864 (p. 9109), and
subsequently by the writer, in " The Birds of
Middlesex/' 1866 (p. 47), and by the author
of "The Birds of Berks and Bucks," 1868
(p. 81). Mr. B. Hamilton Booth, of Malton,
Yorkshire, communicated the fact of his having
discovered a nest of the Reed Warbler in a yew
tree, built so as to include three or four twigs
as if they were reeds, and placed at a height of
at least twelve or fourteen feet from the ground.
He accounted for the nest being built at such a
height, and in a tree, on the supposition that the
first nest had been destroyed by the rats which
infest the place, and the birds had taken a pre-
caution for future safety.

THE GRASSHOPPER WARBLER.

(Salicaria locus tella.)

THE third species of this genus which is
a regular summer migrant to this country
is the Grasshopper Warbler, so called from its
peculiar sibilant note. In its general appearance
it is most like the Sedge Warbler, but is larger
in every way, and has the upper part of the
plumage more variegated, no superciliary streak,
and the throat minutely spotted. This last
feature, however, is peculiar to the male. In
habits, haunts, and in the character of its nest

THE GRASSHOPPER WARBLER. 87

and eggs, the Grasshopper Warbler differs en-
tirely from the two species above mentioned.
It delights in a dense undergrowth or thick
hedge-bottom, where it creeps about more like
a mouse than a bird, and is extremely difficult
to catch sight of, pausing at intervals to seize an
insect or to give forth its remarkable note. Its
well-made and compact nest, so different from
the slovenly structure of the Sedge Warbler, is
placed upon the ground, and carefully con-
cealed. The eggs, five or six in number, are
amongst the most beautiful of small birds' eggs.
When blown they are white, minutely freckled
over with brownish-red ; but before the yolk
has been expelled they are suffused with a deli-
cate rosy tint, which afterwards unfortunately
disappears. The Grasshopper Warbler is a
regular summer visitant to Ireland, and is also
found in the south of Scotland. Its retiring
habits probably cause it to be overlooked, and
were it not for its loud note it would doubtless
often escape notice altogether. It does not
appear to be anywhere a numerous species, and

88 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

its geographical distribution has not been yet
clearly defined. It is observed in Southern
Europe at the periods of migration, and we may
therefore presume that it accompanies its con-
geners and other small summer migrants to
North Africa, Asia Minor, and Palestine.

SAVI'S WARBLER.
(Salicaria luscinoides.)

T3 EFORE the fens were drained, it is said
•*-^ that the rarer species, Savi's Warbler,
was not uncommon in the eastern counties of
England. The fen-men used to distinguish it
from the Grasshopper Warbler by its note, call-
ing the commoner species " the reeler," the
other " the night reeler/' from the resemblance
of its note to the whirr of the reel used by the
wool-spinners. In Norfolk, according to Mr.
Stevenson, it appears to have been known to
the marsh-men as " the red craking reed-wren."
The fens of Baitsbight, Burwell, and Whittlesea

V

SAVl's WARBLER. 89

were formerly noted localities for this species,
then regarded as a regular summer migrant ;
but extensive drainage and increased cultivation
of waste land has apparently destroyed the only
breeding haunt which had any attraction for it,
and it can now be only considered a rare
summer visitant. I have once, and only once,
seen this species alive in England. This was
in a large reed-bed close to the river, near I ken,
in Suffolk, in the month of September, 1874.
The bird first attracted my attention by the
very rufous colour of the dorsal plumage, and as
I succeeded in obtaining a near view of it, I feel
confident that I was not mistaken in the species.
The nest and eggs of this bird are reported to
have been taken in Norfolk, Cambridge, Hun-
tingdon, Essex, Kent, and once in Devonshire.1
In general appearance at a distance it is not un-
like the Reed Warbler, but on closer inspection
will be found to have the upper portions of
the plumage and the tail more rufous, like the

i "Ibis," 1 865, p. 23.

9O OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Nightingale ; hence the term luscinoides which
has been applied to it. The English name is
borrowed from its discoverer, Signor Savi, who
found it in Tuscany, and published an account of
it in the " Nuovo Giornale di Litteratura," 1824,
and in his " Ornithologia Toscana," vol. i. p. 270.
The eggs are something like those of the Grass-
hopper Warbler, but larger and darker ; the
nest is very different, being composed entirely
of sedge, so closely woven and interlaced as to
remind one of the mat-baskets which are used
by fishmongers. Of the geographical distribu-
tion of this bird we have yet a good deal to
learn. It does not appear to range very far
northwards, but is observed annually in summer
in Southern Europe, passing by way of Sicily
and the Maltese Islands to Egypt. Mr. Salvin
found it abundant in the Marsh of Zana, and
Mr. Tyrwhitt Drake met with it in Tangier and
Eastern Morocco.

THE AQUATIC WARBLER.

(Salicaria aquatica. )

ON three occasions only has the Aquatic
Warbler been recognised in England.
One taken at Hove, near Brighton, in October,
1853, is in the collection of Mr. Borrer;1 a
second, in my possession, was killed near
Loughborough, in the summer of i864;2 and
a third, believed to have been obtained near
Dover, is in the Dover Museum.3 This bird
resembles the Sedge Warbler in size and gene-
ral appearance, but, in addition to the light
stripe over each eye, it differs in having a light
stripe down the centre of the forehead ; this,
being very distinct, furnishes a good means of
identifying it readily. The species has been
figured by Dr. Bree in his " Birds of Europe,"
to which work the reader may be referred for

1 Cf. Newton, P. Z. S., 1866, p. 210.

2 "Ibis," 1867, p. 468.

3 Cf. J. H. Gurney, jun., "Zoologist," 1871, p. 2521.

92 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

further information and a more detailed descrip-
tion. I may supplement his remarks, however,
by saying that Lord Lilford found it com-
mon in Corfu in May, and at Nice in August and
September ; l and that Mr. T. Drake met with
it in March in Tangier and Eastern Morocco.2
Now that its occasional presence in this country
has been detected, ornithologists should look
out for it between April and September, and
scrutinize every Sedge-bird they see, on the
chance of meeting with the rarer species.

THE MARSH WARBLER.

(Salicaria palustris. )

T N appearance this bird resembles the com-
•*• mon Reed Warbler, just as the Aquatic
Warbler resembles the Sedge-bird. It is one
of the plain-backed species, and similarity in
appearance as well as in habits causes it doubt-

1 " Ibis," 1860, p. 232. 2 " Ibis," 1867, p. 426.

THE MARSH WARBLER. 93

less to be overlooked or mistaken for the
commoner bird.

From its general resemblance to the Reed
Warbler, Salicaria strepera1 (Vieillot), it has no
doubt been overlooked ; but when its distin-
guishing characters have been duly noted it
will in all probability be found to be a regular
summer migrant to this country. Dr. Bree,
when treating of this species in his " Birds of
Europe," says (vol. ii. p. 74) : " I think it very
probable that this bird is an inhabitant of Great
Britain, though hitherto confounded with the
Reed Warbler. I think I have myself taken
the nest ; and Mr. Sweet's bird, mentioned by
Mr. Yarrell, was probably this species."

In the " Zoologist" for 1861, p. 7755, the
occurrence of the Marsh Warbler in Great
Britain was recorded by Mr. Saville, who pro-
cured a single specimen, subsequently identified
by Mr. Gould, and saw others in Wicken Fen,

1 The specific name arundinacea, which is commonly ap-
plied to this species, belongs properly to the Great Reed
Warbler, the Titrdus arundinaceus of Linnaeus.

94 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Cambridgeshire. He says : " My attention was
first attracted to this species some time since,
during a visit to our fens, by the marked differ-
ence in the song of a bird somewhat similar in
appearance to the true S. arimdinacea (i. e.,
strepera) ; it was louder, clearer, and sweeter-
toned than that of the last-named. Its mode
of flight, too, was more undulated and quicker.
It was more shy and timid, continually retreat-
ing to the thickest covert. Never, so far as my
experience goes, does it emit notes similar to
the syllables c chee-chee-chee ' so common to
S. arundinacea"

Another specimen of this bird was obtained
in Cambridgeshire by the late James Hamilton,
jun., of Minard, during the summer of 1864,
and was exhibited at a meeting of the Natural
History Society of Glasgow in February, 1865,
as recorded by Mr. E. R. Alston in the "Zoo-
logist," 1866, p. 496.

In the same year, Mr. Robert Mitford gave
an account (''Zoologist," 1864, p. 9109) of a
Reed Warbler which he found nesting in lilac

THE MARSH WARBLER. 95

trees in his garden at Hampstead, and which at
the time was thought to differ specifically from
S. strepera, and possibly to be S. palustris. In
the summer of 1863 Mr. Mitford had found four
pairs of this bird breeding in gardens under
similar circumstances, and in July, 1865, he shot
two of the same birds, both males, and found,
as he says, " two nests similar in structure, and
similarly situated to those of the previous year
in my garden, from both of which the young
had evidently flown only a few days previously.
The birds were not in good order, but just
beginning their moult. I so arranged the
matter that at the time I shot these birds I
received from Romney Marsh fresh-killed spe-
cimens of the true Reed Warbler, shot in the
reeds of the fen ditches ; and in comparing the
two birds in the flesh together, I have little
hesitation in saying that the inland warbler is
not our Reed Warbler. I will not enter into
the chief points of difference at present, as I
hope next May to get a specimen or two in finer
plumage." (" Zoologist," 1865, p. 9847.)

96 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Mr. Mitford I believe has not altered the opinion
which he originally expressed ; but, from a care-
ful examination of the birds shot by him, I am
inclined to regard them all as £. strepera. This
peculiarity in the Reed Warbler of nesting at a
distance from water has since been noticed by
naturalists in other parts of the country. In
1866 I referred to a confirmation of the fact as
communicated by a friend at Ealing,1 and Mr.
A. C. Kennedy, in his " Birds of Berks and
Bucks" (p. 81), has alluded to the same habit
from his own observation near Windsor. In all
probability the birds seen by Lord Clermont in
lilac bushes at Twickenham2 were also Reed
Warblers.

Mr. Frederick Bond some time since called my
attention to the occurrence of the rarer S. palus-
tris in Norfolk, and kindly lent me a series of skins
of both species procured in Cambridgeshire,
Norfolk, and Sussex. Of these, two specimens
of S. palustris were killed at Whittlesford, Cam-

1 " The Birds of Middlesex," p. 47.

2 "Zoologist," 1865, p. 9729.

THE MARSH WARBLER. 97

bridgeshire, many years ago, under the impres-
sion that they were S. strepera; and three
others near Norwich in June, 1869, under the
like misapprehension. They do not differ in
any way from skins of pahistris from France
and Germany, with which I have compared
them.

The characters by which this species may be
distinguished from S. strepera may be briefly
stated as follows : —

Although the colour of the upper portion of
the plumage in both is a uniform olive-brown,
6". pahistris is yellower. It is a somewhat
longer bird, writh a shorter and broader bill ; a
buffy-white line, extending from the base of the
bill over the eye, is clearly defined. In strepera
this line is so faint as to be scarcely discernible.
Mr. Yarrell, indeed, considered it to be absent
in strepera; but, from this circumstance, and
from the fact of his describing the legs of this
species as pale-brown, it may be inferred that he
had before him, and figured, a young bird.

The first primary in the wing of both is very
H

98 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

short, quite rudimentary, in fact ; while the third
in each is the longest in the wing, \^ palustris
the second primary is equal to the fourth ; while
in strepera the second is equal to the fifth. It is
doubtful whether this can be invariably relied
upon, for the length of feathers, even in the
same species, will sometimes vary considerably,
through age, moult, or accident.

The readiest means of distinguishing the two
birds at a glance will be by the colour of the
legs and toes. In living or freshly-killed speci-
mens it will be observed that the tarsi and feet
of strepera are of a slaty-brown colour, while in
palustris the same parts are flesh-colour. In
dried skins, the former turns to hair-brown ; the
latter to yellowish-brown. The tarsus of palus-
tris, moreover, is rather longer and stouter than
that of its congener. From this it appears that
Mr. Gould in his " Birds of Great Britain" has
figured palustris for strepera.

Dr. Bree, in his " Birds of Europe," has un-
fortunately figured palustris with slate-coloured
legs and feet, which quite alters its appearance,

THE MARSH WARBLER. 99

although he has been careful in the text to
describe the colour correctly.

The tail in palustris is less rounded than in
strepera; the outer tail-feather in the former
being not so short as in the latter.

The measurements of the two species, taken
from skins, are as follows : —

Wing from
Length. Bill. carpus. Tarsus.

5. strepera . 5-3 in. . 0*5^ . 27 . 0*8
S. palustris. 5*5 in. . 0*5 . 2*5 . 0*9

The nests and eggs differ as much as do the
birds themselves.

The nest oi palustris is much neater and
more compact, and, as regards depth, not more
than half the size of that of strepera. The
eggs of both are subject to variation ; but, as a
rule, it may be said that in those of palustris the
white ground colour has little if any of the
greenish or brownish tinge with which those of
strepera are invariably suffused.

I have seen two nests in the collection of Mr.
Bond, one containing three, and the other two

IOO OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

eggs, taken at Whittlesford, which I have no
doubt belonged to palustris.

In Badeker's work on the eggs of European
birds, it is stated that the Marsh Warbler "builds
in bushes, in meadows, and on the banks of
ditches, rivers, ponds, and lakes. The nest is
made of dry grass and straws, with panicles,
and interwoven with strips of inner bark and
horsehair outside. The rim is only very slightly
drawn in. It has a loose substructure, and is
by this and its half globular form, suspended on
dry ground between the branches of the bushes
or nettles, easily distinguished from the strongly
formed nest of S. strepera, which is moreover
built over water.1 It lays five or six eggs the
beginning of June, which have a bluish-white
ground, with pale-violet and clear brown spots
in the texture of the shell, and delicate dark
brown spots on the surface, mingled with which
are a number of black dots. The ground
colour also in many fresh eggs is green, but

1 Not always, as shown above.

THE GREAT REED WARBLER. IOI

clear, and very different from the muddy tint of
the egg of the Reed Warbler. The female sits
daily for some hours ; but the male takes his
turn. Incubation lasts thirteen days."

It would be extremely satisfactory to establish
the fact of the regular migration to this country
in spring of the Marsh Warbler ; and it is to be
hoped that ornithologists in all parts of the
kingdom will not omit to investigate the subject,
and record their observations.

THE GREAT REED WARBLER.
(Salicaria arundinacea.)

NOT only has this fine species visited
England on several occasions, but in a
few instances it has been found nesting here.
It has, therefore, a good claim to be introduced
into the present sketch. Specimens of the bird
have been obtained, once in Northumberland, and

**••

I O2 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

three or four times in Kent,1 and the eggs have
been taken in Hertfordshire and Northampton-
shire.2 The reader has only to picture to him-
self a bird like the Reed Wren, but twice its
size, and he will have an idea of the appear-
ance of the Great Reed Warbler. Nor does
the resemblance end here. It makes a nest
just like the Reed Wren, but much larger, and
lays eggs similarly coloured, but larger. It is
a fine species, and its loud and varied notes,
when once heard, can never be forgotten.
Those who have had opportunities, such as I
have enjoyed, on the opposite shores of Holland,
of listening to this bird will regret with me
that its visits to England are not more frequent.
It is possible, as suggested by Mr. Hancock in
the earliest notice of its occurrence here,3 that it
may be a regular summer visitant to our island ;
but its song is so loud and so remarkable, that
I cannot think it could escape the notice of

1 Cf. Yarrell, " Hist. Brit. Birds," vol. i. pp. 300, 301.

2 Cf. "Ibis," 1865, p. 24.

3 "Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist." 1847, p. 135.

THE RUFOUS WARBLER. 1 03

any naturalist. The species is tolerably well
dispersed throughout Europe, and according to
Mr. Yarrell has been found as far eastward as
Bengal, Japan, and Borneo. The Eastern bird,
however, would appear to be the Salicaria tur-
doides orientalis of the " Fauna Japonica," and
distinct from the European species. See Cap-
tain Blakiston on the Ornithology of Northern
Japan, "Ibis," 1862, p. 317; Mr. Swinhoe on
Formosan Ornithology, " Ibis," 1863, p. 305 ;
and the Rev. H. B. Tristram, "Ibis," 1867,
p. 78, on the Ornithology of Palestine, where
both forms occur.

THE RUFOUS WARBLER.
(Aedon galactodes.)

1 ^ROM its peculiar coloration this bird is
•*• not likely to be confounded with any
other species. Apart from the rufous tint of
the upper portion of the plumage which has
suggested its English name, the tail is totally

IO4 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

unlike that of any of the river warblers ; for,
instead of being of a uniform brown, it has a
broad band of black across both webs of all the
feathers (except the two centre ones) towards
their extremities, which black band is terminated
by white. This is very conspicuous as the bird
moves it up and down, and could not fail to
attract the notice of anyone who has paid atten-
tion to birds. It does not appear, however,
that this species has been identified in this
country with certainty more than twice, although
.it may possibly have occurred oftener. A spe-
cimen shot at Plumpton Bosthill, near Brighton,
in September, 1854, was recorded by Mr. Borrer
in the "Zoologist" for that year (p. 4511), and
was figured by Mr. Yarrell in. the third edition
of his " History of British Birds " (i. p. 314). A
second, obtained at Start Point, Devonshire, in
September, 1859, was noticed by Mr. Llewellyn
in the " Annals and Magazine of Nat. History,"
1859 (iv. p. 399), and in the "Ibis," 1860
(p. 103). It is possible that this may be the
Red-tailed Warbler (Sylvia erythaca), six speci-

THE RUFOUS WARBLER. JO5

mens of which are stated to have been taken
near Plymouth, and to have occurred there for
the first time in Britain.1 From a want of ac-
quaintance with its habits, this bird has been
erroneously called the Rufous Sedge Warbler.
It is never found in the neighbourhood of sedge,
but on the driest ground, amidst scrub and thick
underwood. In fact, as regards structure and
habits, it differs in so many respects from the
river warblers that it has been generally sepa-
rated from them, and, except for convenience,
ought not to be included in the present sketch.
Its real home seems to be North Africa and
Palestine ; but it is not uncommon in some
parts of Southern Europe, and is found (acci-
dentally only) as far north as the British
Islands.

1 Cf. Bellamy's " Nat. Hist. South Devon," p. 205.

B

THE PIED WAGTAIL.
(Motacilla Yarrelli.)

Y many writers on ornithology, the Pied
Wagtail has been regarded as a resident
species in Great Britain, since it is to be met
with in some parts of the country all the year
round, but there can be no doubt that large
numbers migrate southward for the winter, and
return to our shores again in spring. On several
occasions when crossing by steamer to the
opposite coasts of France and Belgium, I have
seen Pied Wagtails passing across and at times
even alighting on board the vessel for a short
rest.

On quitting the ship they would fly round and

THE PIED WAGTAIL. 1 07

round for some seconds with their peculiar
undulatory flight, and finally make off for the
land in a straight line, often directly in the
vessel's course.

According to the observations of Mr. Knox,
the Pied Wagtails which have wintered abroad
reach the coast of Sussex about the middle of
March, and on fine days may be seen approach-
ing the shore, aided by a gentle breeze from
the south, their well-known call-note being dis-
tinctly audible from the sea long before the
birds come in sight.

The neighbouring fields, where but a short
time previously not a bird of the kind was to be
seen, are soon tenanted by numbers, and for
several days they continue dropping on the
beach in small parties. The old males come
first, while the females and males of the previous
year do not appear until some days later. After
resting near the coast for a few days the new
comers proceed inland, and any good observer
there stationed may perceive how much the
numbers of the species increase at this season.

108 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

About the middle of August there is a general
return movement towards the coast, and the
Wagtails now first become gregarious. At that
time Mr. Knox has frequently observed them
in the interior of the county, where they remain
but a few days, making way for fresh detach-
ments, which in their turn follow the same route
to the sea. At the end of the month, or early
in September, they may be seen of a morning,
flying invariably from west to east, parallel to
the shore, but following each other in constant
succession.

These flights continue from daybreak until
about ten o'clock in the forenoon, and so steadily
do the birds pursue their course that even when
one or more of an advancing party have been
shot, the remainder do not fly in a different
direction, but opening to right and left close
their ranks and continue their progress as before.
During this transit their proximity to the coast
depends to some degree on the character of the
country lying between the South Downs and
the sea ; but as they advance towards Brighton,

THE PIED WAGTAIL. IOQ

the migrating bands, consisting chiefly of the
young of the year, accumulate in vast flocks,
and thus they seek the adjoining county of Kent,
whence the voyage to the continent may be
performed with ease and security even by birds
but a few months old, and unequal to protracted
flights.1

The habits of the Pied Wagtail are so
generally known, that little need be said
here upon the subject. Its partiality for shal-
low water, where it preys upon aquatic insects,
and even small fish, such as minnows and stickle-
backs, has led to its being familiarly known as
the Water Wagtail, although it is not more
aquatic in its habits than other members of the
genus, indeed, scarcely so much as one species,
the Grey Wagtail, whose haunts seem insepa-
rable from the water-side.

1 For this abstract of Mr. Knox's observations, taken
from his " Ornithological Rambles in Sussex," I am indebted
to Professor Newton, who has thus ably condensed them in
his new edition of Yarrell's " History of British Birds."

IIO OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

THE WHITE WAGTAIL.
(Motacilla alba.)

LOS ELY resembling the last-named in
form and general appearance, the White
Wagtail long escaped observation as an annual
summer migrant to this country. Its dis-
tinctive characters, however, are now almost
universally admitted, and ornithologists ex-
perience little difficulty in recognizing the two
species.

The particular respects in which the White
Wagtail differs from its congeners are noticeable
chiefly in the summer, or breeding plumage,
when the former has a black cap clearly defined
against a grey back, while in the latter the black
colour of the head merges in the black of the
dorsal plumage and no such cap is discernible.
In summer both species have the chin black, and
in winter the same parts in both are white. In
the immature and winter dress it is not so easy
to distinguish them, and in form and structure

THE WHITE WAGTAIL. 1 1 I

at all ages and seasons no real difference seems
to exist. This has naturally raised some doubt
in the minds of many as to the validity of the
so-called species, a doubt which is strengthened
by the circumstance that in regard to haunts
and habits the two may be said to be insepa-
rable.

This much, however, seems to be certain,
that whereas the Pied Wagtail is generally dis-
tributed as a resident species, migrating south-
ward at the approach of winter, the White
Wagtail spends only the summer months in this
country, and is then very local in its distribu-
tion.

Beyond the British Islands the White Wag-
tail has a much more extensive range than its
congeners, being found throughout the whole of
Europe, penetrating to the North Cape and
even to Iceland, and travelling southward be-
yond the Mediterranean into Africa, to within a
few degrees of the equator.

THE GREY WAGTAIL.

(Motacilla sulphur ea^)

1 ^ XCEPT for the purpose of a momentary
-• — ' comparison, it would be beyond the scope
of the present volume to notice the Grey Wag-
tail here, for this bird does not come under the
definition of a Summer Migrant.

It is rather a winter visitant, being most
frequently observed in the cold season, although
many pairs remain in suitable localities through-
out the country to nest and rear their young.

THE GREY WAGTAIL. 113

Upon this point Professor Newton has re-
marked that " a line drawn across England
from the Start Point, slightly curving round the
Derbyshire hills, and ending at the mouth of
the Tees, will, it is believed, mark off the
habitual breeding-range of this species in the
United Kingdom ; for southward and eastward
of such a line it never, or only occasionally
breeds, while to the westward and northward its
nest may be looked for in any place suited to
its predilections, as above described, whether
in this island or in Ireland, where, according to
Thompson, it is extensively, though not univer-
sally distributed. In Scotland, says Macgilli-
vray, it is rare to the north of Inverness, but it
is an occasional summer visitor to Orkney, and
in Shetland it occurs towards the end of summer,
though it is not known to have been met with
in the Outer Hebrides. In the south-west of
England its numbers are in summer compara-
tively small, but it breeds annually in Cornwall
and on Dartmoor; and as we pass northward

its numbers increase, until in parts of Scotland,

i

114 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

perhaps, they attain their maximum. Nests
have been reported from Dorset, Wilts, Hamp-
shire, Sussex, and even Kent ; but in those
counties they are confessedly casual, and only in
the case at Chenies, in Buckinghamshire, men-
tioned by Mr. Gould (" Contr. Orn." 1849,
p. 137), does the species seem to have been
more than an accidental settler."

The Grey Wagtail may be at once distin-
guished by having the vent and upper tail coverts
of a sulphur-yellow, and by its great length of
tail. In summer it has a black patch upon the
throat, of a triangular shape when viewed in
profile, and bordered with white, but in winter
this black patch disappears, and the throat is
then of a pale yellowish-white.

It has been stated by Temminck and
other naturalists who have followed him, that
the black throat is the peculiar attribute of
the male bird in the summer or breeding
plumage ; but this is a mistake. Both sexes
have a black throat in the breeding season, as I
know from having observed them when paired,

THE GREY WAGTAIL. 115

and from having examined numerous specimens
of which the sex had been carefully ascertained
by dissection.

The haunts of the Grey Wagtail are somewhat
different to those of its congeners. It affects
pools and streams, especially where there is a
good current, and may frequently be seen
perched upon boulders and mill-dams, where it
feeds upon the freshwater limpets (Ancylus
fluviatilis), and other small mollusca which are
found attached in such situations.

The nest is generally placed not far from the
water, in some inequality of the bank, or crevice
of an overhanging rock. Upon a rugged moun-
tain stream in Northumberland some years
since, I daily observed a pair of these birds,
and derived much pleasure in watching their
building operations. It was some time before
I could discover the nest, so skilfully was it
concealed, for the birds had selected a crevice
in a rock which was much overgrown with moss,
and by constructing their nest entirely of this
moss, it would easily have escaped observation,

Tl6 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

had I not patiently watched for the ingress and
egress of the owners.

The geographical range of the Grey Wagtail
beyond the British Islands has not been satis-
factorily determined, in consequence of the
difficulty of identifying the species amongst
other allied forms which are to be met with in
the confines of Europe and Asia. It certainly
does not go far north in Europe, perhaps not
beyond Northern Germany, but southward it is
met with in winter in most of the countries
bordering the Mediterranean, as well as in
North Africa, Madeira, and the Azores.

THE YELLOW WAGTAIL.
(Motacilla Rayi.}

T) Y many authors the Yellow Wagtails have
-*— ' been separated from the fPied Wagtails
under the generic term Budytes^ proposed by
Cuvier, not only in consequence of their very
different colouration, but also on account of their
possessing a longer and more strongly-developed
hind claw. The numerous intermediate forms,
however, which the researches of modern na-
turalists have brought to light from various parts
of the Old World, have rendered this sub-

Il8 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

division less necessary or desirable than it may
originally have appeared to be. In outward
form, internal structure, and habits, they are all
Wagtails, and one generic term for the whole
has, at all events, the merit of simplicity.

The Yellow Wagtail, whose plumage in the
breeding season equals in brightness that of the
Canary, is one of the most attractive of all our
summer migrants. When running over the
pastures and fields of sprouting wheat, the olive-
green colour of the dorsal plumage renders it
very inconspicuous, but when perched upon
some rail, or clod upon the bare fallow, the bright
yellow of the under-parts contrasts vividly with
the duller surroundings, and at once attracts the
attention of the passer-by. Its favourite haunts
are the marshes and water-meadows where
cattle are pastured. Here it finds plenty of
food amongst the insects which are disturbed
by the grazing kine, and the numerous small

and thin-shelled mollusca which abound in such

i
situations.

When the nest has to be constructed — and it

THE YELLOW WAGTAIL. IIQ

is always upon the ground — more sheltered spots
are selected, such as a tussock of rough grass,
or the foot of a bunch of tares or clover, and
I have occasionally discovered a nest under an
overhanging clod upon a bare fallow. Thus
in regard to its mode of nesting it differs essen-
tially from the well-known Pied Wagtail. Its
note, too, is very different, and its flight much
sharper, and with bolder curves. The eggs
are quite dissimilar, being so closely freckled
over with yellowish-clay colour, like those of
the Grey Wagtail, as to appear at a little dis-
tance almost uniformly so coloured ; whereas
the eggs of the Pied and White Wagtails are
white, freckled with ash-grey, chiefly at the
larger end.

The Yellow Wagtail generally arrives in this
country during the first week of April (for
many years I have noted the 5th of that
month as the average date for its appearance),
and it departs during the first week of Sep-
tember. For some time previous to its depar-
ture, the young and old assemble in flocks, and

I2O OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

it is not unusual to see several united family
parties in the meadows, numbering from a dozen
to a score of individuals.

Although generally distributed during the
summer months throughout the greater part of
England and Scotland, it is said to be some-
what rare in Ireland, where its presence has
been detected by comparatively few observers.
So much more attention, however, is paid to
ornithology now-a-days, that this species, like
many others, may be reported to be more
common than formerly because more observed.
In the central and southern portions of Europe
it is not uncommon, and crossing the Mediter-
ranean, as winter approaches, it passes down
both the east and west coasts of Africa as far
as Natal on the one side and Angola on the
other. A considerable number, however, pass
the winter in Africa, a good many degrees
further north.

121

S

THE GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL

(Motacilla flava^
IMILAR in form and general colouration

to the last-named, amongst the flocks of
Yellow Wagtails that visit us in the spring the
grey-headed species no doubt often escapes
observation. But it is not on this account to
be considered rare. On the contrary, there is
good reason to believe that it is a regular
migrant to this country, and this is not sur-
prising when we consider that it is* the common
Yellow Wagtail of northern Europe, the true
Motacilla flava of Linnaeus. It differs chiefly
from Ray's Wagtail in having a well-defined
cap of a grey colour on the head, a white
instead of a yellow streak over the eye, and a
white chin instead of a yellow one.1 It fre-
quents the same situations as the last-named,
and its habits are very similar.

1 For some further points of distinction the reader may
be referred to "The Birds of Middlesex," pp. 64, 65.

122 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

The specimens which have been obtained
and recorded as British, and which amount to
a considerable number, have been for the most
part met with on the coasts of the eastern,
southern, and south-western counties of Eng-
land, and almost invariably in the spring of the
year. There can be no doubt that it breeds
here ; indeed, the fact of its having done so in
two or three instances has been already re-
corded. In the " Zoologist" for 1870 (p. 2343),
Mr. J. Watson of Gateshead, near Newcastle-
on-Tyne, writes : — " I have seen a good many
notices in the ' Zoologist ' of the occurrence of
the Grey-headed Wagtail : it may interest you
to hear of its breeding in this neighbourhood.
Two nests were found by a friend of mine last
year on some swampy ground near here. This
year on the I3th of June I found another ; and
on the 8th of July my friend shot two young
birds beginning to assume their mature plumage :
one of these birds is in the possession of
and was identified by Mr. John Hancock of
Newcastle."

THE GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL. 123

But although the greater number of recorded
British specimens have been obtained in the
South of England, a few have been noticed from
time to time in Scotland, and Dr. Saxby has on
several occasions seen the species even as far
north as Shetland. Mr. Blake Knox thinks that
it occurs in Ireland, but that it is probably much
overlooked, or perhaps confounded with the
last-mentioned species. As it is common in
summer in most of the countries of Western
Europe, one would naturally expect to meet
with it more frequently at the same season in
Great Britain; and the increasing attention
which is being paid to ornithology, and espe-
cially to the birds of particular districts, will no
doubt result in the establishment of this species
in the list of British birds as an annual summer
migrant.

THE MEADOW PIPIT.

(Anthus pratensis.)

PREMISING that attention is not confined
to species which are British, it is gene-
rally admitted by ornithologists that the Pipits
are a difficult group to identify. They are sub-
ject to such variation in size and colour that
it has often happened that one and the same
species has been described four or five times as
new, under as many new names. Gradually,
however, as the researches of naturalists become
extended, and the transport of specimens from
various quarters of the globe is facilitated, the

THE MEADOW PIPIT. 125

difficulty wears off, and we are enabled to define
with sufficient accuracy the limits of each species
and the variations of plumage within those limits.

Were I to confine my remarks in the pre-
sent instance to those Pipits only which are
regular summer migrants to this country, I
should not have to mention more than two
species. It may be well, however, to take a
glance at all those which have a claim to be
included in the British list, distinguishing them
under the heads of " Residents," " Summer
Migrants," and " Occasional Visitants."

Two species only are resident with us
throughout the year — the well-known Meadow
Pipit or Titlark (Anthus pratensis), and the
larger Rock Pipit (Anthus obscurus). Both
these, however, are to a certain extent migra-
tory at the approach of winter, assembling in
small flocks, and moving from place to place in
search of food. The Tree Pipit (Anthus arbo-
reus) visits us regularly in April, and remains in
this country until September ; and there can be
little doubt, from recent observations of natu-

126 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

ralists in different parts of the country, that the
Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta, Linnaeus, or
Anthus aquations, Bechstein) is also an annual
summer migrant to our shores. At irregular
intervals, and in addition to these, we are occa-
sionally visited by Richards' Pipit, the Tawny
Pipit, the Red-throated Pipit, and the Pennsyl-
vanian Pipit. Of the two resident species, as
well as the Tree Pipit, it can scarcely be neces-
sary to say much, for their appearance and
habits, if not well known to all, are described in
almost every book on British birds. After
pointing out their distinguishing characters,
therefore, my remarks will refer chiefly to the
geographical distribution of the species.

The Pipits hold an intermediate place be-
tween the Wagtails and Larks, having the slender
bill of the former, and, with one exception, the
long hind claw of the latter. Like these birds,
they live almost entirely on the ground, where
they seek their food, build their nests, and rear
their young. Low-lying meadows and marshy
places, the margin of tidal harbours, and the sea-

THE MEADOW PIPIT. 127

shore are the favourite haunts of the Pipits. In
such situations, except in very hard weather,
they find abundance of food, consisting chiefly
of insect larvae, small beetles, flies, seeds, and
minute univalve mollusca. I have almost in-
variably found, in addition, that the stomachs
contain little particles of grit or brick, swallowed
no doubt to assist in triturating the food.

The Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) is the
smallest as well as the commonest species to be
met with, and is generally dispersed throughout
the British Islands, including Orkney and Shet-
land. It is by no means confined to the plains
or open country, but is frequently to be met
with on mountain sides, sometimes at a con-
siderable elevation. Tourists and sportsmen
must doubtless have remarked this when climb-
ing the Scotch and Irish mountains. The late
Mr. Wheelwright, in Lapland, found it " very
high up on the fells ;" Professor Salvadori re-
marked it on the Apennines; and Messrs. Elwes
and Buckley include it in their list of the birds
of Turkey as frequenting the mountains.

128 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

In summer it is common in Scandinavia, and
Mr. Wheelwright found it nesting in Lapland.
It goes as far north as the Faroe Isles and
Iceland.1 According to Professor Reinhardt,2
Dr. Paulsen, in Sleswick, received a single
specimen from Greenland in 1845 5 but he
adds that he (Professor R.) never saw it there
himself. The Meadow Pipit appears to be
generally distributed throughout Europe, and at
the approach of winter emigrates in a south-
easterly direction by way of Sicily and the Ionian
Islands to Palestine. Lord Lilford states that
it is very common in Corfu and Epirus in
winter.3 Canon Tristram found it in large flocks
throughout the winter in North Africa, "ap-
parently on passage ;" and in Southern Palestine
and in the Plains of Sharon he remarked that
it was very abundant. According to Sir R.
Schomburgk, it occurs as far eastward as Siam ;
but Mr. Blyth considered the Siamese pratensis

1 See Professor Newton's remarks on "The Ornithology
of Iceland," appended to Baring Gould's "Iceland ; its Scenes
and Sagas," p. 409.

2 "Ibis," 1861, p. 6. 3 "Ibis," 1860, p. 229.

THE MEADOW PIPIT. 1 29

to be the Red-throated Pipit (A. cervinus) in
winter plumage. It is known to occur in India,
however, as Mr. Hume has procured this species
near Ferozpore, North-west India; and Mr. Blyth
saw specimens from other parts of the North-
west provinces. The range of this bird south-
wards, that is through Africa, seems to be very
limited. According to Mr. Saunders, it is com-
mon in Spain in winter, but it is not included
in Mr. Tyrwhitt Drake's list of the birds of
Morocco ; and though Mr. Salvin shot a speci-
men at Kef Laks in the Eastern Atlas, it appears
to occur in North-west Africa exceptionally.
The Pipit of the Canaries, originally regarded
zsA.pratensis, has been described by Dr. Bolle1
as distinct, under the name of Berthelot's Pipit
(Anthus Berthelotii). But Mr. Vernon Har-
court maintains — and so did the late Mr. Yarrell
— that Madeiran specimens can in no degree be
distinguished from specimens of A. pratensis
from other parts.

1 "Ibis/' 1862, pp. 343, 348; and " Journ. f. On." 1862,

PP- 357, 360.

K

T

THE ROCK PIPIT.
(Anthus obscurus^)

HIS Pipit, as already observed, is to be
found on most parts of our coast through-
out the year, except on that portion which ex-
tends from the Thames to the H umber, where
it is only observed in spring and autumn during
the period of migration. For although a resi-
dent species, inasmuch as individuals may be
found on some parts of the coast throughout
the year, it is also, to a certain extent, migra-
tory, receiving a considerable accession to its
numbers in spring, and a corresponding diminu-

THE ROCK PIPIT. 131

tion in autumn. It may be distinguished from
the common Meadow Pipit by its larger size,
longer bill, tarsus, and toes, and by its having
the upper portion of its plumage of a greener
olive. The legs are of a much darker brown,
and I have remarked that in freshly-killed spe-
cimens the soles of the feet are yellow, a cir-
cumstance which appears to have been generally
overlooked, but which is worth noticing as an
addition to its distinguishing characters. A
considerable difference also will be observed in
the two outer tail feathers on each side. In
the Meadow Pipit the outermost tail feather is
for the greater part white, and the next has
half the tip of the inner web also white. In the
Rock Pipit the same parts of these feathers are
not white, although conspicuously lighter than
the remaining portion.

The Rock Pipit found in Scandinavia (An-
thus rupestris of Nilsson), is considered by some
to be distinct from the species which frequents
our own shores, but, as I think, on extremely
slender grounds. The points of difference have

132 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

been thus stated : " They consist, so far as we
can ascertain, merely in the presence of a bright
buff or pale cinnamon tinge on the breast of the
male in A. rupestris, and perhaps in that form
being of a slighter build than A. obscurus. In
the female of the so-called A. rupestris the warm
colour is much more faintly indicated ; in some
specimens it is doubtful whether it exists at all.
The outer tail feathers, which in A. spinoletta
afford so sure a diagnosis, are in A. rupestris
just as dingy as in A. obscurus!'

There can be no doubt that the chemical con-
stituents of colour in the plumage of birds are
always more or less affected by climatic agency;
and, this being so, one can hardly be justified
in founding a new species on mere variation of
colour, where there is at the same time no
modification of structure. There can be little
doubt that the Scandinavian Rock Pipit is iden-
tical with our own bird, the slight differences
observable being easily accounted for through
climate and the season of the year at which
specimens are obtained.

THE ROCK PIPIT. 133

The late Mr. Wheelwright makes no mention
of this bird when treating of the ornithology of
Lapland. Messrs. Godman met with it on the
seashore at Bodo, Norway, " in tolerable abun-
dance/' and Mr. Hewitson also saw it in Nor-
way. Although Temminck says that it goes as
far north as Greenland, this does not appear to
be the case ; for Professor Reinhardt, who has
paid especial attention to the ornithology of
Greenland, states that only two species of Pipit
are to be met with there — namely, the American
Anthus ludovicianus, which breeds there, and
A.pratensis, of which, as above stated, a single
specimen only is recorded to have been obtained.
It is rather remarkable that Professor Blasius
has not included the Rock Pipit in the avifauna
of Heligoland, seeing that A. cervinus, A. ludo-
vicianus, and A. Richardi are all stated to have
been taken on that island.1

Although found upon the shores of Holland,

1 Cf. " Naumannia," 1858, p. 425, and "Ibis," 1862,
p. 71.

134 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Belgium, and France, it either goes no farther
to the south-west, or else it has been overlooked ;
for neither Mr. Howard Saunders, in his " List
of the Birds of Southern Spain," nor the Rev.
A. C. Smith, in his "Sketch of the Birds of
Portugal," give it a place in the avifauna of
those countries. Mr. C. A. Wright states
(" Ibis," 1869, p. 246) that he has only obtained
a single specimen in Malta. Further eastward,
namely, on the coasts of Epirus and Corfu,
Lord Lilford found it to be common, and on
this account it has been included by Messrs.
Elwes and Buckley in their " List of the Birds
of Turkey." I am not sure whether it has
been met with in Asia Minor, but probably it
does not extend either eastward or southward
beyond the coast line of the Mediterranean.
The observations of naturalists certainly tend to
prove that its proper habitat is Northern Europe,
and perhaps nowhere is it commoner than in
the British Islands.

THE TREE PIPIT.

(Anthus arboreus.)

\ LTHOUGH a regular summer visitant to
**• England, the Tree Pipit, like the Night-
ingale, from some unexplained cause, is distri-
buted over a very limited area. It never reaches
Ireland, and is considered rare in Scotland, al-
though the nest has been found as far north as
Dumbarton, Aberdeen, Banff, and East Inver-
ness.1 Even in Wales and Cornwall it is a scarce
bird, so that England may be said to be the

1 Cf. A. G. More, in the "Ibis," 1865, p. 123.

136 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

western limit of its geographical range. Mr.
Wheelwright never met with it in Lapland, but
Messrs. Godman found it in June as far north
as Bodo, in Norway, and from this latitude
southwards to the Mediterranean it seems to be
well known in summer. Mr. Howard Saun-
ders says that it is generally distributed in
Spain from autumn to spring, and he suspects
that some remain to breed on the high plateaux.
In Portugal, according to the Rev. A. C. Smith,
it is rare. Mr. Wright, of Malta, states that it
is very common in the island in spring and
autumn, departing in May northwards, and re-
turning in September and October. He adds
that a few remain the winter. According to the
observations of Lord Lilford, it is now and then
seen at Corfu in winter, throughout which season
it is found in small flocks, apparently on passage
to North Africa. Mr. Layard does not include
it in his " Birds of South Africa," but, according
to Professor Sundevall ("Svenska Foglarna,"
p. 41), a specimen was killed by Wahlberg on
the Limpopo, in Kaffirland, between lat. 25 deg.

THE TREE PIPIT. 137

and 26 deg. S. Canon Tristram found it spar-
ingly distributed in Palestine in winter, and in
spring in the Jordan valley. It is recognised by
naturalists in north-west India, and there can
be little doubt that the Pipit which has been de-
scribed from that country, and from China and
Japan, under the name of Anthus agilis, Sykes,
is only our old friend A. arbor eus in a different
plumage from that which it assumes here in
summer. Herr von Pelzeln says1 that agilis
only differs from arboreus in having a stouter
bill, and he does not think that it can be specifi-
cally distinct, notwithstanding that Dr. Jerdon
gives both species as inhabitants of India. On
this point Mr. Hume says (" Ibis," 1870, p. 287) :
" I took nine specimens of arboreus from Eng-
land and France, and compared them with our
Indian birds. There was no single one of
them to which an exact duplicate could not be
selected from amongst my Indian series. That
all our Indian Pipits known as agilis, maculatus,

1 Cf. " Journ. fur Orn.," 1868, pp. 21-37.

138 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

and arboreiis ought to be united as one species
under the latter, or possibly some older, name,
I can now scarcely doubt."

THE WATER PIPIT.

(Anthus spinoletta^)

T N size this bird equals our well-known Rock
•*- Pipit, but may be distinguished by the
vinous colour of the throat and breast, by the
absence of spots or streaks upon the under
parts, and by the outer tail feathers, which are
marked with white, as in A. pratensis. It was
named spinoletta from the provincial name ap-
plied to the bird in Italy, whence Linnaeus
described it.1 Pallas, however, altered the name
to " pispoletta? because Cetti affirmed that this
was the correct Florentine term, and not spino-
letta. Linnaeus's name, nevertheless, on the
ground of priority, is entitled to precedence.
The species was identified with aquaticus of
Bechstein by Bonaparte.2

1 " Syst. Nat.," i. p. 288. 2 "Consp. Av." i. p. 247.

THE WATER PIPIT. 139

This bird seems to have been first made
known to English naturalists by Mr. Thomas
Webster, of Manchester, who, in a communica-
tion to the " Zoologist" (p. 1023), stated that he
had seen three birds at Fleetwood in October,
1843, which he had not the slightest hesitation
in identifying with a Pipit described by M. Deby
as Anthus aquaticus, Bechstein, and which to all
appearance were totally distinct from the com-
mon Rock Pipit of our coast. In January, 1860,
the Rev. M. A. Mathew, in a letter to Mr.
Gould, called attention to the fact of his having
procured a Pipit at Torquay, which was subse-
quently identified unhesitatingly with A. aqua-
ticus of Bechstein. Since that date, Mr. Gat-
combe, of Plymouth, has noticed several other
specimens in Devonshire, and a great many
have been procured in Sussex, chiefly in the
neighbourhood of Brighton. Thus the claim of
this bird to rank as a British species has come
to be pretty well established. M. Baily, in his
" Ornithologie de la Savoie," says that the Water
Pipit is common at all seasons of the year both
in Switzerland and Savoy. During winter it

140 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

frequents the wet meadows, marshes, and un-
frozen springs in the valleys, and about the end
of March or beginning of April ascends the
mountains, and resorts to the most sterile
plateaux, fields, heaths, and stony places in the
neighbourhood of water, where it nests on the
ground under stones, sometimes in clefts in
the rock, but oftener in the grass beneath
the bilberry, whortleberry, or some creeping
bush.

In the fall of the year it descends to the
warmer valleys and frequents the margins of
the rivers, whence it has derived the name of
Water Pipit, making its way gradually south-
ward as winter approaches. Mr. Saunders has
met with it at Malaga in winter ; but apparently
it is not common in Spain, and, according to the
Rev. A. C. Smith ("Sketch of the Birds of
Portugal") still less so in Portugal. Mr. Wright
has met with it once in Malta, having shot a
specimen there in November, 1860. It crosses
the Mediterranean to North Africa. Canon
Tristram met with it in Algeria, and Captain
Shelley recognised it in Egypt. In the penin-

THE WATER PIPIT. 141

sula of Sinai it was found by Mr. C. W. Wyatt,
frequenting the sides of the salt-ponds near Tor,
and it is included in Mr. Strickland's list of the
birds of Asia Minor (" P. Z. S.," 1836, p. 97)
as being found on the coast in winter at Smyrna,
whence it penetrates to Palestine (Tristram,
"Ibis," 1866, p. 289). Messrs. Elwes and
Buckley have enumerated this amongst other
species in their list of the birds of Turkey, and
Menetries states (" Cat. Rais. Caucas." p. 39)
that it is common on the shores of the Caspian
in April, May, and June. The range of this
bird eastward is at present hardly determined ;
partly, perhaps, because the Pipits have been a
good deal neglected for the sake of more at-
tractive species, and partly on account of the
difficulty which travellers usually experience in
the identification of this difficult group of birds.
That the Water Pipit penetrates to north-west
India is to be inferred from the fact that Mr.
Hume sent M. Jules Verreaux a specimen for
identification from the Punjab west of the Sutlej.

RICHARD'S PIPIT.
(Anthus Ruhardi.)

of compliment to the zealous amateur
who first made known an example cap-
tured in autumn in Lorraine, the name of
Richard's Pipit has been bestowed on this bird,
which is becoming better known to ornitho-
logists in this country every year. Its superior
size, stouter bill, greater length of leg, and
longer hind claw, at once serve to distinguish it
from the commoner species. As compared with
the Rock Pipit, the largest of those with which

RICHARD'S PIPIT. 143

we are most familiar, its dimensions are as
follows :

Hind toe
Bill. Wing. Tarsus, with claw.

Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches.

A. obscurus . . "5 . . 3*2 . . *9 . . '8
A. Richardi . '6 . . 3*6 . .1*2 . .1*2

Its occurrence in England has been noted, as
might be expected, chiefly on the east and
south coasts, in every month between September
and April, both inclusive. At least fifty speci-
mens have been seen or procured, distributed
as follows : Northumberland, 2 ; Norfolk, 5 ;
Shropshire, i; Oxford, i; Middlesex, 12;
Kent, 3 ; Sussex, 5 ; Devonshire, 1 1 ; Corn-
wall and Scilly, 8. In the west of England,
therefore, it would appear to be very rare, and
in Ireland it is unknown.

The most northern locality, I believe, whence
this species has been procured, is Heligoland,
on which island, according to Professor Blasius,
it is said to have been obtained by Herr Gatke.1

1 Cf. " Naumannia/' 1858, p. 425.

144 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

When staying at Antwerp in May, 1870, I
saw three or four specimens which had been
taken in that neighbourhood, but the owner of
them considered the bird a rarity there. Mr.
Howard Saunders obtained a couple near
Malaga in the month of February, and learnt
that in some winters it is not uncommon in
southern Spain (" Ibis," 1870, p. 216). Signor
Bettoni, in his grand work on the birds which
breed in Lombardy, mentions Richard's Pipit
as one of the characteristic species of the
Lombard plains. " Nevertheless," says Mr.
Saunders ("Ibis," 1869, p. 392), " he must not
be understood to mean that it is in any way
abundant, or even constant in that province ;
for the Count Turati assured me that it has
never been discovered breeding there, and that,
judging from the number of specimens enume-
rated as obtained in England, it is more common
with us than with them. That its appearance
is confined to the plains of Lombardy is probably
the author's meaning." In Malta it is only
found accidentally in spring and autumn, and

RICHARDS PIPIT. 145

Mr. Wright, who has paid so much attention to
the ornithology of that island, has only been able
to mention three examples as having come under
his own notice.

It is rather singular that this bird should not
cross the Mediterranean, and be found with
other European Pipits during the winter months
in North Africa. Nevertheless, I have not
been able to find any mention of it in any of
the North African lists which I have con-
sulted, neither is it included in the late Mr.
Strickland's List of the Birds found in Asia
Minor in winter (" P. Z. S.," 1836, p. 97).

It is much commoner, however, in Asia than
in Europe. Mr. Hodgson found it in Nepal,1
and Mr. Hume says it breeds in Ladakh ; Mr.
Blyth has recorded its occurrence in the neigh-
bourhood of Calcutta, and Mr. Blanford met
with it in the Irawadi Valley. It is included by
Sir R. Schomburgk in his List of the Birds of

1 Capt. Beavan recorded it from Simla ("Ibis," 1868, p.
79), but Mr. Hume showed this to be an error, the species
mistaken for it being A. sordida (-'Ibis/' 1869, p. 120).

L

146 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Siam ("Ibis," 1864, p. 249), and, according to
Mr. Swinhoe, is common in North China
(Takoo and Peking) in September, and in Amoy,
Formosa, and Hainan in winter.

E

THE TAWNY PIPIT.

(Anthus campestris.)

ASILY mistaken for Richard's Pipit, this
bird is, however, of a more sandy colour,
and may be distinguished by its short hind
claw. In Richard's Pipit, it will be remem-
bered, the hind claw is very long. Its real
habitat may be said to be North Africa and
Palestine. Canon Tristram calls it the common
Pipit of the Sahara, and Mr. O. Salvin found it
abundant on the plateau of Kef Laks and on
the plains of Djendeli, in the Eastern Atlas.
In Upper Egypt and Sinai it is occasionally
plentiful, and is found all over the cultivated
coast and hill districts of Palestine, where it is
a permanent resident

THE TAWNY PIPIT. 147

"The soil of the Sahara," says Mr. J. H.
Gurney, jun. (" Ibis," 1871, p. 85), " is in some
places soft and sandy, in others hard and pebbly.
The Tawny Pipit affects the former, where
there is little or no herbage. Its flight is undu-
lating, like that of the Wagtails ; and, like the
latter, it twitters on the wing." Canon Tristram,
referring to the habits of this species in Pales-
tine, where he obtained several nests on the
bare hills, says ("Ibis," 1866, p. 289), "It is
one of the tamest of birds, and particularly
affects the mule paths, flitting along in front of
the traveller, and keeping unconcernedly a few
yards ahead." " The nest," says Mr. Salvin, " is
composed of roots, with a lining of horsehair,
and is placed on the lee side of a bush. The
eggs vary very much, some being light-coloured,
and almost like wagtails', while others are much
darker and more profusely marked."

Although, as above stated, North Africa and
Palestine may be regarded as its home, the
Tawny Pipit ranges a long way to the north
and south of this tract, and is common in some

148 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

parts of Southern Europe in summer. It is
found as far northward as Sweden — where, as
Mr. Wheelwright has remarked, it is confined
to the sandy shores of the south — and acciden-
tally in England, where specimens have been
several times procured on the coasts of Sussex,
and in Cornwall.1

Lord Lilford has observed that it is common
in Spain in summer (" Ibis," 1866, p. 178), an
observation more recently confirmed by Mr.
Howard Saunders ("Ibis," 1869, p. 392). In
Portugal, according to the Rev. A. C. Smith, it
seems to be equally well known.

It is annually observed in Malta in spring
and autumn, but never found there during the
winter months (Wright, " Ibis," 1864, p. 61).
Lieut. Sperling, however, believes that it is
not uncommon on the north coast of the Medi-
terranean in winter. South of the habitat
assigned to it, this bird ranges through Abys-

1 Cf. Dawson Rowley, "Ibis," 1863, p. 37, and 1865, p.
113; Bond, "Zoologist," 1870, pp. 1984 and 2383; and
Rodd, "Zoologist," 1868, p. 1458.

THE PENNSYLVANIA^ PIPIT. 149

sinia (whence I have seen a specimen in the
collection of African birds belonging to Mr.
Sharpe) to Mozambique, where, according to
Lieut. Sperling, it is plentiful in winter; and
Mr. Layard has included it amongst the birds
of South Africa, having received specimens
from Windvogelberg and the Knysna. It has
a West African representative in Anthus
Gouldiiot Frazer (Hartlaub, " Orn. West Afr.,"
P- 73)> which differs in its smaller size and
darker colour, and in having the head of a
uniform dull brown, instead of being streaked.

THE PENNSYLVANIAN PIPIT.

(A nthus ludovicianus. )
N the authority of several good naturalists

o

this species is stated to have occurred
several times in the British Islands ; but the
general description of the specimens referred to
applies as a rule so well to the Anthus spinoletta,
above mentioned, that it is extremely difficult to

I5O OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

say to which of the two species they belonged.
It is of course far more probable that the visitors
to our shores would be of European, not Ameri-
can, extraction. At the same time they have
been described as according so well in every
respect with the American ludovicianus, that
we must either admit that the latter bird occa-
sionally visits this country, or agree with
Richardson and Swainson (" Faun. Bor. Ameri-
cana," ii. p. 231) that it is indistinguishable
from aquaticus of Bechstein, that is, spinoletta
of Linnaeus.

Edwards was the first to notice this bird as
a visitant to England, giving a description and
figure of a specimen obtained near London in
his " Gleanings" (vol. ii. p. 185, pi. 297).
Montagu shortly afterwards noticed two in his
" Ornithological Dictionary," one of which had
been taken in Middlesex, the other near
Woolwich.

Macgillivray, in his " Manual of British
Birds," p. 169, minutely describes two Pipits
which were shot near Edinburgh in June, 1824,

THE PENNSYLVANIAN PIPIT. 151

and which he identifies clearly with the Ameri-
can species.

Mr. Turnbull, in his " Birds of East Lothian,"
states (p. 40) that three Pennsylvanian Pipits
were shot at Dunbar in East Lothian by Mr.
Robert Gray, of Glasgow.

Mr. Bond has a Pipit, identified as belonging
to this species, which was obtained at Fresh-
water, in the Isle of Wight, in September, 1865 ;
while the most recent instance of the occurrence
of this Pipit in England will be found in the
" Zoologist" for 1870. But anyone who reads
the correspondence relating to this instance
("Zool." torn. cit. pp. 202 1, 2067, and 2100)
will see how difficult it is to identify a species
when the specimen is not in fully adult plumage.

When it is remembered that Anthus ludovici-
anus, as stated by Professor Reinhardt (" Ibis,"
1 86 1, p. 3), breeds in Greenland, and, according
to Professor Blasius, is found in Heligoland
("Naumannia," 1858), it is certainly not im-
probable that it should occasionally be found in
the British Islands. At the same time it is very

152 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

desirable that some more convincing evidence
than that which already exists of its occurrence
here should be placed upon record.

THE RED-THROATED PIPIT.

(Anthus cervinus.)

r I ^ H E present bird has, as yet, been scarcely
-•" admitted into the British list. I have
seen a specimen in the collection of Mr. Bond,
which was killed at Unst, Shetland, on the 4th
May, 1854, and about the same year, but ia
September, another in the same collection was
shot at Freshwater in the Isle of Wight.

In the adult plumage the species is easily
recognized by the ruddy brown colouring of the.
upper portions of the plumage, and by the
rufous patch upon the throat.

In size it is equal to the Meadow Pipit, and
by some naturalists it has been considered a
permanent race or variety of that species; but

THE RED-THROATED PIPIT. 153

the observations of Prof. Newton on this point1
certainly tend to show that the species is a valid
one. It was met with by him in June, 1855,
when in company with Messrs. Wolley and
Simpson, in a restricted locality in East Fin-
mark, between Wadso and Nyborg, and several
well-identified nests were procured. A specimen
procured in Heligoland is in Herr Gatke's col-
lection.

It is not uncommon as a winter visitant in
Turkey, and Mr. Wright has shot many speci-
mens in Malta, where he says it arrives in small
flocks in spring and autumn. In Egypt and
Nubia this bird quite takes the place of A. pra-
tensis, and is sometimes very common there.
It probably winters also in Palestine, although
Canon Tristram, during his sojourn there at
that season, only met with a single specimen on
the coast of the plain of Sharon. It has been
found in China, Japan, Formosa, and Hainan,
by Mr. Swinhoe, who suggests that this bird

1 See Bree's "Birds of Europe," vol. ii. p. 155.

154 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

in its winter plumage is the Anthus japonicus
of Temminck and Schlegel. Mr. Blyth thinks
that it should probably be erased from the
Indian list, as the ordinary Himalayan species, A.
rosaceus of Hodgson, has been confounded with
it. Upon this point, however, much difference
of opinion prevails. Dr. Jerdon, in his " Birds of
India," gives rosaceus as a synonym of cervinus,
and Mr. Hume is puzzled to distinguish rosaceus
from arboreus. He says (" Ibis," 1870, p. 288) :
" Typical examples of both species seem unmis-
takably distinct, but intermediate forms of the
most puzzling character occur, of such a nature
that it really seems to me impossible to decide
to which species they ought to be referred,"

Professor Newton considers that the Red-
throated Pipit is as yet scarcely entitled to a
place in the list of British Birds ; nevertheless
it is a bird, as he says, whose migratory habits
and wide north-eastern range make it very likely
to occur in this country, and probably its recog-
nition as an occasional visitor to the British
Islands is only a matter of time and observation.

THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER.

(Muscicapa grisola.)

^HE family of Flycatchers is a very large
-*• one, having representatives in all parts of
the globe; but in the British Islands two species
only can with propriety be included in the list
of annual summer migrants. It is true that at
least one other species has been met with in this
country, to which allusion will be made pre-
sently ; but it cannot be regarded in any other
light than that of a rare and accidental visitant.
The Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa grisola),

156 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

as remarked by the eminent Irish naturalist,
Thompson, is probably little known, except to
the observant ornithologist. Owing to the dul-
ness of its plumage, its want of song, and its
weak call being seldom heard, it is certainly one
of the least obtrusive of our birds; the trees, too,
having put forth their " leafy honours " before
the period of its arrival, further serve to screen
it from observation. It is one of the latest of
our summer migrants to arrive, seldom appear-
ing before the second week in May, and gene-
rally taking its departure during the first week
of September. It is found throughout the
British Islands, but is much less common in
Scotland. It has, however, been found breed-
ing as far north as Sutherland and Caithness.
The situation selected by this bird for its abode
during its stay with us is generally in the neigh-
bourhood of gardens and orchards, where it
takes up its quarters on a wall or fruit tree, and
sallies forth into the air after passing insects.
The name of Spotted Flycatcher is more appro-
priately bestowed upon the bird in its immature

THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. 157

plumage, when each brown feather is tipped
with a buff spot. As it grows older, these spots
gradually disappear. It is a wonderfully silent
bird, and even when the hen is sitting the male
does not, like the males of so many other
species, pour forth a song to enliven her. The
nest is usually placed on a beam in a shed, in a
hole in a wall, or on the branch of a wall-fruit
tree, partially supported by the wall ; not un-
frequently it may be discovered in a summer-
house. It is neatly composed of moss and fine
roots, and lined with grass, horsehair, and
feathers. The eggs, generally five in number,
are bluish white, spotted, chiefly at the large
end, with reddish brown.

The late Mr. Wheelwright found the Spotted
Flycatcher inhabiting Lapland in summer, but
observed that it was. not nearly so common there
at that season as the Pied Flycatcher. In Cen-
tral and Southern Europe it is a summer resi-
dent, passing through Spain and Portugal, Italy,
Turkey, and the Ionian Islands twice a year —
namely, in spring and autumn. Its course in

OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

autumn appears to be south-east by south. Mr.
Wright has noticed it as very common in spring
and autumn in Malta, arriving there somewhat
later than the Pied Flycatcher. It has been
noticed by Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., as plentiful
in Algeria in summer. Captain Shelley met
with it once at Alexandria in May, when it was
•probably migrating; and Rtippell includes it
without hesitation amongst the birds of North
Africa.1 In the middle of October, Von Heuglin
found that it was not rare near Tadjura, and
somewhat later in the year on the Somali coast.
In Palestine Canon Tristram found it breeding
in all parts of the country, its favourite nesting-
places being in the branches of old gnarled
trees overhanging the paths (" Ibis," 1867, p.
361). How far eastward it extends I am not
sure, as in China and Japan an allied species
appears to take its place. But south of the
Mediterranean it penetrates to South Africa.
Mr. Layard says,2 " the common European fly-
catcher has been brought by Mr. Andersson from

1 " Syst. Uebers. d. Vogel N.-O. Afrika's," p. 6r.

2 "Birds of South Africa," p. 148.

THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. 159

Damara Land in some abundance. And Anders-
son himself states l that the bird is common in
Damara and Great Namaqua Land, and is found
there throughout the year. Dr. Hartlaub cites
it on M. Verreaux's authority as from the Cape,
and Swainson also alludes to it as from South
Africa. Since the publication of the work above
quoted, Mr. Layard has been enabled to add
that his son procured this bird at Grootevaders-
bosch, near Swellendam. From Lapland, then,
to the Cape of Good Hope, and from Portugal
to Palestine is a pretty extensive range for so
small and weak a bird as our Common Fly-
catcher. I should not be surprised to hear
that it is found even still further to the east-
ward, for so many of our summer migratory
birds spend their winter in India and China, and
after all the greater part of their journey would
be by overland route, which admits of their
travelling by stages, to rest and feed by the
way.

1 " Notes on the Birds of Damara Land," by the late C.
J. Andersson; arranged and edited by J. H. Gurney, 1872,
p. 129.

F

THE PIED FLYCATCHER.

(Muscicapa atricapilla.)

ROM its conspicuous black and white
plumage, the Pied Flycatcher is a much
more attractive species than the commoner bird.
Strange to say, although of similar habits, and
living on similar food, it is by no means so
common as a species, nor so generally dispersed.
Its presence in Scotland is always looked upon
as an uncommon occurrence, and in Ireland,
until recently, it was quite unknown.

During the month of April, 1875, Mr. Robert
Warren, jun., of Moyview, Ballina, co. Mayo,

THE PIED FLYCATCHER. l6l

met with this bird for the first time in his neigh-
bourhood, and the following communication from
him on the subject was published in the natural
history columns of " The Field," on the ist of
May, 1875 : — "It may interest some of your
ornithological readers to learn that a Pied Fly-
catcher (Muscicapa atricapilla) visited this ex-
treme western locality on the i8th of April.
My attention was first attracted by seeing it
catching insects in the true flycatcher style ; but,
thinking it rather strange that our common
Spotted Flycatcher should appear a month or six
weeks earlier than usual, I watched it attentively
for some time. It then struck me as having a
smaller head and closer plumage than the spotted
one, and occasionally I thought I observed some
white marks on the wings ; but, the evening
light just fading, I could not be quite certain of
the white marks. Although knowing it to be a
flycatcher, I was not satisfied as to its identity,
so next morning I returned to that part of my
lawn where I had seen it the night before, and
again saw it hard at work ; but now having

M

1 62 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

better light, and the aid of a field glass, I was
not long in making out quite distinctly the white
wing marks, which showed me that it was not
the common Muscicapa grisola. I took my
gun and secured what I believe to be the first
specimen of Muscicapa atricapilla ever shot in
Ireland. Neither Thompson in his ' Birds of
Ireland/ nor Professor Newton in his new
edition of 'Yarrell's British Birds,' mentions it
as a visitor to Ireland, or gives any record of its
capture in this island ; and Mr. Harting, in his
' Handbook of British Birds/ p. 10, says it is
unknown in Ireland. The specimen, an adult
female, is now in the collection of the Royal
Dublin Society."

To this communication the editor appended
the following note : — " Although we always re-
gret to hear of the wanton destruction of a rare
bird, we must admit that circumstances some-
times occur to justify an individual capture, and
we think the present instance is a case in point.
By the actual possession of the bird seen, Mr.
Warren has been enabled to establish beyond

THE PIED FLYCATCHER. 163

doubt the fact of the occurrence in Ireland of a
species previously unknown there, and has thus
a complete answer to any sceptic who might
suggest that he may have been mistaken in his
identification of it."

In England the Pied Flycatcher is a regular
summer migrant, quite as much as any other of
the small birds already noticed. Mr. A. G.
More, in his "Notes on the Distribution of Birds
in Great Britain during the Nesting Season,"
regards it as a very local species, and observes
that the nest has occasionally been found in
North Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Isle of Wight,
Surrey, Oxford, Norfolk, Gloucester, Shropshire,
Leicester, and Derby. To these counties I
may add Middlesex (for I have known several
instances of this bird nesting as near London
as at Hampstead, Highgate, and Harrow) and
Essex, where the species has been met with
at Leytonstone. Yarrell adds Sussex, Suffolk,
Yorkshire (where I also have seen it), Worces-
ter, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Cumberland, West-
moreland, Northumberland, and Durham, and

164 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

on the southern coast, Hampshire. He makes
no mention of its occurrence in Wales, neither
does Mr. A. G. More in his essay above men-
tioned. During the summer of 1871, however,
several letters appeared in the natural history
columns of " The Field," communicating the
fact of its nesting in Breconshire, Denbighshire,
and Merionethshire.1 The sites selected for the
nests are usually holes in walls, ruins, and pol-
lard trees, and the nest itself is composed of
roots, grass, strips of inside bark and horsehair.
The eggs, five or six in number, are of a very
pale blue colour, much paler, smaller, and rounder
than those of the hedge sparrow. A correspon-
dent who has taken several nests of this bird
states that he never found one containing
feathers ; but I think I have seen one lined
with feathers which had been taken out of an
old birch tree in Lapland by the late Mr. H.
Wheelwright. In this lamented naturalist's en-
tertaining book, "A Spring and Summer in

1 See "The Field" for May 27th, June 8th, and June
24th, 1871.

THE PIED FLYCATCHER. 165

Lapland," he states that, although he never met
with the Pied Flycatcher on the fells, it was to
be found as far north as the birch region ex-
tends, and he generally found the nest in small
dead birch stubbs by the riverside. Messrs.
Godman met with it some way up the moun-
tains to the north of Bodo in Norway, where the
birch was also the favourite nesting tree. As it
is common in most parts of Central and Southern
Europe, and is found as far westward as Portu-
gal, it is rather curious that Professor Savi
should have so long overlooked its occurrence
in Tuscany. Dr. Giglioli noticed it as abundant
at Pisa in April, and, on recording it as new to
the Tuscan avifauna, he added ("Ibis," 1865,
p. 56) : "When I showed the numerous speci-
mens I had procured to Professor Savi, he was
much surprised, and said that, during the forty
years he had been studying the ornis of this part
of Italy, he had never come across the Pied Fly-
catcher, which, however, abounds during the
spring passage at Genoa, and all along the
Riviera." It is a spring and autumn visitor in

1 66 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Malta ; but, though often seen in the valleys
and by roadsides in the neighbourhood of trees,
it is not so numerous in the island as M.grisola.
Mr. O. Salvin found the Pied Flycatcher not
uncommon about Souk Harras in the Eastern
Atlas, and Mr. Tyrrwhitt Drake saw it during
the spring migration in Tangier and Eastern
Morocco. A specimen from the River Gambia
is in the collection of Mr. R. B. Sharpe. Mr.
J. H. Gurney, jun., during a recent tour in Al-
geria, encountered this amongst other familiar
birds. He says (" Ibis," 1871, p. 76) : " It was
not until April that I saw this species, after
which it became common. In the dayats and in
the Gardaia, where they most abounded, the
proportion of adult males in full summer plu-
mage to young birds and females was as one to
five. They looked exceedingly picturesque in
the rich foliage of the oases, clinging perhaps to
a rough palm stem, though their more usual
perch was the upper bough of a bush, whence
they would dart off after passing flies." To this
I may add that the note frequently repeated is

THE PIED FLYCATCHER. 167

not unlike that of the Redstart, although softer
and more agreeable, and the bird when utter-
ing it often shuffles its wings after the man-
ner of a Hedge Sparrow. Canon Tristram
found this bird to be a summer resident
in Palestine, and first noticed it in Galilee
on April 23rd; but, though remaining to
breed, he considered it rather a scarce bird
there.

An allied species, Muscicapa albicollis, is
generally distributed over the South of Europe,
Palestine, and North Africa, which differs from
the Pied Flycatcher in having the nape of the
neck white instead of black ; in other words, the
white of the throat extends entirely round the
neck. It is found in Greece, Turkey, Tuscany,
Spain, Portugal, and France, less commonly in
the north of France, and not in Belgium or
Holland. It is singular, considering that the
two species occupy the same haunts during a
great portion of the year, that the White-necked
Flycatcher never accompanies its more sable
congener to England ; yet, so far as I am

1 68 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

aware, there is no instance of its occurrence
here on record.

What is the cause which operates to restrain
one species from migrating, when a closely allied
bird of similar habits is impelled to take a long
and perilous journey ? Truly it is a curious
question.

Before taking leave of our British flycatchers,
it may be observed that a third species, the
Red-breasted Flycatcher (Muscicapa parva), a
native of South-eastern Europe and Western
Asia, has been met .with and procured on three
separate occasions in Cornwall. One was taken
at Constantine, near Falmouth, on Jan. 24, I863.1
A second was captured at Scilly in October of
the same year ; 2 and a third was procured also
at Scilly on Nov. 5, i865.3 All the specimens
procured were immature. The adult bird has a
breast like a robin, which renders it a particu-
larly attractive species. It is said to be not un-

1 "Zoologist," 1863, p. 8444.

2 "Zoologist," 1863, p. 8841.

3 Rodd, " List of the Birds of Cornwall," 2nd ed. p. n.

THE PIED FLYCATCHER. 169

common in the Crimea and in Hungary, ex-
tending eastward to Western and North-western
India, where it is plentiful,1 and is found acci-
dentally in Italy, Switzerland, and France. Mr.
Howard Saunders has reason to believe that it
has been met with in Southern Spain in winter,
but Col. Irby is somewhat sceptical on the
point.2

In Sir Oswald Mosely's " Natural History
of Tutbury " (p. 385), it is reported that a pair
of the North American Red-eyed Flycatcher
(Muscicapa olivacea) appeared at Chellaston,
near Derby, in May, 1859, and one of them was
shot. If there was no mistake in the identifica-
tion of the species, one can only suppose that
the birds must have been brought over to this
country in a cage, and contrived to effect their
escape.

1 Cf. Hume, "Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal," 1870, .p. 116,
and Blanford, " Ibis," 1870, p. 534.

2 See his " Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar," p. 224.

THE SWALLOW.
(Hirundo rustical)

1 ^EW birds have attracted more attention in
•*• all countries and in all ages than the
Swallows ; and the habits of those species which
annually visit the British Islands have been so
thoroughly investigated and so frequently de-
scribed, that little originality can be claimed for
the remarks which I have now to offer.

There are two points, however, in the natural
history of these birds which do not appear to
have received from their biographers so much
attention as they deserve, viz., the nature of

THE SWALLOW.

their food, and their geographical distribution.
I have repeatedly been asked, " What do
Swallows feed upon ? " and " Where do Swallows
go in winter ? " To these two questions I will
now endeavour to reply, believing that an expo-
sition of such facts as have been ascertained on
these points will be more acceptable to the
reader than a repetition of what has been so
frequently published on the subject of habits,
haunts, dates of arrival, and other minor details.
First, then, as regards food. Dr. Jenner
found that Swallows on their arrival in this
country, and for some time afterwards, feed
principally on gnats ; but that their favourite
food, as well as that of the Swift and Martin,
is a small beetle of the Scarabaeus kind, which
he found, on dissection, in far greater abundance
in their stomachs than any other insect. A
writer in the " Magazine of Natural History,"1
Mr. Main, states that they take two species of
gnat, Culex pipiens and C. bifurcatus ; and Sir

1 " Mag. Nat. Hist." vol. iv. p. 413.

172 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Humphrey Davy saw a single Swallow capture
four Mayflies that were descending to the water,
in less than a quarter of a minute. Mr.
Thompson says1 that a correspondent of his,
Mr. Poole, has found the mouths of young
birds filled with Tipulce, and that Mr. Sinclair,
an accurate ornithologist, remarked a number of
Swallows flying for some time about two pollard
willows, and on going to the place ascertained
that the object of pursuit was hive bees, which,
being especially abundant beneath the branches,
he saw captured by the birds as they flew
within a few yards of his head. The assertion
that Swallows take honey bees was long ago
made by Virgil, and, though not often noticed
by writers on British Birds, the fact has several
times been corroborated. A writer in the
" Field Naturalist's Magazine" for 1834 (p. 125),
stated that, having observed some Swallows
seize bees in passing his hives, he shot them,
and on opening them carefully, found that,

1 "Nat. Hist. Ireland" (Birds), i. p. 377.

THE SWALLOW. 173

although they were literally crammed with
drones, there was not a vestige of a working
bee. We learn from Wilson1 that in the United
States bees constitute part of the ordinary food
of the Purple Martin ; and the Sand Martin has
been observed to prey upon the common wasp.
Gilbert White remarked that both Swifts and
Swallows feed much on little Coleoptera, as well
as on gnats and flies, and that the latter birds
often settle on the ground for gravel to grind
and digest their food. At certain times in the
summer he had observed that Swifts were
hawking very low for hours together over pools
and streams, and, after some trouble, he ascer-
tained that they were taking Phryganece, Ephe-
mercz, and Libellulce (Cadew-flies, May-flies, and
Dragon-flies), that were just emerged out of
their aurelia state. The indigestible portions of
their food are rejected in the shape of small
pellets, just as with the birds of prey. Apropos
of these observations, Mr. J. H. Gurney, in

1 " American Ornithology."

174 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

October, 1871, wrote me as follows: — "The
perusal of your interesting remarks relative to
the food of the Chimney Swallow, and especially
with reference to its bee-eating propensities,
induces me to send you a note of an analogous
habit of which I have heard, in one instance, in
the Common Swift. An intelligent shepherd in
Norfolk, with whom I am acquainted, and who
keeps bees, states that a pair of Swifts which
nested in the roof of his cottage were so de-
structive to his bees, by catching them on the
wing when they happened to fly rather higher
than usual, that he at length destroyed the
Swifts in order to free his bees from their
attacks. With reference to the food of the
House Martin, I may mention that some years
since, as I was watching some of these birds
skimming over a roadside pond early in the
month of May, one of them, as it flew past me,
dropped at my feet a water beetle of the genus
Dytiscus, nearly, if not quite, half an inch in
length. Possibly it had captured a prey too
large to be conveniently swallowed." All the

THE SWALLOW. 175

Hirundinidcs drink upon the wing, and are
perhaps the only birds that do not alight for
this purpose, unless perhaps the Terns and
some of the Gulls may be also exceptions to the
general rule.

With regard to their winter quarters and
geographical distribution, it will be best to trace
the movements of each species separately.

The Chimney Swallow (ffirundo rusticd),
whose early appearance in the spring is only
preceded by that of the Sand Martin, spends at
least six months of the year with us, and in some
years more than seven months. The period of
its visit, however, may be said briefly to extend
from April to October. Between these two
months the bird is found generally distributed
throughout Europe, going as far north as Ice-
land1 and Nova Zembla,2 and penetrating even
into Siberia and Amurland.3

1 Professor Newton's Appendix to Baring Gould's " Ice-
land," p. 408.

2 Gillet, "Ibis," 1870, p. 306.

3 Von Schrenck, " Reise in Amurland."

176 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

The only Swallow hitherto observed in Green-
land— and that only on two occasions — is, ac-
cording to Professor Reinhardt, the American
Swallow, Hirundo riifa of Bonaparte. Now,
Bonaparte identifies this (Geogr. and Comp.
List, p. 9) with H. rufa of Gmelin, and Pro-
fessor Baird considers Gmelin's bird to be the
South American species, for which H. erythro-
gaster of Boddaert is the oldest name. If this
identification be correct, one would certainly ex-
pect the bird found in Greenland to be the North
American species, H. rufa of Vieillot, not Bona-
parte, now generally better known by its older
name, H. horreorum of Barton. The late Mr.
Wheelwright observed the Common Swallow in
Lapland, where he saw it hawking about over
the high fells at Quickjock, and he fancied it
was even commoner there than at Wermland, in
Sweden, where it is also an annual summer
visitant.1 Throughout Europe generally, as al-
ready remarked, it is everywhere distributed in

1 "A Spring and Summer in Lapland," p. 281.

THE SWALLOW. 177

summer, and in the countries bordering the
Mediterranean it is especially abundant at the
periods of migration in spring and autumn.
Mr. Wright has observed it arriving in Malta
in great numbers from the south early in March,
and again, on its return southwards in autumn,
it is common over the island until October. On
the island of Filfla, a few miles south of Malta,
the same observer has noticed it in May. At
Gibraltar and in Spain Mr. Howard Saunders
has detected it as early as February, making its
way north ; and, as an instance of how these
delicate birds at times get blown out of their
course by adverse winds, it may be remarked
that Prince Charles Bonaparte saw Swallows
and Martins at sea 500 miles from Portugal and
400 miles off the coast of Africa. Sir William
Jardine has recorded the presence of the Swallow
at Madeira, and Mr. Osbert Salvin, writing on
May 28 (" Ibis," 1859, p. 334), says : "Some
Swallows came on board when we were 180
miles north-west of the Azores, so that it is
probable that the bird is found in these islands."

N

178 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

On the Senegal River and at Sierra Leone it
may be seen all the year round, but is less
numerous there from June to September.1 On
the West Coast of Africa the Swallow appears
to travel as far south as the island of St. Thomas
on the equator, where Mr. Yarrell states it has
been met with in January and February.

In Tangier and Eastern Morocco Mr.
Tyrwhitt Drake says the Swallow is found
throughout the year, but the Martin and Sand
Martin, he believes, do not winter there.
(-Ibis," 1862, p. 425.)

The Swallow has been noticed as plentiful at
Tripoli in the middle of March (Chambers, " Ibis,"
1867, p. 99), and Mr. Osbert Salvin observed
it in Algeria, between Constantine and Batna,
where he found several nests among the rafters
of an open shed. According to the Rev. Canon
Tristram — than whom there is no better autho-
rity on the subject of North African and Pales-
tine birds — a few pairs of Swallows remain all
the winter in each oasis in North Africa, wher-

1 Tudbury, " Mag. Nat. Hist." vol. v. p. 449.

THE SWALLOW. 179

ever there is water or marsh ; but none of those
which he observed were in mature plumage,
and it is therefore presumed that only the
younger and weaker birds stay behind. The
Arabs informed him that for one Swallow they
have in winter they have twenty in summer, and
that they usually retire about the end of Nov-
ember, returning in February. In November,
also, they have been observed to be common at
Alexandria and Cairo (E. C. Taylor, " Ibis,"
1859, p. 47); and on the 5th of November,
when leaving Aden, Mr. Swinhoe remarked that
a few Swallows followed the ship, apparently
bound for the Indian coast. According to the
observations of Mr. E. C. Taylor (" Ibis," 1867,
p. 57), this species reappears in Egypt about
March 25, and is common at Cairo and Damietta
in April. Ruppell, in his " Systematische
Uebersicht der Vogel Nordost-Afrika's," includes
the Swallow (p. 22) as being found in Egypt,
Nubia, and Abyssinia ; and as regards the last-
named country, Mr. Blanford has remarked1

1 " Geology and Zoology of Abyssinia," p. 347.

l8o OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

that it is common everywhere, and that he found
it especially abundant on the shores of Annesley
Bay in June.

Continuing a search for this species south-
ward along the East Coast of Africa, it
will be found that, according to the observa-
tions of Mr. Ayres in Natal, the Swallow
arrives in that colony in great numbers in
November, congregating and leaving again in
March and April. Mr. Layard found it to be
an annual winter visitant to the Cape Colony,
and on one occasion when sailing from New
Zealand to the Cape of Good Hope, on the 28th
of November, he saw a Swallow and a Sand
Martin fly about the ship for some time. He
was then in lat. 33° 20', long. 31° 50', and about
290 miles from the Cape. Several insects
(Libellula, Agrostis, and Geometrd) were caught
on deck, and we may presume, therefore, that
the birds found sufficient food to support them
at that distance from land.

Passing eastward through Sinai and Palestine,
where Canon Tristram has observed the Swallow

TtfE SWALLOW. l8l

in December,1 we learn from Mr. Blyth that it
is common in the north-west provinces of India
during the winter months. Capt. Beavan saw
it at Darjeeling in 1862, and Maunbhoom in
1864-65, where both old and young were very
common in January and February, hawking over
rice-kates and near tanks. In Northern Japan
it was observed by Capt. Blakiston, and in North
China by Mr. Swinhoe. Referring to a species
of Swallow which he observed in Formosa, Mr.
Swinhoe says (" Ibis," 1863, p. 255) : " In its ha-
bits, in nest and colour of eggs, &c., this bird en-
tirely agrees with the European H. rustica ; yet
in size it is always smaller, and in minor per-
sonal features different. It ranges in summer
from Canton to Pekin, and Mr. Blyth assures me
that it is identical with specimens procured in
winter in Calcutta ; hence I infer that the birds
which visit China in spring, and uniformly leave
again in autumn, return to hybernate in the
warm plains of India."

1 " The Land of Israel," p. 105.

1 82 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Mr. Blyth has remarked (" Ibis," 1866, p. 336),
" that the average of adult Swallows from the
Indian region and China are smaller than the
average of European examples, to the extent
sometimes of an inch in length of wing ; but
some Indian are undistinguishable from Euro-
pean specimens."

Dr. Jerdon, in his " Birds of India," says :
" On carefully comparing specimens from Eng-
land and Algiers in the museum at Calcutta
with Indian specimens from various parts of the
country, I can detect no difference/'

In a notice of the birds of the Andaman
Islands which appearedTin the " Ibis " some years
since, Capt. Beavan remarked that the European
Chimney Swallow visits these islands at certain
seasons, and is not at all uncommon.

There is no evidence that it ever visits
Australia ; but Mr. Gould has described a
Swallow from Torres Straits under the name
Hirundo fretensis, which is certainly very like
our well-known H. rustica, and might be a young
bird of that species in autumn plumage. It is

THE SWALLOW. 183

singular that no Swallows visit New Zealand
It cannot be that the islands are too distant from
Australia, where several species of Swallow
abound, because, as Mr. Layard has remarked,
two, if not three, species of Cuckoo (Eudynamys
taitensis and Chrysococcyx lucidus) perform the
journey in their annual migration twice a year.

The attachment of Swallows to the neighbour-
hood of water at roosting-time — which formerly
led to the supposition that they actually retired
under water for the winter — may be easily
accounted for by the circumstance that the
willow branches not only afford them most con-
venient perches, but enable the birds to crowd
close together, and so secure greater warmth to
individuals than they could possibly enjoy if
each roosted upon a separate twig in trees or
shrubs of different growth.

THE MARTIN.
(Hirundo urbica.)

\ LTHOUGH arriving in this country some-
<*•*• what later than the Swallow, the Martin
may be said to have nearly the same geographical
range. Mr. Yarrell thought that the Swallow
did not go so far north as the Martin,1 but both
are found in summer in Iceland and the Faroe
Isles. Mr. Dann remarked that there was no
want of food for them in Norway and Lapland,
as the morasses in the sheltered valleys swarm
with insects. During the season that it is absent
from England it resides in North Africa, Egypt,

1 " History of British Birds," vol. ii. p. 251 (3rd ed.)

THE MARTIN. 185

Nubia and Abyssinia, Palestine, Arabia, and
North-west India. Capt. Irby states (" Ibis/' 1 86 1,
p. 233) that it is common in the cold season in
Oudh, and Col. Tickell observed great numbers
at Moulmein ; but they appeared from time to
time, and not constantly, like H. lustica? With
regard to Palestine, it seems probable that the
Martin spends the greater portion of the year
there, for Canon Tristram found it breeding in
colonies on the sheltered faces of cliffs in the
valleys of Northern Galilee. Mr. Wright says
(" Ibis," 1864, p. 57) that in Malta it is seen at
the same seasons as the Swallow, but stays
part of the winter, when H. rustica has de-
parted. Dr. Giglioli observes that it arrives at
Pisa at the end of March, at which time it has
also been noticed at Gibraltar.

The movements of this bird and others of the
genus have been concisely illustrated by Mr.
Forster in a communication to the Linnaean
Society, in the following table, giving the mean
date of arrival :

1 Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xxiv. p. 277.

i86

OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Swallow . . .
Sand Martin
House Martin .
Swift ....

Naples.

Rome.

Pisa.

Vienna.

Bruges. London.

Feb. 27.
Ap. 3.
Ap. 10.
Ap. 15.

Mar. 3.

Ap-5-
Ap.i5.
Ap. 1 8.

Mar. 5.
Ap. 8.
Ap. 1 6.
Ap. 20.

Mar. 25.
Ap. 12.

Ap. 20.
Ap. 23.

Ap. 5. Ap. 15.
Ap. 25. Ap. 25.
May i. May i.
Ap. 30. May 3.

The spring tide of migration appears to set
in along the entire coast-line of the Mediterra-
nean, and in a direction almost due north. I do
not remember to have seen any record of the
occurrence of the Martin on the west coast of
Africa, although there seems to be no reason
why it should not accompany the Swallow there
in winter.

Both species will rear two broods in a season ;
and this fact, doubtless, will account for the pro-
longed stay in autumn of the later fledged birds,
which are not sufficiently strong on the wing to
join the main body of emigrants at the usual
time of their departure.

THE SAND MARTIN.

(Cotyle riparia.)

THIS little bird has a much more extensive
range than either of the foregoing species,
being found in the New as well as in the Old
World. In British North America M. Bour-
geau obtained both birds and eggs on the Sas-
katchewan plains. Dr. Coues met with it in
Arizona, and Professor Baird has recorded it
from California. He says: " It furnishes almost
a solitary instance amongst land birds of the
same species inhabiting both continents per-
manently, and not as an accidental or occasional

1 88 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

visitor in either."1 Mr. H. E. Dresser found it
common in Southern Texas, and Mr. O. Salvin
obtained several specimens in Guatemala. It
has even been met with in the Bermudas, 600
miles from Cape Hatteras, the nearest point of
the North American coast.2

In Europe the Sand Martin generally makes
its appearance in the spring somewhat earlier
than any of the other Swallows, and departs
sooner. From different stations on the Medi-
terranean large flocks have been observed at
the period of the vernal migration winging their
way northward, returning even in greater num-
bers in the autumn. Mr. O. Salvin saw this
species between Tunis and Kef during the third
week in March. Canon Tristram, who found it
abundant in Palestine in the sandy banks of the
Jordan, has suggested that it is double-brooded,
since he found it nesting in Egypt in February.
The same observer met with it in November on
its autumn migration through the Sahara. When

1 " Birds of North America," p. 313.

2 Jones's " Naturalist in Bermudas," p. 34.

THE SAND MARTIN. 189

passing down the Red Sea, early in November,
Mr. Swinhoe saw numerous Sand Martins, which
followed the ship for some days, and on arriving
at his destination found these birds very com-
mon about the marshes at Takoo and before
Tientsin in North China. Dr. Leith Adams
says1 that Sand Martins build in numbers along
the banks of the Indus, and that in consequence
in some places the banks are quite riddled with
their holes. Hence it will be seen that this
delicate little bird enjoys a more extensive range
than any other species of the family.

Before leaving this country in autumn, they
assemble in vast flocks, and go through a variety
of evolutions on the wing, as if practising for a
long flight, alighting from time to time upon the
ground, or on willows or reeds by the river-side,
to rest. Swallows and Martins do the same,
but never congregate — so far as I have observed
— in such large numbers.2

1 " Wanderings of a Naturalist in India/' p. 49.

2 See " The Birds of Middlesex," p. 126.

OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

The Purple Martin (H. purpurea) of Ame-
rica is recorded to have been procured once at
Kingstown near Dublin ; and Yarrell included
it in his " History of British Birds," relying on
a statement that two specimens had been shot
at Kingsbury Reservoir, in Middlesex, in Sep-
tember, 1842. It has since been ascertained,
however, that he was misinformed on the sub-
ject. A specimen of this bird, said to have been
shot near Macclesfield, was sold at Stevens's,
with other birds from the Macclesfield Museum,
on the 1 4th June, 1861, and realized twenty-
eight shillings. With these exceptions, so far as
I am aware, no other instance of its occurrence
in Europe has been published.

T

THE COMMON SWIFT.

(Cypselus apus.)

O ordinary observers a Swift appears so
much like a Swallow, that the only dif-
ference discernible by them is a difference of
colour. To the inquiring naturalist, however, a
much more important distinction presents itself
in the peculiar and remarkable anatomy of the
former bird. Not only has it a greater extent
of wing, moved by larger and more powerful
muscles, but the structure of the foot is curiously
adapted for climbing within the narrow crevices
which are usually selected as nesting-places. In
the Swallow and other Hirundines the toes are
long and slender — three in front and one behind
in the same plane, as is usual with insessorial

OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

birds. In the Swift we find the toes short and
stout, and all four directed forwards ; the least
toe (which should be the hind one) consisting of
a single bone, and the other three of only two
bones apiece — a peculiar construction, but well
adapted for the purposes for which the feet are
employed.

This singularity of structure has induced
naturalists to consider the Swifts (for there are
several species) generically distinct from the
Swallows; and the former, therefore, are now
placed by common consent in the genus Cypse-
lus, a name adopted from Aristotle, and sug-
gested by Illiger, as indicating the bird's habit
of hiding its nest in a hole.

The remarks which have been made upon
food in the case of the Swallows, apply equally
in the case of the Swifts. The latter have so
frequently been observed in localities presenting
very different species of insects, and sweeping
in the summer evenings through the midst of
little congregated parties of various kinds, that
there is little doubt that the nature of the food

THE COMMON SWIFT. 193

differs very considerably. In corroboration of
this it has been shown that anglers have re-
peatedly captured these birds with artificial
trout-flies of very different appearance.1 Isaak
Walton informs us that Swifts were in his time
taken in Italy with rod and line ; and, according
to Washington Irving, one of the sports of the
Alhambra was angling for swallows from its
lofty towers.2 There are several species of
Swifts distributed throughout the world, but
only two visit the British Islands, and of these
one is but a rare and accidental visitant.

The Common Swift is the last of the Hirun-
dines to arrive in this country, and the first to
leave it. Its habits are very different from
those of the Swallows. As a rule it makes no
nest, but only lines a hole, into which it creeps ;
it lays but two eggs (rarely three), instead of
five or six like the Swallows ; it rears but one
brood in the summer, instead of two, or even
three, as Swallows often do. The late Mr. J.

1 Thompson, " Nat. Hist. Ireland" (Birds), i. p. 377.

2 Irving, "Tales of the Alhambra. "

IQ4 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

D. Salmon described1 some nests of the Swift
which he found at Stoke Ferry, Norfqlk, and
which were composed of bits of straw and dry
grass, " closely interwoven and held firmly to-
gether by an adhesive substance very much re-
sembling glue, and so disposed round the inner
edge of the nest as to hold the straws in their
places ; the whole forming quite a cup of an
oval shape, of about four inches in length, not
very deep." I have often observed the straw
and dry grass, with the addition of feathers, but
never noticed the " adhesive substance." Gil-
bert White thought that the Swift paired on the
wing. They may do so occasionally ; but,
from what I have observed, I feel sure that
they pair much oftener in the hole which has
been selected to nest in.

Although usually preferring lofty towers and
church turrets, the Swift frequently nests under
eaves at a comparatively short distance from the
ground ; and I have had excellent opportuni-

1 "Mag. Nat. Hist." 1834, vol. vii. p. 462.

THE COMMON SWIFT. 195

ties for some years past of observing Swifts
during the breeding season under the eaves of
some old cottages in Sussex and Middlesex.
By means of a short ladder I have been enabled
to inspect many nests both before and after
the young were hatched ; and, out of a score
or more examined, seldom more than one con-
tained three eggs. Sometimes I observed that
Sparrows were ejected and their nests appro-
priated, amidst much remonstrance and scream-
ing; but, as a rule, I have found that Swifts,
having once reared their young safely in a new
locality, will return to the same hole year after
year. Birds have been marked by having their
claws cut, and, on being set at liberty, were
caught the following year in the holes from
which they had first been taken. Unlike most
insectivorous birds, which bring but a single in-
sect (or at most two or three) to the nest at a
time, the Swift visits its young less frequently
in the day, but brings a large store at each visit.
The mouth is often so crammed with small
black flies, that the bird presents the appearance

196 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

of having a pouch under the chin, from which
it ejects the insects in a lump the size of a
boy's marble.

As a general rule, the Swift is not observed
in this country before the third week in May,
and is seldom seen after the third week in
August. It is found throughout the mainland
of the British Islands, and breeds also in Mull
and lona, but not in Orkney or Shetland, nor in
the Outer Hebrides. It does not travel quite
so far north as either the Chimney Swallow or
the Martin, but the late Mr. Wolley saw it on
the Faroes,1 and Mr. Wheelwright frequently
observed it hawking over the high fells at
Quickjock, Lapland, during the summer.2

If we look for the bird during the months
that it is absent from Great Britain, we find
that it is very abundant at the Cape of Good
Hope in winter, arriving about September 5, and
departing northwards in April. It is seen in

1 " Contributions to Ornithology," 1850, p. 109. It is not
included by Herr Miiller in his " Bird Fauna of the Faroes."

2 "A Spring and Summer in Lapland," p. 281.

THE COMMON SWIFT. 197

Natal more or less all the year round, but more
plentifully during the summer.1 The climate of
Lower Egypt is apparently too cold for this
species in winter, but at that season it is resi-
dent and abundant in Upper Egypt.2

As winter disappears it gradually moves
northward, and a month before it arrives in
England it is found in some numbers along the
entire coast-line of the Mediterranean. Mr. Os-
bert Salvin saw it at Tunis on the 8th March,
and subsequently numerous at Algiers. In the
middle of March, Mr. Chambers found it plenti-
ful at Tripoli, and at the end of the same month
it was observed by Mr. Howard Saunders at
Gibraltar. In the middle of April, Lord Lilford
remarked that it was common in the neighbour
hood of Madrid ; about which time, according to
Messrs. Elwes and Buckley (" Ibis," 1870, p.
200), it usually makes its appearance in Turkey,
arriving there doubtless from the Ionian Islands,3

1 Ayres, " Ibis," 1863, p. 321.

2 E. C. Taylor, "Ibis," 1867, p. 56.

3 Lord Lilford, "Ibis," 1860, p. 234.

198 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Egypt and Palestine, where it is said to appear
in the last week of March.1

From Spain, through France, to England is
but a short journey for a bird with powers of
wing like the Swift ; and hence one is not sur-
prised to see hawking over the South Downs in
May the birds which but a week previously were
circling round the Moorish towers of Spain. Its
return southward in autumn is apparently by the
same route as that chosen for its northward
journey in spring, and in this respect it differs in
habit from many other species.2

In India its place is to a certain extent taken
by a non-migratory species, Cypselus affinis, but
it has nevertheless been met with in that country.
An Indian specimen was received from Dr.
Jerdon, presumably from the north-west.3 It
has also been forwarded from Afghanistan,4 and

1 Tristram, "Ibis," 1865, p. 77.

2 In the Grey Phalarope we have a notable instance of a
contrary habit. This bird passes through England on its
way southward in autumn, but invariably selects some other
route on its return northward in spring.

3 Blyth, "Ibis," 1866, p. 339.
•* Blyth, "Ibis," 1865,^45.

THE ALPINE SWIFT. 199

Dr. Stoliczka found it at Leh, in Western Thibet.
I am aware that some naturalists have expressed
doubts as to the identity of the Swift found at
the Cape of Good Hope with Cypselus apus ;
but, after an examination of several examples
of the African bird, I have been unable to dis-
cover that it differs in any material respect from
our well-known summer migrant.

s

THE ALPINE SWIFT.

(Cypselus alpinus^)

O rare a visitant to this country is the Al-
pine Swift that not more than a score ot
individuals have been met with since the first
specimen was captured in 1820. In that year a
bird of this species was killed at Kingsgate, in
the Isle of Thanet, during the month of June,
and since that time the following examples are
recorded to have been met with : —

One, Dover, Aug. 20, 1830; "Note-book of
a Naturalist," p. 226.

200 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

One, Buckenham, Norfolk, Oct. 13, 1831 ;
Yarrell, " Hist. Brit. Birds," vol. ii. p. 266.

One, Rathfarnham, near Dublin, March, 1833 ;
" Dublin Penny Journal," March, 1833. Yarrell,
" Hist. Brit. Birds," vol. ii. p. 266.

One, Saffron Walden, Essex, July, 1838 ;
Macgillivray, "Hist. Brit. Birds," iii. p. 613.

One, Leicester, Sept. 23, 1839; Macgillivray,
" Hist. Brit. Birds," iii. p. 613.

One, seen forty miles west of Land's End, in
June, 1842 ; Couch, "Cornish Fauna," p. 147.

One, Cambridge, May, 1844; E. B. Fitton,
"Zoologist," 1845, P- 1191-

One, near Doneraile, co. Cork, June, 1844 ;
Thompson, "Nat. Hist. Ireland" (Birds), vol. i.
p. 418.

One, St. Leonard's-on-Sea, Oct., 1851 ; Ell-
man, "Zoologist," 1852, p. 3330.

One, Mylor, Cornwall, 1859 ; Bullimore,
" Cornish Fauna," p. 24.

One, Hulme, near Manchester, Oct. 18, 1863;
Carter, "Zoologist," 1863, p. 8846.

One seen at Kingsbury Reservoir, Aug. 1841,

THE ALPINE SWIFT. 2OI

and one shot near Reading the next day;
Harting, " Birds of Middlesex," p. 128.

One, near Lough Neagh, May, 1866; Howard
Saunders, " Zoologist," 1866, p. 389.

One, near Weston-super-Mare ; Cecil Smith,
" Birds of Somersetshire," p. 287.

Several seen, Isle of Arran, July, 1866; H.
Blake Knox, " Zoologist," 1866, p. 456.

Several seen, Achill Island; H. Blake Knox,
"Zoologist," 1866, p. 523.

One, near the Lizard, Cornwall; Rodd, " List
of the Birds of Cornwall," 2nd ed. p. 23.

One, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, Sept. 8, 1870; Hele,
"The Field," Sept. 17, 1870.

One seen, Colchester, June 8, 1871 ; Dr. Bree,
"The Field," June 17, 1871.

One seen, South Point, Durham, July 24,
1871 ; G. E. Crawhall, "The Field," Aug. 5,
1871.

In all the above instances the birds were shot,
except where stated to have been seen only.

The term "Alpine Swift " is unfortunately a
misnomer, since the bird is in no way confined

2O2 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

to the immediate neighbourhood of the Alps.
The name " White-bellied Swift" is not inappro-
priate, as indicating a peculiarity which distin-
guishes it from the common species. It is a
migratory bird, like the last-named, and, like it,
visits the Cape of Good Hope in winter, and
penetrates into North-west India.

It is a summer migrant in Palestine, where
Canon Tristram observed it nesting near Mar
Saba, and in the tremendous ravine above the
site of Jericho. It arrives at Constantinople
from its winter quarters towards the end of
April, and is common in Corfu from May to
September, nesting annually in the Citadel
Rock (Lord Lilford, "Ibis," 1860, p. 234). It
breeds in great numbers along the Etruscan
coast, and is occasionally seen at Pisa (Dr. Gi-
glioli, "Ibis," 1865, pp. 51-52). It has been
observed on passage in Tangier and Eastern
Morocco, and Mr. O. Salvin remarked that it
was common about the plains of the Salt Lake
district, Eastern Atlas, and breeding in most of
the rocks of that country (" Ibis," 1859, p. 302).

THE ALPINE SWIFT. 203

Mr. Howard Saunders saw hundreds at Gibraltar
towards the end of March, and in June it was
observed by Lord Lilford amongst the peaks of
the Sierra near San Ildefonso. To England, as
we have said, it rarely strays. In habits it is
described, by those who have had opportunities
for observing it, as resembling very much the
Common Swift. Like this species, it nests in
holes and crevices, and lays two white eggs of a
similar shape to those of its congener, but much
larger. Its cry is said to be very different. Its
vastly superior size and white belly serve at all
times to distinguish it from the smaller and more
sable bird with which we are so familiar.

The Spine-tailed Swift {Acanthylis caiid-
acutus), a bird which is found in Siberia, Persia,
India, China, and Australia, has in one single
instance been met with in the British Islands.
A specimen was killed at Great Horkesley, near
Colchester, on July 8, 1846, as recorded in the
"Zoologist" for that year (p. 1492), and was
fortunately examined in the flesh by Messrs.
Yarrell, Fisher, Hall, Doubleday, and Newman.

THE N IGHTJAR.
( Caprimulgus europceus. )

T N order of date, the Nightjar is one of the
•*• latest of the summer birds to arrive, being
seldom seen before the beginning of May, al-
though, as in the case of other species, one
now and then hears of an exceptionally early
arrival. In 1872, for example, Mr. Gatcombe
informed me that he had seen a Nightjar in the
neighbourhood of Plymouth on the loth of
April, at least a month earlier than the usual
time of its appearance. By the end of Sep-
tember, or the first week in October, these birds

THE NIGHTJAR. 205

have returned to their winter quarters in North
Africa. Colonel Irby, in his recently-published
volume on the " Ornithology of the Straits of
Gibraltar," states, on the authority of M. Favier,
that Nightjars cross the Straits from Tangiers
to Gibraltar in May and June, and return the
same way between September and November.
They have been seen on the passage. Dr.
Drummond informed the late Mr. Thompson of
Belfast,1 that when H.M.S. " San Juan," of which
he was surgeon, was anchored near Gibraltar, in
the spring of the year, a few Nightjars flew on
board. During the passage of H.M.S. " Bea-
con " from Malta to the Morea, in the month of
April, some of these birds appeared on the 2 7th,
and alighted on the rigging. The vessel was
then about fifty miles from Zante (the nearest
land), and sixty west of the Morea.

They came singly, with one exception, when
two appeared in company. A couple of them
were shot in the afternoon. A few others had

1 See Thompson's " Nat. Hist. Ireland" (Birds), vol. i. p.
423-

206 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

been seen about the vessel on the two or three
days preceding. On the evening of the ist of
June, two were killed and others seen in the
once celebrated but now barren and uninhabited
island of Delos.

The Nightjar, although tolerably dispersed
throughout North Africa during certain months
of the year, does not, apparently, travel so far
down the east or west coasts as many of our
summer migrants do. In Egypt and Nubia,
according to Captain Shelley,1 it is only met
with as a bird of passage, but how much further
south it goes he does not say. Mr. Blanford
did not meet with it in Abyssinia, where its place
seems to be taken by two or three allied species.2
The same remark applies as we proceed east-
ward. In Syria and Palestine, Canon Tristram
did not observe the European Nightjar, but
found a smaller and lighter-coloured species, on

1 "Birds of Egypt," p. 174.

2 " Observations on the Geology and Zoology of Abys-
sinia," p. 336.

THE NIGHTJAR. 2O/

which he has bestowed the name Caprimulgus
tamaricis?

Between the months of April and October,
our Nightjar is generally dispersed throughout
the British Islands, even to the north of Caith-
ness, extending also to the inner group of
islands, but not reaching the Outer Hebrides.
Mr. Robert Gray, of Glasgow, reports that it
is not uncommon in Islay, lona and Mull, and
also in Skye, in all of which islands eggs have
been found.

Stragglers have been observed in summer and
autumn for several years in Shetland. The late
Dr. Saxby saw it at Balta Sound about the end
of July, skimming over the fields, and now and
then alighting on the dykes, but he regarded its
appearance in Shetland as merely accidental.

In Ireland this bird is considered to be a
regular summer visitant to favourite localities in
all quarters of the island, but of rare occurrence
elsewhere.2

1 " The Land of Israel," p. 250. 2 Thompson, op. cit.

208 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

In colour this bird resembles a large moth,
being most beautifully and delicately streaked
and mottled with various shades of black, brown,
grey, and buff, but in appearance it is not un-
like a hawk, having long pointed wings more
than seven inches in length, and a tail about
five inches long. The male differs from the
female in having a large heart-shaped spot upon
the inner web of the first three quill feathers,
and broad white tips to the two outer tail
feathers on each side.

The mottled brown appearance of the bird
when reposing either on the ground or on the
limb of a large tree, is admirably adapted to
screen it from observation even within a few
yards of the observer. It delights in furzy
commons, wild heathery tracts, and broken hilly
ground covered with ferns, particularly in the
neighbourhood of woods and thickets, and is
especially partial to sandy soils. I have fre-
quently seen this bird upon the bare sand,
either in a sandpit or under the lee of a furze-
bush, where it appeared to be basking in the

THE NIGHTJAR. 2OQ

sun, and from the disturbed appearance of the
soil in some places, I imagine that it dusts itseli
as the Skylark does, to get rid of the small
parasites with which, like many other birds, it is
infested. On the i6th of May this year, at
Uppark, Sussex, I found one asleep on the
carriage drive within twenty yards of the house.
The gravel was quite warm, and the bird was
so loth to be disturbed that I almost suc-
ceeded in covering it with my hat before it took
wing. On another occasion in September, when
strolling along the beach near Selsea, I came
suddenly upon a Nightjar sitting below high-
water mark on the warm shingle, where it ap-
peared to be thoroughly enjoying the afternoon
sun. It dozes away the greater part of the day,
and if disturbed only flies a short distance before
re-alighting. Its loud and peculiar whirring
note, reminding one of the noise made by a
knife-grinder's wheel, is never heard until the
evening, when, in districts where the bird is
common, it resounds far and near.

There is something occasionally quite ventri-
p

210 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

loquial in the sound, caused by the bird turning
its head from side to side, both up and down, and
scattering, as it were, the notes on every side.

It makes no nest, but scraping a hollow on
the bare ground deposits two ellipse-shaped
eggs beautifully mottled with two shades of
grey and brown, and quite unlike those of any
other British bird. The young are hatched in
about a fortnight or rather more, and until fully
fledged their appearance is singularly ugly.
They are covered with a grey down, and their
enormous mouths and large prominent eyes give
them an expression which is almost repulsive.
By pegging the young down with long "jesses,"
as one would a Hawk, I have secured them
until fully fledged, the old birds feeding them
regularly ; but on taking them home and turning
them into an aviary I could not succeed in
keeping them long alive, owing to the difficulty
in procuring suitable food, and my inability to
give them constant attention.

During the month of September, when shoot-
ing amongst low underwood and felled timber,

THE NIGHTJAR. 211

I have not unfrequently 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, ex-
claiming, " There goes a Hawk ! " I was not a
little surprised one day at finding one of these
birds in the middle of a turnip-field. We had
marked down some birds at the far end, and
the dogs were drawing cautiously on when one
of them flushed a Nightjar, which my friend
immediately shot — in mistake, as he afterwards
said, for a Woodcock.

Notwithstanding what has been said to the
contrary, the Nightjar, Night-hawk, Fern Owl,
or Goatsucker, as it is variously called in dif-
ferent parts of the country, is one of the most
inoffensive birds imaginable. By farmers it is
accused of robbing cows and goats of their
milk, and by keepers it is remorselessly shot
as " vermin ;" but by both classes its cha-
racter is much maligned. Its food is purely
insectivorous, and it is as incapable of sucking
milk as it is of carrying off and preying

212 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

upon young game birds. The mistake in the
former case must have arisen in this way. The
habits of the bird are crepuscular. It is sel-
dom seen in broad daylight unless disturbed,
but as soon as twilight supervenes and moths
and dor-beetles begin to -be upon the wing, it
comes forth from its noonday retreat and is ex-
ceedingly busy and active in the pursuit of
these and other insects. Montagu says he has
observed as many as eight or ten on the wing
together 'in the dusk of the evening, skimming
over the surface of the ground in all directions,
like Swallows in pursuit of insects. Cattle, as
they graze in the evening, disturb numerous
moths and flies, and the Nightjar, unalarmed by
the animals, to whose presence it becomes ac-
customed, dashes boldly down to seize a moth
which is hovering round their feet, or a fly
which has settled upon the udder. Being de-
tected in this act in the twilight by unobservant
persons, the story has gone forth that the
Goatsucker steals the milk.

From the keeper's point of view it is a Night-

THE NIGHTJAR. 213

hawk in the worst sense of the word, a hawk
that under cover of the night flits noiselessly
but rapidly by and carries off the unsuspecting
chick. But here again the observer has been
misled by appearances, associating the pointed
wings and long tail with the idea of a hawk,
entirely overlooking the small slender claws
and mandibles, which are quite unequal to the
task of holding and cutting up live and resisting
feathered prey, and entirely also overlooking
the fact that at the time the Nightjar is abroad,
the young pheasants and partridges are safely
brooded under their respective mothers.

Attentive observation of its habits, and exa-
mination of numerous specimens after death,
have revealed the real nature of its food, which
consists of moths, especially Hepialus humuli,1
which from its white colour is readily seen by
the bird, fernchafers and dor-beetles. Macgil-

1 Mr. Robert Gray of Glasgow has seen it in grass fields,
cleverly picking ghost-moths (Hepialus humult) off the stems,
from the points of which these sluggish insects were tempt-
ingly hanging. But as a rule, he adds, the Nightjar captures
its prey while in flight.

214 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

livray says : " The substances which I have
found in its stomach were remains of coleo-
pterous insects of many species, some of them
very large, as Geotrupes stercorarius, moths of
great size also, and occasionally larvae. I have
seen the inner surface slightly bristled with the
hairs of caterpillars, as in the Cuckoo." He
adds, " as no fragments of the hard parts of
these insects ever occur in the intestine, it fol-
lows that the refuse is ejected by the mouth."
From its habit of capturing dor-beetles, the
bird in some parts of the country is known as
the Dor-hawk. Wordsworth has referred to it
by this name in the lines —

" The busy Dor-hawk chases the white moth
With burring note."

Elsewhere it is called the Eve-jar, and Churn-
owl. The latter name is bestowed by Gilbert
White in his " Naturalist's Summer Evening
Walk": —

" While o'er the cliff the awaken'd Churn-owl hung,
Through the still gloom protracts his chattering song."

In his 37th Letter to Pennant, the same author

THE NIGHTJAR. 215

refers to it as " the Caprimulgus, or Fern-owl,"
and gives an agreeable account of its move-
ments as observed by himself.

Amongst other things he says : — " But the cir-
cumstance that pleased me most was, that I
saw it distinctly more than once put out its
short leg while on the wing, and by a bend of
the head deliver somewhat into its mouth. If
it takes any part of its prey with its foot, as I
have now the greatest reason to suppose, it does
these chafers. I no longer wonder at the use of
its middle toe, which is curiously furnished with
a serrated claw."

Yarrell has figured the foot, in a vignette to
his work on British Birds, in order to show this
peculiarity of structure, the use of which has
puzzled so many.

The correctness of the view expressed by
Gilbert White and confirmed by other authors,1
has been disputed on the ground that many
other birds, as Herons, Gannets, and, I may

1 See Atkinson's " Compendium of Ornithology," p. 108,
and Stanley's " Familiar History of Birds," p. 260.

2l6 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

add, Coursers, have a pectinated claw upon the
middle toe, and yet do not take insects upon
the wing, or even seize their prey with their feet.

It has been ingeniously suggested that perhaps
the serrated claw may be used for brushing
away the broken wings and other fragments of
struggling insects which doubtless adhere oc-
casionally to the basirostral bristles with which
the mouth of this bird is furnished. This is
very possible ; at the same time it may be
observed that Hawks, Parrots, and other birds
habitually cleanse the bill and sides of the gape
with their feet, and yet have no pectination of
the middle claw.

A theory advanced by Mr. Sterland,1 and
endorsed by Mr. Robert Gray,2 is that since the
Nightjar sits lengthwise and not crosswise upon
a bough, the serrated claw gives a secure foot-
hold, which in so unusual a position could not be
obtained by grasping. But to this theory the
objection above made also applies, namely, that
many birds, such as Coursers and Thick-knees,

1 " The Birds of Sherwood Forest," p. 172.

2 "The Birds of the West of Scotland," p. 212.

THE NIGHTJAR. 21 7

have serrated middle claws and yet are never
seen to perch.

Some naturalists, and amongst others Bishop
Stanley, have surmised that by means of its
peculiarly-formed toes, the Nightjar is enabled to
carry off its eggs, if disturbed, and place them in a
securer spot, but should any such necessity arise,
one would think that its large and capacious
mouth, as in the case of the Cuckoo, would form
the best and safest means of conveyance.

In the young Nightjar at first the peculiarity
in question is not observable, and Macgillivray
remarked that in a fully-fledged young bird
shot early in September, the middle claw had
only half the number of serrations which are
usually discernible in the adult. He says : —
" All birds whose middle claw is serrated have
that claw elongated, and furnished with a very
thin edge. It therefore appears that the serra-
tion is produced by the splitting of the edge of
the claw after the bird has used it, but whether
in consequence of pressure caused by standing
or grasping can only be conjectured." I have
detected some confirmation of this in the case

2l8 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

of the common Thick-knee, or Stone Curlew,
(Edicnemus crepitans, in some specimens of
which I have remarked a very distinct serration
of the middle claw, in others only the barest indi-
cation of it (the edge of the claw being very thin
and elongated) ; in others again no trace of it.

The objections, however, which have been
taken to the suggested use of the pectinated
claw in the Nightjar, do not invalidate the
statements which have been made by Gilbert
White and other observers of the bird's move-
ments and habits, for the homologous structure
which is found to exist in certain species in no
way related to each other, may well be designed
for very different functions.

I do not find in the works of either Macgilliv-
ray or Yarrell any mention made of the peculiar
viscous saliva which is secreted by this bird,
and which reminds one of what is observable in
the case of the Wryneck and the different species
of Woodpecker. It no doubt answers the same
purpose, namely, to secure more easily the strug-
gling insects upon which its existence depends.

F

THE CUCKOO.

(Cuculus canorus.)

ROM numerous observations made by
competent naturalists in different localities,
it appears that the usual time of arrival of the
Cuckoo in this country is between the 2Oth and
2 7th of April, and the average date of its appear-
ance may be said to be the 23rd of that month,
St. George's Day. In no instance, so far as I
am aware, has the bird been heard or seen
before the 6th of April. On that date in 1872

220 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

%

it was observed at Torquay, but this was con-
sidered by my informant an unusually early
date at which to meet with it.

Between April and the end of August, it may
be found generally distributed throughout the
British Islands, even as far north as Orkney
and Shetland. It is also a well-known visitor
to the Outer Hebrides. On the European
continent it occurs throughout Scandinavia and
Russia, and is found in all the countries south-
ward to the Mediterranean, which it crosses in
the autumn for the purpose of wintering in
North Africa. Eastward it extends through
Turkey, Asia Minor, and Persia, to India, and
according to Horsfield and Temminck, visits
even Java and Japan.1

The Cuckoo does not pair, but is polygamous.

1 The late Mr. Blyth thought that the Cuckoo found in
Java by Dr. Horsfield was not the Common Cuckoo of
Europe, but an allied race (C. canoroides, Miiller, optatus,
Gould), whose range extends eastward at least to China, and
southward to Australia. If so, doubtless the same remark
applies to Japan. Cf. "The Ibis," 1865, p. 31.

THE CUCKOO. , 221

It is not unusual, soon after their arrival, to see
a couple of male birds chasing a hen. The first
eggs are seldom laid before the middle of May,
or not until the birds have been here three weeks
or a month. The egg, which is about equal in
size to that of the Skylark, is very small, con-
sidering the bulk of the bird which lays it. It
is white, closely freckled over with grey, or
sometimes reddish brown, and generally has a
few darker specks at the larger end. Instead
of building a nest for itself, the Cuckoo deposits
its eggs singly, and at intervals of a few days,
in the nests of a variety of other birds, and
leaves them to be hatched out, and the young
reared, by the foster parents.

The nests in which the Cuckoo's eggs are
most frequently deposited are those of the
Hedge Sparrow, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail,
and Reed Warbler, but according to Dr. Thie-
nemann, a great authority on the subject of
European birds' eggs, they have also been
found in the nests of the following very different
species : —

222 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Garden Warbler. Willow Wren.
Blackcap. . Hedge Sparrow.

Whitethroat. Common Wren.

Lesser Whitethroat. Whinchat

Redstart. White Wagtail.

Black Redstart. Grey-headed Wagtail.

Robin. Tawny Pipit.

Reed Warbler. Meadow Pipit.

Sedge Warbler. Skylark.

Marsh Warbler. Yellowhammer.
Grasshopper Warbler.

To this list Dr. Baldamus, from other sources,
has added the following : l —

Red-backed Shrike. Tree Pipit.

Barred Warbler. Crested Lark.

Nightingale. Wood Lark.

Icterine Warbler. Common Bunting.

Chiffchaff. Black-headed Bunting.

Great Reed Warbler. Greenfinch.

Sedge Warbler. Linnet.

Fire-crested Wren. Russet Wheatear.

And lastly, in a foot-note to Mr. Dawson
Rowley's article on the Cuckoo,2 in which the
above lists were quoted, Professor Newton has
pointed out the authority which exists for inclu-

1 " Naumannia," 1853, p. 307.

2 On certain facts in the economy of the Cuckoo, " Ibis,"
1865, pp. 178—186.

THE CUCKOO. 223

ding the following, at least occasionally, amongst
the foster parents of the young Cuckoo : —

House Sparrow. Mealy Redpoll.

Blue-throated Warbler. Bullfinch.

Rock Pipit. Jay.

Chaffinch. Song Thrush.

Blackbird. Magpie.

Grasshopper Warbler.1 Turtle Dove.

Great Titmouse. Wood Pigeon.
Red-throated Pipit.

He confirms, moreover, Mr. Rowley's remark
that the Cuckoo's egg is occasionally found in
the nest of the Brambling (Fringilla montifrin-
gilld).

I have still to name four species which are
not included in any of the above lists, viz., the
Spotted Flycatcher, Yellow Wagtail, Grey
Wagtail, and Wheatear. They were noticed by
me some years ago in the first worlc I ever
published.2 In the case of the Wheatear, a nest
of that bird containing three eggs of the Wheat-
ear and one of the Cuckoo was placed under a

1 This species, however, is included in Dr. Thienemann's
list above given.

2 "The Birds of Middlesex," 1866, p. 120.

224 °UR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

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.

Considering the amount of attention which
has been bestowed upon the Cuckoo by natural-
ists in every age down to the present, one
would suppose that every fact in connection
with its life-history was now pretty generally
known. Such, however, is not the case. There
are still certain points which require investiga-
tion, and which, owing chiefly to the vagrant
habits of the bird, are not easily determined.

How can it be ascertained with certainty,
for example, whether the same hen Cuckoo
always lays eggs of the same colour, or whether
(admitting this to be the case) she invariably
lays in the nest of the same species — that is, in
the nest of that species whose eggs most nearly
approximate in colour to her own ?

And yet we must be satisfied on these points
if we are to accept the ingenious theory of Dr.
Baldamus. If we understand the learned

THE CUCKOO. 225

German rightly, he states that, with a view to
insure the preservation of species which would
otherwise be exposed to danger, Nature has
endowed every hen Cuckoo with the faculty of
laying eggs similar in colour to those of the
species in whose nest she lays, in order that they
may be less easily detected by the foster
parents, and that she only makes use of the
nest of some other species (i.e. of one whose
eggs do not resemble her own) when, at the time
she is ready to lay, a nest of the former descrip-
tion is not at hand. This statement, which
concludes a long and interesting article on the
subject in the German ornithological journal
" Naumannia," for 1853, has deservedly attracted
much attention. English readers were presented
with an epitome of this article by Mr. Dawson
Rowley in the "Ibis" for 1865, and the Rev.
A. C. Smith, after bringing it to the notice of
the Wiltshire Archaeological Society in the same
year, published a literal translation of it in the
"Zoologist" for 1868. More recently, an article
on the subject, by Professor Newton, appeared

Q

226 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

in " Nature" and elicited various critical re-
marks from Mr. H. E. Dresser, Mr. Layard, and
other ornithologists which deserve perusal.1

To enter fully upon the details of this interest-
ing subject would require more space than can
here be accorded ; one can only glance therefore
at the general opinions which have been ex-
pressed in connection with it.

If the theory of Dr. Baldamus be correct, is
it possible to give a reasonable and satisfactory
explanation of it ? This question has been
answered by Professor Newton in the article to
which we have just referred. He says : —
" Without attributing any wonderful sagacity to
the Cuckoo, it does seem likely that the bird
which once successfully deposited her eggs in a
Reed Wren's or a Titlark's nest, should again
seek for another Reed Wren's, or a Titlark's
nest (as the case may be) when she had an egg
to dispose of, and that she should continue her
practice from one season to another. We know
that year after year the same migratory bird will

1 See "Nature," i8th Nov. and 2$rd Dec., 1869, 6th Jan.,
7th July, and i8th Aug. 1870.

THE CUCKOO. 227

return to the same locality, and build its nest in
almost the same spot. Though the Cuckoo be
somewhat of a vagrant, there is no improbability
of her being subject to thus much regularity of
habit, and indeed such has been asserted as an
observed fact. If, then, this be so, there is every
probability of her offspring inheriting the same
habit, and the daughter of a Cuckoo which always
placed her egg in a Reed Wren's or a Titlark's
nest doing the like." In other words, the habit
of depositing an egg in the nest of a particular
species of bird is likely to become hereditary.

This would be an excellent argument in sup-
port of the theory, were it not for one expres-
sion, upon which the whole value of the argu-
ment seems to me to depend. What is meant
by the expression "once successfully deposited" ?
Does the Cuckoo ever revisit a nest in which
she has placed an egg, and satisfy herself that
her offspring is hatched and cared for ? If not
(and I believe such an event is not usual, if
indeed it has ever been known to occur), then
nothing has been gained by the selection of a
Reed Wren's or Titlark's nest (as the case may

228 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

be), and the Cuckoo can have no reason for
continuing the practice of using the same kind
of nest from one season to another.

While admitting therefore the tendency which
certain habits have to become hereditary in cer-
tain animals, I feel compelled to reject the appli-
cation of this principle in the case of the Cuckoo,
on the ground that it can only hold good where
the habit results in an advantage to the species,
and in the present instance we have no proof
either that there is an advantage, or, if there is,
that the Cuckoo is sensible of it.

Touching the question of similarity between
eggs laid by the same bird, Professor Newton
says : — " I am in a position to maintain positively
that there is a family likeness between the eggs
laid by the same bird " (not a Cuckoo) " even at
an interval of many years," and he instances
cases of certain Golden Eagles which came
under his own observation. But do we not as
frequently meet with instances in which eggs
laid by the same bird are totally different in
appearance ? Take the case of a bird which
lays four or five eggs in its own nest before it

THE CUCKOO. 229

commences to sit upon them — for example, the
Sparrow-Hawk, Blackbird, Missel-Thrush, Car-
rion Crow, Stone Curlew, or Black-headed Gull.
Who has not found nests of any or all of these
in which one egg, and sometimes more, differed
entirely from the rest? And yet in each instance
these were laid, as we may presume, not only by
the same hen, but by the same hen under the
same conditions, which can be seldom, if ever, the
case with a Cuckoo.

Looking to the many instances in which eggs
laid by the same bird, in the same nest, and
under the same circumstances, vary inter se, it is
not reasonable to suppose that eggs of the same
Cuckoo deposited in different nests, under dif-
ferent circumstances, and, presumably, different
conditions of the ovary, would resemble each
other. On the contrary, there is reason to expect
they would be dissimilar. Further, I can con-
firm the statement of Mr. Dawson Rowley, who
says i1 "I have found two types of Cuckoo's eggs,
laid, as I am nearly sure, by the same bird."

i « Ibis," 1865, p. 183.

230 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

It is undeniable that strong impressions upon
the sense of sight, affecting the parent during
conception or an early stage of pregnancy, may
and do influence the formation of the embryo,
and it has consequently been asserted that the
sight of the eggs lying in the nest has such an
influence on the hen Cuckoo, that her egg, which
is ready to be laid, assumes the colour and mark-
ings of those before her. This is not, however,
supported by facts, for the egg of a Cuckoo is
frequently found with eggs which do not in the
least resemble it (e.g. those of the H edge-Spar-
row) ; or with eggs which, from the nature of the
nest, could not have been seen by the Cuckoo
(as in the case of the Redstart, Wren, or Willow
Wren) ; or deposited in a nest before a single
egg had been laid therein by the rightful owner.
Again, two Cuckoo's eggs of a different colour
have been found in the same nest. If both were
laid by one bird, we have a proof that the same
Cuckoo does not always lay eggs of the same
colour ; if laid by different birds, then the Cuckoo
is not so impressionable as has been supposed.

What really takes place, I believe, is this : —

THE CUCKOO. 231

The Cuckoo lays her egg upon the ground ; the
colour of the egg is variable according to the
condition of the ovary, which depends upon the
age of the bird, the nature of its food, and state
of health at the time of oviposition. With her
egg in her bill, the bird then seeks a nest where-
in to place it. I am not unwilling to accept the
suggestion that, being cognizant of colour, she
prefers a nest which contains eggs similar to her
own, in order that the latter may be less easily
discovered by the foster parents. At the same
time the egg in question is so frequently found
amongst others which differ totally from it in
colour, that I cannot think the Cuckoo is so
particular in her choice as Dr. Baldamus would
have us believe.

The manner in which "the cuckowe's bird
useth the sparrow," "oppressing his nest,"
living upon him, and finally turning him adrift,
has furnished a theme for poets and prose writers
in all ages, and has awakened in no small degree
the speculative powers of naturalists.

The story is as old as the hills, and it would
probably be difficult, if not impossible, to trace

232 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

it to its origin. It was known to the ancients
that the Cuckoo leaves its eggs to be hatched by
other birds, but they mingled fact with fable,
believing, or at all events asserting, that the
young Cuckoo devoured not only its foster
brothers and sisters, but ultimately its foster
parents. Hence the expression which Shake-
speare put into the mouth of the Earl of Wor-
cester to the effect that the youngster

" Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk

That even our love durst not come near his sight

For fear of swallowing." — Henry IV. act v. sc. i.

But though so time-worn is the tale as to be
very generally believed, it is singular how few
writers have attempted to show a foundation for
it from their own observations. So scattered,
indeed, is the evidence on the subject, that many
naturalists of the present day still hesitate to
believe the story, pronouncing the alleged feat
of strength on the part of the young Cuckoo to
be " a physical impossibility."

Although my present purpose is to direct
attention to the latest observations upon this
vexed question which have come to us with

THE CUCKOO. 233

authority, it will not be superfluous to glance,
very briefly at what had already been advanced
in support of the statement referred to.

Dr. Jenner says positively ("Phil. Trans." vol.
Ixxviii. p. 225) : — " I discovered the young
Cuckoo, though so newly hatched, in the act of
turning out the young Hedge-Sparrow. The
little animal, with the assistance of its rump and
wings, contrived to get the bird upon its back,
and making a lodgement for its burden by ele-
vating its elbows, clambered backwards with it
up the side of the nest till it reached the top,
where, resting for a moment, it threw off its load
with a jerk, and quite disengaged it from the
nest. It remained in the situation for a short
time, feeling about with the extremities of its
wings, as if to be convinced whether the business
was properly executed, and then dropped into
the nest again."

Montagu, in the Introduction to his "Ornitho-
logical Dictionary," states that he took home a
young Cuckoo five or six days old, when, to use
his own words : " I frequently saw it throw out
a young Swallow (which was put in for the pur-

234 °UR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

pose of experiment) for four or five days after.
This singular action was performed by insinuat-
ing itself under the Swallow, and with its rump
forcing it out of the nest with a sort of jerk.
Sometimes, indeed, it failed after much struggle,
by reason of the strength of the Swallow, which
was nearly full feathered ; but, after a small res-
pite from the seeming fatigue, it renewed its
efforts, and seemed continually restless till it
succeeded."

Mr. Blackwall, who published some observa-
tions on this point in the fourth volume of the
" Manchester Memoirs " (second series), says
that a nestling Cuckoo, while in his possession,
turned both young birds and eggs out of its
nest, in which he had placed them for the pur-
pose. He further observed " that this bird,
though so young, threw itself backwards with
considerable force when anything touched it
unexpectedly," an observation subsequently
confirmed by Mr. Durham Weir in a letter to
Macgillivray.1

1 "Hist. Brit. Birds," vol. iii. p. 128.

THE CUCKOO. ^235

Mr. Weir says a young Cuckoo was hatched
with three young Titlarks on the 6th June.
" On the afternoon of the loth two of the Tit-
larks were found lying dead at the bottom of
the ditch ; the other one had disappeared."
Subsequently this Cuckoo was removed, and
placed in another Titlark's nest, nearer home,
for more convenient observation. On the fol-
lowing day Mr. Weir found it covered by the
old Titlark " with outstretched wings from a
very heavy shower of rain * * * while her
own young ones had in the meantime been ex-
pelled by the Cuckoo, and were lying lifeless
within two inches of her nest." Another in-
stance is given wherein two Cuckoos were
hatched in a Titlark's nest. " On the third or
fourth day after this the young Titlarks were
found lying dead on the ground, and the
Cuckoos were in possession of the nest." Ulti-
mately one of the latter, the weaker of the two,
disappeared.

A German naturalist, Adolf Mliller, of Gladen-
bach, writing in a German periodical, " Der
Zoologische Garten," in October, 1868, has

236 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

given a curious account of the conduct of two
young Cuckoos, which were hatched in the nest
of a Robin. A translation of this account was
published in "The Field" of Nov. 21, 1868, and
it will be unnecessary therefore to give more
than the merest outline of the facts detailed in it.
Two young Cuckoos, five or six days old,
were found in a Robin's nest, four Robin's eggs
lying on the heath before the nest. The two
birds were extremely restless, striving to push
each other out of the nest, the smaller one
always the more active. Herr Miiller placed
the smaller on the back of the larger one, which
immediately began to heave it upwards, and,
thrusting its claws into the moss and texture of
the nest, actually succeeded in pushing it to the
edge of the nest and about four inches further
amongst the heath stems. After every contest
which was observed both birds contrived to
creep back again into the nest. Ultimately the
larger one was found lying dead outside the
nest, while the Robin was sitting on the smaller
bird and the eggs, which had been replaced.

THE CUCKOO. 237

The latest contribution on the subject is that
of Mr. Gould, who in his splendid folio work on
" The Birds of Great Britain," expressed him-
self a disbeliever in the popular story. He has
since found reason to change his opinion, for in
his recently published octavo " Introduction "
to that work he says : " I now find that the
opinion ventured in my account of this species
as to the impossibility of the young Cuckoo
ejecting the young of its foster parents at the
early age of three or four days is erroneous ; for
a lady of undoubted veracity and considerable
ability as an observer of nature, and as an artist,
has actually seen the act performed [he seems
to overlook the circumstance that others had
previously seen it], and has illustrated her state-
ment of the fact by a sketch taken at the time,
a tracing of which has been kindly sent to me."

This tracing he has reproduced as an engrav-
ing in the " Introduction " referred to, and as
he has been good enough to allow me the use
of the wood block to illustrate the present
remarks, the reader may consider himself in

238 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

possession of a fac-simile sketch from na-
ture.

The following is the account given by Mrs.
Blackburn (the lady referred to) of the circum-
stance as it came under her observation : 1 —

" The nest which we watched last June, after
finding the Cuckoo's egg in it, was that of the
Common Meadow Pipit (Titlark, or Moss-
Cheeper), and had two Pipit's eggs, besides
that of the Cuckoo.

" It was below a heather bush, on the declivity
of a low abrupt bank, on a Highland hill-side,
in Moidart. At one visit the Pipits were found
to be hatched, but not the Cuckoo.

" At the next visit, which was after an interval
of forty-eight hours, we found the young Cuckoo
alone in the nest, and both the young Pipits
lying down the bank, about ten inches from the
margin of the nest, but quite lively after being
warmed in the hand. They were replaced in

1 It would seem that this account was first published by
Mrs. Blackburn, in what she terms " a little versified tale of
mine," entitled " The Pipits," which appeared in Glasgow
in 1872.

THE CUCKOO.

239

the nest beside the Cuckoo, which struggled
about till it got its back under one of them,
when it climbed backwards directly up the open
side of the nest, and hitched the Pipit from its
back on to the edge. It then stood quite up-

right on its legs, which were straddled wide
apart, with the claws firmly fixed half-way down
the inside of the nest among the interlacing
fibres of which the nest was woven ; and,
stretching its wings apart and backwards, it
elbowed the Pipit fairly over the margin so far

240 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

that its struggles took it down the bank instead
of back into the nest.

" After this the Cuckoo stood a minute or
two, feeling back with its wings, as if to make
sure that the Pipit was fairly overboard, and
then subsided into the bottom of the nest.

" As it was getting late, and the Cuckoo did
not immediately set to work on the other nest-
ling, I replaced the ejected one and went home.
On returning next day both nestlings were
found dead and cold, out of the nest. I re-
placed one of them, but the Cuckoo made no
effort to get under and eject it, but settled
itself contentedly on the top of it. All this I
find accords accurately with Jenner's descrip-
tion of what he saw. But what struck me most
was this : The Cuckoo was perfectly naked,
without a vestige of a feather, or even a hint of
future feathers ; its eyes were not yet opened,
and its neck seemed too weak to support the
weight of its head. The Pipits had well-
developed quills on the wings and back, and
had bright eyes, partially open ; yet they
seemed quite helpless under the manipulations

THE CUCKOO. 241

of the Cuckoo, which looked a much less de-
veloped creature. The Cuckoo's legs, however,
seemed very muscular ; and it appeared to feel
about with its wings, which were absolutely
featherless, as with hands, the ' spurious wing '
(unusually large in proportion), looking like a
spread-out thumb. The most singular thing of
all was the direct purpose with which the blind
little monster made for the open side of the nest,
the only part where it could throw its burthen
down the bank."

Notwithstanding the objections put forward
by sceptics, it is impossible, after reading the
evidence of the above-named independent ob-
servers, to doubt that the young Cuckoo is
capable of doing all that has been attributed to
it in the way of ejectment. But it is still very
desirable that some competent anatomist should
examine and report upon the arrangement and
development of the nerves and muscles, which
must differ very considerably from those which
are to be found at the same age in the young of
other insessorial birds.

R

THE WRYNECK.

{Jynx torquilla.)

T7OLLOWING closely in the wake of the
-*• Cuckoo, if not occasionally preceding it,
comes the Wryneck, or Cuckoo's-mate, as it is
popularly called from the habit referred to. In
some respects it is a very remarkable bird, for
not only is its appearance quite unlike that of
any other of our summer migrants, but its
actions and habits are also totally different. In
size no larger than a Skylark, it at once attracts

THE WRYNECK. 243

attention by the beauty of its plumage which,
although of sombre hue, is prettily variegated
with greys and browns of different shades, here
and there relieved with black. The under parts,
of a soft grey inclining to yellow, are trans-
versely bound with delicate wavy lines. Al-
though for the purpose of comparison, this
species may be likened in point of size to the
familiar Lark, its structure and habits fit
it for a very different mode of life. It is a
scansorial or climbing bird, like the Wood-
peckers, with toes directed two in front and
two behind ; hence the term yoke-footed, which
has been applied to the particular group of birds
in which it is included. The genus to which
this bird belongs has generally been associated
with the genus Picus, to which it undoubtedly
bears some affinity. The extensibility of the
tongue is the chief character which they have
in common, but in the one the extremity is
barbed, in the other it is smooth. The fourth
toe in the Woodpecker is directed somewhat
outwards and backwards, whereas in the Wry-

244 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

neck its natural position is directly backwards,
parallel to the first. The bill of the latter more
nearly resembles that of Picus than that of
Cuculus, although it is not wedge-shaped at the
point. On the other hand the tail has no
resemblance to that of the Woodpecker. The
genus Jynx, therefore, seems to stand between
these two genera and to form as it were their
connecting link.

The colour of the plumage so closely assimi-
lates to that of the bark and boughs of trees,
that it is often difficult to detect the bird when
in close proximity to such surroundings. But
although the Wryneck may be considered as
strictly a woodland bird, adapted by its pe-
culiar structure to climbing the boles of trees
and probing the interstices of the bark for lurk-
ing insects, it nevertheless finds a considerable
portion of its food on the ground, and it
especially affects the neighbourhood of ant-hills,
where it preys largely on those insects and their
larvae. In this employment its remarkable
tongue, like that of the Woodpecker's, is of great

THE WRYNECK. 245

service. It is long and slender, with a horny
point, and is capable of being protruded for more
than twice the length of the head, in consequence
of the extreme elongation of the two branches
of the flexible or hyoid bone, as it is termed,
which supports the tongue, curling round at the
back of the head, dividing and passing over each
eye, at the forehead, where the branches reunite
and extend to the base of the upper mandible.
Two long salivary glands, situated beneath the
tongue, open into the mouth by two ducts, and
secrete a viscid fluid which covers the tongue,
and thus causes ants, larvae, and other small
insects forming the food of this species to adhere
to it. Where the soil is loose the tongue is
thrust into all the crevices to rouse the ants,
and for this purpose the horny extremity is very
serviceable as a guide to the tongue. The
peculiar habit which the bird has of twisting the
neck with a slow undulatory movement, like
that of a snake, has obtained for it the name of
Wryneck, not only in England but throughout
the continent, wherever the bird is known.

246 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Although common in the southern and south-
eastern counties of England, the Wryneck is
only partially distributed in the British Islands,
and the limit of its geographical area is almost
coincident with that of the Nightingale before
noticed. In the western and northern counties
of England, as well as in Wales, it is compara-
tively a scarce bird ; in Scotland it is very rare,
and in Ireland quite unknown. Its arrival in
April is speedily announced by its loud and oft-
repeated cry, which has been likened to the
syllable — " dear, dear, dear, dear, dear," and
which resembles, though less harsh, the cry of
the Kestrel.

In its mode of nidification, the Wryneck
resembles the Woodpeckers, selecting a hole in
a tree wherein to deposit its eggs, which are six
or seven in number, pure white, and laid with
little or no attempt at a nest upon chips of
decayed wood at the bottom of the hole. In
about three weeks the young are hatched, and
both parents take their turn at feeding them,
bringing ants and their eggs in mouthfuls,

THE WRYNECK. 247

woodlice, small spiders, and other insects. The
ants, which are gathered up wholesale by means
of the long glutinous tongue, which the bird
darts amongst them with great rapidity, are
stored up in the mouth until the return to the
nest, when they are ejected in ball-like masses
into the open gapes of the clamorous young.
The latter quickly assume their feathers, and by
the month of August are ready to leave the
country with their parents en route for Africa,
Asia Minor, and India, where they pass the
cold months of the year. But according to the
observations of Lindermayer, Dr. Kruper, and
others, many spend the winter in Greece
amongst the olive groves, and Lord Lilford has
seen it in Epirus in March and December
("Ibis," 1860, p. 235).

In Tangiers, Tripoli, Algeria, Egypt, Nubia,
and Abyssinia, it is by no means uncommon.
It occurs also in Arabia, and according to Dr.
Jerdon (" Birds of India," vol. i. p. 303) is found
throughout India, except, perhaps, on the
Malabar Coast, where he never saw it, or heard

248 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

of a specimen being procured. He adds, " It
is chiefly, perhaps, a cold-weather visitant in
the south of India; but it is found to remain
all the year further north."

I have already touched upon the question
whether any of our summer migrants breed in
their winter quarters, as well as in their summer
haunts (see p. 41), and it may be well to note
here the above remark of Dr. Jerdon, as well
as the observation of Captain Loche, that the
Wryneck breeds in the forests of Algeria. It
of course remains to be shown whether the
individuals which rear their young south of the
Mediterranean, ever migrate into Europe ; for
it is possible that Algeria may be the northern-
most limit in summer of those birds which have
passed the winter many degrees further south
than have the migrants from Europe.

THE HOOPOE.

(Upupa epops.)

A M ON GST the large number of migratory
4 *- birds which resort to the British Islands
in spring for the purpose of nidifkation, are a
few which come to us accidentally, as it were,
or as stragglers from the main body of immi-
grants which, crossing the Mediterranean from
Africa, becomes dispersed over the greater part
of Europe. The Hoopoe is one of these.
Not a summer elapses without the appearance,

250 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

and, I regret to say, the destruction, of several
of these beautiful birds being chronicled in
some one or other of the many periodicals
devoted to Natural History. If the thought-
less persons, whose first impulse on seeing an
uncommon bird, is to procure a gun and shoot
it, would only take as much pains to afford it
protection for a time, observe its habits, describe
its mode of nesting and manner of feeding its
young, they would do a much greater service to
ornithology by recording the result of their
observations, than by publishing the details of
a wanton destruction.

That the Hoopoe will breed in this country,
if unmolested, is evidenced by the recorded
instances in which it has done so where suffi-
cient protection has been afforded it during the
nesting season. Montagu states, in his " Orni-
thological Dictionary," that a pair of Hoopoes
began a nest in Hampshire, and Dr. Latham
has described a young Hoopoe which was
brought to him in the month of June. A pair
frequented Gilbert White's garden at Selborne ;

THE HOOPOE. 251

and another pair nested for several years in
the grounds of Pennsylvania Castle, Portland.1
Mr. Jesse states 2 that some years ago a pair of
Hoopoes built their nest and hatched their
young in a tree close to the house at Park End,
near Chichester ; and according to the observa-
tions of Mr. Turner, of Sherborne, Dorsetshire,
the nest has been taken, on three or four otca-
sions, by the schoolboys from pollard willows
on the banks of the river Lenthay. The birds
were known to the boys as " Hoops."

In the same county, on the authority of the
Rev. O. P. Cambridge, a pair of Hoopoes are
reported to have bred at Warm well. The Rev.
A. C. Smith, of Calne, Wilts, says that a nest,
containing young birds, was taken many years
ago in his neighbourhood ; and another nest,
according to Mr. A. E. Knox, was found at
Southwick, near Shoreham. Canon Tristram
states that the Hoopoe has bred at least on one
occasion, in Northamptonshire.

1 Cf. Garland, "Naturalist," 1852, p. 82.

2 " Gleanings in Natural History."

252 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Mr. Howard Saunders informs me that many
years ago a pair of Hoopoes took possession of
a hole in a yew tree in the shrubbery of a
garden at Leatherhead, and reared their young
in safety. He afterwards saw both old and
young birds strutting about on the lawn. I
have seldom met with this bird in England,
and then only on the coast in September, when
the beauty of its plumage had become faded,
and the feathers ragged, and it was about to
emigrate southwards for the winter. But on
the continent, and more particularly in France,
I have had many opportunities of observing it,
and noting its actions and habits. In its move-
ments on the ground it struck me as resembling
the Rook more than any other bird I could
think of at the time ; the same stately tread
and gentle nodding of the head, every now and
then stopping to pick up something. It does
not carry the crest erect, but inclining back-
wards, and is less sprightly in its movements
generally than I had previously supposed. On
the wing it at first sight reminds one of a Jay,

THE HOOPOE. ,253

the principal colours being the same, viz., black,
white, and pale cinnamon brown ; but the dis-
tribution of colour is different, and the flight is
not so rapid, and more undulating. The wings
are large for the size of the bird, and the first-
quill feather being much shorter than the second,
the wing has a rounded appearance which
makes the flight seem heavier.

It is a shy bird, taking wing on the least
alarm, except when surprised by a hawk or
other large bird, when, according to the obser-
vations of the German naturalists, Naumann
and Bechstein, it resorts to a very singular
expedient to protect itself. It squats upon the
ground, spreads out its tail and wings to their
fullest extent, bringing the primaries round so
as almost to meet in front, and throws back its
head and bill, which it holds up perpendicularly.1
So long as danger threatens, it remains in this

1 For a notice of this singular habit I am indebted to my
friend Mr. H. E. Dresser, who has translated Naumann's
observations on the subject in his beautiful work on the
" Birds of Europe."

254 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

odd position, probably to deceive the enemy ;
for when thus spread out, at a little distance it
looks more like an old parti-coloured rag than
a living bird.

The Hoopoe lives a good deal on the ground
where it finds its chief food, which consists of
beetles of various kinds, and their larvae, cater-
pillars, and ants. It is especially partial to
dung-beetles, and may often be seen in search
of them upon the roads, where it is also fond of
dusting after the manner of a Skylark. But
besides picking up a great deal of food from
the surface, it also probes beneath the soil where
the nature of the ground admits of this, and
secures many a worm and lurking grub by
means of its long and slender pointed bill. It
swallows a beetle or other small morsel just as
the Hornbills in the Zoological Society's Gardens
swallow the grapes which are thrown to them,
that is to say, it seizes it first between the tips
of the mandibles, then throwing the head back
suddenly, and opening the bill at the same
instant, the food is jerked into the gullet with

THE HOOPOE. 255

great precision, and disappears. When it seizes
a worm, however, the process is somewhat
different. It bruises it by beating it against the
ground, pinches it all over between the man-
dibles, and finally swallows it lengthwise with
sundry jerks of the head.

In other respects, as well as in the mode of
taking their food, the Hoopoes resemble the
Hornbills. They build in holes of trees as
the latter are known to do, and the hens sit upon
the eggs without interruption until they are
hatched, the males, as in the case of the Horn-
bills, bringing food and feeding them from the
outside of the hole. The eggs, which are gene-
rally five or six in number, are elongated, nearly
oval, and of a greenish grey colour. The
young when first hatched are naked, but soon
get covered with small blue quills from which
the feathers sprout. They are unable to stand
upright until nearly fledged, but crouch forward
and utter a hissing noise. Their crests are
soon developed, but their bills do not acquire
their full length until the following year.

256 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Lord Lilford states that although the Hoopoe
as a rule prefers a hole in an old ash or willow
tree for nesting in, he has seen a nest on the
ground under a large stone, others in holes on
the sunny side of mud or brick walls, one in a
fissure of limestone rock, and another in a small
cavern.

Dr. Carl Bolle has observed that in the
Canaries, where trees are scarce, the Hoopoe
breeds in holes of the stone walls and clefts of
the rocks.

During his residence in China, where this
bird is common, Mr. Swinhoe was surprised to
find that it often breeds in the holes of exposed
Chinese coffins, whence the natives have a great
aversion to them, branding them as " Coffin-
birds ; " and the Russian naturalist Pallas once
found a nest of the Hoopoe, containing seven
young ones nearly ready to. fly, in the decom-
posed abdominal cavity of a dead body !

The note of the Hoopoe is very remarkable,
and not to be mistaken for that of any other bird
with which I am acquainted. It sounds like

THE HOOPOE. 257

the syllables " hoop-hoop," "hoop-hoop/* fre-
quently repeated, and in the quality of its tone
approximates to the call of the Cuckoo, but the
second note is a repetition of the first instead of
being, as in the case of the Cuckoo, a third
below it. Old authors affirmed that this pecu-
liar sound was produced by the bird distending
its cheeks with air, and tapping its bill upon the
ground, thereby causing the notes to escape as
it were spasmodically. This curious statement
has received some confirmation from the obser-
vations of Mr. Swinhoe.1 He says : " To pro-
duce these notes, the bird draws the air into its
trachea, which puffs out on either side of the
neck, and the end of the bill is tapped perpendi-
cularly against a stone or the trunk of a tree,
when the breath being forced down the tubular
bill produces the correct sound." He adds,
however, that he has observed a Hoopoe
perched upon a hanging rope, and uttering its
well-known cry without any tapping of the bill.

1 Cf. "Zoologist," 1858, and "Proc. Zool. Soc.," 1863,
p. 264.

258 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

I cannot help thinking that a bird observed
in the act of calling whilst picking vip food, as
many species do, has given rise to the notion
that the sound is produced by tapping, whereas
in truth it precedes and follows the movement.
The only motion that I could ever detect in a
Hoopoe whilst calling was a nodding of the
head, and a depression of the crest-feathers.

From the accounts which have been handed
down to us by old 'authors, and the numerous
specimens which may be seen preserved in old
collections, it would appear that the Hoopoe was
formerly much more plentiful in England than
it is at the present day. The decrease in its
numbers probably arises from two causes, viz.,
the clearance of forest land, entailing the de-
struction of many old trees which were once
attractive as nesting places,1 and the increased
use of fire-arms which unfortunately results in

1 Mr. Benzon of Copenhagen informed my friend Mr.
Dresser that a short time ago the Hoopoe was by no means
rare in Norway, but now that the forests have been cleared
of all the old and hollow trees it has entirely vanished from
the fauna of his district.

THE HOOPOE. 259

the destruction of many of these beautiful birds,
at a time when they are just about to pair and
commence nidification.

The period of its migration into Europe in
the spring sets in early in April. The late
Commander Sperling, when stationed with his
vessel in the Mediterranean, frequently met with
Hoopoes at sea during their passage. In the
English Channel on the I5th April, 1854, a
Hoopoe after flying two or three times round
a steamer entered one of the windows of the
saloon and was taken, apparently exhausted with
fatigue. Another, on the 2ist April, alighted
on a mackerel-boat between the Eddystone
Lighthouse and Plymouth Breakwater, in an
exhausted state, and allowed itself to be taken.

The average date of arrival in England may
be said to be the third week in April, when the
species is more frequently met with in the
eastern and south-eastern counties, although it
wanders inland to a considerable distance. It
is regarded by Mr. R. Gray1 as a straggler to

1 "The Birds of the West of Scotland," p. 198.

26O OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Scotland ; and Mr. Thompson remarks1 that in
Ireland it has appeared occasionally in all
quarters of the island.

As autumn approaches, these birds, or such of
them as have contrived to escape destruction,
begin to move southwards for the winter, and
passing gradually down to the Mediterranean,
are observed for some days about the groves
and olive gardens near the sea before they
finally cross over. In this way they return to
their winter haunts about the end of August or
beginning of September. Throughout Southern
and South-eastern Europe, as well as in Siberia
and North-eastern Africa, the Hoopoe breeds
commonly ; but in the northern and western
parts of the last-named continent it is chiefly
a winter visitant. The Siberian birds, probably,
and not the European ones, migrate to India
and China for the cold season, and some remain
to breed in both these countries. Those which
have passed the summer in Europe, as already
shown, spend their winter in Africa.

1 " Nat. Hist. Ireland" (Birds), vol. i. p. 353.

THE HOOPOE. 26l

Occasionally a Hoopoe has been observed in
winter in the British Islands, but so rarely as to
make the occurrence a matter of note. An in-
stance or two of this kind in Norfolk has been
noticed by Hunt in his " British Birds" (vol. ii.
p. 147) ; and Mr. R. Gray, in his " Birds of the
West of Scotland," p. 198, refers to two which
were killed near Glasgow, in different years, so
late as the month of October.

The late Sir William Jardine informed me
that two were shot in Dumfriesshire in the
winter of 1870-71.

The most perfect specimen of the Hoopoe I
have ever seen is one in my collection, which
was shot at the Dell, a piece of water near
Whetstone, Middlesex, on the 25th April, 1852.
It has no less than twenty-two crest feathers
the longest two inches in length, arranged in two
parallel rows, with the upper surfaces outwards,
and of a pale cinnamon colour broadly tipped
with black. The other portions of the plumage
are equally perfect and bright in colour.

L

THE GOLDEN ORIOLE.

(Oriolus galbula.)

IKE the Hoopoe, the Golden Oriole makes
its annual visit to the European continent
from the countries south of the Mediterranean,
in the month of April, and returns in September.
In the interval it may be found not uncommonly
in the wooded parts of Central and Southern
Europe ; but it is rare in the north, being sel-
dom seen in Sweden, and unknown in Norway.
In England, where it may be regarded as an

THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. 263

irregular summer migrant, it unfortunately meets
with little or no protection, for its bright colours
at once attract attention, and many get shot
before they have been a week on our shores.
The male bird is bright yellow, with black
wings and a black and yellow tail. The female
is dull green, with pitch-brown wings, the upper
tail coverts greenish yellow, and the under
parts greyish white, longitudinally streaked with
brown on the shafts of the feathers ; the flanks
yellow, and streaked in the same way.

My impressions on meeting with Golden
Orioles for the first time in France, now many
years ago, will not be easily forgotten. I wanted
to see them alive, hear their notes, shoot two or
three to examine them closely, and ascertain
the nature of their food ; and accordingly I ac-
cepted the invitation of a friend and took up my
quarters at an old country house, about halfway
between Paris and Orleans. On looking over
my note-book for that particular year, I find the
following entry, relating to the Golden Oriole : —

" Long before six in the morning I was

264 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

awakened by a perfect chorus of birds — Black-
cap, Nightingale, Thrush, Wood Pigeon, Chaf-
finch, Starling, and Magpie were all recognized ;
but what pleased me above all, was a beautiful
mellow whistle, which I took to be that of the
Golden Oriole, and in less than an hour after-
wards I found that I was right in my surmise,
for on walking through the woods which flank
one side of the house, I had the pleasure of
seeing for the first time alive several of these
beautiful birds. They were very shy, and kept
to the tops of the oak trees ; but by proceeding
cautiously I managed to get near enough to see
and hear them well. Their note is really splen-
did, so mellow, loud, and clear — something of
the Blackbird's tone about it, but yet very
different ; while in their mode of flight and
perching they remind one of a Thrush. After
a long search, I at length found a nest, placed
at the extremity of a thin bough, and at the top
of an oak tree, about sixty feet up. There were
no branches for more than thirty feet, and it
would have been almost impossible to reach it

THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. 265

without assistance. I therefore marked the
spot, and determined to get a long ladder a
little later and try and take it. The keeper
informed me that it was early yet for Orioles'
eggs, and so I left the nest for the last day of
my stay here. In the afternoon I went with
the keeper to the Pare de Marolles. We could
hear the Orioles, or Loriots, as the French call
them from their notes, singing loudly in the
recesses of the woods ; but the foliage was so
thick, and they kept so much to the tops of the
trees, that it was almost impossible to catch
sight of them. Their greenish-yellow feathers,
too, harmonized so well with the leaves, that it
rendered them still more difficult to see.

" Following the direction of the notes, I con-
tinued to make my way through the underwood
as noiselessly as possible, peering through the
branches, and striving in vain to catch sight of
a bird. For a long time the sound seemed to
be as far away as ever, or, as I advanced it
receded. The sun was broiling hot, and the
exertion of forcing my way through the under-

266 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

wood, and straining my neck forward in my
endeavours to get a sight of the bird, put me in
a profuse perspiration. The result of about
three hours' work was, that I finally succeeded
in getting three shots at long intervals, and
secured a pair of Orioles, a young male and an
old female. Subsequently, however, I got
others. I found the stomachs of these birds
crammed with caterpillars of various species,
and can well understand the good they do in
young plantations, by ridding the trees of
these pests.

" The colours of the soft parts in these birds,
as noted by me at the time, were as follows : —
Iris, reddish hazel ; bill, brownish flesh colour ;
legs and toes, pale lead colour.

" On June 3rd, after breakfast, I went to the
wood near the house to take a Golden Oriole's
nest, and a difficult matter it was. The nest
was placed in a slender fork at the extremity of
a thin bough of an oak tree, and almost at
the top.

" The oaks here are not, as in England, sturdy

THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. 267

and short, with wide-spreading heads, but tall
and slender, running up for a great height with-
out any branches, and very tiring to climb. I
was obliged to saw off the branch before I could
look into the nest, and after a great deal of
trouble, when I at length got it down safely, I
found, to my disappointment, that it contained
three young birds instead of eggs. Could I
have ascertained this without cutting off the
branch, I should certainly have left them where
they were ; as it was, there was no help for it
but to take them. They were apparently about
three days old, and almost naked, the skin of
an orange or yellowish flesh-colour very sparsely
flecked with yellow down. I fed them on
maggots, and covered them with cotton wool
to keep them warm, and in this way I kept
them alive until I reached Paris, where they
died, and were entrusted to a skilful taxidermist
for preservation."

Although the discovery of a Golden Oriole's
nest in England is not unprecedented, it is of
sufficiently rare occurrence to attract the atten-

268 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

tion of naturalists, more especially when the
finder (as in the case to which I am about to
allude) has the humanity and good sense to
permit the young to be reared, instead of shoot-
ing the parent birds the moment they are
discovered, and thus effectually putting a stop
to all attempts at nidification.

It is a pleasure to be able to record the fact,
that during the summer of 1874, a pair of
Golden Orioles took up their quarters in
Dumpton Park, Isle of Thanet, where — the
proprietor, Mr. Bankes Tomlin, having given
strict injunctions that they should not be dis-
turbed— they built a nest, and successfully
reared their young, ultimately leading them
away in safety.

They must have commenced building some-
what later than usual, for it was not until the
6th of July that I first heard of the nest, and
the young were then just hatched. Mr. Bankes
Tomlin having kindly invited me to come and
see it, I lost no time in availing myself of his
invitation, and a few days later, namely, on

THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. 269

July 1 2th, I found myself at Dumpton Park,
standing under the very tree in which the nest
was placed. The reader may smile at the idea
of journeying from London to Ramsgate merely
to look at a nest ; but if he be an ornithologist,
he will know that Golden Orioles' nests are not
to be seen in this country every day, and that
when found they are worth " making a note of."
Often as I had seen the bird and its nest on the
Continent, it had never been my good fortune
until then to meet with it in England. Indeed,
the instances in which nests of the Oriole have
been found here and recorded are so few that
they may be easily enumerated. According to
the concise account given by Professor Newton
in his new edition of " Yarrell's British Birds,"
one was discovered in June, 1836, in an ash
plantation near Ord, from which the young
were taken ; but, though every care was shown
them, they did not long survive their captivity.
" Mr. J. B. Ellman says ('Zoologist/ p. 2496)
that at the end of May, 1849, a nest was> wi^1
the owners, obtained near Elmstone. It was

270 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

suspended from the extremity of the top branch
of an oak, was composed entirely of wool bound
together with dried grass, and contained three
eggs. Mr. Hulke, in 1851, also recorded
(' Zoologist/ p. 3034) a third, of which he was
told that it was found about ten years pre-
viously in Word Wood, near Sandwich, by a
countryman, who took the young, and gave
them to his ferrets ; and Mr. More, on the
authority of Mr. Charles Gordon, mentions one
at Elmstead, adding that the bird appeared
again in the same locality in 1861. Mr. Howard
Saunders and Lord Lilford informed the editor
that in the summer of 1871 they each observed,
in Surrey and Northamptonshire respectively,
a bird of this species, which probably had a
nest. Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear speak of
a nest said to have been found in a garden near
Ormsby, in Norfolk ; but the eggs formerly in
Mr. Scales' s collection, which it has been
thought were taken in that county, were really
brought from Holland, and the editor is not
aware of any collector who can boast the

THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. 271

possession of eggs of this species laid in
Britain."

The nest which I am now enabled to record
was placed in a fork of a very thin bough of an
elm tree, at a considerable height from the
ground, and almost at the extremity of the
branch, so that it was impossible to reach it
except by cutting off the branch near the trunk.
Happily, in this case there was no need to reach
it, and the finder was enabled to ascertain when
the young were hatched by sending a man up
the tree high enough to look into the nest
without disturbing it. A few days before his
first ascent there had been a strong wind blow-
ing for some time, and the slender branch was
swayed to and fro to such an extent, that, not-
withstanding the depth of the saucer-like nest,
one of the eggs was jerked out upon the grass
below and broken, though not irreparably so.
When I saw it, it was in two pieces, but unmis-
takably the egg of an Oriole — in size equal to
that of a Blackbird, but shining white, with
black or rather dark claret-coloured spots at the

272 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

larger end. It has been carefully preserved by
Mr. Tomlin.

As long as his man remained in the tree the
hen bird continued to fly round, uttering at
intervals a loud flute-like note, and occasionally
making a curious noise, such as a cat makes
when angry.

It is perhaps scarcely necessary to remark
that, as regards situation, form, and the mate-
rials of which it was composed, the nest did not
differ from those which one is accustomed to see
on the Continent. Invariably placed in, and
suspended under, the fork of a horizontal bough,
the sides of the nest are firmly bound to each
branch of the fork with blades of dry grasses
and fibrous roots. There is generally a good
deal of sheep's wool in the nest itself, which,
taken in connection with its peculiar shape,
gives it a very singular and unique appearance.

On the 1 2th of July, as we approached the
nest in question, the hen bird was sitting, but
left as we advanced, and perched in a neighbour-
ing elm, whence at intervals she uttered the

THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. 273

peculiar noise to which I have referred. Not
wishing to keep her too long from her young,
we left the spot in about ten minutes, after care-
fully inspecting the nest with a binocular. Re-
turning again in half-an-hour, and a third time
two or three hours later, we saw the hen on
each occasion quit the nest and take up her
position, as before, at a little distance. Once
only did I catch a glimpse of her more brightly-
coloured mate as he darted between two trees.
He was very shy, and silent too, being seldom
heard, except very early in the morning, or at
twilight. This, however, is the case with most
song-birds after the young are hatched, for they
are then so busy providing food for the little
mouths that they have scarcely time to sit and
sing. Mr. Tomlin, who had other and better
opportunities for observing him, gave me to
understand that he was not in the fully adult
plumage,1 so that it seems the males of this

1 On this point the late Mr. Blyth, writing in the Natural
History columns of "The Field," iyth August, 1872, under
the signature " Z.," remarked that Orioles are amongst the

T

274 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

species breed before they have assumed their
beautiful black and yellow colours.

On the 22nd of July the man again ascended
the tree and peeped into the nest. The young
had flown, but were subsequently discovered
sitting about in the park with the old birds. As
soon as the nest was no longer wanted, Mr.
Tomlin had the branch which supported it cut
off, and, writing to me on the subject the follow-
ing day, he observed, that " upon examining the
nest we found the corners tightly bound with
long pieces of matting. One would almost
imagine that a basketmaker had been at work."

Both the old and young birds continued to
haunt the park until the ist of August, after
which date they were no longer seen. The
young were, however, well feathered by that

few birds which breed before attaining the mature plumage,
and the females acquire this later than the males, being
always, however, of a greener shade. He had observed this
in O. melanocephalus, O. chinensts, O. tenutrostris, and O.
acrorhynchus, but thought that " the old females of O. gal-
btila, and O. kundoo, less frequently attain the male colour-
ing than those of the other species mentioned."

THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. 275

time, and able to take care of themselves. Let
us hope that they contrived to escape the eyes
of prowling gunners beyond the park, and that
they will return again in succeeding years to
gladden the eyes and ears of their kind pro-
tector.

It is much to be wished that other proprietors
would follow the good example thus set by Mr.
Bankes Tomlin. Could they be induced to do
so, they would become acquainted with many
beautiful birds which visit us from the Continent
every spring, and which would in most cases
rear their young here if allowed to remain un-
molested. Apart from the gratification to be
derived from seeing these brightly-coloured
birds within view of the windows, and hearing
their mellow flute-like notes, they would be
found to be most useful allies to the gardener in
ridding the trees of caterpillars, which they
devour greedily, and keeping many other noxious
insects in check.

O

THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE.

(Lanius colhirio.}

UITE unlike any other of our summer
migrants in appearance, the Red-backed
Shrike, or Butcher-bird, as it is more frequently
called, differs from them all in habits, and from
the majority in having no song to recommend
it to notice. It is a curious bird in its way, shy
and retired in its disposition, and prefers tall
tangled hedgerows or the thick foliage of the
lower branches of the oak, where it can sit un-
observedly and dart out upon its unsuspecting

THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 277

prey. It is a very Hawk by nature, capturing
and killing mice, small birds, moths and beetles
of every size and description. These when
caught are firmly impaled upon the long and
strong points of the whitethorn for future con-
sumption, and the odds and ends which may be
found thus hung up, as it were, in the Butcher-
bird's larder are worth notice. On one thorn,
perchance, a Blue Titmouse with its head off,
on another a small meadow mouse (Arvicola
agrestis], or perhaps a harvest mouse (M^cs
messorzus), on a third a great dor-beetle or a
cockchafer, not yet dead, but buzzing round
and round upon the sharp thorn, and trying in
vain to effect its escape, while above, below,
and on all sides may be seen the wingless
bodies of large moths, the fluttering forms of
dragon-flies, or the remains of beetles.

From this singular habit the bird has earned
the name of Butcher-bird, not only in Eng-
land but in other countries. In France it
is termed flcorcheur, the flayer ; in Germany
it is known as der Wilrger (the strangler, or

278 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

garotter), and der Fleischer, or butcher, whence
no doubt is derived " Flusher," the provincial
name by which it is known in some parts of
England. The Linnaean name for the genus,
Lanius, has the same signification.

The Red-backed Shrike arrives here some-
what later than most of the summer migrants,
and is seldom observed before the first week in
May. It is generally found in pairs until after
the young are hatched and ready to fly, when
the families keep together in little parties until
the end of August or beginning of September,
when they leave the country.

The note of the Red-backed Shrike resembles
the syllables " tsfr— tst," or " tsook — tsook,"
loudly uttered, and reminds one a little of the
notes of the Whinchat and Stonechat. It has
besides a harsh " kurr-r," which it utters when
any one approaches the nest, and as it flits from
branch to branch, lowering the head, and
slowly moving the tail up and down.

The male is decidedly a handsome bird. It
has the head and neck grey, with a broad black

THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 279

streak passing from the bill through the eye
and ear coverts, the back reddish chestnut, chin
white, under parts pale salmon colour, and the
wings and tail black, the latter broadly marked
with white at the base.

The hen bird is much plainer in appearance,
being of a dull and somewhat mottled brown
above, and buffy white beneath, with crescentic
brown markings on the breast and flanks.

The bill in both is short and thick, the upper
mandible hooked at the point and prominently
notched or toothed, as in a hawk. The feet
are strong, with sharp and curved claws, and
well adapted for seizing and holding a struggling
prey.

Both birds assist in the construction of the
nest, which is a substantial well-built structure
of twigs, dry grass, and moss, lined with fibrous
roots and horsehair, and is usually placed at
some height from the ground in the middle of
a whitethorn bush, or thick hedgerow. The
eggs, five and sometimes six in number, vary
a good deal in colour, being yellowish or greyish

280 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

white with lilac or pale brown markings disposed
in a zone at the larger end, or pale salmon
colour, with dull red markings distributed in
the same way.

The distribution of this bird in the British
Islands is very partial, for it is unknown in
Ireland, of rare occurrence in Scotland, and in
England is found chiefly in the midland and
southern counties. During the summer months
it is generally dispersed throughout Europe and
the temperate parts of Siberia, and as autumn
approaches, it crosses the Mediterranean into
Africa, where it travels down the east coast
through Egypt, Nubia, and Abyssinia, to Natal,
and on the west coast has been met with in
Great Namaqua Land, Damara Land, and the
Okavango region, where, according to An-
dersson, it breeds.1

Breeding in its winter quarters ? Well, that
is the question. Can the birds which Anders-
son found nesting in South-west Africa in our

1 " The Birds of Damara Land," p. 136.

THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 281

winter, have been the same birds which reared
a brood in Europe the previous summer ? He
says it is migratory in Damara Land. Is the
same species, then, found on both sides of the
equator, migrating north and south on both
sides of it, but never crossing it ?

The late Mr. Blyth thought that, with one
exception, our summer migratory birds do not
breed in their winter quarters, but from what
has been recorded of the Swallow, the Sand-
martin, the Wryneck, the Turtle-Dove and the
present species, there seems room to doubt the
correctness of this view.

Another species of Shrike, the Woodchat
(Lanius rutilus), has been met with in this
country during the summer months, and has
been reported even to have nested here. It is
of extremely rare occurrence, however, and can-
not with propriety be included, at least for the
present, amongst our annual summer migrants.

THE TURTLE-DOVE.
(Titrtur auritus.)

\ MIDST the general harmony of the grove
*^- in spring, there are few prettier sounds
than the gentle cooing of the Turtle-Dove.
Perched upon a bough at no great height from
the ground, it pours forth its soft murmurings
with a delightful crescendo and diminuendo, while
close at hand, upon a mere frame- work of a nest,
the mate sits brooding upon her two milk-white
eggs.

THE TURTLE-DOVE. 283

Arriving in this country towards the end of
April or beginning of May, the Turtle- Dove is
seen only in pairs until the young are able to
fly. Young and old then unite in flocks, and
ten or a dozen may often be found together in the
pea-fields and on the stubble, where they pick
up the fallen grain. They are very partial also
to vetches, rape, and wild mustard, and do some
service to farmers by ridding the cultivated
lands of the seeds of numerous weeds, such as
the Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis), which is
common in corn-fields, and the Silver-weed
{Potentilla anserina), which they find upon the
fallows.

When Partridge shooting in September I
have frequently found Turtle- Doves feeding
amongst the root crops as well as on the bare
stubble, but notwithstanding the cover afforded
by the turnip-leaves I have generally found them
so exceedingly wary, that it required a good
deal of manoeuvring before I could get a suffi-
cient number to make a pie. In point of
flavour, and of course in size, they are not to be

284 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

compared with the Wood Pigeon, being rather
dry and somewhat insipid. Their flight is
rapid, and when suddenly flushed they go off at
such a pace, that it requires a quick shot to bring
one down.

When taken young they are readily tamed,
and will even breed in confinement, a thing that
rarely happens in the case of the Wood Pigeon.
Mr. Stevenson has known two or three instances
in which this species when caged has crossed
with the Collared Turtle-Dove ( Turtur risoria)
and reared a brood, and others have been re-
corded. The young " presented many charac-
teristics of both parents."1

Although commoner in the eastern and south-
eastern counties of England, the Turtle-Dove
is generally dispersed in summer throughout the
British Islands. In Ireland it is regarded as an
annual visitant to the cultivated districts, and it
has been found in most of the counties of
Scotland, where Mr. Robert Gray, however,

1 "The Birds of Norfolk," vol. i. p. 360.

THE TURTLE-DOVE. 285

considers that it can only be ranked as a
straggler.1 All the specimens which have come
under his own observation were obtained in
spring or autumn. In the Hebrides specimens
have been shot in I slay and Skye, but in the
outer islands none have been seen. Dr. Saxby
says that the Turtle-Dove, " although formerly
very scarce in Shetland, may now be seen
every year in certain of the gardens — that
at Halligarth especially — between spring and
autumn. It has always occurred singly. With
nearly all the habit was to wander away during
the day-time, returning at night to roost in one
particular tree.2

It was first known to occur in Shetland in
the autumn of 1856, when Mr. Edmondston of
Buness shot one at Balta Sound. " It was but
little seen from that time until about six years
ago (1868), by which time the trees had grown
above the walls, offering a more suitable refuge
for stragglers of this description." On two

1 "The Birds of the West of Scotland," p. 223.

2 " The Birds of Shetland," p. 152.

286 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

occasions the Turtle- Dove has been found in
Orkney.1

On the continent of Europe this bird seems
to be confined chiefly to the central and southern
parts, and does not reach Scandinavia or Russia.
But in France, Spain, and the countries border-
ing the Mediterranean, it is very common in
summer. Its winter haunts are in North
Africa; and in Egypt and Nubia it is especially
abundant. Capt. Shelley says that it frequently
breeds there.2 In the neighbourhood of Tan-
gier vast flocks arrive from the interior in April
and May to cross the Straits of Gibraltar,3 and
on reaching Andalusia afford considerable diver-
sion to the Spanish sportsmen, who kill large
numbers by lying in wait for them.

Mr. Thompson, when proceeding in H. M. S.
"Beacon" from Malta to the Morea in the
month of April, saw this species on its spring

1 Baikie and Heddle, "Fauna Orcadensis," p. 55, and
Gray, op. tit. p. 223.

2 " Birds of Egypt," p. 214. See ante, p. 281.

3 Irby, " Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar," p. 134.

THE TURTLE-DOVE. 287

migration. One flew on board on the 24th
of April, and another on the 25th; they each
rested for a short time on the rigging, and then
pursued their flight northwards. On the 26th
four came from the south, two of them singly,
the others in company ; one only alighted .on
the ship ; it was caught in the evening when
asleep. Throughout the 27th many were
observed coming from the south, and generally
singly, never more than two together ; very few
alighted. On the 24th the vessel was at sunset
ninety miles east of Sicily, Syracuse being the
nearest land ; on the 2 7th, forty-five miles from
Zante, and sixty west of the Morea. On the
29th of April one was seen near Navarino ; and
another on the 6th of May in the island of
Syra. At the end of the month numbers were
observed amongst the light foliage in the gar-
dens of the old seraglio at Constantinople.

Colonel Irby informs me that when on his
way from Southampton to Gibraltar on the Qth
October, he saw a Turtle-Dove on its southward
migration in the middle of the Bay of Biscay.

THE LANDRAIL OR CORNCRAKE.

(Crex pratensis.)

(^PORTSMEN who during the early part of
^-r September follow their " birds" into seed
— clover, rape, or mustard — seldom fail in such
places to pick up a Landrail or two, and add
in this way a pleasing variety to their bag. The
appearance of a Rail usually gives rise to some
comment, and not unfrequently to an expression
of surprise that a bird of such skulking habits
and apparently of such weak flight should be
able to leave the country periodically, and re-
turn to it. That it does so, however, is certain.

THE LANDRAIL OR CORNCRAKE. 289

It arrives here towards the end of April, and
remains with us till the end of September.
During May and part of June its incessant
craking note is constantly reminding us of its
presence ; and if in July and August its silence
has caused us for a time to forget it, we renew
acquaintance once more in September, when
in quest of nobler and more important game.
After that month we may look for it almost in
vain, for, although a Landrail- now and then
turns up during the winter months, its appear-
ance at such times is exceptional, the great
majority of these birds having left our shores
before the first day of pheasant shooting has
come round. We can only account for the
appearance of Landrails in winter by supposing
them to be individuals of a late brood, unpre-
pared to leave at the proper time, or wounded
birds unable to take part in the autumnal migra-
tion. In Ireland, however, their occurrence in
winter and early spring has been noticed so
much more frequently than in England, that a
good naturalist there, Mr. Blake Knox, has

u

2QO OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

suggested that the bird hybernates. Writing
in the " Zoologist" for 1867, at page 679 he
says : " I cannot divest myself of the belief that
the Corncrake hybernates, notwithstanding my
having found it repeatedly dead in the sea, both
during autumn and spring, which many would
say should prove migration to the most scep-
tical. I do not for one moment doubt that it
leaves Ireland in numbers in the autumn, but
where does it go ? Does it hybernate where it
goes to ? Is it to be met with anywhere in
numbers, flying or running, during our winter ?
Does it only crake in its spring or summer
haunts ? In support of hybernation, we have
the great amount of fat, coming on in winter
(Corncrakes often burst from fat when they fall
on being shot), which all hybernating animals
attain ; the number of uninjured and healthy
birds found in Ireland during winter, their pecu-
liar skulking habits at this season, the old
hollow ditches they frequent, their peculiar
apathy and disinclination to fly, and their early
appearance without 'craking' (I have seen

T&E LANDRAIL OR CORNCRAKE. 2QI

them in the middle of March) along the
sedges of rivers, which would be the first places
they would make for after their winter rest. I
do not see why hybernation of birds is so much
scouted, for scores of animals and millions of
insects do so. Many fishes, too, become so
torpid that you may fish for weeks and not get
one, yet some fine day dozens of the kind you
look for will reward your patience ; still you
have been told or read somewhere that that
species migrates from our shores in autumn ' to
seek more genial skies/ and that is why they
are not caught in winter. The subject is very
far from being absurd, though many have con-
sidered it equally so with ' Corncrake turning
to Water-rail.' I knocked down a ditch bank
sbme years ago in January, and turned out three
living Corncrakes, and ate them too. In the
year 1861, during November and December, I
used frequently to turn out of a particular hole
one of these birds ; I caught it at last one night
in the hole — or nest I might say, for it was
thickly bedded with leaves from a neighbouring

OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

dunghill, on which beech leaves had been
thrown ; but I let it go after some time — in
honesty, not through kindness, but because I
could not help it, for it could pass through any
hole, almost, as Paddy used to say, ' as limber
as a glove.' I could also state many instances
of dogs chasing Corncrakes in winter to holes,
and in one case remember how nearly I was
summoned for tearing down a man's ditch bank
' in pursuit of rats,' as he said, though he had
two eyes and saw the bird run from hole to
hole. More learned men than he may have
often thought the same thing. Hybernating,
in my view, would not mean a dead, torpid
state. I should consider it a sleepy, inactive
state — a lying-up in cold weather, and a tem-
porary arousing during genial days ; and in this
state I have met the Corncrake in winter."

Before one can accept the hybernation theory,
however, some stronger evidence in its favour
would be desirable — the discovery, for instance,
of a Landrail in a torpid state from which it
might be observed to recover. At present I

THE LANDRAIL OR CORNCRAKE. 293

do not remember to have heard of such an in-
stance, and, so far as one's knowledge of the bird
extends, it seems far more probable that it
seeks holes in banks and old walls merely for
shelter and warmth, in the neighbourhood of
which it contrives to find sufficient nourishment
to keep it alive, until such time as the increasing
warmth of spring brings increase of insects and
molluscous food. An examination of the ali-
mentary system of the Water-rail (Rallus aqua-
ticus) shows that this bird is no better fitted
to withstand an English winter than its cousin
the Landrail, and yet it is frequently found by
sportsmen upon Snipe-ground at the height of
the cold season. Its good condition too at this
time testifies to there being a sufficient supply of
food, which should be equally obtainable by the
Landrail.

The nature of this food is miscellaneous —
slugs and snails of several species, small fresh-
water mollusca, worms, leeches, beetles, the
seeds of various weeds, and tips of grass blades;
in addition to which the stomach is usually

294 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

found to contain numerous small particles of
gravel or grit as aids to digestion.1

In its search for this kind of food, the Land-
rail must traverse daily an immense tract of
ground, for which, however, its strong muscular
legs and large feet are well adapted.

For six months at least in the year it appears
to be very generally distributed throughout the
British Islands ; and in Ireland, owing to the
more humid climate and the general prevalence
of meadow land, it is thought to be even com-
moner than in England. As regards Scotland,
the latest authority on the subject, Mr. Robert
Gray, in his " Birds of the West of Scotland,"
says : " There is, perhaps, no Scottish bird more
generally distributed than the familiar Corncrake.
It is found in every district, cultivated and un-
cultivated, on the western mainland, from the
Mull of Galloway to Cape Wrath, and also over
the whole extent of both groups of islands, and

1 A Landrail caught on Canvey Island, at the mouth of
the Thames, lived in confinement on corn and water for a
week, when it made its escape.

THE LANDRAIL OR CORNCRAKE. 295

all the rocky islets on the west coast, extending
to Haskeir Rocks, the Monach Islands, and St.
Kilda. It will, in fact, take up its abode and
rear its young on such places as are almost
exclusively frequented by birds dependent on
the sea for their daily subsistence, all that
can be looked upon as an attraction being
but an occasional patch of grass and a moist
hollow, to remind it of the distant meadow
where, perchance, it had its haunts the previous
summer. I have observed it in the uninhabited
islands of the Hebridean seas, and have heard
it near the summit of Ailsa Craig, rasping its
eerie cry after nightfall, as a rude lullaby to the
Gulls hatching on the grassy verge of a preci-
pice."

This is by no means the limit of its haunts
northward and westward ; for besides being
found in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and
the Faroe Isles, it actually visits Greenland, and
on several occasions has been met with on the
eastern coast of the United States, whither it
must have travelled, doubtless, vid Greenland,

296 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

A single instance is on record of its having been
shot in the Bermudas,1 although this group of
islands is distant from Cape Hatteras — the near-
est point of the North American coast — about
600 miles. After this, English sportsmen need
scarcely be surprised at its ability to cross the
Channel.

Before the end of September it has com-
menced to migrate southwards on its way to its
winter quarters in Algeria, Egypt, Asia Minor,
and Palestine. It is said to be rare in Portugal,
and seen on passage only in Spain, touching
also at the Azores. It goes, however, much
further south, as will be seen presently. Signor
Bettoni includes it amongst the birds which
breed regularly in Lombardy;2 and Messrs.
Elwes and Buckley note it (" Ibis," 1870, p.
333) as found in Epirus and Constantinople.
In Corfu it is met with sparingly in April and
September, on its spring and autumn migrations.

1 Jones's " Naturalist in the Bermudas," p. 45.

2 " Storia Naturale degli Uccelli che nidificano in Lom-
bardia," pt. xxxii. t. 91.

THE LANDRAIL OR CORNCRAKE. 297

A single instance is on record of its having been
shot in Oudh j1 but Mr. Blyth informed me that
he knew of no other authority for it as an Indian
bird, although he had seen specimens from
Afghanistan. South of the Equator the Land-
rail penetrates to Natal (cf. Gurney, " Ibis,"
1863, p. 331), and, according to Mr. Layard
(" Birds of South Africa," p. 338), a solitary
specimen has been procured in Cape Colony.

Mr. Ayres, who has shot it in Natal, writing
of its habits ("Ibis," 1863, p. 331), says:
" Having been once flushed, it is a difficult
matter to put them up a second time out of the
long grass; for, besides running with great
swiftness, they have a curious method of evading
the dogs by leaping with closed wings and com-
pressed feathers over the long grass some three
or four yards, and then, running a short dis-
tance, they leap again. The scent being thus
broken, they generally evade the most keen-
scented dogs ; and so quickly are these strange

1 " Bengal Sporting Magazine," 1842, p. 870.

298 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

leaps made, that it is only by mere chance that
the birds are seen." Many an English sports-
man can testify to their power of evading good
dogs, although they may not quite know how it
is done. Nor is this the only way in which the
Landrail displays its cunning. If surprised
suddenly and caught, it will often feign death,
and remain perfectly stiff and motionless for
several minutes, to all appearance dead, but in
reality only waiting for an opportunity to steal
off unobserved. I have known two or three
instances in which this ruse has been practised
with success upon unsuspecting naturalists.
Those who intend, therefore, to investigate the
subject of hybernation should be on their guard
against what at first sight might strike them as
an instance of torpidity.

299

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

T N the year 1872, through the medium of the
A Natural History columns of " The Field,"
a series of observations were made by natural-
ists in different parts of England on the subject
of " Our Summer Migrants." A form of calen-
dar was distributed and filled up by each accord-
ing to his opportunities. In this way, by the
end of the year six hundred and forty-five
separate observations were placed on record,
and it devolved upon me to prepare a report
from the statistics so furnished. As a good
deal of interesting information was thus brought
to light, it occurs to me that I may appro-
priately bring the present volume to a close
by extracting so much of the report as
relates strictly to the subject matter in hand,
and I accordingly do so.

In the calendars returned, some thirty species
of summer migratory birds are mentioned with
more or less frequency. The majority of the

3OO OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

observations upon them have reference, as
might be supposed, to the dates of their arrival
and departure, or, more correctly speaking, to
the dates when they were first heard or seen
and last observed. When referring some time
previously to the utilization of such observa-
tions, it was remarked that upon various points
some addition to our knowledge was desirable.
Amongst other interesting facts, for example,
might be ascertained the precise line of direc-
tion in which various species migrate, the causes
which necessitate a divergence from this line,
the relative proportions in which different
species visit us, the causes which influence the
abundance or scarcity of a species in particular
localities, the result of too great a preponder-
ance of one species over another, whether
beneficial or otherwise to man as a cultivator of
the soil, the simultaneity or otherwise of de-
parture from this country in autumn, the causes
operating to retard such departure, and so forth.
All these are matters of interest, especially to
those who reside in the country, and have

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 30 1

leisure to inquire into the subject. Let us see
how far the observations supplied furnish a
reply to these inquiries.

Of the thirty species of migrants mentioned,
the Swallow, as might be supposed, has attracted
the largest share of attention, and in regard to
the number of observations made upon it stands
at the head of the list with forty-three. The
Cuckoo comes next with thirty-eight ; the Chiff-
chaff and Swift follow with thirty and thirty
respectively ; and so on through the list, as
given below, to the Reed Warbler, upon which
bird, strange to say, no more than three obser-
vations were made.

The following list will give some idea of
the amount of attention which each bird re-
ceived.

Swallow . .
Cuckoo . .
Chiff-chaff .
Swift . . .

• - 43
^ 38
• • 3°
30

Redstart ....
Flycatcher . . .
Landrail ....
Nightingale . .

25
24
24
23

Willow Wren .
Sandmartin .
Whitethroat .
Blackcap . .

. . 29
. . 27
. . 26

• • 25

Martin
Tree Pipit .
Sedge Warbler . .
Yellow Wagtail . .

*j

23

21
17

16

302 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

Wryneck . . . . 16

Nightjar . . . . 16

Wheatear .... 15

Whinchat .... 15

Lesser Whitethroat . 14

Grasshopper Warbler 1 2

Turtle Dove . . . 10

Common Sandpiper 10

Wood Wren ... 9

Pied Flycatcher . . 9

Red-backed Shrike . 9

Garden Warbler . . 8

Reed Warbler . . 3

Various .... 78

645

The first Swallow was seen, not as might be
supposed in the south or south-east of England,
but four miles south of Glasgow, on the 2nd of
March, and Mr. Robert Gray states that this
is the earliest record of its arrival in Scot-
land. It is, indeed, an exceptionally early
arrival, for nearly a month expired before
another was seen at Cromer, on the 3ist of the
same month, and six weeks elapsed between the
first and second appearance of the bird in Scot-
land. On the ist April, with a S.E. wind, this
harbinger of spring arrived at Great Cotes, in
Lincolnshire, and on the 3rd of that month
was noticed simultaneously at Nottingham and
Taunton. From the 6th of April the arrival of
Swallows was pretty general until the 1 3th, when
they were first noticed in Ireland at Ballina, co.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 303

Mayo, and on the following day at Glasnevin,
Dublin, and at Bray, in the county of Wicklow.
The temperature then at Bray was 53°, and the
wind S.W. In these localities and dates there
is nothing to indicate anything like a precise
line of immigration ; on the contrary, the birds
first appeared where they were least expected.
The prevalence of gales, however, at that par-
ticular season doubtless operated to retard their
progress, and induced them to linger about
sheltered localities where food could be ob-
tained. Mr. Wm. Jeffery, who is well situated
for observation on the Sussex coast, between
the downs and the sea, remarked that most of
the spring migrants were several days later than
usual in their arrival, and the Swallow in par-
ticular not only came later, but lingered longer
than is its wont in his neighbourhood. A single
bird of this species was seen by him, flying
round a steam threshing-machine, on the loth
of December. " Whether it had been dis-
turbed," he says, " from hybernation in the oat-
rick which was being threshed, or only attracted

304 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

by the warmth from the engine, I cannot say.
It flew very weakly, and was not long seen."

On the 2nd of November, with the tempera-
ture at 45*5°, and the wind W., the species was
still in the neighbourhood of Huddersfield, and
on the 1 3th November, during cold weather,
two were seen on the beach at Exmouth. I
may here remark that but little attention is paid
to the time of departure of a species compared
to that which is given to the date of its
arrival.

The Martin was observed to come later and
go earlier than the Swallow, the earliest and
latest dates being respectively April 10 at
Marlborough, and November 7 at Leiston,
Suffolk. And in the case of this bird the
movement northwards might be traced by the
dates, as Wiltshire, April 10 ; Worcester, April
1 1 ; Yorkshire, April 1 1 and 1 3 (the weather
fine, with temperature 53°, and wind W.) ;
Derbyshire, April 15. Further to the west-
ward, viz., at Llandderfel, in Merionethshire, its
appearance was not noticed until the i3th of

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 305

May, when the temperature stood at 48°, and
the wind N . W. Strange to say, it was not
observed in 1872 by any correspondent in
Scotland and Ireland.

The Sandmartin is always amongst the first
comers to arrive, and was seen in three different
counties during the last week of March, viz., in
Sussex, Wilts, and Worcester, the weather dull,
with the wind blowing from the westward. Its
stay in this country is never so prolonged as
that of the Swallow, or even the Martin. Large
flights are observed preparing to migrate at the
end of August and beginning of September, and
at the end of the latter month all have gone
southward again for the winter. In 1872, how-
ever, the species was seen exceptionally as late
as October 7.

The Swift is rarely seen before the first week
of May or after the first week of August, and of
thirty independent observations upon this bird,
three only refer to its appearance during the
last days of April, four-and-twenty record its
arrival between the ist and i7th of May, and

$06 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

three only relate to its disappearance — from
Garvoch, Perthshire, on July 29, from Leicester
on August 2, and from Exeter on August 12.
It was first seen upon the Devonshire coast at
Plymouth and Torquay, and at the former place
was particularly numerous. It may be worth
noting that a male Swift shot at Cromer by Mr.
J. H. Gurney, jun., on June 15, was found to
have the under parts denuded of feathers, which
would indicate that the males take their turn at
incubation.

The Swallows and Swifts are thus brought
together, out of the order of the above list, to
admit of a more easy comparison of the dates
of arrival and departure. We will now follow
the order above indicated, commenting only on
such facts as appear noteworthy.

The thirty observations which relate to the
Cuckoo tend to show that the usual time of its
arrival in this country is between the 2Oth and
27th of April, and in no instance was it observed
before the 6th of April (at Torquay) which was
considered an exceptionally early date to meet

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 307

with it. On the Lincolnshire shore it arrived
with a southerly wind, in Merionethshire with a
west wind, and on the Irish coast with a south-
west wind, the weather warm and mild, the
temperature 49° to 50*5°.

The most northerly point of observation was
Dundee, where it was seen on April 29, but it
had been previously noticed at Garvoch, Perth-
shire, on the 27th, and near Falkirk in Stirling-
shire on the 25th of the same month. In Fife,
Forfar, and Tayside, Mr. P. Henderson, from
personal observation, has frequently found
Cuckoos' breasts bare of feathers, as if from
incubation, and has observed old birds feeding
their own young — a fact in the economy of this
bird which has frequently been disputed.

As early as the 2nd of March the Chiff-chaff
arrived at Torquay ; and, being seen at Chud-
leigh and Taunton on the 9th, at Northrepps,
Norfolk, on the i3th, Hovingham, near York,
on the 1 4th, and Melbourne, Derbyshire, on the
28th, it is easy to trace the gradual movement
from south to north of this restless but hardy

308 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

little bird. A south or south-west wind seems
to be most favourable to its arrival, but in this
case, as in the case of other species, the data are
not sufficient to enable one to judge of this with
certainty. It was last seen on Sept. 12 at
Sparham in Norfolk.

The Willow Wren was noticed in the midland
and northern counties long before its arrival
was recorded on the south coast. In Devon-
shire and Sussex it was observed during the
first week of April on various dates from the
3rd to the yth ; in Surrey, Berks, Herts,
Norfolk, Lincoln, and Yorkshire somewhat
later, that is to say, between the 7th and the
loth of the month ; and yet at Nottingham and
Melbourne in Derbyshire it was seen upon the
exceptionally early date of March 29. In every
case where the wind was noted at the time, it
was blowing from the W. or S.W., generally
from the latter quarter.

Only one notice was supplied of its occurrence
in Wales, namely, in the parish of Llandderfel
on April 28 ; but this date does not throw much

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 309

light upon the progress of the bird westward,
for its arrival had already been noted at Glas-
nevin, co. Dublin, on the loth, and at Ballina,
co. Mayo, on the i3th of the same month. On
the last-mentioned date its appearance in Scot-
land was chronicled in the county of Stirling,
but no information was given during that year
of its having been observed further north.

In the case of the Common Whitethroat
something like a line of migration is indicated
by the dates at which the bird was observed.
Thus, arriving on the Devonshire, Sussex, and
Kentish shores on April n, 13, and 14 respec-
tively, it was in Berkshire, at East and West
Woodhay, on the I5th and i6th ; in Leicester-
shire on the 1 8th, at Nottingham on the 2ist, at
Great Cotes in Lincolnshire on the 22nd, at
Hovingham, near York, on the 23rd, and by
May 6 was as far north as Falkirk. The wind,
in all cases where it was noticed, was blowing
from the west or south-west, the temperature
gradually rising from 48° to 62°.

Of the five-and-twenty observations made

3IO OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

upon the Blackcap, the majority relate to its
appearance in the second week of April, and it
would seem that in the case of this species, the
further north we go, the later the date of its
arrival. At Torquay it was observed on the
7th, Marlborough on the loth, East and West
Woodhay, Berks, on the i5th, Barnsley on the
1 6th, Burton on the 23rd, and Melbourne,
Derbyshire, on the 27th. No record was fur-
nished of its occurrence either in Scotland or
in Ireland, where it is at all times a rare bird.
It was last seen at Nottingham on Nov. 4. The
Blackcap, however, does not invariably quit this
country in autumn ; many instances of indivi-
duals having been seen here in mid-winter have
been reported by competent observers. It has
occasionally happened, however, that the Coal
Titmouse (Parus ater), which is a resident
species, has been mistaken for this bird.

In the West of England, during the year re-
ferred to, the Redstart seems to have made its
appearance somewhat earlier than usual, having
been noted at Bishop's Lydeard, near Taunton,

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 31!

on the 3rd of April. On the 6th it was seen
at Keswick, in Norfolk, and on the 8th and
three following days in four different localities
in Yorkshire ; the wind S. W., and the tempe-
rature about 51°. After the middle of the
month this bird became more numerous, and
was very generally observed. In Derbyshire,
at Melbourne, it was not seen until April 24,
where it seems to have arrived with a S.E.
wind ; and going still further north, we find it in
Stirlingshire and Sutherlandshire on the 2yth
and 28th. In Ireland it is very rare, and no note
was forwarded of its occurrence there in 1872.

The Spotted Flycatcher is always a late
comer, seldom appearing before the first or
second week in May. Last year, however, it
arrived somewhat earlier than usual, and was
noticed in Norfolk, at North Runcton, on
April 23, and at Barnsley on the 27th; the wind
W., and the temperature about 54°, with a haze
and light rain. Mr. A. D. Campbell states that
Flycatchers were unusually numerous at Gar-
voch, in Perthshire, about the 2ist of May, and

312 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

were first seen there on the igth. By Aug. 27
they had all disappeared. Only one note was
received of its appearance in Ireland — viz., on
May 31, at Ballina, co. Mayo. Mr. Thomas
Ruddy, of Pale Gardens, Llandderfel, Merio-
nethshire, referring to this species, says that
he saw the old birds in July catching bees, not
only in the air, but on the hive-board.

The Landrail, or Corncrake, as it is indif-
ferently called,1 arrived pretty generally during
the last week of April, and was noticed by a
great many observers on the 25th, 26th, 27th,
and 28th of that month. On the last-mentioned
date it was observed in the county of Dublin,
and on May ist at Ballina, co. Mayo. Appa-
rently it did not reach Scotland until a week
later, for the first record of its appearance there
is on May 8, at Fife. On May 14 and 15 its
presence in Stirlingshire and Sutherlandshire

1 Out of twenty-four correspondents, thirteen call this bird
the Landrail and eleven the Corncrake, and this in various
parts of the country, so that neither name can be regarded
by any means as local.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 313

was attested by two good observers. The
scarcity of this bird in some seasons is a theme
with which readers of " The Field" of late
years have become tolerably familiar ; but no
light is thrown upon the subject, nor is any
cause suggested by those from whom calendars
were received.

That far-famed songster, the Nightingale,
whose notes are so eagerly listened for in early
spring, was not heard last year before April 9 ;
but, from causes already referred to, the first
utterance of song does not always indicate the
earliest arrival, and it is probable that the birds
had already been some days in their favourite
haunts before their welcome notes betrayed
them.

No more favourable locality for this species
could be found, perhaps, than that wherein they
were soonest observed — namely, the neighbour-
hood of Ratham, in Sussex. Situated on the
flat country between the downs and the sea,
about three miles from the former and seven
from the latter, with an arm of harbour within

OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

two miles, it offers, with its attractions of wood
and water, a tempting resting-place to these
small winged invaders on their arrival, and fur-
nishes, moreover, a fine post of observation to
the inquiring naturalist. Here, throughout April
and May, the woods of West Ashling and the
copses around Kingley Vale resound with the
songs of various warblers, but especially of
Nightingales, which find in this safe retreat an
immunity from traps which is not everywhere
accorded them. On April 10 their remarkable
note was detected at Reigate ; on the I2th they
were singing at East and West Woodhay, in
Berkshire ; while from the last-named date until
April 1 8 they were daily noticed in various
parts of Norfolk and Suffolk. From thence,
through Leicester, Derby, and Nottingham, we
trace this bird to Yorkshire, where on May 5
we find it at Barnsley, the temperature, ac-
cording to that good observer Mr. Lister,
standing at 50°, and the wind W. Further north
than this in 1872 there were no tidings of it,
although in former years I have both seen and

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 315

heard it in the woods by the waterside at Wal-
ton Hall, near Waken" eld, and have been in-
formed of its occurrence five miles to the north-
ward of York.

I had proposed in these " General Observa-
tions" to confine attention strictly to the facts
disclosed by "The Field Calendar;" but the
subject of the distribution of the Nightingale in
England is of such interest to ornithologists,
and even to those who, without professing to
be naturalists, take a pleasure in listening to the
bird, and are not unwilling to learn something
about it, that I venture to give an extract
from another source which I feel assured will
be considered most instructive.

Writing upon this subject in his new edition
of Yarrell's " British Birds," now in course of
publication, Prof. Newton says (vol. i. p. 315) :
" In England the Nightingale's western limit
seems to be formed by the valley of the Exe,
though once, and once only, Montagu, on this
point an unerring witness, heard it singing on
the 4th of May, 1806, near Kingsbridge in

316 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

South Devon, and it is said to have been heard
at Teignmouth, as well as in the north of the
same county at Barnstaple. But even in the
east of Devon it is local and rare, as it also is
in the north of Somerset, though plentiful in
other parts of the latter county. Crossing the
Bristol Channel, it is said to be not uncommon
at times near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire.
Dr. Bree states ('Zoologist,' p. 1211) that it is
found plentifully on the banks of the Wye near
Tintern ; and thence there is more or less good
evidence of its occurrence in Herefordshire,
Salop, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and in York-
shire to about five miles north of its chief city,
but, as Mr. T. Allis states, not further. Along
the line thus sketched out, and immediately to
the east and south of it, the appearance of the
Nightingale, even if regular, is in most cases
rare, and the bird local ; but further away from
the boundary it occurs yearly with great regu-
larity in every county, and in some places is very
numerous. Mr. More states that it is thought
to have once bred in Sunderland, and it is said

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 317

to have been once heard in Westmoreland,
and also, in the summer of 1808, near Carlisle ;
but these assertions must be looked upon with
great suspicion, particularly the last, which rests
on anonymous authority only. Still more open
to doubt are the statements of the Nightingale's
occurrence in Scotland, such as Mr. Duncan's
(not on his own evidence, be it remarked),
published by Macgillivray (' British Birds/ ii.
p. 334), respecting a pair believed to have
visited Calder Wood in Mid Lothian in 1826;
or Mr. Turnbull's (' Birds of East Lothian,' p.
39) of its being heard near Dalmeny Park in
the same county in June, 1839. In Ireland there
is no trace of this species."

It has long been well known that the male
birds arrive in this country many days before the
females ; but, of twenty-three observations made
upon the Nightingale, not one refers to or con-
firms this fact.

The Nightingale has been pictured by poets
and naturalists in various romantic situations,
but perhaps never before in so unromantic a

31 8 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

spot as " under a bathing-machine " ! Yet Mr.
Monk states that on the I3th of April, 1872,
there were " Nightingales on the beach under the
bathing-machines along the whole length of the
shore at Brighton." The explanation which
suggests itself is that the birds had just arrived,
and had sought the first shelter which offered —
a woody shelter, it is true, and a shady one,
although of a very different kind to that which
the birds had been accustomed to.

The observations made upon the Tree Pipit,
twenty-one in number, call for no particular com-
ment, save that the direction of the wind at
several dates of supposed arrival was from a
S.W. or S.E. quarter, corresponding with what
has been observed of other migratory birds, and
tending to show that they prefer to travel
with a side wind rather than with a head wind
or the reverse.

In the eastern counties, for example, it was
observed that the Tree Pipit arrived in Norfolk
with a S.S.E. wind, the temperature being
52° ; in Lincolnshire with a wind veering from

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 319

S. to S.E. and E., the weather dry, cold, and
cloudy ; in Yorkshire with a S.W. wind,
weather fine, and temperature 47*5°. It was
first observed at Bushey, in Hertfordshire, as if
arriving directly from the eastward, on the 8th
of April ; and was last heard at Ratham, near
the coast of Sussex, on Sept. 15. The furthest
point north at which it was noted was near
Stirling on May i. In Ireland it is unknown.

In the case of the Sedge Warbler, we again
remark observations on the wind at the presumed
dates of arrival in all respects confirmatory of
what has been already stated. Four good ob-
servers in the counties of Norfolk, Lincoln,
Derby, and York noted the direction of the wind
when first meeting with this bird as S.S.E., S.W.,
S.E., and S.S.W., respectively. No record of its
occurrence in 1872 either in Scotland or Ireland
was received. The general period of its arrival
in England seems to be during the last fortnight
of April.

About the same period arrives the Yellow
Wagtail, or Ray's Wagtail, as it is called by

32O OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

many, respecting which bird sixteen observations
were received from different parts of the country.
It does not appear to have been met with fur-
ther north than Wakefield, and no notice was
taken of it by correspondents in Scotland and
Ireland.

The Wryneck, or Cuckoo's-mate, long pre-
ceded the Cuckoo in the date of its arrival,
having been heard at Reigate as early as March
31, and at Ratham, in Sussex, on April 2. On
the 6th and 7th of the latter month it was
observed at several localities in Norfolk, and its
appearance generally throughout England in
1872 seems to have been noted during the first
fortnight of April. Mr. Lister states that,
although found in the neighbourhood of Barns-
ley in previous years, it was not observed there
in 1872.

The Nightjar seems to have been generally
met with throughout the country as far west as
Llandderfel, in Merionethshire, and as far north
as Garvoch, in Perthshire. Mr. Gatcombe ob-
served it in the neighbourhood of Plymouth

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 331

on April 10, but this must be regarded as an
exceptionally early date, for the majority of
my correspondents did not meet with it until
quite the end of April and beginning of May.
On the 1 5th of June Mr. P. Henderson found
two young Nightjars on Tents Muir, Fife,
amidst a colony of terns ( !), and kept them alive
for some time on moths, worms, and pieces of
raw meat.

The Wheatear and Whinchat received an
equal share of attention in the fifteen observa-
tions upon each which were forwarded. The
first-named appeared at Plymouth as early as
March 6, but the observer in this instance, Mr.
Gatcombe, states that he hardly ever knew it
so early before. It was observed, however, on
the same day at Feltwell, Norfolk, by Mr.
Upcher ; and Mr. Rope reports that in 1871 he
saw it at Leiston, in Suffolk, on March 2. In
1872 in the same neighbourhood it did not
arrive until March 18, and was much scarcer

0

than in former years. The calendars enable
one to trace it that year as far north as Falkirk,

Y

322 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

where it was seen on April i ; but this is by no
means its northern limit, as there is abundant
evidence to show.

The Whinchat is not generally seen in this
country until the last week of April, and this
is confirmed by the notes before me. Mr. J. J.
Briggs, however, met with it near Melbourne,
in Derbyshire, on April 3 ; but he appends the
remark that he considers this an unusually early
date. Mr. J. A. Harvie Browne states that the
Whinchat during mild winters occasionally re-
mains in Stirlingshire.

The Lesser Whitethroat was noticed almost
exclusively in the midland counties, the earliest
date for its arrival being April 12, at Sparham,
Norfolk, and the most northerly locality Barns-
ley. It goes much further north, however,
than this, but is considered rare in Scotland,
and is unknown in Ireland.

The Grasshopper Warbler was met with
throughout the month of April in about a dozen
different localities, and, like the last-named
species, chiefly in the midland counties. It

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 323

goes at least as far north, however, as Oban,
in Argyleshire. To the westward, it was noted
at Taunton in the middle of May. It is a
regular summer migrant to Ireland, although in
1872 it was not noticed there by any corre-
spondent.

Like several of the preceding, the Turtle
Dove is oftener observed in the southern and
midland counties of England, although stragglers
are occasionally met with as far north as North-
umberland, and even in Scotland. In the
Hebrides specimens have been shot in I slay
and Skye, but not in the outer islands. Dr.
Saxby has recorded several instances of its
occurrence in Shetland, and it has twice been
procured in Orkney. In Ireland it is regarded
as an annual summer visitant to the cultivated
districts.

The Wood Wren was noticed nowhere earlier
than the 23rd of April, on which date it was
heard by Mr. Inchbald at Hovingham, near
York ; and the paucity of observations on this
and the four following species show that they

324 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

must be very local in their distribution, or less
frequently seen than many of their more obtru-
sive congeners. The Wood Wren apparently
comes very much later than either the ChirFchaff
or the Willow Wren.

Nine observations only on the Pied Fly-
catcher were forwarded. These, however, con-
tain one or two notes of interest. The bird has
become much commoner of late years, or more
observed; and in 1872 it appears to have been
met with much further north than usual. A
specimen was shot at N. Berwick by Mr.
W. Patterson, and exhibited at the Glasgow
Natural History Society on the 24th of Sep-
tember, 1872 ; and another was procured at
Biora, in Sutherland, on the 3ist of May, by
Mr. T. E. Buckley. In Yorkshire it seems to
have been very numerous, a score being heard
at once in one locality, near York, on the 2Qth
of May. It was found nesting in Norfolk, at
Sparham, eggs being laid and the hen bird
sitting, on the 3rd of June. To the westward,
it was noted at Cirencester ; and was found

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 325

nesting, as in previous years, at Llandderfel, in
Merionethshire.

The Red-backed Shrike, or Butcher-bird, is
almost confined to the southern midland coun-
ties of England, and although stragglers have
been met with occasionally in Scotland, it is
always regarded as a rare bird there ; and in
Ireland it is quite unknown. Mr. Cordeaux
states that he has never observed it in Lincoln-
shire. It is always a late comer, seldom, if
ever, arriving before the first week in May ; and
the earliest date recorded for its appearance
in any of the calendars is May 2, on which day
it was seen at Ratham, near Chichester. Mr.
Donald Mathews has observed, in the neigh-
bourhood of Redditch, that it commences nidifi-
cation immediately on its arrival. The custom
which now prevails of " plashing," or laying the
tall hedgerows in which the Butcher-bird de-
lights to dwell, has caused it in many localities
to forsake haunts where once it was quite nu-
merous. This has been particularly remarked
in Middlesex and the counties adjoining.

326 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

The observations upon the Garden Warbler,
of which eight only are furnished, do not call for
any particular comment, save an expression of
surprise that a bird with so good a song should
not have attracted more attention. The 2 ist of
April is the earliest date recorded for its arrival,
at Burton-on-Trent. One would certainly have
expected also to find more notice taken of the
Reed Warbler, a noisy little bird, whose inces-
sant babbling by reedy ponds and at the river-
side makes it almost impossible to overlook it.
Nevertheless, but three notes were forwarded
of its occurrence in 1872 — two in Norfolk, at
Lynn and Hempstead, and one in Wilts, at
Marlborough ; at the last-named place on the
3 ist of May, at least six weeks after its usual
time for arriving. It is not easy to account for
its being so overlooked, for it cannot be regarded
as by any means a rare bird, although it may be
a local one.

Colonel Irby, who has had opportunities of
seeing many of our summer migratory birds on
passage, from two good posts of observation,

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 327

Gibraltar and Tangier, thus refers to the subject
in his recently-published volume on the " Orni-
thology of the Straits of Gibraltar : " —

" Most of the land birds pass by day, usually
crossing the Straits in the morning. The
waders are, as a rule, not seen on passage ; so
it may be concluded they pass by night, al-
though I have occasionally observed Peewits,
Golden Plover, Terns and Gulls, passing by
day.

" The autumnal or return migration is less
conspicuous than the vernal ; and whether the
passage is performed by night, or whether the
birds return by some other route, or whether
they pass straight on, not lingering by the way
as in spring, is an open question ; but during
the autumn months passed by me at Gibraltar,
I failed to notice the passage as in spring,
though more than once during the month of
August, which I spent at Gibraltar, myself and
others distinctly heard Bee-eaters passing south
at night, and so conclude other birds may do
the same.

328 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

" The best site for watching the departure of
the vernal migration is at Tangier, where just
outside the town the well-known plain called
the Marshan, a high piece of ground that in
England would be called a common, seems to
be the starting-point of half the small birds
that visit Europe.

" Both the vernal and autumnal migrations are
generally executed during an easterly wind, or
Levanter. At one time I thought that this was
essential to the passage ; but it appears not to
be the case, as whether it be an east or west
wind, if it be the time for migration, birds
will pass, though they linger longer on the
African coast before starting if the wind be
westerly ; and all the very large flights of
Rap tores (Kites, Neophrons, Honey- Buzzards,
&c.), which I have seen, passed with a Levanter.
After observing the passage for five springs, I
am unable to come to any decided opinion ; the
truth being, that as an east wind is the preva-
lent one, the idea has been started that migra-
tion always takes place during that wind.

QENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 329

Nevertheless, it is an undoubted fact, that dur-
ing the autumnal or southern migration of the
Quail in September, they collect in vast
numbers on the European side, if there be a
west wind, and seem not to be able to pass
until it changes to the east ; this is so much the
case that, if the wind keeps in that quarter
during the migration, none hardly are to be
seen.

" On some occasions the passage of the larger
birds of prey is a most wonderful sight ; but of
all the remarkable flights of any single species,
that of the common Crane has been the most
noteworthy that has come under my own
observation.

" On the Andalusian side the number of birds
seen even by the ordinary traveller appears
strikingly large ; this being, no doubt, in a great
measure caused by the quantity which are, for
ten months, at least, out of the year, more or
• less on migration ; that is to say, with the
exception of June and July, there is no month
in which the passage of birds is not noticeable,

330 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

June being the only one in which there may be
said to be absolutely no migration, as during
the month of July Cuckoos and some Bee-
eaters return to the south."

CONCLUSION.

\ S the Swallows are amongst the first to
4 *• arrive, so they are amongst the last to
depart. Long before chill winds and falling
leaves have ushered in the month of October,
the Warblers, Pipits, and Flycatchers have left
the woods and fields, and hurried down to the
coast on their southward route. But the
Swallows, loth to leave us, linger on far into
the autumn, and only bid us adieu when they
miss the genial influence of the sun's rays, and
can no longer find a sufficient supply of food.
The sportsman who crosses the country with
dog and gun in October cannot fail to remark
the absence of the numerous small birds which
were so conspicuous throughout the summer.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 33!

The Wheatear has deserted the rabbit warren ;
the Stonechat and Whinchat have left the furzy
common, to make way for the Linnet and the
B rambling. In the turnip fields, Thrushes
and Meadow Pipits have usurped the place
of Whitethroats and Yellow Wagtails ; while
in the thick hedgerows and coverts noisy Tits
now occupy the boughs which were so lately
tenanted by the less attractive but more tuneful
Willow Wrens.

To the reflecting naturalist, this curious
change of bird life furnishes a subject for medi-
tation in many a day's walk, and is a source of
much pleasant occupation. Whether we study
the birds themselves in their proper haunts,
ascertain the nature of their food and their
consequent value to man as a cultivator of the
soil ; or inquire into the cause of their migra-
tion, and their distribution in other parts of the
world, we have at all times an interesting theme
to dwell upon.

From a perusal of the foregoing chapters it
will be seen that " our summer migrants " may

332 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS.

be classified into certain well-defined groups,
according to their structure and habits, and the
haunts which they frequent. Upon the wild
open wastes and commons we find the Chats, to
which family belong the Whinchat, the Stone-
chat, and the well-known Wheatear. In the
hedgerows and copses are to be seen the three
species of Willow Warblers — the Wood Wren,
Willow Wren, and Chiff-chaff. Wooded gardens
and fruit trees attract the Garden Warbler,
Blackcap, and Whitethroats ; and the thick
sedge and waving flags by the waterside shelter
the various species of River Warblers. In the
open meadows and moist places by the river
bank or sea coast we need not search long
to find the Pipits and Wagtails ; and while the
Flycatchers perch familiarly on our garden
walls, or pick the aphis off the fruit trees, the
Swallows build under our very eaves, and claim
our protection for their young. High above
all, the noisy Swift holds his rapid, wondrous
flight, wheeling and screaming to his heart's
content.

CONCLUSION. 333

At all these birds we have now taken a peep.
We have found them in their proper haunts,
examined their skill as architects, and their
powers as musicians. We have inquired into
the nature of their food, the number and colour
of their eggs, and their mode of rearing their
young ; any peculiar adaptation of structure to
habits or curious mode of living has been duly
noted ; and, not content with studying them at
home, we have followed these delicate visitors
to foreign climes, and found them in their
winter quarters.

It is hoped that the reader ere he closes this
volume will have gleaned some little informa-
tion that may be new to him concerning these
most interesting families of small birds, whose
fairy forms in summer time flit so continually
before us, and whose presence or absence makes
so great a difference to the naturalist in his en-
joyment of a country walk.

INDEX.

BLACKCAP, page 44, 3 lo-
Butcher-bird, 276, 325.
Chiff-chaff, 28, 307.

„ Yellow-billed, 29, 30.
Corncrake, 288, 312.
Cuckoo,' 2 1 9, 306.
Cuckoo's-mate, 242, 320.
Dove, Turtle, 282, 323.
Flycatcher, Pied, 160, 323.

„ Red-breasted, 168.

„ Red-eyed, 169.

„ Spotted, 155, 311.
Goatsucker, 204, 320.
Golden Oriole, 262.
Hoopoe, 249.
Landrail, 288, 312.
Martin, House, 184, 304.

„ Purple, 190.

„ Sand, 41, 43, 187, 305.
Nightingale, 32, 313—318.
Nightjar, 204, 320.
Oriole, Golden, 262.
Pipit, Meadow, 124.

„ Pennsylvanian, 149.

Pipit, Red-throated, page 152.

„ Richard's, 142.

„ Rock, 130.

„ Tawny, 146.

„ Tree, 135, 318.

„ Water, 138.
Rail, Land, 288.
Red-backed Shrike, 276.
Redstart, Common, 74, 310.

„ Black, 78.
Reed Warbler, 101.
Shrike, Red-backed, 276, 325.
Stonechat, 13.
Swallow, 42, 43, 170, 302.
Swift, Alpine, 199.

„ Common, 191, 305.

„ Spine-tailed, 203.
Turtle Dove, 282.
Wagtail, Grey, 112.

„ Grey-headed, 121.

,, Pied, 106.

„ Ray's or Yellow, 117,319.

„ White, no.
Warbler, Aquatic, 91.

336

INDEX.

Warbler, Blackcap, 44.
„ Garden, 59, 326.
„ Grasshopper, 86, 322.
„ Great Reed, 101.
„ Icterine, 29, 30.
„ Marsh, 92.
„ Melodious, 29, 30.
„ Orphean, 51.
„ Reed, 82, 85, 101, 326.
„ Rufous, 103.
Savi's, 88.

Warbler, Sedge, 81—85, 319.

„ Willow, 24.

„ Wood, 1 6, 323.
Wheatear, i, 321.
Whinchat, 9, 321, 322.
White throat, Common, 6 7, 309.

„ Lesser, 71, 322.
Willow Wren, 24, 308.
Woodchat, 281.
Wood Wren, 16, 323.
Wryneck, 242.

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THE NATURAL HISTORY

AND

ANTIQUITIES

OF

S E L B O R N E,

IN THE COUNTY OF SOUTHAMPTON.

BY THE REV. GILBERT WHITE, M.A.

THE STANDARD EDITION BY E. T. BENNETT.

Thoroughly revised, with additional Notes,
BY JAMES EDMUND HAKTING, F.L.S., F.Z.S.

AUTHOR OF "A HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS," "THE
ORNITHOLOGY OF SHAKESPEARE," ETC.

ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS BY THOMAS BEWICK,
HARVEY, AND OTHERS.

LONDON":
BICKERS AND SON, 1, LEICESTER SQUARE.

1875.

[Specimen Page.^\
38 NATURAL HISTOEY

in my outlet; but were frighted and persecuted by idle
boys, who would never let them be at rest.1

Three gros-beaks (Loxia, coccothraustes}2 appeared some
years ago in my fields, in the winter ; one of which I shot :

THE HOOPOE.

since that, now and then, one is occasionally seen in the
same dead season.

1 The hoopoe is an irregular spring and autumn visitant to this
country. It has occasionally nested here, and would do so, no doubt,
more frequently if unmolested. Colonel Montagu states, in his
" Ornithological Dictionary," that a pair of hoopoes began a nest in
Hampshire, but being disturbed forsook it, and went elsewhere ; and Dr.
Latham, in the Supplement to his " General Synopsis," has referred to
a young Hoopoe in nestling plumage, which was shot in this country in
May. A pair nested for several years in the grounds of Pennsylvania
Castle, Portland (cf. Garland, "Naturalist," 1852, p. 82), and
according to Mr. Turner, of Sherborne, Dorsetshire, the nest has been
taken on three or four occasions by the school-boys from pollard
willows on the banks of the river at Lenthay. The birds were known
to the boys as " hoops." Mr. Jesse, in a note to this passage in his
edition of the present work, states that a pair of hoopoes bred for many
years in an old ash tree in the grounds of a lady in Sussex, near
Chichester. — ED.

2 Coccothraustes vulgaris of modern systematists.

b

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