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FOR  THE  PEOPLE 

FOR  EDVCATION 

FOR  SCIENCE 

LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM 

OF 

NATURAL  HISTORY 

the  man  claims  our  ~atthhtioh  as  mucn  a?,  or 
more  Hian,  tho  biology  of  the  birds.  Jn  addi- 
tion to  this  wo  fiud  a  chapter  of  nearly  50  pages 
dpvotrd  chiefly  'o  two  oontribnted  papers  on 
Ottor-huntius  and  Falconry.  The  result  is  a 
fairly  larjfe  voliuno,  published  at  a  fairly  large 
pric:^.  and  containing  a  g.ood  deal  of  hetero- 
geneous information,  of  which  in  (ho  main  it 
may  bo  said  that  to  tho  general  reader  muih  of 
tho  ornithological  side  will  be  wearisome,  wliile 
the  export  uill  find  a  great  portion  of  the  hook 
given  up  to  matters  which,  though  full  of  their 
own  special  interest,  he  had  hardly  expected  to 
find  in  a  work  "on  birds."  The  plates,  how- 
ever, illustrating  viirious  kinds  of  birds,  are  ex- 
cellent ;  the  paper.=  on  Otter-hunting  and  Fal- 
conry are  bright  and  inspiriting,  and  sufficient 
in  tJiemselves  to  kindle  a  flame  of  enthusiasm 
in  the  brea.st  of  the  uninitiat«l :  while  the  study 
of  a  character  at  once  so  symp;ithetic.  and  c'xact 
as  tliat  nf  the  late  Lord  Lilford  cannot  fail  to 
be  of  tho  grealcst  benefit  to  any  reader.  And 
to  llKwe,  and  Ihc^y  roust  be  many,  to  whom  it 
is  a  pleasure  to  linger  ovei-  the  srattorcd  noles 
of  a  careful  observer  of  tho  fans  of  natural 
history  whereby  tjicy  will  gain  both  instruotion 
and  delight  this  book  may  be  fairly  eonmiendcd. 
But  it  I'annot  be  regarded  as  »  serious  (nntri- 
bution  cither  (o  ornitLology  proper  or  loEcienre 
at  large.  This  is  not  to  .^ay  that  the  notes 
Uiemsplves  are  at  fault,  or  even  useless:  but 
they  are  notes  only.  ?iich  as  may  he  pigeon- 
jtiolcd  or  even  gathcr»ti  up  into  coherent  form 

witJiin  the  pages  of  some  soientifio  journal,  but 
such  as  shctild  Dewer  find  their  way  into  book 
form  iml.il  the  time  oiroes  when  they  may  serve 
their  purpoee  as  illustrations  of  general  prin- 
cipif  f .  A>.  if-  L 


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LORD    LILFORD    ON    BIRDS 


V 


S. 

\ 

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L 


ORD  LILFORD^       =^-^ 
ON  BIRDS 


BEING  A  COLLECTION  OF  INFORMAL  AND 
UNPUBLISHED  WRITINGS  BY  THE  LATE 
PRESIDENT  OF  THE  BRITISH  ORNITHOLOGISTS' 
UNION  .  WITH  CONTRIBUTED  PAPERS  UPON 
FALCONRY  AND  OTTER  HUNTING,  HIS 
FAVOURITE    SPORTS 


1 


EDITED   BY 

AUBYN    TREVOR-BATTYE 

M.A.,  F.L.S.,  ETC. 

MEMBER  OF  THE   BRITISH   ORNITHOLOGISTS'   UNION 
AND    ILLUSTRATED    BY 

ARCHIBALD    THORBURN 


London:    HUTCHINSON  &  CO 
Paternoster  Row      -*>         '•>      ^9^3 


PRINTED    BV 

HAZELL,    WATSON   AND   VINEV,   LD. 

LONDON  AND  AYLESBURY. 


PREFACE 

Ornithologically  this  book  falls  into  three  natural 
divisions,  each  with  its  own  particular  appeal. 

The  Mediterranean  Journals  with  their  lists  of  birds 
obtained  or  seen  would  be  valuable,  if  only  as  models 
of  careful  work ;  but  beyond  this,  such  a  companion 
as  their  recorder  must  surely  add  delightful  interest  to 
any  voyage  in  the  narrow  sea. 

None  of  the  natural  history  has  been  left  out  ;  the 
Editor  has  only  ventured  to  remove  (as  not  in  any  way 
material  to  the  record)  the  greater  part  of  the  weather 
log,  with  purely  personal  or  social  references. 

Although  the  systematic  position  and  the  scientific 
names  of  some  of  the  birds  have  changed  since  the 
diaries  were  written,  they  are  easily  recognisable  by  an 
ornithologist  as  they  stand  :  it  has  therefore  seemed 
well  in  the  great  majority  of  instances  to  leave  them 
unaltered. 

The   letters    on    his    own    countryside    are,    it    is   true, 


vi  PREFACE 

almost  entirely  concerned  with  the  small  occurrences  of 
every  day  ;  but  all  our  knowledge  of  the  ways  of 
living  creatures  has  grown  from  careful  records  such  as 
these,  and  the  subject  is  one  of  unfailing  interest  ;  if  it 
begins  with  Gilbert  White,  it  ends — where  ? 

The  same  thought  applies  to  the  Aviary  Notes  ; 
how  sure  a  welcome  awaits  these — the  record  at  first 
hand  of  a  master  '  aviarist  ' — is  sufficiently  brought 
home  to  us  by  the  reflection  that  a  periodical  has  been 
successfully  run  for  years  in  this  country,  devoted  to 
nothing  else  than  an  interchange  of  experiences  among 
those  who  keep  living  birds. 

All  the  letters,  unless  it  is  otherwise  stated,  were 
written  from  Lilford  Hall.  They  are  not  always  given 
under  order  of  dates  ;  it  has  often  seemed  better  to 
group  them  about  the  leading  subjects  with  which  they 
are  concerned. 

An  opinion  entitled  to  great  respect  was  expressed  to 
the  Editor,  that  otter  hunting  and  falconry.  Lord  Lilford's 
favourite  sports,  might  need  some  introduction  to  the 
general  reader  ;  that  otter  hunting  is  not,  like  fox-hunting, 
'  everybody's '  sport  ;  and  that,  indeed,  the  idea  not 
uncommonly  obtains  that  the  otter  is  still  barbarously 
despatched  with  the  spear.  Falconry,  it  was  pointed  out, 
was  a  still  more  restricted  pursuit.  The  Editor  has 
therefore  ventured  himself  to  write  a  short  account  of 
otter    hunting,    and     has    been    fortunate    in    obtaining    a 


PREFACE  vii 

description  of  falconry  from  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  Gage 
Earle  Freeman.^ 

Nearly  all  of  the  pictures  which  illustrate  this 
volume  are  studies  of  individual  birds  in  the  collection 
at   Lilford. 

Our  thanks  are  rendered  to  Mr.  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo 

for  his  help  in  reading    through  the  proof-sheets,  and  his 

kind  interest  in   the  preparation   of  the  book. 

1  Author  of  Falconry:  its  History,  Claims,  and  Practice.  We 
have  much  pleasure  in  quoting  in  this  connection  a  passage  we 
find  in  a  letter  written  by  Lord  Lilford  to  Mr.  Freeman  in  1895  :— 
"  You  have  done  more  to  keep  English  falconers  in  the  right  way 
than  any  man  now  living.  No  such  practical  work  as  yours  has 
been  written  on  falconry  this  century." 


Lord  Lilford's  F.wourite  Flower. 


LORD    LILFORD'S   PUBLISHED   WORKS. 

Coloured  Figures  of  the  British  Birds. 

The  First  Edition  of  this  work,  which  was  issued  in  parts 
by  subscription,  commenced  in  October,  1885,  and  the  second 
in  April,  1891.  'Edition'  is  really  a  misnomer;  for  when 
in  189 1  it  was  decided  to  admit  a  further  set  of  subscribers 
(at  rather  a  higher  rate  of  subscription)  only  some  eighteen 
(or  so)  of  the  plates  had  yet  appeared.  These  were 
retouched  and,  in  the  opinion  of  many  good  judges, 
actually  improved.  Thenceforward  the  First  and  Second 
Editions  were  identical,  running  together  and  ending 
simultaneously. 

Notes  071  tlu  Birds  of  Northamptonshire  and  Neighbourhood. 

This  book  was  published  in  1895.  Some  parts  of  it  had 
already  appeared  in  the  form  of  communicated  papers  (see 
below)  and  some  had  been  printed  for  private  circulation. 

But  besides  these  books  Lord  Lilford's  literary  labours  include 
a  variety  of  articles  in  the  Zoologist,  the  Ibis,  and  elsewhere. 
Certain  chance  notes — e.g.,  in  the  Field — are  omitted,  otherwise 
the  following  list  is  believed  to  be  complete : — 

In   the    Ibis. 
Under  the  name  of  the  Hon.  Thomas  L.  Powys. 

i860.  Notes  on  birds  observed  in  the  Ionian  Islands,  and  the 
provinces  of  Albania  proper,  Epirus,  Acarnania,  and 
Montenegro.     Pages  i-io,  133-140,  228-239. 


X  LORD  LILFORHS  PUBLISHED    WORKS 

Under  the  name  of  Lord  Lilford. 

1862.     On    the    extinction     in    Europe    of    the    common    francolin 

{Fraticolinus  vulgaris,  Steph.).     352-356. 
1865.     Notes  on  the   ornithology  of  Spain,   166-177,    pi.  V.  {Ai/uila 

ncevioides).     Ditto    1866,   173-187,    377-392,   pi.  X.   (eggs 

of  Aquila  pennafa  and  Cyanopica  cooki). 
1873.     Letter  on  Calandrella  brachydactyla  and  Nidneiiiui  hiidsoiiicus. 

98. 
1880.     Letter  on  Lams  aiidoui/ii  s.nd  other  Spanish  birds.     480-483. 

1883.  Letter  on   Otis  tarda  and  other  Spanish  birds.     233. 

1884.  Rare  birds  in  Andalucia.     124. 

1887.  Notes    on    Mediterranean    ornithology,     261-283,    pl-     VIIL 

{Falco  pji/iicus). 

1888.  Preface     to    Dr.    F.    H.    H.    Guillemard's     "Ornithological 

notes  of  a  tour  in  Cyprus,"  1887.     94. 

1889.  -^  list  of  the  birds  of  Cyprus.     305^350. 
1892.     Letter  on   Turnix  nigricollis.     466. 


In    the    Zoologist. 

Under  the  name  of  the  Hon.  T.  L.   Powys. 

1850.     Occurrence   of  the  smew  {Mergiis   albellus)    in    Northampton- 
shire.    2775. 

1850.  Nest   and   eggs   of    the   rose-coloured   pastor   {Pastor  roseus). 

2968. 

1851.  Occurrence  of  the  Caspian  tern  near  Lausanne.     3209,3210. 
1851.     Note  on  birds  entrapped  at  a  magpie's  nest.     3275. 

185 1.  Occurrence  of  black  grouse   and  quails   in   Northamptonshire. 

3278. 

1852.  Note  on  the  kite  and  buzzard  trapped   at   Blenheim.     3388. 
1852.     Occurrence  of  the  black  redstart  near  Oxford.     3476. 


LORD  LILFORD'S  PUBLISHED    WORKS  xi 

1852.     Occurrence   of  the   ring   dotterel    {Charadrius  hiaticula)   near 

Oxford.     3476. 
1852.     Occurrence  of  the  glossy  ibis  in  Ireland.     3477- 
1852.     The   shore   lark   {Alauda    alpestris)    breeding    in     Devonshire. 

3707- 

1852.  Occurrence  of  the  blue-throated  warbler  (Sylvia  siiedai)  in 
South  Devon.     3709. 

1852.  Occurrence  of  the  pratincole  {Glareola  forquata)  in  Devon- 
shire.    3710. 

1854.     Occurrence  of  various  birds  in  Oxfordshire.     4165. 

1854.  Note    on    the    late    abundance    of   the   spotted    crake    (Crex 

porrAina).     4165. 

1855.  Occurrence  of  the  bittern  and  goosander  in  Northamptonshire, 

and    of    the    red-throated     diver     in     Plymouth     Sound. 

4762. 
1855.     Occurrence   of  Buonaparte's  gull  {Larus  Buonapartii)  on  the 

Irish  coast.     4762,  4809. 
1861.     Note    on    the    alpine    chough    as    observed    in    the    Ionian 

Islands.     7352.     (In  Ibis  II.   136.) 


1877 
1879 
1879 
1880 
1880 
1881 
i88r 
1882 
1883 
1883 


Under  the  name  of  Lord  Lilford. 

Purple  gallinule  in  Northamptonshire.     252. 

Green  shag  in  Northamptonshire.     426. 

Manx  shearwater  in  Northamptonshire.     426. 

White-fronted  goose  in  Northamptonshire.     66. 

Solitary  snipe  in  Northamptonshire.     444. 

Ornithological  notes  from  North  Northamptonshire.     24,  61. 

Roseate  tern  on  the  Norfolk  coast.     26. 

Ornithological  notes  from  Northamptonshire.      16,  392. 

26 
Note    on    the    ornithology    of    Northamptonshire.      425-429, 
466-468,  502. 


xii  LORD   LJLFORD'S  PUBLISHED    WORKS 

1883.  Common  scoter  inland.     495. 

1884.  Notes    on    the    ornithology    of  Northamptonshire.     192-194, 

450-455- 

1885.  Notes  on  the  ornithology  of  Northamptonshire.     181-183. 

1885.  Hoopoe  in  Northamptonshire.     259. 

1886.  Notes  on  the  ornithology  of  Northamptonshire  and  neighbour- 

hood.    465-471. 

1887.  Notes  on  the  ornithology  of  Northamptonshire  and  neighbour- 

hood.    249-254,  452-457. 

1887.  A  puffin  in  London.     263. 

1888.  Magpies  attacking  a  weakly  donkey.     184. 
1888.     Pallas's  sand  grouse  in  Spain.     301. 

1888.  Notes  on  the  ornithology  of  Northamptonshire  and  neighbour- 

hood.    456-466. 

1889.  Hawks  devouring  their  prey  on  the  wing.      185. 

1889.  Notes  on  the  ornithology  of  Northamptonshire  and  neighbour- 

hood.    422-430. 

1890.  Large  race  of  great  grey  shrike.     108. 

1891.  Notes  on  the  ornithology  of  Northamptonshire.     41-53. 

1892.  „       „     „  „  „  „  201-210. 

1892.  Variety  of  Grus  cinerea  in  Spain.     265. 

1893.  Notes  on  the  ornithology  of  Northamptonshire  and  neighbour- 

hood for  1892.     89-97. 

1893.  Purple  gallinules  in  Norfolk  and  Sussex.     147. 

1894,  Notes  on  the  ornithology  of  Northamptonshire  and  neighbour- 

hood for  1893.     2 10-22 1. 
1894      Pheasant   nesting   in   a  tree.      266.  Proc.  Zool.  Soc,  London, 

1 881-1890. 
1882.     Exhibition  of,  and  remarks  upon,  a  skin  of  Emheriza  ritstka, 

caught  at  Elstree  reservoir.     721. 
1888.     Exhibition    of  a    specimen   of  Aqitila   rapax   from   Southern 

Spain.     248, 


LORD  LILFORD'S  PUBLISHED    WORKS  xiii 

Mammalia.     In  the  Zoologist- 

1884.  Notes  on  Mammalia  of  Northamptonshire.     428. 

1885.  Dormouse  in  Northamptonshire.     257. 

1886.  Albino  badgers.     363. 

1887.  A  few  words  on  European  bats.     61-67. 
1887.  The  bank  vole  in  Northamptonshire.     463. 

1890.  Hedgehog  v.  rat.     453. 

1891.  The  polecat  in  Northamptonshire.     342. 

1892.  The  polecat  in  Northamptonshire.     20,  224. 
1894.  Barbastelle  in  Northamptonshire.     187. 
1894.  Barbastelle  in  Huntingdonshire.     395. 

For  the  above  list  the  Editor  is  indebted  to  Dr.  Paul  Leverkiihn, 
C.M.Z.S.,  of  the  Scientific  Library  and  Institution  of  H.R.H.  The 
Prince  of  Bulgaria,  Sophia.  His  compilation  of  Lord  Lilford's  papers 
was  published  in  the  Ornith.  Monatsschrift  des  Deutschen  Vereins  s. 
SchiUze  der  Vogelwelt,  XXL,  1896,  No.  9,  pp.  262-264. 


NOTE. 

The  full  title  of  Lord  Lilford's  well-known  book,  always  spoken  of  as 
"  Coloured  Figures  of  the  British  Birds,"  and  so  referred  to  throughout  this 
volume,  is  "Coloured  Figures  of  the  Birds  of  the  British  Islands." 


CONTENTS 


CHAP  PAGE 

Lord  Lilford's  Published  Works  .         .         .         .        ix 


Introduction    ........  i 

I.     The  Surroundings  of  Lord  Lilford's  Home.         .  4 
IL     Local  Observation.         .         .         .         .         .         .11 

in.     Ponds,  Paddocks,  and  Aviaries       ....  36 

IV.     Notes  on  Illustrations  ......  90 

V.     Otter  Hunting,  Falconry,  and  Shooting       .         .  98 

VI.     Notes  from  Mediterranean  Journals  .           .         .  146 

VII.     Tributes  to  Knowledge,  Kindness,  and  Sympathies  247 

.Appendix  I        .......         .  272 

Appendix  II      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  293 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Lord  Lilford  in  his  Study Frontispiece 

Fishing  on  the  Nene Facing  page     4 


STUDIES    OF    BIRDS    IN    THE    COLLECTION    AT 
LILFORD    HALL 

The  tame  Lammergeiers Facing  page    32 


The  Pinetum 

Sankey  and  Grip 

Golden  Eagle's  nest  in  the  Aviary 
Trained  Goshawk  on  the  fist  . 
Hobby,  with  leash  and  block  . 

Stanley's  Crane 

Ruffs  fighting 

Flamingoes  in  the  Aviary  pond 
The  Great  Skuas         .... 


Greenland  Falcon 


58 
82 

94 
114 

132 
170 
184 
196 
214 

234 


CORRIGENDUM 

Page  Sj.  Five  lines  from  foot:  for  "are  pendulous,  and 
have  no  aftershaft "  substitute  "are  pendulous 
but  single,  having  no  aftershaft." 


LORD    LILFORD    ON    BIRDS 


INTRODUCTION 

Thomas  Littleton,  fourth  Baron  Lilford,  was  born  in 
1833.  In  1867  he  was  elected  President  of  the  British 
Ornithologists'  Union,  a  position  which  he  held  until  his 
death,  in  1896.  Such,  in  a  word,  is  all  that  need  be 
said  here.  For  this  is  not  a  biography  ;  the  personal 
history  of  the  late  Lord  Lilford  has  already  been 
written  by  one  whose  title  to  the  task  was  clear. 
That  picture,  built  on  the  intimate  memories  of  a 
sister's    affection,    necessarily  stands    alone. 

But  in  the  days  of  his  travels  and  activity,  and  no  less 
in  those  long  years  in  the  chair  of  an  invalid,  Lord 
Lilford  acquired  a  large  store  of  exact  and  absolute 
knowledge,  which  must  needs  have  for  inquirers  in  the 
same  field   a  value   too   great   to  be   missed. 

His,  too,  was  a  keen  enthusiasm  and  a  wide  kindness 
of  heart  ;  his  constant  daily  endeavour  was  to  encourage 
interest  in  living  creatures  and  (quite  humbly  and  simply) 
to  help  others  through  what  he  himself  had  learnt.  The 
more  widely  could  he  have  been  helpful  the  better  would 


2  INTRODUCTION 

he  have  been  pleased.  It  is  in  the  certainty  of  this 
assurance  that  the  letters  have  been  contributed  which 
herein   appear. 

The  present  book  is,  then,  of  Lord  Lilford  as  naturalist 
— as  sportsman  also,  but  primarily  as  naturalist — revealed 
in  his  own  informal  writings.  Entrusted  to  the  Editor's 
hands  with  words  whose  very  graciousness  was  their 
command,  it  has  been  till  now  delayed  ;  yet  a  book  of 
this  kind  may  gain,  perhaps,  not  lose,  in  the  perspective 
that  a  few  years  give.  Be  this  as  it  may,  all  pains  bestowed 
upon  his  task  are  but  an  imperfect  measure  of  the  Editor's 
true  admiration  for  and  grateful  memory  of  this  most 
charming  of   naturalists  and   kindest  of   friends. 

We  should  not  visit  him  at  Lilford  till  we  have  been 
with  him  in  the  Mediterranean  which  was  his  inspiration, 
or  we  shall  miss   the  key  to  his  later  interests. 

For  this  reason  are  given  parts  of  his  old  diaries  when 
abroad.  The  diaries  were  recorded  on  a  yacht,  the  letters 
were  written  with  crippled  fingers  which  scarce  could  hold  a 
pen.  These  strictly  natural  history  extracts  give  necessarily 
but  an  imperfect  impression  of  how  the  letters  really  ran. 
Though  all  spontaneous  and  unstudied,  those  who  received 
them  used  to  think  them  something  more  than  clear  :  they 
seemed  marked  by  a  simple  grace  of  diction  which  gave 
them   a   distinction   quite  their  own. 

Our  duty  has  been  to  pass  on  to  others  a  naturalist's 
thought  and  work,  and  we  have  attempted  nothing  more. 
Yet,    as    one    looks    again    over    these    pages,    one    cannot 


INTRODUCTION  3 

but  wonder  how  much  they  may  also  perhaps  convey 
of  Lord  Lilford's  character  and  personality  to  those  who 
did  not  know  him.  One  cannot  tell  ;  he  was  too  little 
self-conscious  ever  to  pose,  ever  to  attempt  self-portraiture. 
There  were  no  mannerisms,  conceits,  or  eccentricities  to 
seize  upon  for  '  genius '  ;  he  was  a  sane,  single-hearted, 
keen,  accomplished  English  gentleman.  In  all  the  letters 
we  have  had  before  us  he  writes  but  one  thing  of  himself, 
and  with  that  one  thing  we  will  end : — 

"  My  life-history  is  soon  summed  up.  I  have,  I  fear, 
been  an  idler,  devoted  more  to  my  own  amusement  than 
anything  else,  till  I  have  learned,  by  physical  suffering, 
the  lesson  that  the  real  value  of  existence  here  below 
consists  in  the  good  that  we  may  be  able  to  do  for 
others."  ^ 

^  To  Mrs.  Owen  Visger. 


CHAPTER   I 
The  Surroundings  ot  Lord  Liltord's   Home 

The  life  and  work  of  Lord  Lilford  was  to  so  great 
an  extent  inseparably  related  to  his  home,  that  it  seems 
necessary  to  give  some  idea  of  this  from  the  point  of 
view  of  a  visitor. 

The  nearest  town  to  Lilford  of  any  pretensions  is 
Oundle,  which  lies  on  the  Midland  Railway,  about  half- 
way between  Kettering  and  Peterborough  ;  for  Lilford 
is  in  the  north-west  corner  of  Northamptonshire,  on  the 
borders  of  what  was  once  Rockingham  Forest.  It  is  in 
the  valley  of  the  river  Nene,  which,  rising  near  the 
Haddons,  runs  the  length  of  the  county,  and  crosses  the 
junction  of  Lincoln,  Norfolk  and  Cambridge  to  enter 
the  Wash. 

"Ours,"  writes  Lord  Lilford  (August  5th,  i860) 
"  is  a  deep,  slow-moving,  muddy,  weedy  stream,  producing 
pike,  perch,  eels,  roach,  carp,  tench,  dace,  bream,  ruff,  rudd, 
chubb,  bleak  and  gudgeon,  and  very  rarely  a  trout."  ' 

1  To  the  Rev.  Canon  Tristram. 


LORD    LILFORD'S   HOME  5 

And  again  (January   23rd,   1889): 

"  I  never  saw  or  heard  of  a  barbel  in  any  part  of  the 
Nene,  certainly  not  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lilford,  as 
I  own,  more  or  less,  some  twelve  miles  of  river  and 
tributary  brooks  ;  in  my  father's  time  the  river  was 
systematically  dragged  for  the  whole  length  of  our  domain 
in  February  and  March,  and  I  have  bottom-fished  every 
inch  of  it  with  every  variety  of  bait  at  various  times  of 
year  between  1840  and  1888,  and  never  caught,  seen,  or 
heard  of  a  barbel  :  in  fact,  I  believe  that  our  river 
produces  every  English  river  fish  except  barbel,  grayling, 
and  possibly  one  or  two  fishes  of  the  family  Salmonidie. 
Perch  have  perhaps  increased  in  number  in  our  river,  but 
certainly  diminished  in  average  size  very  palpably.  In  my 
early  fishing  days  we  used  to  catch  many  of  2  lbs.  and 
over,  and  3-pounders  were  not  very  rare  ;  but  it  is  quite 
exceptional   now  to  catch  a  perch  of  1  lb."  ^ 

Northamptonshire  is  commonly  spoken  of  as  a  flat  and 
rather  uninteresting  county  ;  but  about  Lilford,  at  any  rate, 
it  is  neither  the  one  nor  the  other.  If  not  conspicuously 
striking,  it  is  characteristically  English,  and  as  such  is 
full  of  charm.  It  is  a  rolling,  almost  a  hilly  country, 
and  is  closely  wooded  with  singularly  fine  timber.  With 
the  botany  of  this  neighbourhood  we  are  not  acquainted  ; 
probably  its  botany  is  not  very  distinctive,  though  henbane 
grows  there  (and  not  only  on  rubbish-heaps).     Bladderwort 

1  To  Dr.  Albert  Giinther. 


6  THE   SURROUNDINGS   OF 

(Utricularia),  too,  is  found  in  a  backwater  of  the  Nene  ; 
and  bladderwort,  as  a  natural;  trap  for  living  organisms, 
gives   interest   to   any   stream. 

The  park  at  Lilford,  though  not  in  reality  very  large, 
appears  to  be  so  ;  for,  by  means  of  sunk  fences  cunningly 
set,  it  merges  insensibly  into  the  surrounding  country.  It 
supports  some  three  hundred  head  of  fallow  deer. 

But  the  glory  of  the  park  is  its  growth  of  trees.  One 
does  not  often  see  in  the  same  area  so  many  noble  trees  of 
different  kinds  as  here.  The  elms — characteristic  Northamp- 
tonshire trees — have  attained  magnificent  proportions,  and 
the  chestnuts,  ash,  beech  and  oak  are  not  far  from  being 
as  fine  as  they  can  be.  The  box  grows  strongly  at 
Lilford  ;  it  appears  to  do  there  almost  as  well  as  on  its 
native  chalk  hills.  It  forms  a  hedge  on  either  side  of  the 
road  that  brings  you  to  the  gates,  and  gives  a  warm  look 
to  the  coverts.  But  a  visitor  to  Lilford,  especially  if  he 
went  late  in  May,  would  probably  bear  away  with  him 
the  memory  of  the  hawthorns  more  than  all  of  these,  and 
he  would  be  right.  In  many  places  in  England,  in  old 
park  and  forest  lands,  thorns  with  larger  boles  may  be 
seen — old  giants  these,  but  commonlv  stunted  and  going 
back.  But  very  seldom  do  thorns  run  up  so  high  as  at 
Lilford,  or  fall  over  from  the  top  so  gracefully,  or  reach 
so  low  and  far  with  the  tips  of  their  fingers,  and  with 
such   a  foam  of  bloom. 

A  country  like  this,  of  hollow  elms  and  old  oak  woods, 
is  always  a  favoured  one  for  tree-loving  birds — though,  alas ! 


LORD    LILFORD'S   HOME  7 

they  are  not  always  protected  with  so  strong  a  hand  and 
such  loving  interest  as  here.  The  hawfinch,  always  a  local 
and  capricious  bird  in  its  choice  of  a  breeding-place,  was 
long  waited  for,  but  nested  here  at  last. 

"Till  the  spring  of  the  year  1870,"  Lord  Lilford 
writes,^  "  we  only  knew  the  hawfinch  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Lilford  as  an  occasional,  and  by  no  means  a  common, 
winter  visitor.  On  April  4th  of  the  year  just  named  I 
observed  some  half-dozen  or  more  of  these  birds  haunting 
the  old  thorn  bushes  on  our  lawn  ;  they  remained  about 
for  some  days,  but  in  spite  of  minute  and  protracted  search 
in  the  most  likely  localities  we  could  not  discover  that  they 
attempted  to  nest  with  us,  and  they  had  all  disappeared 
before  the  middle  of  April.  A  pair  or  more,  however, 
undoubtedly  bred  not  far  off,  for  in  July  and  August  I 
constantly  observed  some  of  the  species  about  our  kitchen 
garden.  In  the  very  severe  weather  of  December,  1870 
and  1 87 1,  we  were  visited  by  very  large  flocks  of  haw- 
finches ;  ai:d  since  the  date  last  named  some  of  these 
birds  have  nested  regularly  about  our  pleasure-grounds,  and 
have  become  only  too  well  known  to  our  gardeners  and 
cottagers  from  their  constant  and  serious  depredations 
amongst   the  green    peas   and   other  vegetables." 

Curiously  enough,  as  against  the  establishment  of  haw- 
finches there  was  a   gradual   falling  off  in  the   numbers  of 

'   The  Birds  of  Northamptonshire,  i.,   185. 


8  THE    SURROUNDINGS   OF 

green  woodpeckers,  a  bird  to  whose  habits  the  district 
was  well  adapted.  This  is  difficult  to  explain,  but  was 
possibly  connected  with  a  recurrence  of  very  severe 
winters,  which  kill  these  birds  in  great  numbers  by 
preventing  them  from  feeding  on  the  ground,  as  they 
are  much  in  the  habit  of  doing.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  lesser  spotted  woodpecker,  in  many  parts  of  England 
regarded  as  rare,  is  at  Lilford  the  commonest  species 
of  the  three  ;  and  Lord  Lilford  has  this  interesting 
note  upon   them  :  '  — 

"  In  the  first  sunny  days  of   February,  and  sometimes 

even    earlier,    the    loud,    jarring    noise    produced    by    this 

species    may    be    heard    amongst    the    tall    elms    and    other 

trees   closely    surrounding   Lilford,   often   proceeding    from 

two  or  three  birds  at  the  same  moment,  and  continued  at 

intervals  from   daylight  till    dusk.      From    long    and    close 

observation    we    long   ago    convinced    ourselves    that    this 

noise    is    a    call,   and    has    nothing    to    do   with   intentional 

disturbance    of   insect    food,    as    has    often    been    supposed 

and  stated ;    nor  is  it   produced,  as  we   with    many  others 

formerly  imagined,   by    the    rapid    vibration   of   the    bird's 

beak    in     a    crack     of    rotten     wood,     but    simply    by    a 

hammering  or  tapping  action  which   the  human  eye  cannot 

follow.       On    a    calm    day,    or    with     a    light,    favouring 

breeze,  the  sound  then  produced  may  be  heard  at  a  distance 

of  quite  half  a  mile,  or  even  more." 

^  The  Birds  of  Northampton  shire,  i.,    271. 


LORD   LILFORD'S    HOME  9 

But,  much  as  Lilford  owes  to  its  woodlands,  it  owes 
still  more  to  the  river  Nene.  This  stream  is  a  direct 
highway  to  and  from  the  sea,  and  by  it  come  many  birds 
to  visit  or  stay  near  Lilford's  coverts  and  park.  Some, 
flying  high  in  air,  follow  it  inland  as  a  clue  when  they 
come  from  over  seas.  Perhaps  the  hobbies  come  that 
way  :  they  appear  in  the  Lilford  woods  about  the  middle 
of  May,  to  lay  their  eggs  in  the  old  nests  of  the  magpie  or 
the  carrion  crow  ;  for  the  hobby  is  a  wise  little  falcon,  and 
waits  for  the  clothing  of  the  woods  in  leaf  to  make 
concealment  sure.  Probably  the  redwings  and  fieldfares 
also  keep  an  eye  on  the  river  when  they  cross  from 
Scandinavia  in  the  autumn,  and  visit  for  food  the  Lilford 
thorns.  Sandpipers  and  curlew  also  follow  the  Nene 
valley  as  they  come  south.  The  river  brings  in  many 
wildfowl,  and  from  time  to  time  an  individual  or  two 
of  an  uncommon  species:  thus,  in  January  1876  sixteen 
Bewick's  swans  came  down  near  Lilford,  and  remained 
for  several  days  ;  while  the  tufted  duck,  pochard,  scaup, 
and   golden-eye    are   on   the   list   of  winter   visitors. 

Apropos  of  the  different  behaviour  of  wildfowl  on  the 
wing,  Lord  Lilford  writes  : ' — 

"  I  noticed  a  peculiarity  in  the  habits  of  this  species 
(the  gadwall)  at  the  sunset  flight  :  whilst  the  mallards 
would  circle  cautiously  several  times  around  their  feeding- 
place   before   settling,  the    teal   come  dashing   in    over    the 

'  The  Birds  of  Northamptonshire,  ii.,    175. 


lo  LORD    LILFORD'S   HOME 

tops  of  the  reeds,  and  the  shovellers  drop  in  quietly  in 
small  parties,  the  gadwalls  came  straight  over  at  a  con- 
siderable height,  and  without  any  preliminary  circumvolu- 
tion, always  turned  suddenly  and  came  pouring  in  from 
the  direction  opposite  to  that  of  their  first  approach." 

These  observations  were  made  while  sporting  in  Epirus. 


CHAPTER  II 
Local   Observation 

The  letters  which  follow  speak  for  themselves.  They  are 
instinct  with  the  spirit  of  the  old  first-hand  observers,  the 
spirit  of  Gilbert  White.  Remarks  on  the  weather,  on  the 
hay  crop,  on  spring  and  autumn  migrations  are  followed 
by  observations  on  particular  birds,  the  success  of  experi- 
ments with  little  owls,  or  encouragement  to  friends  away 
abroad. 

He  was  indeed  the  good  genius  of  every  would-be 
ornithologist,  generously  giving,  out  of  his  great  knowledge 
and  experience,  help  and  information  on  even  the  smallest 
points.  Anybody  who  heard  a  new  note,  found  a  strange 
egg,  saw  a  doubtful  species  ;  anybody  who  had  a  new 
bird  '  fad '  or  a  new  bird  '  cause '  came  to  him.  To 
"  write  to  Lord  Lilford "  seemed  to  such  persons  as 
inevitable  as  to  others  to  "  write  to  the  Times."  And  for 
all  his  shrewdness  of  intellect,  sense  of  humour,  impatience 
with  folly  and  gift  of  satire,  ignorance,  if  the  right 
endeavour  underlay  it,  was  never  rebuffed.  Such  kindness 
brought  him  an  increasing  volume  of  chance  correspondence  ; 


12  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

yet  his  letters  were  always  promptly  answered,  unless  he 
were  absolutely  ill  in  bed.  It  is  wonderful  now  to  look 
back  on  this,  and  having  even  a  very  sinall  fragment  of 
his  correspondence  before  one,  to  reflect  on  the  resolution 
such  work,  so  minutely  and  conscientiously  done,  must 
have  entailed.  As  was  but  natural,  his  most  regular 
correspondents  were  those  who,  like  himself,  were  keepers 
of  birds,  or   naturalists  travelling  in  his  old  haunts. 

''July  itth,  1888. 
"  Birds  of  all  kinds  are  numerous  here  this  year,  but 
at  least  two-thirds  of  a  wonderful  hatch  of  partridges  are 
drowned.  We  have  at  least  three  times  our  usual — very 
small — number  of  swifts,  and  the  small  waders,  lesser  white- 
throats,  willow  wrens,  chifFchafFs,  sedge  and  reed  warblers 
are  in  very  great  force.  The  meadows  are  swarming  with 
landrails."  ^ 

"July  T,ist,  1888. 

"  The  finest  hatch  of  partridges  on  record  in  these  parts 
is  virtually  extinct,  and  a  fiir  hay  crop  has  gone  the 
same  way. 

"  Waders  are  passing  over  every  night,  and  if  the  rain 
goes  on  for  another  week  we  shall  have  many  snipes, 
spotted  rails,  whimbrels,  and  possibly  a  rufF  or  two.  Black 
tern  and  green  sandpiper  have  already  appeared."" 

'  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 
*  To   the  same. 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  13 

"  October  i^th,   1888. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  obliged  to  you  for  yours  of  the  13th, 
and  the  interesting  information  therein  contained,  as  well 
as  for  the  paper  on  the  sand-grouse  in  the  Spurn  district. 

"  I  do  not  know  of  one  of  these  wanderers  having  been 
killed  in  this  county  this  year,  but  I  have  good  authority 
for  the  appearance  in  this  neighbourhood  of  three  together, 
and  two  solitary  individuals.  The  first  of  these  passed 
over  the  head  of  my  informant  within  fifteen  yards,  with 
its  feet  hanging  from  the  weight  of  the  clay  adhering."  ' 

'■'^Bournemouth^   October  3iiY,   i888. 

"  The  first  woodcock  positively  seen  near  Lilford  was 
on  October  i8th,  the  first  grev  crow  on  October  ist. 
Fieldfares,  earlier  than  in  any  previous  record,  on 
September  29Ch.  I  have  authentic  information  of  a  flock 
of  some  twenty  felts  in  Cambridgeshire  on  September  5th. 

"  1  have  heard  of  the  great  crested  grebes  breeding 
on  several  of  the  reservoirs  in  the  southern  division  of 
our  county  for  some  years,  and  latterly  on  a  large  pond 
in  the  northern  division,  and  also  close  to  our  frontier 
in   Rutland."  "~ 

"December  i^th,  1889. 
"  This  has  been  a  very  peculiar  autumn,  in  its  average 
extraordinary    mildness.      We    had    snow    and    a   few    days 
of  sharp   frost   in  many  places,   but   now   foggy    mornings, 

'  To  John  Cordeaux,  Esq. 
^  To  the  same. 


14  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

and  generally  bright,  sunny  afternoons.  I  have  not  heard 
of  any  great  number  of  woodcocks  anywhere,  but  it  has 
been  a  good  autumn  for  visitors  on  the  east  coast.  I 
have  heard  of  redbreasted  fly-catchers,  ortolans,  fire-crest, 
and  several  two-barred  crossbills.  There  was  a  marvellous 
invasion  of  common  crossbills  in  Portugal  and  Andalucia 
in  September  and  October  ;  the  King  of  Portugal  told  me 
that  for  three  days  they  were  passing  over  some  pine 
woods  on  the  coast  where  he  was  shooting,  in  tens  of 
thousands,  and  a  great  many  appeared  in  the  Campo  de 
Gibraltar  at  Seville  and  at  Malaga,  where  they  were 
previously    ail    but    unknown.      There    was   a    great    catch 

of  hawks  at   Valkenswaard,*   but  L tells   me   that  all 

were  small  birds.  A  BufFon's  skua  f  was  picked  up  near 
Lilford  alive  on   November     st  and   sent  to  me."  ' 

"January  dtk,  1891. 

"  I  have  so  far,  by  living  upstairs  in  a  room  with  double 

windows  and  a  very  big  fireplace,  managed  to  keep  myself, 

a   hoopoe,    a     Madeira    blackcap,    and    one    of    the    genus 

Turnix,  J    which   ornithologists   nickname   the  '  Andalucian 

>  To  E.  G.  B.   Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  Valkenswaard— a  village  in  North  Brabant — has  long  been  a 
favourite  place  for  the  capture  of  hawks  when  on  passage,  by  means  of 
decoys  and  a  bow-net.     See  article  on  Falconry  later  on  in  this  book. 

t  Bufifon's  Skua  (SUnorarius  parasiticus).  This  bird  belongs  to 
a  group  of  the  gulls,  known  (from  their  livelihood  being  largely 
gained  by  pursuit  and  robbery  of  other  gulls)  as  '  robber  gulls.' 
Buffon's  is  a  characteristic  Arctic  species. 

\  The  quails. 


LOCAL    OBSERVATION  15 

hemipode,'  in  very  fair  good  health.  Burghley  tells  me  the 
small  fishes  find  it  so  cold  in  the  water  that  they  jump 
ashore,  in  proof  of  which  he  has  brought  me  two  baskets 
full   for  my   piscivorous  birds."  ^ 

"■December  \ith,  1891. 
"  I  should  very  much  like  to  have  your  otter,  but  as 
my  principal  object  in  view  is  a  mate  and  playfellow  for  my 
female,  I  fear  it  would  break  her  heart  to  part  with  him 
again,  so  that  I  must  decline  your  offer  with  many  thanks. 
I  hear  of  very  few  woodcocks  (we  never  have  many)  here- 
abouts, and  singularly  few  snipes.  Our  valley  has  been 
more  or  less  under  water  since  the  middle  of  October. 
We  have  had  a  good  many  ducks,  and,  for  us,  an  unusual 
lot  of  teal.  No  end  of  fieldfares  ;  a  good  many  arrived 
in  September,  about   six   weeks   earlier  than   usual."  ^ 

'■'■February  ilth,  1892. 
"  You  are  doing  better  out  of  this  country  at  present  ; 
for  after  some  ten  days  of  lovely  mild  weather,  with  wood- 
pigeons  cooing,  rooks  building,  and  thrushes  in  full  song, 
on  Monday  last,  15th,  we  had  a  fall  of  six  inches  of  snow 
on  the  level,  and  last  night  the  thermometer  in  our  kitchen 
garden  registered  30  degrees  of  frost.  The  Campo  de 
Gibraltar,  Cork  Woods,  Sierra  del  Nino,  Plaza  de  Levante, 
etc.,  are  delightful,  and  I  am  very  glad  that  you  enjoyed 
your  three  davs  there. 

1  To  the  Rev.  W.  WiUimott. 

2  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade- Waldo,  Esq. 


1 6  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

"  I  am  very  anxious  to  have  some  of  the  marsh  owls 
alive  ;   they  ought  to  be  breeding  now." 

"  May  i^th,  1892. 
"  I  have  only  been  out  of  the  house  once  since  October 
last.  I  am  told  that  most  of  our  spring  birds  are  here  in 
very  unusual  numbers,  and  most  of  them  earlier  than  usual. 
A  pair,  if  not  two,  of  little  owls  have  taken  their  young 
off  safely  at  no  great  distance.  We  have  a  great  many 
hawfinches  nesting  close  to  the  house,  and  a  nest  of  long- 
eared  owl  and  snipe  (both  deserted)  have  been  found  for 
the  first  time  in  my  recollection  in  this  immediate 
neighbourhood."  ' 

'■'■May  2\5t,  1892. 

"  I  have  not  heard  recently  ot  anv  little  owls  *  at  a 
distance,  and  of  no  nests  at  more  than  two  miles  from  this. 
I  am  told  of  two  nests  of  tawny  owls  with  the  young  still  in 
them,  and  we  have  seven  or  eight  barn  owls  sitting.  Can 
you  spare  me  any  young  long-eared  .'  I  want  to  establish 
them  at  large  here. 

"  A  nest  of  little  woodpecker  was  found  on  our  lawn 
yesterday  ;  the  bird  is  common  enough,  but  the  nest  is  very 
hard  to  find.  A  kite  was  identified  on  competent  authority 
about   sixteen    miles   from  us  on    the   2nd,  and   I   hear    of 


1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  The  Little  Owl  {Athene  noctua),  a  Continental  species.      Lord 
Lilford  [see  later]  liberated  at  different  times  many  of  these  birds. 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  17 

a  "gurt  ork"*  (not  a  great  auk)  recently  seen  at   about 
the  same   distance   in   another  direction."  ' 

"  September  6th,  1892. 
"  These  summer  excursions  and  incursions  of  crossbills 
are  very  remarkable  and  unaccountable.  The  crossbill 
{curvirostra)  is  an  exceedingly  rare  bird  in  this  county, 
but  the  way  in  which  hawfinches  have  colonised  our 
neighbourhood  is  a  caution  and  warning  to  gardeners. 
We  always  had,  and  I  am  glad  to  say,  still  have,  great 
numbers  of  goldfinches  in  this  district,  where  agriculture 
has  never  advanced  since  the  Restoration."  - 

"  Oa/>6er  lotk,  1893. 

"  Your  mention  of  the  abundance  of  hawfinches  at 
Rope  Hill  is  to  me  very  remarkable,  as,  although  last  year 
we  had  at  least  ten  or  a  dozen  nests  about  our  lawn  and 
pleasure  grounds,  this  year  we  could  not  discover  one,  and 
the  birds  were,  comparatively,  vefy  scarce  at  pea-time. 

"  With  the  exception  of  redwings,  which  arrived  about 
a  fortnight  earlier  than  usual,  all  our  migrants  are  late  ; 
but  a  great  tide  has  set  in  during  the  last  few  days, 
and  our  beech  trees  are  full  of  travelling  woodpigeons, 
chaffinches,  and  some  bramblings,  whilst  flock  after  flock 
of  pipits,  linnets,  skylarks,  starlings  and  peewits  are 
passing  to  the   S.W.   up  our   valley."  ^ 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 
'  To  the  same. 
'  To  the  same. 
*  Great  hawk. 


1 8  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

Note  from  "  Aviary  Record." 
"January     loM,     1894:     Green    woodpecker    (Gecinus 
viridis)  *    pulling    out    thatch    from    roof    of    schoolhouse, 
Lilford  (Edwards)." 

"December  iTik,  1894. 
"  We  have  scarcely  any  hawfinches  in  our  neighbour- 
hood this  summer,  and  I  have  heard  of  very  few  during 
the  autumn.  Before  1870  we  looked  upon  them  as  very 
irregular,  but  occasionally  abundant  winter  visitors  ;  now 
they  are  sometimes  extremely  abundant  breeders,  and 
scarce   after  the  month   of  September."  ^ 

"January  26th,   1895. 

"  Three  little  auks,  one  of  them  captured  by  a  cat, 
were  brought  to  me  from  this  neighbourhood  the  day 
before  yesterday  ;  two  were  picked  up  in  the  county,  and 
one  of  them  brought  to  me  alive  about  October  13th  ult., 
and    I   heard  of  another   found  just    over   our   frontier   in 

Beds  about  the  same  time.     G.  L tells  me  of  two  in 

the  New  Forest  on  Monday  last.      Doctor    H told 

me  of  the  '  auk-storm  '  on  the  Yorks  coast. 

"  The  only  other  remarkable  birds  that  I  have  heard 
of  as  occurring  recendy  in  Ithis  neighbourhood  are  my 
bimaculated  duck,   or   drake,   on   our  decoy,   on   21st  ult., 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  The  Green  Woodpecker  is  less  of  a  purely  tree  bird  than  our 
other  woodpeckers,  often  seeking  its  food  (ants,  etc.)  on  the  ground. 
This  bird  was  probably  looking  for  insects. 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  19 

three   smews   on   our   river,  near  the  house  last  week,  and 
a  waxwing  female,  shot  at  Brington  on  21st  inst."  * 

''April  2Sth,  1895. 

"  We  had  not  much  snow  here,  but  the  glass  went 
down  to  below  zero  on  several  nights.  I  did  not  hear 
of  many  dead  birds  found  here,  except  starlings  and  a 
few  fieldfares. 

"  We  seldom  have  many  song  thrushes  after  the 
beginning  of  November,  but  two  came  constantly  to  be  fed. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  this  species  has  suffered  more  than 
any  of  our  common  birds.  I  have  only  once  heard  its 
song,  and  I  only  hear  of  some  half-dozen  nests  about  our 
pleasure  grounds,  as  against  a  usual  average  of  twenty- 
five    to   thirty. 

"  I  do  not  perceive  or  hear  about  any  noticeable 
diminution  amongst  our  blackbirds,  but  starlings  and 
robins  are  remarkable  for  their  comparative  scarcity  just 
now. 

"  We  had  a  great  many  fowl  about  the  middle  of 
the  frost — mallard,  wigeon,  pochard,  ten  tufted  ducks,  a 
few  teal,  pintail,  and  three  smews  ;  only  one  small  lot  of 
pinkfooted  (.'')  geese.  The  most  remarkable  ornithological 
occurrences  were  those  of  a  great  northern  diver  that 
was  killed  near  Northampton  in  December,  and  is  now  in 
my    possession  ;    eight  whoopers  *  that  remained    here    for 

^  To  John  Cordeaux,  Esq. 

*  The  Whooper  Swan  {Cyg/ius  ferus),  a  winter  visitor  which  breeds 
in  Iceland. 


ao  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

two    days,    March    i6th-i7th,    and    a    grey-hen    killed    on 
i8th  idr' 

"May  T,rd,  1895. 

"  I  cannot  even  hear  of  an  occupied  nest  of  owl  of 
any  sort  hereabouts.  It  is  true  that  almost  all  our  favourite 
tawny  owl  trees  were  uprooted  in  the  fall  of  March  24th, 
but  we  have  some  left,  and  plenty  of  the  owls.  Here 
three   eggs  is   the   rule,    but   I   have   known  of  four. 

"Our  first  swift  appeared  yesterday,  and  all  our  regular 
spring  birds  are  now  in,  except  turtle-dove,  hobby,  and 
nightjar.  The  clrl  bunting  is  almost  unknown  in  the 
county.      I   remember  seeing  several  one  summer  between 

Southampton    and   Hamble,    and    used    to    see  them 

at  Hythe."  ' 

"April  2ot/!,  1892. 
"  I  take  it  as  most  friendly  and  obliging  of  you  to 
give  me  the  very  welcome  news  of  the  kites'  nest  in 
your  county,*  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  your  most  praise- 
worthy efforts  may  be  rewarded  by  your  having  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  some  seven  or  eight  kites  circling 
in  the  air.  I  wish  there  was  a  chance  of  the  return  of 
this  fine  bird  to  its  ancient  haunts  in  the  great  woodlands 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

2  To  the  same. 

*  The  Common  Kite  {Milvus  ictinus),  once  the  scavenger  of  London, 
is  now  only  just  not  extinct  in  this  country.  Not  many  years  ago 
several  were  wantonly  slaughtered  in  a  Welsh  district,  where  now, 
as  Mr.  Phillips  informs  us,  but  a  single  bird  remains. 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  21 

of   this   country.     I   can   just  remember  the  days  when   it 
was   still   tolerably   common."  ^ 

"January  J3//1,  1893. 
"I    am   much    obliged   to   you  for   yours  of  nth,  and 
am    very   glad    to    have    your    experience    about    the    kites 
remaining    in    Wales    through    the    year  :    this    is    not    the 
case    in    Inverness-shire."  ^ 

"January  ^i\ih,  1895. 
"  I  do  not  think  the  kites  would  drive  away  the 
young  during  the  year  of  their  birth,  but  it  is  quite 
probable  that  they  might  object  to  the  new  building  of 
a  fresh  pair  within  the  limits  of  their  hunting  district. 
In  my  experience  in  Spain  we  seldom  found  a  nest  of 
red  kite  within  a  m.ile  of  another  of  the  same  species. 
The  black  kite,  on  the  other  hand,  we  often  found  in 
small  scattered  colonies  of  half  a  dozen  nests,  perhaps 
within    a    radius    of    500    or    600    yards."  ^ 

"April  25//%,  1895. 
"Thanks  very  much  for  yours  of  the  2ist.  I  am 
very  glad  that  you  enjoyed  your  visit  to  my  beloved 
old  haunts  in  Glentromie  and  Guich  so  much.  We  used 
to  call  the  loch  below  the  lodge,  Loch'n  Sheillach — 
the  Lake  of  the  Willows.  I  grieve  to  hear  of  four  stuffed 
eagles.      All    our    spring    birds    as    yet    arrived    are    pretty 

'  To  E.  Cambridge  Phillips,  Esq. 
*  To  the  same. 
'  To  the  same. 


22  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

well  up  to  their  average  dates.  We  have  a  good  many 
plovers'  eggs  here,  and  a  good  many  from  Green  Bank. 
There  are,  I  am  assured,  two  pairs  of  redshanks 
nesting  in  Achurch  meadow,  but  the  eggs  are  as  yet 
undiscovered.^ 

"  That  hill-fox  hunting  is  not  bad  fun,  and  I  hope 
that  your  party  will  kill  all  of  them,  and  not  send  any 
cubs  south  for  sale  alive.  I  shall  be  very  glad  indeed  if 
you  can  find  a  nest  of  goosanders  *  and  send  me  one  or 
two  eggs  ;  don't  take  them  all.  I  should  very  much 
like  also  some  young  mergansers  alive.  I  suspect  that 
you  will  have  to  watch  very  close  to  find  a  nest  of 
goosanders  among  tree  roots  near  water,  or  in  a  hollow 
tree.^ 

"  Four  golden  plovers  in  full  summer  plumage,  with 
black  waistcoats,  have  been  for  some  days  haunting 
Achurch  and  St.  Peter's  meadow  ;  but  these  golden  plovers 
do  not  lay  till  May,  and  of  course  the  chances  of  their 
doing  so  are  very  small,  f  but  whatever  their  intentions 
may     be,     they     are     evidently     paired,     and     apparently 

1  To  Walter  M.  Stopford,  Esq. 

^  To  the  same. 

*  The  Goosander  {Mergus  /nerganser)  and  the  Merganser  (M. 
serrator)  belong  to  the  tooth-billed  division  of  the  ducks,  i.e.,  their 
mandibles  have  a  saw  edge — a  provision  designed  to  enable  them 
to  catch  the  fish  on  which  they  feed.  They  nest  on  the  lochs  in 
the  north  of  Scotland,  where  the  former  is  by  far  the  rarer  bird  of 
the  two. 

t  The  Golden  Plover  (Cliaradrius  pluvialis)  nests  on  high 
moorlands  and  high,  open  hills. 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  23 

unwilling  to  desert  their  friends  the  peewits.  We 
have  fine  weather,  with  bright  sun,  but  bitterly  cold 
winds. 

"  I  hear  that  the  damage  done  by  the  hurricane  in 
Norfolk  is  a  thousand  times  worse  than  here,  and  it  is 
woeful    enough    here. 

"  If  your  goosanders  are  not  mergansers,  do  all  you 
can  to  find  a  nest,  as  but  few  have  been  found  in  Great 
Britain.  The  mergansers  breed  in  all  suitable  localities  in 
the   Highlands. 

"  The  first  pheasant's  egg  in  the  pens  yesterday  ;  but 
there  have  been   '  wild  '   ones   for  the  last  week   or   more. 

"  Siskins  ought   to   nest   on  Speyside. 

"  The  Bough  ton  keeper  tells  me  of  a  sparrow-hawk 
taking    a    woodcock    there    on    the    9th." ' 

"May  6M,  1895. 
"  A  pair  of  herons  built  a  big  nest  in  Piper's  spinney 
just  above  Braunsea  bridge,  but  they  have  not  yet  laid  ! 
Well-regulated  herons  have  young  on  wing  before  this. 
The  last  arrival  in  spring  birds  was  a  turtle-dove  on  the 
3rd.  All  others  are  in  except  butcher  bird,  hobby  and 
nightjar.  There  are  no  end  of  nightingales ;  very  few 
song  thrushes  ;  numerous  corncrakes  ;  a  good  sprinkling 
of  cuckoos,  tree  pipits,  chifFchafFs  ;  and  more  wood 
warblers    than     I     ever     knew    of    before."^ 

1  To  Walter  M.  Stopford,  Esq. 
^  To  the  same. 


24  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

"June    24th,    1887. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  obliged  to  you  for  your  very 
interesting  letter,  which  reached  me  here  yesterday,  and 
for  the  very  perfect  nest  and  eggs  of  wood  warblers  that 
came  safely  to  hand  this  morning.  The  only  one  of 
my  people  here  who  knows  this  bird  assures  me  that 
there  are  two  pairs  within  a  short  distance  of  this  house 
(they  are  by  no  means  common  just  hereabouts),*  but  that 
he  cannot  find  a  nest.  We  are  not  much  troubled  by 
collectors  in  these  parts,  probably  because  we  have  no 
heaths  or  commons,  and,  as  far  as  is  generally  known, 
no    ornithological    specialities. 

"  We  have  a  fine  crop  of  barn  owls,  but  not  quite  so 
many  tawnies  as  usual.  What  do  you  say  about  the  male 
owls  sitting  in  a  wild  state .?  I  have  known  of  more 
than  one  instance  of  a  tawny  male,  and  scops,  ditto,  shot 
from    the    nest." ' 

"January  21st,   1896. 

"  The  black-throated  diver  recorded  by  me  in  last 
Field  is  the  only  unusual  bird  that  has  occurred  to 
my  knowledge  in  the  district  of  late.  We  had  thousands 
of  fieldfares,  and  our  usual  number  of  redwings  ;  about 
our  average  of  woodcocks  (a  very  small  one),  hardly  any 
snipe,  and  no  wild-fowl  except  mallard,  in  any  number. 
"  The  woodpigeon  malady  of  diseased   primary  feathers 

'  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  Because  the  \\'ood  Warbler  {Phylloscopui  sibilatrix)  is  a  beech- 
loving  species. 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  25 

was  very  noticeable  here,  but  having  devoured  the 
few  acorns,  the  survivors  have  left  us  for  some  time. 
Hawfinches  and   storm  thrushes  have  been  very  scarce."  ^ 

"■August  zrd,  1888. 
"  My  falconer  took  two  very  young  hobbies  *  yesterday 
from  a  big  nest  in  a  tall  oak  tree  about  1 50  yards  from 
that  out  of  which  he  took  three  on  July  28th  in  1886 
and  1887.  The  woodman  averred  that  four  young 
kestrels  were  hatched  in,  and  flew  from  this  year's  nest 
about  six  weeks  ago.  These  two  young  birds  are  the 
largest  that  I  ever  saw  for  their  age  ;  they  are  entirely 
down-clad,  except  tips  of  tail  and  wing  feathers.  There 
was  a  woodpigeon's  nest,  with  two  small  young,  in  the 
same  tree   as   the   hobbies."  - 

"September   6th,  1891. 
"  I    have    had   a  glimpse   of  what    1    believe    to    have 
been  an    osprey  here,   but   I   was  at   the  moment  engaged 
in  a  fight  with   a  pike,   and   the    bird   disappeared    behind 
some  high  trees,  and   I   saw  it   no  more."  ^ 

"  September  ttk,  1892. 
"  I  only  know  positively  of    one  brood  of    little  owls 
hatched  out  this  summer  hereabouts  ;  we  have  every  reason, 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

^  To   the   same. 

^  To  the  same. 

*  The  Hobby  {Falco  subbuteo).  This  little  falcon  is  a  summer 
visitor  to  Britain,  arriving  after  the  appearance  of  the  leaf  on  the 
oak-trees,  in  which  it  usually  nests. 


26  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

short  of  certainty,  to  believe   that  another   lot   have   come 
ofF  successfully. 

"  I    have    a    pair  of   young    bearded  vultures  flying    at 
hack.*"^ 

"June  14M,  1892. 
"  I  had  no  idea  that  there  were  even  three  pairs  of 
ernes  f  now  nesting  in  our  islands  ;  but,  three  or  thirty, 
I  would  subject  people  attacking  them  to  losing  their  right 
hand,  their  left  ears  for  an  osprey,  and  their  noses  for 
a  kite."  " 

"February  20th,  1892. 
"  You  may  be  interested  in  hearing  that  we  have  a  little 
owl  {Athene)  sitting  on  five  eggs  in  a  hollow  tree  not  far 
off.  I  have  turned  out  a  great  many  of  these  birds  during 
the  past  few  years,  and  this  is  the  fifth  nest  of  which  I 
have   had  positive  information."  ^ 

"  December  1  -jth,  1 894. 
"  T B was  here  for  a  few  hours  on  Saturday, 


and  told  me  of  your  redwing-killing    kestrel.       It  is  only 
curious    to    me    that    a   '  raptor '  with    such    comparatively 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

^  To  the  same. 

'  To  E.   Cambridge  Phillips,  Esq. 

*  Young  falcons,  before  being  taken  into  training,  are  allowed  to 
live  at  liberty  so  long  as  they  will  come  regularly  to  take  the  food  placed 
for  them  by  the  falconer.  Thi.s  is  called  flying  'at  hack.'  See  article 
on  Falconry  later  on. 

t  White-tailed  Sea-eagle  {Haliaetus  albicilla). 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  27 

powerful  feet  as  the  kestrel  does  not  more  often  pick 
up  birds  from  the  trees,  bushes,  and  in  air.  Of  course, 
we  know  that  he  takes  a  certain  number  on  the  ground. 
I  have  only  twice  in  my  life  seen  a  kestrel  go  for  a 
bird  with  apparently  murderous  intention  :  *  in  the  first 
instance  at  a  missel  thrush,  which  baffled  him  entirely 
in  a  thick  tree,  and  as  I  believe,  scared  him  off  by  chatter ; 
in  the  second  instance,  curiously  enough  very  near  the 
same  place,  I  was  standing  forward  under  a  fence  about 
up  to  my  shoulder  for  partridges,  and  a  covey  rose  at 
perhaps  five  hundred  yards  from  me  on  a  big  pasture 
field,  and  were  coming  skimming  the  ground  towards  me, 
when  one  of  the  kestrels  that  I  had  noticed  circling  and 
hovering  high  in  air,  shut  its  wings  and  made  a  really 
grand  stoop  at  these  birds  (they  were  hardly  big  enough 
to  shoot),  and  put  the  whole  lot  except  the  old  cock 
(who  came  on  to  me  and  met  his  fate)  into  some  long 
grass  and  rushes.  The  stoop  was  so  fine  that  I  thought 
that  I  must  have  been  deceived  as  to  the  stooper,  but 
there  was   in  fact   no  mistake   whatever   about  it. 

"  Do  your  redwings  suffer  from  the  kestrel  in  the  air  ? 
And  do  you  notice  any  other  birds  taking  the  holly  berries  .'' 
We  have  very  few  hollies  in  this  neighbourhood,  and  I 
cannot  discover  that  any  birds  save  redwings,  and  rarely 
other  Turdi,  even  touch  them."  ' 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  The  Kestrel  or  Wind-hover  {Falco  tiiinuncuhis),  like  the  barn-owl, 
habitually  feeds  on  mice  and  voles. 


2  8  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

"  Septemler  6th,  1891. 
"  With  regard  to  the  hybridisation  of  pigeons.  I 
received  last  spring,  from  a  neighbouring  parson,  a  bird 
that  I  believe  to  be  one  of  the  persuasion  known  as 
'  Antwerp  carriers.'  It  was  caught,  unable  to  fly,  near 
his  house,  and  he,  thinking  it  might  have  escaped  hence, 
let  me  know  about  it,  and  eventually  sent  it  over  to  me 
as  a  present.  It  has  a  metal  ring  round  one  leg,  with  a 
date,  letter  and  number.  After  a  few  days  I  put  this 
bird  into  the  aviary  with  the  Bolle's,  the  laurel  and 
trocaz,*  besides  a  male  stockdove.  This  latter  has  paired 
with  the  carrier,  and  they  are  now  taking  turn  and  turn 
about  on  two  eggs.  I  am  very  curious  to  see  what  the 
produce,  if  there  is  any,  will  be  like.  They  have  been 
sitting  about  six  days."  ' 

"January  \^ih,  1893. 

"  Are    you     quite     satisfied     that    some    of     the    birds 

imported   by  Mr.  H did   actually  come   direct   to  him 

from  Asiatic  Turkey  ?  In  the  only  district  in  .Albania  in 
which  we  found  pheasants,  their  chief  diet  consisted  of 
acorns,  Indian  corn,  hips,  privet  berries,  and  of  course 
insect  food. 

"  The  variety,  not  only  in  size  and  weight  but  also 
in  markings  and  in  habits,  between  grey  partridges  from 
different    parts    even  of   our  own    islands,   is   indeed   most 

'  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  Pigeons  :  Columba  bollii,   C.  laurivora  .Ti:d  C.  trocaz  (see  later). 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  29 

remarkable.  In  Northern  Spain  the  common  grey  partridge 
ranges  up  to  and  breeds  at  5000-6000  feet  above  the 
sea,  and  very  rarely  comes  below  2000  feet.  It  is  a  small, 
dark-coloured  bird  with  nearly  black  legs,  and  is  by  no 
means  common,  Caccabis  rufa  being  the  partridge  of  the 
country."  ^ 

"  /uiie  14M,  1892. 

"  There  is  in  my  opinion  no  harm  whatever  in 
killing  the  old  male  bustards  *  at  any  time  up  to  the 
end  of  IMay,  and  no  excuse  whatever  for  killing 
hens  after  March  ;  but  supposing  that  every  British 
officer  from  Gibraltar  killed  every  bustard  he  shot 
at  between  September  and  May  31st,  I  do  not  think 
that  it  would  materially  affect  the  breed  in  Spain  ; 
for  Andalucia  is  constantly  reinforced  from  Estremadura 
and  La  Mancha,  and  the  natives  really  trouble  very  little 
about  those  birds,  though  they  will  shoot  at  them  or 
at  anything  else,  from  the  nest  or  not,  when  they  get 
the  chance. 

"  If  any  real  harm  is  done  to  the  breed  of  bustards 
in  Andalucia  it  is  in  the  marisma,  where  almost  every 
herdsman  carries  a  gun  and  squirts  at  everything."  ' 

'  To  E.   Cambridge  Phillips,  Esq. 

^  To  the  same. 

*  The  Great  Bustard  {Otis  tarda),  once  an  inhabitant  of  open 
cultivated  and  uncultivated  lands  in  Britain,  now  only  an  irregulat 
visitor  to  this  country,  is  shot  by  '  driving '  on  the  Andalucian 
plains. 


30  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

"  March  12th,  1887. 
"  Are  you  aware  that,  about  the  year  1  808,  a  gamekeeper 
of  the  name  of  Agars,  then  in  the  employ  of  W.  Thos. 
St.  Quintin,  Esq.,  of  Lowthorpe  and  Scampston  Hall 
(Yorkshire),  secured  eleven  great  bustards,  as  the  result 
of  one  shot  from  behind  a  stalking  horse.''"' 

"September  22nd,   1895. 

"  Three  polecats  were  killed  near  this  place  early  this 
year.  I  can  remember  them  nearly  as  common  as  stoats, 
but  of  late  years  we  seldom  get  hold  of  more  than  two 
in  three  or  four  years.  No  marten  has  been  killed  in 
this  county  to  my  knowledge  for  some  ten  or  twelve 
years,  or  for  some  thirty  before  that.  They  used  to 
be  quite  common  some  seventy  years  ago,  in  the  forest  of 
Rockingham." ' 

'■'■December  12th,   1895. 

"With  regard  to  peregrines  about  Salisbury  cathedral, 
I  can  only  say  that  seven  is  a  very  unusual  number  to 
be  seen  together,  but  there  is  no  impossibility  about  it. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  of  the  proposed  arrangement  on 
the  spire  in  favour  of  our  friends,  the  peregrines."^ 

"March  16//7,  1895. 
"  I  knew  that  a  pair  of  peregrines  occasionally  bred  upon 
the  spire  ot  Salisbury  cathedral,  but  I  had   no  idea  that  they 

1   To  W.   H.  St.  Quintin,   Esq. 

^  To  the  same. 

'  To   the    Rev.  W.   Willimott. 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  31 

did  so  regularly,  and  am  delighted  to  find  that  the  good 
dean  takes  such  a  warm  interest  in  them.  It  is  remarkable 
that  the  red-throated  diver  at  Northampton  should  have 
been  considered  as  worthy  of  record  in  the  'Times  and 
Standard,  whilst  the  much  rarer  great  northern  diver 
(killed  in  the  same  neighbourhood)  and  given  to  me  in 
November  last,  passed,  so  far  as  I  know,  without  public 
record    of  any   sort."  ^ 

"December  26tk,  1894. 
"  The  only  ornithological  event  of  much  interest  that 
has  recently  taken  place  in  this  neighbourhood,  to  my 
knowledge,  was  the  capture  on  our  decoy,  a  few  days  ago, 
of  a  most  lovely  hybrid  (male)  between  mallard  and  teal. 
I   never  before  handled  one  of  this  cross."  - 

"■March  ^rd,  1891. 
"  White  and  pied  stoats  are  exceptionally  rare  here,  but 
four  out  of  some  nine  or  ten  of  these  little  beasts,  brought 
to  me  during  the  last  few  weeks,  have  been  more  or  less 
white,  one  very  nearly  quite  white  ;  all  these  varieties  were 
of  the  gentler  sex."  ' 

1  To  the  Rev.  W.  Willimott. 

2  To   the  same. 
^  To  the  same. 

Note. — Mr.  Willimott  writes,  July  wtk,  1896:  "Lord  Lilford  corre- 
sponded with  me  off  and  on  for  some  thirty  years.  I  first  had  the  privilege 
of  meeting  him  when  Robert  Barr  was  falconer  to  the  old  hawking  club, 
when  he  was  fairly  well  and  strong,  and  could  ride  as  well  as  most  of  the 
party." — Letter  to  Hoif.  Mrs.  Dreiuiit. 


32  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

"July  yd,  1890. 
"  Your  young  Cornish  squire,  as  a  protector  of  eagles 
and  falcons,  deserves  to  be  known  and  appreciated  far  and 
wide.  I  rented  a  forest  in  Inverness-shire  for  several  years, 
and  looked  upon  the  golden  eagles  which  bred  there 
annually,  not  only  as  my  good  friends  on  account  of  their 
destruction  of  blue  hares,  which  are  pestilential  nuisances 
in  stalking,  but  also  on  account  of  the  wholesome  dread  they 
inspired  in  the  breasts  of  the  grey  crows,  which  will  follow 
and  mob  the  sea-eagle,  but  sneak  off  the  moor  directly 
a  golden  is  in  sight.  A  young  falcon  was  caught  alive  in 
October  last  on  the  Norfolk  coast,  in  a  shore  net,  and  taken 
uninjured  to  a  friend  of  mine,  who  sent  her  off  at  once 
to  an  ardent  falconer  friend  in  Herts ;  the  latter  immediately 
took  her  in  hand  and  flew  her  at  rooks,  at  which  she  flew 
very  well.  In  April  last  she  sailed  away  and  was  lost,  and 
mirabile  dictu,  was  shot  by  Lord  Coke  in  the  park 
at  Holkham,  not  more  than  a  mile  from  where  she  was 
originally  taken,  within  twenty-four  hours  after  she  was  lost. 
Lord  Coke,  curiously  enough,  sent  her  body  to  my  friend 
who  had  first  received  her  alive."  ' 

^^Bournemouth,  March  nth,   iSgo. 
"  The  bearded  vulture  *  or  Gypaetus  is  to  be  met  with 
in    all  the    sierras   of  Spain,  but    certainly  does   not   breed 

'  To  the  Rev.  W.  Willimott. 

*  The  Bearded  Vulture  {Gyfaetus  barbatus)  ranges  over  lofty 
mountain  chains  from  Portugal  and  Spain  to  the  Himalayas.  For  an 
account  of  Lord  Lilford's  domesticated  pair,  see  Presidential  Address, 
P-  39- 


The  tamk  Lajimergeikrs, 


LOCAL   OBSERVATION  33 

in  the  neighbourhood  of  Valencia,  which  is  more  or  less 
of  a  flat  garden  for  miles.  Poor  Rudolph  was  always  in 
such  a  tearing  hurry  that  he  never  gave  himself  a  chance 
of  becoming  really  acquainted  with  the  birds  of  Spain  ;  of 
course,  as  Gypaetus  does  not  breed  in  colonies,  never  lays 
more  than  two  eggs,  and  is  by  no  means  a  wary  bird,  it 
can  hardly  be  said  to  be  '  common  '  anywhere  in  Europe  ; 
but  my  experience  has  been  to  the  effect  that  a  pair, 
sometimes  two  pairs,  are  always  to  be  found  breeding  in 
Spain,  not  amongst,  but  very  near  to  the  many  colonies 
of  griffons.  I  believe  that  you  will  find  that  all  the 
most  birdy  localities  on  the  Danube,  above  Belgrade, 
are  in  the  hands  of  private  owners,  who,  however, 
especially  in  Hungary,  are  most  civil  and  obliging  to 
English  naturalists.  Let  me  know  if  you  think  I  can 
be  of  any  sort  of  use  to  you."  ' 

''April  i^th,  1888. 
"  I  do  not  remember  to  have  heard  of  golden  eagles 
hatched  in  captivity,  or,  as  far  as  I  recollect,  even  of  their 
laying  eggs  in  those  circumstances.  The  truth,  as  I  am 
firmly  convinced,  is  that  in  these  large  species  of  eagle, 
the  birds  are  not  really  '  mature  '  till  they  have  com- 
pleted their  fifth  or  sixth  year,  and  in  a  wild  state  some 
never  acquire  the  fully  mature  dress,  though  they  may 
live  for  a  hundred  years  ;  and  another  curious  fact  is 
that  a   pair  of   old  eagles    that  have    bred  and    driven  off 

1  To  Col.   H.  Barclay. 


34  LOCAL   OBSERVATION 

their  young  in  one  season,  will  often  pass  a  year  or 
two  in  the  same  locality,  and  use  the  nest  as  a 
resting-place,  without  any  attempt  at  reproduction,  and 
resume  the  process  in  another  season.  I  must  say  that 
I  have  never  seen  anything  more  confirmatory  of  the 
passage  of  small  birds  on  the  backs  of  large  ones,  than 
the  presence  of  enormous  numbers  of  Motacilla  flava* 
amongst  several  hundreds  of  freshly  arrived  storks  in 
South  Spain,  in  1872.  We  saw  this  as  we  went  by 
steamer  down  the  Guadalquivir :  the  wagtails  were  scarce 
till  we  came  down  to  the  spot  upon  which  the  storks 
were  drilling  and  consulting,  and  there  the  little  birds 
were  swarming."  ^ 

"October  ^th,  1889. 
"  I  had  a  letter  two  days  ago  from  the  Crown  Prince 
of  Portugal,  describing  a  marvellous  passage  of  crossbills 
over  a  sandy,  pine-grown  district  on  the  coast  of  that 
country,  where  the  bird  was  previously  entirely  unknown. 
He  says  that  he  and  his  companion  shot  a  hundred  and 
fifty,  and  were  only  deterred  from  shooting  several 
thousands  by  the  fact  that  they  had  butchered  more  than 
they  wanted.  By  the  same  post  I  had  a  letter  from  Seville, 
telling  me  that  there  are  now  large  numbers  in  that 
neighbourhood,  where  hitherto  they  have  been,  to  say  the 
least  of  it,  very  uncommon."  " 

1  To  Dr.  Albert  Giinther. 

'  To  the  Rev.  Murray  Matthew. 

*  The  Blue-headed  Wagtail. 


LOCAL    OBSERVATION  35 

" Decetnber   \^th,    1889. 

"  Did  you  shoot  any  of  the  Hierro  ravens  ?  And  do 
they  in  any  way  differ  from  the  ordinary  type  ? 

"  I  presume  that  Hierro  is  the  least-known  island  of 
the  Canarian  group  ;  from  your  account  it  would  not  be 
a  very  eligible  residence  for  any  length  of  time,  but  in 
my  younger  days  I  would  have  made  acquaintance  with 
those  big  Hzards,*   or  known  the  reason  why."  ' 

I  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  Laceria  simoni.  Simony's  Lizard. — A  very  large  lizard  that  is 
confined  to  a  small  rocky  island — little  more  than  a  rock — off  the 
coast  of  Hierro.  There  are  two  of  these  rocks,  the  Zalmones,  on 
only  one  of  which  the  lizard  lives — viz.,  that  farthest  from  the  shore. 
Owing  to  almost  continuous  surf  it  is  rarely  possible  to  land.  This 
lizard  feeds  on  crabs. 

The  Hierro  raven  i.s  C.  tingiianus,  the  Tangier  raven. — 
E.  G.  B.  M-VV. 


CHAPTER    III 
*onds,   Paddocks,  and   Avdaries 


') 


As  is  well  known,  LilforJ  was  celebrated  during  the  late 
peer's  lifetime  for  one  of  the  most  remarkable — in  some 
directions  the  most  remarkable — collections  of  living  birds 
in  any  private  hands.  Carefully  as  birds  may  be  attended 
to  (and  the  management  of  the  Lilford  aviaries  was 
little  short  of  perfection),  it  is  inevitable  that  in  a  large 
collection  losses  and  additions  must  make  constant  changes 
in  the  list.  But  Lord  Lilford's  presidential  address  to 
the  members  of  the  Northamptonshire  Field  Naturalists' 
Club,  which  follows  here  at  length,  so  admirably  describes 
the  chief  features  of  the  collection  at  that  date,  that  it 
needs  but  a  few  words  of  introduction. 

Lilford  Hall  is  a  dia:nified  and  comfortable-looking 
Jacobean  house,  built  of  grey  Ketton  stone,  and  a  little 
raised  above  the  river  Nene. 

The  hall  door  faces  a  gravel,  balustraded  sweep,  which 
formed  a  favourite  parade-ground  of  the  ravens,  Sankey 
and  Grip.  The  south — the  drawing-room  side — looks  on 
to  a  terraced  lawn,  where  the  falcons  sat  on  their    blocks, 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES        37 

grouped  about  an  old  cedar.  Beyond  this,  and  towards  the 
right,  stretch  other  lawns  and  shrubberies.  Here  was  the 
long  line  of  large  aviaries  devoted  to  waders,  doves  and  other 
birds.  Opposite  these  again,  and  partly  sheltered  by  over- 
hanging trees  and  scrub,  where  Mantell's  apteryx  hid  from 
daylight  and  laid  its  egg,  was  a  large  natural  shallow  pool, 
in  which  flamingoes  waded  and  a  few  wildfowl  swam. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  house  the  ground  falls 
quickly  to  the  river,  and  here,  close  to  the  wall,  was  the 
twisted  beech  tree  in  which  the  ravens  made  their  nest  ; 
and  a  little  farther  on,  the  summer  enclosure  of  the 
elephantine  tortoise  which  it  took  five  men  to  lift. 

Directly  behind  the  house  is  a  wide  courtyard,  about 
which  were  situated  a  variety  of  living  things.  Here  the 
Spanish  bear  lived  in  its  corner  ;  and  close  by  it  the 
pair  of  bonxies,  or  great  skuas  ('robber  gulls')  shared 
a  subdivided  enclosure  with  great  bustards  and  Bewick's 
swans.  In  another  corner  was  the  eagles'  aviary,  and 
near  it  a  long  glass-covered  house,  where  the  lemurs  were, 
and  long  rows  of  cages  containing  beautiful  and  rare 
finches,  blue  jays,  jay-shrikes,  the  grakles,  and  other  birds 
described  in  the  presidential  address. 

On  the  same  side,  but  away  beyond  the  house,  about 
two  acres  of  ground  had  been  completely  enclosed,  and 
were  known  as  the  Pinetum.  It  contained  fine  timber 
trees,  shrubberies,  grass,  and  water,  and  was  entirely  sur- 
rounded with  a  high  iron  fence  and  wire  netting.  This 
netting    was    made    cat-proof    and    fox-proof,    by    splaying 


38        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND   AVIARIES 

the  barbed  wire  top  towards  the  outside,  so  as  to  throw 
back  any  marauding  climber. 

The  great  glory  of  this  large  enclosure  was  the 
collection  of  cranes,  for  such  a  collection  had  almost 
certainly  never  been  got  together  before.  Also  in  this 
paddock  were  the  pelicans.  The  water  was  divided  into 
two  areas  by  a  grass-covered  causeway  which  ran  across 
it,  and  was  a  great  sunning-place  for  the  ducks. 

At  the  sides  of  this  enclosure  were  aviaries  which 
held  several  varieties  of  partridge  and  francolin,  and 
others  in  which  lived  a  wild  cat  and  the  large  dormice. 

So  much  for  the  general  situation  of  the  birds' 
homes.  We  will  now  visit  the  collection  itself  under  the 
only  possible  guide  ;  for  no  memory  of  visits  to  Lilford 
stands  out  like  that  of  the  gentle  master  of  all  '  our 
show  '  (as  he  used  to  call  it),  wheeled  about  among  his 
birds.  Here  one  day  he  halted  to  point  out,  and  very 
cautiously,  a  willow  wren's  nest  in  a  thick  shrub  on  the 
lawn,  built  most  unusually  at  a  height  above  the  ground. 
Presently  he  called  attention  to  a  dark  hole  where  the 
apteryx  was  hidden  with  her  egg  ;  and  soon  he  was 
nursing  in  his  arms  another  apteryx,  which  had  been  taken 
from  its  hiding-place;  for  this  bird  is  so  strictly  nocturnal 
that  you  would  never  see  it  at  all  were  you  not  some- 
times to  extract  it  from  its  chosen   haunt. 

The  following  account  of  the  Lilford  collection  was 
given    by    Lord    Lilford,   as    his    Presidential    Address,   on 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES        39 

the    occasion    of    a    visit    (in    February,    1894)    from     the 
members   of  the   Northamptonshire  Field  Club. 

"  It  occurs  to  me  that,  as  I  have  virtually  recorded,  in 
our  Natural  History  Journal,  all  of  importance  that  I  had 
to  communicate  with  regard  to  the  occurrence  of  birds  in 
Northamptonshire,  and  as,  to  my  very  great  regret,  I  am 
(as  I  long  have  been)  unable  to  occupy  the  presidential 
chair  and  address  the  meeting  in  person,  it  may  interest 
and  amuse  some  of  those  present  to  listen  to  a  few  notes 
upon  some  of  the  inmates  of  our  vivaria  at  Lilford. 

"It  is  probable  that  some  of  those  present  have  already 
visited  Lilford,  and  to  these  I  sorrowfully  announce  that 
my  old  raven,  Sankey,  whom  they  will  remember  as  one 
of  the  most  amusing  of  our  living  creatures,  went  blind 
some  years  ago,  and  died  last  year.  His  companion  of 
later  years.  Grip  by  name,  is  quite  as  amusing,  but  not 
so  familiar  and  sociable  as  the  '  late  lamented,'  whose 
name  he  constantly  repeats,  and  has  apparently  taken  to 
himself  Since  the  death  of  Sankey,  Grip  has  had,  as  a 
mate,  another  raven,  from  Spain,  and  is  rapidly  instructing 
it  in  every  sort  of  mischief  and  '  devilment.'  One  after- 
noon in  November  last,  I  heard  these  ravens  making  a  very 
unusual  clamour  close  in  front  of  the  house,  and  on  looking 
out  of  the  window,  perceived  that  they  had  got  hold  of, 
and  nearly  killed  a  peregrine  falcon  ;  I  sent  out  a  servant, 
who  secured  the  falcon  without  difficulty.  We  found  that 
it  was  an  old  wild   bird    suffering    from  a  sort  of   asthma 


40        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND   AVIARIES 

known  to  falconers  as  the  '  croaks,'  and  somewhat  poor 
in  flesh.  I  would  willingly  have  tried  to  keep  this  falcon 
alive  and  restored  it  to  liberty,  but  the  ravens  had  injured 
it  so  severely  that  it  was  only  common  mercy  to  kill  it. 
How  or  why  it  allowed  itself  to  be  seized  and  worried 
by  its  antagonists  we  can   never  know. 

"  Our  Spanish  bear  will  also  probably  be  remembered 
by  any  who  have  come  to  Lilford  during  the  ten  years 
that  she  has  been  here  ;  I  am  glad  to  say  that  she  is  still 
well,  though  occasionally  subject  to  rheumatism,  resulting 
from  an  injury  to  one  of  her  legs  on  her  journey  to  this 
place.  In  connection  with  this  animal  a  rather  amusing 
incident  occurred  some  years  ago  :  I  was  anxious  to 
provide  her  with  a  companion  of  the  other  sex,  and, 
having  heard  of  several  of  these  in  the  possession  of  a 
dealer,  during  my  absence  from  home  entered  into  nego- 
tiations for  the  purchase  of  a  young  male  bear  from 
Russia.  The  dealer  in  question  accepted  my  terms  without 
sending  me  a  reply,  and  the  next  news  of  the  matter 
that  reached  me  at  Bournemouth  was  a  telegram  from 
Lilford  announcing  the  arrival  there  of  a  female  bear, 
without  any  previous  warning  or  advice  of  despatch. 
Upon  this  I  telegraphed  to  the  dealer,  saying  that  the 
animal  sent  was  of  the  wrong  sex,  and  would  be  returned 
to  him  at  once.  It  will  hardly  be  believed  that  on 
receiving  this  message  my  enterprising  friend  sent  off 
a  second  bear  to  Lilford  without  notice,  and  again  a 
female,    so  that  for  one    night  there  were   three    she-bears 


PONDS,   PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES        41 

on  the  premises !  My  old  bear  is  very  good-tempered 
as  a  rule,  but  on  one  or  two  occasions  has  shown  great 
fury  to  strangers,  without  any  apparent  cause.  She  is 
now  so  accustomed  to  solitude,  as  regards  her  own  species, 
that  I  should  hardly  like  to  introduce  a  younger  and 
weaker  bear  of  either  sex  into  her  company.  It  is  perhaps 
worthy  of  note  that  this  bear  is  particularly  fond  of  the 
leaves  of  the  elm,  but  either  wholly  rejects  or  shows  no 
liking  for  those  of  any  other  of  our  common  trees. 

"  Another  four-footed  lady  at  Lilford  for  whom  I 
am  anxious  to  find  a  mate,  is  the  otter,  caught  some 
years  ago  when  not  half-grown,  near  Warmington,  and 
now  living  in  and  about  a  small  tank  in  our  kitchen 
garden. 

"  My  collection  of  mammalia  is  small  ;  perhaps  to  the 
general  public  the  most  interesting  of  this  order  of  animals, 
now  living  at  Lilford,  would  be  the  ruffed  lemur,  from 
Madagascar,  a  beautiful  nocturnal  animal,  allied  to  the 
family  of  monkeys,  with  fine,  long,  black  and  white  fur. 
Two  collared  fruit-bats  have  been  here  for  some  years, 
but  as  these  beasts  spend  the  whole  of  the  day  hanging 
head  downwards  from  the  top  of  their  cage,  I  can  hardly 
expect  that  the  ordinary  visitor  should  care  much  about 
them  ;  their  bodies  are,  roughly  speaking,  about  the  size 
of  a  moderate-sized  common  rat,  the  outstretched  wings 
would  measure  about  three  feet,  perhaps  more,  from  point 
to  point.  This  species  breeds  annually  in  the  Zoological 
Gardens,  whence  I  procured    my   specimens  ;    it    is    found 


42        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND   AVIARIES 

in  Egypt,  Palestine,  and  Cyprus,  where  it  commits  great 
ravages  upon  dates  and  other  fruit.  I  have  living 
specimens  of  the  four  European  species  of  dormouse,  but 
have  nothing  of  any  general  interest  to  record  about 
them,  except  that  one  species,  known  as  the  '  garden 
dormouse,'  does  not  exhibit  the  drowsy^  tendencies  of  our 
common  English  dormouse  or  the  two  others  of  this 
family  in  the  day-time,  but  is  always  remarkably  active, 
and  ready  to  bite  and  scratch  whenever  handled.  We 
have  during  the  last  two  years  bred  a  good  many  of  the 
exceedingly  pretty  striped  mouse  of  Africa,  known  as  the 
Barbary  mouse,  from  a  pair  procured  for  me  by  a  friend 
in  Morocco.  We  have  not  taken  the  trouble  to  make 
special  pets  of  any  of  these  mice,  but  they  are  not  only 
very  tamable  but  also  capable  of  a  considerable  amount 
of  education  :  a  lady  who  paid  us  a  visit  last  year  brought 
one  of  these  little  animals  with  her,  and  had  taught  it 
to  sit  up  on  a  doll's  chair,  open  a  little  cupboard,  take 
sugar  from  a  drawer,  hold  up  and  drink  milk  or  tea  from 
a  teacup,  sham  dead  at  her  command,  and  perform 
other  tricks  ;  in  fact,  this  mouse  displayed  quite  as 
much  intelligence,  in  his  degree,  as  an  average  lady's 
lap-dog. 

"  Although  we  have  had  many  losses  among  the  birds 
of  prey,  some  of  the  oldest  denizens  of  our  aviaries  are 
of  this  class  ;  in  fact,  the  most  ancient  living  creature  in 
the  collection  is  a  white-tailed  or  sea  eagle,  taken  from 
a  nest  in  the  south  of  Ireland  in  the  early  spring  of  1854, 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES        43 

and  therefore  now  very  nearly  forty  years  of  age.  It  is 
only  of  late  that  she  has  shown  any  signs  of  old  age, 
in  a  certain  lack  of  activity  that  causes  her  to  remain 
much  upon  the  ground  instead  of  perching  ;  but  she  is 
still  in  very  fine  plumage,  and  it  would,  I  think,  be 
extremely  dangerous  for  a  stranger  to  venture  into  her 
compartment.  This  species  of  eagle  has  been  so  persecuted 
and  killed  down  in  its  former  breeding-haunts  in  Scotland 
and  Ireland  that  I  may  say  with  certainty  that  not  more 
than  three  pairs,  at  the  outside,  now  nest  in  the  United 
Kingdom.  A  few  stragglers  visit  our  country  irregularly 
on  passage,  probably  from  Norway,  and  meet  with  no 
mercy,  being,  with  few  exceptions,  shot  or  trapped  at  once, 
and  almost  invariably  recorded  in  the  newspapers  as 
*  magnificent  specimens  of  the  golden  eagle.'  This  golden 
eagle  is  far  more  common  in  Scotland  than  the  sea  eagle, 
but  fortunately  seldom  travels  to  any  very  considerable 
distance  from  its  mountain  haunts.  Northamptonshire  is 
one  of  the  few  English  counties  that  can  lay  claim  to  an 
occurrence  of  the  golden  eagle  within  its  limits,  whilst 
nearly  every  English  county  is  guilty  of  the  blood  of  the 
sea  eagle.  A  very  fine  immature  female  of  this  latter 
species  was  killed  at  Oakley,  near  Kettering,  in  February 
1 891,  and  I  am  acquainted  with  several  other  occurrences 
in  Northamptonshire.  In  my  opinion  there  is  no  sense 
or  reason  in  the  destruction  of  an  eagle  in  our  country 
but  so  long  as  'British  bird-collectors  offer  long  prices  for 
specimens  slaughtered  within  the   limits   of  the   four   seas, 


44        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

every   loafer   with   a   gun   will    very   naturally   shoot   every 
feathered  thing  that  offers  him  a  chance. 

"  Mr.  Cosgrave,*  my  chief  in  charge  of  the  Lilford 
collections,  assures  me  that  the  birds  that  afford,  perhaps, 
most  amusement  to  our  numerous  visitors  are  a  black 
and  a  griffon  vulture,  that  have  been  here  since  1865 
and  1 867,  and  were  both  taken  in  my  presence  from 
their  respective  nests  in  Spain.  The  former  bird  is  a 
female,  and  for  the  last  twelve  or  thirteen  years  has 
annually  made  a  large  nest  and  laid  from  one  to 
three  eggs.  Since  the  griffon  (of  whose  sex  I  am 
uncertain)  has  been  in  the  same  compartment  with  this 
black  vulture,  it  has  annually  taken  a  share  in  making 
the  nest,  and  displayed  quite  equal  ferocity  on  the 
approach  of  human  visitors.  The  first  egg  is  generally 
laid  during  the  first  week  of  March.  As  I  considered  the 
pairing  of  these  two  birds,  though  extremely  improbable, 
as  not  entirely  impossible,  I  have  once  or  twice  left  the 
eggs  in  the  nest,  but  although  assiduously  incubated  by 
both  birds,  they  have  invariably  proved  infertile.  How- 
ever, for  months  after  the  eggs  have  been  removed,  the 
black  vulture,  when   any  one  approaches   the   front  of  the 

*  Clementina  Lady  Lilford  writes  :  "  Richard  Cosgrave  entered 
Lord  Lilford's  service  as  falconer  and  keeper  of  the  aviaries  in 
November  1893.  His  intelligence  and  his  interest  in  birds,  increa.sed 
by  constant  friendly  intercourse  with,  and  instruction  from  Lord 
Lilford,  soon  made  him  a  most  valuable  and  reliable  assistant, 
and  one  whose  unfailing  devotion  and  trustworthiness  were  deeply 
appreciated  by  his  employer." 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES         45 

compartment,  goes  through  a  variety  of  most  grotesque 
antics  that  provoke  the  most  stolid  of  visitors  into  roars 
of  laughter,  and  must  be  seen  to  be  believed  in — at  all 
events  I  should  be  extremely  puzzled  to  do  them  adequate 
justice  with  pen  and  ink.  During  this  performance  of 
its  companion  the  griffon  vulture  frequently  assumes  very 
absurd  attitudes  of  defiance,  possibly  of  admiration,  but 
does  not  take  any  very  active  part  in  the  '  show.' 

"  We  have  two  fine  bearded  vultures,  or  lammergeiers, 
one  of  which  (with  a  companion  that  has  died  very 
lately)  enjoyed  complete  liberty  since  its  arrival  here  as 
a  nestling  till  a  few  days  ago,  when  I  was  obliged  to  have 
it  caught  up  and  confined,  on  account  of  very  conspicuous 
breaches  of  decency  about  the  roof  of  the  house  and  our 
flower  garden.  I  extremely  regret  this  necessity,  as  the 
sight  of  these  large  birds  soaring  about  the  place,  generally 
pursued  by  a  cloud  of  rooks,  was  certainly  unique  in 
England,  and  afforded  to  me,  who  am  well  acquainted 
with  the  lammergeier  in  its  native  haunts,  a  constant 
source  of  interest  and  pleasant  memories  of  localities  that 
are  still  to  a  great  extent  unspoiled  by  man.  These  birds 
of  mine  were  very  tame  and  perfectly  harmless  ;  indeed, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  playful  attacks  on  trousers, 
gaiters,  petticoats  and  boots,  I  never  heard  of  any  malice 
on  their  part  towards  any  living  creature.  Their  natural 
food  consists  of  carrion  and  garbage  of  all  sorts,  tortoises, 
and  other  small  reptiles  ;  and  I  hold  the  many  stories 
that    are    current   on   the   Continent,   of  their  carrying   off 


46        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES 

children,    lambs    and    kids,  as  very  nearly,   if   not   entirely 
mythical. 

"  Amongst  the  most  beautiful  of  our  recent  acquisitions 
in  raptorial  birds  is  an  adult  white-bellied  sea  eagle  from 
Australia  :  this  is  the  first  of  its  species  that  I  ever 
possessed,  and  its  strikingly  contrasted  plumage  of  pure 
rich  grey  and  white  render  it  a  very  great  ornament  to 
the  collection.  I  have  many  other  eagles  of  great  interest 
to  myself,  but  not  calling  for  special  notice  in  notes 
intended  for  a  more  or  less  public  meeting. 

"  Of  my  favourite  birds,  the  owls,  I  have  at  this  time 
of  writing  some  twenty  different  species  alive.  I  may 
mention,  as  special  varieties  amongst  them,  a  very  fine 
Nepaul  wood  owl,  a  South  African  eagle  owl,  and  four 
Ural  owls  ;  I  believe  these  birds  to  be  the  only  living 
representatives  of  their  respective  species  now  in  England. 

"  Whilst  on  the  subject  of  owls  I  may  add  that  for 
several  years  past  I  have  annually  set  at  liberty  a 
considerable  number  of  the  little  owl,  properly  so  called 
{^Athene  noctua)^  from  Holland,  and  that  several  pairs  of 
these  most  amusing  birds  have  nested  and  reared  broods 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lilford.  It  is  remarkable  that, 
although  this  species  is  abundant  in  Holland,  and  by  no 
means  uncommon  in  certain  parts  of  France,  Belgium 
and  Germany,  it  has  been  rarely  met  with  in  a  wild  state 
in  our  country.  I  trust,  however,  that  I  have  now  fully 
succeeded  in  establishing  it  as  a  Northamptonshire  bird, 
and    earnestly    entreat     all    present,    who    may    have    the 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES        47 

opportunity,  to  protect  and  encourage  these  birds  ;  they 
are  excellent  mouse-catchers,  very  bad  neighbours  to  young 
sparrows  in  their  nests,  and  therefore  valuable  friends 
to  farmers  and  gardeners.  The  nest  of  this  owl  is 
generally  placed  either  in  a  hollow  tree  at  no  great  height 
from  the  ground,  or  in  vacant  spaces  in  the  masonry 
of  old  buildings.  The  parent  birds  are  very  bold  in 
defence  of  their  young,  and  a  neighbour  of  ours  has  had 
his  hat  knocked  off  by  one  of  these  little  owls  as  he 
passed  near  the  ash-tree  in  which  there  was  a  brood  of 
young — a  fact  of  which  he  was  quite  unconscious.  I 
confess  that  when  this  story  was  originally  told  to  me 
by  a  third  person  I  had  my  doubts  as  to  its  truth,  but 
last  summer  I  had  an  opportunity  of  enquiring  from 
the  aforesaid  neighbour,  who  assured  me  that  not  only 
was  this  story  perfectly  true,  but  that  he  had  been  again 
attacked  last  year,  in  a  different  locaHty,  by  a  little  owl, 
which  no  doubt  had  young  ones  in  the  roof  of  an  old 
church  hard  by.  These  little  owls  are  very  easily  tamed, 
if  taken  in  hand  whilst  quite  young,  and,  besides  their 
taste  for  mice,  are  very  efficient  in  the  destruction  of 
cockroaches  and  other  beetles. 

*'  I  cannot  help  once  more  taking  up  a  text  that  I 
have,  I  fear,  worn  almost  threadbare  already  ;  it  is — never 
destroy  or  molest  an  owl  of  any  sort.  I  consider  all  the 
owls  as  not  only  harmless,  but  most  useful,  and  the  barn, 
white,  or  screech-owl  as  perhaps  the  most  serviceable  to 
man  of  English   birds.      I    think   that   farmers  and   game- 


48        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES 

keepers  have  discovered  that  ui  destroying  owls  they  are 
murdering  their  best  friends,  but  as  long  as  women 
persist  in  disfiguring  themselves  by  wearing  owls'  heads 
and  wings  as  ornaments,  and  dealers  will  give  a  price 
for  these  birds  to  maice  up  into  screens  (for  which  they 
find  a  ready  sale),  so  long  will  the  idiotic  destruction  of 
owls  continue. 

"  To  revert  to  the  collections  at  Lilford,  we  have  a  large 
number  of  caged  birds  of  many  different  species,  amongst 
which  I  may  specially  mention  as  sweet  singers,  a  blue 
rock-thrush  that  we  took  from  the  nest  on  the  coast 
of  Sardinia  nearly  twelve  years  ago,  and  two  of  a  small 
dark  race  of  blackcap  from  Madeira,  that  have  passed 
five  winters  at  Lilford,  and  are  both  singing  in  the  room 
in   which   I  am   now   writing. 

"  I  must  not  forget  the  very  beautiful  Indian  birds 
commonly  known  as  '  shama,'  of  which  I  have  two.  The 
natural  notes  of  this  bird  are  very  varied  and  powerful, 
many  of  them  extremely  sweet,  and  they  readily  imitate 
the  songs  of  other  species,  and  indeed  almost  any  other 
sound  that  they  can  compass.  To  those  of  you  who  care 
about  birds,  and  are  not  acquainted  with  the  shama, 
I  may  say  that  this  bird  is  larger  than  a  redbreast,  to 
which  it  has  a  certain  resemblance  in  shape  ;  but  it  has  a  tail 
longer  in  relative  proportion  than  that  of  our  common 
magpie.  Roughly  speaking,  the  upper  parts  of  the  plumage, 
head  and  throat,  are  glossy  black,  the  breast  of  a  tawny 
orange    colour,    and    the    long    tail    black    and  white.      No 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES        49 

more  charming  cage-bird  than  this  can  be  found  ;  but, 
alas,  it  is  not  very  long-lived,  and  is  very  susceptible 
of  cold   and  damp. 

"  Another  cage-bird  worthy  of  notice  from  its  rarity, 
beauty,  and  pleasant  song,  is  the  so-called  '  Teydean ' 
chaffinch.  The  natural  habitat  of  this  species  is  strictly 
limited  to  a  high  zone  of  the  Peak  of  Teneriffe  ;  it  has 
never  been  met  with  elsewhere.  I  may  briefly  describe 
this  bird  as  considerably  larger  than  our  common  chaffinch, 
and  of  a  general  fine  grey  colour. 

"  I  have  recently  lost  another  bird  of  great  interest  from 
its  rarity,  and  the  locality  from  which  it  was  forwarded 
to  me  :  I  allude  to  the  chestnut-winged  grakle  {^zAmydrus 
tristrami).  This  bird,  the  only  one  of  its  species  that  has 
ever  been  seen  alive  in  this  country,  is  of  a  family  allied 
to  the  starlings  and  crows,  and  was  procured  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  monastery  of  Mar-Saba,  not  far  from 
Bethlehem.  The  monks  protect  and  encourage  these  birds, 
which  become  quite  tame,  and  nest  in  the  caverns  and 
fissures  of  the  cliffs  in  the  gorge  of  the  '  Brook  Kedron  ' 
and  similar  localities  in  Southern  Palestine.  Mar-Saba  is 
somewhat  difficult  of  access,  but  is  frequently  visited  by 
tourists  in  the  Holy  Land,  to  whom  the  bird  to  which 
I  am  referring  is  generally  known  as  the  golden-winged 
blackbird.  Canon  Tristram  tells  us  that  the  male  has  a 
loud  and  melodious  whistle  ;  but  my  bird  was  a  female, 
and  almost  silent. 

"  Amongst    my    most    beautiful  cage-birds  I  must  note 

4 


50        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

two  species  of  South  American  jay,  the  common  blue 
jay  of  North  America,  the  so-called  '  blue  robin '  from 
the  same  country,  the  green  leaf-bird  from  South  India, 
and  a  troupial  from  Brazil. 

"  In  what  we  at  Lilford  specially  designate  as  the 
Aviaries  I  have  a  considerable  variety  of  birds  from  different 
parts  of  the  world.  Amongst  those  most  likely  to  arrest 
the  attention  of  visitors  unlearned  in  birds  are  a  group 
of  avocets,  with  their  curiously  delicate  upturned  beaks, 
their  plumage  of  pure  black  and  white,  and  their  long  grey 
legs  and  half-webbed  feet.  These  pretty  and  interesting 
birds  were  formerly  common  in  certain  parts  of  England, 
and  bred  in  considerable  numbers  upon  the  coast  of  Norfolk, 
but  have  now  become  scarce  from  the  persecution  of  gunners 
and  egg-stealers.  My  avocets  were  sent  to  me  from 
Holland.  We  have  also  several  sea-pies,  better  known 
perhaps  as  oyster-catchers,  and  a  good  many  other  small 
wading  birds,  such  as  curlew,  godwits  of  both  species, 
ruffs  and  reeves,  redshanks  and  knots.  The  antics  of  the 
ruffs  during  May  and  June  are  most  amusing. 

"As  I  believe  that  the  breeding  of  the  wood-pigeon 
in  captivity  is  not  a  common  occurrence,  I  mention  that 
a  pair  of  these  birds  nested  and  laid  four  times  last  year, 
in  the  compartment  of  the  aviary  nearest  to  the  house  at 
Lilford,  and  reared  three  young  birds  to  maturity.  I  have 
a  fine  pair  of  the  wood-pigeon  peculiar  to  the  island  of 
Madeira  (Columba  trocaz),  and  many  of  the  very  beautiful 
crested  doves  of  Australia,  which  breed  freely  in  the  bushes 


PONDS,   PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES        51 

of  the  aviary.  Another  very  brilliantly  plumaged  bird  of 
the  pigeon  family  is  the  green  and  gold  Nicobar  pigeon  ; 
but  this  bird  has  no  attraction,  except  the  brilliancy  of  its 
plumage  ;  it  is  sluggish,  and  often  remains  crouching  under 
a  bush  for  hours  together. 

"  Some  fine  purple  porphyries,  or  water-hens,  with  red 
beaks  and  legs,  are  pretty  sure  to  attract  notice  ;  the  birds 
of  this  family  now  in  the  aviary  are  from  Cochin  China. 

"  We  have  four  species  of  ibis  :  the  brilliant  scarlet  ibis 
from  South  America,  the  black  and  white  sacred  ibis  from 
the  Upper  Nile,  the  Australian  ibis  that  very  closely 
resembles  it,  and  a  small  flock  of  the  European  glossy 
ibis.  These  last-named  birds  were  sent  to  me  from  Spain  ; 
and  it  may  amuse  some  of  you  to  hear  that  in  the  winter 
of  1892  I  sent  out  a  list  of  birds  to  an  agent  in  Seville, 
who  has  for  some  years  been  in  the  habit  of  collecting 
live  birds  for  me.  In  making  out  this  list,  I  wrote  opposite 
to  the  Spanish  name  of  the  glossy  ibis  (which  is  not  in 
most  seasons  a  very  common  bird  in  Andalucia),  two 
Spanish  words  that  might  be  liberally  translated  as  meaning 
'  a  good  many.'  My  amazement  may  be  imagined  when  I 
inform  you  that,  in  June  1893,  I  heard  from  my  agent 
aforesaid  that  he  had  ninety-five  of  these  birds  awaiting 
my  orders  !  I  told  him  that  I  did  not  want  more  than 
twenty  or  thirty  at  the  outside,  but  he  nevertheless  shipped 
sixty  of  them  from  Gibraltar,  all  of  which  were  landed 
alive  and  in  good  condition  in  London,  and  twelve  of 
them    forwarded    to    Lilford.       These    birds    have    a    very 


52         PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES 

peculiar  habit  of  taking  the  sun  by  elevating  one  wing 
to  its  full  extent  towards  the  sky  and  drooping  the  other 
to  the  ground,  in  an  attitude  that  I  have  never  seen  in 
any  other  bird. 

"  In  the  central  division  of  the  aviary  are  a  small  flock 
of  Alpine  choughs,  very  active  and  noisy  birds,  with  black 
plumage,  yellow  beaks,  and  red  legs.  Many  of  this  species 
have  nested  and  laid  eggs  in  their  compartment,  but  in 
the  few  instances  in  which  the  eggs  have  been  hatched 
out,  the  parent  birds  have  entirely  abandoned  their  young 
after  the  first  or  second  day.  I  have  had  many  of  that 
beautiful  sp-^cies,  the  red-legged  or  Cornish  chough,  but 
although  they  thrive  well  in  complete  liberty  I  have  found 
it  impossible  to  keep  them  in  health  in  the  aviary  for 
any  length   of  time. 

"  Other  most  lively  and  amusing  inmates  of  this  part 
of  the  aviary  are  the  nutcrackers — rare  and  irregular 
stragglers  of  the  crow  family  to  our  country,  but  common 
enough  in  many  of  the  forests  of  Central  and  Northern 
Europe  ;  these  birds  in  their  native  haunts  commence  laying 
in  March,  whilst  the  snow  still  lies  deep  upon  the  ground. 
Whether  from  this  or  some  other  cause,  it  is  comparatively 
speaking  only  of  recent  years  that  the  eggs  of  the  nut- 
crackers have  become  generally  known  to  ornithologists, 
and  I  had  offered  a  high  price  for  the  living  bird  to  English 
and  foreign  dealers  for  thirty  years  before  I  could  obtain 
even  one  of  them.  During  the  last  few  years  I  have 
been    offered    many    more    of  these    birds    than   I   require. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES        53 

The   seeds  of  various  coniferous  trees,   especially  those  of 
Pinus  cemb)-a,  are  the  favourite  food  of  the  nutcracker. 

"  The  farthest  division  of  the  aviary,  divided  into  three 
compartments,  I  have  devoted  principally  to  aquatic  birds, 
amongst  which  a  small  group  of  flamingoes  are  perhaps 
the  most  remarkable,  not  only  from  the  beautiful  roseate 
colour  of  the  upper  parts  of  their  wings,  and  their 
extravagantly  long  necks  and  legs,  but  also  from  the 
extraordinary  and  apparently  unnatural  positions  that  they 
constantly  assume.  On  one  occasion  a  damsel  who  visited 
the  flamingoes  with  a  large  party,  on  seeing  these  birds, 
was  heard  to  exclaim  to  her  mother  :  '  Oh  !  Ma,  do  just 
look  at  these  great  geese  ;  wouldn't  they  just  make  fine 
giblets .'  '  We  have  never  put  the  necks  of  these  birds 
to  culinary  use,  but  the  flesh  of  their  bodies  is  tolerably 
good  eating,  and  there  is  a  tradition  to  the  eff^ect  that 
their  tongues  were  considered  as  great  delicacies  by  the 
epicures  of  old  Rome.  I  have  seen  many  acres  of  marsh 
thickly  covered  by  flamingoes  in  Southern  Spain,  and  the 
efl^ect  of  the  rising  or  setting  sun  upon  a  dense  flock  of 
these  birds  on  wing  is  indescribably  beautiful,  giving  at  a 
distance  the  efi^ect  of  a  floating  roseate  cloud. 

"A  pink-headed  duck  from  India,  in  this  part  of  the 
aviary,  is  one  of  the  rarest  birds  in  my  collection  ; 
during  my  forty  years  of  live  bird  collecting  I  have 
only  obtained  three  of  this  species.  The  present  survivor 
is  a  female,  and  by  no  means  a  handsome  or  conspicuous 
bird.      A    small    flock    of   marbled    ducks    from    Spain   are 


54        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

worthy  of  notice  as  exceedingly  rare  in  living  collections, 
though  common  enough  in  Andalucia  and  North-west 
Africa.  Perhaps  the  most  beautiful  of  the  web-footed 
birds  in  this  portion  of  our  aviaries  are  the  Japanese 
teals  ;  but  with  these  little  ducks,  as  indeed  with  almost 
all  others  of  the  duck,  family,  we  have  been  grievously 
disappointed  in  our  hopes  of  nests  and  eggs  ;  in  fact, 
in  the  case  of  the  two  last-mentioned  species,  I  am  not 
aware  of  the  production  of  even  a  single  egg.  We  have 
a  fine  pair  of  the  blue  wavy  or  white-necked  goose  from 
North  America,  and  of  the  white  snow-goose  from  the 
same    country. 

"  In  the  central  aviary  will  be  found  two  very  beautiful 
species  of  small  herons,  the  little  and  the  bufF-backed 
egrets.  My  specimens  came  to  me  from  Spain,  but  the 
latter  bird  is  also  very  abundant  in  Egypt,  and  is  con- 
stantly pointed  out  by  the  guides  to  British  tourists  as 
the  sacred  ibis  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  a  bird  that  has 
for  many  years  been  almost  unknown  in  Lower  Egypt. 
These  egrets  are  most  adroit  fly-catchers,  and  my  birds 
feed  themselves  to  a  great  extent  on  these  pests  during 
the  summer  months.  I  have  at  this  moment  a  dominican 
gull  that  has  been  here  for  more  than  twenty  years,  and 
has  reared  several  broods  of  young  hybrids,  produced  by 
a  cross  with  the  common  British  herring  gull.  An 
Australian  thick-knee,  or  stone  curlew,  is  a  very  great 
favourite  with  us,  from  its  tameness  and  quaint  attitudes  ; 
this    is    a    handsome    bird,    considerably    larger    than    the 


PONDS,   PADDOCKS,   AND   AVIARIES        55 

thick-knee  or  stone  curlew  of  this  country,  with  a 
delicately  contrasted  plumage  of  various  shades  of  brown 
and   buff,   and   brilliant   yellow   irides. 

"  In  the  courtyard,  in  a  wired  enclosure  adjoining  the 
domicile  of  the  bear,  are  two  of  the  great  skuas  {Stercorarius 
catarrhactes\  a  dark-coloured  bird  of  the  gull  family  ; 
these  birds  were  sent  to  me  from  the  island  of  Foula, 
in  Scotland,  which  island  is,  with  the  exception  of 
one  other  locality  in  the  same  group,  the  only  British 
breeding-place  of  this  species. 

"  A  few  years  ago  an  enterprising  youth  at  Birmingham 
issued  a  circular  proposing  the  formation  of  a  syndicate, 
whose  members  should  invest  various  sums  as  shares  in 
a  fund  to  enable  the  advertiser  to  visit  the  Orkney  and 
Shetland  Islands  to  collect  birds'  eggs,  the  plunder  to 
be  divided  according  to  the  respective  amount  of  sub- 
scriptions. The  eggs  of  the  great  skua  were  specially 
mentioned,  as  likely  to  be  the  most  valuable  result  of 
this  looting  adventure.  In  the  interest  of  birds  in  general, 
and  of  this  bird  in  particular,  I  at  once  sent  the  circular 
above  mentioned  with  an  indignant  protest  to  the  editor 
of  the  Times  ;  Mr.  Wilson  Noble,  IVI.P.  for  Hastings, 
with  whom  I  had  no  acquaintance  or  correspondence, 
did  the  same,  and  a  strong  leading  article  on  the  subject 
of  the  destruction  of  rare  birds  appeared  in  the  "Times 
simultaneously  with  these  communications.  The  result 
of  all  this  was  that  the  editor  of  one  of  the  leading 
papers    in    Birmingham    received    an    evening    visit    from 


56        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

the  author  of  the  circular,  who,  in  fear  and  trembling 
and  dread  of  incarceration  in  the  Clock  Tower  at 
Westminster,  begged  that  his  advertisement  might  be 
withdrawn  from  circulation,  and  confessed  that  it  was 
only  a  scheme  to  obtain  funds  for  a  private  holiday 
excursion    to    the    North    for    egg    collecting. 

"  These  skuas  were  sent  to  me  in  charge  of  a  native 
of  Foula,  a  small  island  that  lies  at  some  eighteen  miles 
distant  from  the  mainland  of  Shetland.  This  individual 
had  never  seen  a  tree  worthy  of  the  name  till  he  took  the 
train  from  Aberdeen  on  his  way  to  Lilford  ;  and  although 
he  spoke  excellent  English,  was  evidently  of  pure 
Scandinavian  descent,  and  to  me,  as  a  naturalist,  more 
interesting  even  than  the  birds  that  he  brought  with 
him.  The  proprietor  of  Foula,  who  sent  me  these  skuas, 
is  very  anxious  to  protect  the  breeding  birds,  but  the 
high  price  offered  for  their  eggs  by  unscrupulous 
collectors,  often,  I  fear,  proves  too  great  a  temptation 
to  the  tew  inhabitants  of  this  rocky  and  unproductive 
island.  The  old  skuas,  or  '  bonxies,'  as  they  are  called 
in  Shetland,  are  very  powerful  and  courageous  birds, 
and  in  defence  of  their  young  will  attack,  not  only 
eagles  and  other  birds  of  prey,  but  also  any  four-footed 
animal,  and  even  human  beings.  They  live  principally  by 
robbing  other  gulls  of  their  prey,  and,  as  I  was  assured 
by  the  Shctlander  before  mentioned,  frequently  catch  and 
devour  the  smaller  gulls  themseh-es  ;  for  this  purpose 
their    sharply  curved    claws    are    well    adapted. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES         57 

"  In  the  enclosure  next  to  the  skuas  is  a  group  of 
great  bustards,  from  Spain,  all  birds  of  last  year.  This 
fine  species,  as  most  of  you  are  probably  aware,  was 
formerly  well  known,  and  not  uncommon,  as  a  resident 
in  various  parts  of  England,  notably  in  the  open  districts 
of  Norfolk,  Suffolk,  the  downs  of  Sussex,  Hampshire 
and  Wiltshire,  and  the  wolds  of  Yorkshire  ;  but 
enclosure,  high  farming,  and  the  increase  of  population 
have  driven  the  bustards  away,  and  in  England  nowadays 
we  are  only  occasionally  visited  by  a  few  stragglers,  that 
very  rarely  escape  the  fate  of  all  uncommon  birds.  In 
Spain  the  great  bustard  is  still  very  numerous,  and  is  not 
much  molested  by  the  natives,  who  do  not  esteem  its 
flesh  highly  ;  yet  a  young  bustard  is,  in  my  opinion, 
excellent  for  the  table,  and  even  the  old  males,  which 
not  infrequently  weigh  30  lb.,  can  be  made  into 
first-rate  soup.  From  the  nature  of  the  country  that 
they  inhabit,  and  their  exceeding  wariness,  these  birds 
afford  most  exciting  sport.  On  this  subject  I  cannot 
do  better  than  refer  any  of  those  present  who  may 
be  interested  in  sport  or  natural  history  to  a  work 
entitled  I'Vild  Spain  by  Messrs.  Abel  Chapman  and 
W.    Buck. 

"In  conclusion  of  our  round  of  inspection  at  Lilford, 
we  next  come  to  what  no  doubt  will  prove  to  ornitholo- 
gists the  plum  of  the  collection,  in  an  enclosure  in  the 
park  behind  the  house  known  as  the  Pinetum.  Here 
we  have    a    pond  with   various    species    of    ducks    and    a 


58        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES 

pair  of  crested  pelicans,  taking  their  pleasures  thereon  ; 
but  the  main  interest  centres  in  the  large  collection  of 
that  very  graceful  family,  the  cranes.  Till  within  a 
month  ago  I  was  the  proud  possessor  of  specimens  of 
all  this  family  save  one,  the  wattled  crane  of  South 
Africa  ;  but,  alas  !  my  three  beautiful  Stanley  cranes 
all  drooped  and  died  within  a  week,  leaving  a  lamentable 
gap  in  the  beautiful  group.  The  rarest  of  these  cranes 
is  the  hooded  crane  from  Japan  (Grus  monachus)  ;  and 
unfortunately  the  only  individual  of  this  species  that  I 
have  been  able  to  obtain  broke  a  leg  last  summer,  but 
is  in  perfect  health  ;  this  is  not  a  very  striking  bird, 
either  in  colour  or  size,  when  compared  with  other  cranes. 
In  my  opinion  the  very  acme  of  bird  beauty  is  reached 
by  the  Manchurian,  or  sacred  crane  of  Japan,  which  is 
so  commonly  represented  in  Japanese  paintings  and 
embroidery  ;  and  I  think  that  the  great  white  crane 
of  North  America  comes  as  a  very  close  second  in 
elegance  of  shape  and  grace  of  movement.  But  all  the 
cranes  are  beautiful — from  the  stately  sarus  of  India, 
which  reaches  to  a  height  of  six  feet,  down  to  the 
demoiselle,    of   about    the    size    of    a    thin    goose. 

"  Before  leaving  the  Pinetum  I  must  relate  an 
occurrence  in  connection  with  birds,  that  amused  me  vastly 
at  the  time,  and  may  raise  a  smile  now.  A  visitor  to 
Lilford,  who  evidently  took  a  great  interest  in  our 
birds,  was  just  leaving,  when  he  suddenly  turned  to  his 
conductor   and   said  :    '  By  the   way,    I   saw  in   the  papers 


The  Pinetum. 


In  Ihe  foreground  a  Wattled  and  a  Crowned  Crane.       Behind,   from  left  to  right,  a  Stanley  and  a 
Sams  Crane,  a  Black  Stork  and  African  Pelicans. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES        59 

some  time  ago  that  Lord  Lilford  had  given  a  very 
long  price  for  an  egg  of  the  great  auk.  I  trust  that 
he  was  successful  in  hatching  it.'  To  those  present  who 
are  aware  that  the  great  auk  has  been  virtually  extinct 
in  this  world  for  some  fifty  years,  the  humour  of  this 
inquiry    is   apparent. 

"  I  have  this  moment  received  a  telegram  informing 
me  that  an  egg  of  the  great  auk  was  sold  by  auction 
in  London  this  afternoon  for  three  hundred  guineas." 

The  greater  number  of  the  letters  which  follow  were 
written  to  a  correspondent,  himself  a  most  successful 
breeder  of  birds.  Like  Lord  Lilford,  he  placed  the 
owls  among  his  first  favourites,  and  had  for  years 
successfully  bred  the  eagle  owl  of  Europe  [Bubo  maximus), 
and  had  been  also  very  fortunate  with  the  snowy  owl 
(Nyctea  scandiaca)  and  many  other  species.  Hence  the 
constant  references  to  owls.  This  gentleman  was  spending 
many  successive  winters  in  the  Canary  Islands,  and  because 
of  his  thorough  and  admirable  work  done  there,  came 
justly  to  be  the  acknowledged  authority  on  the  birds  of 
those  islands. 

But  though  their  letters  do  not  here  appear,  Lord 
Lilford  had  correspondents  in  many  European  countries, 
and  men  whom  he  set  to  find  him  birds. 

It  is — not  v,'ithout  its  side  of  pathos — delightful  to 
think  of  this  kind  naturalist,  sitting  in  his  study  (his 
hand,    so  to  say,  on  the  ornithology  of  Europe),  spinning 


6o        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES 

the  threads  which  wove  into  such  interesting  and  valuable 
results,  the  blue  rock-thrush  and  the  little  Madeira 
blackcap  singing  by  his  chair  the  while. 

"June  2i,th,  1887. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  some  buzzards  have  flown, 
and    hope    that    the    Montagus  *    may    do    likewise. 

"  I  grieve  to  say  that  all  the  nests  and  young  birds 
in  my  aviaries  with  one  or  two  worthless  exceptions 
came  to  grief  this  year.  The  Alpine  chough  hatched 
three  young,  but  after  feeding  them  assiduously  for 
several  days  suddenly  gave  up  all  care  of  them,  and 
my  man  failed  in  his  efforts  to  bring  them  up  by  hand. 
The  eagle  owl's  eggs  were  bad — went  rotten  as  they  do 
with  me  three  times  out  of  four.  The  tawny  owl  ate 
the  only  young  one  hatched. 

"  I  am  much  obliged  for  your  offer  of  the  young 
eagle  owls,  but  I  have  no  room  for  them.  I  will  try 
to     place     them     for     you     if    you    wish     to     dispose    of 

them.     I    should    think    that    the   Duke    of   \V ,    who 

encourages  eagles  and  almost  all  wild  birds  on  his  forest, 
would  like  to  try  the  experiment  of  turning  out  these 
grand   birds. 

*  In  reference  to  the  nesting  of  the  Common  Buzzard  {Buteo 
vulgaris)  and  Montagu's  Harrier  {Circus  cineraceus)  in  Hampshire. 
Both  these  fine  and  interesting  birds  endeavoured,  with  varying 
success,  through  many  years  to  bring  off  their  young.  But  in  spite 
of  the  most  energetic  efforts  to  protect  them,  it  is  found  difficult  to 
evade  the  collector  of  BrHish-\.2ik^n  eggs. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES        6i 

"  The  polecat  ferrets  are  first-rate  ratters,  but  are  rather 
big  for  the  job.  I  have  not  found  them  particularly  savage. 
If  your  young  badgers  are  not  too  old,  you  will  find  that 
by  keeping  a  good-tempered  young  dog  or  two  with  them, 
and  never  allowing  them  to  hide  themselves  up  in  the  day, 
they  will  become  as  tame  and   playful  as  otters."  ^ 

"June  2\th,  1888. 

"  I  congratulate  you  on  your  tame  shrike  :  I  lump 
together  all  the  great  grey  shrikes,  L.  major,  L.  excubitor, 
L.  nieridionalis,  L.  algeriensis,  L.  lahtona.  All  grey  birds 
have  a  tendency   to  isabellinism  under  a  hot   sun  and   dry 

surroundings.      T ,  S ,  D ,  and    others    would, 

if  they  could,  make  species  of  the  sun  and  moon."  " 

''August  24M,    1888. 

"  I  am  no  '  chattist,'  and  do  not  know  Pr.  borbonica 
at  all.  I  write  entirely  without  book,  and  of  course 
know  nothing  of  the  habits  and  voice  of  your  bird,*  but 
being  a  '  lumper  '  am  at  present  induced  to  look  upon  it 
as  a  good  race,  or  sub-species  of  Pr.  rubkola — quite  as 
good  though,  as  a  species,  as  Parus  britannicus,  P.  Cypriotes, 
and  many  more."  ' 

I  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 
^  To  the  same. 
•*  To  the  same. 

*  A  true  stonechat   {Fratincola  dacotUe),  pecuHaf  to  the  island  of 
Fuerteventura,   in  which  island  even  it  is  very  local. ^E.  G.  B.  M-W. 


62         PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

"July  28//4,  1 888. 
"  I  have  very  great  pleasure  in  offering  for  your 
acceptance  two  Lapp  owls  (6".  lapponicum),*  of  which  species 
I  received  ten  young  birds  last  night  from  Helsingfors, 
with  two  of  »S'.  uralense,  eight  S.  ulula,  and  five  S. 
tengmalmi.  If  these  two  last  lots  thrive,  I  could,  and 
should  be  glad  to  send  you  one  or  two  of  each."  ^ 

"July  T,ist,  i888. 

"  Alas  !  I  wrote  to  you  in  the  first  exultation  of  the 
receipt  of  the  owls  that  arrived  late  at  night.  I  was  not 
able  on  account  of  the  incessant  rain  to  get  out  to  see  them 
on  Saturday,  but  seized  an  interval  between  showers  on 
Sunday  to  be  wheeled  round  to  inspect  them ;  and  am  sorry 
to  say  that  all  of  the  Lapp  owls  have  evidently  been  taken 
from  the  nests  much  too  soon,  and  with  one  or  two  excep- 
tions, have  one  wing  broken,  besides  a  good  deal  of  cramp 
and  general  debility.  Two  of  them  drowned  themselves 
in  a  shallow  pan  ;  of  the  eight  left,  I  fear  that  I  must  lose 
one.     The  others  are  all  flourishing  and  as  tame  as  can  be. 

"  P.S. — It  has  not  rained  for  nearly  two  hours,  and 
I  have  just  been  to  look  round.  The  Lapps  have,  with 
one  exception,  improved  immensely  since  Sunday  on  warm 
rats   and  rabbits.     I   do  not  know  that  any  of  these  owls, 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  One  of  these  Lapp  Owls  given  me  by  Lord  Lilford  in  i888  is 
still  alive,  September  1902,  and  in  perfect  health;  it  is  a  male,  and  has 
always  had  one  stiff  wing.  These  Lapp  owls  are  the  only  individuals 
of  the  species  that  have  ever  been  imported  into  Britain. — E.  G.  B.  M-W. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND   AVIARIES        63 

except  Tengmalm's,  have  been  seen  alive  in  England 
before  ;  certainly  S.  uraknse  has  not.  The  hawk  owls  fly 
to  hand,  and  feed  thereon.  I  am  quite  certain  that  they 
might  be  trained  to  take  young  rabbits  and  rats." ' 

"August   2()tk,    1888. 

"  These  Lapps  were  evidently  taken  too  young  from 
the  nests,  and  no  doubt  were  hustled  and  crowded  in 
panniers  on  their  journey  by  pony  and  boat  to  Helsing- 
fors  from  the  breeding-place.  I  believe  that  you  will 
find  a  brail  very  useful  ;  we  put  brails  on  the  whole  lot 
when  they  first  arrived,  and  all  the  survivors  are  very 
much  improved.*  My  experience  is  rhat  all  these  wood 
owls  eat  but  little  at  a  meal,  comparatively  speaking,  but 
require  a  good  deal  of  food  before  the  first  moult.  I 
have  a  very  rare  and  beautiful  large  wood  owl  from 
Nepaul  {S.  newarense)  that  came  to  me  in  the  down  three 
years  ago,  and  is  now  one  of  the  finest  birds  that  I  ever 
saw  in  captivity.  During  the  first  months  of  his  sojourn 
here  he  would  devour  a  whole  full-grown  rabbit  during 
the  twenty-four  hours,  but  never  more  than  two  or  three 
mouthfuls  at  a  time  ;  now  a  small,  young  rabbit,  or  two 
or  three  little  roach  suffice  him  for  the  day,  and  I 
notice  much  the  same  thing  with  the  downy  owl  (.S". 
perspicillatum)  from  S.  America."  ^ 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 
^  To  the  same. 

*  A  brail  is  a  strip  of  leather  with  which  falconers  confine  one  wing 
of  a  hawk  so  that  it  cannot  be  moved. 


64        PONDS,   PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES 

''April    ibth,   1889. 

"  The  poor  fellow  who  sent  me  the  consignment  of 
Scandinavian  owls  last  year  died  about  three  months  ago, 
and  I  heard  this  morning  from  his  widow  that  all  the 
owls  in  that  part  of  Finland  have  failed  this  year,  many 
old  birds  having  been  picked  up  dead,  many  young  found 
dead  in  the  nests,  and  endless  rotten  eggs  in  abandoned 
nests.  In  fact,  I  gather  that  out  of  fifty  nests  only  one 
contained  living  young,  and  those  in  such  a  weakly  state 
that  the  finder  would  not  take  them.  I  fancy  this 
account  refers  chiefly  to  the  hawk  owl  (5.  funerea)  and 
Tengmalm's  (6".  tengmalmi)  and  in  a  less  degree  to  the 
Lapp  owl  {^S.  lapponicum),  but  I  have  asked  for  further 
details."  2 

"  October  2nd,  1889. 
"  I  have  had  a  long  letter  sent  to  me  in  Swedish  by 
the  widow  of  the  poor  fellow  who  procured  the  Scandina- 
vian owls  for  me  last  year,  written  to  her  by  her  cousin, 
who  was  the  main  agent  in  finding  and  forwarding  the 
birds  from  Lapland.  He  attributes  the  failure  of  the 
owls  this  year  to  the  death  of  small  rodents  and  snipes, 
caused  by  the  protracted  snows.  I  imagine  that  by 
'  snipes '  he  means  small  waders  of  all  kinds,  which  of 
course  would  be  prevented  from  nesting  in  the  morasses 
of  Scandinavia  by  snow  lying  on  their  usual  feeding- 
grounds.     It  would    seem     that    last    year    there    was    an 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  MeadeWaldo,  Esq. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES        65 

unusual  abundance  of  all  small  rodents  in  those  parts, 
though  this  writer  does  not  specially  mention  the  lem-^^ 
mings.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  of  the  death  of  your 
Lapp  ;  my  two  survivors  are  doing  well.  I  believe 
that  one  of  them,  if  it  lives,  will  become  pure  white ; 
they  have  both  developed  a  very  curious  note,  some- 
thing like  the  rapid  half  bark,  half  growl  of  a  little  deep- 
voiced  beagle  puppy.  My  three-toed  woodpecker  *  only 
lived  for  about  a  fortnight,  though  he  fed  on  ants' 
eggs,  hard-boiled  egg  and  breadcrumbs,  flies,  gentles, 
etc.,  and  tapped  vigorously  till  the  end.  The  grey- 
headed one  was  at  the  point  of  death,  but  has  entirely 
picked  up  again ;  he  has  been  put  into  a  large  den, 
and  liberally  supplied  with  great  clods  of  earth  containing 
ants'  nests. 

"  I  have  had  many  hoopoes ;  they  became  absurdly 
tame,  but  I  do  not  think  it  possible  to  keep  them  through 
the  winter  in  this  country,  except  by  letting  them  fly  in 
a  sanded  room  in  a  temperature  of  70° — 80°. 

"  I  have  two  young  rollers,t  tailless  but  healthy,  very 
jealous  of  each  other  and  quarrelsome  ;  one  of  them  is 
quite  tame."  ' 

1  To  E.  G.   B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  Picoides  tridacfylus.  A  Continental  species  not  on  the  British 
list. 

t  The  Roller  (Coracias  garrulus),  a  bird  allied  to  the  woodpeckers 
and  kingfishers,  is  a  straggling  visitor  to  Britain.  It  is  nearly  the 
size  of  a  jackdaw,  and  is  wonderfully  coloured  in  chestnut  and  many 
shades  of  clear  blue. 

5 


66        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES 

"Bournemouth,  February  ii^th,  1889. 
"  The  quail  is  a  partial  resident  in  all  countries  in 
which  it  is  found,  certainly  in  the  British  Islands  and 
Spain,  Greece  and  North  Africa.  We  have  had  some 
sharp  spells  of  frost,  then  about  ten  days  of  bright, 
mild  weather,  birds  singing  and  some  of  them  nesting, 
then,  during  the  last  week,  a  tremendous  snowstorm. 
Snow  never  lies  here,  but  I  hear  of  eight  inches  at 
Lilford  and  six  in  London  ;  and  in  Holland  dams  have 
burst  and  flooded  great  extents  of  country.  Now  we 
have  a  cold  and  pouring  wet  thaw.  I  heard  of  two 
whoopers  yesterday  at  Lilford.  The  death  of  Rudolph, 
of  Austria,  is  a  very  great  loss  to  ornithology,  and  one  of 
the  most  shocking  tragedies  I  ever  heard  of.  I  knew 
him  slightly.  Every  one  is  full  of  those  never-to-be- 
sufficiently-condemned  county  councils,  and  the  most 
shameful  persecution  of  the  Bishop  of  Lincoln.  I  fear 
that  the  Columba  bollii  *  that  you  were  good  enough  to 
give  me  are  all  cocks,  as  I  do  not  hear  of  any  sign  of 
their  pairing  or  nesting.  In  fact,  two  of  them  set  upon 
and  bullied  the  third  to  such  an  extent  that  they  had  to 
be  separated.  I  have  some  interesting  desert  birds  alive 
here  in  the  shape  of  two  thick-billed  larks  {Ramphocoris 
clot-bey')  and  an  Algerian  horned  lark  {Otocorys  bilopha). 
They    came  from    Oran    to    the    Zoological    Gardens    with 

*  Bolle's  Pigeon  {Columba  bollii),  a  true  wood-pigeon,  confined  to 
the  virgin  laurel  forests  of  the  Western  Canary  Islands,  its  natural 
food  being  solely  the  fruit  of  these  trees. — E.  G.  B.  M-W. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND   AVIARIES        67 

some  trumpeter  bullfinches.     If and are  not  kept 

in  permanent  quarantine  or  put  into  the  presidio,  pray 
greet  them  cordially  and  tell  the  former  that  he  shall 
drink  a  bottle  of  old  port  that  he  knows  of  at  Lilford 
for  every  courser  that  he  brings  to  me  alive.  (I  have 
only  nine  bottles  left,  but  this  need  not  limit  his  endea- 
vours.) What  enemies  beside  man  have  the  houbaras  *  in 
Fuerteventura  .'  Are  there  any  predatory  wild  mammalia  ^ 
"  I  had  a  sharpish  touch  of  the  enemy  some  two 
months  ago,  but  am  now  fairly  well.  I  have  not  been 
out  of  the  house  for  more  than  ten  weeks.  I  wish  that 
you  could  send  us  some  of  the  Canarian  air  in  stone 
bottles  at  (.'')  per  dozen."' 

"April  \6th,  1889. 

"  Am  greatly  obliged  for  the  female  titmouse,  and 
still  more  so  for  the  two  young  bollii,  which  came  to  me 
from  the  Zoological  Gardens  this  evening.  I  had  already 
put  a  supposed  pair  of  C.  bollii  into  the  aviary,  where 
they  seem  to  be  perfectly  happy  and  contented,  but  have 
as  yet  shown  no  signs  of  wishing  to  nest.     The  titmouse  f 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  The  Houbara  Bustard  (Otis  iindiilaia)  is  an  African  species,  which 
occasionally  visits  Andalucia.  It  is  considerable  smaller  than  the 
Great  Bustard  {O.  tarda)  (for  which  see  Presidential  Address,  p.  39), 
and  with  one  other,  Macqueen's  Bustard  {O.  macqueent),  is  distinguished 
by  a  ruffed  neck. 

t  Parus  palmensis,  a  new  species  of  blue  tit,  with  a  white  breast, 
peculiar  to  the  island  of  La  Palma ;  it  is  almost  entirely  contincd 
to  the  pine  forest.— E.  G.  B.  M-W. 


68        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

has  already  been  figured  for  the  Ibis,  to  my  mind  most 
indifferently.  The  pair  of  Canarian  chaffinches  [F.  tintillon) 
are  real  beauties,  and  very  pleasant,  cheerful  birds  ;  if 
they  thrive  through  the  winter  I  think  that  there  is  little 
doubt  but  that  they  will  nest." 

"/line  ird,  1889. 

"  I  shall  greatly  value  the  eggs  of  courser*  that  you 
are  good  enough  to  spare  to  me.  I  should  say  you  would 
find  an  old  courser  easier  to  keep  alive  than  young  ones. 
I  presume  that  these  birds  feed  principally  upon  coleopterous 
insects  and  small  mollusca,  and  if  so,  would,  I  should 
think,  readily  'train  off'  upon  flies,  cockroaches,  and 
shreds   of  boiled   or   raw  liver  or   other  lean   meat  thrown 

to  them  upon  sandy  ground.     F kept  a  courser  alive 

from  the  end  of  August  till  November  at  Tangier  on 
grasshoppers,  after  that  on  the  larvae  of  beetles  ;  he  kept 
the  one  alive  from  August  1851  till  October  1859,  when 
he  was  forced  to  leave  Tangier,  and  found  that  it  had 
died  before  his  return  thither  in  April  i860.  This  bird 
laid  thirty-two  eggs,  and  supplied  many  European  collectors, 
but  not  your  present  correspondent. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  are  right  about  the  male 
houbaras  helping  in  the  rearing  of  their  young.  I  sup- 
pose that  this  sub-genus  is  not  polygamous,  as  the  great 
bustard,    to    a    certain    extent,    certainly    is.       I    am    very 

*  See  note  on  p.   203. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES        69 

glad  you  have  well  established  your  new  chat  by  finding 
its  nest  and  eggs.  Your  new  titmouse  sounds  a  good 
thing  also. 

"  All  the  blue  and  ultra  blue  tits  are  rather  difficult 
to  keep  ;  but  the  best  chance  is  to  give  them  flies, 
mosquitoes,  gnats,  oven-dried  ants  and  their  eggs,  and  any 
sort  of  small  caterpillar.  Perhaps  as  good  a  plan  as  any 
would  be  to  give  them  a  growing  tree  or  shrub  with 
free  access  for  the  Aphides,  upon  which  I  think  our  tits 
principally  feed  in  summer.  The  Spanish  tits  make  very 
free  with  the  cochineal  bug.  The  best  seed  is  crushed 
sunflower  and  reed  seeds,  but  no  seed  is  good  for  tits 
for  a  continuance."  ' 

"Bournemouth,  December  i<)th,  1889. 

"  I    have   three   of   Curruca   heinekeni  alive,    sent  home 

last  year   to   me   from    Madeira   by  Dr.  G .     They  are 

charming  little  birds,  and  all  sing  well.  I  have  one  of 
them  here  at  my  side  as  1  write.  Is  it  a  fact  that  no 
one  has  seen  a  female  of  this  race  .''  You  probably  know 
the  Madeira  myth  that  these  birds  are  hatched  from 
every  fifth  egg  laid  by  S.  atricapilla. 

"  Another  race  of  Parus  in  such  a  limited  group  of  islands 
as  the  Canaries  is  very  singular  and  interesting.  It  is  most 
kind  of  you  to  promise  me  some  specimens  of  this  and 
a  male  of  T.  palmensis — you  have  the  best  of  good  right 
to  propose  a  scientific  name  for  this  new  discovery. 

'  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 


70        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES 

"  I  have  a  beautiful  white-necked  crane  alive  here, 
Grus  leucauchen  from  Japan,  and  at  Lilford  one  of  the  still 
more  rare  hooded  cranes  {Grus  monachus)  from  the  same 
country,  the  second  that  has  come  to  Europe  alive."  ' 

"  January  isl,  1891. 

"  We  have  had,  and  are  still  having,  the  most 
severe  spell  of  frost  and  snow  that  I  ever  remember, 
the  temperature  varying  from  10°  to  26"  of  frost  at 
night  for  the  last  three  weeks,  and  on  several  occa- 
sions as  low  as  20°  at  noon.  This  will  no  doubt 
account  for  your  wigeon,  and  probably  for  the  large 
migration  of  buzzards  also.  I  seldom  read  of  more  cold- 
blooded atrocity  than  what  you  tell  me  of  the  ancient 
Canarian  and   the  sitting   partridges. 

"  My  birds  have  been  suffering  dreadfully  during  the 
long  frost,  but,  curiously  enough,  it  is  the  northern  birds 
that  have  suffered  the  most.  1  have  lost  four  snowy 
owls,  and  have  no  male  bird  left.  My  nutcrackers  are 
dying  daily,  yet  all  the  Canarian  survivors  are  flourishing. 
One  of  the  laurels  *  has  paired  with  a  Bolle  male  and  laid 
two  eggs  ;  one  was  broken,   but  she  now  sits  assiduously 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  Canarian  Laurel  Dove  {Columba  laurivora),  a  very  fine  wood- 
pigeon,  found  only  in  certain  very  precipitous  forests  in  the  islands 
of  Gomera  and  La  Palma  (Canaries).  It  differs  much  from  the  true 
Wood  Pigeon  in  its  habit  of  spending  most  of  its  time  on  the  ground. 
Its  food  consist  principally  of  the  fruit  of  the  Til-tree  {Orsodaphnce 
fxtens)  and  the  vinatigo  (JPersea  indka). 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES        71 

on  the  other,  and  I  have  separated  the  BoUe  and  put 
him  with  the  other  laurel.  I  keep  all  the  pigeons  indoors 
in  a  temperature  of  from  50" — 6f,  and  so  far  they  have 
done  well.     I  may  say  the  same  of  all  the  houbaras. 

"  I  think  that  the  Teydean  chaffinches  (F.  teydea)  are 
very  hardy,  but  I  do  not  expose  them  to  the  open  air 
in  this  fearful  weather.  My  Madeira  blackcaps  are  in 
full  song,  and  the  trumpeters  *  are  all  well.  My  wife's 
pet  bullfinch  was  constantly  bullied  by  his  mate  till  a 
merciful  Providence  removed  her.  I  then  gave  him 
a  male  F.  teydea  for  company,  and  they  have  become 
fast  friends  and  both  as  tame  as  birds  can  be. 

"  This  severe  weather  has  driven  no  end  of  wildfowl 
in  upon  our  eastern  and  southern  coasts,  but  I  hear  of 
very  {&\v  varieties.  Some  great  bags  of  woodcocks  have 
been  made  in  Ireland  ;  here  we  have  nothing  really 
uncommon."  ^ 

"■April  20th,  1 89 1. 
"A  bittern,  one  of  four,  in  a  sort  of  shed  cage  in 
our  courtyard  here,  visible  to  frequent  passers  at  all  hours 
of  the  day,  has  twisted  some  straw  into  the  semblance  of 
a  nest,  and  laid  an  egg,  upon  which  she  sits  steadily,  and 
allows  herself  to  be  stroked  with  perfect  equanimity. 
She  is  one  of  two  procured  in  1889,  and  has  apparently 
paired  with  a  young  bird   of    1890,  as  her    original    com- 

1  To  E.  G.   B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  The  Trumpeter  Bullfinch  {Erythrospiza  githaginea). 


72         PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES 

panion  got  to  be  very  nasty,  and  was  always  bullying  the 
others." ' 

"April  2r)th,  1891. 
"  You  will    be   glad    to  hear   that  one    of    the  bitterns 
sits  steadily  upon  four  eggs  in  courtyard."  ° 

"May   Mt,   1891. 
"  The  bittern  now  sits  steadily  upon  five  eggs." '" 

'May  list,  1891. 
"  Alas,  all  the  bittern's  eggs  were  addled,  and  I  am 
greatly  disappointed.  I  have  four  bitterns,  and,  never 
dreaming  of  their  laying,  kept  them  in  a  sort  of  shed, 
previously  inhabited  by  badgers,  in  our  courtyard,  where 
people  are  constantly  passing  with  horses,  carriages  and 
dogs,  that  the  birds  might  become  tame."* 

"December  i-Tt/i,  1891. 
"  I  have  four  little  bitterns  doing  well,  but  in  my 
eyes  the  gem  of  my  live  stock  now  is  a  great  black 
woodpecker,  in  splendid  condition  and  perfectly  tame. 
Two  broods  of  little  owls  were  reared  in  this  neighbour- 
hood last  summer.  Reeves's  pheasants  did  excellently  well 
in  this    county,  but   would  not    stay   in   my   coverts,  so    I 

>  To  W.  H.  St.  Quintin,  Esq. 

*  To  A.  Thorburn,  Esq. 
^  To  the  same. 

*  To  W.  H.  St.  Quintin,  Esq. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES        73 

gave  up  rearing  them  ;  they  are  bad  birds  to  bring  up 
to  a  flushing  point,  and  very  fond  of  going  back  ;  they 
wander    immense    distances     in     single    file    and    run    for 


"May  T,rd,   1893. 

"  I  shall  be  much  interested  in  hearing  of  any  success 
with  the  water-shrews.  I  should  suggest  waiting  till  they 
have  young,  digging  out  the  nest,  and  putting  it  with 
the  young  into  a  "  live  "  mouse  trap. 

"  Do   you   care   for  any  British  bats  alive  ? " " 

"April  21st,  1893. 
"  About  harvest  mice  :  I  have  kept  many,  and  have 
five,  recently  received  from  Surrey,  in  the  room  from  which 
I  am  writing.  I  have  found  that  the  best  way  to  keep 
them  for  observation  is  in  a  large  glass  jar,  such  as  they 
pickle  snakes  and  fishes  in  at  South  Kensington.  I  put 
a  perforated  zinc  top  upon  this  and  give  reeds  or  straws 
for  the  mice  to  scramble  up  and  amuse  themselves  with. 
It  would  be  well  to  have  a  removable  zinc  bottom  or  tray 
to  facilitate  cleaning  and  feeding.  The  cage  that  Groom 
made  for  me  was,  if  I  remember  rightly,  not  for  mice 
but  bats.  I  cannot  say  that  I  ever  had  much  luck  with 
my  harvest  mice,  as  they  have  a  nasty  habit  of  eating 
each  others'  tails,  and,  as  1  suppose,  finding  these  palatable, 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

2  To  the  Editor. 


74        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES 

of  killing  and  devouring  one  another.  I  have  found 
this  to  be  the  case  even  when  I  had  only  a  pair 
together. 

"  The  only  animal  of  the  shrew  family  that  I  ever 
attempted  to  keep  was  a  Spanish  trumpet  shrew  {Mygale 
pyrenaicum),  and  he  declined  all  food,  and  died  in  a  day  or 
two  ;  but  no  doubt  the  thing  is  to  be  done,  and  I  should 
suggest  some  arrangement  of  the  nature  of  a  small 
aquarium."^ 

''April  2stk,  1893. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  any  variety  in  food  would  alter 
the  vicious  propensity  in  the  harvest  mice  ;  I  used  to 
give  my  former  captives  of  this  species  meal  worms, 
flies,  moths,  beetles,  besides  their  usual  food  of  wheat,  in 
grain  and  green,  and  every  sort  of  garden  produce.  I 
may  mention  that  my  present  lot  were  sent  to  me  by 
my  old  friend  F.  H.  Salvin  (of  whom  you  probably  know 
something),  from  his  place  near  Guildford.  With  per- 
forated zinc  tops,  I  do  not  think  you  need  fear  any 
condensation  in  glass  cases  ;  I  only  use  the  jar  to  have 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  harvesters  run  up  and  down 
the  stem's  of  seed  and  long  grasses. 

"  I  think  that  your  sexual  theory  in  re  harvest  mice 
is  very  likely  correct,  but  I  do  not  pretend  to  pronounce 
positively."  ° 

iTo  the  Editor. 
^  To  the  same. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES        75 

"May   ist,  1893. 

"  Expect  two  '  Barbarians  '  *  to-morrow,  they  were  bred 
here  in  October   last. 

"  I  trust  that  the  pink-foots  at  Hollcham  will  pull  off 
a  legitimate  brood,  but  geese  are  given  to  illicit  amours. 
A  white-fronted  female  on  my  pond,  in  spite  of  having 
an  apparently  healthy  male  of  her  own  species  in  com- 
pany, last  year  took  up  with  a  bean  gander  and  brought 
three  goslings  into  the  world,  but  unfortunately  only 
one  of  them  survived  the  process  of  pinioning.  He 
is  a  splendid  bird  now,  all  '  bean,'  except  a  white- 
fronted    patch,  t     At    last    we    have     a     nice    sprinkle    of 


"■June  2-i,7-d,  1893. 

"  You  may  be  interested  to  hear  that  I  received  three 
young  great  black  woodpeckers  (P.  marlius)  last  night, 
and  that  I  have  two  last  year's  lammergeiers  (Gyp:  barbatus) 
flying  about  at   complete   liberty.      We   have,  thank  God,^^ 

1  To  the  Editor. 

*  Barbary  mice  {Mus  barbarus). 

t  Of  the  three  species  of  wild  goose  mentioned  here  the  Whitefronted 
(i.e.  white  forehead)  Goose  (A/iser  albifrons)  is  a  winter  visitor  to 
Britain.  Its  principal  breeding  quarters  are  in  Arctic  Russia.  The 
Bean  Goose  {A.  segetmn),  which  breeds  also  in  Arctic  Russia,  and  in 
Novaya  Zemblya  and  in  Scandinavia,  likewise  comes  to  us  in  winter. 
The  third  species  of  grey  goose,  to  which  reference  is  made  by  Lord 
Lilford  as  'pink-foots,'  is  the  Pinkfooted  Goose  {A.  brachyrhynckus), 
which  breeds  in  Iceland  and  Spitsbergen,  but  apparently  not  in  the 
district  named  above. 


76        PONDS,   PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

had   a  steady,  soft   rain   of  some  eight    hours'  duration    in 
the  past  night,  and  there  are  signs  of  more  to  come."  ^ 

"July  2nd,  1893. 

"  Two  of  the  young  black  woodpeckers  are  doing 
well  on  a  diet  of  ants'  eggs  and  wasp  grubs,  of  which 
latter  we  have  a  superabundant  supply  this  year.  I 
have  kept  Gecinus  viridis,  G.  canus,  P.  mariius,  P. 
leuconotus,  P.  major,  P.  tridactylus,  and  the  golden- 
winged  pecker  of  N.  America,  but  I  cannot  say  that  any 
have  done  really  well  with  me  except  P.  major  and  the 
last  named.  With  all  the  others  there  is  a  great  difficulty 
in  training  them  ofF  insect  food,  but  P.  major  takes 
readily  to  various  fruits,  chopped  meat,  crushed  hemp 
seed,  and  hard-boiled  eggs.  The  young  black  wood- 
pecker only  differs  from  the  adult  in  having,  in  both 
sexes,  the  whole  of  the  crown  scarlet.  A  friend  of  mine 
came  to  us  the  other  day  direct  from  a  visit  to  the 
Fames,   and  reported  very  full,  breeding  colonies. 

"  My  infirmities  have  prevented  me  from  seeing  the 
Zoological  Gardens  since  1884,  but  1  hear  woeful  accounts 
of  the  condition  of  many  of  the  living  animals  there.  I  fear 
that  financial  '  tightness  '  has  something  to  do  with  this. 

"Your  story  of  Syrnium  cinereum  is  most  interesting.* 

1  To  the  Editor. 

*  This  refers  to  the  securing  of  a  Great  Grey  Owl  {Syrnium  cinereum) 
in  North-West  Canada,  by  the  simple  ruse  of  hiding  in  the  grass, 
squeaking  like  a  rat,  and  throwing  forward  a  brown  cloth  cap.  The 
owl  stooped  at  this,  seized  it,  and  was  shot  as  it  was  carrying  it  off. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES        77 

I  wish  that  you  would  publish  it,  or  allow  me  to  do  so. 
I  have  no  acquaintance  with  this  species,  but  have  a  fine 
pair  of  his  near  relations  (6".  lapponicum)  here  since  1888." 

"July   d,fh,    1893. 

"  AH  the  woodpeckers  mentioned  in  my  last  may  be 
kept  in  fairly  good  health  tor  some  months,  especially  if 
taken  when  adult,  but  they  generally  go  wrong  iji  the  moult. 

"  There  are  many  recorded  occurrences  of  P.  martius 
in  our  islands,  but  not  one  has  been  satisfactorily 
authenticated,  and  specimens  are  not  infrequently  to  be 
found  in  Leadenhall  Market,  sent  over  with  consignments 
of  Scandinavian  game,  capercaillie,  willow  grouse,  black- 
game,  hazel   grouse,  etc. 

"  I  am  very  sure  that  your  grey  owl  adventure,  with 
date  and  locality,  would  be  welcomed  by  the  editor  of 
the  Zoologist,  if  not  by  him  of  the  Ibis.  At  all  events, 
if  you  do  not  care  to  send  it  yourself,  I  should  be  most 
happy  to  do  so  on  your  authority."  ' 

'■'■August  20th,  1893. 
"  Snipes  at  this  time  of  year  live  to  a  great  extent 
on  gnats  and  other  small  flying  insects,  and  the  maggots  that 
they  find  in  the  dung  of  cattle  and  sheep.  I  have  very 
frequently  found  the  fragments -of  shells  of  mollusca  in 
them  at  all  times  of  the  year.  In  my  opinion  a  snipe  is 
hardly  eatable  before  November. 

1  To  the  Editor. 


78        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

"  I  have  a  common  gull  that  was  picked  up  in  a 
perishing  condition  some  three  years  ago,  and  now  lives 
with  flamingoes  and  other  birds,  in  an  enclosure  with  a 
circular  stone  basin  through  which  a  little  stream  of 
water  constantly  runs.  I  have  never  seen  him  on  the 
basin   except  for  washing  purposes."  ^ 

"October  2&th,    1893. 

"  October  7th  is  very  late  for  a  hobby  anywhere  in 
British  waters,  still  more  so  off  Flamborough,  as  this 
little  hawk  is  by  no  means  common  to  the  north  of  the 
Trent."  * 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  have  as  many  of  the 
Archangelic  cats  f  as  you  can  possibly  procure,  and  am 
prepared  to  pay  a  good  price  for  them."  - 

"  Octo/ier   lot/i,    1893. 
"  I    have   only  one    Lapp    owl    now  left,  and    he   also 
looks  droopy.     The   Ural's  egg  came  to  nothing."  ^  I 

1  To  the  Editor. 

*  To  the  same. 

3  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

*  Referring  to  a  Hobby  Falcon  {F.  siibHiieo)  that  had  alighted 
on  the  rigging  of  a  ship  in  which  the  editor  was  coming  from  the 
White  Sea. 

t  The  domestic  cat  of  Archangel  is  blue  in  colour  and  is  shaped 
like  the  old  Egyptian  cat.  It  is  also  very  distinct  from  our  own  in 
its  ways.  The  Editor  brought  home  from  Archangel  in  1893  three 
kittens  of  this  kind,  one  of  which  is  still  (1902)  thriving,  and  the 
mother  of  a  numerous  progeny,  but  not  one  of  them  resembles  herself. 
Lord  Lilford  had  one  years  ago  in  his  rooms  in  Tenterden  Street. 

t  See  p.  86. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES        79 

Note  from  "  Aviary  Record." 

"■October  i~jth^    1893:     Lapp    owl,    Syrnium    lapponi- 
cum,  last  survivor  of  ten  from  Finland  in   1888,  died." 

"August  16M,  1889. 
"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  my  black  shahin  (F.  peri- 
grinator)  died  a  few  days  ago  from  a  tumour  on  the 
breast-bone.  She  was  moulting  when  I  received  her,  and 
going  on  satisfactorily  in  that  way.  We  never  put 
her  on  the  wing,  as  our  country  is  so  enclosed  and 
full  of  high  trees  that  if  she  raked  off  in  pursuit  of 
quarry  she  would  hardly  have  found  her  way  back,  at 
all  events  in  this  summer-time.  She  was  just  a  very 
small,  very  dark  peregrinoid  falcon,  very  docile  and  as 
tame    and  as    playful    as    a    kitten."  ^ 

"April  25M,  1895. 

"  The  most  remarkable  additions  to  my  live  stock 
are  two  of  the  giant  tortoises  from  Aldabra,  the  male 
weighing  346  lbs.,  a  nice  little  covey  of  Madagascar 
francolins,  ten  of  Tristram's  grakles  from  Palestine,  and, 
lastly,    a    very    fine   wild    cat    from    Germany. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  of  the  young  pheasants  in 
Teneriffe.  Alfonso  XIII.  should  give  you  the  Grand 
Cross  of  Carlos  III.  I  have  heard  nothing  of  any 
Scandinavian  owls,  except  snowy,  but  I  hear  that,  as 
usual   in  a  lemming  year,   the   fields   are  alive  with  rough- 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 


8o        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES 

legged  buzzards.  Merlins  do  now  and  then  rest  in  trees. 
I  know  of  one  instance  in  Hants,  and  I  believ'^e  that  in 
Norway  they   frequently  do   so."  ' 

'•^December  i-jth,  1891. 

"  The  only  Canarian  bird  that  I  have  lost  of  late  is 
one  of  the  trumpeter  bullfinches  two  days  ago,  from  some 
unknown  cause,  in  very  fair  condition.  The  Laurivora 
shows  no  desire  to  nest  :  she  is  fairly  tame.  Two  of  the 
C.  bollii  have  paired,  nested,  and  laid  an  egg  within  the  last 
ii^'N  days,  but  my  man  tells  me  sit  so  irregularly  that 
there  is  little  chance  of  hatching.  The  surviving  houbara 
is  well,  I  am  assured  ;  but  as  my  hybernation  com- 
menced at  the  time  of  my  upset  on  October  25th,  and 
lasts  till  May  as  a  general  rule,  all  my  outdoor  bird 
news    is    derived    from    others. 

"  I  should  think  that  Reeves's  pheasants  would  do 
admirably  well  in  Palma.  I  know  they  are  exceedingly 
hardy,  as  Pere  David,  the  Jesuit  missionary  who  did  so 
much  ornithology  in  North  China,  assured  me  that  these 
pheasants  haunted  pine  forests  at  5000  and  6000  feet 
above  the  sea  during  the  summer,  living  principally  upon 
mountain  berries  and  small  fir-cone  seeds,  and  only  came 
down  in  the  winter  to  the  tea-gardens  in  the  mountain 
districts. 

"  I  should  think  that  you  will  enjoy  your  months  in 
Morocco  greatly,  but  I   fear  that  you  will  have  to  go  for 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,  AND  AVIARIES        8i 

a  long  distance  from  Tangier  to  get  any  good  shooting. 
Our  Vice-Consul  at  Saffi  knows  something  about  falconry, 
and  has  many  Arab  falconer  friends.  From  what  he  tells 
me,  it  seems  that  the  Arabs  only  train  two  species  of 
falcon — '  Nebli,'  which  I  take  to  be  the  typical  peregrine, 
and  '  Buhari,'  which  must,  I  think,  be  F.  punicus,  not 
F.  barbarus.  I  cannot  make  out  that  he  is  acquainted 
either  with  barbarus  or  the  lanner  {^F.  fddeggi),  both  of 
which    are    common    and    breed    in    Morocco. 

"  My  own  chief  requirements  in  Morocco  are  the 
marsh  owl  {Phasmoptynx  capensis)  and  the  great  horned 
owl  (^Bubo  ascalaphus)  and,  above  all,  the  francolin  {bical- 
caratus),  in  any  numbers,  alive.  I  have  for  some  time 
been  working  hard  to  try  and  get  some  of  these  latter 
for  the  Comte  de  Paris,  to  turn  down  in  his  cotos  in 
Andalucia,  where   I   am   sure  that   they  would   do  well."  ' 

"July   iqth,  1892. 

"  The  most  interesting  events  in  my  live-stock 
collection  have  been  the  birth  of  a  Galago  demidoffi*  about 
two  months  ago,  doing  well  ;  the  laying  of  eggs  by 
some  Australian  peewits  {Sarciophorus  pectoralis),  ditto 
by  Madagascar  bush-quails  {Turnix  nigricollis)  ;  the  nesting 
of  a  pair  of  night  herons,  several  eggs  laid  ;  the  death 
of  many  of  my  nutcrackers  and  of  the  laurel  pigeon 
that    you    sent    me    last.     (Female    by  dissection.) 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 
*  A  little  lemuroid  animal. 


82        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

"  My  surviving  pair  of  trumpeters  laid  two  eggs  on 
floor  of  cage,  and  broke  one  of  them,  but  are  now  nest- 
making   in   a  box,  and  I   hope   mean   business." ' 

Note  from   "  'Aviary    Record." 

^^  September  \~lth,  1893  :  Raven,  '  Sankey '  (Corcus 
corax)  taken  from  nest  near  Santander  in  May  1876,  died." 

A  mate  for  the  survivor  was  obtained,  with  the 
following    successful    result : — 

"■April  ird,    1894. 
"  The    ravens   have  a   new   nest  and  three   eggs   in  the 
big  beech  tree  at  the  west  corner  of  the  house." " 

Note  from   "  Aviary   Record.''' 

"■April  20th,  1894:  Four  ravens  {Corvus  corax\ 
hatched    out    at    Lilford.      Now    about    three    days    old." 

"April  nth,  1895. 
"  I  have  reason  to  fear  that  both  of  my  ravens  are 
males.  They  built  a  huge  nest  and  lined  it  carefully. 
The  smaller,  younger  bird  was  actually  sitting  in  the 
nest  for  some  time,  but  he  (or  she)  was  so  terrified 
by  the  awful  hurricane  of  March  24th  that,  having 
nearly     full    use    of     its     wings,     it    went    away    to     the 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

2  To  Walter  M.  Stopford,  Esq. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,   AND    AVIARIES        83 

plantation  near  Cosgrave's  house,  and  it  was  some 
time  before  it  was  caught  and  clipped.  In  the  mean- 
time old  Grip  carried  up  a  lot  of  stones  and  arranged 
them  about  the  walls  of  the  nest  ;  now,  though  they 
both  keep  about  the  tree  in  which  the  nest  is,  they 
seem   to   have  given   up   all  attention  to  their  edifice."  ' 

"February  2^rd,   1895. 

"  The  ravens  have  built  a  huge  nest  in  the  same 
place  as  last  year,  and  are  busily  employed  in  lining  it, 
though  Cosgrave  seems  persuaded  that  the  substitute 
for    the    deceased    mother    of  last    year    is    a   male."  ^ 

"June  2nd,   1896. 

"  I  am  not  quite  sure  if  Aperyx  oweni  *  has  ever  had 
an  egg  in  this  country  before,  or  not  ;  I  know  that 
«/f.  mantelli  has  done  so.  I  should,  however,  think 
that  ours  is  the  first  instance  of  an  egg  of  zApteryx 
laid   in   this    country   in    perfectly   natural   circumstances."  ^ 

^  To  A.  Thorburn,  Esq. 

^  To  the  same. 

'  To  the  same. 

*  The  Apteryx  (Kiwi  of  the  Maories)  is  a  wingless  bird  peculiar 
to  New  Zealand.  Itself  no  larger  than  a  common  fowl,  it  is  related 
to  the  gigantic  extinct  Moa  {Dhiornis).  Its  feathers,  like  those  of 
the  Emeu,  are  pendulous,  and  have  no  '  aftershaft.'  It  has  a  long, 
curved  bill  for  probing  the  earth,  and  is  strictly  nocturnal  in  its  habits, 
showing  shrinking  and  resentment  when  disturbed  in  its  hiding-place 
during  the  daytime.  The  bird  in  question  laid  its  egg  at  the  end 
of  a  burrow  by  the  side  of  the  garden  pond  where  the  flamingoes  were. 


84        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

"May  25M,  1889. 

"  I  turned  down  about  forty  little  owls,  about  the 
house  here  and  over  a  radius  of  some  three  or  four 
miles  in  the  neighbourhood,  early  in  July  last.  Several 
were  too  young  to  feed  themselves,  or,  rather,  to  find 
their  own  food,  and  we  recaptured  more  than  half  of 
those  originally  put  out.  A  very  few  were  found  dead. 
Several  were  constantly  seen  about  ;  during  the  summer 
and  autumn  of  1888  many  disappeared  entirely,  but 
three  or  four  were  seen,  and  often  heard,  throughout 
the  winter.  On  April  23rd,  1889,  one  of  my  keepers 
discovered  a  nest  in  the  hollow  bough  of  a  high  ash 
tree  in  the  deer-park.  The  old  bird  would  not  move, 
but  on  being  gently  pushed  with  a  stick,  two  eggs  were 
visible.  On  May  10th  two  young  birds  about  a  week 
old  could  be  made  out,  and  on  the  22nd,  four  or  five, 
all  of  different  sizes.  The  keepers  tell  me  that  it  is 
impossible  to  see  anything  from  the  open  end  of  the 
bough,  but  there  is  a  cleft  near  the  nest  from  which,  in 
certain  lights,  the  old  bird  and  her  produce  can  be 
partially  seen.  Her  mate  haunts  a  crab  tree,  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  nest.  This  is  encouraging,  and  I  shall 
invest  largely  in  little  owls  this  summer,  and  adopt  some- 
what different  treatment.  Similar  experiments  have  been 
tried,  to  my  knowledge,  in  Hants,  Sussex,  Norfolk  and 
Yorkshire,  but  I  do  not  know  of  a  brood  having  been 
reared  in  a  genuinely  free  condition  in  this  country,  till 
this    lot    of    mine.      The    little    owl    will     nest    freely    in 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND  AVIARIES        85 

captivity,  but  generally  the  parents  devour  their  young. 
One  of  my  night-herons  laid  an  egg  this  morning  on 
the  top  of  a  box  bush,  trodden  to  a  sort  of  flat 
form  by  a  stork.  Those  night-herons  have  been  here 
for   three   years,   and   I    have   great   hopes    of   a  brood."  ^ 

"June   22nJ,    1893, 
"  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  where  the  Scoulton 
gulls   get  their   mice,*  and   of  what  species  the   latter  are. 
"  I    envy    your   seeing    the    gadwalls    and    '  short-billed 
culloos '  t   at   such  close   quarters   in   their   native   homes. 

"  y/  propos  of  the  ferocity  of  owls,  a  cottager  in  this 
neighbourhood  found  a  well-feathered  young  tawny  on 
the  ground  below  the  nesting  hole  in  April  last,  and 
carried  it  home  to  his  cottage  at  a  short  distance.  Two 
nights  afterwards,  as  he  was  feeding  this  owlet,  one  of 
the  old  ones  dashed  at  his  head  and  clawed  him  nastily 
about  the  nose  and  eyes."  ^ 

"June  2T,rd,   1893. 
"  Last  year  we  had  a  nest  of  little  owls  {^Athene  noctua), 
of  which    I    have    turned    out    a    great   many,   in    an   ash- 
stump     about    two    miles    ofF.      The    tenant    of    the    farm 
was    passing    the    place    unawares    one    evening   when    the 

1  To  the  Rev.  Murray  Matthew. 
'  To  the  Editor. 

*  In  this  very  dry  summer  the  Brown-headed  Gulls  brought  many 
voles  to  their  nests. 

t  The  Thickknee  or  Norfolk  Plover  {CEdicnemus  scolopax). 


86        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES 

young  were  about  half-grown,  and  the  old  bird  came 
at  him  from  behind  and  knocked  his  hat  off.  1  may 
mention  that  we  have  a  home-bred  family  of  these  little 
owls  just   now  able   to   fly  in   our   deer-park. 

"  One  of  my  Ural  owls  (S.  uraknse')  laid  an  egg  this 
spring,  but  did  not  seem  disposed  to  sit,  so  we  put  the 
egg  into  a  nest  of  barn  owl,  containing  five  of  the 
owner's  eggs,  but  the  Ural  has,  I  am  sorrv  to  say, 
'  gone    scatt,'    as    they    say    in    Devon. 

"  I    have    a    bittern    in    the   aviaries   sitting   upon    three 

eggs. 

"  We  have  a  return  of  almost  overpowering,  breeze- 
less  heat ;  no  pleasure  out  of  doors  after  6  a.m.  or  before 
5.30  p.m."' 

^^ June  2i°th,   1894. 

"  The  most  interesting  addition  to  my  live  stock  of 
late  is  a  fine,  healthy  Hyrax  capensis,  first  cousin  to 
H.  syriacus,  the  coney  of  Scripture,  of  Lev.  xi.  5, 
Deut.  xiv.  7,  Psalm  civ.  18,  and  Proverbs  xxx.  26.  The 
nearest  ally  of  this  small,  rock-dwelling  genus  is  the 
rhinoceros."  - 

''November  i^f/i,    1866. 

"  I  have  a  very  fine  specimen  of  Falco  norvegicus 
alive  ;  he  was  brought  from  Norway  last  year,  and  has 
moulted  out  very  clean  and  fine  ;  it  is  the  first  of  its 
species    that    I    ever    saw    alive,    and    is    most    decidedly    a 

'  To  the  Editor. 

^  To  the  Rev.  Murray  Matthew. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES        87 

very  different  bird  from  either  islandus  or  candicans. 
This  falcon  has  much  more  of  the  peregrine  about  him 
in    make    and   appearance." ' 

"February  26th,  1885. 
"  Alas  !  I  fear  that  all  personal  locomotion,  except 
that  I  can  share  with  '  inert  matter,'  is  out  of  the 
question,  though  I  am,  thank  God,  very  fairly  well  in 
general  health.  I  am  quite  out  of  the  swim,  ornitho- 
logically,  and  entirely  dependent  upon  the  compassion  and 
sympathy  of  my  birdy  brethren  for  information.  My  old 
blue  rock-thrush  taken  from  the  nest  in  the  Strait  of 
Bonifacio  in  May  1882  moulted  in  September  last,  very 
thoroughly,  into  a  plumage  much  resembling,  but  rather 
an  exaggeration  of,  a  nestling  bird,  all  the  breast  and 
flank  feathers  edged  with  dirty  white,  and  the  plumage 
of  those  parts  unusually  downy  and  thick  ;  within  the  last 
three  weeks  he  has  begun  to  moult  again,  and  some  few 
of  the  wing  coverts  are  all  broadly  tipped  with  a  slightly 
rusty  white."  - 

"April  i6th,   1894. 
"  The  sparrow-hawk  does  good  service  by  taking  hard- 
billed  birds,  as  Passer  impudicus  (Mihi),  Damnabilis  (Irby), 
Papisticus    (Tristram),     Sanguineus    (agricols),    and    other 
grain-devourers."  ^ 

■^  To  the  Rev.  Canon  Tristram. 
2  To  the  same. 
'  To  the  same. 


88        PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND   AVIARIES 

^'August  26tk,   1894. 

"  My  most    interesting    live-stock    acquisitions    of  late 

have    been    Hyrax    capensis,    a    batch    of    Caccabis    melano- 

cephalus   from  Aden,  and  a  splendid   Grus  carunculata,  the 

one  species  that  was  lacking  in  my  collection  of  cranes."' 

"  ^fay  20///,  1896. 
"  I  thank  you  very  much  for  your  most  welcome 
congratulations  on  the  important  addition  to  our  vivaria,* 
and  the  neat  and  suitable  label  for  the  recent  acquisition, 
if  I  thought  that  your  label  would  inspire  an  ornitho- 
logist's tastes,  I  would  try  and  persuade  the  happy  mother 
to  attach  it  permanently  to  her  infant,  but  there  is  another 
and  sterner  lady  in  temporary  possession,  who  would,  I  am 
sure,   reject  any   such   suggestion." " 

"  May   30M,   1896. 

"Thank  you  for  yours  of  the  28th.  I  sent  you  no 
'  harpy '  in  the  usually  accepted  sense  of  the  term,  but 
a  fine  old  white-bellied  sea  eagle  (Haiiae/us  leucogaster), 
sent  to  me  some  four  or  five  years  ago  from  Melbourne, 
with  a  younger  bird  of  the  same  species,  which  still 
survives.  I  am  very  glad  that,  as  cruel  fate  snatched  her 
from  me,   she  is  acceptable  to  you. 

"  I  told  Cosgrave  on  Friday  to  send  you  the  remains 
of  a    burrowing-owl,  bred   here  last    year.      I   believe  that 

'  To  the  Rev.  Canon  Tristram. 

'  To  the  same. 

•  Birth  of  a  grandson,  May  8th,  1896. 


PONDS,    PADDOCKS,    AND    AVIARIES        89 

the  present  bird  was  shipped  at  Buenos  Ayres,  but  about 
this  I  am  not  sure.  In  the  meantime  our  grass  lands  are 
being  regularly  scorched  up,  and  our  trees  given  over  to 
the  caterpillar  and  cankerworm."  ^ 

But  in  addition  to  his  correspondence,  Lord  Lilford  set 
himself  the  daily  task  of  entering  a  register  of  the  arrivals 
of  new  birds  and  the  general  progress  of  his  collection. 
How  carefully  and  fully  this  was  done,  when  health  per- 
mitted, will  be  gathered  from  Appendix  I.  It  is  the 
record  for  the  first  eight  months  of  1893. 

^  To  the  Rev.  Canon  Tristram. 


CHAPTER   l\ 
Notes    on    Illustrations 

The  following  letters  to  Mr.  Thorburn  relate  to  that 
artist's  work  for  Coloured  Figures  of  the  British  Birds. 
They  show  the  infinite  pains  Lord  Lilford  took  to  have 
each  plate,  not  only  perfect  as  a  representation  of  the 
bird  in  question,  but  perfect  also  as  a  reflection  of  the 
natural  surroundings  in  which  it  lived.  The  beauty  and 
fidelity  of  Mr.  Thorburn's  work  may  be  seen  in  those 
volumes,  and  need  no  other  tribute  ;  but  it  must  have 
been  a  true  pleasure  to  himself  to  have  received  such 
letters  and  to  be  thus  assured  of  the  high  appreciation 
of  this  gifted  and   minutely  critical  judge. 

"Af'ri/  isM,  1888. 

"  As  regards  the  surroundings  of  the  birds  that  you 
mention,  the  oyster  catcher  should  be  on  a  sea  beach  of 
shingle  and  sand,  with  indication  of  a  flock  of  same 
species  in  the  background  ;  the  rufF  and  reeve  on  grassy 
marsh   land    with    any   marsh   flowers   that  you   may  think 


NOTES   ON    ILLUSTRATIONS  91 

suit  the  picture — marsh  marigold,  meadow-sweet,  forget- 
me-not,  etc.  ;  white-fronted  goose,  one  of  a  flock — flat 
sea  coast  ;  bernicle,  I  think,  swimming — in  foreground 
sea,  high  mountains  in  background  ;  whooper,  flock 
on  a  wild  highland  loch  ;  Bewick's  swan  off  a  flat 
coast  ;  pufiin,  a  group  in  full  summer  dress  on  steep 
slope  of  short  turf  over  sea  ;  cliff  honeycombed  with 
burrows — rabbits,  sea  pinks  ;  razorbill,  a  black  clift  or 
chalk  cliff  face,  rows  of  birds — gulls  indicated." 

"/ufy  Ml,   1888. 
"  The  angle  of  eye  in  teal  is  rather  too  acute." 

"August  loth,  1888. 

"  Is  not  the  toe  or  oyster  catcher  in  the  water — 
I  mean  the  inner  toe  of  right  foot — a  little  too  much 
fore-shortened,  and  ought  not  the  !bill  to  be  rather 
more    yellow    near    the    point .''  " 

"  BounieiHOulh,  Novcmba-  lotli,   1888. 

"  I  have  some  floating  ideas  that  I  had  rather  not 
have  mentioned  at  present  of  bringing  out  a  quarto  work 
of  the  birds  of  Spain.  I  should  like  to  have  about  ten 
or  twelve  full-page  plates  of  characteristic  Spanish  species 
as  illustrations,  namely  bearded  vultures,  white-shouldered 
eagle,  booted  eagle,  blue-winged  magpie,  Irby's  titmouse, 
Andalucian    short-toed  lark,  great   bustard,   black    vulture, 


92  NOTES   ON    ILLUSTRATIONS 

flamingo,  marbled  duck,  and  possibly  one  or  two  more  ; 
and  if  my  present  idea  takes  shape  should  be  most 
happy  to  entrust  the  illustrations  to  you.  In  any  case 
I  should  be  glad  if  you  would  make  me  a  drawing  of 
adult  bearded  vulture.  Your  sketches  from  the  bird  at 
Lilford  would  do  admirably  for  attitude,  but  I  should 
like  to  represent  the  deep  tawny-red  throat  and  breast  of 
the  wild  bird.  I  want  as  much  of  a  '  picture '  as  you 
think  the  colourists  are  likely  to  reproduce  satisfactorily 
— a  single  bird  on  a  pinnacle  of  mountain  limestone, 
looking  over  a  wild  rugged  valley  far  below,  with  a  snowy 
range  in  the  far  background,  would  I  think  do  well." 

"January  2%th,   1889. 

"I  do  not  remember  at  this  moment  if  you  took  a 
sketch  of  my  old  white-tailed  eagle  at  Lilford,  or  not  ; 
if  not  it  might  be  as  well  to  defer  finishing  sketch  of 
adult  till  you  have  an  opportunity  of  taking  her  portrait, 
as  she  is  thirty-five  years  old,  and  has  always  moulted 
out  very  clean  ;  alive  or  dead  you  could  hardly  have 
a  more  perfect  specimen. 

"I  do  not  know  whether  it  would  be  possible  tO' 
convey  in  a  drawing  the  pearly  bloom  on  the  plumage  of 
this  bird — at  all  events  I  have  never  seen  an  attempt  at 
it  ;  but  you  have  succeeded  so  admirably  with  the  flum 
bloom  on  a  golden  eagle  and  a  buzzard  that  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  you  would  not  be  beaten  by  thi& 
peculiarity." 


NOTES   ON    ILLUSTRATIONS  93 

''April  11th,   1889. 
"The  eagle    is  perfect  with  the  exception  of  the  iris, 
which  should,   I  think,  be  a  shade  lighter  in  colour." 

''May  stfi,   1889. 

"The  white-shouldered  eagle  {A.  adalberti)  should  be 
represented  on  a  dead  top  bough  of  Lombardy  poplar  or 
willow,  in  an  open  country  with  scrubby  vegetation, 
cistus,  rosemary,  lentiscus,  myrtle,  and  a  belt  of  dark  firs 
in  extreme  distance ;  patches  of  yellow  sand  amongst  the 
scrub,  a  distant  rabbit,  very  intense  blue  cloudless  sky. 

"  The  booted  eagle  {A.  pennata)  in  pine  forest  on 
hillside,  the  trees  bare  of  bough  to  a  considerable  height." 

"  February  \s,th,   1890. 

"  I  received  your  note  of  the  12th  with  the  drawings 
last  night.  The  mergansers  are  quite  perfect,  and  I 
think  that  your  sketch  in  your  letter  for  their  attitude 
will  be  excellent.  I  would  put  them  on  a  fresh-water 
mountain  loch,  in  preference  to  the  sea.  About  the 
black  guillemot — I  think  the  best  plan  would  be  to 
figure  the  adult  bird  sitting  in  something  of  the  attitude 
of  your  sitting  sketch  sent,  but  looking  downwards 
instead  of  upwards,  and  a  young  bird  (that  is,  one  in  the 
plumage  that  you  have  figured)  flying  off  to  a  small 
flock  in  the  background  on  the  sea.  You  could  put  the 
old  black  bird  on  a  great  seaweed-covered  stone  close 
to  the  water  at  the  foot  of  a  cliff. 


94  NOTES   ON    ILLUSTRATIONS 

"  I  enclose  two  little  crakes  [Crex  parvd)  just  received 
from  Spain,  and  should  be  glad  to  have  a  drawing  for 
the  book  taken  from  it.  The  beak  in  the  March-killed 
specimen  should  be  green,  with  red  at  base  ;  irides  pale 
currant  red,  legs  and  toes  green,  of  a  somewhat  darker 
shade  than  beak.  In  the  September  bird  the  only  difference 
is  that  the  beak  and  legs  are  not  so  brightly  coloured. 
The  surroundings  should  be  a  very  watery  marsh  ;  in 
fact,  you  might  make  one  of  the  birds  swimming.  In 
action  these  little  birds  exactly  resemble  our  common 
water-hen,  and  jerk  up  their  tails  in  walking  and 
swimming  just  in  the  fiishion  of  that  species." 

"  May  2nd. 
"  We  are  both  delighted  with  your  beautiful  picture 
of  the  eagle,  which  has  just  arrived.  You  have  not  only 
admirably  portrayed  the  characteristic  aspect  of  the  bird, 
but  thrown  an  element  of  Highland  poetry  into  the  work 
that  is  not  often  attained,  and  it  deserves  all  praise.  I 
most  gladly  retain  it,  and  shall  always  treasure  it,  for  my 
heart  is  very  often  in  the  Highlands  amongst  the  eagles 
and  the  wild  deer." 

"  AllgtiSt   2\St. 

"  The  colour  of  neck  and  breast  of  water-rail  is,  I 
think,  now  quite  right.  I  presume  that  you  took  the 
colour  of  irides  from  authority  ;  I  must  confess  that  I 
never  saw  them  so  bright,  and  should  have  been  inclined 
to  say  that  reddish  hazel-brown  was  the  usual  colour." 


o 
O 


NOTES   ON    ILLUSTRATIONS  95 

"  Felruary   19//?,   1892. 

"  I  fear  that  you  will  be  sick  of  spotted  eagles,  but  I 
write  to  say  that  I  am  sending  you  the  Subborne  specimen 
just  as  I  received  it  last  night  from  Messrs.  Pratt  of 
Brighton.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beautifully  marked  of 
its  species  that  I  ever  saw,  and  I  shall  be  much  obliged 
if  you  will  make  a  careful  drawing  of  it  for  the  book.  It 
would  be  well  to  put  some  life  into  it.  I  think  as  it  had  a 
water  rat  in  its  stomach  when  killed,  I  would  put  one  in  its 
talon  in  the  drawing,  and  to  give  the  bird  an  expression  of 
seeing  something  far  off  after  catching  his  vole.  This  I 
leave  to  you,  only  asking  you  to  make  the  drawing  in 
attitude  quite  unlike  the  bird  at  Cambridge." 

"  J/oy   iqfh,    1893. 

"  The  osprey  drawing  has  only  one  slight  defect,  and 
is  otherwise  quite  perfect :  namely  this,  that  the  principal 
figure  is  rather  too  broad — thick — and  gives  to  me  a 
certain  impression  of  heaviness.  I  do  not  know  if  you 
can  alter  this  by  not  showing  quite  so  much  of  the 
right  wing,  or  '  drawing '  in  feathers  of  lower  belly,  and 
showing  more  of  the  legs.  I  should  be  sorry  to  have 
this  beautiful  figure  much  altered,  but  you  will  understand 
me  when  I  say  that  the  aspect  is  too  '  buzzardy.'  The 
osprey  is  a  particularly  wide-awake  bird  in  look  and  in 
fact." 

"  August  1th. 

"  The  cream-coloured  courser  is  quite  perfect.  A  faint 
indication    of    strong    rufous    in    the    head    of  the    distant 


96  NOTES   ON    ILLUSTRATIONS 

falcon  would   indicate  a  lanner — the   most   probable   falcon 
of  the  North  African  desert. 

"  The  great  snipe  is  also  excellent,  but  I  should  be 
glad  if  possible  if  you  could  show  a  little  of  the  white  on 
the  wings  and  spread  the  tail  slightly. 

"  The  irides  in  a  black  Montagu's  harrier  received 
alive  on  Saturday  are  dark,  as  in  a  true  falcon,  otherwise 
this  drawing  is  quite  perfect. 

"  Barlramia  is  only  a  sandpiper  in  name  ;  it  is  a  plover 
that  in  summer  frequents  the  dry  uplands  and  feeds  on 
grasshoppers.  1  think  it  would  be  better  to  cut  out  the 
water  and  to  make  the  surroundings  a  somewhat  sunburnt 
grass  prairie,  indicating  a  second  bird  or  two  on  wing  or 
on  foot  in  the  far  background." 

'■'■November  29//;. 

"  I  am  sending  you  a  good  skin  of  storm  petrel  that 
I  received  some  time  ago  in  flesh  from  W.  Eagle  Clarke 
of  the  Edinburgh  Museum.  He  especially  wishes  to 
call  my  attention  and  yours  to  the  peculiar  shape  and 
elevation  of  the  forehead,  which  he  says  has  never  been 
properly  indicated  in  drawings.  I  should  like  to  have 
this  bird  drawn  in  flight,  in  the  trough  ot  a  heavy  rolling 
sea,  unless  you  consider  that  too  bold  an  attempt.  If  so 
it  would  perhaps  be  best  to  make  him  skimming  the 
water  with  legs  at  their  full  length  and  toes  extended  ; 
in  fact,  -running  on  the  water  with  wings  extended. 
What  I  want  to  trv  is  the  very  striking  effect  of  these 
little  black  birds  against  a  deep  blue  ocean  sea  and  foam." 


NOTES   ON    ILLUSTRATIONS  97 

"  December  qtk. 
"  The  storm  petrel  drawing  is  lovely,  and  I  can 
suggest  no  alteration.  The  brown  snipe  is  equally  good, 
but  with  regard  to  the  proposed  figure  in  the  background, 
I  would  suggest  putting  the  bird  on  both  feet  ;  I  like 
the  attitude  delineated,  but  certain  captious  subscribers 
have  objected  to  some  pictures  on  account  of  this  one- 
legged  attitude." 

"  Bournemouth,  January  20th,    1896. 

"  I  return  the  drawing  of  the  grebe,  which,  good  as 
it  was  before,  is  now,  I  think,  much  improved.  Dabchick 
or  little  grebe  was,  I  think,  amongst  the  names  I  sent 
you,  and  I  think  that  those  two  with  horned  and  eared 
grebes  would  make  a  good  set  of  four.  I  have  a  fair 
specimen  (British)  in  Princes  Street  of  eared  grebe  shot 
by  Lord  Clifton  in  my  presence  in  Weymouth  Bay  in 
April  1876,  but  no  doubt  you  will  be  able  to  obtain 
more  fully  adult  birds.  In  the  drawing  of  this  species 
I  should  like  to  introduce  nest  and  eggs.  I  have  plenty 
of  the  latter,  which  when  first  laid  are  of  the  usual  greenish- 
yellow  white,  but  in  Spain  soon  become  very  deep  un- 
broken chocolate  colour,  from  the  constant  covering  with 
rotten  weeds  in  a  hot  sun  ;  but,  as  I  think  of  it,  the 
eared  grebe  has  never  been  known  to  breed  in  this 
country,  so  perhaps  the  dabchick's  nest  (which  as  the 
spring  advances  you  will  be  able  to  study  from  nature 
in  St.  James's  Park)  would  be  the  more  appropriate  for 
this  work." 

7 


CHAPTER    V 
Otter  Hunting,   Falconry,  and  Shooting 

A   CONTEMPLATED  article  by  Lord  Lilford  opeiis  with  the 
following  words  upon   sport  : — 

"  The  word  sport  is  untranslatable,  and  I  must  confess 
that  I  find  it  almost  equally  indefinable,  but  I  wish  in  the 
following  remarks  to  show  to  what  an  extent  the  term 
is  commonly   abused  or   misunderstood. 

"  To  begin  with  the  form  of  sport  with  which  I  am, 
or  rather  was  most  intimately  acquainted  —  shooting, 
'  good  sport  '  is  generally  applied  to  a  considerable  bag  ; 
and  certainly,  if  the  number  of  head  slain  in  a  day's 
shooting  in  itself  satisfies  the  sporting  inclination,  the  term 
is  legitimately  applied.  But  I  contend  that  '  sport '  may 
be  enjoyed  in  the  highest  degree  in  the  pursuit  of  wild 
animals  by  fair  means,  without  the  attainment  of  success 
in  the  death  of  any  beast,  bird  or  fish,  and  that  disap- 
pointment should  only  enhance  the  keenness  of  the  real 
sportsman.     Here  I  feel  sure  I  shall  meet  with  the  assent 

of  hunting  men,  but  I  am  doubtful  if  mv  brother  gunners 

98 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING     99 

and  anglers  will  entirely  go  with  me.  I  look  upon  fox 
and  otter  hunting,  falconry  and  fly-fishing,  as  the  highest 
kinds  of  sport  to  be  enjoyed  in  this  country,  simply 
because  in  the  first  instance  science  is  assisted  by  horse 
and  hound  ;  in  the  second  the  falcon  is  reclaimed  with 
infinite  pains  to  serve  man  by  its  natural  instincts  ;  and 
because  in  the  third  you  can  only  rely  for  success  upon 
your  own  skill  and  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  the 
creatures  to  be  captured. 

"  Let  me  say  at  once  that,  with  all  due  respect  to  the 
lover  ot  racing  and  athletic  games,  I  look  upon  these  as 
more  or  less  excellent  forms  of  amusement  that  do  not 
legitimately  come  under  what  I  hold  to  constitute  '  sport  ' 
in   its  true  sense. 

"  I  quite  admit  that  to  watch  a  number  of  thorough- 
bred horses  doing  their  best,  and  fairly  ridden,  is  a  'joy 
for  ever '  ;  and  a  good  match  at  cricket  or  football,  or  an 
evenly  contested  yacht  or  boat  race  are  full  of  charm  to 
the  lookers  on  ;  but  in  all  these  three  there  is  lacking  the 
interest  of  outwitting  wild  animals,  with  the  odds  against 
the  pursuer,  and  this  latter  condition  is,  in  my  humble 
opinion,   the   one  essential  constituent  of  real    '  sport.' 

"  A  great  many  gallant  followers  of  foxhounds  go  out 
simply  tor  the  excitement  of  a  glorious  gallop  and  plenty 
of  jumping,  not  a  few  simply  to  display  their  horse- 
manship and  cut  down  others  ;  and  these  objects  are 
obtainable  without  hounds  or  fox.  But  the  joy  and  pride 
of  hunting  is,  to   those  who  know  the  habits  of   the  fox. 


loo   OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

and  delight  in  cultivating  the  natural  instinct  of  the  hound, 
in  driving  on  a  hot  scent,  and  elaborately  picking  up  a 
cold  one — in  fact  in  the  exercise  of  the  full  powers  of  brain 
and  instinct  in  biped  and  quadruped.  The  good  or  bad 
run  depends  almost  entirely  upon  the  qualities  of  fox  and 
hounds.  The  best  huntsman  cannot  make  a  bad  fox  run 
straight,  and  with  the  best  of  foxes  bad  hounds  are  use- 
less. All  this  is  strikingly  applicable  to  otter  hunting, 
in  which  most  delightful  sport  the  object  of  pursuit  has 
very  long  odds  in   his  favour." 

While  we  are  very  far  from  saying  or  supposing  that 
the  last  word  has  been  spoken  on  sport  in  the  abstract,  or 
sport  as  it  is  carried  on  in  this  country,  such  a  contribution 
to  the  question  as  this  must  needs  be  full  of  interest.  It 
was  written  by  one  who  was  not  only  a  singularly  clear 
thinker,  but  was  himself  the  best  example  of  his  own 
creed. 

Of  all  forms  of  English  sport,  none  agree  with  the 
postulates  of  'natural  conditions'  and  'fairness'  in  quite 
such  an  absolute  degree  as  the  sister  sports  of  hunting, 
fishing,  and  falconry.  The  opinion  which  Lord  Lilford 
held  of  fox  hunting  may  be  read  in  the  tribute  he  has 
paid  to  it  above.  And,  although  the  claims  of  otter 
hunting  held  his  first  homage,  the  foxhounds  were  ever 
welcomed  by  him  with  the  heartiness  of  a  true  sportsman, 
and  no  one  was  more  delighted  than  himself  when  they 
went  away  from   his  coverts  on   the   line  of  a   good  stout 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING     loi 

fox.  But  to  otter  hunting,  '  the  dearest  joy  of  my  heart 
after  falconry,'  as  he  called  it,  ^  he  was  early  devoted, 
and   he   never  swerved  in  his  allegiance. 

In  this  '  most  delightful  sport,'  as  he  truly  wrote, 
'  the  object  of  pursuit  has  very  long  odds  in  his  favour.' 
And  here,  as  there  must  needs  be  many  to  whom  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  otter-hounds  at  work  has  been 
denied,  a  few  words  upon  this  particular  form  of  sport 
may  not  be  out  of  place,  and  it  is  for  these  alone  that 
they  are  written. 

Otters  and  Otter  Hunting. 

The  otter  is  said  to  be  a  '  nocturnal  animal.'  This 
must  not  be  taken  to  mean  literally  that  it  is  never  abroad 
in  the  daylight,  but  that  it  seldom  is.  When  the  sun  is 
dying  behind  the  last  turn  of  the  shoulder  of  the  hill, 
when  the  woof  of  whitening  vapour  begins  to  form  over 
the  withies,  when  the  cattle  cough  in  the  chilling  meadow 
lands  and  the  peewits  come  dropping  in  silently  over  the 
gateway  where  the  hay  hangs  caught  by  the  high  thorn 
hedge,  then  it  is  that  the  otter  wakes  from  its  sleep  in  the 
reeds,  or  under  the  roots  of  an  oak  or  alder,  and  begins 
to  move  for  food. 

Otters  are  great  travellers,  ranging  very  far  up  and 
down  stream  on  their  nightly  quests.  They  swim  very 
quietly,  slipping  into  the  water  as  if  it  were  oil.  Though 
you  listen   never  so  carefully,   you  do  not  hear  much  that 

'  Letter  to  the  Editor. 


I02    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

tells  you  the  otters  are  moving,  excepting  a  whistled 
call  which  comes  now  and  then  from  the  reed-beds. 
Masterly  as  the  otter  is  in  the  water,  supreme  as  are 
its  powers  of  swimming  and  diving,  it  no  more  cares 
for  unnecessary  hard  work,  in  its  hunting  than  other 
animals.  When  going  up  stream,  especially  if  the  current 
is  swift,  it  frequently  lands,  and  often  cuts  the  bend  of 
the  stream  by  travelling  across  the  land  from  corner  to 
corner.  A  practised  eye  will  easily  notice  these  spots 
where  the  otter  lands  and  runs  up  the  bank ;  for  otters, 
like  most  other  wild  creatures,  follow  one  another's  lead. 
Causes  which  the  eyes  of  human  beings  may  not 
detect  are  no  doubt  answerable  for  the  claims  of  one 
landing-place  over  another.  It  may  be  the  set  of  the 
eddy  from  a  half-sunk  willow  stub,  the  angle  at  which 
the  bank  rises,  the  chances  of  cover  and  concealment — any 
one  or  all  of  fifty  points  may  determine  the  advantages 
of  a  particular  landing-place  ;  but  at  all  events,  if  otters 
are  abundant,  it  will  be  paddled  into  a  regular  run.  Here 
you  will  see  the  otter's  footprints  in  the  mud,  the  prints 
of  four  round  toes  like  no  other  creature's  track.  This 
footprint  is  called  by  otter  hunters,  the  '  seal.'  Other 
signs,  such  as  remains  of  digested  food  (in  hunting  parlance 
'  spraints  '),  will  be  noticed  on  hillocks  of  the  grass  or  on 
stones  which   show  themselves  above  the  water. 

Although  some  streams  are  more  favoured  than  others, 
there  is  probably  not  one  in  the  country  that  is  not 
visited  at  times  by  otters,  and  the  attention  of  even  unob- 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    103 

servant  persons  is  occasionally  arrested  by  the  spectacle  of 
a  partly  eaten  fish  lying  on  the  bank.  The  otter  first 
begins  to  eat  those  parts  about  the  head,  except  when 
dealing  with  an  eel,  when  it  commences  with  the  tail  end. 

Because  of  its  cautious  and  secret  manner  of  life,  an 
otter  will  often  continue  to  frequent  a  stream  for  a  long 
time,  and  be  unsuspected.  Indeed  many  a  stream  has 
held  otters  from  time  immemorial,  and  yet  no  one  has 
guessed  this,  until  the  coming  of  a  pack  of  otter-hounds 
has  '  shown  the  varmint  up.'  Even  that  omniscient 
person,  the  dusty  miller,  in  spite  of  his  peculiar  oppor- 
tunities, was  scarcely  prepared  to  find  in  the  thatch  of 
his  own  outhouse  one  of  its  favourite  sleeping-places. 
Yes,  otters  often  choose  strange  quarters,  and  though 
their  usual  '  holts '  are  drains,  caves,  rocks,  holes  under 
tree  roots,  and  withy  beds,  we  have  known  one  to  frequent 
an  ivied  tree,  and  have  bolted  another  from  under  a 
barn  floor. 

The  hounds  throw  light  on  obscure  points  like  these, 
and  by  attentively  observing  the  behaviour  of  hounds 
much  may  be  learnt. 

No  spear  is  ever  used  in  this  hunting — that  barbarism 
has  long  died  out  ;  either  the  quarry  goes  scot  free,  or 
there  is  an  honest  kill  by  hounds.  Every  one  is  familiar 
from  the  engravings  with  the  look  of  traditional  otter- 
hounds. But  alas,  that  picturesque  animal,  with  his  wiry 
coat,  shaggy  eyebrows,  long  ears  and  deep  bell-like  voice, 
is  now   in   a   minority  in   many   packs.     It    is  a  pity   that 


I04    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

it  should  be  so,  but  his  own  failings  have  led  to  this 
result.  He  is  generally  a  babbler,  throwing  his  tongue 
without  good  reason,  or  without  reason  sufficiently  good  ; 
if  tired,  he  insists  on  speaking  to  an  old  scent,  and  it  is 
particularly  exasperating  when  you  want  hounds  to  get  on 
quickly,  to  have  a  particular  individual  hanging  over  a 
worn-out  scent.  Further,  the  rough  coat  of  the  otter- 
hound holds  the  water,  so  that  he  grows  chilly  sooner 
than  the  foxhound.  On  the  whole,  therefore,  in  spite  of 
tradition,  the  old  otter-hound  has  given  place  in  these 
packs  to  the  foxhound.  It  is  a  little  difficult  to  enter 
foxhounds  to  otter,  but,  once  entered,  the  foxhound 
proves  himself  second  to  none  in  reliability  and  patience, 
in  pluck,  in  facing  the  water,  and  in  enduring  wet  and 
cold. 

We  are  now  ready  for  a  morning's  hunting,  and  by 
this  we  mean  early  morning,  for  the  scent  soon  grows 
faint  on  the  drying  grass,  and  so  the  otter  hunter  must 
be  up  betimes.  We  will  join  the  master  at  the  kennels, 
and  go  with  him  and  his  hounds  to  the  meet,  five  miles 
off,  at   Mill  Bridge. 

A  cold,  clear  rift  is  just  beginning  to  widen  in  the 
eastern  sky  as  we  set  off  with  the  pack — twelve  couple 
of  good  hounds,  as  fit  as  exercise  and  the  most  thoughtful 
care  can  make  them. 

At  the  mill  itself  a  small  field  is  waiting,  which  includes 
one  or  two  ladies.  Most  of  them  are  dressed  in  the 
colours    of   the    hunt.     Everyone    carries    a    long  ash  pole 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    105 

tipped  with  metal.  This  pole  is  used  as  a  help  in  getting 
over  hedges  and  ditches,  for  sounding  depths,  and  for 
'  poking  about '  generally.  The  upper  end  of  the  pole 
is  nowadays  fitted  with  a  small  ring,  in  place  of  the  old 
spear  head. 

A  few  cheery  "  Good  mornings,"  and  hounds  are 
moved  off.  Into  the  drenching  dew  of  the  meadows  we 
go,  and  up  the  side  of  the  stream. 

There  are  disappointments  in  otter  hunting  as  in 
everything  else,  and  there  are  even  blank  days.  Red-letter 
days  there  are  also,  as  that  described  by  the  late  Mr. 
Collier  in  1884,  when  his  hounds,  finding  close  to  Lynd- 
hurst,  took  right  away  from  the  river  and  over  the  hills, 
and  killed  at  the  end  of  sixteen  miles.  We  will,  however, 
discuss  no  extreme  instances,  but  take  an  ordinary  typical 
day. 

It  is  not  long  before  a  hound  opens,  and  immediately 
the  whole  pack  rallies  to  him,  and  is  soon  feathering  over 
a  patch  of  grass,  where  it  is  evident  an  otter  has  come 
out  and  rolled.  Then  up  the  stream  they  go,  first  one 
hound  and  then  another  giving  tongue,  as  they  pick  up 
from  point  to  point  a  fairly  good  scent.  They  are 
'  hunting  a  drag,'  or  in  other  words,  puzzling  out  the 
course  followed  by  the  otter  in  its  wanderings  of  the 
previous  night.  This  at  least  is  the  hope  of  all  con- 
cerned, though  it  is  of  course  possible  they  may  be 
*  running  heel  ' — drawing  away  from  their  otter  instead 
of  up  to  him. 


io6    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

But  now  there  is  a  louder  crash  than  hitherto,  and 
the  whole  pack  swings  to  the  line.  That  is  beautiful  ; 
it  is  true  music,  the  deep  voices  of  the  few  rough  ones 
just  supplying  what  is  wanted  to  make  the  perfect  chord. 
Up  the  stream  they  go  for  a  mile  or  more,  now  flashing 
through  a  reed-bed,  now  cutting  the  corners  and  over  the 
grass,  till  at  last — some  in  the  water,  some  on  the  bank — 
they  cluster  like  bees  about  a  dark  hole  under  the  gnarled 
roots  of  a  pollard  oak.  They  have  marked  their  otter 
home.  The  otter  is  found  now,  and  there  are  a  few 
minutes  of  breathing-time  before  the  next  move.  Mean- 
time, to  some  one  of  experience  falls  the  duty  of  taking 
up  a  position  at  the  first  shallow  below  the  pool,  while 
the  shallows  above  are  watched  in  the  same  way,  and 
plans  are  laid  for  circumventing  the  quarry.  A  terrier 
may  be  used  if  there  is  one  with  the  pack  game  enough 
for  the  task.  But  a  simple  and  usually  effective  plan  is 
for  some  of  those  present  to  stand  in  a  group  above  the 
'  holt '  or  '  hover,'  and  at  a  given  signal  to  jump  in 
unison.  The  vibration  so  caused  is  usually  too  much  for 
the  otter's  nerves.  He  quickly  moves.  As  soon  as 
the  otter  is  bolted,  the  watcher  will  need  all  his  attention 
fixed  on  the  water,  for  it  swims  so  rapidly  and  silently 
that  in  less  than  even  a  foot  of  water  it  may  easily  pass 
unobserved.  Until  then,  if  he  has  an  artist's  eye,  he 
may  for  those  few  moments  linger  over  a  picture  that 
in  itself  is  a  pure  delight. 

What  is  the  most  characteristic  country  for  otter  hunting 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING     107 

it  is  hard  to  say.  Wales,  Devonshire,  Surrey,  Hampshire, 
Northamptonshire,  any  country  where  streams  are  huntable, 
that  is  to  say,  not  deep  or  with  heavy  water,  is  equally 
good  for  the  sport.  On  the  left  of  our  present  stream 
rises  a  bank  of  young  wheat,  fringed  with  grass  and  early 
flowers.  Above  this  runs  a  line  of  woodland,  bright 
green  in  its  young  dress,  but  softening  in  outline  and 
dimming  into  blue  shadows  as  it  stretches  away,  till  it 
turns  the  shoulder  of  the  hill  to  form  the  rampart  of 
another  vale.  But  here,  on  this  side  of  the  river,  all  is 
flat.  The  water  meadows  lie  here,  runnelled  in  all  directions 
by  '  carriers ' — cuts  where  the  water  is  guided  for  the 
irrigation  of  the  land.  Here  and  there  the  water-gates 
are  closed  and  the  little  streams  shut  back  ;  and  so  in 
places  the  water  floods  over  the  edges  and  away  among 
the  grass  roots,  till  there  comes  up  a  rank  green  swathe 
that  makes  the  first  early  summer  crop.  Between  the 
grasses  the  running  water  glistens  and  sparkles  in  the 
morning  sun,  and  all  across  the  water  meadows  stretches 
a  web  of  rising  mist ;  here  in  lines  of  bluey  whiteness, 
there  in  banks  of  smoke-like  billows,  curling  up  to  lose 
themselves  in  vapour  under  the  growing  warmth. 

A  little  farther  down,  a  backwater  leaves  the  stream, 
and  leads  into  a  tract  of  grass  and  rushes  that  mark  the 
position  of  an  old  duck  decoy.  It  is  many  a  year  since 
the  decoy  was  worked,  yet  some  of  the  old  screens  still 
show  themselves  among  the  rushes,  though  the  channels 
and    pipes    are    silted     up.      It    is    a    marvellously  peaceful 


io8    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

spot.  Girdled  round  with  gnarled  pollard  oaks  and 
gigantic  silver  poplars,  it  is  a  natural  reserve  for  many 
kind  of  birds,  and,  excepting  when  the  hounds  come,  it  lies 
almost  unvisited  throughout  the  year.  There  is  not  a 
heronry  here,  but  the  place  is  constantly  haunted  by 
herons,  and  even  now  a  pair  of  these  magnificent  birds, 
startled  by  the  noise  of  the  hunting,  rise  heavily  and  sail 
away.  Here  water-rails  nest  every  year,  and  when  you 
come  down  quietly  in  the  evening  you  may  hear  their 
piping  in  the  grasses,  and  perhaps  catch  sight  of  them 
running  along  the  little  tracks  which  they  and  the  water- 
hens  keep  open,  and  looking  as  they  run  more  like 
some  small  mammal  than  a  bird.  The  paired  redshanks 
also,  who  run  along  the  cattle-rails,  or  fly  calling  incessantly 
in  their  resentment  of  intrusion,  do  much  to  give  a  sense 
of  wildness  to  the   scene. 

But  now  the  otter  is  away,  bolted  from  his 
hiding-place  by  the  stamp  of  many  feet.  He  is  into 
the  river  like  a  flash,  and  the  water  is  broken  into 
waves    and    circles   by    the    first    rush    of  the   hounds. 

Is  he  up  or  down  .''  Down  it  is — a  watcher  at  the 
shallow  below  tallies  him  as  he  glides  over  the  stones 
in  a  foot  of  water,  with  no  more  disturbance  than  is 
made   by    a   fish. 

It  is  indeed  a  beautiful  sight  to  see  the  hounds. 
Now  an  old  hound  gives  tongue  as  he  swims,  taking 
the  scent  ofi^  the  top  of  the  water  from  the  bubbles  that 
come  up  from  the  otter's  coat.     That  is  Woodman,  an  old 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    109 

rough-coated   dog,  a  little   too  prone  to   throw  his   tongue 
on    a   stale    scent,   but   a  good    hound   nevertheless.      See 
how  Bellman,   that  hound  with  the   tan  ears,  is   examining 
every   stone   that  shows   above   the   water.     Our  quarry  is 
still  going   down  stream,  but   has   not   been  sighted  again. 
Suddenly,  at    the  point    of   a  little    spinney,   the     hounds 
leave   the  stream    and  dash   ofF  along   a  hedgerow.     True 
enough   the   otter    has  landed,   and    is   bent   on   making   a 
point   across  country.     He  is   viewed  now   and   then,    but 
close     as    the    hounds    are    at    times    to     his    stern,    they 
cannot     do    more     than    keep    him    moving,     for    he     is 
running   a   line  of  stout   old   thorn   trees.      Now  Into   the 
stream     he     goes     again.      On    we     go ;    speak  to    him, 
Bugler  !     There  is   a   shallow  below  which  must   be  lined. 
A  human  chain  is  formed  across  it  ;   shoulder  to  shoulder 
stand    some    of    the    field    (the    younger    ones    generally, 
who     have     never    had     rheumatism),   and    endeavour    to 
prevent  him  from  going  down.     Twenty   yards  before  he 
reaches   them   he   leaves    the   water  again,  under   cover    of 
a  bed  of  willow   herb,   and    cutting   a   corner,    runs    right 
between    the    legs    of   the    rector    of    the    parish     and    is 
into   the   water    again.      He    is    now  in    heavy   mill  water, 
where    we    may    leave    him.      For,    once    an    otter    reaches 
water  such   as   this,   he  has   it   all   his    own   way.     He   has 
but    to    float    about,   just    keeping   his    nose    above    water, 
or    coming    up    at    intervals    to  breathe,    and    hounds    can 
do    nothing    with    him.     And   if    they    do    not    take   him 
to-day  ?     What   then  ?      This  very  night  he  will  probably 


no    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

be  ofF  floating  down  on  the  top  of  the  water,  until  he 
reaches  the  main  river,  and  even  perhaps  the  sea.  But 
no  good  sportsman  minds,  so  long  as  hounds  are  not 
too  often  disappointed  ;  the  drag-hunt  is  the  prettiest 
part  of  it,  and  many  regret  the  kill. 

This  outline  of  the  otter  and  his  ways  has  not  been 
written  for  any  of  that  company  of  light-hearted 
Englishmen  who  already  know  the  joys  of  otter  hunting. 
Of  these  forbearance  is  asked,  with  a  description  which 
does  but  imperfect  justice  to  the  sport  they  love.  It 
will  have  been  written,  nevertheless,  to  little  purpose,  if 
it  does  not  go  to  show  those  who  are  less  fortunate, 
that  here  is  a  form  of  sport  pre-eminently  demanding 
patience,  skill,  and  all  the  best  qualities  that  true  sport 
needs.  Not  alone  in  the  mystery  that  veils  the  otter's 
movements,  but  in  the  natural  conditions  of  the  hunt, 
dwells  an  unique  charm.  The  scent  of  the  early  morning, 
the  dew  that  lies  heavy  on  the  grass  and  stars  the 
spiders'  webs,  or  whitens  the  long  reaches  of  the  river 
under  the  first  spell  of  the  sun  ;  the  wildfowl  that  whip 
up  from  the  small  side  streams,  rise  high  overhead, 
and  circle  round  lower  and  lower  till  they  drop  for 
rest  at  last  into  the  quiet  of  the  old  decoy  ;  the  gaunt 
grey  heron,  startled  from  the  shallows,  and  croaking  a 
hoarse  protest  as  he  labours  off  to  other  fishing-grounds  ; 
the  water  itself — emerald  here  over  beds  of  water  star- 
wort,  here  broken  into  spinning,  hissing  foam-globes,  or 
pressing  smooth  as  melted  glass   between   the   gates  of  the 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    iii 

weir — all  these  and  a  hundred  other  joys  of  morning 
speak  straight  to  the  heart  of  the  otter  hunter,  and 
cannot  die  from  his  memory  for  any  vicissitudes  of  life. 
No  wonder  Lord  Lilford  should  place  this  only 
second  to  the  noble  art  of  falconry  itself.  It  appealed 
not  only  to  his  sporting  instincts,  but  to  that  love 
which  was  in  him  for  all  that  was  beautiful  and  free. 
His  letters  are  full  of  references  to  the  otter  and  his  ways. 

"_/?/««  IS/,  1893. 
"  I  am  thankful  to  say  that  I  am,  and  for  a  long 
time  have  been  as  well  as  I  can  ever  expect  to  be,  and 
was  able  about  a  fortnight  ago  to  assist  at  an  hour  and 
a  halt's  otter  hunt  in  my  chair,  from  find  to  finish,  of 
a  dog  otter,  small,  but  very  game,  with  the  Bucks  otter- 
hounds."^ 

'■'■June  2nd,  1896. 
"  We  had  a  kill  with  the  Bucks  otter-hounds  at 
Barnwell  Mill,  on  Saturday,  and  a  lovely  drag  from  a 
short  distance  above  Shill  Mill,  right  up  to  the  Stone 
Bridge  island.  I  grieve  to  say  that  this  drag  ended  in 
the  chopping  of  a  small  cub,  upon  which  I  had  set  my 
heart,  hoping  to  secure  him  alive  as  a  pet  ;  but  the 
poor  little  beast  lay  fast  asleep  on  the  bank,  when  the 
hounds  suddenly  came  upon  him,  instead  of  being,  as  I 
hoped,  securely  up  the  old    lawn  drain,  whence   we    could 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 


112    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

easily  have  bagged  him  alive.  However,  he  has  a  brother 
or  sister  left,  and  quite  able  to  take  care  of  itself.  We 
killed  the  dam  here  on  the  I2th  May  after  a  fine  hunt 
of  about  an  hour."  ' 

And  again,  in  reference    to    scent    in    animals  : — 

"  Scent,  in  what  we  humorously  call  the  lower  animals, 
is,  and  must  alwa\s  remain  a  mystery.  I  once  was  otter 
hunting  on  a  stream  in  South  Devon.  After  a  quick, 
short  drag,  we  put  down  two  otters  from  the  roots  of  an 
old  oak,  overhanging  the  water.  The  larger  otter  took 
up  stream,  and  I  ran  off  as  hard  as  I  could  go,  to  try 
and  see  him  go  over  a  shallow  stickle,  while  the  hounds 
followed  the  smaller  otter  down  stream,  for  some  ten 
minutes  before  they  could  be  stopped.  My  gentleman 
just  put  his  nose  up  in  mid-stream  opposite  to  me.  I 
tallied  him,  but  it  was  certainly  more  than  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  before  the  hounds  came  tearing  along  the  bank, 
on  my  side,  quite  mute  ;  immediately  that  the  leading 
hounds  reached  me  they  opened  with  a  crash,  though  the 
stream  ran  swiftly,  and  they  were  running  down  wind. 
This  happened  about  7  a.m.,  and  we  did  not  handle  the 
other  otter  till   after    5    p.m."  - 

"April  \2th,    1895. 
"  Don't   let    them    kill  or  injure  their    otter,   but   coax 
him    or    her     into    a    pigsty    or    a    byre,    a    bothy    or    a 

1  To  Hon.  Mrs.  Crichton. 
^  To  T.  Buckley,  Esq. 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING     113 

'  shielin  wast,'  and  throw  a  sack  over  him.  In  the 
meantime  I  have,  within  the  last  few  days,  had  very 
good  news  of  otters  hereabout."  ' 

"  April  ze^th,    1895. 
"  The    otter-hounds    had    a    grand    day    from    Brocic 
Hall,    near    Weedon,    on    Tuesday — three-mile    drag,   two 
and    three-quarter    hours'   swimming    work,    killing    a    dog 
otter  of  twenty-two  pounds  at  the  end  of  it."  " 

"  May  6th,  1895. 
"  The  otter-hounds  were  here  on  Saturday,  but  did 
not  find  till  they  got  to  Wadenhoe.  The  water  is  too 
high  and  too  thick  to  do  any  good,  and  they  could 
not  hunt  a  bit.  They  met  this  morning  at  Elton  Mill 
to  draw  up  the  Fotheringhay  brook,  and  were  to  go  to 
Stamford  to-night." ' 


But  hunting  the  otter,  as  we  have  already  seen  from 
Lord  Lilford's  own  words,  yielded  one  place  in  his  estima- 
tion to  falconry — '  the  noble  mysterie  '  as  he  was  wont  to 
speak  of  it,  using  the  phrase  of  an  old  writer.  The 
allusions  in  his  correspondence  to  the  beautiful  art  of 
training  falcons,  are  for  the  greater  part  of  too  technical  a 
character  for  the  general  reader.     We,  therefore,  attach  but 

1  To  Walter  M.  Stopford,  Esq. 
^  To  the  same. 
'  To  the  same. 


114     OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

a  single   letter,  which  shows  that,  even  in  his  captivity  as  an 
invalid,  he  was  able  to  do  a  little  at  his  favourite  sport. 

"November  ;}o//i,  1893. 
"  I  have  not  been  able  to  hold  a  giui,  to  stand,  or 
to  walk  a  yard  since  January  1886,  but  I  do,  or  did, 
see  my  young  goshawk  flv  often  during  September  and 
October  last.  She  has  bagged  well  over  three  hundred 
rabbits  since  August,  when  first  on  the  wing.  I  should 
guess  that  it  was  a  falcon  that  knocked  down  the  pheasant 
that  you  tell  of,  if  '  knock  down  '  is  the  correct  term 
for  the  performance.  We  have  had  singularly  few  wild 
falcons  here  this  year,  probably  owing  to  the  scarcity  of 
teal,  but  as  you  take  in  the  Field  you  will  probably  see 
the  account  by  me,  of  a  very  singular  capture  of  a  falcon 
close  in  front  of  the  house  here  on  24th  inst.*  I  have 
a  very  fine  Iceland  falcon,  with  alas !  a  damaged  wing- 
joint,  flying  as  well  as  she  can  to  the  lure.  I  am  able 
to  watch  this  performance  from  my  window."  * 

The  country  round  Lilford  Hall,  though  suitable 
enough  to  the  goshawk,  is  far  too  much  enclosed,  and 
too  much  wooded  for  successful  flights  with  falcons  after 
rooks,  and  in  any  case  Lord  Lilford,  as  an  invalid,  would 
not  have  been  able  to  follow  a  flight.  None  the  less 
he   kept   many  peregrines,  partly  for  old  associations'  sake, 

'  To  the  Rev.  G.  E.  Freeman. 
*  See  Presidential  Address,  p.  39. 


TKAiNiiD  Goshawk  on  Tnii  fist. 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    115 

and  partly  tor  the  joy  of  seeing  them  fly  to  the  lure,  in 
itself  one  of  the  most  beautiful  exhibitions  that  a  man  can 
wish  to  see.  Lord  Lilford  says  in  one  of  his  letters,  that 
all  that  he  knew  of  falconry  he  learnt  from  '  Dear  old 
Clough  Newcome's '  practice  in  the  field.  Mr.  Newcome, 
of  FeltweU  Hall,  Norfolk,  the  secretary  of  the  Loo  Club 
and  the  Old  Hawking  Club,  was  '  the  ablest  and  most 
skilful  amateur  falconer  of  the  present  century.'  * 

We  will  now  pass  on  to  a  sketch  of  falconry  from  an 
able  pen,  designed  to  lead  the  unlearned,  or  unpractised, 
to  a  better  understanding  of  '  the  noble  mysterie.' 

It  is  written  by  the  Rev.  Gage  Earle  Freeman,  well 
known  as  an  accomplished  falconer,  f 

Falcons  and  Falconry. 

Of  falconry,  Lord  Lilford's  favourite  sport,  very  little 
indeed  is  known  in  the  present  day,  and  such  knowledge 
as  exists  is  confined  to  but  a  few  sportsmen. 

Upon  its  antiquity  I  will  say  only  a  few  words  ; 
and,  to  give  but  two  or  three  facts,  I  shall  have  to  learn 
what  I  myself  taught  in  Falconry,  its  Claims,  History, 
and  Practice,  which  was  published  in   1859. 

"  Mr.  Layard,  in  the  second  volume  of  his  Nineveh, 
tells   us    that   he   found   in   the   ruins  of   Kharsabad  a  bas- 

*  Falconry  (Badminton  Library),  by  the  Hon.  G.  I-ascelles,  p.  339. 
t  Mr.    Freem.in    wrote    for   many    years   on    hawking   matters   in 
the  Field,  under  the  pseudonym  of  '  Peregrine.' 


ii6    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

relief,  '  in  which  there  appeared  to  be  a  falconer  bearing 
a  hawk  on  his  wrist.'  Aristotle,  in  his  Animated 
Nature,  says  :  '  When  the  hawks  seized  a  bird  they 
dropped  it  among  the  hunters '  ;  and,  in  a  work  ascribed 
to  Aristotle,  we  find  :  '  Hawks  appear  when  called.' 
I  find  that  I  copied  the  following  from  Turner's  History 
of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  vol.  iii.,  chip,  vii.,  p.  65  :  — 
'  Hawks  and  falcons  were  also  favourite  subjects  of  amuse- 
ment, and  valuable  presents  in  those  days,  when,  the 
country  being  much  overrun  with  wood,  every  species  of 
the  feathered  race  abounded  in  all  parts.  A  King  of  Kent 
begged  of  a  friend  abroad  two  falcons,  of  such  skill  and 
courage  as  to  attack  cranes  willingly,  and  seizing  them  to 
throw  them  on  the  ground.'  Spelman,  in  his  Glossarium 
Archceologicum  «.iys  that  '  the  art  of  falconry  was  invented 
more  than  a  thousand  years  before  '  ;  he  writing  in  1629." 

I  will  conclude  what  I  have  to  say  concerning  the 
antiquity  of  the  sport  by  a  short  quotation  from  a 
passage  I  wrote  so  many  years  ago.  It  refers  to  the 
practice  in  Europe  :  "  We  may  gather  from  all  this  that 
falconry  was  tolerably  well  established  as  a  leading  sport 
in  Europe,  and  possibly  in  these  islands,  at  a  very  early 
period  of  our  history — between  the  fourth  and  sixth 
centuries  perhaps  ;  England,  however,  being  later  than 
Germany  in  adopting  it." 

So  much  for  the  facts  concerning  the  antiquity. 
What  was  the  spirit  of  those  times  with  regard  to  the 
sport  }     May   1  quote  myself  once  more  } 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    117 

"  The  love  of  this  sport  had  now  become  a  perfect 
passion — nay,  a  mania.  Europe  was  inflamed  with  it. 
Monarchs,  nobles  and  knights,  disdaining  the  moderate 
draughts  of  its  pleasures,  drained  them  to  intoxication, 
and  lived  for  them,  as  for  their  fame.  If  a  gallant  were 
in  prison  he  would  carve  falcons  on  the  walls  ;  if  in 
a  court,  or  in  a  church,  he  would  bear  them  on  his 
glove  ;  if  in  the  grave,  they  would  be  figured  on  his 
tombstone  ;  nay,  his  bride  took  a  merlin  to  the  altar  on 
her  wedding  day.  .  .  .  Not  to  love  hawking  was  a 
proof  of  the  grossest  vulgarity  of  disposition,  and  of 
many  drops  of  churlish  blood." 

And  all  this  has  passed  into  tradition.  However, 
we  must  not  forget  that,  in  the  last  century,  there 
was  an  unquestionable  revival  of  the  sport,  in  which 
the  Old  Hawking  Club,  of  which  Lord  Lilford  was  a 
member,  was  conspicuous.  One  could  wish  the  revival 
were    on    the    increase,    but    that    is    hardly  so. 

Lord  Lilford  would  certainly  not  have  wished  the 
destruction  of  one  sport  for  the  sake  of  another.  He 
was  fond  of  shooting  ;  it  could  well  go  hand-in-hand 
with  falconry.  I  have  shot  with  him,  and  (though  he 
was  even  then  somewhat  lame)  it  was  a  lucky  grouse 
that    escaped    his   gun. 

But  it  is  time  that  something  was  said  about  the 
practice  of  falconry. 

Falconers  divide  the  hawks  which  they  train  into  two 
classes — viz.,    long-winged    and    short-winged   hawks.     Of 


ii8    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

long-winged  hawks  we  have  the  following : — Peregrine  ; 
jer-  or  gyr-  falcon  (these  names  include  the  Iceland, 
Greenland,  and  Norway  falcons)  ;  lanner  ;  sacre  ;  Barbary 
falcon  ;  hobby  ;  merlin.  Of  short-winged  hawks  : — 
Goshawk    and    sparrow-hawk. 

I. — Long-winged  Hawks. 

It  may  be  well  to  say  at  once  that  falconers  of  the 
present  day  do  not  use  the  lanner,  sacre,  or  the  Barbary 
falcon  (though  the  last  kind,  I  should  think,  would 
be  found  excellent  for  partridges)  ;  and  the  gyr-falcon  * 
is    very    seldom    to    be    found    in    training    now. 

Let  us  begin  with  the  peregrine  {Falco  peregrinus),  a 
bird  to  which  I,  at  least,  owe  more  than  half  the 
pleasure  of  my  life,  and  one  to  which  Lord  Lilford 
was    devotedly   attached. 

Peregrines  taken  from  their  nests  in  the  crag  are 
called  eyesses  ;  those  caught  in  their  after-life,  in  the 
bow-net,  are  haggards,  if  in  the  adult  plumage  ;  if  in 
the  first  plumage,  red  hawks.  All  hawks,  in  fact,  are 
either    eyesses   or    'wild-caught.' 

Eyesses  must  be  hacked  ;  this  is  quite  necessary 
with  the  peregrine,  and  hardly  less  necessary  with  the 
merlin. 

What    is    hacking.^     It    is    this  : 

A    hamper    has    arrived,    from    Scotland,    let    us     say  ; 

*  Lord  Lilford  once  had  a  Greenland  falcon,  which  he  much 
liked.— G.  E.  F. 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    119 

it  contains  several  peregrines  just  taken  from  the  eyrie ; 
and,  let  us  hope,  only  just  taken.  If  they  have  been 
carried  from  the  nest  when  they  were  little  more  than 
masses  of  white  down,  reared  by  the  cragsman  at  his 
home  for  many  days,  and  despatched  to  the  falconer 
when  some  feathers  have  appeared,  they  will  be  simply 
worthless.  They  will,  when  trained,  scream  and  fly 
round  their  trainer's  head,  looking  to  him  only  for  food. 
What  should  be  done  is  this :  the  young  hawks  must  be 
left  in  the  nest  till  they  can  nearly  fly  (I  have  known 
one  that  was  found  some  distance  from  the  nest,  and 
was  caught  by  the  hand  on  the  rocks),  and  then  packed 
ofi^  at  once.  Care  should  be  taken  also  that  the  journey 
be  as  rapid  as  circumstances  admit.  Then  comes  the 
hack  ;  a  period  of  liberty  for  eyesses  which  lasts  some 
weeks.  The  object  is  to  teach  them  to  fly,  to  expand 
and  exercise  the  muscles  of  the  wings  ;  to  put  them, 
in  short,  when  the  time  is  over,  in  very  much  the 
same  position  they  would  have  been  in,  as  far  as 
strength  and  adroitness  are  concerned,  had  they  not 
been    captured. 

There  are  two  ways  in  which  the  hack  can  be 
arranged  :     the    first    is    as    follows  : — 

When  the  young  hawks  are  able  to  leave  the  loft 
where  they  were  placed,  they  find  a  large  board  to 
which  meat  is  tied,  and  they  readily  feed.  As  day 
follows  day,  they  go  farther  and  farther  from  the 
house,     but     return      to     the       board     at      feeding-times. 


120    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

Should  they  be  very  forward  when  they  are  received, 
they  are  fastened  to  the  blocks  near  the  board  until 
they  thoroughly  recognise  it  as  the  place  where  they 
will  find  food.  When  this  happens,  they  are  quietly 
released.  It  is  considered  essential,  by  those  who  adopt 
this  form  of  hack,  that  the  hawks  should  see  as  little 
of  any  human  being  as  possible.  The  fear  is  that, 
should  they  recognise  their  feeders,  they  will  scream 
and    fly    low. 

The  second  arrangement  is  this  : 

The  hawks  are  placed  on  a  platform  in  the  loft  with 
straw,  not  hay,  for  their  bedding.  As  soon  as  they  can 
tear  food  for  themselves,  it  is  offered  to  them  on  lures, 
one  lure  for  each  hawk.  The  falconer  whistles  loudly 
while  they  feed.  Presently  they  fly  down  to  the  floor  to 
feed  from  the  lures  ;  then  the  loft  door  is  opened  and 
they  fly  out,  settling  probably  on  the  house  or  on  the 
nearest  tree.  They  soon  go  a  couple  of  miles  or  so  away, 
but  return  at  feeding-times  at  the  sight  of  the  lures  and 
the  sound  of  the  whistle. 

This  was  my  own  plan  ;  it  was  the  plan  of  my  old 
friend  William  Brodrick,  whom  I  knew  in  1850.  I  never 
had  a  case  of  screaming  or  low-flying,  unless  by  accident 
I  had  received  a  bird  taken  from  the  eyrie  when  it  was 
too  young.  Such  a  bird  I  should  not  keep  for  a  day  ; 
and  no  one  ever  saw  one  of  my  entered  evesses  fly  low 
when  '  waiting  on,'  or  heard  it  scream.  There  is  this 
obvious    advantage,    too,    in    this    second    plan  —  that    the 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING     12  r 

birds  when  taken  up  know  the  lure  and  the  whistle. 
And,  as  for  wildness — a  good  thing  at  this  time — it  is  as 
necessary  to  use  the  bow-net  for  taking  up  these  as  it  is 
in  taking  up  those  which  have  been  fed  from  the  hack- 
board.  In  either  case,  the  eyesses,  on  being  put  into  the 
loft,  have  been  furnished  with  bells  and  jesses,  the  bell 
being  somewhat  heavier  than  that  used  when  the  training 
is  over,  which  should  be  as  light  as  possible.  I  myself 
am  for  a  very  long  hack,  even  up  to  the  point  of  danger 
of  the  birds  being  lost.  Be  bold,  I  say  ;  you  had  better 
have  four  good   than  five  indifferent  hawks. 

We  now  come  to  wild-caught  hawks — i.e.,  haggards 
and  red  hawks,  both  '  passage  hawks.'  These  are  yearly 
taken  in  Holland,  as  I  shall  show  at  once  by  an  extract 
from  Reminiscences  of  a  Falconer,  an  excellent  work  by 
my  late  friend  Major  Charles  Hawkins  Fisher,  of  the 
Castle,  Stroud,  Gloucester.*  The  extract  shows  the 
means  of  capture  ;  the  place  is  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Valkenswaard,  Eindhoven,  Holland. 

"  The  method  adopted  is  intricate  and  interesting,  and 
can  only  be  briefly  deecribed  here.  The  so-called  '  huts  ' 
are  pits  dug  out,  walled  with  sods,  and  roofed  with  sods 
and  heather,  so  as  to  be  very  undistinguishable  from 
the    surroundings.     The    occupant,    who    is    frequently    by 

*  They  are  taken  in  England  also.  Lord  Lilford  sent  me  a  fine 
haggard  caught  on  his  own  property  in  Northamptonshire.  He 
named  her  Miss  Hardcastle,  because  he  hoped  she  would  ^  stoop  to 
conquer.'  To  my  great  sorrow  she  broke  her  swivel  when  in  the 
process  of  training  and  I  never  saw  her  again. — G.  E.  F. 


122    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

profession  a  cobbler,  is  provided  with  provisions,  water 
and  schnapps,  and  a  sack  of  boots  and  shoes  to  mend.  As 
his  vision  is  but  circumscribed  he  depends  greatly  upon  a 
little  living  sentinel  who  lives  in  full  sight  of  his  hut  in 
a  little  turf  cabin  or  cage  outside.  This  sentinel  is  the 
larger  butcher-bird  or  shrike. 

"  The  moment  he  perceives  any  bird  of  prey,  however 
far  off,  and  however  high  (I  am  told  beyond  the  power  of 
human  vision),  he  becomes  highly  agitated  and  calls  and 
attracts  the  attention  of  the  occupant  of  the  hut.  .  .  . 
In  addition  to  this  sentinel,  the  hawk-catcher  is  supplied 
with  a  pigeon,  who  lives  in  a  little  turf  hut  at  the  foot 
of  a  pole,  to  the  top  of  which  is  attached  a  cord  reaching 
to  his  hand.  Another  pigeon,  similarly  lodged,  about  one 
hundred  yards  from  his  hut  door  and  close  to  a  carefully 
concealed  bow-net,  working  easily  and  well,  also  from  inside 
the  hut,  completes  his  devices.  The  butcher-bird's  actions 
denote  the  approach  of  the  migrating  hawk — species,  age 
and  sex  unknown — and  the  hawk-catcher  pretends  to  be 
able  to  determine  the  distance  and  quality  of  the  approach- 
ing migrant,  by  the  different  intensity  of  the  terror  of  the 
sentinel.  When  deemed  sufficiently  near,  the  hawk-catcher 
pulls  the  string  of  the  pole-pigeon,  and  causes  him  to 
flutter  forth  from  his  shelter,  but  so  that  he  can  instantly 
regain  it  at  need.  This  lure  is  frequently  sufficient  to 
attract  the  passing  hawk  (probablv  sharp-set)  from  the 
clouds,  and  is  often  instantly  followed  bv  the  rush  of 
the  lofty   and  violent  stoop  —  most   grateful   of  all  sounds 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    123 

to  the  patient  ear  of  the  concealed  cobbler.  In  a  moment 
the  lure  pigeon  is  gone,  safe  once  more  in  his  little  hut. 
The  disappointed  hawk  wheels  round,  whereupon  the 
cobbler  pulls  the  other  poor,  devoted  pigeon  out  of  his 
shelter  and  leaves  him  exposed.  Down  comes  the  hawk 
very  often  (seeing  nothing  wrong)  and  kills,  and  soon 
begins  to  eat  his  prey.  .  .  .  The  delighted  cobbler  takes 
a  good  hold  of  the  cord  or  wire  that  throws  the  bow- 
net  (a  most  clever  contrivance)  and  with  one  masterly 
pull  the  hawk  and  pigeon  are  therein,  from  whence  there 
is   no   escape." 

The  hawk,  whether  '  passage  '  or  eyess,  is  now  out 
of  the  bow-net,  and  in  the  falconer's  hands  for  training. 
Taming,  however,  comes  first.  It  is  not  my  business  in 
this  little  essay  to  say  how  this  or  that  matter  is  accom- 
plished ;  I  have  only  to  say  what  is  done,  and  what 
must  be  done. 

A  leash  is  supplied  in  the  case  of  the  eyess,  who 
has  worn  jesses  during  hack  ;  leash  and  jesses  to  the 
wild-caught  bird.  Then  comes  carrying  on  the  gloved 
left  hand,  the  persistent  persuasion  to  feed  from  it  ; 
breaking  to  the  hood  ;  accustoming  the  unhooded  hawk 
to  the  presence  of  strangers  ;  jumping  to  fist  from  the 
screen  or  block  ;  flying  some  yards  to  the  lure,  a  creance 
(a  long  string  tied  to  the  ground)  having  been  fastened 
to  the  leash  ;  and  ultimately  flying  at  liberty  to  the 
falconer's   call   and  lure. 

The    hawk    is     '  reclaimed ' — I    trust    it    is    understood 


124    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

that  I  am  now  speaking  only  of  the  peregrine — and  is  in 
a  condition  to  fly  game.  We  are  on  the  moors,  hoping 
soon  to  fly  and  kill  a  grouse.  This  quarry,  as  a  rule,  we 
attack  only  with  the  female  bird — the  '  falcon.'  Yesterday 
we  took  out  the  old  pointer  who  has  helped  us  on  many 
a  day's  game-hawking,  but  to-day  we  had  only  beaters- 
and  markers.  What  was  our  plan  yesterday  }  This,  put 
shortly  : — There  were  only  two  of  us,  and  one  falcon  ; 
our  time  was  short,  and  the  moor  close  to  the  house. 
Old  Don  ranged  well,  but  carefully  ;  a  dead  point — no 
hare  thai;  grouse  to  a  certainty.  The  hawk  is  cast  off; 
she  rises  in  wide  circles  ;  give  her  plenty  of  time  :  will 
she  get  any  higher  ?  No  ;  well  then,  put  up  the  grouse. 
Don  knows  his  business,  and  up  get  the  birds.  Poor  Don  ! 
every  one  complains  thdt  we  have  spoilt  him  for  shooting. 
The  hawk,  though  high,  was  a  considerable  distance  from 
the  rise,  but  she  answered  to  the  ringing  shout,  "  ho-ha, 
ha  ! "  and  spun  down  upon  the  five  birds  which  had 
risen.  The  distance  was  too  great,  however,  to  admit  of 
her  cutting  one  over  at  once  ;  the  flight  was  something 
like  a  stern  chase.  A  '  put-in  '  t  We  feared  it,  and  it 
was.  In  other  words,  the  grouse  had  dashed  into  thick 
cover.  But  she  '  waits  on  '  well  above  them.  We  and  the 
dog  rush  on  ;  it  is  a  considerable  distance,  but  she  is  a 
fairly  patient  bird.  Up  gets  one  of  the  grouse  ;  he  is- 
cut  over  at  the  first  stoop,  and  the  falconer,  lifting  the 
grouse  on  his  gloved  hand,  the  hawk  being  on  the  quarry,, 
lets   his  bird  eat   the  head   and  neck,  and  some   fresh  and 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING     125 

tender  beefsteak  which  he  takes  from  his  pouch.  She 
was,  in  fact,   '  fed-up,'  for  we  had  to  go  home. 

So  much  for  yesterday.  As  far  as  to-day  is  concerned, 
we  have  been  hawking,  as  I  have  said,  without  a  dog, 
for  this  is  what  happened.  Don  was  left  at  home.  A 
pointer,  as  will  be  seen,  is  not  necessary,  but  I  strongly 
recommend  a  dog  at  heel,  to  put  out  birds  which  have 
been  '  put  in.'  Well  do  I  remember  the  want  of  one. 
The  memory  plagues  me  even  now.  A  falcon  was 
*  waiting  on,'  and  I  could  not  find  a  grouse  ;  at  last,  up 
got  a  snipe,  and  there  was  a  splendid  ringing  flight  ;  the 
snipe  was  soon  out  of  sight  in  the  sky,  and  the  hawk, 
if  I  saw  her  at  all,  did  not  look  bigger  than  a  butterfly. 
At  last,  they  came  down  ;  the  hawk  had  compelled  her 
quarry  to  do  that.  It  was  a  '  put  in,'  only  a  hundred 
yards  or  so  from  where  I  stood,  in  deep  heather.  I  was 
soon  on  the  spot,  as  far  as  I  could  make  it  out  ;  but  I 
was  alone,  and  the  hawk  was  waiting  above  me  ;  she  was 
most  patient.  Oh  for  a  dog !  At  that  moment  I  would 
have  half  ruined  myself  for  only  the  loan  of  a  dog.  I 
was  on  my  hands  and  knees  turning  over  the  heather,  and 
examining  every  hole;  and  this,  perhaps,  a  dozen  or  twenty 
yards  from  where  the  snipe  had  hid  itself;  I  could  not 
mark  the  spot  nearer.  At  last  the  hawk  left  me,  and 
went  home,  not  half  a  mile  away  ;  she  could  stand  it 
no  longer.      But  this  is  a  long  digression. 

On  the  day  I  am  writing  about  there  was  no  dog, 
but    I    had    markers    and    beaters.     The   moor   was    small. 


126    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

and  the  ground  very  uneven,  hilly  in  fact.  The  markers 
were  placed  on  the  high  ground,  the  beaters  were  with 
me  ;  the  falcon  was  waiting  on.  "  Now,  my  lads,  ofF 
with  you  ;  get  them  up  as  fast  as  you  can."  They  dash 
off;  and  in  a  moment,  as  it  happened,  a  single  grouse 
got  up.  The  falcon  was  just  above,  but  very  nicely  high. 
A  shower  of  feathers,  as  if  the  grouse  had  been  struck  by 
small  shot  ;  she  is  on  it,  waiting  till  I  come  up.  We  did 
not  '  feed  up  '  this  time,  but  killed  another  before  we 
went  home.  The  markers  helped  in  that  case  ;  the 
'  kill '  was  out  of  my  sight,  and  they  let  me  know  it 
had  happened,  and  where  it  was,  by  throwing  caps  in  the 
air  and  pointing,  like  signposts,  to  the  place. 

But  this  is  hawking  on  a  small  scale.  On  a  larger 
moor,  and  with  the  assistance  of  professionals,  six  or 
eight  hawks  may  be  taken  out  on  the  cadge,  and  a  whole 
day  spent  on  the  sport. 

1  have  spoken  of  eyesses  and  of  wild-caught  hawks. 
Falconers  agree  that  for  grouse,  rooks,  and  certainly  for 
heron,  wild-caught  birds  are  the  better. 

A  word,  and  but  little  more  than  a  word,  on  partridge- 
hawking.  The  tiercel,  or  male  bird,  one-third  smaller 
than  the  female,  is  certainly  to  be  chosen  for  this  sport. 
It  is  grouse-hawking  in  miniature  as  regards  the  size  of 
the  hawk  used,  that  of  the  quarry,  and  the  extent  of  land 
ranged  over.  It  is  very  pretty  sport,  and  is  conducted 
in  precisely  the  same  way  as  that  of  grouse-hawking. 
Partridges    are   often    '  put-in  '   to   ditches,    or    the    bottom 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    127 

of  a  thick  hedge,  and  a  small  dog  accustomed  to  the 
hawks,  and  one  they  know  well,  is  necessary.  Still,  the 
majority  of  kills,  if  there  is  luck,  take  place  in  the  open. 
But  if  one  wished  to  make  a  man  a  falconer,  he  should 
be  taken  on  to  the  moors.  He  would  recollect  many  a 
good  day's  shooting  to  dogs,  his  own  favourite  pointers 
and  setters  ;  how  well  they  ranged,  how  thoroughly  steady 
they  were  to  points,  and  to  '  down-charge,'  how  proud 
he  was  to  show  them  to  his  friends.  He  might  remember, 
too,  his  patience  at  the  butts  till  the  pack  came  over,  and 
the  splendid  rights  and  lefts. 

No  doubt  this  is  very  fine,  hut  you  will  show  your 
friend  something  still  finer.  And,  in  writing  this,  I  may 
in  some  trifling  measure  repeat  what  I  have  just  written. 
You  and  he  have  been  running  over  heather,  you  both 
have  positively  drunk  the  mountain-air  ;  fragrance,  the  very 
strength  of  a  life-giving  fragrance,  has  been  the  breath 
of  your  nostrils.  More  than  that  !  Up  in  the  cloudless 
sky  has  circled  the  bird,  who  you  know  has  watched  your 
every  movement,  has  waited  for  your  help  as  patiently 
as  you  have  waited  for  hers.  She  could  have  left  you, 
and  have  been  twenty  miles  away  in  almost  as  many 
minutes.  She  chose  you  before  that.  What  will  your 
friend  think  of  this  sport  ^  How  marvellously  patient 
she  is !  You  pause  ;  the  partridges  lay  close,  but  they 
are  off  now.  One  flash  from  above,  the  bright  sun  on 
her  wings  ;  the  shout  that  called  her  still  ringing  !  The 
leading  old  cock  spins  from  the  stroke  of  her  foot  ;  she  is 


128    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

on    him    in    the    heather  ;     she   looks   for    your    approach, 
as  proud  as  you  are. 

People  know  nothing  of  the  sport,  or  they  would 
honour  it.  Could  a  man  see  spch  a  flis^ht  as  that  I  have 
just  described  and  not  do  all  he  knew  to  become  a 
falconer  .'' 

Rook-hawking  next.  It  is  heron-hawking  in  minia- 
ture.  In  both,  to  carry  out  the  sport  properly,  the 
ground  must  be  free  from  trees.  The  quarry,  whichever 
of  these  it  may  be,  is  looked  for  on  the  '  passage,'  going 
for  food,  or  returning  with  it.  The  falconer  carries  the 
falcon  on  his  glove  ;  the  leash,  of  course,  has  been  removed, 
and  she  is  held  by  the  jesses  ;  she  is  hooded.  When 
a  rook  comes  fairly  near — a  hundred  yards,  if  you  like — 
the  hood  is  removed,  and  the  hawk  cast  off".  Two  are 
often  flown  at  a  rook  ;  two  always  at  a  heron.  They 
have  no  mean  quarry  to  attack,  for  a  good  old  rook 
will  shift  from  the  stoop  with  very  great  dexterity,  and 
the  flight  may  be  a  very  long  one  ;  a  good  horse  is 
necessary  if  the  whole,  or  anything  like  it,  is  to  be  seen 
thoroughly.  When  there  are  a  few  trees  on  the  hawking 
ground,  it  is  well  to  carry  a  pistol,  loaded  with  blank 
cartridge,  to  be  tired  immediately  under  the  tree  where 
the  rook  has  taken  refuge  ;  this  will  often,  but  not 
always,  dislodge  it.  But  one  of  the  difficulties  in  rook- 
hawking  is  to  induce  the  hawk  to  fly  the  quarry. 
Naturally,  she  very  much  dislikes  the  flavour  of  the  flesh. 
A  few   falcons  will   take    to   rooks    at    once,  but   they   are 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    129 

the  exception  ;  '  entering '  is  the  remedy.  A  rook  is 
offered  in  a  creance  to  a  very  sharp-set  hawk,  she  takes 
it,  it  is  killed  at  once,  and  the  falconer  adroitly  fastens 
the  greater  part  of  a  newly  killed  pigeon,  still  warm, 
under  the  rook's  wing,  having  taken  care  to  remove  the 
pigeon's  wings,  and  any  feathers  likely  to  betray  the 
fraud.  "If  this  is  rook,"  thinks  the  falcon,  "all  I  can 
say  is  that  I  have  slandered  the  poor  bird  very  much, 
and  I  shall  certainly  fly  the  first  I  see." 

Magpie-hawking  is  very  good  sport  indeed.  The 
falconers,  ladies  perhaps  among  them,  should  be  on  horse- 
back. Of  course,  the  country  must  be  free  from  woods, 
but  there  may  be  bushes  and  some  hedges  if  the  fields 
are  large.  There  should  be  some  few  beaters  with  the 
party,  so  that  the  magpie  may  easily  be  driven  out  of 
the  cover  to  which  he  has  taken  when  pressed  by  the 
single  tiercel,  or  cast  of  tiercels,  which  are  after  him. 
The  crack  of  a  whip  is  sometimes,  but  not  often,  enough 
to  send  him  again  into  the  open. 

But  I  must  remember  that  space  is  limited,  and  that  I 
have  yet,  amongst  long-winged  hawks,  to  say  something 
of  the  merlin  and  hobby.  The  merlin  {Falco  cesalori) 
is  the  smallest  of  British  hawks  ;  an  exquisite  little 
creature,  a  pet  and  a  companion  for  ladies,  a  bird  capable 
of  showing  the  falconer  excellent  sport.  It  is  very 
handsome,  too,  and  the  male,  when  in  the  adult  plumage, 
has  a  beautiful  blue  back  ;  he  would  be  worth  having 
if  he   were    only   to    be    looked   at.     But    these    birds    are 

9 


I  JO    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

more  than  beautiful  ;  they  may  be  made  the  companions 
of  your  walks,  following  on  the  wing,  and  coming  to  the 
glove  when  called.  I  have  known  a  little  male  bird 
which  had  received  a  few  mouthfuls  of  food  in  the 
morning  and  was  then  thrown  out  of  the  window,  meet 
his  master  or  mistress  a  couple  of  hours  later,  his  presence 
being  intimated  by  his  settling  on  one  of  their  heads  ; 
then  he  would  of  course  be  fed,  and  would  probably  be 
carried  on  the  glove  till  the  walk  was  over. 

Taken  from  hack,  or  wild-caught,  these  birds  are 
treated  in  the  same  manner  as  that  described  in  the  case 
ot  the  peregrine  ;  they  become  tame  very  soon,  and  I 
once  had  a  fine  wild-caught  hen  bird,  which  knew  the 
lure,  and  followed  me  in  the  lields,  one  fortnight  after 
she  had   been   taken   out   of  the   birdcatcher's    net. 

As  to  the  quarry  at  which  they  are  flown,  they 
will  take  blackbirds,  thrushes,  ring-ouzels — any  small  bird, 
in  fact  ;  their  only  fault,  notwithstanding  their  extreme 
tameness,  being  a  disposition  to  '  carry.'  With  most 
birds,  however,  this  can  be  overcome,  and  the  falconer 
will  go  up  to  his  hawk  with  confidence  that  she  will 
wait  for  him,  content  that  he  shall  have  the  quarry  just 
killed,  and  knowing  that    he  will  feed   her  from  it. 

But  the  quarry  for  the  merlin — there  is  only  one  of 
consequence — is  the  skylark.  Here — and  this  has  been 
often  said — we  have  heron-hawking  in  miniature.  In 
both,  the  '  ringing  '  flight  is  the  great  matter.  \r\ 
grouse-hawking,   as    we   have    just    seen,   the   hawk    comes 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    131 

down  from  a  height  in  "one  fell  swoop" — 'stoop'  as 
we  call  it  in  these  days  ;  in  heron-,  rook-,  and  lark- 
hawking,  she  goes  up,  hawk  and  quarry  '  ringing,'  till 
they  are  nearly,  or  quite,  out  of  sight.  A  stranger  to  the 
sport  would  say,  "  We  shall  never  see  that  bird  again  !  " 
But  the  fact  is  that  you  could  probably  see  it  in  a  few 
seconds.  Well  I  remember,  when  I  began  falconry, 
William  Brodrick  scolding  me  for  calling  a  merlin  "  out 
of  sight."  She  was  just  disappearing  in  the  sky,  and 
to  have  lost  her  in  those  days  would  have  made  me 
melancholy  for  a  week,  so  I  whistled,  threw  up  the 
lure,  and  she  came. 

Such  is  the  merlin.  Then  we  have  the  hobby  {Falco 
subbuteo).  I  only  wish  I  could  say  anything  complimen- 
tary of  this  hawk.  There  is  a  great  beauty,  no  doubt  ; 
but  is  there  not  an  old  adage,  '  Handsome  is  that 
handsome  does '  }  The  hobby  to  look  at  is  the  very 
perfection  of  a  falcon ;  the  length  of  wing  by  which, 
amongst  other  signs,  a  falcon  is  known,  is  longer  in 
proportion  than  that  of  any  other  member  of  the 
family  ;  the  general  appearance  is,  in  fact,  wonderfully- 
typical.  The  bird  is  a  little  larger  than  the  merlin. 
They  are  migratoi-y  and  difficult  to  procure.  Surely, 
considering  their  perfect  form,  they  could  fly  !  They 
ought  to  beat  a  merlin,  but  they  don't,  nor,  indeed,  at 
all  equal  it.  Lord  Lilford  told  me  that  he  had  offered 
a  good  price  for  one  that  would  fly  larks  well,  but  the 
difficulty  is   to  get   one  that  will    fly   them   at  all.      There 


132    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

is  a  mystery  about  the  bird  ;  it  might  cry,  as  a  certain 
lady  cried  :  "  The  curse  has  come  upon  me."  For,  look 
at  the  difference  between  then  and  now !  We  find 
Latham,  whose  Falconry  was  published  in  1633, 
writing  of  the  hobby  in  terms  of  enthusiastic  praise. 
He  says  :  "  She  will  show  herself  a  hawk  to  please  a 
prince,  for  you  may  fly  her  twenty  times  in  the  after- 
noon when  no  other  hawks  will  fly,  but  must  be  waited 
on."  In  short,  he  says  that  the  hobby  will  flv  par- 
tridges, quails,  larks,  and  all  in  the  most  perfect  manner. 
So  much  tor  '  then '  ;  '  now '  the  very  best  merlin 
trainers  can't  make  a  hobby  go  iifty  yards  after  a  lark, 
nor,  indeed,  can  they  make  her  care  for  any  quarry.  Is 
there  vet  a  chance  .''  Will  some  one  read  up  Latham  and 
other  old  hawking  books,  try  if  they  can  extract  a  hidden 
hint,  and  give  their  whole  mind  to  practice  in  the  field  ? 
I  have  now  done  with  the  long-winged  hawks,  except 
that  I  ought  to  add  that  falconers  keep  them  on 
blocks,  or  on  the  screen,  the  former,  in  my  opinion, 
being  the  better  resting-place,  as  on  the  screen  the 
feathers  not  infrequently  get  damaged.  Like  all  hawks 
they  must  be  often  offered  a  bath. 

II. — Sfwrt-winged  Hawks. 

There  are  two  short-winged  hawks,  the  goshawk  and 
the  sparrow-hawk.  The  goshawk  is  by  far  the  larger 
bird,  but  thev  resemble  each  other  very  much  in  other 
respects,    except     that     the   goshawk     has    stout    legs    and 


i  ii>   ifZ. 


Hobby,  with  leash  and  block. 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    133 

feet,  while  the  sparrow-hawk  has  slight  ones.  However, 
ornithologists  have  separated  them  very  widely,  neither 
genus  nor  species  being  the  same.  The  goshawk  is 
Astur  palumbarius,  and  the  sparrow-hawk  Accipiter  nisiis. 
They  are  separated,  too,  in  their  habits ;  the  goshawk,  on 
the  whole,  preferring  fur,  and  the  sparrow-hawk  confining 
itself  to  feather. 

The  bow-perch  is  generally  used  for  these  birds 
instead  of  the  block,  though  the  latter  is  well  enough 
suited  for  the  sparrow-hawk.  This  perch  is  a  simple 
contrivance ;  it  is  made  of  a  length  of  pliant  wood, 
ash  perhaps,  and  it  becomes  a  '  bow '  by  being  bent, 
and  for  a  bowstring,  strong  string,  or  what  is  far 
better,  strong  wire  is  used.  The  ends^  however,  differ 
from  those  of  an  ordinary  bow  ;  they  should  be  a  foot 
in  length  beyond  the  place  where  the  bowstring  is 
fastened,  and  this  in  order  that  they  may  be  most 
thoroughly  and  firmly  buried  in  the  ground.  A  sub- 
stantial ring  has  been  run  up  the  wood  before  the 
bow  was  fashioned,  it  moves  easily  up  and  down,  and 
to  it  the  leash  is  fastened.  Blocks  and  perches  must, 
of  course,  be  on  grass,  or  well  surrounded  with  straw 
when  under  cover,  or  the  hawk,  when  bating,  will  injure 
Sts    plumage. 

Goshawks  may  sometimes  be  procured  by  advertise- 
ments. The  best  come  from  Norway,  but  they  are 
found  also  in  France  and  Germany.  England  will  have 
none  of  them  now  ;  there  was  a  time   when   it  was   their 


134   OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

home.  Like  other  hawks,  they  may  be  taken  as  nestlings 
or  they  mav  be  wild-caught.  Colonel  Delme  RadclifFe 
once  warned  me  against  having  a  hao^gard,  but  the  bird 
in  its  first  plumage,  although  wild-caught,  is  very  good, 
and  as  a  rule  to  be  preferred  to  an  eyess.  In  training, 
a  hood,  so  contrived  that  food  may  just  be  seen  through 
it  (food  and  nothing  else)  can  be  used  ;  but  the  bird 
should  be  accustomed  very  soon  to  feed  '  from  the  fist ' 
without  it,  and  to  endure  the  presence  of  strangers. 
This  part  of  the  business  is  a  trying  time  to  the  falconer, 
for  goshawks  and  sparrow-hawks  have  a  fearful  temper. 
It  is  only  to  be  overcome  by  time  and  constant  attention, 
the  goshawk,  at  any  rate,  becoming  at  last  very  fairly 
amiable. 

As  with  other  hawks,  the  entering  to  quarry  is  done 
by  degrees  :  there  is  no  greater  mistake  than  hurry  in 
the  training.  At  first  a  dead  rabbit,  opened  so  as  to  show 
the  flesh  about  the  shoulder,  may  be  given  at  the  bow- 
perch  :  a  couple  of  days  after,  the  hawk  being  very 
sharp-set,  a  live  rabbit  in  a  short  creance  should  be  offered ; 
on  it  being  taken,  the  falconer  will  kill  it,  and  allow  the 
hawk  to  feed  from  the  shoulders  as  before — and  so  by 
degrees  the  bird  will  fly  wild  rabbits.  Half  a  dozen  may 
be  taken  in  a  morning's  or  afternoon's  walk  ;  more  in 
fact,  but  it  is  well  not  to  repeat  large  numbers  day  after 
day.  It  was  my  custom  at  first  to  stab  the  rabbit 
at  once,  but  I  think  there  is  a  better  plan.  Have  a 
man  or  boy   behind   you,   carrying   a  dead  rabbit,   skinned 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING     135 

towards  the  head  ;  take  this  and  pass  the  live  one  to  him 
to  be  adroitly  killed  bv  the  usual  neck-breaking  process  : 
allow  the  hawk  to  take  a  mouthful  from  the  dead  rabbit, 
and  whilst  she  is  eating  lift  her  on  the  glove,  holding 
the  jesses  firmly  :  she  is  then  ready  for  another  flight. 
Some  goshawks  will  take  hares,  but  if  they  are  used  for 
that  quarry,  they  must  not  be  allowed  to  fly  rabbits  ;  if 
they  are,  they  will  look  for  the  easier  flight,  and  scarcely 
care  for  the  more  difiicult. 

The  female  bird  only  is  used  for  hares  and  rabbits. 
The  male  will  fly  pheasants  well,  and  indeed  partridges, 
but  he  is  hardly  fast  enough  to  be  quite  relied  on  for 
a  strong  full-grown  partridge,  at  any  rate  in  flight  :  he 
may  drive  his  quarry  into  low  cover  where  a  dog  may 
take  it. 

A  goshawk  must  be  in  '  yarak  '  before  she  is  flown. 
Unless  this  is  so,  leave  her  on  her  perch,  for  she  will 
be  of  no  use  whatever.  What  therefore  is  yarak  .''  I 
quote  from  my  little  book,  How  I  became  a  Falconer. 
A  goshawk  in  yarak  is  :  "  simply  when  she  is  in  a  good 
temper,  decidedly  hungry,  and  eager  for  quarry.  She  gives 
two  or  three  screams  at  your  approach,  and  probably  bates 
towards  you  ;  she  sets  out  her  feathers,  making  herself 
look  large  ;  has  a  peculiar  look  in  her  yellow  eyes — a  sort 
of  mixture  of  earnestness  and  amiability  .  .  .  beware  of 
the  opposite  symptoms.  It  is  no  use  taking  her  from  her 
perch  if  she  gives  a  chirping  sound,  very  different  from 
the  scream  ;  if  she  has  a  wild  eye,  with  contracted  pupil  ; 


136    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

if  she  makes  herself  look  small  by  closing  all  her  feathers 
tightly  round  her." 

The  short-winged  hawks  fly  '  from  the  fist,'  as  it  is 
called  ;  in  fact,  so  does  the  merlin.  In  other  words,  they 
do  not  '  wait  on  '  ;  any  one  who  knew  the  goshawk  would 
think  the  notion  that  she  could  do  so  a  very  comic  one 
indeed.  Carried  unhooded,  they  at  once  see  their  quarry 
and  dash  after  it. 

I  have  always  liked  the  goshawk  ;  when  she  thoroughly 
knows  you  she  is  very  friendly.  I  had  one  once — my 
close  friend  and  companion — for  more  than  nine  years  ; 
she  died  on  my  hand,  of  aneurism.  I  have  mentioned  this, 
I  am  sure,  in  other  essays  on  falconrv,  but  it  may  be 
interesting  in  this  place.  She  was  wonderfully  stuffed 
for  me  by  Mr.  Brodrick,  and  is  in  this  house  now,  almost 
as  lifelike  as  when  she  lived. 

I  must  now  write  a  few  lines  about  the  sparrow-hawk. 
I  don't  think  that  Lord  Lilford  took  much  interest  in  this 
bird,  though  he  was  certainly  fond  of  the  goshawk  :  and 
indeed  the  sparrow-hawk  is  hardly  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting hawks.  She  requires  an  immense  deal  of  patient 
attention,  and  when  she  is  in  flying  order  she  must  be 
flown  often.  The  male  (musket),  as  well  as  the  female, 
may  be  made  to  fly  blackbirds  well,  and  blackbird-hawking 
is  really  an  exciting  sport.  Two  or  three  people  should 
join  in  it,  for  the  hedges  must  be  well  guarded  and  beaten, 
as  it  is  necessary  to  drive  out  the  quarry  as  soon  as  it  is 
'  put     in  '     by    the     hawk.     The    sparrow-hawk,    like    the 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    137 

goshawk,  should  be  made  to  fly  to  the  fist  ;  that  is 
essential,  especially  with  the  former  bird,  but  it  is  well 
also  that  they  should  understand  some  sort  of  lure  ;  one 
of  these  hawks  may  take  its  '  stand '  in  a  tree,  and 
obstinately  remain  there  :  a  lure  will  often  bring  it  down 
when  the  '  fist  '  has  little  attraction. 

The  female  bird  will  fly  three- fourths-grown  partridges, 
and  will  sometimes  take  an  old  one :  water-hens,  too,  she 
will  take,  when  they  can  be  found  far  enough  from  water  ; 
for  landrails  she  was  always  famous,  and  a  quail  would  be 
excellent  quarry  for  either  the  male  or  the  female  bird. 

The  sparrow-hawk,  like  the  goshawk,  may  be  broken 
to  the  hood,  but  it  should  be  rarely  used.  The  bird 
must  be  carried  without  it  on  days  when  she  flies  and 
when  she  does  not.  And  just  one  hint  as  to  carrying  on 
the  glove  :  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  day  after  day,  but 
it  must  not  be  made  a  toil  to  the  hawk :  a  little  bit  of 
food — the  leg  of  a  pigeon  with  the  feathers  off,  for 
instance — should  be  in  the  right  hand,  so  that  when  the 
bird  becomes  impatient  and  disposed  to  be  cross,  just  a 
glimpse  and  a  very  small  taste  may  be  ofFered. 

As  to  the  kind  of  food,  one  must  be  specially  careful 
with  both  merlins  and  sparrow-hawks :  even  fresh  and 
tender  beefsteak,  excellent  with  peregrines  and  goshawks, 
and  very  proper  on  occasion  with  the  smaller  hawks, 
must  be  given  sparingly.  Sheep's  heart  and  birds  should 
be  the  usual  food.  All  hawks  require  castings  two  or  three 
times  in  the  week — i.e..,  feather  or  fur  with  their  food. 


138    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

Perhaps  a  word  or  two  should  be  said  about  disease 
and  medicine. 

The  croaks  is  a  kind  of  cough  :  bruised  peppercorn 
may  be  given  in  the  castings. 

Inflammation  of  the  crop.  The  food  is  thrown  up. 
Give  a  little  powdered  rhubarb  in  the  morning  ;  but  there 
is  little  chance  of  recovery. 

Worms.  River-sand  with  the  meat  and  occasionally 
rhubarb. 

I  wonder  if  our  ancestors  did  better  than  this  with 
their  wonderful   remedies  ! 

The  following  is  from  the  Gentleman  s  Recreation^ 
A.D.  1677  : 

"  Take  germander,  pelamountain,  basil,  grummel-seed, 
and  broom-flowers,  of  each  half  an  ounce  ;  hyssop, 
sassafras,  polypodium,  and  horse-mints,  of  each  a  quarter 
of  an  ounce,  and  the  like  of  nutmegs  ;  cubebs,  borage, 
mummy,  mugwort,  sage,  and  the  four  kinds  of  mirobolans, 
of  each  halt  an  ounce  ;  of  aloes  succotrine  the  fifth  part 
of  an  ounce,  and  of  saffron  one  whole  ounce."  This  is 
to  be  "  put  into  a  hen's  gut,  tied  at  both  ends."  1 
hope  it  may  be  found  agreeable. 

Moulting.  This  occurs  once  a  year.  The  seventh 
feather  in  the  wing  is  generally  dropped  first,  and  that 
not  long  after  the  middle  or  end  of  March.  During 
moult  the  birds  must  be  kept  fat,  or  the  new  feathers  will 
be  poor  ones.  They  are  not  flown  at  quarry,  but  should 
have  some  exercise.     Moult  is  not  over  till  the  autumn. 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    139 

Imping  is  the  mending  of  a  broken  feather.  A  falconer 
will  have  hawk's  feathers  by  him.  He  chooses  one  which 
belonged  to  a  hawk  precisely  like,  in  every  way,  to  the 
bird  whose  wing  or  tail  he  is  about  to  imp.  The 
imping  needle  is  a  short  piece  of  steel  wire  filed  into  a 
triangular  shape  ;  it  is  dipped  in  brine  to  cause  rust  and 
therefore  adhesion.  Suppose  the  third  feather  in  the  wing 
is  broken  ;  take  precisely  the  same  feather  from  those  you 
have  in  reserve  ;  be  sure  of  the  exact  length  in  cuttinof  : 
do  that  at  an  angle  ;  pass  half  the  needle  into  the  false 
feather,  half  into  that  of  the  bird  you  are  imping,  close 
tightly,  and  scarcely  a  mark  of  the  junction  will  be  seen. 

"  My  task  is  over,"  concludes  Mr.  Freeman.  "  It  has 
been  a  pleasant  one  indeed.  I  am  delighted  at  having 
had  the  pleasure  and  the  privilege  of  contributing  to  this 
book,  for  Lord  Lilford  was,  through  a  great  number  of 
years,  my  constant  and   most  kind  friend." 

But  in  addition  to  otter  hunting  and  falconry,  there 
were  few  forms  of  sport  in  which  Lord  Lilford  had  not 
graduated,  and  the  following  extracts  from  letters  throw 
a  pleasing  light  upon  the  genial  spirit  he  brought  to 
these  pursuits. 

He  writes,  under  date  October  22nd,  1895  : 
"  The    cleverest    retriever,    and    certainly    one     of    the 
most   charming   and   sympathetic   companions  of  my   early 
manhood,    was    a    cross    between    collie    and    setter.      For 


140    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

nearly  thirteen  years  she  was  always  with  me,  and  knew 
my  little  manners  and  habits  better  than  any  human 
being.  I  lost  her  one  day,  in  Sardinia,  about  twenty 
miles  from  Cagliari,  at  a  spot  to  which  I  had  gone 
on  wheels  the  previous  evening.  Old  Nellie  lay  under 
our  feet  in  the  buggy  in  which  we  drove,  so  that  she 
could  not  possibly  have  seen  any  landmarks,  or  stopped 
to  sniff  at  any  spots  where  other  of  her  species  had  left 
their  traces.  We  slept,  the  night  of  our  arrival  at  the 
village,  in  an  old  tumbledown  country  house,  Nellie  under 
my  bed.  The  next  morning  we  sallied  forth  early,  and 
for  two  or  three  hours  had  capital  sport  with  Barbary 
partridges,  quails,  and  a  few  hares.  It  was  about  the 
middle  of  October,  very  hot,  and  Nellie  was  thirsty.  She 
disappeared  about  1 1  a.m.,  and  I  whistled  for  and  sought 
her  in  vain,  the  whole  of  the  afternoon.  My  host  of 
the  R.Y.S.  Schooner  Claymore  was  anxious  to  leave 
Cagliari  for  Palermo  on  the  evening  of  the  day  following, 
so  I  returned  disconsolate  to  the  yacht  by  9.30  p.m.  My 
good  friend,  knowing  how  I  loved  my  Nellie,  kindly 
consented    to    stay    till    the    following   morning. 

"  I  spent  a  miserable  day,  and  turned  in  early.  My 
host  and  our  other  companion  went  ashore  to  the  opera  ;  I 
was  conscious  of  the  gig  shoving  off  to  bring  them  aboard 
about  1 1  p.m.,  and  the  next  thing  that  I  knew  of  was 
Nellie's  jumping  up  into  my  bunk,  and  licking  my  hands. 
She  had  found  her  way  back  twenty  miles  through  an 
unknown   country,  and    evidently    came   straight    down    to- 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    141 

the  quay,  and  jumped  into  the  yacht  gig  directly  it  came 
alongside.      This   could   hardly  be   a  case   of   scent. 

"  This  Nellie  several  times  brought  me  two  partridges 
together,  and  on  one  occasion  a  hare  and  a  partridge. 
Here,  in  our  shrubberies,  Nellie  would  often  '  tree '  a 
cat,  and  give  me  notice  by  a  low  bark,  quite  different 
from  her  usual  note  or  '  mark '  at  a  rabbit  in  its 
burrow.  If  I  took  no  notice,  she  would  soon  come  to 
me  with  all  her  hackles  up,  and  growl,  wagging  her  stern 
all  the  time.  I  once  knocked  down  a  woodcock  in  pretty 
thick  covert,  and  sent  her  to  fetch  it.  She  was  a  long 
time  away,  and  came  back  without  it,  but  she  looked 
into  my  face,  evidently  anxious  to  tell  me  something. 
I  tried  her  again,  but  she  would  not  move  till  I  pushed 
into  the  thorns  myself,  when  she  yapped  with  pleasure, 
and  went  gently  ahead  of  me  through  the  thick  stuff, 
stopping  at  last  and  looking  upwards,  with  her  stern 
going.  I  looked  up  into  the  trees  and  bushes,  but  could 
see  nothing  for  a  time,  till  at  last  I  caught  sight  of  the 
tip  of  wing  projecting  from  a  broken  stump  at  about  four 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  found  my  woodcock  caught 
thereon.  In  this  case,  I  feel  sure  that  she  had  seen, 
not  scented,  the  bird.  Many  a  time  she  left  me  to  go 
to  a  distance,  and  pick  up  a  bird  that  she  had  watched 
till  it  fell,  in  many  cases  when  I  did  not  know  of  its 
being  wounded.  Peace  to  her  ashes,  and  a  truce  to  this 
long  yarn."  ' 

^  To  T.  Buckley,  Esq. 


142    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

"October  20th,  1887. 
"  I  never  enjoyed  flighting  in  perfection  except  in 
Epirus  and  Tunis.  Imagine,  after  a  good  day  with  the 
woodcocks,  wading  into  water  knee-deep  ;  birds  around, 
mallard,  gadwall,  shoveller,  teal,  pintail,  wigeon,  pochard, 
tufters,  golden-eye,  with  eagle  owl  booing  from  rocks  close 
by,  bitterns  almost  brushing  one's  face,  snipe  '  scaping  '  in 
every  direction,  and  woodcock  flipping  round  like  bats. 

"  A  neighbour  of  ours  found  an  old  hare,  in  a 
neat  and  well-used  form  in  his  strawberry  bed.  His 
garden  was  walled  on  three  sides,  to  a  height  of  perhaps 
fourteen  feet,  and  on  the  fourth  side  to  about  three 
feet,  with  a  drop  on  the  outside  of  some  five  feet  or 
more  to  a  little  stream,  the  opposite  bank  of  which 
was  about  level  with  the  foot  of  a  low  wall,  and  quite 
four  feet  from  it  at  the  narrowest  part.  At  one  end 
of  this  low  wall  was  a  little  latched  gate,  opening  upon 
a  plank  bridge  over  the  stream.  My  friend,  on  first 
finding  the  hare  amongst  his  strawberries,  called  a 
garden  lad,  posted  himself  at  the  gate,  and  told  the 
boy  to  put  the  hare  up.  She  came  leisurely  up  to  the 
little  gate,  but,  on  finding  my  friend  there,  turned,  and 
tried  the  low  wall  in  several  places.  On  the  approach 
of  the  boy,  she  at  last  jumped  on  to  the  wall,  and  tumbled 
headlong  into  the  stream,  in  which  there  were  only  a  tew 
inches  of  water.  She  scuttled  along  the  bottom,  and 
disappeared.  The  next  afternoon  she  was  again  in  her 
form,    and,    on    being    touched    with    a    stick,    hopped    off 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    143 

to  the  gate,  stood  on  her  hind  legs,  quietly  pressed 
down  the  latch,  and  crossed  the  bridge.  After  this  my 
friend  virtually  left  her  alone,  only  now  and  then  taking 
a   friend   to   let   him  see   old  Sarah   open   the  gate. 

"  I  had  a  Siberian  hare  for  two  or  three  days  in  my 
rooms  in  Tenterden  Street,  who  did  battle  with  any  one 
who  attempted  to  touch  him,  and  finally  turned  cat  and 
housemaid  out   of  the  room."  ' 

"September  ^th,  1887. 
"  One  of  the  best  pointers  I  ever  owned  7iever  failed, 
but  would  always  poke  up  his  first  bird  or  coney ;  if 
he  was  far  ahead  he  would  look  round,  and  if  I  were 
not  in  shooting  distance,  would  steal  up,  put  up  his 
birds,  and  then  come  crawling  up  to  me,  to  be  scolded. 
I  never  hit  him,  for  he  was  perfectly  conscious  of  his 
offence  ;  except  with  the  first  bird  of  the  day,  I  never  saw 
him  make  a  mistake.  In  Scotland,  on  broken,  hillocky 
ground,  directly  I  had  loaded  and  waved  my  hand  to 
him  he  would  run  off  down  wind,  and  go  clean  out  of 
sight,  ranging  rapidly  towards  me  if  he  found  the  birds 
and  thought  I  could  not  see  him,  as  was  very  often  the 
case.  He  would  come  tearing  along  his  original  down- 
wind line,  and  directly  he  saw  me,  wheel  sharply 
round  and  point  in  the  direction  of  the  birds  that  he 
had  found,  wait  till  I  came  up  to  him,  and  would 
take    me    to    the    spot    without    any    attempt    to    get    the 

'  To  the  Rev.  Murray  Matthew. 


\ 


144    OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING 

wind  again,  and  an  expression  that  said,  as  plainly  as 
any  words,  that  he  was  guided  simply  by  memory. 
Up-wind  he  ranged  not  very  wide,  but  in  the  most 
perfect  form  that  I  ever  saw."  '■ 

That  Lord  Lilford  never  wrote  publicly  upon  sporting 
matters  may  perhaps  have  been  due  to  his  inherent  fond- 
ness for  all  living  creatures.  Be  this  as  it  niav,  in 
this  direction  he  has  committed  little  to  writing  beyond 
passing    allusions    in    his    diaries    or   letters. 

Thus  on  January  iith,  1896:  "Although,  as  you  know, 
I  was  a  very  ardent  gunner  in  my  time,  I  would  rather 
see  a  real  good  flight  with  a  good  hawk  at  any  feathered 
quarry  than  take  part  in  the  slaughter  of  any  number  of 
tame-bred  pheasants."  - 

That  '  tame-bred  '  pheasants  are  no  less  difficult  than 
wild  ones  to  shoot,  no  one  knew  better  than  himself, 
or  had  more  contempt  for  the  absurdities  that  are 
written  in  the  Press  and  elsewhere  on  this  subject. 
The  distinction  he  draws  between  the  two  forms  of 
sport  lay  in  the  instinctive  and  unsportsmanlike  shrinking 
from  the  idea  of  the  non-natural  culture  of  the   pheasant. 

"  With  regard  to  rabbit  shooting,"  he  writes  on 
March    3rdj    1891:    "I    fear   that   I   cannot   claim   ever  to 

^  To  the  Rev.   Murray  Matthew. 
2  To  the  Rev.  G.  E.  Freeman. 


OTTER  HUNTING,  FALCONRY,  SHOOTING    145 

have  been  a  really  first-class  shot  at  them  or  anything 
else  ;  but  I  did  get  a  knack  of  killing  them  stone-dead, 
which  seems  to  be  rare  nowadays.  In  the  open,  with 
a  bunny  going  all  he  knew,  there  was  no  art  in  this  ; 
but  in  thick  cover,  with  the  object  cautiously  hopping 
about,  my  view  was  always  to  hustle  him  into  rapid 
flight,  and  seize  the  right  instant  to  put  the  whole 
charge  behind  his  ears.  One  seldom  gets  a  shot  in 
thick  cover  at  rabbits  at  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty 
yards,  and  the  main  object  should  be  not  to  blow  them 
to  pieces.  For  this  sort  of  work  I  always  preferred  a 
twenty-bore.  The  right  moment  to  fire  came  upon  one 
by    instinct,   after   some    practice."  ^ 

'  To  the  Rev.  Murray  Matthew. 


10 


CHAPTER     VI 
Notes  from   Mediterranean  Journals 

The  extracts  which  follow  are  Lord  Lilford's  journals  of 
cruises  in  the  Mediterranean  in  the  years  1874,  1878- 
1879,  and    1882. 

This  does  not,  however,  exhaust  the  voyages  he  made  ; 
the  absent  links  are,  therefore,  very  kindly  supplied  as 
follows  by  one  who  was  often  his  companion  at  sea,  and 
in  many  ornithological  days  in   Spain.' 

"  1869,  April  20th.  Lilford  met  me  at  Seville,  having  come  from 
London.  On  the  23rd  we  drove  very  early  to  Algaba,  a  small  pueblo 
east  of  Seville,  and  each  killed  our  first  great  bustard.  On  the  26th 
we  started  by  steamer  at  5  a.m.  for  Coria,  a  town  some  few  miles 
down  the  Guadalquivir,  and  thence  drove  with  Manuel  and  his  sons 
in  a  carro  to  the  Palacio  of  the  Goto  del  Rey,  a  wearisome  journey, 
lasting  till  six  in  the  evening ;  the  carro  was  a  covered  country 
cart  with  wooden  wheels,  which  creaked  without  cessation,  and  the 
covering  was  so  low  we  had  to  squat  or  lie  on  the  poles,  which 
formed  the  floor,  a  painful  position.  The  Palacio  was  a  ramshackle 
place,  once  a  shooting  bo.x  of  the  Royal  Goto,  capable  of  accommo- 
dating   eight   sportsmen.     Our   cooking,  etc.,  was    done   by   Lilford's 

1  Lieut.-Golonel   L.    Howard  L.  Irby,   author  of  The   Ornithology 

of  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar. 

146 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  147 

courier.  Pan  and  a  French  bird  skinner  came  with  us.  The 
mosquitoes  were  in  such  swarms  that  we  had  to  burn  dried  rosemary, 
nearly  suffocating  ourselves. 

"Here  we  stayed  till  May  ist,  getting  many,  to  us,  new  birds  and 
eggs,  among  them  the  eggs  and  young  of  the  Spanish  imperial  eagle. 
Some  of  these  young  eagles  were  brought  to  England  and  lived  for 
many  years  at  Lilford,  one  surviving  to   1893. 

"  We  returned  to  Seville,  as  I  had  to  return  on  the  6th  to 
Gibraltar,  where  Lilford  came  on  the  4th  of  June,  staying  there 
with  me  till  the  13th,  when  he  left  for  England  in  the  P.  and  O. 
steamer  Massilia. 

"  1872.  In  this  year  Lilford  next  visited  Spain,  when  he  and 
Lady  Lilford  arrived  in  the  Poonah  at  Gibraltar,  stopping  there 
from  February  6th  till  the  1 7th,  when  they  left  for  Seville,  where 
I  joined  them  from  March  29th  till  April  5th,  when  we  went  after 
bustard. 

"On  May  ist,  1876,  Lilford,  Dr.  O'Connor  and  myself  left 
Plymouth  at  8  a.m.  in  the  Zara,  a  three-hundred-ton  schooner.  With 
a  very  favourable  wind  we  reached  Santander  in  sixty  hours,  a  very 
quick  passage. 

"  We  remained  in  Santander  harbour  till  May  23rd,  daily  going 
out  after  birds,  amongst  others  getting  a  nest  of  young  ravens,  one 
of  which  became  the  celebrated  'Sankey.'  On  the  23rd  we  trained 
to  Torre  la  Vega,  thence  driving  to  Unquera,  sleeping  there.  We 
drove  the  next  day  to  Potes,  going  through  the  Desfiladero,  a  grandly 
picturesque  pass  between  Panes  and  Potes.  We  stayed  in  a  posada 
at  the  latter  place  until  June  13th,  having  got  a  good  many  birds, 
including  great  black  and  middle-spotted  woodpeckers,  seeing  some 
capercaillie. 

"From  June  ist  to  7th  we  had  various,  and  alas!  unsuccessful 
beats  for  bears,  we  saw  their  tracks,  but  never  got  a  shot ;  however, 
the  scenery  was  magnificent  and  the  country  interesting,  though  so 
excessively  steep  and  broken  that  you  couldn't  have  found  a  spot 
level  enough  for  a  cricket  pitch. 

"On  June  13th  we  drove  to  Comillas  on  the  coast,  returning  to 
Santander  through  Santillana,  of  Gil  Bias  fame,  and  Torre  la  Vega. 
We  remained  in  Santander  harbour  on  board  the  Zara  till  the  21st, 


148  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

on  which  day  we  started  for  Bordeaux,  but  with  adverse  winds 
only  got  so  far  as  Royau  on  the  Gironde,  thence  going  by  rail  to 
Bordeaux  on  the  25  th,  leaving  next  day  for  Paris,  where  I  left 
Lilford." 


January    to   June,    1874 
Genoa 

'■'■January  2'ith,  1874.  Went  up  to  see  the  Museo- 
Civile  on  the  Acquabola.  The  Marchese  Giacomo 
Doria,  who  is  curator,  proposed  to  the  municipality  some 
five  years  ago  to  present  his  collections  in  various 
branches  to  that  body,  if  they  would  find  him  house 
room  for  them  and  appoint  him  curator.  They  con- 
sented and  gave  him  a  villa,  which  he  has  arranged  as  a 
museum  on  a  most  excellent  plan.  The  principal  part 
of  the  collection  is  still  in  skins,  but  a  considerable 
number  of  mammalia  and  birds  are  stuffed  and  mounted. 
Doria  made  large  collections  in  Persia  and  Borneo,  but 
the  chief  interest  to  me  lies  in  the  local  collection,  which 
is    very    rich   is   ornithology.       The   chief  rarities    in    that 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  149 

branch  are  Audouin's  gull  {Larus  audouini)*  E.  aureola, 
the  little  bunting  (£.  pusilla),  E.  Ci£sia^  and  the  Eleonora 
falcon  {Falco  eleonora'),^  all  killed  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Genoa.  The  collection  is  also  rich  in  bats  (^Cheiroptera'), 
of  which  order  Doria  has  met  with  fourteen  species  in 
this  neighbourhood.  He  is  an  excellent  fellow  and  most 
obliging,  kindly  presenting  me  with  Salvadori's  work  on 
the  birds  of  Italy,  two  numbers  of  Proceedings  of  this 
museum  society,  and  some  reptiles.  He  told  me  very 
many  interesting  facts :  viz.,  the  present  abundance  of  the 
ibex  in  the  Royal  preserves  near  Aosta,  the  occasional 
visits  to  Genoa  in  large  numbers  of  the  rose-coloured 
starling  and  the  nutcracker,  and  the  abundance  of  a  seal 
{^Phoca  monacha)  on  the  islet  of  Cervoli,  south  of  Elba. 
In  the  gardens  attached  to  the  museum  there  are  a  few 
living  animals  ;  for  example  a  fine  tiger,  a  puma,  a 
Sardinian  red  deer,  and  a  male  and  female  moufflon,  and 
an  eagle  which  I  take  to  be  the  spotted  eagle  {Aquila 
tiavia).  He  has  a  very  fine  male  specimen  of  the 
francolin  {F.  vulgaris),  which  he  obtained  about  four  years 
ago  from  Sicily,  where  it  formed  part  of  a  collection  made 

*  Audouin's  Gull  {Larus  audouini),  an  extremely  beautiful  gull 
with  a  black-banded  coral-red  bill,  and  eyelids  of  the  same  colour. 
Lord  Lilford  (see  later)  recorded  it  from  Vacca,  off  the  S.W.  point  of 
Sardinia,  its  most  westerly  known  breeding-place.  When  the  Editor 
visited  this  little  island  in   1896  he  found  it  much  infested  by  rats. 

t  La  Marmora's,  or  the  Eleonora  Falcon  {Falco  ehonorce),  is  a 
member  of  the  hobby  group  of  falcons.  It  is  an  inhabitant  of  lands 
on  the  southern  border  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  Lord  Lilford  (see 
later)  records  it  from  Toro,  near  Vacca. 


I50  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

by  a  doctor  in  some  village  not  far  from  Girgent:  ;  no 
one  knows  when  it  was  killed.  He  assures  me  that  the 
Greek  partridge  {^Caccabis  gracd)  is  not  very  common  in 
this  neighbourhood,  where  the  red-leg  {Caccabis  rufa)  is 
the  common  species,  while  the  common  partridge  {Terdix 
cinerea)  *  is  not  rare.  My  steward  has  found  the  two 
latter  in  some  numbers  in  the  market  here,  as  well  as  the 
Barbary  partridge  (Caccabis  peirosa)  from  Sardinia.  Many 
gulls  frequent  the  harbour,  apparently  all  herring  gulls 
(Larus  argentatus)  or  their  Mediterranean  representative, f 
and  the  brown-headed  gull  {Lams  ridibundus)." 

Spezi.a. 

"January  31^-/ — Februar)'  ^rd.  A  great  many  gulls, 
chieflv  the  brown-headed  gull,  frequent  the  bay  during 
the  daytime  ;  they  collect  together  about  sunset,  and 
fly  out  seawards,  probably  to  some  favourite  rock,  on 
which  they  pass  the  night. 

"  February  ^^d.  We  sailed  from  Spezia,  and  got, 
into  Leghorn  about   daylight." 

*  The  group  Cairalns,  to  which  our  Red-leg  Partridge  belongs,  differs 
from  Perdix  (the  Grey  Partridge,  of  which  our  common  partridge  may 
be  regarded  as  the  type)  in  the  presence  of  knobs  (rudimentary  spurs) 
on  the  legs  of  the  males  :  and,  generally,  these  partridges  tend  towards 
the  true  gallinaceous  birds. 

t  The  Mediterranean  Herring  Gull,  constantly  referred  to  here  as 
Larus  kucophaus,  is  better  known  as  L.  cachinnans.  It  differs  from 
our  Herring  Gull  by  having  yellow,  instead  of  flesh-coloured  legs  and 
feet,  an  orange-red  ring  round  the  eye,  and  a  darker  mantle. 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  151 

Leghorn.     Pisa 

^'February  ^t/i.     Drove  to  Pisa  and  back. 
"  February   ^th.     Sailed  for  Naples." 

Birds  seen  between  Leghorn  and  Pisa,  February  4th 

"  Tinnunculus  alaudarius,  Corvus  frugilegus,  Columba  anas,  Passer 
italice,  Fringilla  carduelis,  Alauda  cristata,  Motacilla  alba,  Fringilla 
ccelebs." 

Birds  seen  at  Sea 

"  Larus  argentatus,  L.  ridibundus,  L.  caniis,  L.  melayiocephalus, 
Puffinus  (sp.  ?),  Uria  (sp.  ?),  Tringa  (sp.  ?).  Two  small  flocks  of 
some  sandpiper  flying  low  towards  the  land,  apparently  coming 
from  Corsica." 

Naples 

"  We  remained  at  Naples  till  March  4th,  having  had 
an  accident  to  the  yacht,  and  generally  very  cold  wet 
weather.  We  stayed  at  Lady  Holland's  house,  the 
Palazzo  Mocella,  and  made  as  many  excursions  as  the 
weather  would  permit.  I  hardly  ever  saw  any  country, 
except  some  parts  of  France,  so  entirely  devoid  of  birds, 
saving  the  gulls  in  the  port.  Game  of  all  sorts  is  scarce 
in  the  market  and  very  dear,  almost  all  the  shooting 
being  in  private  hands.  The  king  has  some  fine  shooting 
in  the  neighbourhood,  particularly  at  Licola,  where  there  is 
an  immense  quantity  of  wildfowl.  The  chief  information 
on  sport  I  had  was  from  the  Cavalier  Mario  Matuno,  who 
is  grand  veneur  to  the  king.  He  tells  me  that  bears  are 
still  found  in  some  parts  of  the  Abruzzi,  and  that  wolves 
are  not  uncommon  in  the  mountains,  red  and  fallow  deer 


152  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

in  the  preserves,  and  roe  deer  in  all  the  large  woods. 
Hares  are  pretty  numerous,  rabbits  less  so.  The  grey 
partridge  is  common  in  the  plains,  and  in  the  hills  Caccabis 
saxatilis  is  found  ;  this  last  appears  to  be  the  only  species 
of  its  genus  in  this  part  of  Italy  ;  the  Barbary  partridge 
is  sent  to  the  market  from  Sardinia.  Wild  boars  are 
very  abundant,  and  foxes,  martens  and  porcupine  more 
or  less  common  in  the  country. 

"  I  shot  two  good  specimens  of  the  Adriatic  black- 
headed  gull  (Larus  melaKocephalus),  one  common  gull  (Z,. 
canus)  immature,  and  one  brown-headed  gull  (L.  ridi- 
bundus)  *  from  deck  of  yacht  in  the  harbour." 

Other  Birds  seen  about  Naples 

"  Accipiter  nisus,  Fringilla  carduelis,  F.  serinus,  F.  Moris,  Passer 
italics,  Motacilla  alba,  M.  boarula,  Phyllcpneuste  rufa,  Eriihacus 
rubecula,  Sylvia  melanocephala,  S.  atricapilla.  Troglodytes  europaus. 
Anas  crecca,  A.  boscas,  Fulica  atra,  Podiceps  minor." 

Birds  seen  in  tlie  Market  at  Naples 

"  Garrulus  glandarius,  Fringilla  cxlebs,  F.  chloris,  F.  serinus,  F. 
carduelis,  Alauda  arvensis,  Columba  torquata,  Saxicola  rubicola,  Perdix 
cinerea,  Caccabis  saxatilis,  C.  petrosa,  Crex  porzana,  Scolopax  rusticola, 
S.  galliiiago,  S.  gallinula,  Machetes  pi/gnax,  Liinosa  melanura,  Vanellus 
cristatus,  Charadrius  pluvialis,  Anas  boscas,  A.  sirepera,  A.  clypeata, 
A.  crecca,  Mareca  penelope,  Fuligida  ferina,  Mergus  albellus." 

*  The  Brown-headed  Gull  {Larus  ridibundus),  sometimes  called  the 
Black-headed  Gull — though  its  hood  is  chocolate-coloured — belongs  to 
the  group  of  hooded  gulls,  which  include  the  Adriatic  Gull  (Z.  melano- 
cephalus).  The  gulls  which  annually  visit  London  belong  to  this 
species ;  they  nest  on  inland  pieces  of  fresh  water. 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  153 

'■'■February  \oth.  Bought  a  fine  blue  rock-thrush*  and 
two  hill  mynahs  t  in  Naples.  In  the  king's  aviary  at 
Capo  di  Monte  I  saw  several  hybrids  between  common 
and  golden  pheasants. 

'■'■February  l6th.  Noticed  many  bats  flying  in  bright 
sunshine  about  Pozzuoli.  One  that  I  knocked  down 
with  the  carriage  whip  near  the  Lago  d'Aguana  proved 
to  be  Schreiber's  bat  {Vespertilio  schreiberi),  but  we  saw 
other  species.  Many  lizards  in  sunny  places,  I  think 
chiefly  Lacerta  muralis. 

"  In  one  of  the  dark  chambers  of  Pompeii  I  knocked 
down  four  specimens  of  V.  schreiberi  and  a  dead  horse- 
shoe bat,  I  think  Rhinolophus  euryale,  but  the  other  bats 
devoured  him. 

"  There  is  a  collection  of  birds  and  other  animals  at 
the  University,  but  nothing  very  remarkable,  and  the 
specimens  are  crowded  and  badly  arranged.  There  is  a 
male  Sicilian  francolin.  I  made  acquaintance  with  one  of 
the  professors,  G.  Palma,  who  has  a  small  private  collection. 
He  showed  me  some  gulls  which  present  many  charac- 
teristics of  the  Adriatic  black-headed  gull  (Z.  melano- 
cephalui)  and  the  brown-headed  gull  (L.  ridibundus),  and 
are  very  puzzling.  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  they  must 
be  hybrids.  He  has  a  young  pelican  (Peiecanus  crispus),  % 
shot  near  Naples,  which  he  considers  P.  omcrotalus.  § 

*  See  Presidential  Address,  p.  39. 

t  See  Aviary  Notes. 

J  The  Dalmatian  Pelican. 

§  The  Common  or  Egyptian  Pelican. 


154  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

"  March  ^th.  Went  by  train  to  Torre  del  Annun- 
ziata,  whither  I  had  sent  the  yacht  a  few  days  before  for 
good  air  and  water,  as  the  men  were  suffering  from  want 
of  these  requisites  at  Naples.  Sailed  thence  March  7th, 
with  a  fair  breeze,  which  left  us  becalmed  just  off  Capri. 
Crept  along  with  occasional  light  breezes  till  the  afternoon 
of  March  9th,  some  miles  south  of  Stromboli,  when  a 
very  strong  head  wind  met  us  blowing  directly  out  of 
the  Straits  of  Messina,  with  occasional  fierce  squalls.  As 
wind  and  current  were  against  us,  we  did  not  attempt 
to  push  through  the  Straits,  but  brought  up  in  a  little 
bay  to  the  north  of  the  Faro.  Fierce  squalls  through 
the  night.  Came  into  Messina  early  on  morning  of 
March  loth,  where  we  remained  till  i6th.  Very  cold,  wet, 
snowy  weather,  with  occasional  furious  squalls  of  wind. 

"  At  Torre  del  Annunziata,  M shot  a  good  speci- 
men of  Larus  melanocephalus,  getting  the  black  head,  and  I 
a  specimen  of  L.  ridibundus  in  the  same  condition.  We  saw 
many  ducks,  and  several  flights  of  peewits  going  northwards. 

M reported  swallows,  but  I   saw  none.     I  saw  several 

skylarks   at  sea  off  Stromboli,  and  some  cranes  passed  us 
at  night.      Many  shearwaters  *  and  a  few  gulls  seen  at  sea. 

*  The  Shearwaters  {Puffinus)  are  sea-fowl  belonging  to  the  Petrel 
family  {Procellariidie).  They  lay  their  eggs  in  the  end  of  underground 
burrows  or  of  deep  splits  in  the  rock.  The  true  Great  Shearwater 
(/*.  major)  probably  nests  far  south  of  the  Equator ;  the  "  big " 
shearwaters,  to  which  Lord  Lilford  refers  later  as  nesting,  being 
P.  kuh/i,  and  his  "smaller"  shearwaters  probably  the  Manx  Shear- 
water {P.  angiorum),  or  P.  yelkouan. 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  155 

Messina 

"■March  nth.  Went  out  to  the  Faro  in  the  cutter.' 
Thousands  of  gulls,  chiefly  L.  melanocephalus,  also  /.. 
argentatus,  L.  ridibundus  and  L.  canus.  Saw  a  very  large 
shearwater,  and  a  few  terns,*  the  Sandwich  tern,  I  think 
[Sterna  cantiaca),  near  the  Faro.  Saw  the  first  house 
martins.  At  the  little  salt  lakes  at  the  Faro,  they  stick 
up  wooden  herons  as  decoys  ;  it  appears  that  the  common 
and  the  purple  heron  {Ardea  cinerea  and  A.  purpurea) 
pass  in  great  numbers  in  spring.  Many  of  the  L. 
melanocephalus,  of  which  I  shot  three,  have  the  black 
head  nearly  perfect,  others  show  very  little  trace  of  it. 

"  About  Capo  Sant'  Andrea,  saw  the  common  kestrel 
{Falco  tinnunculus),  the  blue  rock-thrush  {Monticola  cyanea), 
black  redstart  (Ruticilla  titys),  kingfisher  {Alcedo  ispida), 
rock  pigeon  [Columba  livid),  and  gulls.  Between  Messina 
and  Taormina,  saw  several  little  gulls  {Larus  minutus),  and 
two  or  three  flights  of  cranes  {Grus  cinerea).  Young 
R brought  me  off  two  bottles  of  lizards,  appar- 
ently all  of  one  species  (L.  viridis),  but  one  (Gecko 
platydactylus  ?). 

"  Saw  ten  vultures  going  north  at  an  immense  height 
in  the  air." 

Taormina 
'■^  March    16th.      A  bright   sunny  morning.      Sailed  for 
Taormina,    where    we    anchored.       Beautiful    scenery    all 

*  Popularly  known  as  '  Sea-swallows.' 


156  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

along  the  coast  on  both  sides  of  the  straits.  Took  cutter 
and  went  round  to  the  caves  and  holes  in  the  clifF,  about 
Capo  Sant'  Andrea,  where  many  pigeons  are  reported,  but 
where  few  seem  to  exist. 

"  We  sailed  for  Catania  about  1 1  a.m.,  light  airs^ 
of  wind  and  heavy  swell,  and  did  not  get  into  Catania 
till  about  6  p.m.  The  whole  coast,  with  grand  views  of 
Etna,  very  fine  indeed.  The  harbour  of  Catania  is  small 
and  crowded,  exposed  to  south  winds,  but  pretty  secure 
from  all  other  quarters." 

Catania 

'■'■March  i^th.  Beautiful  day.  My  41st  birthday;, 
they  dressed  ship  for  me.  We  went  ashore  and  tried  in 
vain  to  see  the  Biscari  Museum,  which  is  shut  up  at  present. 
In  the  market  a  great  many  fish  and  some  birds.  Catania 
is  a  fine  town,  with  wide  streets  well  paved  with  lava, 
and  an  air  of  prosperity  about  it,  and  not  so  many  beggars 
as  usual  in  Italian  cities.  Went  up  to  the  old  convent  of 
the  Benedittini,  an  immense  building  with  some  splendid 
marbles  in  the  church  and  a  fine  library  and  small 
museum  of  antiquities.  Curious  picture  (date  1536)  ot 
a  saint  with  a  white-headed  duck  i^Anas  leucocephala)  and 
a  common  francolin  {Francolinus  vulgaris).*  No  artist's- 
name.     Saint  being  fed  by  an  angel." 

*  The  francolins  are  allied  to  the  partridges.     FrancoUnus  vulgaris: 
is  the  Common  Francolin  of  Europe. 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  157 

"  In  the  market  of  Catania  saw  Fulica  atra  in  some  quantities,  one 
Porphyria,  Machetes  pugnax.  Anas  boscas,  A.  querquedula,  Mareca 
penelope,  Fuligula  rufina,  Scolopax  gallinago.  A  great  many  calan- 
dras  in  cages,  and  greenfinches,  goldfinches,  serins,  and  linnets  in 
the  live  bird  market.  Not  a  great  many  gulls  in  the  harbours. 
Great  quantities  of  fish  of  many  species  in  the  market — mullet, 
tench,  and  eels  from  Lentini,  and  endless  varieties  of  sea  fish.  In 
the  gardens  of  the  Benedittini  convent  were  many  Passer  salickolus, 
Fringilla  carduelis  and  F.  Moris  and  many  lizards ;  I  think  L. 
muralis.     They  call  the  Porphyria  '  Faccianu,'  i.e.   pheasant." 

'■^  March  i()th.  Went  to  see  the  Botanical  and  Zoo- 
logical Gardens  ;  at  the  latter  there  are  a  {qw  beasts  and 
birds.  Tried  fishing  just  out  of  the  harbour  and  caught 
a  few  very  small  fish." 

'^  March  20th.  Drove  out  to  Nicolosi,  about  twelve 
miles ;  the  whole  country  a  mass  of  lava,  well  cultivated  ; 
olives,  carobs,  vines,  oranges  and  lemons,  wheat,  prickly 
pear,  lupins,  etc.  Round  Nicolosi  lies  a  frightful  waste 
of  black  lava,  with  here  and  there  scrub  oaks,  squills,  and 
other  shrubs,  with  a  good  deal  of  Spanish  broom.  We 
took  mules  and  rode  up  to  the  Monte  Rossi — an  old 
crater,  whence  there  is  a  splendid  view  of  Etna  and  the 
whole  plain  of  Catania.     Very  few  birds." 

"March  2isi.  Beautiful  day.  We  took  the  cutter 
and  went  away  to  the  mouth  of  a  canal  about  eight  or 
ten  miles  to  the  S.W.  Fine  sheets  of  water  and  marshes 
and  sandhills.  A  great  many  birds.  I  cannot  v/alk  and 
M cannot  shoot,  so  we  did  not  do  much." 


158  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

"  Saw  the  following  birds : — Kestrel,  marsh  harrier,  kingfisher 
common  swallow,  blackbird,  song  thrush,  black-headed  warbler,  fan- 
tailed  warbler,  Cetti's  warbler,  sedge  warbler,  marsh  warbler,  white 
wagtail,  yellow  wagtail,  skylark,  crested  lark,  calandra,  short-toed  lark, 
Spanish  sparrow,  chaffinch,  linnet,  goldfinch,  jackdaw,  magpie,  quail, 
spotted  crake,  Baillon's  crake,  water-rail,  water-hen,  coot,  Kentish 
plover,  greenshank,  redshank,  wood  sandpiper,  ruff",  common  snipe, 
jack  snipe,  curlew,  wigeon,  red-crested  whistling  duck,  pochard, 
tufted  duck.  Sandwich  tern,  black-headed  gull,  herring  gull,  and  several 
tringcz  that  I  could  not  be  sure  about.  We  only  shot  i  quail, 
I  snipe,  I  spotted  crake,  i  Baillon's  crake  and  one  Sandwich  tern. 
Killed  a  snake,  I  think  Trepidonodzis  natrix  var.,  without  yellow 
mark  at  the  back  of  head  j  several  seen.  Saw  many  lizards  and  a 
rabbit." 

''March  lyrd.  Fine  day.  We  took  a  carriage  at 
6.30  a.m.,  and  drove  to  the  Lake  of  Lentini,  about  fourteen 
miles,  first  across  the  great  plain  of  Catania,  cultivated  and 
now  flooded,  to  the  river  Simeto  ;  crossed  by  a  ferry  boat, 
then  over  about  six  miles  of  undulating  stony  hills.  The 
lake  is  a  great  sheet  of  water  with  a  thick  fringe  of  high 
reeds.  We  got  a  boat  which  was  of  no  use.  Great 
quantities  of  fish,  mullet  and  tench,  jumping  all  about  us. 
Did  little,  for  the  reasons  before  mentioned.  We  remained 
at  and  about  Catania  till  March  30th,  when  we  sailed  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Pantani  river,  where  we  went  ashore 
to  shoot  ;  got  boats  upon  the  lake  on  the  proper  left  of 
stream  and  penetrated  some  distance  into  the  reed  jungle 
at  the   northern    end   thereof." 

"  Besides  many  of  the  birds  before  mentioned,  saw  golden  plover, 
peewit,  solitary  snipe,  bittern,  common  heron,  teal,  garganey,  black 
redstart,  green  sandpiper,  and  cormorant.     Heard  poiphyrio  and  saw  a 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  159 

flock  of  wild  geese  and  a  few  common  wild  ducks ;  also  a  hare.  Wc 
shot  3  snipes,  i  teal,  t  peewit,  i  golden  plover,  2  spotted  rails.  Saw 
also  common  starling." 

"March  2-jth.  On  the  Simeto  river  shot  i  bittern,  2  snipes, 
I  golden  plover." 

"March  2W1.     Pantani.     i  curlew,  i  solitary  snipe,  4  full  snipes, 

1  jack  snipe,  4  spotted  rails,  i  wild  duck,  i  garganey,  2  black-headed 
gulls,  I  calandra,  i  quail." 

'■'■March  loth.     13  coots,  2  garganey,  2  white-eyed  ducks,  5  snipes, 

2  waterhens." 

"March  ^ist.  13  coots,  i  mallard,  i  white -eyed  duck.  Lost 
2  mallards  and  2  garganeys,  besides  some  coots." 

Pantani   di   Catania 

"  March  30//2.  In  a  stack  near  the  house  where  we 
hired  out  boats  the  cutter's  crew  found  a  quantity  of 
snakes,  chiefly  Coluber  natrix,  which  swarms  all  about  the 
marshes,  and  I  fancy  one  or  two  of  the  black  variety  of 
Laments  atrovirens.  Poland  found  a  nest  in  the  reeds, 
I  fancy  of  sedge  warbler  {Schcenobanus),  with  three  eggs." 

Catania. — Lentini,  Agosta,  and  Syracuse 

"  March  2>'^st.  The  yacht  lay  off  and  on  all  last 
night,  and  we  landed  at  the  same  place  to  shoot  ;  lost 
several  things  in  the  dense  reeds.  I  found  a  nest  of  a 
porphyrio  *  in  a  heap  of  growing  flags,  containing  one  egg. 
The  nest  is  exactly  like  that  of  a  common  water-hen,  or 
perhaps    not  quite  so    high  -  sided    as  some    nests    of   that 

*  The  Porphyries  are  '  water-hens.'  Many  of  them  are  coloured 
blue  or  bluish-purple,  and  have  red  legs,  feet  and  bills. 


i6o  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

bird.  This  porphyrio  is  very  common,  and  is  to  be  heard 
all  day  and  night,  but  very  seldom  seen.  I  only  caught 
a  glimpse  of  one  during  the  whole  two  days  we  spent 
amongst  the  reeds  and  flags.  The  most  abundant  ducks 
are  now  garganeys  and  white-eyed  ;  I  also  saw  mallard, 
gadwall,  pintail,  shoveller,  pochard,  red-crested  whistling 
and  white-headed  ducks.  Marsh  harriers  *  very  common, 
one  or  two  grey  harriers  which  look  like  C.  pallidus,  no 
other  birds  of  prey,  except  a  {qw  kestrels  and  an  odd 
kite  or  two  about  the  Pantani,  magpies  in  swarms  nesting 
in  the  tamarisks  with  which  the  reed  marsh  is  dotted, 
ravens,  hooded  crows,  and  jackdaws.  We  saw  great 
numbers  of  warblers  (particularly  Cetti's),  yellow  and  white 
wagtails,  coots  in  thousands,  and  great  numbers  of  water- 
hens,  water-rails,  spotted  and  Baillon's  crakes.  The  marshes 
are  now  drying  and  the  snipes  and  other  waders  becoming 
scarcer  and  scarcer.  Saw  several  bitterns,  common  herons 
and  an  occasional  lesser  egret;  sandpipers  [Totanus  stag- 
natilis,  T.  hypoleucus,  and  T.  glareola)  common.  Many 
curlews  {Numenius  arquatus  and  N.  tenuir Osiris').  Heard 
a   Scops   owl   calling   near   Lentini.     One   ot    our   boatmen 

*  The  harriers  {Circus)  are  raptorial  birds,  which,  though  included 
in  the  Falconidcc:,  may  perhaps  be  regarded  from  their  flight  and  certain 
superficial  characters  {e.g.  arrangement  of  head-feathers)  as  intermediate 
between  that  family  and  the  owls  {Strigidie).  As  a  rule  they  nest  on 
the  ground.  The  Marsh  Harrier  (C  ceritginosus)  is  practically  extinct 
with  us  as  a  breeding  species,  but  the  Hen  Harrier  {C.  cyaneus)  and 
Montagu's  Harrier  (C  cineraceus)  still  nest  in  Britain.  The  Pallid 
Harrier  {C.  pallidus)  is  an  inhabitant  of  South-eastern  Europe. 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  i6i 

had  heard  of  francolins  as  an  extinct  bird  by  the  name  of 
Tretari ;  he  says  no  herons  except  the  purple  (^Ardea 
purpurea)  and  night  heron  {Nyctkorax  griseus)  nest  about 
the  Pantani. 

"  Yacht  went  round  to  Agosta.  We,  after  shooting,  took 
mules  and  rode  to  Lentini,  about  eight  miles  through  a 
pretty  country.  After  great  wrangling  with  our  muleteers 
we  got  a  carriage  to  Agosta,  and,  starting  about  8  p.m., 
drove  through  what  must  be  beautiful  country  by  Carlen- 
tini  and  Villosmundo  to  Agosta,  where  we  arrived  about 
11.30  p.m.,  nineteen  miles  from  Lentini.  Found  the  yacht 
and  went  on  board.  Beautiful,  bright,  hot  weather  and 
splendid  moonlight  nights.  The  country  abounds  in  wild 
flowers,  a  small  crimson  stonecrop  in  some  places  being 
very  conspicuous." 

Syracuse 
'■^  April  1st.  We  sailed  from  Agosta  with  a  head 
breeze,  which  freshened  up,  and  beat  into  the  harbour  of 
Syracuse.  Agosta  seems  a  dilapidated,  wretched  town,  but 
the  bay  is  splendid.  Syracuse  is,  as  all  the  world  knows, 
a  fine  harbour,  but  not  nearly  so  extensive,  or  I  should 
say  so  well  sheltered,  as  that  of  Agosta.  A  guide,  one 
Valerio,  came  oft  to  us  soon  after  we  arrived,  and  I 
commissioned  him  to  employ  every  one  that  he  could  lay 
hands  upon  to  bring  in   birds,   bats,  lizards,  snakes,  etc." 

"  April  ^th.     The  villani  sent  out  to  collect  began   to 
come    in,    and    brought    a    various    assortment    of   snakes, 

1 1 


1 62  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

lizards,  and  bats.  We  took  a  boat  up  the  Anapo  river 
to  the  fountain  of  Cyane  in  the  afternoon.  Fine  snipe 
marshes,  but  very  little  in  them  now.  The  papyrus 
flourishes  all  along  the  upper  part  of  the  river,  which  is 
a  narrow,  insignificant  stream,  swarming  with  mullet.  The 
fountain  of  Cyane  is  the  head-spring,  a  beautiful  deep 
blue,  clear  pool.    More  arrivals  of  animals  in  the  evening." 

"  The  collecting  expeditions  brought  in  three  species  of  bat, 
Rhinoloplms  bihastatus,  and,  I  lielieve,  R.  euryale,  possibly  R.  divosus 
and  Vespertilio  kuhli ;  some  Pyrgita  pctronia  alive,  two  or  three 
species  of  snakes,  Cohiber  ?!aMx,  and  Zamenis  atrovirens,  and  several 
species  of  lizards,  one  I  believe  Lacerta  rmiraUs  viridis  (?)  and  another 
a  Gecko,  and  Gougylus  oceHatus,  besides  a  great  variety  of  beetles, 
centipedes,  frogs,  woodlice,  etc.,  etc." 

"April  e^th.  The  steward  brought  in  a  specimen  of  Vesp.  schreibcri 
from  the  Greek  tombs. 

Magpies  nesting  in  papyrus  on  banks  of  Anapo. 

Villani  brought  off  five  rock-sparrows  {Pyrgita  petronia),  alive,  two 
of  which  soon  died,  also  various  reptiles." 

"  April  6th.  A  man  came  with  some  hundred  bats^ 
caught  in  a  cave  to  the  southward,  almost  all  Rhinolcfhus 
euryale  I  think,  perhaps  some  R.  divosus,  five  or  six  Vesp. 
schreiberi,  and  one  Vesp.  murinus.  Out  at  the  Saline  I 
shot  one  snipe  and  one  little  kestrel  (Falco  cenchris).  Saw 
the  western  black-throated  wheatear  (Saxicola  stapaziiia)*  a 
few   ducks,  herons,  a   spotted   crake,   and    some  species  of 

•  The  wheatears  {Saxicola)  belong  to  the  thrush  family,  allying 
the  thrushes  with  the  chats.  The  Common  \ATieatear  {S.  amifii/ie)  of 
our  downlands  nests  in  rabbit  holes  or  in  stone  walls.  The  Black- 
throated  Wheatear  {S.  siapazina),  a  South  European  species,  has  very 
rarely  visited  us. 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  163 

plover  (^Charadrius).     M shot    a    greenshank,    and    a 

little  ringed-plover  in  the  bay." 

"  A/ril  -jth.  A  great  concourse  of  villani  on  board  bringing  bats 
— Rhinolophiis  egnoriiim,  R.  euryale,  R.  bihastatus,  and  birds  alive — 
hoopoe,  golden  plover,  spotted  crake,  the  latter  of  which  I  kept ;  some 
snakes,  of  which  I  kept  three  Zainenis  atrovircns  var.  carhotiarius,  three 
Goiigylus  ocellatus.  The  lizards  seem  to  like  small  snails,  of  which 
we  find  any  quantity  ashore,  chiefly  on  the  squill  plants.  At  the 
Saline  very  few  snipes  left.  I  only  shot  six  jack,  two  Spanish 
sparrows,  one  crested  lark.  Many  kestrels  about,  F.  tinnunculus  and 
F.  cenchris.  Saw  Saxicola  eenanthe.  Saw  an  egret  (I  think  Ardea 
alba).  Men  ashore  with  a  pair  of  common  kestrels,  and  some  more 
black  snakes  (Z.  atrovirens).  A  kite  {Milvus  regalis),  hangs  about  the 
shipping  in  the  bay." 

"  Jpril    loth.     Went    with    M to    the    Saline,   or 

salt  pans  at  the  head  of  the  bay  ;  birdy-looking  places, 
but  too  many  people  about  for  much  bird-life.  In  the 
afternoon  to  see  the  catacombs  and  old  subterranean 
church,  where,  they  say,  St.  Paul  preached  on  his  stay- 
here.  These  catacombs  are  of  immense  extent,  and  not 
half  explored.  They  are  all  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock, 
I  suppose  by  the  early  Greek  colonists,  but  were  afterwards 
used  by  the  Christian  inhabitants. 

"  At  the  SaHne,  a  marshy  flat  to  the  proper 
right  of  the  Anapo  river,  intersected  with  streams  and 
ditches,  we  found  two  or  three  snipes,  a  good  number 
of  little  ringed-plover  (^-Egialitis  curonica),  of  which  we 
shot  five,  some  common  sandpipers  {T.  hypoleucus),  of 
which   we  shot    four,    two    snipes,    and    one    spotted    crake 


1 64  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

{Crex  porzana).  Saw  ii  few  common  wild  ducks,  a  red- 
shank, or  two,  Alpine  swift,  some  sedge  warblers,  of  which 
I  shot  one  for  identification,  a  great  many  larks  {Alauda 
calandra  and  A.  cri5tata\  etc.  Saw  a  fine  kite  on  shore 
of  bay,  several  kestrels,  some  pipits  (?)  and  a  whitethroat, 
I  think  the  lesser  whitethroat.  Found  a  Vesp.  schreiberi 
in  the  catacombs.  In  some  lemon  groves,  near  the  Orecchio 
di  Dionisio,  it  seems  that  all  the  sparrows  (P.  salicicolus) 
of  the  neighbourhood  come  in  to  roost  ;  they  kept 
streaming  into  this  from  all  quarters  for  about  an  hour 
in  thousands,  and  made  a  deafening  noise,  which  ceased 
immediately  for  an  instant  or  two  upon  the  crack  ot  a 
whip,  and  then  redoubled.  A  sparrow-hawk  was  soaring 
over  them.  A  peasant  brought  a  curious  longicorn  beetle,* 
found    in    hollow    wood,     and    another     beautiful     young 

snake,    which    is,    I    fancy,    Z.    hippocrepis.     E saw   a 

hoopoe  fly  across  our  bows  in  the  morning,  and  one  was 
brought  off  to  us  alive,  but  badly  wounded,  at  night, 
which   M bought." 

'■'■April  wth.  We  were  induced  by  a  report  of  quails 
having  arrived,  and  the  Syracusan  nobility  having  gone 
in  pursuit  to  the  Isola  Bianca,  to  go  out  to  the  Scala 
Grasca  to  try  our  luck,  but  we  only  found  two  or  three 
paisani  and  had   no  sport. 

"  On    the   way   to    the    Scala   we   saw  several    common 

*  Longuvrnes.  A  group  of  beetles  characterised  by  the  e.\treme 
lens'th  of  their  antennas. 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  165 

and  black-throated  wheatears  (S.  a'uanthe  and  S.  stapaztHii), 
which  appear  to  have  just  arrived.  Saw  a  male  grey  harrier 
(sp.  ?),  only  two  or  three  quails,  evidently  birds  that 
have  passed  the  winter  here.  Found  several  Gougylus 
ocellatus  under  stones  in  the  wheat  fields,  also  a  large 
centipede.  A  peasant  brought  ofF  a  dormouse  {^Myoxu5\ 
the  same  as  the  Spanish  species,  but  too  much  damaged  to 
be  worth  keeping.  Another  fine  specimen  of  Z.  atrovirens 
brought  in  the  evening." 

'■''April  i2th.  Sunday.  Drove  out  in  the  afternoon 
to  the  convent  and  Tornia  degli  Capucini.  Immense 
extent  of  quarried  rock,  with  a  great  variety  of  wild  plants 
and  ferns. 

'^  April  lyh.  Many  bats  brought  off",  chiefly  R. 
ferrum  eq,  some  V.  schreiberi,  two  or  three  R.  hihastatus, 
and  one  that  I  am  not  sure  about,  but  think  is  V. 
rnegapodius.  Round  the  bay  we  saw  many  kestrels  (chiefly, 
I  think,  the  lesser  kestrel,*  F.  cenchris),  some  Alpine 
and  common  swifts,  a  hoopoe,  two  stone  curlews,  great 
flights  of  yellow  wagtails,  a  small  flock  of  stilts,  a  large 
flock  of  some  diving  duck,  which  looked  like  tufted,t 
but  were  too  far  off"  to  make  out.  Shot  a  common 
whitethroat." 

*  This  little  falcon,  much  smaller  than  our  Kestrel  {F.  tinnunculus), 
is  very  abundant  in  summer  in  Andalucia.  Very  many  may  be  seen 
flying  about  the  cathedral  in  Seville. 

t  The  Tufted  Duck  {Fuligula  cristaia). 


1 66  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

"  April    Ufth.       M ,    at    the    Saline,    found    many 

wood  sandpipers  (7'.  glareola),  of  which  he  shot  five,  two 
spotted  crakes  {Crex  porzana),  and  one  red-throated  pipit 
i^Anthus  cervinus).  He  reports  many  yellow  wagtails,  some 
with  black,  heads." 

'■'■April  1 6//;.  Just  off  Muro  di  Porco  saw  a  roller 
(Coracias  garrulus),  very  tired,  making  in  for  the  land. 
A  yellow  wagtail  and  a  swallow  came  on  board.  Saw 
several  of  these,  and  many  shearwaters.  Scops  owl 
brought    on    board." 

"April  ijth.  A  turtle-dove  came  on  board  early, 
and  rested  a  long  time  on  our  mainstay.  Saw  many 
cranes,  common  herons,  and  some  little  egrets  bound 
northwards.  Great  many  shearwaters  off  Malta.  Steward 
reports  many  quails  and  small  birds  in  the  market,  also 
a   purple   heron  ;    he  brought  off  two   Scops   owls." 

Malt..\ 

"  April  I  S//z.  We  went  with  Admiral  Drummond 
and  a  large  party  on  board  the  Antelope  to  Gozo  ; 
picnicked  at  the  Torre  degli  Giganti,  an  old  Phoenician 
town  much  after  the  fashion  of  the  Murhags  in 
Sardinia.  Made  acquaintance  with  Mr.  C.  A.  Wright, 
editor  of  the  Malta  Times,  the  ornithologist  of  Malta. 
He  has  a  good  collection  of  birds,  all  killed  in  the 
island.     Got    several    birds   from    the  market." 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  167 

The  only  birds  I  saw  and  heard  out  in  the  country  were, 
common  bunting,  swift,  swallow,  yellow  wagtail,  fantail  warbler 
{Sylvia  cisticola).  Steward  bought  a  fine  white-backed  rock-thrush 
{M.  saxatilis)  in  the  market.  1  saw  nothing  therein  in  the  evening 
but  quails,  hoopoe,  turtle-dove,  common  bunting,  short-toed  lark, 
and  thick-knee. 

"  Wright's  principal  treasures  are  a  very  fine  specimen  of  the 
Eleonora  falcon  {Falco  ekonora:),  in,  I  should  say,  third  year's 
plumage,  very  perfect  and  bright  in  colouring,  a  good  specimen 
of  Bartram's  sandpiper  and  of  the  white-winged  plover,  also  a  fine 
Saxko/a  leucocephala,  killed  not  long  ago.  He  has  a  few  reptiles, 
amongst  others,  a  curious,  dark  variety  of  Lacerta  muralis,  found 
in  Filfola  ;  of  this  he  gave  me  a  specimen,  as  also  a  young  snake, 
which  he  says  is  Coluber  leopardinus,  but  I  think  it  must  be 
Z.  hippocrepis.  It  seems  that  C.  leopardinus  and  Zamenis  atrovirens 
are  the  only  two  snakes  of  Malta.  He  gave  me  a  bat,  I  think 
V.  kuhii,  but  am  by  no  means  sure.  V.  murinus  appears  to  be 
common.     Wright  gave  me  two  good  specimens   of  little   stint." 

"  Birds  heard  of,  observed,  and  obtained  from  market  at  Valetta 
from  April   17th  to  May  7th,   1874. 

Falco  vespcrtinus.  Monticola  atruapilla. 

F.  cenchris.  Petrocincla  saxatilis. 

Circus  (Bruginosus.  Ruticilla  titys. 

C.  pallidus.  Saxicola  stopazina. 

Sirix  flammea.  Sylvia  cinerea. 

Scops  gilt.  S.  curruca. 

Cuculus  canorus.  S.  melanocephala. 

Merops  apiaster.  Phyllopneuste  sibilatrix. 

Caprimulgus  europceus.  Budytes  flavus. 

Cypselus  apus.  Alotacilla  alba. 

Clielidon  urbica.  Calandrtlla  brachydactyla 

Hirundo  rustica.  Emberiza  miliaria. 

Muscicapa  collaris.  Passer  salicicolus. 

Turtur  auritus.  Oriolus  galbula. 

Ortygia  coturnix.  Coracias  garrulus. 


1 68  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

Crex  forzana.  Larus  leucophsus. 

Glareola  pratituola.  Upupa  epops. 

^Egialitis  fluviatilis.  CEdicnemus  crepitans. 

Himantopus  candidus.  Tri/igu  temmincki. 

Totanns  glottis.  Scolopax  major. 

T.  glareola.  Ardeola   minor. 

T.  hypokucus.  Ardea  purpurea. 

Fuffinus  kuhli.  Phcenicopterus  rosetis. 

Tringa  subarquata.  Fuffinus  anglorum. 
Muscicapa  collaris. 


Palermo 

'■'■May  13//?.  In  the  Universita  is  a  fair  collection 
of  Sicilian  birds,  with  a  few  mammals  and  several  bats 
which  were  too  high  up  to  examine  closely  ;  but  I  made 
out  Dysopes  rueppellii,  V.  ma-rinus,  V.  auritus,  Barbastellus, 
and  there  are  a  good  many  other  species.  Professor 
Doderlein  tells  me  that  the  fallow  deer  (C  damn)  is  still 
found  wild  in  some  of  the  forests  of  Sicily,  also  the 
roebuck  (C.  capreolus),  but  the  latter  is  rare.  Wolves 
(of  which  there  are  specimens  in  the  collection)  are  still 
found  in  the  island.  1  noticed  the  dormouse  ( Myoxus  glis) 
and  M.  nitela,  pine  marten,  polecat,  and  weasel  {not  the 
stoat),  fox,  badger,  and  porcupine.  Amongst  the  birds 
the  great  rarities  are  three  very  fine  specimens  of 
Audouin's  gull  {Larus  audouini),  apparently  fine  adult 
birds,  two  slender-billed  gulls  {Larus  tenuirostris),  two 
cream-coloured  coursers  {Cursorius  gallicus),  and  four 
common  francolins  {Francolinus  vulgaris),  about  which 
Doderlein    gives    full    particulars    in    his    book.      He    tells 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  169 

me  that  the  hemipode  {Turnix  sylvatica)*  is  very  common 
in  certain  parts  of  the  south  coast  of  Sicily.  He  showed 
me  a  falcon  about  which  he  was  doubtful,  which  I  consider 
undoubtedly  a  specimen  of  the  true  lanner  (F.  lanarius, 
Schlegel).+  It  very  much  resembles  some  of  those  which  I 
obtained  the  year  before  last  from  Mogador ;  it  was  killed 
near  Palermo.  He  gave  me  some  interesting  particulars 
of  the  ornithology  of  Ustica  and  Pantellaria,  from  the 
latter  of  which  he  has  just  returned.  Marmora's  warbler 
{Sylvia  sarda)  is  very  common  there,  and  in  Ustica  a  falcon 
breeds,  which  must  I  expect  be  F.  eieomra.  The  lammer- 
geier  [Gypaetus  barbatus^  and  griffon  vulture  {Gyps  fulvus) 
are  not  uncommon  in  Sicily.  Caccabis  graca  is  the  only- 
partridge,  and  the  red-rumped  swallow  {Hirundo  rufuld)  is 
by  no  means  rare.  I  had  no  time  to  go  into  the  subject 
of  bats  and  reptiles,  and  must,  if  possible,   go  again." 

'■'■  May  i^ih.  Saw  many  bee-eaters  and  some  woodchats 
at  the  Favorita." 

'■^  May  i6(h.  Several  swallows  came  about  us  in  the 
gale,  and  a  poor  turtle-dove  got  knocked  into  the  sea 
by  our  mainsail." 

"  May  ijth.  During  the  day  we  had  a  wood  shrike 
{Lanius    rufus),    a    swift    {Cypselus    apus),    some    dozen    of 

*  One  of  a  group  of  quails  known  as   '  bustard-quails.'     The  hind 
toe  is  absent  in  this  group.     (See  Presidential  Address,  p.  39.) 
t  The  Saker.     (Gen/ma  sacer  or  lanarius.) 


lyo  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

common  swallows,  a  house  martin,  a  wheatear  (^Saxkola 
cenanthe\  two  wood  warblers  {Phyllopneuste  sibilatrix),  a 
garden  warbler,  a  redstart  (i?.  phcenicurus),  and  several 
doves  (JFurtur  auritus)  on  board  and  about  us.  Many 
shearwaters  about." 

CAGLIARf 

^^  May  i<)th.  Fine  morning  with  a  south-west  breeze. 
We  went  away  to  the  Stagno  de  la  Scaffa  in  the  cutter, 
but  could  not  get  her  about  much,  owing  to  want  of 
water.  Landed  on  the  island.  Found  a  very  old  friend, 
Antonio  Fanni,  whom  I  knew  here  in  1862,  and  engaged 
him  and  his  boat  for  to-morrow. 

"  A  nightjar  (^Caprimulgus  europ^us)  flew  close  past 
the  yacht  from  the  sea,  and  lit  amongst  the  stones  under 
the  sea  wall.  We  saw  marsh  harriers  in  abundance, 
kestrel,  hoopoe,  rose-backed  shrike,  many  warblers  (Sylvia 
melanocephala,  S.  cimrea,  S.  curruca),  calandra  and  short- 
toed  larks  in  great  abundance.  There  were  many  quails, 
but  it  was  almost  impossible  to  flush  them  in  the  thick 
scrub  on  the  island.  We  also  saw  common  wild  duck, 
thick-knee,  turtle-dove,  a  few  small  waders,  Larus 
leucophaus.  Sandwich  tern  {Sterna  cantiaca)  and  S.  leuco- 
paria,  and  coots.  Only  shot  i  rabbit,  2  coots,  2  quails, 
2   short-toed  larks,  i  common  bunting,  and  i  young  shag." 

"  May  loth.  Fine  inorning,  strong  wind.  We  went 
away  to  La  Scaffii,  took  the  boats,  and  went  right  away 
to   the  far   end  of  the   Stagno. 


Stanley  Crane. 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  171 

"Saw  black  vulture,*  flamingo,  purple  and  squacco 
herons,  red-crested  whistling  duck,  and  hooded  crow, 
besides  birds  seen  yesterday.  Found  many  nests  of  the 
last-named  in  the  tamarisks  by  side  of  river  ;  one  con- 
tained two  young,  which  we  brought  home  ;  only  one 
flamingo     seen.       We     shot     two    young    L.    leucophieus, 

and   two    coots.      M found   a    nest    of  the   short-toed 

lark    with  three   eggs." 

"May  list.  Lowering  gloomy  day.  We  drove  out 
to  Ouarta  to  see  the  festa  of  S.  Helena,  the  patroness  of 
the  village.  There  was  a  fear  of  rain,  so  the  women 
were  not  nearly  so  gorgeously  arrayed  as  usual  at  these 
festas.  About  seventy  yoke  of  oxen  decked  with  flowers 
and  little  holy  pictures,  lemons,  etc.,  marched  in  the  pro- 
cession of  the  saint.  We  were  taken  by  the  host,  Signor 
L.  Rossi  Vitelli,  into  his  house,  and  introduced  to  his 
wife  and  family  ;  all  most  civil.  We  saw  the  procession 
from   his  upper  windows.      It  blew  hard  at  night." 

"  May  12nd.  Gloomy,  threatening  day,  with  sirocco 
wind.     I  went  off  to  La  ScafFa  about  9  a.m.,  got  Antonio 

*  The  vultures  of  Spain — other  than  the  Lammergeier — are  three 
in  number :  the  Black  Vulture  ( Vultiir  monachus),  a  solitary,  tree- 
nesting  species,  which  lays  but  one  egg;  the  Griffon  Vulture  {Gyps 
fulvus),  which  nests  colonially  on  rocks,  and  lays  one,  or  more  rarely 
two  eggs ;  and  the  Egyptian  Vulture  {Neophron  pennoptert/s),  which 
nests  in  rocks,  sometimes  on  disused  nests  of  other  large  birds,  and 
usually  lays  two  eggs ;  but  in  no  species  are  these  nesting  situations 
invariable. 


172  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

with  his  boat  and  went  away  to  the  isolotti.  Found  many- 
birds  and  eggs  ;  an  interesting  day,  and  no  rain  to  speak 
of.  I  brought  Antonio  and  his  nephew  on  board.  He 
tells  me  that  all  the  stagni  were  once  terra  firma  and 
cultivated,  but  that  during  some  war  in  the  time  of  the 
Pisan  dominion,  some  one  or  other  enemy  let  in  the  sea 
water  and  drowned  the  country.      {Quien  snbe '^) 

"  On  the  isolotti  we  found  a  good  many  nests  and 
eggs  of  the  common  tern.  We  took  about  sixty  eggs  of 
this  species,  and  also  eggs  of  the  little  tern.  These  are 
the  two  most  abundant  species.  The  sandwich  tern  is 
also  common,  but  we  found  no  eggs  ot  it.  Saw  one 
solitary  black  tern  {Sterna  Jissipes).  Found  several  nests, 
of  the  common  wild  duck  with  eggs,  one  with  young^ 
ones,  and  one  nest  of  three  eggs  of  the  Kentish  plover, 
too  hard-sat  to  blow.  Prince  caught  a  young  duck 
about  half  grown,  and  an  old  one  on  the  nest.  I  saw 
the  following    species  : — 

"  Osprey,  black  vulture,  marsh  harrier,  falcon,, 
kestrel,  grey  crow,  calandra,  skylark,  short-toed  lark, 
stonechat,  common  bunting,  fantailed  warbler,  Kentish 
plover,  coot,  water-hen,  wild  duck,  red-crested  pochard, 
herring  gull,  Sandwich  tern,  common  tern,  little  tern, 
black  tern,  flamingo,  and  cormorant.  I  shot  4  Sandwich 
tern,  4  common  tern,  3  little  tern,  2  herring  gulls,  2. 
Kentish  plovers,  2  wild  ducks.  The  red-crested  pochards- 
are  in  large  flocks,  and  do  not  seem  to  be  breeding; 
as  yet.     Prince  caught  the  coots  just    hatched." 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  173 

"  May  -ij^th.  Rounded  C.  Spartivento  about  2  p.m. 
Beautiful  coast.  Wind  ahead,  so  we  ran  in  and  anchored 
behind  Isola  Rossa,  in  the  Bay  of  Teulada,  where  we 
found  a  Neapolitan  brigantine,  full  of  passengers,  bound 
to  Boria  and  Algiers.  The  captain  thereof  asked  me  to 
go  fishing  with  him  ;  I  declined.  He  brought  us  off  a 
few  small  rock  fish,  and  I  gave  him  a  bottle  of  Monica- 
Sauterian  wine  from  Old  Cara.  The  Isola  is  a  rocky 
Island  overgrown  with  scrub. 

"  Made  out  on  the  Isola  Rossa  a  great  number  of 
rock  doves,  shags,  Alpine  swifts,  common  swifts,  a 
peregrine  falcon,  one  or  two  Eleonora  falcons,  some 
kestrels,  and  herring  gulls," 

Vacca 

"  May  25//;.  Beautiful  morning.  Went  away  to 
the  Isola  Rossa  between  5  and  6  a.m.  Found  and  shot 
a  good  many  birds.  The  yacht  got  under  way  about 
7.30,  and  stood  off  and  on  for  us.  Went  aboard  about 
9  a.m.,  and  stood  away  with  light  head  breezes  round 
Cape  Teulada.  Bore  away  for  the  island  of  Vacca, 
about  two  or  three  miles  from  Cape  Sperone.  The 
yacht  lay  to  and  we  went  off  to  the  island,  a  high 
black  precipitous  mass  of  apparently  volcanic  rock. 
Found  a  place  where  the  two  men  could  scramble  ashore 
on  the  east  side.  Great  ornithological  success.  On 
board  again  about  7  p.m.  ;  head  wind,  so  ran  about 
three  miles   up    the  Bay  of  Palmas   towards  San   Antioco, 


174  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

and  anchored  in  a  snug  bay  in  about  ten  fathoms,  and 
had  a  quiet  night.  Vacca  is  covered  with  ice  plant  on 
the  steep  parts,  and  at  the  top  are  flat  places  overgrown 
with  coarse  grass  and  other  plants.  On  the  south  side  the 
rock  overhangs  the  sea  ;  the  west  side  is  quite  precipitous, 
and   weather-worn  to  an  appalling  extent." 

"■^  May  2^th.  On  the  Isola  Rossa,  which  is  very 
rough,  rocky,  and  overgrown  with  various  bushes  and 
grasses,  we  found  a  vast  number  of  shags  (Carbo 
desmarest'i),  some  young  of  which  were  still  in  the  nests, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  island,  which  is  steep  and  craggv, 
as  is  the  north  end.  It  slopes  down  to  the  south  and 
west   and   there   are   many  places  where   a  landing   can    be 

effected.     M reports  a  spring  of  fresh  water.     Besides 

the  shags  we  saw  peregrine  falcon,  kestrel,  rock  dove, 
Alpine  and  common  swifts,  rock  martin  [CotiU  rupestris). 
blue  thrush,  and  herring  gull.  The  switts  are  in  vast 
numbers,  and  there  are  a  good  many  rock  doves.  We 
shot  3  adult  and  i  young  shag,  i  peregrine  falcon,  i 
kestrel,  6  rock  doves,  3  Alpine  swifts,  and  i  rock 
martin,  of  which  I  only  saw  a  pair  with  their  nest  under 
a  shelf  of  rock,  not  very  high  but  quite  inaccessible. 
Jem  Poland,  who  went  ashore,  reported  many  lizards 
and  several  empty  gulls'  nests.  He  brought  away  one 
egg     of    herring    gull,    which    was    too    hard-sat    to    blow. 

M found    and    broke    an    egg    which    I    suppose    to 

have  been  a  shag's. 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  175 

"  Last  night  after  dinner  I  was  on  deck  and 
heard  strange  moaning  sounds  from  the  rock,  which 
I  attributed  to  wild  cats  or  perhaps  seals,  but  am  now 
convinced  that  they  proceeded  from  the  big  cinereous 
shearwater,  of  which,  however,  we  did  not  see  any  about 
the  rock.  On  nearing  Vacca  we  could  distinctly  make 
out  amongst  hundreds  of  gulls  a  large  number  of  Falco 
eleomvce  ;  of  which  more  anon.  The  shags  on  and 
about  the  island  were  in  incredible  numbers,  quite 
fringing  the  little  rock  of  Vitello  and  sitting  on  every 
coign  of  vantage  on  the  rock  of  the  island  itself.  We 
saw  a  great',  many  shearwaters  in  the  Bay  of  Palmas 
and  four  griffon  vultures  about  Cape  Teulapa.  Two 
of  the  men  went  ashore  at  a  cleft  on  the  east  side 
of  the  island.     The  Eleonora  falcons   kept   swooping  over 

us  ;    I    got    one,    and     M three    (brought    to    bag), 

but  I  knocked  down  another,  and  he  says  he  shot 
three  more.  Only  one  of  those  bagged  was  in  the 
hobbyish  plumage,  all  the  rest  were  sooty.  They  found 
several  big  shearwaters  {Pitffinus  kuhli)  on  their  nests 
under  the  debris  in  the  aforesaid  cleft,  and  caught 
three  and  got  their  eggs.  Some  swifts,  but  not  in 
vast  numbers.  Several  pigeons  and  one  turtle-dove. 
We  shot  four  F.  eleonorie,  five  rock  doves,  and  caught 
the  three  shearwaters  mentioned  before.  The  rock  is 
inexpressibly  wild  and  grand,  and  the  multitude  of 
birds  makes  it  most  interesting.  Saw  a  very  large  seal 
close  to  us." 


176  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

Vacca  and  Toro 
"  May  idth.  Beautiful  morning.  Went  off  in  the 
cutter  again  about  6  a.m.  to  Vacca  ;  did  not  find  so 
many  birds,  but  landed  several  of  the  men  who  brought 
off  many  eggs.  The  yacht  got  under  way  about  8.30  a.m., 
and  stood  down  towards  us  with  a  light  north-west  breeze  ; 
we  went  on  board  about  9  a.m.  and  ran  down  to  the  lee 
side  of  Toro  (some  seven  miles  perhaps).  Toro  is  of 
an  entirely  different  formation  from  Vacca  ;  it  is  higher 
and  apparently  composed  of  hard  sandstone  very  much 
fretted  and  broken  by  weather  ;  the  northern  side  slopes 
in  a  sort  of  succession  of  broken  terraces  to  the  sea. 
The  eastern  side  is  chiefly  precipitous,  with  masses  of 
sea-beaten  rock  at  the  foot  of  the  steeps.  The  island  is 
overgrown  with  a  plant  bearing  a  bright  yellow  flower. 
The  western  side,  exposed  to  the  blowing  north-west  wind, 
we  did  not  explore.  Owing  to  the  height  of  the  rock 
we  did  not  reach  many  birds,  but  I  had  my  greatest 
ornithological  triumph.  We  got  on  board  again  about 
I  p.m.,  and  it  immediately  came  on  to  blow  very  hard 
from  the  north-west,  so  we,  being  rather  in  want  of  supplies, 
ran  on  to  the  bay  of  Palmas,  and  anchored  off  San  Antioco. 
I  stayed  on  board  and  blew  eggs.  The  wind  fell,  and  we 
had  a  very  quiet  night,  with  occasional  heavy  showers. 

Additional  Entry 
"  On      Vacca     this      morning     we     found      that     the 
Eleonora  falcons  had,   to    a    great  measure,   left   the    rock, 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  177 

and  those  we  saw  were  shy  ;  I  succeeded,  however,  in 
shooting  two,  one  a  splendid  black  bird,  the  other  was 
one  of  yesterday's  wounded  birds,  and  unfortunately  fell 
on  a  ledge  to  which  the  men  could  not  clamber.  The 
rock  doves  also  made  themselves  scarce,  and  we  only 
shot  two.  The  men  scoured  the  island,  and  brought 
off  several  dozen  of  herring  gulls'  eggs  and  twelve  eggs 
of  the  great  shearwater,  with  seven  of  the  parent  birds, 
caught  on  the  nest  about  the  cliffs  at  the  south  end  of 
the  rock.  I  saw  many  Alpine  swifts,  but  not  the  swarm 
that  was  at  Isola  Rossa  ;  on  the  west  side,  which  is  very 
grand,  a  few  kestrels  ;  shags  really  in  thousands.  The 
common  swifts  have  a  settlement  on  the  low  crags  at  the 
north-east  end.  I  shot  a  very  fine  raven,  one  of  two 
seen.     The  men  brought  down  two  young  herring  gulls. 

"  On  Toro   we   found  a  great   many  Eleonora  falcons, 
but    they    flew    so    high,    and    were    so    shy,    that    I    only 

got  one,    a   beautiful   specimen,   very   black.      M and 

some  of  our  boys  having  landed  with  some  difficulty  on 
the  north  side,  Tait,  James  Hills,  and  I  lay  in  the  boat  on 
the  west  side.  I  noticed  several  gulls  on  their  nests  on  a 
weed-grown  slope  on  the  north-east  side,  not  very  high 
up,  and  directly  they  took  wing  I  saw  that  they  were 
not  the  herring  gull  (^Larus  argentatus).  One  gave  me  a 
good  chance,  and  I  brought  him  down  dead  on  the  rock 
close  to  us  ;  Hills  went  to  pick  him  up,  and  what  was 
my  delight  when  I  found  he  was  a  splendid  specimen  of 
Lnrus   audouini.     I    immediately  sent  Hills   to   the    nests ; 

12 


178  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

he  found  six  eggs,  one  nest  containing  two,  and  four 
others  one  egg  each.  The  eggs  are  hke  those  of  the 
herring  gull,  but  considerably  smaller.  I  fired  several 
shots,  but  did  not  get  another ;  they  are  very  shy  and 
wary,  and  I  only  had  No.  4  and  6  shot.  There  appeared 
to  be  a  colony  of,  perhaps,  eight  or  ten  pairs  in  the 
particular  spot  mentioned. 

"  We  had  seen  a  great  many  gulls  at  the  north- 
west corner  as  we  sailed  up,  but  the  wind  and  swell 
were  so  dead  on  that  I  did  not  care  to  go  round  there. 
The  men  brought  off  one  voung  gull  alive,  but  I  had 
told  them  that  I  did  not  want  eggs  of  herring  gull,  so 
they  did  not  take  any.  I  noticed  at  least  two  pairs  of 
Barbary  falcons,*  but  they  flew  high  about  the  precipices, 
screaming  and  chasing  the  Eleonoras  and  gulls,  and  did 
not  give  a  chance.  We  saw  no  rock  doves,  no  swifts, 
and  few  shags  on  Toro.  The  men  reported  many  lizards, 
but  caught  none.  On  Vacca  thev  saw  also  manv  lizards, 
and  many  snakes,  but  were  afraid  to  handle  them  ; 
Jem  Poland  also  reports  on  Vacca  a  small,  dark  bird, 
probably  Sylvia  sarda  ;  he  found  two  empty  nests  built 
of  grass  in  the  scrub  on  that  island.  I  told  the  steward 
to  examine  the  crops  of  the  falcons  :  he  found  in  the 
dark  bird  the  remains  of  some  small,  dark  coleopterous 
insect,  and  in  the  hobby-coloured  bird  a  yellowish, 
transparent-winged    insect. 

*  Falco  barbarus,   a  small   red-naped  North  African   form  of  the 
Red  Shahin  (^F.  babylonicus). 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  179 

"On  going  off  to  Vacca  in  the  morning,  we  found 
a  great  many  shearwaters  sitting  on  the  water,  amongst 
which  were  some  of  the  smaller  species,  but  we  found  no 
eggs  of  this  bird.  On  Toro  is  none  of  the  ice  plant, 
which  covers  the  slopes  in  Vacca.  These  Eleonora 
-  falcons  have  a  cry  quite  different  from  the  peregrine 
or  kestrel,  and,  indeed,  from  the  hobby — a  sort  of  hoarse 
chide,  something  like  that  of  the  true  lanner  (F.  lanarius). 
The  shearwaters,  on  being  caught,  make  a  sad,  moaning 
noise,  and  sometimes  throw  up  green,  oily  matter.  I  found 
the  eggs  of  Audouin's  gull  almost  all  hard-sat,  and  had  to 
make  ghastly  holes  in  some  of  them.  The  shearwaters' 
eggs  were  all  fresh." 

Bay  of   Palmas 

"  May  ^-jth.  We  ran  down  to  about  our  anchorage 
of  Monday  night  last,  a  bay  on  the  west  side  of  the  Bay 
of  Palmas,  where  we  found  a  number  of  coral  fishers, 
Genoese  and  Neapolitans,  who  had  run  in  there  for 
shelter  from  the  gale.  They  told  us  they  dredge  the 
coral  in  about  fifty  to  sixty  fathoms.  The  country  round 
our  little  bay  consists  of  low  hills,  with  a  thick  growth 
of  lentiscus  and  euphorbia.  The  white  sand  in  the  bay 
is  most  beautiful,  and  the  water  wonderfully  clear; 
there  is  a  small  winter  stream,  now  only  a  chain  of 
shallow  pools,  with  tamarisks  and  other  shrubs  growing 
about  it  ;  some  cultivation.  Conversed  with  some  native 
goatherds,  who  gave  us   some  milk  fresh  from   the  nanny- 


i8o  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

goats.  We  took  our  guns,  but  did  nothing  ;  the  hills 
are  most  grievous  walking,  being  covered  with  loose 
and    sharp-edged    stones. 

"  In  this  little  bay,  which  I  call  Success  Bay,  we  saw 
but  little  in  the  bird  way  ;  one  snake  eagle  {Circaetus 
gallicus)*  a  iz^^  blackbirds,  linnets,  goldfinches,  many 
buntings,  two  or  three  ravens,  a  gull  or  two,  and  black- 
headed    warblers    were    about    all.       W R ,    who 

had  no  gun,  put  up  a  pair  of  partridges.  I  got  two 
small,  young  gulls  from  the  coral  fishers,  taken,  they 
say,  on  Toro,  which  I  believe  to  be  Larus  audouini ; 
we  bought  also  some  red  mullet,  caught  in  this  bay, 
and  a  fair  bit  of  coral.  One  of  the  Sonde  goatherds, 
on  my  asking  about  tortoises,  said  he  had  seen  one 
that  morning,  and  conducted  me  to  a  shallow  pool  in 
the  little  stream,  where  he  soon  grubbed  out  an  emys 
with  his  hoe,  which  I  pocketed.  Some  of  the  coral  boys 
had  a  sparrow's  nest,  with  eggs,  and  a  nest  of  young 
blackbirds.  I  find  almost  all  the  herring  gulls'  eggs 
hard-sat,   and    very   difficult    to   blow." 

"  May  2%th.  Very  fine  morning  ;  stood  out  for  Toro 
about  10.30  a.m.  with  a  light  north-westerly  breeze. 
Found  a  very  heavy  sea  outside,  which  broke  so.  hard 
upon  Toro   that    though    M and   I   went    off  in    the 

*  The  Snake  Eagle  (Circaetus  gallicus)  is  common  in  Andalucia 
during  the  summer,  but  on  the  approach  of  winter,  as  the  snakes  and 
lizards,  on  which  it  feeds,  retire,  it  migrates  into  Africa. 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  i8i 

cutter  I  hardly  liked  to  attempt  landing  any  of  our  boys ; 
yet  we  had,  for  the  very  short  time  we  were  away, 
great  success.  We  ran  back  with  a  fresh  breeze  to  our 
anchorage  of  Monday  25th,  i.e.  the  first  bay  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Bay  of  Palmas,  inside  an  old  watch  tower." 

"  Off  Toro  we  shot  two  very  fine  specimens  of  Larus  audouini 
and  a  good  dark  Fako  ekonorce,  of  which  we  saw  a  great  many. 
The  gulls  (Z.  audouini)  do  not  make  much  noise,  and  their  cry  is 
not  so  hoarse  as  that  of  Z.  kucophccus." 

Vacca.     Toro.     Sailing  for  Port  Mahon 

"  May  i()th.  About  6  a.m.  we  stood  away  for  Vacca, 
with  many  volunteers  in  the  cutters,  to  explore  the  island. 
Some  success.     Came  on  board   again   and  went   awav  for 

Toro.      Landed    M and    the    captain,  with    many    of 

the  men. 

"  On  Vacca  we  got  two  F.  eleonorte  in  the  hobbyish 
plumage,  fine  specimens,  and  recovered  by  aid  of  a  rope 
the    remains    of    the    specimen    lost    on     the    26th  ;     this 

had  been  picked  to  pieces  by  the  ravens.      M shot  a 

fine  male  raven,  and  the  men  got  a  nest  of  these  birds 
containing  three  callow  young.  There  were  a  good  many 
Eleonora  falcons  and  rock  doves  about  on  the  south  and 
south-west  sides  of  the  island.  The  men  got  a  tin  box 
full  of  lizards  (Gougylus  ocellatus)  alive,  and  a  shearwater 
and  egg.  Tait  found  the  wing  feathers  of  a  common 
nightjar  in  a  little  cave.  We  bagged  2  F.  eleonorte, 
3    rock    doves,     i     raven,    i    shearwater,    and    the    young 


1 82  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

raven  and.  lizards  before  mentioned.  A  large  black  snake 
reported,  apparently  in  pursuit  of  a  quail.  On  Tore 
we  found  a  very  great  number  of  F.  eleonorte^  more 
than  1  have  seen  together  before,  but  Larus  audouini 
had  made  himself  scarce,  and  I  am  not  quite  certain 
that  I  clearly  made  out  a  single  bird  of  that  species  ; 
the  men,  however,  found  six  of  its  eggs,  which  I 
emptied  with  very  great  trouble,  as  they  almost  all 
contained  young  birds,  dead  and  within  a  day  or  two 
of  hatching.  I  repeatedly  saw  and  had  two  or  three  very 
long  shots  at  a  beautiful  Barbary  falcon,  but  I  only  knocked 
out  a  wing  feather  or  two.  I  think  from  the  action  of  this 
bird  that  the  nest  is  somewhere  in  the  precipices  near  the 
extreme  summit  of  the  island  on  the  east  side.  The  men 
report  thousands  of  green  lizards,  but  could  not  catch  any. 
We  bagged  five  F.  eleomrie,  six  eggs  of  Larus  audouini  and  a 
young  shag,  cut  over  by  Jem  Poland  with  a  boat's  stretcher." 

"  May  30M.  The  steward  found  the  remains  of  some 
small  bird  in  the  crop  ot  one  of  the  hobby-plumaged 
Eleonora  falcons.  The  rest  of  those  shot  yesterday  con- 
tained several  species  of  beetles,  dragon-flies,  grasshoppers, 
and  an  animal  something  like  a  diminutive  boiled  shrimp. 
Saw  a  great  many  porpoises  and  a  turtle." 

Port  Mahon 

'■^  May  3 1  J/.  Some  flying  fish  seen  off^  Cape  Negro. 
In  the  harbour  of  Port  Mahon  saw  kestrel,  swift,  swallow, 
herring  gull,  and  heard  quails." 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  183 

^'■'June  1st.  Dull,  gloomy  day,  strong  south-west  wind 
outside  the  island,  which,  however,  we  hardly  felt  in  our 
sheltered  nook  here.  I  spent  the  greater  part  of  the 
morning  and  a  good  deal  of  the  afternoon  in  blowing 
herring  gulls'  eggs  from  Vacca,  a  very  nasty  job,  as  they 
were  almost  all  either  just  ready  to  hatch  or  rotten.  The 
Consul's  interpreter  tells  me  that  he  is  the  happy  owner 
of  the  Isla  del  Ayre,  some  five  miles  from  the  entrance 
to  the  harbour,  and  that  on  said  isla  are  many  rabbits 
and  a  quantity  of  perfectly  black  lizards  ;  this  we  must 
investigate  when  the  wind  permits.  Took  the  cutter  in 
the  afternoon,  and  rowed  about  the  north  side  of  the 
harbour  into  several  little  snug  bays,  where  we  found 
natives  fishing  with  nets  and  lines,  catching  large  round- 
banded  fishes  with  the  former  and  '  lisa '  with  the  latter." 

Isla   del  Ayre 

"  June  2nd.  Fine,  bright,  warm  day.  The  Consul's 
interpreter  gave  us  leave  to  go  to  his  island,  the  Isla 
del  Ayre,  to  the  south-west,  and  shoot  some  rabbits. 
We  had  to  row  all  the  way  to  the  island,  some  eight  or 
ten  miles,  as  there  was  no  wind.  Too  much  swell  on 
the  cliffs  of  Minorca  to  attempt  shooting  pigeons,  of 
which  we  saw  several.  The  Isla  del  Ayre  is  a  jumble 
of  rock  overgrown  in  some  places  with  samphire  and 
thistles.  Found  the  three  lighthouse  men,  an  Alavese, 
an  Ivi^an,  and  a  Mallorquin,  very  civil  and  intelligent. 
M shot  some  rabbits. 


1 84  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

"  We  saw  a  kite  {Milvus  regalis)  hanging  about  the 
north  side  of  the  harbour,  many  cormorants  (I  think  Ph. 
carbo\  and  herring  gulls.  About  the  cliffs  and  caves 
some  rock  doves,  many  swifts  and  kestrels.  On  the 
island  a  good  many  rabbits,  some  pied  with  white  and 
some  sandy,  a  pair  of  ravens,  an  eagle,  which  looked  to 
me  like  Circaetus  gallkus,  a  few  rock  doves,  a  gull  or 
two,  and  some  blue  rock-thrushes.  The  lizards,  which 
are  shining  glossy  black  above  and  blue  beneath,  seem  to 
me  to  be  the  same  variety  of  race  of  Lacerta  mtiralis  as 
that  found  in  Filfla,  Malta.  The  lighthouse  men  say  that 
there  are  no  snakes  whatever  on  the  island,  and  that  many 
birds  kill  themselves  against  the  light  at  passage  times." 

Cahera 

"  yune  j^th.  Fine  morning.  Just  as  I  went  on  deck 
at  6  a.m.  a  breeze  sprang  up  from  the  east-north-east, 
and  we  spun  away  round  Cape  Salinas  to  the  lee  of  the 
island  of  Cahera,  which  is  high  and  precipitous  with 
wood  and  scrub  in  many  places. 

"  At  the  west  of  the  island,  a  fine  range  of  weather- 
worn limestone  precipices,  we  saw  very  few  birds  ;  a  kite, 
two  or  three  shags,  some  swifts,  herring  gulls  (one  of 
which  was  shot),  a  blue  rock-thrush,  and  a  large  brown 
hawk,  possibly  an  osprey,  were  about  all.  Saw  a  beautiful 
flying  fish  as  we  came  off  to  the  yacht.  I  noticed  a 
great  many  of  the  smaller  shearwaters  at  sea,  which  look 
very    dark    on    the    back    compared    to    the    others.      Saw 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  1,85 

three  very  large  cetaceans  out  at  sea  and  some  stormy- 
petrels.  The  few  goats  we  saw  on  Cahera  appeared  to 
be  quite  tame.  It  is  said  that  there  are  wild  goats  on 
the  island." 

IviZA 

"  June  ^th.  Anchored  in  the  Bay  of  Iviza.  The  town 
of  Iviza  stands  on  a  rock  of  the  north  side  of  the  bay  in  a 
rather  good  situation,  but  looks  a  poor  place.  A  pretty 
amphitheatre  of  hills  with  fine  cultivation  in  the  valleys. 
We  got  away  with  a  breeze  from  east-south-east ;  very 
heavy  sea  till  we  got  through  the  passage  between  Iviza 
and  Formentera.  Here  we  found  the  water  perfectly 
smooth,  and  slipped  merrily  along  past  Vedra,  a  high 
and  curiously  shaped  little  island,  into  the  Bay  of  San 
Antonio  of  Puerto  Magus,  and  brought  up  about  4.30 
p.m.  in  five  fathoms  close  to  the  little  village  of  San 
Antonio.  I  heard  several  quails  calling.  No  rock  doves, 
which  I   had   hoped  for.     Beautiful    warm  evening. 

"  Apparently  a  singular  absence  of  birds  all  round 
the  coast  of  Iviza.  We  saw  nothing,  but  a  very  few 
yellow-legged  herring  gulls  (L.  leucophdeus),  and  a  very 
few  shearwaters.     A  good  many  flying  fish." 

"  yune  6th.  A  man  of  San  Antonio  assured  me  that 
on  the  islands  Correjera  and  Bledas  are  many  black 
lizards,  which  are  not  found  on  Iviza  ;  he  also  declares 
that  there  are  no  snakes  at  all  in  Iviza.  Several  tunny 
fish    followed  close  under  our  stern  for  a  long  time ;    one 


1 86  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

of  them  was  struck  deep  by  Tait  with  the  harpoon,  but 
wrenched  it   out.     Saw  three    or  four    stormy   petrels." 

"  'June  <^th.  Started  in  the  cutter  about  4.30  a.m. 
for  the  Dehesa  ;  cloudy  morning.  We  landed  on  the  beach 
near  where  the  pines  begin,  and  wandered  about  amongst 
them  with  no  result  ;  took  boat  and  went  down  some 
three  miles  farther  on.  No  sport.  It  came  out  very  hot 
and    we   took  a   long  siesta  in   the   shade. 

"  The  paucity  of  bird  life  in  the  Dehesa  is  remark- 
able. We  only  saw  about  half  a  dozen  rabbits,  two  or 
three  kites,  several  woodchats,  many  buntings,  crested 
larks,  greenfinches,  black-headed,  passerine  and  fantail 
warblers,   two   or    three     kingfishers,   and    a   ringed-plover. 

M saw    some      lizards,    but     could     not    secure    any. 

Many  sweet  plants,  myrtle,  thyme,  rosemary,  lentiscus — 
and  wild  flowers  in  abundance,  quantities  of  butterflies, 
and  insects  of  all  kinds.  Not  many  lizards.  Saw  one 
large  snake,  I  think  Calopetta  lacertina.  I  found  a  nest 
of  common  bunting  with  six,  and  a  nest  of  black-headed 
warbler  with  four  eggs.     Quantities  of  shells." 

At   Sea 

'•'■June  \ith.  Beautiful  day.  We  had  light  airs  of 
wind  and  calm  all  day,  and  made  but  little  way.  Passed 
the  Columbretes  island,  which  rather  made  my  mouth 
water,  as  there  are  reported  to  be  many  snakes  and  no 
doubt  many  birds  there. 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  187 

"  Many  porpoises,  two  sharks,  and  two  turtles  seen. 
Vast  numbers  of  small,  snake-like  fishes  drifting  past  us 
all    day." 


November   1878  to  May   1879 

Plymouth 

"  November  i  st.  Arrived  in  Glowworm  at  Plymouth 
about  1 1  last  night,  after  a  fiir  run  from  Lyming- 
ton  Roads,  which  anchorage  we  left  under  steam  and 
sailed  about  8  a.m.  yesterday.  Saw  some  gannets*  and 
a  great  many  guillemots  on  our  way.  Fine,  bright, 
frosty  morning.  I  hear  of  three  inches  of  snow  at 
Lilford,  and  they  sav  there  has  been  some  on  Dartmoor, 
and  that  woodcocks  have  come  in  in  some  numbers. 
T.  shot  the  only  one  seen  of  this  species  in  Oxon  Wood 
on   Monday  last." 

"  November  2nd.  Fine  moonlight  night  with  slight 
haze,  just  the  weather  for  woodcocks  on  migration." 

"  November  T,^d.  A  common  gull  (L.  canus)  has 
for  some  years  frequented  the  garden  of  the  Vicarage 
at    Ivybridge,    where     Mrs.    G feeds    him,    and    has 

*  The  Gannet  {Sula  hissana)  also  called  the  Solan  Goose,  breeds, 
as  is  generally  known,  in  great  numbers  on  the  Bass  Rock  and  on 
Ailsa  Craig.  It  is  not  a  '  goose,'  but  is  allied  to  the  cormorants 
and  the  pelicans.     It  is  only  a  winter  visitor  to  the  Southern  Atlantic. 


1 88  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

become  quite  tame.  He  sometimes  disappears  for  several 
days ;  I  saw  him  this  afternoon  sitting  on  the  top  of  one 
of  the  chimneys  of  the  Vicarage.  He  does  not  seem 
specially  to  affect  the  little  pond." 

At  Sea 

"  November  ith.  It  fell  calm  early,  so  we  got 
up  steam  and  proceeded  easily  all  day.  Very  fine 
and  much  warmer.  We  saw  a  great  quantity  of  two 
species  of  porpoise,  one  of  which  Calmadv  *  shot  dead 
with  a  No.  4  cartridge,  but  though  we  went  about  to 
pick  him  up,  we  could  not  find  him,  and  I  presume  he 
sank.  I  shot  a  large  shearwater.  Saw  large  numbers  of 
sea  birds — gannets,  gulls,  shearwaters,  guillemots,  and  two 
small  dark-coloured  skuas. 

"  A  migrating  fieldfare,  very  tired,  flew  around  us- 
several  times,  but  would  not  come  aboard." 

At  Sea   and  Gironde 

"  November  %th.  A  good  many  lesser  black-backed 
gulls  and  laughing  gulls  in  the  Gironde.  Saw  one 
flock  of  wigeon  ;  also  crows,  and  some  small  birds,  larks- 
or  pipits,  crossing  the  river." 

Pauillac 

"  November  ()th.  Went  ofi^  in  the  cutter  to  the- 
other     side     of    the     river,     where     we     saw     some     mud 

*  The  Captain. 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  189 

creeks  and  backwaters,  but  almost  entirely  devoid  of 
bird  life.  We  landed  on  the  He  Philippe  and  found  a 
beautiful  bit  of  snipey,  reedy  ground,  but  we  only  saw 
two  of  the  desired  birds,  and  only  one  shot  was  fired, 
without  result.     Saw  a  itw  fowl  and  other  things." 

Santander 

"  November  20th.  Took  cutter  away  up  Ria  de 
Cubas  in  search  of  woodcocks.  Not  much  luck,  as, 
though  we  found  three,  we  only  had  a  shot  at  and 
killed  one.  A  good  many  fowl,  and  mud  birds  about, 
but  very  wide  awake." 

^'■November  21st.  Fine  morning.  Spent  the  day  at 
the  harbour  birds.  The  flat  space  inside  sea  at  top  of 
harbour  is  now  all  wet  and  swampy,  and  swarms  with 
fowl  of  sorts." 

"  November  22nd.  Went  and  visited  O'Connor's 
sands  for  dunlin  with  some  success,  then  Rio  de  Cubas. 
Tried  Bosque  del  Coronel  :  only  saw  one  woodcock  ;  no 
shot  at  him." 

"  November  2\th.  Squally  gusts  from  south-west 
but  very  warm.     A  flock  of  thirty  wild   geese  seen." 

"  November  26th.  Wild  windy  morning,  but  fine 
overhead  and  very  warm.  Started  in  steam  launch 
towing  dinghy  about   11.30  a.m.  and  proceeded  up  Curlew 


I90  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

Creek.  Had  several  exciting  chases  after  scoters,*  but 
were  unlucky  in  losing  two  that  we  knocked  down,  and 
also  a  fine  male  hen-harrier,  at  which  I  fired,  but  it 
fell  into  a  piece  of  Indian  corn  near  Maliano,  and  was 
not  to  be  found.  We  lunched  at  Port  Plover,  and  after- 
wards went  away  up  Quarantine  Creek.  Very  little  sport, 
but  good  fun   cruising   about." 

"  I^ovember  2%th.  Left  for  the  O'Connor  sands,  upon 
the  north  side  of  which  the  sea  was  breaking  grandly,  the 
wind  having  shifted  to  north-west.  I  shot  a  young  herring 
gull  and  had  one  long  crack  at  a  great  northern  diver, 
who  did  not  like  it,  dived,  and  as  far  as  we  were  con- 
cerned, never  came  up  again.  We  landed  on  the  sands, 
and  finding  no  birds  thereon  proceeded  to  the  Venta 
de  Soma  and  across  the  hill  to  the  left  of  it.  Found 
a  beautiful-looking  woodcock  covert  just  behind  the 
village,  but  no  woodcock  in  the  part  of  it  that  we  tried. 
Met  a  don  with  a  dog,  who  told  us  that  there  had  been 
a  vast  number  of  woodcocks  some  days  ago,  but  that  he 
feared  that  this  southerly  wind  had  taken  them  all  away. 
He  directed  us  to  a  weedy  lake  just  south  of  the  village 
of  Paredo,  where  he  said  there  were  some  snipes.  We 
went  on  there,  and  found  several.  I  was  tired  and  sat 
about,  and  only  got  two  or  three  long  shots.  Calmady 
tramped    the    marsh    boldly    and    had     several    shots,    but 

*  The  scoters  are  sea  ducks,  although  they  come  inland  at 
nesting  time.  The  birds  referred  to  were  probably  the  Common 
Scoter  (CEdemia  nigra). 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  191 

somehow  was  out  of  form   and  only  shot  one  jack  snipe. 
Minna  flushed  two  or  three  water-rails  out  of  shot." 

"  December  ^th.  Bright  morning,  heavy  squalls  of 
rain  and  hail.  Went  away  in  steam  launch  and  dinghy 
down  to  sand-spit,  shooting  a  scoter  on  the  way.  We 
were  rather  too  late  for  the  dunlins,  as,  when  disturbed, 
they  knew  that  the  muds  at  head  of  harbour  were  bare, 
and  made  off  there.  We  had  two  long  exciting  and 
eventually  successful  chases  after  a  great  northern  and 
red-throated  diver." 

"  December  ^ik.  Went  away  as  usual  with  steam 
launch  and  dinghy  to  the  sand-spit,  but  found  the  dunlins, 
though  in  great  numbers,  unapproachable.  Had  the 
extraordinary  luck  to  kill  two  great  northern  divers  in 
three  shots." 

^'December  i^th.  Glowing  morning.  Got  under  way 
soon  after  8  a.m.  and  steamed  out.  Got  a  north-east 
breeze  for  a  few  hours  ;  rainy  squalls.  Saw  a  grey 
phalarope  sitting  calmly  on  the  waves  after  the  fashion 
of  a  gull." 

VlGO 

"  December  i^th.  Scenery  very  fine  ;  rugged  granite 
mountains  all  around,  with  patches  of  fir  and  oak  wood 
in  places,  and  cultivation  here  and  there.  I  was  much 
reminded    of  the    West    of   Scotland    and    Its    lochs.     We 


192  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

went  right  away  as  far  as  we  could  get,  some  eight 
miles  or  so,  to  a  little  marsh  below  Villa  Boa.  We  saw 
myriads  of  wild-fowl  in  the  bay,  but  quite  unapproach- 
able. Found  a  few  snipes,  but  awkward  to  shoot.  A 
nice  alder  tarn,  most  likely-looking  place  for  woodcock, 
but  saw  none." 

^^  January  2nd,  1879.  Beautiful  morning,  but  very  red 
sunrise — a  bad  omen.  The  doctor  and  I  went  off  after 
breakfast  in  cutter  across  the  bay  to  a  wooded  point  and 
wandered  about  through  fine  woods  intersected  at  short 
distances  by  granite  walls  very  wearisome  to  surmount  ; 
not  much  undergrowth,  but  here  and  there  patches  of 
brambles  and  boggy  springs.  We  only  saw  one  wood- 
cock, which  escaped  us.  The  doctor  had  a  shot  at  what 
he  calls  grouse-red-legged  partridges.  We  cruised  along 
the  north  shore  after  luncheon  and  shot  a  {qv^  water  birds." 

"  January  ith.  Strong  wind  in  morning,  rather  better 
about  II.  Started  in  cutter,  but  it  came  on  to  blow  and 
rain  furiously,  and  we  could  not  do  much.  Conversed 
with  a  native  sportsman  who  lies  up  on  one  of  the  rocky 
islands  ;  he  tells  me  that  he  sometimes  gets  a  heavy  shot 
at  sleeping  ducks  wafted  down  to  him  by  wind  on  tide. 
He  knows  of  only  five  sorts  of  ducks — mallard,  wigeon, 
teal,  scoters,  and  mergansers.  I  noticed  several  peculiarities 
of  the  Gallician  dialect — e.g.,  the  '  g'  strongly  aspirated,  as 
Vijo  for  Vigo,  etc.  He  always  addresses  me  as  '  sinore  ' 
instead  of  senor,  and  put  many  u's   in  place  of  o's." 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  193 

'■'■January  \'^th.  Went  off  in  cutter  to  north  side  of 
bay,  landed  near  Cangas  ;  very  pretty,  but,  in  the  way  of 
shoot,  quite  unproductive  country  ;  shores  fringed  with 
reefs  of  rock. 

"  Saw  great  northern  diver,  sparrow-hawk.  Vast  flights 
of  wigeon  going  out  seaward,  and  two  or  three  adult 
gannets  in  the  bay." 

Lisbon 

*'  January  i\th.  Went  ashore  about  noon  and  up  to 
see  the  Natural  History  Museum.  Made  acquaintance 
with  Barboza  du  Bocage,  who  was  most  civil  and  did  the 
honours  of  the  collection.  There  are  many  interesting 
things,  but  the  birds  are  dreadfully  badly  stuffed.  Many 
comparatively  common  Spanish  birds  seem  to  be  absent 
from,  or  rare  in  Portugal — e.g.^  Passer  salicicolus,  Capri- 
mulgus  rujicollis.  Bocage  showed  me  a  specimen,  a 
very  bad  one,  of  the  blackcap  from  the  Azores,  with  a 
black  hood,  apparently  very  distinct  from  the  common 
form,  and  a  new  triton,  lately  discovered  in  Portugal. 
The  cream  of  the  collection  are  the  birds  from  the 
Portuguese  African  possessions." 

"  January  i^th.  I  never  noticed  gulls  so  tame  as 
here,  chiefly  L.  ridibundus,  with  a  few  L.  fuscus,  L.  argen- 
latus,  or  L.  leucophi£us!' 

'■'■January  I'&th.  Very  fine  bright  morning.  We 
waited  for  a  pilot,  who  was  engaged   to  come  on  board  at 

13 


194  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

6  a.m.,  till  nearly  8.  Got  another  man,  almost  wholly 
unintelligible  ;  steamed  a  few  miles  up  under  the  north 
hank.  Dense  fog  came  on  that  soon  passed  ofF.  About  1 2 
Saurin  and  I  went  off  in  the  cutter  up  the  river :  a  long, 
fruitless  pull,  as  we  found  it  quite  impossible  to  get 
anywhere  near  land,  immense  flat  muds  stretching  in  all 
directions.  It  came  on  showery.  We  did  at  last  manage 
to  land  on  an  island,  where  I  had  an  ineffectual  shot 
at  a  short-eared  owl,  the  only  thing  I  saw  within  shot. 
There  are  a  vast  number  of  wild-fowl  and  marsh  birds, 
but  no  means  of  getting  at  them.  Saw  marsh  harrier, 
merlin,  short-eared  owl,  cormorant,  wild  duck,  wigeon, 
shoveler,  teal,  spoonbill,  (.'')  egret,  curlew,  redshank,  whim- 
brel,  heron,  dunlin,  grey  plover,  meadow  pipit,  ringed- 
plover,  skylark,  crested  lark,  white  wagtail,  avocet,  goose 
(sp.  ?),  snipe." 

"  'January  i<^th.  Very  bright  morning.  Started  in 
steam  launch  a  long  way  up  the  river  Tagus,  landed  on 
various  islands,  saw  a  great  many  wild-fowl  and  some 
snipes,  but  totally  unapproachable.  Met  an  old  shooter 
in  a  little  canoe,  who  told  me  that  he  had  been  shooting 
wild-fowl  and  catching  eels  with  a  bunch  of  worms  for 
sixty  years.      He  only   had  one  teal." 

Cadiz 
"  Februayy  yd.      Went    away   in    cutter    to    the    Tro- 
cadero,  and  some  way  up  a  creek  on  river  towards  Puerto 
Real.     Great  flats  with  salt  pans,  not  many  birds." 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  195 

"  February  i^th.  Bright  morning,  strong  north- 
west wind.  After  breakfast  and  writing  several  letters 
we  went  ashore  and  found  Juan  Espinar  and  his  brother 
Pepe  waiting  for  us,  the  former  having  brought  a  mare 
from  la  Marismilla  lent  to  me  by  the  administrator.  I 
mounted  her,  and  with  Pepe's  horse  set  off  for  the 
Cara  de  la  Marismilla,  where  I  found  Juan's  daughter 
Maria  now  married  to  a  carabineer,  looking  very  pretty. 
We  went  on  thence  to  the  edge  of  the  marisma,  found 
some  beautiful  snipey-looking  places,  but  did  not  see  a 
single  snipe,  or  anything  else  shootable  within  range 
except  a  few  rabbits,  at  one  of  which  the  captain  shot 
and  missed.  They  all  say  that  this  is  about  the  worst 
season  for  small  game  that  they  ever  had.  Last  year 
the  partridges  and  rabbits  died  of  drought.  There  has 
been  no  cold  this  winter  to  send  in  snipes  or  woodcocks, 
and  the  Marisma  is  so  full  that  nothing  can  be  done. 

"  Saw  imperial  eagle,*  common  kite,  kestrel,  raven, 
magpie,  blackbird,  song-thrush,  chaffinch,  serin,  black- 
headed  warbler,  robin,  pipits,  white  wagtail,  red- 
legged  partridge,   whimbrel,   flamingo,    wild    duck,  etc." 

San   Lucar   de  Barrameda 
"  February     1 8//?.      A    white    owl    shrieks    round     the 
vessel  every  night.      Heard   chifFchafF  in   Alcazar  gardens. 
Large   flock  of  wild   geese  passed   over  at   night." 

*  Aquila  adalberti,  also  called  the  White-shouldered  Eagle.  .\. 
tree-nesting  eagle,  generally  distributed  in  suitable  localities  in  VVestcin 
Andalucia. 


196  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

'■'■February      \-jth.       Saw,  for     the     first     time     this 

course,    great   bustard,    crane,  white    stork,    calandra    lark, 

besides   quantities   of  peewits,  golden  plover,   curlews,   and 

small   waders,   marsh  harriers,  ravens,   etc.,   etc." 

Seville 

"  February  22nd.  Fine  morning,  very  high  wind. 
Took  carriage,  with  T.  and  Saccone,  the  interpreter,  to 
Coria  del  Rio.  The  road  between  San  Juan  and  Triana 
is  almost  impracticable,  a  complete  slough  of  despond — 
mud,  water,  and  ruts,  deep  enough  to  bury  a  regiment. 
However,  we  arrived  safely,  and  T.  went  off  after  snipes 
with  Manuel's  son  and  got  thirteen,  chiefly  jacks.  I 
went  with  old  Manuel  to  his  hut  about  a  mile  off,  but 
my  shooting  was  stopped  by  a  tremendous  squall  of 
rain  and  wind,  which  forced  me  to  shelter  again  in  the 
hut,  where  T.  eventually  came,  and  we  lunched.  We 
started  towards  Seville  about  4.30,  and  had  to  walk 
from   San  Juan    to   Triana. 

"  Saw  neophron  and  common  kite.  T.  saw  a  good 
many  snipes,  but  chiefly  jacks.  Old  Manuel  has  four 
lanner's  *  eggs  for  me  ;  also  a  bottle  of  snakes  and 
lizards  in    spirits. 

*  The  Lanner  {Fako  feldeggi).  This  falcon  was  formerly  much 
used  in  falconry,  and  has  been  trained  in  England  of  late  years  with 
qualified  success.  It  does  not  moult  the  striped  feathers  of  the 
breast  into  '  bars,'  as  the  peregrine  does,  but  the  longitudinal  stripes 
of  the  immature  bird  remain  longitudinal. 


FLAMiNt;oi;s  in  thk  Aviakv  pond. 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  197 

"  Ruiz  brought  his  cousin,  Rafael  Mena,  of  Malaga, 
to  see  me  in  the  evening.  This  seems  a  very  intelligent 
man  ;  he  tells  me  that  three  more  trumpeter  bullfinches 
have  turned  up  at  Malaga,  and  that  the  cream-coloured 
courser  has  occurred  there  three  times  in  his  recollection. 
He   knows  of  a    young  Gypaetus   now  in   the  nest." 

"  February  ij^th.  Started  in  steam  launch  with  T. 
and  captain  for  Algaba  ;  arrived  about  10  a.m.  Took 
Perico,  his  brother-in-law,  two  sons,  and  two  horses 
after  bustards.  Went  a  long  way,  only  saw  nine,  and 
only  got  one  long  ineffectual  shot. 

"  Saw  griffon  vultures,  bustards,  cranes,  storks,  sand 
martins,  kingfisher,  Cetti's  warbler,  Bonelli's  eagle,  peewits, 
one  snipe,  great  number  of  larks — calandras,  skylarks,  and 
crested.  A  very  itw  Cdandrella.  Multitudes  of  kestrels 
T.  shot  a  hoopoe." 

"  February  i^th.  In  steam  launch  to  Algaba,  picked 
up  Perico  and  a  pilot  for  Alcata  del  Rio,  arrived  about 
10.30.  Saw  a  great  many  bustards,  but  our  only  shots 
were    at   impossible  distances." 

'^  Februaty  iGth.  Fine  bright  day.  We  took  steam 
launch  at  9  a.m.,  and  proceeded  to  Coria.  Met  Manuel 
and  son  with  a  horse  ;  along  river-side  to  Puebla, 
behind  which  village  are  many  likely  snipey  places.  We 
found  a  good  many,  but  the  full  snipes  were  very  wild, 
and  those  we  killed  were  mostly  jacks.  The  golden 
plovers    afforded    good     sport.     Bag  :    12    golden    plovers, 


198  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

14  snipes,   2   peewits,   i   ringed  plover,   i   green   sandpiper, 
2  thrushes.     Saw  serpent  eagle." 

"  February  ^'jth.  Another  brilliant  day.  We  went 
down  in  steam  launch  to  San  Juan  de  Alfarache,  whither 
a  carriage  came  to  meet  us,  and  took  us  on  to  Puebla. 
We  beat  much  the  same  ground  as  yesterday,  and  had 
fair  sport.  Bag  :  1 8  golden  plovers,  1 6  snipes,  3  peewits. 
Saw  stone  curlews." 

"  March  %th.  Perico  came  from  Algaba  with  accounts 
of  many  bands  of  bustards  thereabouts.  Settled  to  go 
out  thither  to-morrow. 

"  Started  at  6.30  a.m.  in  a  carriage  to  the  Venta  de 
Rio  Palo,  about  a  mile  beyond  Italica,  on '  the  road  to 
Badajoz.  Perico  and  others  met  us  there.  We  found  a 
great  many  bustards,  but  they  came  very  high,  and  we 
only  got  one,  a  young  male.  Saw  myriads  of  cranes  on 
their  way  north,  several  hoopoes,  stone  curlews,  etc., 
nothing  new.  Found  old  Manuel  on  board,  with  a  very 
fine  adult  peregrine,  a  wigeon,  and  a  pintail  from 
the  Isla." 

"  March  1 2th.  T.  and  I  took  cutter,  and  had  a 
drive  after  fictitious  bustards  in  the  Isla  Mayor,  then 
on  to  the  huts  at  entrance  to  La  Corta,  where  we  found 
Manuel's  sons  and  Vincente  Anchor^n.  Went  ashore 
and  drove  some  cranes,  of  which  we  saw  many.  I  got 
one,  a  long  shot.     Saw  some  bustards." 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  199 

'■'■'March  13//J.  Fine  morning;  to  La  Corta,  Guadal- 
quivir. We  got  away  in  steam  launch  about  7  a.m.,  and 
were  conducted  down  the  main  river  and  posted  out  in 
the  open  by  Manuel  and  sons,  who  also  took,  up  positions. 
The  Algaba  people  drove  the  country  from  La  Corta 
towards  us.  A  great  many  cranes  came  over,  but  high, 
and  none  fell,  in  spite  of  several  barrels  from  T.  and 
captain.  At  last  a  large  flock  of  bustards,  apparently 
mostly,  if  not  all,  old  males,  came  at  us,  and  low.  T. 
knocked  down  one,  and  one  at  which  I  fired  two  barrels, 
fell  some  way  behind  us  and  was  found.  It  threatened 
rain,  and  thunder  growled  in  the  distance,  but  the 
weather  held  up.  We  had  several  drives,  and  altogether 
managed  to  bag  eight  fine  old  male  bustards.  Great 
sport,  making  up  amply  for  all  our  previous  disappoint- 
ments in  the  shooting  line. 

"  By  far  the  majority  of  the  bustards,  of  which 
there  are  a  very  great  number,  are  old  males,  and 
fly  quite  low  ;  some  of  them  have  good  beards  already, 
and  the  necks  puffy.*  Saw  a  good  many  pintailed  sand 
grouse,  a  few  snipes,  peewits,  teal,  and  a  small  falcon, 
which  I  suggest  was  a  lanner,  $.  None  of  the  spring 
pajaros  de  marisma  as  yet.  Cranes  still  in  vast  herds, 
trumpeting  in  every  direction." 

'■'■March   i^th.     We     found    a    good     many     bustards, 

*  The  male  Great  Bustard  {Otis  tarda)  develops  in  the  breeding 
season  a  tuft  of  bristly  feathers  at  the  base  of  the  bill,  and  also  a 
gular  (throat)  pouch  which  can,  at  will,  be  greatly  distended. 


200  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

and  they  came  well  except  to  me.  We  went  a  little  way 
up  the  Brazo  del  Este,  but  had  no  luck  whatever  owing 
to  muffishness.  Several  heavy  showers,  during  the  worst 
of  which  we  sheltered  in  a  shepherd's  hut  and  lunched. 
As  we  were  sitting  in  the  boat  at  the  huts,  close  to 
the  yacht,  after  having  given  up  shooting,  a  female 
bustard  was  weak  enough  to  fly  past  ;  she  received  four 
barrels  from  T.,  Frost,  and  self,  and  fell  a  victim.  Saw 
many  pintailed  sand  grouse." 

"  March  1 5//z.  We  started  about  7,  and  took  much 
the  same  line  as  yesterday.  Found  a  good  many 
bustards,  but  again  the  shooters  were  at  fault.  I  killed 
two,  an  old  barbon,  and  a  young  male  of  last  year,  the 
only  two  which  presented  themselves  to  me. 

"  Saw  vast  flocks  of  white  storks.  T.  shot  a  fine  male 
pintail  and  a  mallard  (of  which  we  saw  several)  ;  also 
a  green  sandpiper,  one  of  three.  Saw  a  few  teal,  not 
many  cranes,  and  a  good  number  of  vultures." 

"March  \-jth.  Fine  morning,  wind  veering  north- 
east at  daybreak,  but  glass  going  rapidly  down.  We 
took  up  the  Brazo  del  Este,  and  made  nearly  the 
whole  circuit  ot  the  Isla  Menor.  We  saw  one  or  two 
large  lots  of  bustards,  but  none  of  us  had  a  shot  at 
them,  and  the  only  animal  bagged  was  a  hare,  shot  by 
old  Manuel.  A  great  quantity  of  grifFon  and  Egyptian 
vultures  and  common  and  black  kites  about  some  dead 
horses    in    the    marisma    of   Palacios.     Every   sign   of  rain 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  201 

at  nightfall.  Saw  a  good  many  mallards  and  garganeys 
and  some  marsh  birds,  I  think  rufFs  and  black-tailed 
godwits." 

"March  18//;.  Heavy  rain.  It  was  rather  better 
in  the  afternoon,  and  T.  went  ashore  with  the  captain, 
and  shot  two  black-bellied  sand  grouse.  They  went 
again  after  dinner,  and  took  one  alive,  with  light  and 
bell.     T.    had    a    shot    at    bustard,   without    result." 

Gibraltar 

^"^  March     lyrd.      T.   walked   up    to   the   signal  station 

afterwards     with     M and     saw     Bonelli's    eagle     on 

her    nest. 

"  Went    down    to    see    Mr.    V at    the    Waterport 

guard  ;  he  is  much  vexed  at  this  new  prohibitory  law 
about  shooting  in  Spain.  He  goes  out  to-morrow  to 
look  after  a  Bonelli's  *  nest  in  some  crags  near  Castellar. 
He  tells  me  that  the  ospreys  are  already  sitting  at  the 
east   side   of  the   rock." 

"  March  2^th.  Have  heard  Scops  owls  these  last  few 
days  about  the   rock." 

"  March  2<)th.  It  is  remarkable  that  amongst  hundreds 
of  gulls  at   the   slaughter   place    at   the   back    of  the    rock 

*  Bonelli's  Eagle  {Nisaetus  fasciatus)  is  with  the  Booted  Eagle 
{JVtsaefKS  pennatus)  representative  in  Europe  of  a  small  group  of 
long-legged  eagles.  They  are  neat-looking  and  active  birds;  the 
former  nesting  on  ledges  of  rock,  the  latter  in  cork  and  pine-trees 
in  Morocco  and  Andalucia. 


202  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

I  did  not  see  one  herring  gull.  All  L.  fuscus,  ridibundus, 
and,  I  think,  a  few  melanocephalus,  but  cannot  be  quite 
c  ertain." 

^'  April  T^rd  to  April  zyd.  Between  these  dates  I  was 
kept  on  board  by  an  attack  of  gout.  The  weather  was 
very  unsettled  and  showery,   with   cold   winds." 

'^  April  list.     V took  an  egg  of  neophron  from  a 

nest  of  Circa'etus  gallicus  in  cork  wood  ;  this  is  the 
first  instance  I  ever  heard  of  of  the  former  species 
breeding    on    a    tree. 

"  V and   T.   took  a  nest,  with  five   eggs,    of  blue 

rock-thrush  (tW.  cyanus)  from  hole  in  wall  in  Charles  V. 
rampart. 

"V caught    a   kite    (M.   regalii)   on   her    nest,    in 

a  trap,   and   took   two  eggs  in  a  tall  pine  tree." 

Malaga 

"April  ic^th.  Started  in  a  carriage  for  a  spot  to  the 
left    of    road    to     Torre    Molinos,    some    three    miles    off, 

where    M expected    to    find    some    crakes,   but    none 

were  seen.  The  greater  part  of  the  flat  country  is 
covered  with  sugar  canes,  and  almost  all  this  part 
belongs  to  the  Hesedias,  who  have  a  large  sugar 
factory,  iron  foundries  and  cotton  mills.  We  lunched  at 
the  house  of  their  administrator,  a  very  civil  individual, 
from  Estremadura,  who  gave  me  wonderful  accounts  of 
the   number  and  variety  of  birds   near   Caceres. 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  203 

"  In  the  institute  at  IVIalaga  the  most  remarkable 
things  are  an  immature  specimen  of  Larus  audouini, 
without  date  (but  Mena  says  undoubtedly  killed  near 
the  town,  probably  seven  or  eight  years  ago),  and  a 
specimen  of  Cursorius  gallicus  *  killed  near  the  town. 
Mena  tells  me  that  he  knows  of  two  other  occurrences 
of  this  species,  and  a  fine  specimen  of  the  little  bunting 
(^Emberiza  fusil! a). 

"  Mena  had  a  skin  of  plover,  which  I  bought,  having 
little  doubt  that  it  is  a  specimen  of  Charadrius  fulvus, 
the  Asiatic  golden  plover,  killed  near  Malaga,  May  2ist, 
1878.  Several  fine  flamingos  just  brought  in,  and  a 
great  many  eggs  of  Gyps  fulvus ;  I  also  bought  Richards's 
pipit  [Anthus  richardi)  and  the  pallid  swift  {Cypselus 
pallidus)." 

Alboran 

"  April  26th.  Beautiful  bright  day.  Got  up  steam 
and  started  about  8  a.m.  to  explore  the  island  of  Alboran, 
some  ninety  miles  south-east  by  east.  I  had  often  heard 
of  the  abundance  of  sea  birds  there,  but  a  lighthouse 
has  lately  been  built,  and  I  had  fears.  We  saw  the 
back  fins  of  several  sharks  and  one  or  two  shear- 
waters.      We    sighted    the    island    and    lighthouse    about 

*  The  Cream-coloured  Courser  {Cursorius  gallicus).  These  are 
desert  birds,  allied  to  the  pratincoles,  and  through  them  to  the 
true  plovers.  They  are  exceedingly  active  birds,  both  on  the 
wing  and  on  foot,  and  feed  on  insects,  being  especially  fond  of 
grasshoppers. 


204  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

2  p.m.,  and  on  getting  within  a  few  miles  saw  several 
small  whales  spouting  and  blowing  all  around  us.  We 
anchored  on  the  south  side  of  the  island  about  5.45  p.m., 
in  eight  fathoms  sand  and  weed,  and  Ruiz,  T.,  and  I 
went  off  to  a  landing-place  just  below  the  lighthouse, 
speaking  two  of  the  inhabitants  on  our  way,  fishing,  or 
rather  setting  a  trot.  One  of  these  men  told  us  that 
there  were  no  birds  but  gulls  (of  which  we  could  see 
a  good  many),  and  only  one  kind,  now  laying. 

"  The  island  is,  I  should  say,  rather  more  than  half 
a  mile  long,  and  apparently  only  some  few  hundred  yards 
across.  It  is  all  low  cliff,  some  fifty  feet  high,  of  a 
yellowish  sandstone,  with  here  and  there  big  stones 
imbedded  therein,  and  with  many  caves  and  fissures  and 
flat  reefs  lying  off  it.  The  lighthouse  stands  close  to  the 
western  end  of  the  island.  Several  of  the  natives,  or 
rather  inhabitants  of  the  lighthouse,  came  down  to  speak 
to  us,  and  told  us  the  lighthouse  has  only  been  built 
three  years  ;  that  there  were  four  families,  no  spring  of 
water,  only  one  sort  of  gull  (of  which  they  had  eggs), 
no  rock  doves,  many  seals,  and  sometimes  a  good  many 
birds  of  passage,  quails,  turtle-doves,  hoopoes,  and  larks.. 
T.  and  Ruiz  landed  to  explore  whilst  I  cruised  round  in 
the  cutter.  I  saw  herring  and  lesser  black-backed  gulls, 
and  fancied  that  I  made  out  Audouin's  gull  by  its  great 
length  of  wing,  but  I  did  not  get  a  shot.  Saw  one 
turnstone,  two  or  three  common  sandpipers  and  whimbrel, 
two  or  three  redshanks  and  tv/o  stilts,  evidently  on  migra- 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  205 

tion,  and  puzzled  whither  to  go.  T.  and  Ruiz  appeared 
on  the  top  of  the  clifF  with  a  gull,  which  T.  had  shot, 
and  I  went  roujid  to  wait  for  them  at  the  landing-place, 
where  they  soon  joined  me.  T.  had  bagged  two  fine 
specimens  of  Larus  audotdni  and  a  whinchat,  and  told  me 
that  he  had  knocked  down  two  more  of  the  gulls,  which 
fell  out  at  sea  ;  he  had  a  shot  also  at  a  hawk,  which 
escaped.  Ruiz  had  taken  three  gulls'  eggs,  but  certainly 
not  those  of  L.  ai<dj:(ini.  The  only  other  bird  they  saw 
was  a  pipit. 

"  The  lighthouse  people  brought  us  down  several 
gulls'  eggs,  but  they  were  either  those  of  L.  leucoph^us 
or  L.  fuscus.  On  seeing  our  gulls  they  declared  that 
they  were  the  most  common  species,  but  they  seemed  to 
know  very  little  on  the  subject,  and  to  care  less.  The 
sun  was  going  down  and  a  breeze  springing  up,  so  I 
was  very  reluctantly  obliged  to  go  back  to  the  yacht, 
and  hope  for  a  calm  day  to-morrow ;  but  it  was  not  to  be. 

Mr.   M caught   a   small   shark  from  the   yacht's   deck 

about  three  feet  long.  A  strong  breeze  from  the  west 
got  up,  and  we  rolled  and  strained  at  our  anchor  most 
uncomfortably  all   night. 

"  The  only  vegetation  on  the  island  except  sea  weeds 
is  a  short  heathery  plant,  of  which  T.  brought  off  a 
specimen.  The  nearest  land  is  Cape  Tres  Forcas,  in 
Morocco,  which  is  plainly  visible  ;  the  nearest  point  in 
Spain  they  told  me  was  Adra.  We  could  also  see  the 
Spanish    land.     They    depend    upon    Almina  for    all    their 


2o6  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

supplies,  had  only  had  three  visits  from  vessels,  except 
their  supply  boat,  in  the  last  three  years,  and  have  been 
twenty-seven  days  now  expecting  this  last.  They  have 
turned  out  a  few  rabbits,  which  they  say  are  doing  well." 

Valencia 

'■'■  April  l()th.  Talked  of  going  into  Alicante,  but  it 
fell  nearly  calm  at  night,  and  as  we  were  still  some  way 
from  that  port  at  daylight  of  30th,  1  decided  on  going 
right  on  to  Valencia  ;  so  we  got  up  steam  and  ran  along 
the  coast,  which  is  very  wild  and  barren — high  rugged 
peaks,  here  and  there  a  bay,  with  a  village  and  some 
cultivation.  Curious  Gibraltar-like  rock,  near  Calpe.  Saw 
a  gannet,  the  first  I  ever  recollect  to  have  seen  in  the 
Mediterranean,  except  at  the  back  of  the  rock  of  Gibraltar. 
We  did  not  see  more  than  three  or  four  gulls  during 
these  last  two  days,  or  any  other  sea  birds,  though  some 
parts  of  the  coast  seem  well  suited  for  them." 

"  May  2nd.  Don  Manuel  Cabelle,  who  tells  me  that 
the  Crown  Prince  of  Austria  is  expected,  and  wants  to 
shoot  on  the  Albufera,  where,  as  there  is  no  shooting 
to  be  done  at  this  time  of  year,  they  propose  to  get  up 
a  mullet  fishery  for  him." 

"May  3r</.  In  Museum  best  things  in  birds  are  Aquila  ncevia, 
Sylvia  melanogaster,  Tichodroma  murarias,  Toianus  fuscus,  T. 
stagnatilis,  Oidcmia  fusca.  I  find  that  Emberiza  citrindla  is  common 
here.  I  merely  mention  the  above  birds  as  all  having  occurred  near 
Valencia  while  not  common  in  Spain." 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  207 

Birds  Seen  at  Aleufera 

"  Neophron  pcrcnopterus,  Circus  aeruginosus,  Hirundo  rustiai,  H. 
urhica,  Cotyle  riparia,  Cypselus  apus,  Sylvia  cisiicola,  S.  turdoides, 
S.  provincialis,  Ardea  cinerea,  A.  purpurea,  Oriolus  gallmla, 
Totanus  calidris,  T.  hypokucus,  ^gialitis  {?),  Anas  (sp.  ?), 
Budytes  flavus.     Many  warblers  of  sorts." 

"  May  ^th.  Fine  bright  morning.  Tracey  came  to 
me  about  6  a.m.  and  announced  that  the  Crown  Prince 
of  Austria  had  arrived,  and  about  8  a.m.  told  me  that 
he  and  his  people  were  all  landing  with  guns.  Shortly 
afterwards  came  Don  Manuel  Cabelle  in  a  great  state  of 
agitation  to  tell  me  that  they  were  all  going  off  imme- 
diately, that  nothing  was  prepared,  and  that  the  Prince 
invited  me  and  T.  to  join  him  in  the  expedition.  We 
jumped  into  our  shooting  things,  and  went  ashore.  Found 
that  the  Prince  and  his  people  had  started  in  four 
carriages  a  few  minutes  before  ;  we  followed  at  once  in 
a  small  'bus  with  Don  Manuel,  who  kept  on  repeating 
that  it  was  folly,  nothing  was  prepared,  nothing  would 
be  shot,  and  so  on.  We  soon  overtook  the  other 
carriages,  which  were  very  badly  horsed,  and  on  getting 
within  about  half  a  mile  of  Salar,  the  fishing  village  of  the 
Albufera,  the  Prince  lost  patience,  as  the  road  and  horses 
were  so  bad,  and  jumped  out.  I  got  out  and  introduced 
myself  and  T.  to  him.  He  is  a  very  slight,  tall  boy, 
not  the  least  like  the  portrait  which  he  sent  to  me.  He 
was  most  cordially  civil,  introduced  me  to  his  brother-in- 
law,  Prince  Leopold  of  Bavaria,  and  the  rest  of  his  suite, 
amongst  others  one  of  the  Brehms,   who  accompanies  him 


2o8  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

as  naturalist  to  the  expedition.  I  put  him — the  Prince — 
and  his  brother-in-law  into  our  'bus,  and  we  struggled 
on  to  Salar,  where  the  whole  party  embarked  in  five  flat- 
bottomed  boats,  and  went  off  to  a  spot  called  la  Franca, 
where  there  are  dense,  strong  reed  beds. 

"  We  saw  but  iew  birds.  We  talked  ornithology 
and  shooting — French  with  the  Prince,  and  English  with 
Brehm.  These  two  went  off  in  a  little  punt  in  amongst 
the  reeds,  where  we  could  not  follow,  so  we  waited  their 
return  outside  the  reed  beds.  T.  knocked  down  a 
purple  heron,  but  it  could  not  be  retrieved.  In  the 
meantime  two  Guardias  Civiles  came  off  and  said  that 
their  colonel  wanted  to  present  himself  and  pay  his 
respects.  The  Prince  and  Brehm  came  back  having 
shot  nothing,  and  we  all  landed  on  the  Dehesa.  The 
party  marched  in  line  back  towards  Salar.  I  tramped 
along  the  path  bv  the  water-side  with  the  G.  C.  colonel, 
a  very  civil,  fine-looking  fellow,  with  the  boats  following, 
till  we  reached  a  sort  of  muddy  canal,  which  is  only 
passable  at  each  end,  and  cuts  right  across  the  Dehesa. 
A  good  many  shots  were  fired  by  the  party. 

"  At  this  spot  they  came  to  the  boats  and  re- 
embarked  rather  disgusted,  and  we  went  spinning  away 
under  sail  past  Salar,  to  a  spot  on  the  canal  whither  we 
had  sent  on  the  carriages  ;  got  into  them  again  and  went 
to  a  place  on  the  river,  whence  there  is  a  short  cut  by 
foot  to  the  Grao.  On  our  way  we  found  a  clap-net  set, 
and    several    wretched    swallows    pegged    down    as    decoys. 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  209 

The     Royalties     immediately     cut    these     adrift     and     let 
them  go." 

IviZA 

"May  <)th.  Ran  through  the  Frena  and  anchored 
in  Iviza  harbour  about  7  a.m.  on  morning  of  9th.  A 
pretty  bay  and  tolerably  snug  anchorage  formed  by 
several  islands  ;  a  sort  of  amphitheatre  of  hills  with 
scrubby  vegetation,  the  plains  at  foot  of  them  apparently 
well  cultivated  and  dotted  with  flat-topped  houses.  My 
principal  object  here  is  to  try  to  get  over  to  explore 
Formentera.  The  Consul  tells  me  he  has  property  and 
a  salt  lake  there,  but  there  is  no  possibility  of  lying 
anywhere  there  with  this  detestable  wind.  We  heard 
of  some  salt  pans  in  Iviza,  which  sounded  Hkely  for 
birds,  and  went  about  with  the  son  of  the  Consul  to  try 
and  find  the  officer  of  the  Civil  Guard  to  give  us  leave 
to  shoot,  but  he  was  not  to  be  found.  The  town  is 
crowded  on  a  rocky  hillside  with  a  fort  and  church  at 
the  top.  Good  market  places.  We  bought  a  pound  of 
tunny  brought  in  this  morning  from  Formentera.  People 
talk  a  curious  sort  of  Valencian  patois.  Red  caps  a  la 
Catalan  seem  to  be  much  the  fashion  here." 

"  May  lot/i.  Fine  and  bright,  wind  still  strong 
but  not  so  cold.  We  all  went  away  after  breakfast  m 
cutter,  skirting  the  shores  to  the  south-west,  chiefly 
rocky,  with  here  and  there  stretches  of  sandy  beach.  We 
landed   first   at   the  foot   of   a    range   of  sombre    hills    and 

14 


2IO  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

found  a  great  flat  with  some  pools  of  water,  shallow, 
and  full  of  fish,  but  not  many  birds  about.  The  captain 
went  right  away  to  the  westwards  and  reports  a  great 
salt  lake  near  the  sea  on  other  side  the  island  but  very 
few  birds.  Ruiz  took  a  stroll  on  the  hillside  and  shot 
a  few  small  birds.  T.  hung  about  the  pools  and  shot 
a  fine  osprey.  We  lunched  on  the  beach  and  proceeded 
round  a  rocky  point  where  we  disturbed  a  raven  from 
her  nest.  Landed  on  a  sand-hilly  spot  with  strong 
growth  of  juniper  and  lentiscus.  Found  great  salt  pans 
again.  T.  and  Ruiz  shot  a  few  birds  and  I  saw  one 
which  utterly  puzzled  me. 

"  Seeing  some  respectable-looking  youths  cruising 
wistfully  round  the  yacht,  I  invited  them  on  board 
and  showed  them  over  her.  They  gave  me  a  good 
deal    of    information     on     the    zoological    capabilities     of 

ID 
viza. 

'■^  May  iiih.  These  boys  say  that  there  are 
martens  and  genets  in  the  island,  no  foxes  or  weasels 
or  other  animal  dafiim  ;  hares  very  scarce  ;  rabbits 
abundant  ;  a  great  many  bats  of  various  sizes,  some  of 
them  white.  They  told  me  that  many  gulls  breed  in  the 
islands  of  Espandelle  and  Espalmador,  and  that  when  they 
go  ferreting  there  they  bolt  from  the  burrows  many 
birds  which  they  call  '  virots  ' — shearwaters.  These  are 
also  caught  and  eaten  by  the  fishermen  in  great  numbers. 
They  say  that  there  are  a  great  many  partridges  in  Iviza, 
and  in  the  winter  many  woodcocks  and  snipes.     The  birds 


MEDITERR.\NEAN    NOTES 


21  I 


they  specially  mentioned  were  hoopoe,  bee-eater,  quail, 
landrail,  coot,  heron,  flamingo,  and  peewit.  Curiously 
enough,  they  all  professed  to  recognise  Dresser's  plate  of 
Chettusia  gregaria*  and  said  that   it  was  found  here  (?)  !  " 


Birds  Observed  in  Iviza 


Pandion  kaliaetns. 
Falco  peregrinus. 
F.  subbuteo  (?). 
F.  tinmitiaihis. 
Hirundo  rustica. 
H.  urbica. 
Cypselus  apus. 
Coiyle  riparia. 
Muscicapa  grisola. 
Phyllopneuste  trochilus. 
Sylvia  phragmitis. 
Turdus  merula. 
Monticola  cyanca. 
Saxicola  mnanthe. 
Pratincola  rubicola. 
Parus  ('sp.  ?) 
Lanius  rufiis. 
Budytes  flavus. 
Gakrida  cristata. 


Calandrella  hrachydadyla. 
Emberiza  miliaria. 
Passer  domesticus. 
Fringilla  chloris. 
Lijiota  cannahina. 
Car  due  lis  ekgans. 
Turtur  auritus. 
CEdicnenius  crepitans. 
yEgialitis  cantianus. 
Strepsilas  interpres. 
Hamatopus  ostralegus. 
Totanus  glottis. 
Totanus  calidris. 
Tringa  (.?). 
Nutnenius  (?). 
Larus  fuscus. 
L.  leucophceus. 
Upupa  epops. 
Puffintis  cinereus. 


Barcelona 

"May    14.1/1.       A    nightjar    came    on     board    in    early 
morning.      Several  laughing  gulls  f  in  the  harbour." 

*  The  Black-bellied  Lapwing,  an  eastern  bird, 
t  L.   ridibundiis.     So   called    from    its  call.     It  is  also  known  as 
the  Brown-headed  Gull. 


212  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

February    to   May,    1882 
Sevilla 

"  February  c^th.  Old  Manuel  Llanos  came,  bring- 
ing with  him  a  good  specimen  of  the  imperial  eagle 
(^Aquila  adalberti)  in  the  sandy  mottled  plumage  of  im- 
maturity, two  grey-lag  geese  {^Anser  ferus),  and  two 
Spanish  magpies  {Cyanopica  cooki).  He  says  that  owing 
to  the  abundant  rains  a  great  number  of  birds  nested  in 
the  marisma  and  cotos  last  year,  amongst  others  the 
glossy  ibis,  which  had  not  done  so  before  to  his  know- 
ledge ;  of  this  species  he  got  some  three  clutches  of  eggs, 
all  of  which,  except  that  one  sent    to  me,  were  destroyed 

by  mice.      P went  to  the   Museo  and  Casa  de  Pilatos, 

and    I to  see    old    F,   Barlow,   who  is  quite   laid   up. 

Noticed  willow  wren  {Phylloscopus  trochilus)  in  orange 
trees   in  the  Plaza   under  our  windows. 

"  Manuel  also  brought  a  young  imperial  eagle  alive, 
insisting  that  it  was  of  another  species,  which  only  appears 
in   these   parts  during    the   winter. 

"  Drove  out  (in  afternoon)  along  Las  Delicias  and 
away  back  by  the  Canas  de  Carmona  on  the  road  to 
Alcata   de   Guadeira.     Lovely  bright  warm  day." 

"  Noticed  tlie  following  birds  : — Circus  cyaneus,  Hirundo  urbica, 
Ruticilla  titys.  Passer  domesticus,  Fringilla  cxleis,  Fringilla  serinus, 
Carduelis  elegans,  Anthus  campestris,  Alauda  cristata,  A.  arvensis, 
Sturftus  vulgaris,  Turdus  musicus,  Grus  dnereus,  Pratincola  rubicola, 
Motacilla   alba,    Emberiza    miliaria." 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  213 

"  February    %th.      Left    by    train    for    Cadiz.      All    the 
marisma  about  Las  Alcantarillas  seems  to  be  perfectly  dry." 

"  Noticed  the  following  fresh  birds  : — Milvus   regalis,    Otis   tarda, 
O.    tetrax,    Hirundo   rustica'' 

Cadiz 

"  February  gth.     Saw  the  following  birds  (in  the  harbour) : — Larits 
fusais,    L.    leucophceus,    L.    canus." 

San    Lucar   de  Barrameda,  Guadalquivir 

"  February    \oth.       Under    sail    for    the    Huelva    river, 

but,  finding  a  heavy  sea,  ran  in  under  shelter  of  Chipiona 

Point,   got   a   pilot,   and   waited   till    the    tide    served,   and 

we  got  over  the   bar   of  San   Lucar  without  difficulty." 

"  Birds   seen  : — Phalacrocorax   carbo,    Fiiffinus,    two    species,    Alca 
tarda,   Fratercula   ardica." 

'■'■  Februaiy  nth.  Started  up  the  river  just  before 
the  tide  made  upwards,  and  with  one  or  two  temporary 
groundings,  anchored  at  the  lower  end  of  the  Corta,  in 
the  Isla  Menor,  about  6  p.m.  We  saw  great  numbers  of 
wigeon  (Mareca  penelope),  some  pintail  {Anas  acuta),  mallard 
{Anas  boscas),  geese  {Anser  ferus)  in  great  quantities,  some 
curlews  {Numenius  arquatus),  whimbrel  {Numenius  phceopus), 
redshank  {Totanus  calidris),  dunlins  (Tringa  variabilis),  and 
other  small  waders,  besides  several  species  recorded  before." 

La   Corta,  Guadalquivir 
"■^  February    \2th.       Fine    bright    day   with    north-west 
breeze.     We    moved    up    early    to    the  upper    end    of    the 


214  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

Corta,  taking  the  ground  several  times,  but  getting  off 
without  much  difficulty,  and  anchored  about  10.30  a.m. 
Vicente  and  Manuel's  two  sons,  Miguel  and  Francisco, 
appeared  about  midday  with  horses,  and  said  that  their 
father  would  be  here  to-morrow  morning.  They  brought 
with  them  a  very  fine  disembowelled  wild  cat  {Felis 
catus),  which  they  killed  a  short  time  ago  in  the  Coto 
del  Rey.  We  saw  various  birds  new  to  our  this  year's 
list.*  We  saw  many  geese,  a  few  bustards  and  cranes. 
Perico  de  Algaba  turned  up,  and  gave  a  most  woeful 
account  of  the  floods  of  last  spring  at  his  village  ;  his 
house  was  completely  destroyed,  his  donkey  and  pig 
drowned,  many  of  his  vicinos  were  in  a  still  worse  plight, 
and  many  took  refuge  in  the  tower.  All  the  wheat 
was  destroyed,  and  the  vines  and  olives  ruined.  This 
year  there  is  hardly  any  water  in  the  marisma.  Francisco 
went  out  and  brought  in  a  couple  of  grey  lag  geese,t  which 
he  killed  by  stalking  with  the  horse.  He  sat  for  some 
time  with  us  in  the  cabin  after  dinner,  and  I  showed  him 
some  of  Dresser's  plates  of  ducks,  etc.,  of  which  he  gave 


*  "  Gyps  ftilvus,  Neophron  percnopfenis,  Comis  corax,  ^-Ei^ialitis 
hiaticula." 

t  The  Grey  Lag  Goose  {Anser  ferns)  is  commonly  held  to  be  the 
chief  originator  of  our  domestic  goose.  It  is  the  only  wild  goose 
which  nests  in  Britain  (Scotland).  Although  it  is  said  to  nest  very 
occasionally  in  Andalucia,  the  birds  here  referred  to  would  be  winter 
visitors.  The  name  means  (Prof.  Skeat)  the  lagging  goose,  i.e.,  the 
lagging-behind  goose — staying  to  nest — when  other  species  leave  in  the 
spring. 


?/ 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  215 

me  the  local  names.*  He  recognised  the  white-headed 
duck  (^Erismatura  leucocephala)  as  one  of  a  species  which 
appeared  at  Santa  Olalla  this  year  for  the  first  time  to 
his  knowledge.  We  laid  our  plans  for  an  early  start 
after  the  geese  to-morrow  morning." 

"  February    1 3//;.      Intent    on    wild    geese,    I and 

I  rose  about  5  a.m.,  and  started  in  the  steam  launch 
with  the  captain  and  the  gente  to  a  spot  some  two  miles 
down  the  river  in  the  Isla  Menor.  The  hijos  de  Manuel 
and  Perico  borrowed  a  big   hoe  and   soon   dug   me    out   a 

hole  in    the    open    field,   the    captain  and    I concealed 

themselves  as  best  they  could  farther  along,  and  Miguel 
and  Francisco  went  away  to  stalk  with  the  horse  and  try 
to  put  the  geese  (of  which  many  hundreds  were  feeding 
in  sight  of  us)  over  our  heads.  These  ninos  went  a  long 
way,  and  we  waited  more  or  less  patiently  for  some  three 

hours,  but  the  geese  passed  over  I and  T.,  quite  out 

of  shot,  although  they  both  fired.  One  flock  of  some 
fifteen  or  sixteen  great  bustards  passed  out  of  shot  and 
settled  not  very  far  behind  us,  and  when  the  nims  came 
back  with  one  goose  we  went  and  took  up  position  along 
the  bank  of  the  river  for  them.  Perico  went  round  to 
put  them  over,  and  before  they  got  up  some  geese  came, 
and,  passing   close   to   the   captain,  he   bagged   two   at   one 

*  "A.  boscas,  '  Pato  real ' ;  A.  acuta,  '  P.  rabudo  ' ;  A.  marmorata, 
'Ruilla';  A.  dypeata,  '  Sardinero  ' ;  Q.  crecca,  '  Sarcereta  ' ;  Q.  circia, 
'  Carranaca  ' ;  Tadorna  cornuta,  '  Ansereta  ' ;  T.  rutihi,  '  Pato 
tarro.'  " 


2i6  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

shot.  The  bustards  gave  one  of  the  ninos  a  shot,  which 
had    no    effect,  and    a    big    cock    bird    separated    from  the 

others,   and    was    coming  well    for   I ,  but  the   captain 

fired  at  it  when  quite  out  of  shot  and  turned  it  awav. 
Beautiful  bright  day,  with  easterly  wind.  Old  Manuel 
arrived.  We  started  again  about  4  p.m.  to  try  flighting 
for  geese,  but  they  all  passed  too  high.  The  nifios 
found  a  wounded  one,  which  they  brought  on  board 
alive.  A  great  many  griffon  vultures  about  a  dead  horse 
some  way  down  the  river.  Vicente  tried  to  tow  it  up 
to  give  T.  some  amusement  with  the  vultures,  but  the 
ebb  tide  was  too  much  and  he  had  to  leave  the  beast 
moored  for  to-morrow." 

"  Fresh  birds  seen  :    Pterocks  arenarius,   Totanus  glottis." 

La    Corta,    Guadalquivir 

"  February  i^th.  Beautiful  morning  with  easterly 
breeze.  We  started  in  the  steam  launch  about  9  a.m. 
and  went  away  through  the  Corta  to  the  Brazo  del  Este, 

some   way  up  which   I got    out  and    beat  part  of  the 

bank  on  proper  right  for  snipes,  I  cruising  along  in  the 
launch.     We  did  not  find  many.     After  a  while  we  picked 

up   I and    took   him    to  a  spot    higher   up   on  proper 

left  bank,  whence  he  sallied  with  Miguel  and  Francisco 
to  look  for  snipes  at  the  wet  places  in  the  direction  of 
las  Alcantarillas.  I  cruised  backwards  and  forwards, 
shooting  at  whatever  offered  itself  on  the  river,  which 
was   not    much,  though     we   saw    enorinous    numbers     of 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  217 

wigeon    and    a    few   mallard    and    teal.     About   4.30    p.m. 

1 rejoined    us   and    said  that   he  had  found   very  few 

snipes,  but  had  seen  swarms  of  geese  and  various  duck 
fowl.  On  our  way  back,  we  shot  some  wigeon  crippled 
by  the  shore  gunner,  and  also  some  small  waders.  Our 
bag  consisted  of  one  goose,  caught  alive,  one  wigeon, 
one  teal,  three  peewits,  five  snipes,  one  little  stint,  and 
some   twenty  ringed  plover,  Kentish   plover,   and   dunlins." 

"  Fresh  birds  seen  :  Totatius  hypohuais,  Viiltur  monachus,  Chara- 
drius pluvialis,  j^gialitis  cantiana,  Scolopax  gallinago,  Linota  catifiabina, 
Tringa   minuta. 

"  Reported   by  I :    Hirundo  riparia,  Anas   c/ypeata,  Pterocles 

alckata." 

^^  February   i^ih.      Most    beautiful    day.     I and  1 

sallied  with  la  gente  about  9  a.m.,  and  had  several 
attempts  at  the  bustards,  but  entirely  without  success, 
and  we  came  home  absolutely  empty-handed.  We 
noticed  in  a  flock  of  geese,  one  very  considerably  smaller 
than  her  companions,  possibly  the  little  white-fronted 
goose  {^Anser  erythropus'),  which  has  occurred  in  these 
parts.  Vicente  reports  having  seen  hoopoes  {Upupa  epops) 
a  day  or  two  ago.  We  saw  a  good  number  of  bustards 
and,  I  think,  more  geese  than  we  had  seen  before, 
swarms  of  wigeon  and  a  ^qw  black-bellied  sand  grouse. 
The  vultures  decline   to  come  to  our  dead  horse." 

"  Fresh   birds    seen  :    FaLo  peregrinus,    CEdicnemus   crepitans" 

"  February    i  dth.     Another   beautiful,    bright    day,    but 
a  coldish  wind.     I and  I  went  away  down   the  river. 


21 8  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

but  had  no  chance  at  the  bustards,  of  which  we  did  not 
see  many.  We  had  a  little  bit  of  sniping  about  the 
mouth  of  the  Brazo  del  Este  and  a  soft  place  just  below 
it  on  the  right  bank  of  Isia  Mayor.  We  got  one 
golden  plover,  one  peewit,  eleven  snipes,  thirteen  dunlins, 
two  ringed-plover,  one  Kentish  plover.  A  lad  from  Coria 
brought  me  a  young  otter  {Lutra  vulgaris)  caught  near 
that  place,  small  and  very  tame." 

^^  February  i-jth.  Very  fine,  hot  dav.  We  went 
away  in  steam  launch  about  8  a.m.  for  la  Campania, 
the  spot  where  the  Brazo  del  Este  leaves  the  main 
river.  Saw  very  few  snipes,  and  those  iz'w  very  wild. 
Some  way  down  the  brazo  we  came  to  an  island  covered 
with  thick  brambles,  reeds,  and  white  poplars,  out  of 
which  we  startled  many  birds — e.g.^  kites,  marsh  harriers, 
barn  owls,  sparrow-hawk,   water-hen,   common   heron,   and 

wild   duck.      I and    Francisco    landed,  but   foui^d  an 

impenetrable  jungle,  full  of  old  nests,  which  Miguel 
declares  to  be  those  of  the  night  heron  {Nycticorax  griseus') 
and  purple  heron  {^Ardea  purpurea).  We  proceeded 
down  the  bra%o  and  had  some  tolerable  sport,  bagging 
altogether  four  mallard,  two  wigeon,  one  teal,  four  golden 
plover,  two  peewits,  one  water-rail,  three  snipes,  one 
quail,  two  marsh  harriers,  and  a  water  tortoise  (Eniys,  sp.?) 
captured  alive.  On  our  way  home  we  flushed  a 
regular  bouquet  of  marsh  harriers  out  of  some  high 
reed,    and    bagged    two    of    them." 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  219 

"  Fresh  birds  seen :  Accipiter  fiisus,  Strix  flammea,  Ardea 
bubulcus,    GaUinula    chloropus,    Rallies   aquaticus." 

"February  iSM.  Perhaps  the  most  perfect  of  the 
many  lovely  days  that  we  have  had.  We  landed  on  the 
Isla  Mayor,  and  went  away  to  the  western  brazo  of  the 
river  to  look  for  snipes  ;  saw  very  {qv/,  but  we  only 
brought  home  one  bustard  and  a  blacktailed  godwit  * 
(^Limosa  belgica),  which  last  was  the  only  fresh  species 
which  we  met  with.  We  saw  a  good  many  bustards, 
cranes,  a  great  many  golden  plover,  five  pintailed  sand 
grouse,  some  curlews  and  redshanks.  We  were  unlucky 
altogether,  and  1,  to  mv  shame,  managed  not  to  kill  a 
bustard  which  gave  me  a  fair  chance.  Sent  the  yacht 
down  to  the  lower  end  of  the  Corta  ;  she  left  the 
steam  launch  for  us  at  the  huts  at  upper  end.  Bade 
farewell  to  la  gente  ■  at  sundown,  and  rushed  down  la 
Corta  with  a  swinging  ebb  tide  ;  found  the  vessel  right 
away  below  the  mouth  of  Brazo  del  Este,  having  had  a 
very  narrow  escape  of  being  run  down  by  a  Spanish 
steamer  at  her  moorings  above.  Good  Spanish  proverb 
from  Vicente  :   "  Al  cazador  lena  y  al  lenador  caza." 

"  List  of  birds  observed  in  Andalucia,  February  :  J'uUur  monachus, 
Gyps  fulvus,  Neophron  perawpferus,  Circus  ceruginosics.  Circus  cyaneus, 
Biiteo  vulgaris,  AccipUcr  nisus,  Milvus  regalis,  Falco  peregritius,  F.  tin- 
mtnculus,  F.  cenchris,  Strix  flammea,   Turdus  musicus,   Ruticilla  tifys, 


*  A  wading  bird  belonging  to  the  Scolopacida  (sandpiper,  snipe, 
and  curlew  family).  It  has  ceased  to  breed  in  England  since  the 
draining  of  the  fens.     A  winter  migrant  to  Andalucia. 


220  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

Pratincola  rudkola,  Erithacus  rubecula,  Phylloscopus  minor.  Ph.  trochilus, 
Cettia  cettii,  Cisticola  cursitans,  Motacilla  alba,  M.flava,  Anthus  pratensis, 
Hirundo  rustica,  Chdidon  urbica,  Cottle  riparia,  Carduelis  clegans? 
Serinus  hortulanus,  Passer  domesticus,  P.  salkicoltis,  Fringilla  Calebs, 
Linota  cannabina,  Emberiza  miliaria,  Galerita  cristata,  Alauda  arvensis, 
Calandrella  (sp.  ?),  Melanocorypha  calandra,  Sturnus  vulgaris,  Cyano- 
pica  cooki,  Corvus  corax,  Upnpa  epops,  Phalacrocorax  carbo,  Ardea 
cinerea,  Ardea  bubulcus,  Ciconia  alba,  Anser  ferus.  Anas  boscas,  A. 
clypeaia,  A.  crecca,  A.  acuta,  Mareca  penelope,  Pterocles  arenarius, 
Pt.  alchata,  Coturnix  communis,  Rallus  atjiiaticus,  Gallinula  chloropus. 
Grits  cinerats,  Otis  tarda,  O.  tetrax,  CEdiciieinus  crepitans,  Chara- 
drius  pluvialis,  yEgialitis  cantiana,  y£.  hiaticula,  Vanellus  cristatus, 
Scolopax  gallinago,  Tringa  alpina,  T.  minuta,  Totanus  hypoleuctis,  2. 
calidris,  T.  glottis,  Ntimenius  pkceopus,  N.  arquatus.  Sterna  (sp.  ?), 
Larus  ridibundtis,  L.  canus,  L.  leucophaus,  L.  fuscus,  L.  marinus, 
Lestris  (sp.  ?),  Piiffinits  (two  sp.  ?),  Alca  tarda,  Lomvia  (sp.  ?), 
Fratercula   arctica." 

San   Luc^^r    de  Barrameda 

^'February  \<)th.  A  most  lovely  morning.  In  the 
steam  launch  tor  San  Lucar  about  9.45.  Very  pleasant 
run  ;  read  a  good  deal  of  Spain  and  the  Spaniards  by 
Azamat  Batuk.  Saw  vast  numbers  of  geese  and  wigeon^ 
and  six  sheldrakes  {Tadorna  cornuta),  and  two  grey 
plovers  {^Sqiiatanla  helvetica),  both  species  new  to  our 
present  list  of  birds  seen  in  Andalucia.  Arrived  at  ban 
Lucar  at  3.25   p.m." 

Cadiz  to  Gibraltar 

"  February  24th.  Fine  bright  morning.  As  it  did  not 
seem  to  blow  so  hard  we  started  about  8.20  a.m.  tor 
Gibraltar  ;  met  a  very  heavy  sea  and  fresh  breeze  outside,. 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  221 

and  ploughed  slowly  through  it  till  off  Tarifa,  when  Tracey 
stood  over  under  the  African  land   and   got  smooth  water 

and    strong    current    in    his    favour.       I reports    two 

birds  fresh  to  our  list — viz.,  gannet  (^Sula  bassana\  and 
a  petrel,  probably  Bulwer's  petrel  (Oceanites  bulweri)* 
Bonelli's  eagle  reported  as  sitting  near  the  signal 
station.  We  remained  at  Gibraltar  till  the  end  of  the 
month." 

Malaga 

'■'March    ist  to   11//;.     Had  several   visits  from  Rafael 
Mena,   who    said    that    it    had    been   an   exceptionally   bad 

winter  for  birds  of   all   sorts.      1 made  an  expedition 

with  said  Mena  to  el  chorro  in  search  of  lammergeiers 
{Gypa'etus  barbatus),  but  could  not  find  the  nesting  place 
or  get  a  shot  at  the  birds,  of  which  they  saw  one.  He 
brought  back  one  chough  {^Pyrrhocorax  graculus),  of  which 
they  saw  many,  and  also  reported  golden  eagle  i^Aquila 
fulva),  black  chat  (Saxicola  leucura),  and  blue  rock-thrush 
(^Monticola    cyanus).      T.,    I ,  and    Peck    made    several 

*  The  petrels  belong  to  a  large  division  of  birds  distinguished 
by  tubular  nostrils  (Turbinares),  which  frequent  every  sea  and  ocean 
of  the  world.  This  division  includes  many  and  varied  forms,  from 
the  giant  Wandering  1  Albatross  (Diomedea  exulans)  to  the  little  Storm 
Petrel  {Proallaria  pelagica).  The  shearwaters,  as  before  said,  also 
fall  into  this  weird,  restless  group  of  birds.  Some  of  them  never 
touch  land  but  at  nesting  time ;  and  they  have  the  general  habit 
of  wandering  the  waters  like  lost  spirits.  Ames  damrtees  of  the 
Bosphorus ;  yelkouan  of  the  Arab,  from  the  P^ulmar  {Fulinarus 
glacialis)  of  the  Arctic  to  those  of  the  Southern  seas  they  have 
impressed  every  voyager  in  the  same  way. 


222  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

boating  expeditions  in  the  bay  and  found  numbers  of 
scoters  (^Oidemia  nigra),  razor  bills  [.4lca  tarda),  brown- 
headed  {Larus  ridibundus)  and  lesser  black-backed  gulls 
(L.  fuscus),  sandwich  terns  {Sterna  cantiaca),  one  diver 
(^Colymbus),  several  skuas  (Lestris  sp.  ?),  the  great  and 
small  Mediterranean  shearwaters  {Puffinus  kuhli  and 
T.  yelkouan),  common  herons  (^Ardea  cinerea),  two  grebes 
{Vodicefs  sp.  ?),  and  an  osprey  [Tandion  haliaetus).  They 
brought  in  one  specimen  of  skua  alive,  which  is,  I  think, 
undoubtedly  Richardson's  skua  {Lestris  richardsoni),  in 
the  nearly  uniform  brown  plumage.  Mena  made  me 
a  present  of  a  hemipode  {Tar nix)  alive,  which  seems 
well  used  to  a  cage." 

"  March  \ith.  We  let  the  skua  out  for  a  walk  and 
wash  on  deck." 

"  March  1 5//z.  Fine,  but  the  wind  still  easterly.  Mena 
called,  bringing  the  shearwaters'  skins.  It  is  remarkable 
that  all  those  of  the  smaller  species  are  females.  Mena 
told  me  that  he  could  always  distinguish  between  common 
(Cypselus  apus)  and  pallid  swifts  (C.  pallidus),  by  their 
manner  of  going  under  the  tiles  to  their  nests,  the  tormer 
flying  straight  in,  and  the  latter  always  pausing  at  the 
entrance.  He  also  told  me  that  he  had  seen  the  first  of 
this  species  this  year  on    13th   inst." 

At  Sea 
"March    \6th.       We    left    Malaga    about    8    a.m.     A 
hoopoe    came    aboard    in    the    morning.     We    saw    many 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  225 

lesser  black-backed  gulls,  shearwaters,  some  porpoises,  and 
near  Adra  a  flight  of  cranes  making  the  Spanish  coast 
from  the  southward." 

Valencia 

'■'■  March  2is(.  Senor  Arevalo  told  me  that  Sylvia 
melanopogon  is  not  uncommon  here,  but  was  formerly  much 
more  so  (i/r)  near  IVIalaga,  and  that  its  eggs  vary  quite 
as  much  in  colour  as  those  of  Cisticola.  He  also  told  me 
of  the  occurrence  on  the  Albufera  of  the  African  pelican 
{Pelecatius  onocrotalus),  and  of  a  specimen  of  Chelidon,  which 
they  cannot  determine." 

"  March  '12nd.  Don  Manuel  Cabelle  came  and  sat 
with  me  for  some  time.  He  says  that  this  has  been 
a  wonderfully  good  season  for  wild-fowl  on  the  Albufera  ; 
he  asked  T.  to  go  out  and  join  him  at  the  fishing 
village  at  the  Albufera  to-morrow  evening,  to  shoot  the 
next  day.  He  tells  me  of  a  bird  three  times  the  size 
of  a  swan  !  entirely  white  !  !  and  about  five  feet  high  !  !  ! 
shot  near  here,  and  now  to  be  seen  stuffed  at  the  Casino 
de  los  Cazadores  ;  this  must  surely  be  a  myth,  but 
requires    investigation." 

"  March  2\th.  Don  Jose  Arevalo,  bringing  with 
him  the  unknown  Chelidon,  which  is,  as  far  as  I  can 
see,  nothing  but  a  common  house  martin  {Chelidon  urbica'). 
Don  Jose  stayed  some  time,  and  gave  me  a  memento 
in    the    shape    ot    a    sketch  of  the  head  of   a    pallid  swift 


2  24  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

{Cypselus  pallidus).  T.  came  back  about  6.15  p.m.,  with 
Don  M.  Cabelle,  after  a  fair  day,  for  the  time  of 
year,  at  the  Albufera ;  they  brought  back  thirty-four 
fowl,  shovelers,  garganeys,  pintail,  wigeon,  teal,  and 
pochard,  and  a  very  fine  adult  common  heron,  alive, 
wounded    in    the    wing." 

Minorca 

^^  March  26th.  Being  Sunday,  and  all  of  us  wanting 
rest,  I  decided  on  going  into  Port  Mahon,  and,  running 
up,  anchored  before  the  town  about  i  p.m.  ;  not  another 
ship  in  the  harbour,  except  a  steamer  under  repair. 
Noticed  a  great  number  of  shearwaters,  some  shags 
{Phalacrocorax  gt'aculus),  an  osprey,  many  gulls,  and 
another  bird  of  prey  (I  think  a  common  buzzard)  about 
the  entrance  of  the  harbour.  It  is  remarkable  that  all 
the  gulls  here  appear  to  be  the  Mediterranean  herring 
gull  {Larus  leucophaus').  I  do  not  see  either  black- 
backed    or   laughing   gull." 

Port    Mahon 

"  March  2,0th.  Saw  several  common  kites.  We  found 
a  heavyish  sea  outside,  but  very  light  breeze  from  south- 
west ;  steamed  along,  rolling  gaily.  More  shearwaters  than 
I  ever  saw  before  together.  Saw  a  puffin  {Fratercula 
arctica)  alone  some  miles  out  from  Port  Mahon.  Most 
lovely    sunset    and    fine    moonlight    night." 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  225 

At  Sea 

^^  March  3ij-/.  Saw  the  first  black-headed  gnW  {Larus 
melanocephalus)  of  this  cruise.  Two  or  three  tired 
robins  {Erithacus  rubeculd)  came  on  board.  At  12  a.m. 
we  were  twenty-six  miles  from  Cape  Caccia,  in  Sardinia, 
the  nearest  land.  Very  soon  afterwards  we  made  Cape 
Argentiera  and  Asinara  ;  at  6  p.m.  we  were  off  the 
lighthouse  at  the  latter  spot.  Very  light  westerly  breeze. 
Many  porpoises  ;  lovely  moonlight  night.  We  ran  fast 
through  the  Strait  of  Bonifacio,  and  about  midnight 
rounded    the    light    on    the    island    of   Razzoli." 

'■'■April  ist.  At  about  8.30  a.m.  the  captain  reported 
no  sign  of  a  breeze,  so  I  ordered  steam  for  10  a.m.,  and 
we  ran  along  the  coast  of  Corsica  ;  a  lovely  morning, 
with    the    faintest    of   ripples    from    the    south." 

Spezia 

"  April  2^d.  Drove  in  afternoon  to  Porto  Venese  ; 
very  pretty  views  over  the  bay,  but  country  much  spoiled 
by  the  masses  of  olives.  Birds  exceedingly  scarce  ;  I  onlv 
^noticed  chaffinch,  great  titmouse,  and  kestrel,  besides  a 
itw  gulls.  We  went  afterwards  for  a  drive  to  the  valley 
of  the  Magra,  over  a  low  col.  To  the  north-east,  a  wild 
river  torrent  bed,  with  very  little  water  in  it  now  ; 
picturesque  villages  perched  on  hills  round  about.  Heard 
and  saw  sparrow,  crested  lark,  cirl  bunting,  blackbird, 
swallow,  house  martin." 

15 


226  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

"  Jpril  -jth.  An  old  fellow  in  a  sort  of  coracle  shot 
into  a  flock  of  black-headed  gulls,  and  bagged  two  of 
them,  which  he  brought  on  board  alive.  He  informed 
me  that  he  shot  from  la  passione.  Great  shoals  of 
small    fishes   playing    round    the    vessel    after    dark." 

Leghorn 

'■'■April  \^th.  VYe  beat  into  Leghorn  and  anchored 
in     the     outer     harbour.  Three      United     States     men 

of  war  moored  at  the  mole.  We  got  leave  to  go  into 
the  inner  harbour,  and  found  the  R.  Y.  S.  s.s.  Golden 
Eagle  there.  Went  ashore  and  drove  about  the  town 
— clean,  wide  streets  and  large  squares,  but  rather  a 
melancholy   place.     Many  gulls  in  outer  harbour." 

'■''April  \^t/i.  I  took  train  for  Pisa  at  10.42  a.m. 
The  line  runs  through  the  forest  of  Tombolo,  a  very 
gamey-looking  locality  with  pines,  oaks,  ilex,  and  thick 
under-covert  of  brambles,  thorn,  heather,  fern,  with  great 
stretches  of  fine-looking  snipe  ground  in  the  open  spots. 
Saw  a  troop  of  camels,  but  nothing  in  the  way  of  birds, 
except  kestrel,  magpie,  skylark,  crested  lark,  fantail 
warbler,  and  common  heron.  Arrived  at  Pisa  at  11.9 
a.m.  and  went  straight  to  the  Natural  History  Museum, 
which  is  chiefly  rich  in  fossils  and  minerals ;  they  have 
a  good  great  auk  (Alca  impennis),  and  apparently  a  fair 
collection  of  local  birds,  but  they  are  not  kept  apart  from 
the  others,   and   some    are  without  labels,  others  placed  so 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  227 

high  as  not  to  be  distinguishable.  There  are  some  very 
well  stuffed  groups — viz.,  a  fine  wild  boar  with  a  lance- 
head  in  his  shoulder  and  two  dogs,  a  party  of  rose 
starlings  {Pastor  roseus)  and  golden  orioles  {Oriolus  galbula) 
on  a  cherry  tree,  and  penduline  titmice  {Sgithalus 
pendulinus)  with  nests.  I  then  went  to  bookseller's  to 
try  and  find  Salvadori's  Italian  Ornithology^  which  was  not 
to  be  had.  I  saw  the  first  number  of  Giglioli's  book  on 
Italian  Birds,  something  in  the  style  of  Bettoni.  I  bought 
a  good  copy  of  Aldrovardi's  Birds  for  7  francs  50  cents." 

Elba 

"  April  I  gth.  We  went  into  Porto  Longone,  at  the 
eastern  end  of  Elba,  but  it  looked  anything  but  aviferous, 
so  we  went  round  Capes  Fina  and  Calamita.  We,  how- 
ever, found  that  the  wind,  which  had  been  apparently 
dying  away  in  the  Piombino  channel,  was  coming  down 
hke  steam  off  the  high  hills,  and  though  parts  of  the 
coast  looked  very  good  for  pigeons,  boat  work  would 
have  been  unpleasant  to  say  the  least  of  it.  On  the  east 
side  the  island  is  well  cultivated,  and  full  of  iron  mines  ; 
the  outline  of  the  hills  is  very  picturesque  ;  on  the  south 
side  there  is  a  good  deal  of  cliff  and  some  fine  bays,  in 
one  of  which  we  anchored.  A  gentleman's  house  and 
some  scattered  cottages  are  placed  at  the  head  of  this 
bay,  with  a  sandy  beach  and  vines  ;  high  land  all  around. 
The  name  of  the  place  is  Acona  on  the  charts.  Some 
natives,  two  of  them  exceedingly  handsome  young  fellows. 


22  8  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

came  off-  to  us  in  a  boat,  and  said  that  there  was  nothing 
to  be  procured  here  except  wine  ;  no  fish,  no  vegetables. 
There  are,  they  say,  some  pigeons  about  the  rocks.  The 
wind   dropped   at   night." 

"  April  iQth.  We  went  away  in  the  cutter  after 
breakfast  and  cruised  along  the  rocks  to  the  westward  as 
far  as  the  eastern  point  of  the  bay  of  Canipo.  Saw  rock 
doves  {Columba  livia),  but  not  in  any  great  numbers  and 
very  wild.  I  got  two,  but  only  by  lying  up  and  sending 
boat  to  stir  them  up.  Ran  across  the  bay  of  Campo, 
where  we  took  boat  and  went  to  the  westward,  but  only 
saw  two  rock  doves,  of  which  we  got  one.  Beautiful 
distant  view  of  Corsica,  with  a  great  deal  of  snow  on  the 
high  tops  ;  Pianosa,  low  as  it  is,  distinctly  visible.  We 
came  back  and  explored  the  southern  point  and  eastern 
side  of  the  promontory  which  separates  the  bays  of  Acona 
and  Stella.  Saw  more  rock  doves,  but  they  were  very 
wild,  and  we  only  managed  to  bag  one  more.  The 
rocks  of  this  promontory  are  of  the  colours  red,  green, 
black  and  yellow.  We  came  round  and  took  up  our 
anchorage  of  last   night   in   the   bay  of  Acona." 

(Written  later.)  "  The  rocks  of  this  southern  side  ot 
Elba  present  to  the  unlearned  every  variety  of  colour, 
stratification,  and  apparently  geological  formatioiT  ;  in 
places  they  are  certainly  limestone,  in  others  red  and  some 
black   conglomerate,  with   here   and  there  blocks    of   black 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  229 

marble  with  white  veins,  whilst  there  are  patches  of 
bright  green  and  brilliant  yellow  sandstone  in  some  spots. 

"  The  absence  of  sea  birds  is  very  remarkable.  We 
only  saw  four  gulls  and  two  shags.  The  ravens  have 
a  nest  in  what  appears  to  be  a  tolerably  accessible 
spot  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  promontory  mentioned. 
When  I  shot  the  first  two  rock  doves,  several  of 
their  feathers  floating  in  the  air  were  caught  and  carried 
off  by    the    crag    martins    which   are    very   numerous. 

"  The  doctor  reports  two  pair  of  partridges  {CaccaUs 
rufa)y 

"  Birds  seen :  Neophron  pennopterus,  Fako  tinnunculus,  Falco 
(sp.  ?),  Corvus  corax,  Cottle  rupestris,  Monticola  cyaiiits,  Chelidon  urhica, 
Columba  livia,  Larus  kiicophaus,  Phalacrocorax  graculus." 

'■'■April  21st.  Another  lovely  day.  The  doctor  landed 
with  gun  and  Zulu  at  the  head  of  the  bay  on  east  side, 
and  T.  and  I  went  away  in  the  cutter  round  the  east 
side  of  our  promontory.  We  saw  few  pigeons  ;  they  were 
very  wild,  and  we  did  not  bag  one.  We  attempted  a 
siege  of  the  ravens'  nest,  but  the  cliff  was  so  friable  that 
it  was  a  service  of  danger,  and  we  had  to  abandon  it. 
The  yacht  came  round  to  us.  We  saw  a  common  tern 
(Sterna  fluviatilis).  Steered  off  to  the  eastward  ;  coast 
full  of  iron,  worked  in  many  places.  We  went  away  in 
cutter  again  to  the  south-east:  splendid  cliffs  full  of  caves, 
but  we  only  saw  two  pigeons  far  out  of  shot  ;  saw  a 
peregrine    falcon,    no    gulls,    no    shags,    no    seals.      Came 


230  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

round  and  anchored   in  Porto   Longone,  a  pretty  harbour, 
with  high  hills  and  a  good  deal  of  cultivation." 

Monte  Cristo  and  Giglio 

"April  iind.  Most  beautiful  cloudless  morning. 
Steered  for  Monte  Cristo  with  a  light  air  from  the 
north.  The  eastern  side  of  this  ishmd  is  a  sloping  mass 
of  grey  rock,  with  patches  of  green  scrub  here  and  there, 
and  one  or  two  watercourses.  W  steamed  slowly  along 
the  northern  side,  near  the  western  end  of  which  is  a 
cove  and  valley,  with  a  few  houses  and  an  old  ruined 
convent  on  a  peak  above  them  ;  a  good  deal  of  cultiva- 
tion, vineyards,  figs,  and  ilexes.  We  went  away  in  the 
cutter  and  explored  the  whole  of  the  western  side,  but 
did  not  see  a  single  rock  pigeon.  We  found  a  good 
many  herring  gulls,  apparently  breeding  on  a  bit  of  table 
land  at  the  top  of  the  cliffs,  two  or  three  shags,  and  two 
pairs  of  peregrines  which  evidently  had  nests  in  the  crags, 
which  are  very  high  and  full  of  most  suitable  ledges  and 
holes.  We  came  off  to  the  yacht  about  i  p.m.,  and 
steamed  slowly  along  the  south  side  ;  the  whole  island 
is  extremely  picturesque.  We  made  away  for  Giglio  from 
the  south-east  end. 

"  Giglio  on  the  west  side  is  high  and  rocky,  but  for 
the  greater  part  sloping  to  the  sea,  every  available  spot 
terraced  with  vineyards  and  dotted  with  white  cabins. 
An  ancient  village  lies  on  the  top  of  the  ridge  ;  the 
south-west    point    is    low,   with   a  lighthouse,   on   rounding 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  231 

which  we  went  away  in  the  cutter  and  explored  the 
whole  of  the  southern  side  of  the  island,  which  is  formed 
of  cliffs  of  moderate  height  with  small  caves  and 
crannies.  We  found  several  (not  a  great  many)  rock 
doves,  and  shot  four  of  them  and  a  green  sandpiper 
(Toianus  ochropus),  which  seemed  quite  out  of  his  locality 
amongst  these  rocks.  A  pair  of  peregrines  had  a  nest, 
which  we  could  see  in  a  hole  of  the  cliff,  not  far  from 
the  lighthouse.  Saw  a  pair  of  Alpine  swifts  (^Cypselus 
melba),  kestrels,  and  one  or  two  blue  rock-thrushes.  The 
falcons  seem  to  be  of  the  small  Mediterranean  race. 
We  steamed  across  and  anchored  off  Port  Ercole  on  the 
mainland.  We  also  saw  a  common  sandpiper  {^Totanus 
hypoleucus)  on  Giglio." 

Port  Ercole 

"■^  April  iT^rd.  We  caught  a  small  fish,  apparently  of 
the  Scomber  family,  but  with  three  anal  or  ventral  fins, 
the  first  sharply  armed,  a  short  prickly  dorsal  and  long 
caudal  fin  above  tail  very  forked,  and  a  row  of  prickles 
on  either  side  of  the  posterior  half  of  the  body.  Eye 
very  large,  snout  somewhat  long  in  proportion,  bony, 
colour  light  green  on  back  with  darker  mackerel-like 
markings,  under  parts  silvery  white.  Tail  fine,  yellow, 
about  seven  inches  in  total  length.  Can  find  nothing  to 
compare  with  this  specimen  in  Couch's  Fishes  of  Great 
Britain. 

"  Port  Ercole   is  a  small   bay  at   the   southern   foot   of 


2  32  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

Mount  Argentaro  ;  a  small  walled  town  and  fort  are 
situated  on  its  west  side,  a  conical  hill  with  fort  on 
the  other,  and  a  small  marina  at  the  north-east  end  of  the 
bay.  Peck  and  T.  went  ashore,  and  describe  a  pretty, 
well-cultivated,  English-looking  country,  with  good  road 
hedgerows  of  whitethorn,  brambles,  etc.,  and  a  profusion  of 
wild  flowers,  of  which  they  brought  off  a  good  many," 


LrlANNUTRI 

"  Jpril  24//?.  Very  fine  morning.  We  steamed  over 
to  Giannutri,  about  eleven  miles,  let  go  our  anchor  about 
9  a.m.  in  the  little  gulf  of  Palmatoja,  a  snug  harbour  in 
westerly,  northerly,  or  southerly  winds  ;  fifteen  fathoms 
close  to  the  shore.  The  island  consists  of  undulating 
limestone  hills,  for  the  most  part  overgrown  with  thick 
scrub.  On  the  eastern  side  the  sea  cliffs  are  low,  very 
much  water-fretted,  red,  grey,  and  black.  There  was 
such  a  very  heavy  swell  that  we  could  not  do  any  good 
with  the  boats  on  western  side.  T.,  Peck,  and  captain 
landed,  but  shot  nothing  and  saw  very  little  ;  were 
warned  off  by  lighthouse  people,  who  said  that  the 
northern  half  of  the  island  was  rented  and  preserved  for 
shooting  by  some  Livornese. 

"  A  fine  specimen  of  sub-alpine  warbler  (Sylvia 
subalpiua)  picked  up  on  deck  dead. 

"  The  fishermen  brought  off  a  greater  forkbeard 
{Pbycis    blennoides),     another     fish     which    I     take     to     be 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  233 

Pagellus  erythrinus,  some  small  murarite  [^Murtena  helena) 
and  a  curious  fish  of  apparently  the  Cottus  family. 
Later  on  they  brought  a  basket  full  of  small  fishes, 
amongst  which  the  most  conspicuous  were  some  brilliantly 
coloured  little  fishes,  which  I  take  to  be  the  rainbow 
wrass  {Coris  julus),  or  a  nearly  allied  species.  Many 
small  specimens  of  various  species  of  the  Labrus  family 
were  brought  to  us,  and  some  blennies  and  other 
fishes.  These  fishermen  spoke  a  Neapolitan  jargon,  which 
I  found  very  difficult  to  understand,  but  they  lied  freely 
on  many  subjects.  They  had  a  few  fragments  of  pink 
coral. 

"The  gulls  are  breeding;  the  men  brought  off  nine 
eggs  in  the  evening.  The  doctor  caught  two  small  lizards 
(^Zootoca  muralis,  I  think).  The  lighthouse  men  said  that 
there  are  no  rock  doves  on  the  island,  that  formerly  there 
were  many  wild  boars,  now  plenty  of  rabbits  and  many 
wild  cats,  and  that  red-legged  and  grey  partridges  come 
here  in  the  winter  !  !  that  there  are  two  pairs  of  ravens, 
and  that  the  lessee  has  turned  down  some  pheasants. 
There  is  no  fresh  water,  except  in  tanks,  on  the  island. 
The  men  set  a  trot,  and  caught  some  small  conger  ;  a  line 
was  carried  off  by  some  fish  from  the  vessel's  side." 

"  Birds  seen :  Falco  peregrinus,  of  which  T.  shot  a  fine  adult 
female  as  she  was  feeding  on  a  rock  on  north  side.  We  also  saw 
the  male  bird.  Upupa  epops,  Phamicuni  ruticilla,  Sylvia  meiano- 
cephahi,  Cypselus  melba,  C.  apus,  Cuculus  canorus,  Totanus  hypakucus, 
Larus  leucophceus,  Tiirtiir  communis,  Linota  cannabina,  and  other 
small  birds  not  distinguished." 


234  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

GiGLIO 

'^  April  25///.  Fine,  bright  morning,  but  a  heavy  south- 
westerly swell  prevented  our  going  round  to  the  west 
side  of  the  island  to  see  the  caves  and  grottoes.  The 
men  got  some  more  gulls'  eggs,  and  caught  some  of  the 
fishes  before  mentioned  in  the  trammel.  The  captain  and 
the  doctor  landed  and  walked  about  the  southern  end  of 
the  island,  but  shot  nothing,  and  only  reported  a  solitary 
quail.  T.  and  I  loafed  about  the  bay  in  the  cutter  ; 
saw  a  beautiful  female  peregrine.  Went  aboard  again  to 
luncheon,  got  up  steam,  and  ran  over  to  the  little  port 
of  Giglio,  a  nook  under  high  hills,  where  we  fondly 
dreamed  that,  with  this  westerly  swell,  we  might  lie 
snugly  ;  but  the  swell  came  in  from  the  south-east,  and 
we  had  a  very  roily  evening  and  night.  Smart  voung 
port  officer  reports  no  birds  of  any  kind  except  on  passage, 
but  the  boys  in  boats  say  that  there  are  many  rock  doves 
in  the  cliffs  close  by,  and  probably  know  more  than  the 
official." 

San  St  e  fa  no 

"  April  26th.  Ran  across  to  San  Stefano,  where  we 
found  an  excellent  harbour  on  the  north  side  of  Mount 
Argentario.  There  is  very  little  said  about  this  place  in 
the  Sailing  Directions,  but  we  could  not  have  a  better  place 
with  southerly  winds.  The  town  lies  on  a  little  bay  on 
a  slope  of  the  mountain,  with  a  good  deal  of  cultivation 
about    it,     and     iron     mines    and     foundries    not    far    off". 


Gki£i:nl.\nd  Falcon. 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  235 

There  is  a  tunny  fishery  just  in  front  of  the  town  ;  we 
saw  them  haul  their  net  once  with  no  result,  but  in  a 
subsequent  haul  they  took  three  large  tunnies  {Scomber 
tliynnus)  and  a  sword  fish  (^Xip/iias).  In  the  afternoon 
we  went  off  in  steam  launch  with  a  view  of  trying  to 
get  into  Lake  Orbitello,  but  the  entrance  is  barred  with 
mullet  traps  ;  so  we  coasted  for  a  little  way  along  the 
sandy  strip  which  separates  the  lake  from  the  bay,  and 
then  away  as  far  as  the  heavy  sea  would  let  us  towards 
the  west  under  high  cliffs." 

^^  April  27//;.  Bright  morning,  but  the  glass  very  low 
and  stormy,  squally  wind  from  south-west,  with  a  very 
heavy  sea  running  outside.  Many  shearwaters  of  both 
species  scudding  about  the  bay.  T.  shot  three  of  the 
larger  sort  from  on  deck." 

Straits  of  Bonifacio.  Maddalena 
"  A/flj  1st.  We  crept  round  Razzoli  with  its  light- 
house, past  Santa  Maria,  Budella,  Spargio,  Spargiotto,  into 
Maddalena  roads  off  the  town,  and  anchored  about 
I  p.m.  These  islands  are  very  rocky  and  barren-looking, 
but  the  Sardinian  coast  is  green  and  wild.  We  saw 
Garibaldi's  house  on  Caprera.  The  strong  east  wind 
prevented  any  sort  of  pleasure.  I  went  to  the  town,  which 
seems  clean  and  well-built.  I  find  that  the  people  decline 
to  be  considered  as  Sardes,  but  call  themselves  '  islanders,' 
and  say  that  they  are  all  of  Genoese  or  Corsican 
extraction. 


236  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

"  A  few  swallows  [Hirundo  rustica)  came  on  board. 
Peck  reported  a  quail  flying  past  the  vessel.  A  harrier 
(^Circus  cineraceus,  I  think)  was  nearly  blown  foul  of  us 
off  Razzoli.  Saw  no  other  birds  except  kestrel,  one  shag, 
gulls,  shearwaters,  and  two  terns.  One  old  native  seems 
to  recognise  my  description  of  Audouin's  gull." 

Maddalena 

'■'■May  2nd.  Received  a  note  from  the  man  who  keeps 
the  cafe,  and  with  whom  I  had  a  talk  yesterday,  that  he 
had  found  an  individual  who  knew  the  places  for  various- 
birds  and  the  soundings,  so  we  fetched  off  this  Trojan, 
an  old  shipwright,  and  went  away  in  steam  launch  to 
some  small  rocky  islands  in  the  channel  which  divides- 
Maddalena  from  Caprera,  in  front  and  rather  to  the 
north-west  of  Garibaldi's  house.  We  did  not  do  much» 
but  the  day  came  out  fine  and  hot,  and  it  was  very 
enjoyable.  We  held  away  round  the  south-west  end  of 
Caprera  to  a  small  island  which  they  call  Porco,  but  found 
next  to  nothing.  Came  back  through  the  channel  between 
San  Stefano  and  the  mainland  of  Sardinia  ;  called  at 
Parao,  Sapari,  and  elsewhere.  Heaps  of  charcoal  and  a 
fine   spring  of  water." 

"  Birds  seen  and  heard :  Falco  peregrinus,  Nisaetus  boncUi, 
Pandion  haiiaetiis,  Cori'iis  corax,  Merops  apiaster,  Sylvia  mehino- 
cephala,  Troglodytes  parvulus,  Columha  livia,  Caccalns  petrosa,  Larus' 
kucophaus,  Phalacrocorax  graculus,  Sterna  fluviatilis.  Our  old  Trojan 
seemed  to  know  Audouin's  gull  by  my  description,  and  called  it 
'  Cirulia." " 


MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES  237 

"  Maddalena,  Caprera,  and  the  little  islands  which  lie 
between  and  about  them,  seem  to  be  entirely  composed  of 
granite,  and  to  produce  very  little  natural  vegetation  except 
macchia,  i.e.  low  scrub.  I  think  that  the  islands  visited  by 
us  had  been  harried  before,  as  we  only  found  two  nests  of 
herring  gull  with  hard-sat  eggs,  and  on  Porco  all  the  shear- 
water's nests  were  empty.  We  found  a  {e.w  rock  pigeons 
and  two  of  their  nests  without  eggs.  On  coming  on 
board  we  found  that  Goodridge,  the  first  mate,  had  killed 
a  fine  Audouin's  gull  from  the  yacht's  deck  with  a  rifle 
ball  at  three  hundred  yards  on  the  wing  !  !  and  that  this 
is  the  '  ciruHa  '  of  our  Trojan,  who  is  a  very  decent  old 
fellow  and  seems  to  tell  the  truth.  The  shag  is  abundant, 
and  we  shot  several  without  any  sign  of  a  crest,  and  saw 
two  white-bellied  young  birds  which  almost  looked  like 
products  of  this  year.  The  osprey  seems  to  be  common, 
gulls  not  very  abundant,  and  terns  very  few.  Our  Trojan 
said  that  Porco  and  some  of  the  other  small  islands  are 
so  infested  with  enormous  rats,  which  he  calls  '  pontici,' 
that  it  is  unsafe  to  sleep  there  !  !  !  I  am  told  that  all  the 
forests  in  the  north  of  Sardinia  have  been,  or  are  being, 
destroyed  for  charcoal,  and  that  from  that  cause  and  the 
number  of  professional  pot-hunters,  who  come  from  Italy, 
game  both  small  and  large  is  becoming  very  scarce." 

"  May  T^rd.  I  was  called  on  deck  by  news  of  a  '  red- 
billed  gull'  just  before  breakfast,  and  found  a  fine  Audouin 
hovering   under    our    stern,   but   having    large   shot  in    the 


238  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

small  gun  and  the  bird  being  near  I  managed  to  miss, 
or  at  all  events,  not  to  bag  him.  Some  Neapolitan 
fishermen  came  alongside,  with  an  enormous  skate, 
a  nurse  hound  {Squalus  canicula),  a  large  fish  of  the 
shark  family,  which  I  cannot  make  out,  and  some  fine 
lobsters.  We  found  a  falcon's  nest,  with  young,  in  a  hole 
of  the  clifT  near  the  south-west  point  of  Maddalena,  and 
saw  one  old  and  the  young  birds,  but  had  not  the  means 
for  a  siege.  Several  rock  doves,  of  which  T.  shot  one, 
and  as  we  lay  off  the  rocks  an  Audouin's  gull  hovered  over 
us  and  fell  to  T.'s  gun.  We  saw  another  of  these  at  a 
distance,  an  osprey  devouring  a  fish  on  a  big  boulder  stone, 
a  Bonelli's  eagle  high  in  air,  and  a  blue  rock-thrush.  After 
we  came  aboard  another  Audouin  fell  to  T.'s  gun  over  the 
stern.  All  these  three  specimens,  although  apparently  in 
fully  adult  plumage,  are  somewhat  smaller  than  those  from 
Toro  and  Alboran,  and  the  legs  and  feet  are  of  a  dusky 
olive  green  instead  of  dark  lead  colour,  as  in  the  former 
specimens.  They  are  by  no  means  abundant,  but  seem  to 
be  much  less  wary  here  than    the  herring  gull. 

"  We  went  away  to  the  falcon's  nest  mentioned  before, 
and  then  cruised  ofT  round  a  point  on  the  mainland  into 
the  bay  of  Trana  and  back  again,  lunched  in  a  little  cove 
on  eastern  side  of  this  point,  where  the  telegraphic  cable 
lands  from  Maddalena  ;  went  away  to  a  sandy  beach  at 
the  head  of  Agincourt  road,  shoved  the  dinghy  over  the 
beach  into  a  small  river  and  proceeded  as  far  as  we  could 
get  up  it,  but  were   soon   stopped   by  shallow  water.     This 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  239 

spot  is  known  as  Mezzo  Sciffo.  The  banks  of  the  stream 
are  fringed  with  spike  rushes,  tamarisks,  flags,  reeds,  and 
green  scrub,  and  altogether  it  looks  likely  for  wild-fowl, 
snipes,  a  woodcock  or  two,  and  perhaps  a  pig  ;  but  it  is 
crossed  at  a  short  distance  from  the  sea  by  a  bridge  and 
carriageable  road  to  Tempio." 

"  May  ^th.  The  falcon's  nest  was  easily  got  at 
by  our  trusty  climber  going  hand  over  hand  up  a  rope 
lowered  from  above.  It  contained  two  fine  young  birds, 
male  and  female,  which  we  took  and  sent  on  board. 
Found  very  few  rock  doves,  and  only  shot  two  saw  two 
Audouins  in  the  bay  of  Trana,  but  could  not  bag  them. 
At  Mezzo  Sciffo  T.  shot  a  purple  heron,  which  looks 
like  a  bird  of  last  year." 

"The  birds  new  to  our  Maddalena  list  were:  Circus  mruginosus 
Emberiza  miliaria,  Turdus  merula,  Linota  cannabina,  Anas  boscas, 
Ardea  purpurea,  and  Gallinula  Moropus." 

"  May  ^t/i.  Saw  several  Alpine  swifts  hawking  over 
the  town.  One  Audouin's  gull  seen  off  San  Stefano, 
from  which  island  the  goatherds  brought  off  a  nest  of 
blue  rock-thrush  with  five  eggs  in  the  evening. 

"  The  young   falcons   feed   themselves   ravenously " 

"  A/ay  6(h.  After  luncheon,  Peck,  the  captain,  and  I 
went  away  in  steam  launch  with  the  old  Trojan  to  the 
coast  of  Caprera,  where  the  latter  tried  for  conger,  seeming 
to  know  every   hole    amongst    the    stones.      He    threw   in 


240  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

some  very  fragrant  little  fishes  as  ground-bait,  and  let 
down  a  strong  line  and  hook  baited  with  a  small  sea 
perch.       It    was    very    amusing    but    not    successful. 

"  The  San  Stefano  shepherds  brought  off  two  very 
young  rock  doves.  Tracey  shot  another  very  fine 
Audouin  from  on  deck.  Saw  Sterna  cantiaca,  Buteo 
vulgaris,   Fringilla   carduelis,   and   heard   Emberiza  cirlus." 

"  Birds,   new  to  list,  shot  on  San  Stefano :    Melizophilus  undatus, 
M.  sarJus,  Muscicapa  lucfuosa.     T.  shot  another  Audouin  from  deck." 

'•'•May  %th.  Tracey  shot  another  beautiful  Audouin,  ?, 
from   deck." 

'■'•May  nth.  Very  fine  and  warm;  light  air  from 
north-east.  We  went  away  with  steam  launch  for  the 
Barretini  islands,  exploring  several  small  islets  on  our 
way,   without  great   result. 

"  Boys  brought  me  a  nest  with  four  young  blue 
rock-thrushes.  We  found  a  good  many  rock  doves, 
and  took  eight  of  their  eggs  from  a  small  islet  off 
the  west  side  ot  Maddalena,  where  common  swifts 
were  also  breeding,  but  the  only  nest  of  this  last 
species  found  was  empty.  On  another  islet  we  found 
several  gulls'  nests,  with  young,  and  eggs  ready  to  hatch. 
Peck  brought  off  an  egg,  remarbably  small  for  L. 
leucop/ueus,  but,  as  we  did  not  see  a  single  Audouin  all 
day,  I  feel  very  doubtful  about  it.  On  the  nearest 
Barretini  island,  which  is  high,  were  a  great  many 
herring   gulls,    some    rock    doves,    and    a    raven,    but     the 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  241 

gulls'  nests  have  been  harried,  and,  as  a  party  of  Neapolitan 
fishermen  were  at  the  same  game  on  the  outer  island, 
I  did  not  think  it  worth  while  going  to  it.  Almost  every 
islet  has  its  pair,  or  more,  of  blue  rock-thrushes." 

'■'■May  i2th.  T.  shot  an  Audouin  off  the  coast  of 
Caprera.  We  saw  two  or  three  more  of  these  birds  off 
the  coast  of  Sardinia,  but  from  their  manners,  and  the 
eggs  in  the  ovaries  being  very  small,  I  fancy  that  they 
have  not  begun  to  lay  yet.  T.  shot  a  fine  raven  on 
the  island  Capucini.  We  saw  two  or  three  ospreys, 
but  nothing  new  to  our  list,  except  grey  crow  {Corvus 
comix),  shot  at  head  of  the  bay  of  Arraguena ;  saw 
many  common  terns.  Explored  one  or  two  nests  of 
bee-eater,*  without  result.  Peck  caught  a  small  snake, 
I  believe  C.  viridoflavus.  On  Porco  we  found  the  nests 
of  shearwater,  empty  ;   some  evidently  destroyed  by  rats." 

Spargi   and    Spargiotto 

"■"^  May  ij/Zz.  Explored  Spargi  and  Spargiotto.  The 
eastern  side  of  Spargi  slopes  to  the  sea,  and  ends  on 
low,  broken  cliff  and  boulder  stones,  with  here  and 
there  patches  of  white  sandy  beach.  We  found  some 
ten   or    twelve   pairs   of   Audouin's  gulls   on  one   of   these 

*  The  Bee-eater  {AL-rops  apiaster).  This  brilliantly  plumaged  bird 
is  familiar  to  those  acquainted  with  the  countries  of  the  Mediterranean, 
as  it  flies  about  the  gardens  and  fields  hawking  for  flies,  after  the 
fashion  of  the  swallow.  It  nests  colonially,  excavating  burrows  like 
those  of  the  Sand  Martin  {Cotik  riparia). 

16 


242  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

spots,   and   T.   shot  three   of   them,   and    might    have   shot 
more,  hut  I   do  not  wish   to  exterminate  them  ;    on   being 
disturbed    they   flew  a  short   distance,   and    settled    on   the 
water    in    a    body-     I    heard   for  the   first   time   here   their 
cry,     which     is    something    like     the     anger     note     ot     L. 
leucoph^us,   but    not   so    hoarse,  and   more   plaintive.     Our 
old    Trojan    and    others    landed    and    searched    for    eggs» 
but,  although   they   found   a   few    nests,   one    broken    egg- 
shell    was     the     only     result.      We     cruised     round    the 
northern    and    western     sides    of    Spargi,    which    are    for 
the    most  part   high   and   rocky  ;    saw   a  good  many  rock 
doves,  of  which  T.  shot  one.     We  went  ofF  to  Spargiotto, 
a    small    island    about     a     mile     to    the    west    of    Spargi, 
consisting    of  immense    blocks    of   granite    in    the    wildest 
confusion  ;     here    were    many    rock    doves    and    common 
buzzards    and    a    pair   of   ravens,    but    we    could   not    bag 
anything  ;  returned  to  western  side  of  Spargi.     Discovered 
a    falcon's    nest   in   an   apparently   almost    inaccessible    hole 
in    high    cliff;    had   an    inefl^ectual   chase   after  two   young 
shags,  which   could   not    fly  ;    went    back   round    northern 
end   of   Spargi  ;    lunched    in    a  cove   where   there   is   some 
fresh  water  ;  saw  a  raven  pursued  by  two  kestrels,  and  two 
or  three  ospreys,  one  of  which  carried  a  fish.     We  found 
the    Audouins   at    the   same   spot,   and   T.   shot   one   more. 
A  further  search  only  resulted  in  a  few  broken  fragments 
of   egg-shells ;    the   nests   are    evidently   plundered   as   fast 
as    the    eggs   are   laid,  either  by    rats,   ravens,   or   pigs,   of 
which  there   is   a  herd   on   the  island." 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  243 

Maddalena 

"  May  I  ^ih.  T.,  Peck,  and  captain  went  off  to 
Spargi  for  Audouin's  eggs,  but  only  found  a  few  broken 
egg-shells,  the  ravens  having  been  beforehand  with  them. 
We  went  after  luncheon  to  the  islands  between  Madda- 
lena and  Caprera  ;  saw  nothing  except  an  osprey  carrying 
large  fish.  The  old  Trojan  shot  another  specimen  of 
Sardinian  warbler  ;  some  Neapolitans  brought  a  fine 
specimen  of  dusky  perch  (Serrafius  gigas)  weighing 
22  lbs.  from  Tavolara.  Boy  brought  Passer  salickolus 
alive.  Trojan  and  captain  brought  two  nests  with  eggs 
and  several  birds — Melizophilus  sardus*  also  woodlark 
{Alauda  arborea) — new  to  list." 

"  May  iGth.  Saw  several  vultures  {V.  monachus  and 
G.  fulvus).  The  captain  and  the  old  Trojan  went 
round  the  western  end  of  San  Stefano  to  inspect  the 
bones  of  a  whale  which  was  cast  ashore  on  the  northern 
side  of  Maddalena  and  towed  to  this  spot.  Secured  and 
brought  off  the  two  jaw-bones." 

"  May  1 7//;.  The  captain  went  off  before  daylight 
to  the  haunts  of  Audouin  on  Spargi,  but  found  nothing 
but  broken  egg-shells.  The  whale  must  have  been  a 
monster ;  nothing  now  left  but  bone.  Trojan  shot  several 
Melizophilus    sardus    and    caught  a  young   one    alive,  well 

*  La  Marmora's  Warbler.     See  p.  253. 


244  MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES 

feathered.        Fishermen     brought    two    bass,     1 1   lbs.    and 
6i  lbs." 

West  Coast  of  Corsica.     Sagona 

'■'■May  \%th.  We  rounded  Maddalena,  found  heavy- 
sea  and  fresh  breeze  ;  held  away  through  the  straits, 
passed  close  to  Bonifacio  and  crept  along  the  western  side 
of  Corsica  into  a  calm.  Ran  into  the  bay  of  Sagona  and 
anchored  in  a  sheltered  nook  at  the  head  on  north-east 
corner  thereof  in  about  eight  fathoms.  This  coast  of 
Corsica  did  not  please  my  eye  so  much  as  the  other, 
but  it  is  full  of  bays,  and  clouds  hid  the  mountain  tops. 

"  Saw  a  flock  of  white  birds  flying  along  the  coast, 
which  I  believe  to  be  Ardea  garzetta." 

'■'■May  \()th.  A  tired  turtle-dove  flew  round  us 
several  times  and  tried  to  alight  on  our  rigging." 


Ni 


CE 


"  Ma'y  22nd.  Louis  Galle  had  many  night  herons 
{Nycticorax  griseus),  purple  heron  {Ardea  purpurea),  one 
little  bittern  {Ardetta  minuta),  one  red-footed  falcon  {Falco 
vespertinus),  several  lesser  grey  shrike  (Lanius  minor), 
whiskered  tern  {Hydrochelidon  fissipes),  lately  killed  near 
Nice.  He  told  me  that  last  spring  he  had  obtained 
a  good  specimen  of  the  Caspian  tern  {Sterna  caspia) 
here  ;  he  had  various  reptiles,  of  which  I  bought  a 
beautiful   specimen   alive    of  Coronella  girundica.      He   had 


MEDITERRANEAN    NOTES  245 

also  Calopeltis  lacertina,  Lacerta  ocellata,  and  L.  viridis. 
I  found  that  our  turtle  eats  fish  readily,  which  reminds 
me  that  Galle  had  a  pure  white  turtle-dove  {Turtur 
communis),  a  variety  which  I  do  not  recollect  to  have 
before  met  with." 

***** 

Lord  Lilford  maintained  to  the  last  a  devoted 
attachment  to  that  land  of  his  old  delight,  Spain,  whose 
tongue  he  spoke  like  a  pure-bred  Castilian.  You  could 
touch  him  to  enthusiasm  in  a  moment  by  any  reference  to 
experience  in  his  magic  region  of  Andalucia.  The  editor's 
father  had  early  '  entered '  his  sons  to  Don  Quixote,  who 
was  to  him  less  a  hero  of  the  imagination  than  a  living 
personality.  So  it  chanced  that  years  ago  in  Andalucia 
we  had  set  ourselves  to  find  a  helmet  as  near  as 
possible  the  counterpart  of  that  the  Don  wore.  It 
meant  a  long  search,- because,  although  miniature  basins 
of  the  same  form  still  hang  as  signs  outside  the  barbers' 
shops,  the  full-sized  old  brass  basins  have  long  given 
place  to  copies  in  crockery.  At  last  in  a  rubbish  shop 
in  the  purlieus  of  Granada  the  veritable  thing  was  found — 
one  of  old  red  brass  that  took  a  polish  like  gold,  and 
was  all  dinted  over  as  though  from  the  many  encounters 
of  the  poor  mad  knight. 

It  was  a  great  delight  to  be  able  to  send_  this  to 
one  who,  on  his  travels,  had  been  wont  to  keep  a  copy 
of  the  great  book  in  his  pocket,  and  knew  it  by  heart, 
so  to  say,  in   the  original  text. 

t 


246  MEDITERRANEAN   NOTES 

''June  %th,   1895. 

"  I  delayed  a  reply  to  yours  of  5th  till  the  Jelmo 
de  Mambrino  should  appear,  and  now  I  fear  that  you  are 
off  to  Sweden. 

"  The  celebrated  head-piece  arrived  this  morning  sin 
novedad,  and  I  am  sincerely  obliged  for  this  recuerdo  de 
Espana,  Cervantes,  our  Don,  and  many  happy  associations 
of  days  gone  by." 


CHAPTER   VII 

Tributes    to    Knowledge,    Kindness,   and 
Sympathies 

His  own  written  words  perhaps  bring  out  more  faithfully 
than  any  outside  tribute  could,  what  manner  of  man  this 
naturalist  was. 

And  yet  there  are  claims,  the  claim  of  long  acquaint- 
ance really  to  know,  of  distinguished  attainment  fairly  to 
judge,  which  cannot  be  disobeyed,  but  rather  gratefully 
allowed.  And  more  :  happy  as  Lord  Lilford  would 
have  been  that  what  he  wrote  on  birds  should  be 
put  within  the  reach  of  any  who  shared  his  love  for 
that  study,  a  greater  happiness  would  have  been  for 
him  in  this,  namely,  the  appreciation  of  his  lifelong 
work  by  men  whose  opinion  he  especially  respected, 
as  of  himself  by  men  whom  the  years  had  made 
him  love. 

The  following  letters  were  written  to  the  Hon.  Mrs. 
Drewitt,  sister  to  Lord  Lilford,  shortly  after  his 
death. 


248  TRIBUTES  TO   KNOWLEDGE, 

From  the  Rev.  H.  B.  Tristram,  LL.D.,  D.D., 
F.R.S.,   Canon  of  Durham. 

Author    of    T/ie    Fauna    and   Flora    of  Paleslhie,    and    many    other 
works. 

"  It  is  not  an  easy  task  to  write  my  impressions  of 
the  character  of  your  dear  brother,  because  an  outsider 
might  set  down  much  that  I  would  wish  to  say  of  him 
as  the  result  of  personal  friendship,  and,  therefore, 
exaggerated.  But  he  was  one  whose  amiability  and 
goodness  of  character  it  would  be  impossible  to  exaggerate 
in   the  various  aspects  under  which   I   knew  him. 

"  Our  acquaintance  began  soon  after  his  return  from 
Tunis  in  1858,  and  it  very  soon  ripened  into  intimacy; 
for  we  had,  as  I  soon  found,  far  more  subjects  of 
common  interest  than  merely  our  cognate  tastes  in  natural 
history.  In  society,  as  a  young  man,  I  should  say  his 
marked  characteristic  was  placid  cheerfulness,  and  this,  as 
you  well  know,  was  a  marked  feature  to  the  last,  and 
sustained  him  during  years  of  constant  suffering,  such 
as  it  pleases  God  to  visit  very  few  men  with.  I 
remember  a  mutual  friend,  who  was  not  a  Christian  in 
any  real  sense,  remarking  to  me :  '  What  a  wonderful 
religious  faith  Lilford  must  have,  to  be  so  cheerful 
under  his  sufferings  !  I  am  sure  I  could  not  stand  them 
without    feeling  resentment  against  Providence.' 

"  His  faith  was  childlike,  and  his  whole  demeanour 
proved  it.  He  was  so  pure  and  reverent  in  thought 
and    word.       No    one     in    his     presence    ever    dared    an 


KINDNESS,   AND   SYMPATHIES  249 

irreverent  or  profane  jest  or  innuendo,  and  this  not 
because  he  would  have  lectured  or  even  rebuked  him. 
It  was  simply  the  reverent  purity  of  his  presence,  if  I 
may    so    speak. 

"Then,  in  his  intercourse  with  the  humblest  of  his 
social  inferiors,  he  was  unaffected  and  simple,  without 
being  patronising,  and  won  not  only  their  respect,  but 
their  aiFection.  I  remember  his  noticing  a  sickly- 
looking  young  woman,  who  used  to  work  in  Porter's 
bookbinding  shop,  and  being  told  that  it  was  a  case  of 
incipient  consumption,  unasked,  he  paid  for  her  voyage 
to  Australia,  which,  I  believe,  restored  her  to  health. 
This  is  only  one  instance  of  many  ;  yet,  with  an  utter 
absence  of  hauteur,  no  one  could  ever  take  a  liberty 
with  him. 

"As  a  naturalist,  he  was  a  typical  field  naturalist. 
His  powers  of  observation  were  great.  Nothing  ever 
escaped  him,  however  minute,  in  the  habits  and  ways  of 
animals,  especially  of  birds,  and  he  could  describe  them. 
He  exemplified  his  favourite  saying,  that,  in  spite  of  all 
that  has  been  written,  accurate  personal  observation  will 
always  be  of  infinite  value. 

"  He  modestly  deprecated  the  idea  of  his  being  a 
scientific  naturalist,  but  he  was  really  far  more  so  than 
he  would  allow,  though  his  love  for  nature  was  far  too 
fresh  to  allow  him  to  enter  into  the  wrangles  about 
nomenclature  and  such  dry-as-dust  topics,  by  which 
many    try  to    bring    themselves    into    notice.     But    for    all 


2  50  TRIBUTES   TO    KNOWLEDGE, 

that,  no  man  had  a  clearer  or  more  satisfactory  grasp 
of  the  principles  of  classification,  though  he  never 
wrote  on  structural  anatomy.  He  would  say  that  writing 
a  full  account  of  the  human  skeleton  was  not  writing  a 
history  of  man.  That  is,  the  history  of  the  living  man, 
his  habits,  ideas,  mode  of  life,  art,  and  family  relations  ; 
and  so  it  should  be  with  the  history  of  lower  creatures. 
I  can  only  add  that  my  friendship  with  him  was  one 
of  the    happiest    episodes    of  a    happy    life." 

From   Albert  Gunther,   M.A.,   F.R.S.,  -M.D.,  Ph.D., 
President  of  the  Linnean  Society. 

Late  Keeper  of  the  Zoological  Department,   British   Museum   of  Natural 

History. 

"  From  the  first  day  of  our  acquaintance  Lord  Lilford 
exercised  upon  me  the  same  power  of  attraction  which 
has  been  felt  by  all  who  had  the  good  fortune  of  coming 
into  contact  with  him.  His  handsome,  open,  and  intel- 
lectual face,  animated  by  cheerful  conversation,  gave  you 
the  impression  of  a  thoroughly  sincere  character,  with 
whom  one  could  be  at  ease  from  the  first  moment,  and 
to  whom  one  could  open  one's  thoughts  without  reserve. 
Devotion  to  sport  and  love  for  nature  were  common  to 
both  of  us.  As  to  the  former,  and  as  to  all  matters 
referring  to  birds,  he  was  my  master,  and  he  found  in 
me  a  ready  pupil  ;  in  other  zoological  subjects  I  was  able 
to  give  him  some  assistance  in  return.  From  his  travels 
in  the  South   of  Europe  he  brought  back  with  him  a  keen 


KINDNESS,    AND   SYMPATHIES  251 

interest  in  every  kind  of  European  mammal  and  reptile. 
As  to  fishes,  he  restricted  his  interest  to  those  found  in 
his  own  river. 

"  Within  the  first  hour  of  my  first  visit  to  Lilford 
(how  well  do  I  recollect  that  glorious  day  in  July !)  we 
were  exploring  the  uppermost  accessible  parts  of  the 
house  in  search  of  bats  ;  and  the  early  morning  of  the 
next  day  (about  2  a.m.)  found  us  on  the  river  trying  for 
bream,  which  never  would  bite,  giving  us  ample  leisure 
for  discussion  of  their  curious  habits.  In  conversation, 
whilst  he  was  apparently  searching  for  instruction,  he 
imparted  from  his  rich  store  of  knowledge  most  valuable 
information,  inasmuch  as  he  never  made  any  statement 
which  was  not  based  upon,  or  confirmed  by,  his  own 
observation.  I  never  knew  a  more  accurate  or  more 
reliable  observer  ;  and  as  he  devoted  almost  the  whole  of 
his  life  to  the  study  of  nature,  he  knew  some  parts  of  it 
to  perfection.  He  often  would  say  that  he  was  not  a 
scientific  naturalist.  This  was  true  in  that  sense,  that 
he  cared  comparatively  little  about  branches  beyond  his 
own  special  field  of  study,  that  he  never  made  himself 
acquainted  with  the  internal  structure  of  animals,  their 
classification,  or  with  technicalities  of  zoology.  But  if 
the  accurate  and  systematic  observation  of  the  habits  of 
animals,  if  searching  for  the  facts  in  nature  without 
entering  the  mazy  ways  of  hypothesis  or  imagination, 
may  be  called  science,  he  could  claim  the  title  of  scientific 
Jiaturalist    with    any    other    in    the   land.     Often,   when   he 


252  TRIBUTES   TO    KNOWLEDGE, 

was  engaged  in  the  examination  of  specimens,  I  had  the 
opportunity  of  admiring  his  power  of  discrimination,  as 
well  as  his  judgment  in  appreciating  real  or  so-called 
specific  characters.  His  long  experience  and  intimate 
acquaintance  with  living  animals  gave  him  immense 
advantages  in  forming  a  sound  opinion  on  doubtful 
questions,  or  in  the  identification  ot  museum  specimens. 
His  caution  in  delivering  an  opinion  on  subjects  not 
studied  by  himself  was  remarkable,  and  may  be  an  example 
to  many  a  '  scientific  ornithologist.'  Thus  also  in  his 
writings  he  invariably  distinguishes  his  own  observations 
from  information  received  by  him  from  other  sources. 

"  His  amiable  nature  made  him  friends  in  every  grade 
of  society  ;  and  he  seemed  to  be  particularly  attached  to 
those  who  were  in  sympathy  with  his  love  of  nature. 
In  my  own  recollection  I  never  saw  him  so  happy  as 
when  he  started  in  the  morning  for  the  day's  shooting, 
in  company  with  his  old  friends,  or  when,  in  the  evening, 
he  could  smoke  with  them  his  after-dinner  pipe  and  'talk 
shop.'  A  fluent  conversationalist,  never  at  a  loss  for  the 
most  appropriate  expression,  it  was  a  pleasure  to  listen 
to  him,  especially  as  he  blended  his  conversation  with 
touches  of  exquisite  humour.  As  he  talked,  so  he  wrote. 
He  was  the  most  punctual  correspondent  ;  to  every  letter 
addressed  to  him,  even  to  such  as  required  no  reply,  the 
next  post  brought  one  in  response.  To  those  whom  he 
reckoned  among  his  friends,  he  gave  his  love  unstintedly  ; 
he   wanted   to   know   all   about   their  life,  and  shared  their 


KINDNESS,    AND    SYMPATHIES  253 

joys    as    well     as     their    sorrows.     Nothing    touched    him 
more   unpleasantly  than  any  disagreement   between   them. 

"  He  is  gone  now  ;  but  whoever  had  the  happiness 
of  knowing  him  intimately,  will  retain  in  his  heart  a 
corner  for  his  loving  memory  ;  and  when  the  present 
generation  has  passed  away,  the  monuments  which  he  has 
built  for  himself,  by  his  works,  will  last  for  ever." 

From  Henry  Dresser,  F.Z.S.,  F.L.S.,  etc. 

Author  of  The  Bh'ds  of  Europe. 

"  I  have  looked  over  your  late  brother's  published 
notes  on  European  (chiefly  Mediterranean)  Ornithology, 
and  though  there  are  very  many  most  interesting  notes, 
there  is  nothing  of  great  novelty  recorded.  His  best 
find  was,  I  think,  that  of  Larus  audouini  which  he  found 
breeding  on  Vacca  {^Ibis,  1875,  p.  31),  and  he  also 
recorded  it  from  Corfu  {^Ibis,  i860,  p.  356).  He  also 
found  Marmora's  warbler  {Melezophilus  sardus)  nesting  on 
Spargi  {Ibis,  1887,  p.  282),  which  is  worthy  of  noticing, 
as  these  are  the  only  authentic  eggs  I  know.  Also  he 
first  recorded  Sylvia  melanothorax  from  Cyprus,  and 
procured  a  new  titmouse  {Tarus  Cypriotes)  there,  through 
his  collectors,  and  I  described  and  exhibited  this  bird  for- 
him,  as  he  could  not  come  to  town  to  do  so.  Also  he 
was  the  only  person  who  has  obtained  Numenius  hudsonicus 
(an  American  whimbrel)  in  Spain  {Ibis.,   1873,  P-   98)- 

"  You  will,  I  fear,  find  no  record  respecting  the  many 
kind  actions   your  late  brother    so   often    did,    as    he    was 


254  TRIBUTES   TO    KNOWLEDGE, 

one   who    carefully    avoided    all    allusion    to    any    good    he 
did,    and    I    believe    destroyed    all    letters    on    the   subject, 
but    those  who     knew   him   well   were    cognisant  of    very 
many    kindly    and    generous    actions.     I    need    onlv    name 
one    that     concerned    myself.       When     I     undertook    the 
publication  of  the  Birds  of  Europe,  I  was  rather  troubled 
about    ways    and    means,    for    had    it     proved    a    failure, 
it    would    have    entailed    a    heavy    loss    on    me.      I    talked 
matters    over    with    him,    and    he    encouraged    me    to    go 
on,    assuring    me    that    my    friends    would    stand    by    me. 
Later  on  he   made   me  a  formal   offer  to  lend  me  money, 
should  I   need  it,  adding  that  if  it  were  lost  I  should  not 
be   called   on   to   refund   it,   and   that   it   was    not    to   bear 
any  interest  in  any  case.     I   promised  that,  should   I  ever 
need   it,  I  would  avail  myself  of  his  offer,  but  determined 
not  to   do   so   unless   hard   pressed,   and   I   am   thankful  to 
say   that   I    managed  without  having  to   come  to   him    for 
assistance  ;      though,     at      the     same      time,    I     felt,     and 
still    feel,    as    grateful    as    if   I    had   borrowed   the   money. 
I   do  not   find  any   letters    on    the    subject,    and    doubtless 
have  destroyed  them.     I   find  one  letter,    however,  written 
February   23rd,    1870   (a   year   before  the   publication    was 
commenced),    in    which    he    says  :    '  I    would    offer,    if  not 
interfering  with  vour  plans,  to  share   some  ot   the  expenses 
of    publication,    plates,  etc.     If    you    accept    my    offer,    I 
should   not  for   an  instant  think   of  interfering  with   your 
ideas   on   the   management  or  form   of  the   publication,   or 
be  in  any  way  offended  or  hurt  if  you  decline  my  offer.'  " 


KINDNESS,   AND    SYMPATHIES  255 

From   The   Rev.    Murray    Matthew. 
Author  of  the  Birds  of  Somerset,  etc. 

"  It  would  be  impossible  for  any  one,  who  had  for  a 
long  time  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  correspondence  with 
the  late  Lord  Lilford,  not  to  have  formed  a  very 
sincere  regard  for  him,  as  his  kindness  and  goodness  were 
as  plainly  revealed  in  his  letters,  as  his  high  attain- 
ments in  the  natural  history  subjects,  with  which  they 
were  chiefly  concerned.  His  consideration  for  his  depend- 
ants ;  for  the  poor  people  upon  his  estates  ;  his  anxiety 
to  administer  his  church  patronage  as  a  sacred  trust  ; 
his  impatience  of  modern  politics  ;  his  readiness  and 
courtesy  to  impart  information  ;  his  liberality  in  helping 
students  with  specimens  from  his  aviaries  and  large 
collections  ;  his  general  sympathy  in  all  that  befell  his 
friends  and  correspondents  :  all  these  are  matters  which 
were  brought  out  in  the  course  of  his  letters,  which 
may  be  truly  stated  to  have  been  such  clear  exponents  of 
his  character  that  his  views  beforehand  on  any  question 
brought  before  him  could  be  surely  anticipated.  He  was 
so  real  and  thorough  himself  that  he  had  a  hearty 
impatience  of  all  shams.  I  believe  he  only  once  addressed 
the  House  of  Lords,  and  that  was  to  support  a  Bill  for 
the  protection  of  his  favourites  during  the  nesting  season, 
when  he  was  gratified  by  receiving  Lord  Beaconsfield's 
approval  of  the  manner  in  which  he  had  stated  his  case. 
It  must  also  be  added  that  he  possessed  a  great  sense 
of  humour,   and   enjoyed   nothing   better   than    hearing  or 


256  TRIBUTES  TO    KNOWLEDGE, 

receiving  a  good  story,  and  in  repeating  it.  Anything 
bearing  upon  folk-lore  ;  any  quaint  sayings  of  the 
peasantry,  especially  from  the  west  country,  were  very 
dear  to  him  ;  as  was  also  anything  illustrating  the  doings 
or  history  of  the  gypsies,  in  whom  he  had  become 
deeply  interested  while  travelling  in  Spain.  A  spirit  of 
cheerfulness,  with  a  determination  to  make  the  best  of 
everything,  is  also  apparent  in  his  letters.  His  long  illness 
and  infirmity  were  patiently  and  bravely  borne,  and 
while  conscious  of  ail  that  had  been  taken  from  him, 
and  not  without  natural  regret  for  power  to  enjoy  once 
more  the  old  days  of  sport  and  travel,  he  often  expressed 
his  gratitude  for  the  mercies  that  were  still  left." 

As  is  needless  to  say.  Lord  Lilford  was  ready  to 
throw  his  influence  on  the  side  of  any  cause  having  for 
its  motive  the  protection  of  the  birds.  But  he  did  this 
wisely,  carefully  and  seriously,  always  with  an  eye,  not 
alone  to  what  was  possible,  but  to  what  was  tor  the  best. 
He  was  statesman  to  the  birds.  No  one  knew  better  than 
he  that  you  may  defend  a  good  cause  badly,  as  you  may 
defend  a  bad  cause  well.  He  knew  that  over-statement 
was  bad  defence  ;  that  to  insist  with  the  sentimentalists 
that  certain  given  birds,  which  do  an  immense  amount  of 
good,  do  no  harm,  was  as  bad  in  policy  as  untrue  in  fact. 

How  clear  he  was  in  his  own  mind  that  the  Egg  Act 
was  unwisely  framed,  and  his  reasons  for  thinking  so,  the 
following  remarks  show  ; — 


KINDNESS,    AND   SYMPATHIES  257 

''May  yd,  1895. 
"  I  think  the  Egg  Act  is  foolishness  as  a  whole.  The 
only  possible  good  that  it  may  do  is  in  places  to  which 
the  public  have  free  access — e.g.,  the  New  Forest  and  the 
breeding-places  of  terns,  etc.,  on  the  coasts.  The  im- 
possibility of  conscientiously  swearing  to  the  identity  of 
any  egg  ofF  which  you  do  not  see  the  bird  fly  is  an 
insuperable  obstacle  to  protecting  species  by  name,  and  the 
only  way  in  which  the  Act  might  work  efficiently  is  by 
fixing  a  close  season  for  all  eggs  in  certain  places."  ' 

"January  24///,  1895. 
"  I  most  heartily  congratulate  you  on  the  success  of 
your  efforts  with  the  County  Council  for  the  protection 
of  the  eggs  of  kite,  buzzard,  all  owls,  kestrel,  and 
butcher-bird.  The  other  birds  do  not,  in  my  opinion, 
require  legal  protection  ;  and  I  fear  that  if  the  applica- 
tion, so  far  as  regards  them,  is  granted,  it  may  lead  to 
endless  vexatious  prosecution  and  litigation,  as  no  sane 
man  ought  to  swear  to  any  egg  off  which  he  did  not 
personally  see  the  parent  bird  fly  ;  and  if  your  magistrates 
are  (as  a  body)  capable  of  distinguishing  between  the  egg 
of  a  sparrow  and  that  of  a  wagtail,  I  can  only  say  that 
they  are  more  learned  than  nine-tenths  of  their  brethren. 
However,  the  intention  is  excellent,  and  all  honour  to 
you  and  Mr.  Cobb."  - 

1  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 
*  To  E.  Cambridge  Phillips,  Esq. 

17 


258  TRIBUTES   TO    KNOWLEDGE, 

On  the  protection  of  terns  on  our  coast,  he    writes  as 
follows  : — 

"  May  \2th,  1892. 
"I  quite  sympathise  in  your  indignation  at  the  de- 
struction and  harassing  of  the  terns  on  the  Suffolk  coast, 
but  I  fear  that  it  is  all  but  impossible  to  stop  it,  as  I 
presume  that  even  the  owner  or  lessee  of  the  land  cannot 
warn  people  off  the  foreshores,  and  our  legislators  have 
repeatedly  declined  to  protect  any  eggs  but  those  of  game 

birds.     I  am  not  personally  acquainted  with  Lord  R , 

and  before  writing  to  him  should  like  to  have  your 
permission  to  send  your  letter  to  him,  as  I  cannot  speak 
on  my  own  experience  with  regard  to  this  lamentable 
state  of  affairs."  ^ 

"  May  \6th.,  1892. 
"  As  perhaps  you  know,  the  Fame  Islands  Bird  Pro- 
tection Association  has  done  infinite  good,  and  I  cannot 
see  why  similar  local  associations  should  not  be  formed, 
as  they  might  be,  at  a  very  small  expense,  and  work 
most  beneficially  in  the  interest  of  breeding,  and  often,  of 
now  uncommon  birds.  At  the  Fame  Islands  the  expense 
isj  of  course,  much  heavier  than  it  need  be  on  a  mainland 
locality,  as  we  have  to  pay  the  wages  of  several  boatmen 
and  watchers,  and  for  the  maintenance  of  boats  in  good 
repair,  etc.  In  Scilly  the  Lord-Lieutenant  is  absolute, 
and    can   permit  or  forbid   whatever  he   likes,  as  we  land- 

1  To  G.  Hope,  Esq. 


KINDNESS,   AND   SYMPATHIES  259 

owners  are  still  permitted  to  do  (in  the  unconfiscated  parts 
of  our  possessions)  with  regard  to  feathered  fowl."^ 

''June  ^rJ,  1892. 

"  1  would  not  altogether  prohibit  the  taking  of  eggs  ; 
it  should  be  done  under  expert  supervision,  as  is  done  on 
many  peewit  breeding-places,  to  the  material  increase  ot 
healthy   birds."  - 

"May  24M. 

"  I   am  glad   to  find    that  Lord   R appears   to   be 

quite  inclined  to  protect  the  terns  as  far  as  possible  ;  with 
regard  to  his  legal  rights,  I  suggested  to  him,  in  my  reply, 
the  formation  of  a  local  association  for  the  protection  of 
these  terns  during  the  breeding  season,  adding  that  should 
such  an  association  be  formed,  I  would  gladly  contribute 
j^5  annually  to  its  funds.*  But  what  is  urgently  needed 
in  these  special  cases  is  an  extension  of  the  close  time. 
There  is  no  season  for  killing  terns  at  all,  but  I  do  not 
think  that  even  the  all-powerful  '  Arry '  could  effectually 
resist  local  extensions  of  close  time  if  the  inhabitants  of 
the  localities  supported  them  with  vigour.  Judicious  egg- 
taking  really  does  little,  if  any  harm  to  well-stocked  bird 
colonies  ;    but    it    is    the    indiscriminate    slaughter    of    the 

1  To  G.  Hope,  Esq. 

2  To  the  same. 

*  In  reference  to  this  correspondence  Mr.  Hope  writes :  (July 
i4tk,  1896),  "His  aid  and  suggestions  in  1892,  though  perhaps 
not  recognised,  certainly  helped  to  sow  the  seeds  of  which  the  present 
societies  on  our  East  coast  are  the  outcome." 


26o  TRIBUTES   TO    KNOWLEDGE, 

birds  in  August  for  sport,  hats,  and  feminine  folly,  that 
plays  the  mischief  with  our  coast-breeding  birds.  Since 
the  Fame  Islands  Association  has  been  started,  a  certain 
number  of  eggs,  the  first  layings  of  various  species,  are 
taken  and  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  boatmen  and  fisher- 
men, with  manifest  advantage  to  the  birds,  who,  if  allowed 
to  increase  without  any  check,  would  overcrowd  the 
islands,  and,  in  all  probability,  degenerate  in  strength  and 
beauty."  ' 

Himself  President  of  the  Northampton  Field  Natu- 
ralists' Club,  he  encouraged  and  helped  such  local  work 
wherever  centralised.  He  was  invariably  patient  and  kind 
to  ignorance,  knowing  well  that  men's  leisure  and  oppor- 
tunities are  unequal.  Get  a  love  of  nature  into  the  heart 
of  the  people,  he  would  have  said,  and  knowledge  will 
come  in  its  turn.  None  the  less,  with  his  keen  sense  of 
humour,  an  incident  such  as  that  described  in  the  following 
delightful  letter  would  amuse   him  immensely  : — 

^'July  -^th,  1895. 
"  A  small  fruiterer  at  Peterborough  wrote  to  me 
saying  that  he  had  shot  a  strange  hawk,  and  found  on 
enquiring  from  a  friend  that  it  was  a  '  humming 
buzzard'*  {sic\  and  that  I  was  an  ammature  oi  birds, 
so  that  he  was  sending  to   me.     The  bird   arrived   in  due 

1  To  G.  Hope,  Esq. 

*  The    Honey  Buzzard   {Fernis  apivorus)  is   a   migratory  bird  of 
prey,  now  exceedingly  rare  as  a  nesting  species  in  this  country. 


KINDNESS,    AND    SYMPATHIES  261 

course,  and  proved  to  be  a  splendid  adult  peregrine, 
but  the  point  of  the  story  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  person 
who    declared   it  to  be  a  '  humming    buzzard  '    is    one    of 

the    Hon.    Secretaries    of  the    Natural   History    and 

Scientific  Society  !  "  ^ 

While  Lord  Lilford  fully  recognised  the  interest 
and  importance  to  a  naturalist  of  being  able  personally 
to  collect  specimens  necessary  for  his  own  study,  or  for 
national  collections,  no  man,  as  we  have  seen,  was  ever 
more  opposed  to  wanton  and  senseless  destruction. 

Further,  he  felt  most  bitterly  about  the  wholesale 
traffic  in  eggs  of  birds  at  the  hands  of  traders,  as  a 
commercial  speculation,  and  steadily  refused  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  such  persons.  Nor  could  he  under- 
stand that  spirit  of  possession  or  vulgar  rivalry  which 
prompts  men  to  stick  at  nothing,  so  that  they  get  a 
larger  series  than  others  have,  of  eggs  taken  in  Britain, 
or  of  rare  British  birds  ;  or  the  same  kind  of  practice 
elsewhere.  It  is  asking  too  much  of  human  nature, 
to  expect  that  under  these  circumstances  a  dealer  will 
not  be  found  to  meet  the  demand.  For  example,  a 
naturalist  having  recorded  the  extremely  interesting 
establishment  of  the  cream-coloured  courser  in  the 
Canarian  island  Fuertaventura,  a  certain  chymist  set  to 
work  to  sweep  the  island  clear  of  their  eggs.  Hence 
the  following  :  — 

1  To  E.  Cambridge  Phillips,  Esq. 


^6^  TRIBUTES  TO   KNOWLEDGE, 

"July  ird,   1889. 
"  I   had   heard  of  the  horrible  raid  upon   the    coursers' 
eggs  in  Fuertaveiitura.     Their  coming  over  in  such  numbers 
to  breed  there,  is  sufficiently  remarkable.     I  wish  that  you 
would  show  up  this  robbery  in  the  FieldT  ^ 

''August  idth,  1889. 

"  I  understand  that  no  one  will  look  at  G 's  skins 

or  eggs  at  the  prices  marked  on  his  list,  and  I  confess 
that  I  shall  not  be  sorry  if  the  results  of  this  expedition 
sicken  him  of  devastating  the  island  of  their  peculiar  and 
very  interesting  denizens."  ° 

"September  i^th,  1891. 

"  I   enclose  a  copy  of  R G 's   letter  to  D — ; 

the  latter  gave  me  permission  to  make  what  use  of  it 
I  might  think  proper,  but  although  I  was  very  naturally 
indignant  at  the  time,  I  am  now  doubtful  as  to  the 
advisability  of  calling  public  attention  to  the  matter,  as  no 
one  can  put  a  stop  to  this  horrible  trade,  except  the 
Spanish  officials,  and  they  probably  are  of  opinion  that 
mas  vale  diner 0  qua  palabra  de  caballero.*  "  ^ 

It  is  refreshing  to  speculate  upon  the  number  of  egg- 
buyers  taken  in  by  such  a  swindle  as  the  following  : — 

'  To  E.  G.  B.  Meade-Waldo,  Esq. 

'  To  the  same.  ^  To   the  same. 

*  Money  is  worth  more  than  a  gentleman's  word. 


KINDNESS    AND    SYMPATHIES  263 

'■^  March  22rd,  1892. 
"  I  was  with  Edward  Verreaux  (egg  dealer)  in  Paris 
when  there  arrived  a  large  consignment  of  skins  and 
eggs  from  South  Russia.  I  was  asked  to  assist  at  the 
unpacking  of  the  two  cases.  There  was  no  list  or  invoice 
of  any  kind.  The  first  box  contained  perhaps  two 
hundred  eggs,  or  I  should  say  perhaps  fifty  or  sixty 
species  beautifully  packed,  and  with  the  names  of  the 
species  in  Russian,  written  on  each  egg  ;  no  date,  no 
locality.  A  big  note-book  was  produced,  and  the  two 
brothers  proceeded  to  separate  and  name  the  eggs  in  the 
book,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  purely  as  fancy  dictated.  I 
was  consulted  now  and  then,  and  prevented  some  eggs 
of  little  bustard  being  put  down  to  a  gull  {Larus 
melanocephalus),  but  I  held  my  tongue,  except  when 
questioned,  and  a  lot  of  eggs  of  redshank  were  named 
and  priced  in  the  book  as  a  rare  plover's.  Some  eggs 
of  a  crane  {Grus  virgo)  did  duty  for  those  of  an  eagle 
(Jquiia  imperialis)  ;  eggs  of  H.  nigra,  the  black  tern, 
and  probably  H.  leucopterus,  were  lumped  into  those  of 
a  pratincole,  and  all  labelled  as  belonging  to  this  last 
species.  Four  white  eggs  that  I  have  no  doubt  were  laid 
by  the  eagle  owl  {Bubo  maximus)  went  down  in  the  list 
as  those  of  the  black  stork  (Ciconia  nigra),  and  so  on 
ad  infiiiitum*  The  naive  way  in  which  the  brothers 
confessed  their  entire  ignorance,  and  shot  at  probabilities, 

*  This    is   further    supported    l)y    Mr.    Dresser    out   of    his    own 
experience. 


264  TRIBUTES   TO   KNOWLEDGE, 

was  most  amusing,  and  gave  me  a  lesson  about  buying 
eggs  that  I  have  never  forgotten.  I  feel  convinced 
that  both  the  brothers  were  honestly  dealing  according 
to  their  lights,  which  were  certainly  very  dim,  in  the 
matter  of  oology,  and  theirs  was  the  leading  zoological 
business  in  Paris  at  the  time,    1862."^ 

Any  report  of  the  wanton  killing  of  breeding  birds 
invariably  aroused  his  indignation.  Thus  he  writes  to  an 
old  friend  and  schoolfellow  : — 

"March  i,th,  1890. 
"  I  have  read  poor  Rudolph  of  Austria's  book  (the 
late  Crown  Prince).  I  had  some  correspondence  with 
him,  and  met  him  at  Valencia,  where  he  was  most 
especially  civil  and  friendly  to  me,  and  my  darling  eldest 
boy,  who  is  gone  ;  the  book  is  very  interesting,  and 
most  characteristic  of  the  eager,  impetuous  boy  who  wrote 
it.  The  slaughter  of  breeding  birds  is  simply  disgusting, 
and  only  to  be  excused  by  the  youth  of  the  writer,  and 
the  cold-blooded  brutality  of  his  ornithological  guide  and 
counsellor   B .     His   notes  on   Spain   are   faulty."  - 

The  ladies'  fashion  of  wearing  feathers  in  their  hats, 
a  fashion  sometimes  involving  most  barbarous  cruelty 
to    nesting   birds,    enlisted     all    Lord    Lilford's    chivalrous 

'  To  the  Rev.   Murwy   Matthew. 
*  Colonel  H.  Barclay. 


KINDNESS,    AND    SYMPATHIES  265 

indignation,  and  he  did  all  he  could  to  further  the  good 
efforts  of  the  Society  for  the  Protection  of  Birds.  Thus 
he  writes  to  the  Secretary  of  that  Society  : — 

''July  20tk,   1895. 

"  You  must  permit  me  to  applaud  and  thank  you  for 
your  energetic  action  with  regard  to  the  dealers,  and  I 
devoutly  hope  that  it  may  be  crowned  with  the  success 
that  it  so  fully  deserves.  I  am  convinced  that  the  whole 
mischief  arises  from  apathy  and  ignorance,  and  it  is 
extremely  difficult  to  arouse  the  public  mind  against  a 
long-established  barbarity,  that  does  not  come  immediately 
under  their  eyes.  I  mean  that  I  believe  that  many 
plumiferous  ladies  would  shrink  from  wearing  robins', 
swallows',  and  other  common  British  birds'  skins  or 
feathers,  who  would  never  give  a  thought  to  wearing 
bright  plumage  of  birds  with  which  they  have  no  personal 
acquaintance.  People  read  the  articles  and  letters  of 
protest  in  the  newspapers,  exclaim  :  '  How  shocking  !  ' 
and  forget  all  about  it.  If  we  could  only  stop  the 
demand,  the  supply  would  soon  fall  off  ;  but  in  the 
meantime,  it  seems  that  the  supply  must  fail  from  the 
extinction  of  the  birds  themselves.  Personally  I  think 
that  this  is  a  subject  that  calls  for  state  legislation,  much 
more  than  the  egg-stealing  at  home.  This  last  offence 
may  very  well  be  stopped  by  private  landowners  and 
occupiers  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  think,  and  by 
law  in  public  places. 


266  TRIBUTES   TO   KNOWLEDGE, 

"  Whatever    may    be    the    event,    you    are    fighting    a 
gallant  fight."  ' 

And  again  : 

"December  2(ttk,  1891. 

"  I  beg  to  wish  you  many  happy  New  Years  for 
yourself  and  all  who  are  dear  to  you,  not  forgetting 
our  friends,  the  birds,  for  whom  you  are  making  such 
a  gallant  effort.  I  am  quite  certain  that  the  only  reason 
that  you  do  not  enlist  more  actual  members  is  simply 
idleness  and  want  of  interest,  certainly  not  want  of 
sympathy  in  your  object  ;  that  you  are  gaining  ground, 
however,  I  happen  to  know  as  a  fact.  I  am  sending 
you  a  duplicate  copy  of  my  Coloured  Figures,  in  which 
you  will  see,  under  the  head  of  great  white  heron  and 
common  tern,  that  I  am  doing  all  in  my  power  for  your 
society.  I  think,  in  this  country,  some  of  our  sea-birds 
— gulls,  terns,  and  diving  birds  of  various  species  — 
suffered  more  than  others  from  the  feather  fashion,  but 
it  has  played  havoc  all  the  world  over."- 

He  would  have  had  all  the  world  take  as  great  an 
interest  in  natural  history  as  himself,  and  always  offered 
the  most  kind  and  generous  encouragement  to  those 
who  were  trying  to  popularise  it.  Nowhere  is  this 
better    shown    than    in    the    following    letters  : — 

^  To  Mrs.  Lemon,  Hon.  Sec.  to  the  Society  for  the  Protection 
of  Birds. 

■  To  Mrs.  Phillips. 


KINDNESS,    AND    SYMPATHIES  267 

"January    c,tk,    1895. 

"  This  part  of  Northamptonshire  is  decidedly  rich 
in  birds,  for  an  inland  locality,  as  you  will  believe 
when  I  tell  you  that  a  clergyman,  and  first-class  ornitho- 
logist, at  a  few  miles  distance  told  me  that  last  May 
he  had  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  nests  of  twenty-four 
species  in  the  curtilage  of  his  vicarage,  without  counting 
those  of  house-sparrow,  but  including  a  rookery  of  some 
fifty  nests.  It  will  be  a  real  pleasure  to  me  if  I  can 
give  you  any  information  about  any  special  points  in 
zoology,  but  I  must  tell  you  that  for  the  last  nine  years 
I  have  been  entirely  crippled,  and  confined  to  a  wheeled 
chair,  and  therefore  almost  debarred  from  personal  out- 
door observation.  I  have  loved  and  studied  birds  and 
beasts  since  I  was  a  child,  alas  !  some  sixty  years  ago, 
and  have  a  fine  collection  of  living  animals  here  that  I 
should  have   great  delight  in   showing   to   you." ' 

"February    ^rd,    1895. 

"  Pray  do  not  allow  any  want  of  scientific  knowledge 
to  deter  you  from  continuing  your  charming  writings 
on  natural  history.  We  have  a  cockatoo  here,  that  I 
bought  at  Father  Jamrach's  in  April  1867  ;  he  is  of  a 
rare  species,  the  great  blue-eyed  cockatoo  of  the  Solomon 
Islands.  When  I  first  had  him  he  was  delightfully  tame 
and  quiet,  but  on  coming  home,  after  three  months  in 
Spain,   I    found    him   savage,    wild,  and    intolerably    noisy, 

^  To  Mrs.  Ovren  Visger,  Editor  of  A  Son  of  the  Marshes. 


268  TRIBUTES   TO   KNOWLEDGE, 

and  in  1868  gave  him  to  an  old  ladv  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, who  loved  and  cherished  him  as  a  joy  for 
ever,  till  her  death,  last  year,  when  the  bird  was  sent 
back  to  me  by  the  executors,  and  now  rejoices  the  heart 
of  our  housekeeper.  I  read  your  papers  in  Cornhill  with 
delight,   and    should  like    to   look   at    them    again."  ^ 

"■February  i^th,  1895. 
"I  have  had  an  interesting  present  from  a  bird- 
stuffer  at  Northampton,  in  the  shape  of  a  living  bullfinch, 
jet  black,  a  very  cheery  little  person,  full  of  importance, 
and  singing  his  natural  notes  all  day  long.  I  have  seen 
many  a  so-called  '  black  '  bullfinch,  but  they  were  all 
simply  dark-coloured,  sooty,  or  dingy  red  brown,  but 
this  one  is  absolutely  as  black  as  good  coal,  without  a 
feather  of  any  other    tint." " 

"January  ^ist,  1895. 
"  I  only  write  to  thank  you  greatly  for  your  little 
book  just  received,  in  which  I  have  no  doubt  of  finding 
very  great  interest.  We  have  intense  cold,  and  the 
poor  birds  are  having  a  real  bad  time.  The  following 
species  crowd  for  our  scraps  on  the  terrace  beneath  our 
windows  :  rook,  jackdaw,  starling,  blackbird,  song  thrush, 
missel  thrush,  robin,  hedge-sparrow,  nuthatch,  chaffinch 
sparrow,    great    tit,    coal    tit,    marsh    tit,   and    partridge."  ° 

'  To  Mrs.  Owen  Visger. 
'  To  the  same. 
'  To  the  same. 


KINDNESS,    AND    SYMPATHIES  269 

We  leave    this    chapter    with    the    following    delightful 
letter  : — 


"  April  iT,th,    1895. 

"  When  I  was  a  small  boy,  my  grandfather.  Lord 
Holland,  sent  me  word  from  Holland  House,  that  he 
had  a  live  curiosity  to  show  me.  I  went  off  at  once 
and  found  that  one  of  the  gardeners  had  caught  a  genuine 
green  lizard  (^Lacej'ta  viridis),  on  a  wall  in  the  garden.  As 
this  is  not  a  British  species,  it  had  probably  escaped,  but 
it  was  a  lovely  animal ;  I  had  never  seen  one  before,  and 
was  most  bitterly  disappointed  when  my  mother  declined 
to  let  me  carry  it  off  in  a  bandbox. 

"  I  used  to  be  a  great  deal  at  Little  Holland  House, 
where  my  mother's  aunt.  Miss  Fox,  lived.  There  was 
a  delightful  garden,  full  of  birds,  attached  to  this 
charming,  old-fashioned  cottage,  and  as  my  '  Little 
Aunty,'  as  we  called  her,  was  the  personification  of 
kindness  and  good  sense,  with  a  great  love  of  Nature, 
and  (for  the  date)  a  good  collection  of  bird  books,  a  stay 
at  Little  Holland  House  was  a  pure  delight  to  me. 

"  I  may  say  much  the  same  of  St.  Anne's,  near 
Chertsey,  which  has  now  come  into  my  hands,  and  where 
I  well  remember  seeing  Mrs.  Fox — widow  of  Charles 
James.  There  I  first  made  the  acquaintance,  not  only 
of  the  night-jar,  but  also  of  the  '  Ingenioso  Hidalgo, 
Don  Quijote  de  la  Mancha,'  who  has  been  my  delight 
and   constant   companion  ever  since,  and   first  inspired   me 


2  70  TRIBUTES   TO    KNOWLEDGE, 

with  the  passion  for  the  things  of  Spain  that  still  burns 
brightly.  I  can  never  '  mind '  anything  that  you  write, 
and  about  keeping  birds  in  confinement,  I  have  only 
gone  in  for  a  large  and  serious  collection  since  I  became 
crippled,  and  therefore  could  not  see  birds  elsewhere 
than  at  home."  ^ 

No  one  has  better  reason  than  the  Editor  gratefully 
to  remember  that  spirit  of  generosity  so  characteristic 
of  Lord  Lilford  to  which  Mr.  Dresser  refers. 

In  1893  -we  were  contemplating  a  voyage  of 
exploration  to  the  Island  of  Kolguev  in  Barents  Sea, 
which,  as  an  untouched  land,  promised  great  results  in 
ornithology.  As  the  island  had  never  yet  been  visited 
by  an  Englishman  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  preliminary 
voyage  with  the  object  of  trying  to  obtain  some  infor- 
mation from  the  sealers  and  fishermen  of  the  Arctic 
littoral.  This  we  did  that  summer.  On  our  return 
we  wrote  our  experiences  to  Lord  Liltord,  who  makes 
the    following   reference    in    his    letter    of   reply  : — 

"/u/y  4/A,  1S92. 

"It  is  really  most  obliging  of  you  to  send  me  the 
report  about  Kolguev.  It  is  all  quite  new  to  me,  and 
if  I  was  not  infirm,  and  still  had  the  old  Glowjjorm, 
I  think  that  I  should  fit  out  at  once  for  a  visit  to  this 
'island  of  the  blessed'   (^birds)." 

1  To  Mrs.  Owen  Visger. 


KINDNESS,    AND    SYMPATHIES  271 

Later  on  Lord  Lilford  wrote  to  suggest  that  his 
nephew,   Mr.   Mervyn  Powys,  should  also  go,  adding  : — 

"  I  share  your  ignorance  of  the  probable  cost  of  char- 
tering a  small  steamer  per  month,  but  whatever  it  may 
come  to,  I  would  pay  half  the  total  sum  for  as  long  as 
you  care  to  hire  her."  An  offer  he  more  than  made 
good. 

A  later  post  brought  a  letter  in  which  he  writes  : 

"Jan.  2e,th,   1894. 

"  I  am  writing  to  make  enquiries  about  my  old 
yacht,  the  ss.  Glowworm,  which  was  originally  built  ex- 
pressly for  a  trip  to  Spitsbergen.  I  do  not  know  her 
present  owner,  but  a  great  friend  of  his  is  an  old  friend 
and  remote  connection  of  mine." 

The  Glowworm  was  not  available,  so  another  yacht, 
the  s.y.  Saxon,  was  obtained,  and  made  the  voyage  well. 


APPENDIX    1 

The  notes  which  follow  are  taken  from  Lord  Lilford's 
everyday  book  on  the  events  of  his  aviaries.  We  have  put 
it  in  as  an  Appendix,  simply  from  the  consideration  that  it 
may  not  be  so  interesting  for  the  general  reader  as  other 
parts  of  the  book.  Its  interest  for  all  keepers  of  a  living 
collection  is  of  course  beyond  question. 

LILFORD   AVIARY   AND   LIVING   COLLECTION 
NOTES,    1893. 

January  \st.  "Grip"  the  English  raven  rolls  and  enjoys 
himself  in  the  snow. 

January  i,th.  Great  black-backed  gull  in,  I  should  say,  plumage 
of  third  year,  received  from  C.  F.  Dyer  of  Ramsgate,  in  exchange 
for  couple  of  mallards. 

January  6th.  Two  horned  owls,  that  I  believe  to  be  Bubo 
macu/osiis,  received  from  Jamrach,  who  avows  positively  that  they 
came  to  him  direct  from  Natal. 

January  \ot/i.  Grey-headed  green  woodpecker  {Gednus  canus) 
and  one  of  the  large  northern  race  of  pied  woodpecker  {Ficus  cissa) 
received  from  Jamrach,  who  declares  that  both  these  birds  came 
to  him  from  Siberia. 

Chestnut  winged  grakle  {AmyJrus  tristrami)  received  from 
Zoological  Gardens.  This  bird  is  the  survivor  of  two  landed  at 
Southampton    last    month    for    me,    and    procured   through   the   kind 

offices   of  Miss  N R by   one   Dauod   Jamal   of  Jerusalem, 

from   the  monastery  of  Mar   Saba   not  far   from  Bethlehem.     These 


APPENDIX    I  273 

birds  were  sent  in  most  miserable  condition,  emaciated  and  un- 
speakably filthy,  from  Southampton  to  the  care  of  A.  D.  Bartlett 
at  the  Zoological  Gardens  ;  one  died  in  a  few  days  and  was  sent 
to  me,  cleaned  here  by  W.  Edwards  and  presented  to  Alfred 
Newton.  By  dint  of  unceasing  and  skilful  care  Bartlett  has  managed 
to  restore  the  survivor  to  excellent  health.  I  believe  it  to  be  a 
female  ;  it  is  an  active  and  lively  bird,  constantly  uttering  a  somewhat 
tedious,  but  not  unmusical,  whistle,  of  three  or  four  notes,  and 
occasionally  a  harsh  grating  chide.  Its  tail  and  primaries  are  a 
good  deal  broken,  but  it  is  otherwise  in  fair  plumage.  It  feeds 
well  upon  various  soft  food,  and  is  very  fond  of  beetles.  I  believe 
that  this  is  the  only  one  of  its  species  now  alive  in  Europe. 

January  12th.  Waxwing  {Ampelis  garruliis).  Very  poor,  ragged 
specimen,  received  from  Jamrach.  This  is  the  first  of  the  species 
that  I  have  received  alive  for  some  time,  but  I  have  refused  several 
offers,  as,  though  the  birds  are  beautiful,  they  are  gluttonous,  stupid, 
and  filthy  in  habits,  and  seldom  live   long   in  cages. 

January  13M.  Tiger  bittern  {Tigrisoma  tigrinum)  received  from 
W.  Cross  of  Liverpool.  This  bird,  in  ragged  plumage,  was  so  weak 
when  it  first  arrived  that  it  was  unable  to  stand,  but  under 
Cosgrave's  care  soon  recovered,  and  is  evidently  a  young  bird  that 
has  been  reared  from  the  nest  by  hand.  Cosgrave  tells  me  that 
it  is  fond  of  being  noticed  and  handled,  a  very  exceptional  trait  in 
my  experience  in  birds  of  this  family. 

Goliath  heron  [Ardea  goliath)  received  from  W.  Cross  of 
Liverpool.  A  very  fine  young  bird  from  South  Africa.  We  put 
it  with  another  of  same  species  that  I  have  had  here  for  some 
months,  but  we  soon  had  to  separate  them  as  they  fought 
viciously, 

The  latter  bird  lived  and  did  well  in  the  courtyard  during  the 
summer  and  early  autumn,  and  lived  on  fairly  amicable  terms  with 
two  young  bearded  vultures  {Gypaetus  barbatus),  who  although 
they  were  at  perfect  liberty,  and  acquired  the  full  use  of  their 
wings,  kept  about  this  particular  division,  into  which  they  were 
put  on   their  first  arrival  before   they  could  fly. 

The  giant  heron  never  became  tame,   but  on  being  stirred  up  or 

18 


2  74  APPENDIX    1 

approached  by  man,  would  throw  up  the  undigested  portion  of  its 
last  meal  of  flesh  or  fish,  which  was  immediately  devoured  by  the 
vultures. 

Common  heron  {Ardea  cinerea)  from  South  Africa  (?),  received  on 
approval  from  Cross  and  returned. 

January  i6th.  Manchurian  crane  (Grus  viridirostris),  one  of 
several  that  have  been  here  for  some  years,  which  had  been  ailing 
for  some  months,'  died,  and  was  sent  by  express  desire  to  Bowdler 
Sharpe,  of  South  Kensington  Museum. 

I  find  these  most  beautiful  birds  as  a  rule  hardy,  and  amongst 
the  most  tame  of  the  family,  of  which  I  possess  every  known 
species,  except  the  wattled  crane  {Grus  caruuculatui),  alive. 

Grey  eagle  owl  {Bubo  cineraccus)  that  had  lived  here  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  purchased  from  Jamrach,   died. 

January  20th.  An  Indian  bulbul  {Fycnonotus  jocosus)  died, 
apparently  of  old  age. 

La  Marmora's  falcon  {Falco  ekonora)  died  of  frounce.  This  bird, 
perfect  in  plumage,  and  by  far  the  most  beautiful  of  many  of  its 
species  that  I  have  kept  alive  here,  was  bought  last  year  of  William 
Blake  of  Ross,  Herefordshire,  through  an  advertisement  in  the 
Bazaar,  sent  to  me  by  Lieut.-Colonel  E.  Butler.  It  had  been 
obtained  two  years  ago  by  the  present  vendor  from  a  London 
dealer,  and  in  all  probability  came  originally  from  Morocco. 

Nutcracker  (Nucifraga  caryocatactes).     Four  received  from  Castang. 

January  2^th.  Marbled  duck  [Anas  angusiirostris)  died.  This 
is  the  second  that  I  have  lost  out  of  a  consignment  from  Andalucia 
received  in  the  summer  of  1892 — the  first  of  their  species,  as  I 
have  reason  to  believe,  that  have  ever  reached  this  country  alive. 
The  species  is,  however,  common  enough  as  a  summer  visitor  to 
the  marisma  of  the  Guadalquivir,  where  it  breeds,  and  was  more 
than  usually  abundant  in  1892,  after  the  subsidence  of  the  great 
floods  of  January  and  February. 

January  26th.  Hen  harrier  {Circus  cyancus)  received  from  W. 
Blake,  of  Ross.       The  vendor   informs  me    that   this    bird,  which  is 


APPENDIX    1  275 

half  moulted  and  in  very  ragged  plumage,  was  taken  from  a  nest  in 
Sutherland  last  summer. 

White  cygnet  {Cvgnus  olor)  sent  as  a  present  from  me  to  L 

S .     This  bird,    a    very  fine   male,   was   presented   to   me    by  the 

authorities  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  where  for  many  years 
(as  I  am  informed  by  Alfred  Newton)  a  pair  of  common  swans  have 
produced  broods,  of  which  one  is  always  pure  white  after  losing  the 
down. 

lamiary  2'jth.  Little  bustard  S  {0/is  tetrax)  brought  in  dead. 
This  bird,  the  only  one  that  I  have  received  alive  for  many  years, 
was  sent  to  me  as  a  present  by  H.  Shorland,  of  La  Fontaine,  near 
Tours,  last  autumn,  and  was,  I  believe,  captured  in  that  neighbourhood. 

Boobook  owl   (Ninox  boobooK)  received  from  Jamrach. 

Cayenne  lapwing  ( Vanellus  cayennensis)  received  from  W.  Cross. 
This  is  the  first  of  the  species  that  I  have  ever  bought ;  it  is  in 
ragged  plumage,   but   appears  to  be  healthy,  and  is  very  tame. 

Tiger  bittern  (Tigrisoma  tigrintim)  received  from  W.  Cross.  An 
older  bird  than  that  previously   recorded,   very  ragged  and   savage. 

January  30M.     Pied  woodpecker  from   Russia,   brought   in  dead. 

White-necked  crane  {Grus  kucauchen)  died.  This  bird,  which  has 
long  been  ailing,  was  one  of  three  obtained  from  London  dealers 
about  three  years  ago.  My  idea  is  that  unless  these  birds  pair  or 
mate  (as  my  other  two  of  this  species  undoubtedly  have  done)  when 
they  reach  maturity,  they  gradually  droop  and  die. 

February  \st.  Hen-harrier  (Circus  cyatieus),  in  very  bad  feather 
and  much  bruised.  This  bird  was  said  to  have  been  received  from 
Holland  by  vendor. 

February  yd.  Cereopsis  geese  {Cereopsis  novtt-hellandia)  nesting 
in  courtyard  (Jide  Cosgrave).  Those  birds,  purchased  from  Ed. 
Marshall,  of  Marlow,  last  year,  are  not  by  any  means  amicable  with 
other  birds,  and  are  all-round  savage  now. 

February  6th.  Marbled  duck ;  another  brought  in  dead,  in 
excellent  condition. 

February  ith.  Hill  mynahs  {Gracula  intermedia).  Two  very  fine 
birds  received  from  Mrs.  E.  H.   P . 


276  APPENDIX    I 

I  could  not  resist  one  more  chance  of  keeping  this  most  amusmg 
species,  although  I  have  lost  many  after  a  few  months  of  captivity. 
The  imitative  vocal  power  of  the  hill  mynah  surpasses  those  of  any 
other  of  the  many  talking  birds  with  which  I  have  any  acquaintance. 
One  of  these  two  imitates  the  sound  of  a  railway  engine.  They  are 
both  in  e.xceptionally  good  plumage  and  apparent  health. 

Blue  bird  {Sia//a  sialis),  of  North  America.     Pair   received  from 

Mrs.  E.   H.  P .      This  is  a  species  that  I  have  been  without  for 

many  years.  I  have  never  had  much  luck  in  keeping  them  alive,  but 
they  often  do  well,  and  have  bred  in  Englg.nd. 

February  lofh.  Alpine  accentors  {Accentor  collaris).  Thirteen 
received  from  Jamrach.  I  have  received  a  good  many  of  this  species 
from  London  dealers  during  the  last  few  years,  all  said  to  have  come 
from  Switzerland.  They  do  fairly  well  in  cages,  not  so  well  in 
aviaries,   and  sing  very  sweetly,  but  are   rather  quarrelsome   inter  se. 

February  nth.  Cereopsis  geese  {cf.  antek)  are  making  a  second 
nest. 

February  14/.5.  Barbary  falcon  (Fako  barbarus)  brought  in  deadi 
of  frounce.  This  bird,  a  most  beautiful  adult,  was  bought  last 
autumn  and  came  from  Mogador.  I  have  been  most  unfortunate 
with  many  of  this  species. 

February  i^t't.  Alpine  accentors  {cf.  antei),  two  sent  as  present 
to  Rev.  Murray  A.  Mathew. 

February  20th.  Bewick  swan  J"  {Cygnus  bewicki)  died  after  wasting 
for  some  time.  This  bird  was  bought  of  Castang,  desperately  wounded 
by  a  shot  from  punt  gun  on  the  Essex  coast  in  1879,  and  recovered 
marvellously  here ;  though  on  the  water  it  swam  in  a  helpless  and 
lop-sided  fashion,  on  land  it  was  very  active,  and  of  late  years  had 
become  occasionally  very  aggressive  towards  human  visitors. 

One  of  two  whoopers  {Cygnus  ferus)  which  I  put  on  the  river, 
pinioned,  this  last  summer  (having  lost  its  companion  by  brutal  spite 
of  a  ruffian  at  Aldwinkle  in  the  autumn)  took  up  its  headquarters 
above  our  bridge  island,  but  for  several  months  past  has  waddled  up 
every  morning  and  spent  the  whole  or  greater  part  of  each  day  just 
outside  the  wires   of  the  enclosure,  in  which   the  Bewick   swan  just 


APPENDIX   I  277 

mentioned  was  confined.  We  let  him  inside  on  one  occasion,  and 
the  result  was  a  desperate  fight.  The  whooper  is  continually 
'  whooping '  loudly.  The  Bewick  swan's  note,  comparatively  seldom 
heard,  is  entirely  different — shorter  and  less  musical,  but  both  of 
these  birds  have  been  a  good  deal  excited  of  late  by  the  presence 
on  the  river  of  several  wild  birds  of  both  species. 

February  22nd.  Double-spurred  francolins  {Francolinus  bical- 
caratus).  Si.x  sent  away.  These  birds  are  from  consignments  of 
about  twenty  individuals,  all  told,  received  from  Dar-el-Baida,  or 
Casablanca,  on  the  Morocco  coast,  during  the  past  year.  I  am  sending 
these  three  pairs  to  the  Comte  de  Paris,  via  Gibraltar,  to  be  turned 
down  on  his  Coto  at  Villa  Manrique,  Seville,  where  he  has  already 
turned  out  a  few,  ordered  by  me  from  Morocco  as  a  present  to  him. 

From  all  that  I  can  learn  these  birds  are  extremely  local  in 
Morocco,  and  although  tolerably  abundant  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Casablanca  and  Rabat,  are  virtually  unknown  at  Tangier,  Tetuan, 
and  Mogadon  They  are  said  to  frequent  thick  covert  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  water,  to  afford  good  sport  with  dogs,  and  to  be  most 
excellent  for  the  table.  I  have  had  a  few  before  the  present  lot, 
alive  here  from  Rabat ;  one  of  them  laid  several  eggs  of  an  unspotted, 
pale,  creamy  colour,  but  would  not  sit. 

February  i^th.  White-bellied  nuthatch  {Sitta  albiveniris,  Mihi). 
Three  received  from  Jamrach.  These  birds,  of  which  I  had  already 
five,  in  all  their  habits  closely  resemble  our  common  species,  although 
I  fancy  that  there  is  a  perceptible  difference  in  some  of  their  notes ; 
they  are  extremely  pugnacious,  and  I  find  it  impossible  to  keep  two 
of  them  together.  In  some  of  them  the  chestnut  on  flanks  is  extremely 
prominent,  and  very  rich  in  colour,  whilst  in  others  it  is  barely 
visilile.     Said  to  have  come  from  Siberia. 

Small  gallinule  {Gallinula,  sp.  ?).  Two  received  from  Jamrach  on 
approval ;  unknown  to  him  and  me ;  said  to  have  come  from  China. 

March  2nd.  Cape  barn  owl  {Strix  (apcnsis)  laid  an  egg  the  first 
of  this  year.  This  bird  is  the  survivor  of  two  purchased  from  Jamrach 
in  1884.  I  only  call  it  as  above  on  the  authority  of  the  vendor. 
It  lays  a  few  eggs  every  year. 


278  APPENDIX    I 

March  T,rd.  Shag,  <^  {Phalacrocorax  graculus),  Northamptonshire 
specimen,  died.  This  bird  was  picked  up  near  Higham  Ferrers 
after  heavy  gales  in  the  first  days  of  September  1892,  and  sent  to 
me  alive  by  one  Shelton. 

Alarch  ^th.  Lammergeier  {Gypaetus  barbatus)  lay  on  the  grass 
basking  in  front  of  the  house.  This  is  one  of  two  young  birds  of  last 
year,  procured  through  G.  Frank  from  Western  Switzerland.  These 
birds  have  been  at  complete  liberty  since  I  received  them  last  summer 
before  they  could  fly,  till  Cosgrave  told  me  that  one  of  them  seemed 
to  be  suffering  from  the  cold  of  early  January,  and  was  taken  into 
shelter,  where  he  has  completely  recovered.  The  bird,  still  at  liberty, 
never  goes  to  any  considerable  distance,  and  very  seldom  mounts  to 
more  than  seventy  or  eighty  feet  from  the  ground.  He  generally 
roosts  about  the  courtyard  walls,  seems  to  be  more  sensitive  of  wet 
than  cold,  and  remains  quite  tame. 

March  x'^th.  Small  gallinules  {Gallinula  angulata),  Sundevall 
{fide  P.  L.  Sclater  and  R.  B.  Sharpe).  I  sent  these  two  birds  to 
London  for  inspection  by  Sclater,  who  tells  me  that  he  and  Sharpe 
make  them  out  as  specimens  of  the  above-named  South  African 
species.  This  species,  in  immature  plumage,  is  figured  in  Ibis,  1859, 
under  the  name  of  GaU'mula  puinila,   Sclater. 

March  \i>th.  Night  heron  {Xyctkorax  griseus),  in  aviary,  laid 
first  egg  of  season. 

March  \itli.  Me.\ican  jays  {Cyanocorax  luxuosus).  Two  received 
from  Jamrach.  The  first  of  the  species  ever  seen  alive  by  me.  Active 
and  very  pretty  birds,  with  a  curious  squeal,  that  reminds  me  greatly 
of  the  cry  of  the  common  buzzard. 

March  20th.  Cinereous  vulture  {I'ultur  monachus\  old  Spanish 
bird,  laid  an  egg.  This  bird  was  taken  from  a  nest  in  a  high  pine 
tree  in  the  forest  near  San  Ildefonso,  Old  Castille,  in  June,  1S65 
{Ibis,  1866,  pp.  388,  389). 

March  27///.  White-shouldered  eagle  i  {Aquihi  adalberti)  died. 
I  believe  that  this  bird  was  the  only  male  of  three  brought  home  by 
me  from  a  nest  in  the  Goto  del  Rey  in  1869 ;  but  I  have  had  several 
at  various  times  since,  and  having  been  so  much  away  from  home, 


APPENDIX    1  279 

and,  when  at  home,  so  much  shut  up  in  the  winters,  I  cannot  feel 
quite  sure. 

Bittern  {Botaurus  stellaris)  began  to  '  boom '  on  20th  inst.  In 
April  1 89 1  two  of  this  species  made  a  nest  in  a  cage  in  our  court- 
yard, and  laid  five  eggs,  upon  which  one  or  other  of  the  parent  birds 
sat  continually,  but  did  not  hatch. 

Woodpigeons  {Columba  palumbus).  Pair  in  aviary  have  two  eggs, 
and  sit  thereon. 

Mexican  jay.     One  died,  in  apparent  excellent  condition. 

April  lotk.  Grey  coly  shrikes  {Hypocolius  ampelinus).  A  pair 
received  from  Bartlett.  These  birds  {fide  Bartlett)  were  received  at 
Zoological  Gardens,  with  others  of  same  species,  from  the  Persian 
Gulf  They  are  remarkably  tame.  I  can  detect  very  little  affinity  in 
them  to  the  shrike  family,  and  only  name  them  as  above  for  want  of 
a  better  name.  Their  favourite  food  is  fruit,  but  they  are  also  fond 
of  meal-worms,  and  would,  I  feel  certain,  very  much  like  house-flies, 
if  we  could  find  any.  In  fact,  they  are  evidently  of  waxwing-flycatcher 
affinity.  The  picture  of  this  bird  in  Ibis  for  1868,  p.  181,  is  much 
more  slender  in  look  than  my  birds,  and  their  colour  is  mousey,  not 
creamy,  as  in  picture. 

April  \ith.     Woodpigeons  in  aviary  have  hatched  both  eggs. 
Military  starling  {Sturnella  militaris)  purchased  last  summer,  died 
from  abscess. 

April  i6tli.  Great  bustard  {Otis  tarda)  in  aviary,  picking  up  and 
swallowing  feathers. 

April  i8tk.  Cinereous  vulture  laid  another  egg,  rather  better 
coloured  than  first. 

April   igt/i.     Hybrid   bean  +  white-fronted   goose    {Anser  segetuin, 

S-\-A.  albifrons,    ? ),  bred  on  aviary  pond  last  year  with  others,  of 

■which  it  is  the  sole  survivor,   is   in   very  fine  plumage.     It  has  the 

lender  neck  and  orange-coloured  legs  and   feet   of  its  male  parent, 

with  a  small  white  frontal  patch  ;  no  bars   on  breast. 

April  20th.  Goliath  heron  {cf.  antea)  received  on  approval  from 
Jamrach  as  Ardea  atricollis,  to  which  it  has  no  resemblance  in  plumage, 
and  is  much  larger. 


2  8o  APPENDIX   I 

Porphyrio  {Porphyria,  sp.  ?)  Three,  supposed  to  be  P.  caruleus, 
received  on  approval  from  Jamrach.  Said  by  him  to  have  been  pro- 
cured from  Sicily,  through  a  dealer  at  Marseilles. 

I  cannot  believe  that  these  birds  belong  to  that  species,  on  account 
of  their  small  size  and  the  very  dark  plumage  of  their  backs,  and  I 
was  inclined  to  look  upon  them  as  the  Australian  black-backed 
porphyrio  {P.  rnela/iotus),  but  on  the  following  day  Jamrach  sent 
down  one  of  the  latter  species  for  comparison.  This  bird  is  con- 
siderably larger  than  the  three  others,  and  the  shape  of  frontal  shield 
differs  much  from  theirs,  so  that  at  present  I  am  much  puzzled  about 
species  of  latter. 

April  22?id.  Chilian  pintail  {Dafila  spinicauda)  sits  on  eggs  in 
sunk  fence  of  pinetum.  This  nest  is  almost  in  the  same  spot  as  last 
year,  and  the  bird  on  the  nest  was  almost  entirely  hidden  in  a  mass 
of  dead  leaves,  with  only  her  head  and  small  portion  of  neck  exposed, 
and  very  difficult  to  see. 

April  2yd.  Australian  native  companion  {Grus  australasiana), 
one  of  four  in  pinetum,  has  lately  developed  the  unamiable  habit 
of  driving  away  all  the  other  cranes  from  their  feeding  bo.xes,  though 
not  apparently  hungry  himself. 

April  2^th.  Senegal  pies  {Cryptorkina  afro).  One  of  two  of  this 
species  received  last  year,  with  brilliant  coral  red  beak,  has  changed 
the  colour  of  that  instrument  to  black,  like  that  of  its  male,  or 
companion. 

April  2^tk.  Lesser  kestrels  {Fako  ceiiihris).  Four,  apparently 
adults,  received  from  Jamrach. 

Chinese  laughing  thrush  (Lcucodioptron  carwrum)  received  on 
approval  from,  and  returned  to,  Jamrach. 

April  28M.  Hooded  crane  {Grus  monackiis),  in  pinetum,  broke 
a  leg. 

April  2()tk.  Sardinian  starling  S  {Sliirnus  unicolor)  has  paired 
with  the  only  common  starling  in  the  same  compartment  of  aviary, 
and  sits  alternately  with  her  on  eggs  in  a  box. 

May  \st.     For    the   first    time    heard    the    call    note    of  double- 


APPENDIX    1  28  r 

spurred  francolins ;  very  powerful    and  strident,  somewhat  resembling- 
that  of  guinea-fowl,  but  more  prolonged  and  guttural. 

May  2nd.  The  white-fronted  goose  ?  and  bean  goose  $ 
having  again  paired  this  year,  to-day  hatched  four  of  six  eggs  at 
aviary  pond. 

May  2,rd.     Pochard  {Fuligula  ferina)  sits  on  six  eggs  in  pinetum. 

May  6th.  American  peregrine  or  '  duck  hawk  '  ?  {Falco  anatiivt) 
received  as  a  present  from  Major  Ernest  Anne,  who  informs  me 
that  it  was  taken  on  board  ship  at  about  1500  miles  off  the  coast 
of  Canada.  This  bird  is  considerably  smaller  than  an  average  Falco 
peregrinus  of  the  same  sex,  and  is  very  dark  in  colour.  I  am 
disposed  to  consider  her  as  a  bird  of  last  year. 

May  6th.  Bronze-winged  pigeons  {Fhaps  chalcoptera),  of  which 
I  have  a  pair,  produce  many  eggs,  but  will  not  sit,  so  we  put  two 
into  a  nest  of  woodpigeons  in  aviary  {cf.  antea),  removing  the  eggs 
of  latter  birds — a  second  sitting  that  I  omitted  to  note  in  this 
book. 

May  lofh.  White-bellied  sea  eagles  {Haliaetus  leucogaster). 
Two  very  fine  specimens,  adult  and  immature,  received  from 
Melbourne  as  a  present  from  Edward  Marshall. 

May  i6th.  Five  hybrids  of  spotted-billed  and  yellow-billed 
&ac\s  {Anas  pacilorhyiiiha,  c?,  and  A?tas  .xanthorhyncha  ?)  hatched 
out  at  aviary  pond. 

May  11  th  and  i8//z.  Ural  owl  {Syrniuni  ura/cnse),  one  of  two 
received  from  Russian  Finland  in  1888,  laid  an  egg  but  made  no 
nest  and  would  not  sit,  so  we  transferred  the  egg  to  a  nest  in  the 
park  that  contained  four  of  barn  owl  {Strix  flammea). 

May  \^th.  Ruffs  {Machetes  pugnax)  all  in  splendid  'show,' 
are  full  of  antics,  pugnacious  and  very  amorous. 

May  20th.  Boobook  owl  {Nhuyx  hoobook)  received  from 
Melbourne  as  a  present  from  Edward  Marshall. 

Madeiran  woodpigeon  {Columba  irocaz),  one  of  three  now  in 
the  aviary  received  from  Dr.  Hicks  of  Funchal,  made  a  slight  nest 
under  one  of  the  box  bushes,  on  the  bare  gravel,  and  laid  one  egg. 


2  82  APPENDIX    I 

Yellow-breasted  bunting  {Emberiza  aureola),  one  of  four  purchased 
last  year  from  Jamrach,  laid  an  egg  on  floor  of  cage,  without  any 
attempt  at  making  a  nest. 

May  2<)tk.  Seriemas  {Cariama  cristata).  Two  received  from 
A.  Thomson,  head  keeper  at  Zoological  Gardens. 

May  $Qi/t.  Sardinian  starling.  A  pair  have  hatched  out  three 
young  in  bo.x,  old  aviary. 

/une  2nd.  Yellow-breasted  bunting  {cf.  antea)  has  laid  two 
more  eggs,  but  will  not  sit. 

Jtine  T,rd.  Pink-headed  drake  {Anas  caryophyllacea),  one  of  pair 
purchased  last  year  from  Jamrach,  died  after  pining  for  several 
days.  These  ducks,  the  only  pair  that  were  ever  offered  to  me 
alive  for  sale,  bore  the  winter  very  well,  and  in  fact  throve  in  all 
•ways  till  a  few  days  ago.  They  are  stupid  and  heavy  birds,  only 
interesting  from  their  rarity  and  remarkable  colour  of  heads. 

June  ^fh.     Trumpeter  bullfinch   {Erythrospiza  githaginea)   laid  an 

egg- 
Sardinian  starlings  {cf.  antek),  three  young,  all  dead  from  parental 

neglect. 

June  dth.  Common  curlew  {Numenius  arquatus).  Two  young  in 
down  received  from  T.  Mann,  of  Aigle  Hill,  Allonby,  as  a  present. 
The  smaller  of  the  two  died  on  the  following  day ;  the  other  soon 
took  greedily  to  a  diet  of  earth-worms,  chopped  liver,  etc.,  and 
became  perfectly  tame. 

June  Zth.  White-breasted  gallinule  {GalUnula  phxnicura),  received 
in  a  dying  state  from  \V.  Cross  on  7th  inst.,  died  in  its  cage  next  day. 

Shamas  {Cittacincla  macrura).     Two   received  from  W.   Cross. 

Common  bittern  laid  first  egg  of  this  season. 

Long-eared  owls  {Asia  otus).  Three  young  received  from  a  Mr. 
Adams,  of  the  Lodge,   Cockley  Cley,   Swaffham. 

June  <)th.     Common  bittern  has  another  egg  and  sits. 
Little  owls  {Athene  noctua).     Thirty  received  from  Castang. 

June  loth.  Woodpigeons  in  aviary  busy  nesting  for  third  time 
this  year. 


APPENDIX    I  283 

fune  \^th.  Knot  {Triiiga  canutus).  An  egg  that  I  am  convinced 
is  of  this  species  laid  in  aviary. 

Larger  white  egret  {Ardca  sp.  ?)  died  in  fine  condition. 

June  \ith.  Ditto.  I  have  never  been  able  satisfactorily  to  deter- 
mine the  species  of  this  bird,  as  the  locality  given  by  the  vendor, 
West  Africa,  was  most  certainly  incorrect. 

June  19///.     Received  a  shama  from  Cross  in  place  of  one  deceased. 

Received  through  F.  Collier  two  Chilian  eagles  {Geranoaetus 
melannhuais)  in  immature  plumage,  said  to  have  been  sent  from 
Bahia  Blanca.  These  birds  are  so  much  smaller  than  any  of  their 
species  that  I  have  ever  previously  seen,  that  I  sent  them  up  to 
Bartlett  to  be  assured  about  them.  They  are  very  fine,  healthy 
birds  in  fairly  good  plumage  and  remarkably  tame,  agreeing  amicably 
with  a  crowd  of  other  raptores  in  western  yard. 

June   22nd.     Twenty-three  little  owls   received  from  Castang. 

Three  black  woodpeckers  {Picus  martins)  received  from  Jararach  ; 
all  young  birds. 

Two  pied  woodpeckers  {Pints  major). 

The  black  woodpeckers  are  in  very  bad  condition  of  flesh  and 
plumage.  One  died  on  25th  inst.,  the  other  two  I  think  will  live  ; 
they  feed  greedily  on  ants'  eggs,  but  prefer  wasp  grubs  to  any  other 
food  that  we  can  find  for  them,  though  they  will  not  touch  the 
developed  imago  of  this  insect.  Jamrach  assured  me  that  he  received 
them  from  Gratz.  The  pied  woodpeckers,  also  young  birds  from 
the  same  locality,  are  the  finest  of  their  species  that  I  ever  saw,  in 
perfect  health  and  plumage  and  as  tame  as  possible. 

June  22nd.  Received  four  young  scarlet  ibis  {Ibis  rubra)  from 
Jamrach. 

June  2yd.  One  of  my  northern  nuthatches  died.  Sent  to  H.  E. 
Dresser. 

Two  young  goshawks  {Astur  palumbarius)  received  from  Mons. 
P.  A.  Pichot.  These  birds  are  male  and  female,  and  were,  as  I  believe, 
taken  from  a  nest  in  a  forest  near  Rouen,  whence  I  had  received  others. 

Jtine  2-]th.  Madeiran  pigeon  laid  an  egg  on  the  ground,  found 
■cracked. 


284  APPENDIX    I 

Jtine  2C)t/i.  Two  young  ringed  plovers  {^gialitis  hiaticula),  one 
dead,  received  from  Cumberland. 

June  2fith.  Tawny  eagle  {Aguila  rapax)  and  golden  eagle  {Aquila 
chrysaetus)  from  Abyssinia  received  on  approval  from  Jamrach. 

I  kept  the  tawny  eagle,  which  is  a  fine  bird  of  the  light  browrt 
race,  very  much  resembling  the  most  recently  received  of  the  two 
already  here,  and  the  light-coloured  bird  of  Wolfs  plate  in  the  Ibis. 
Jamrach  declared  that  this  bird  came  to  him  from  North  Africa, 
probably  Morocco.  I  returned  the  golden  eagle,  as  I  do  not  want 
one  of  that  species  ;  this  was  a  remarkably  large,  strong  young  bird 
with  pure  white  tarsi. 

July  \st.  Australian  maned  goose  i  {Bernicla  jubata)  died  ii> 
good  condition.  This  bird  was  one  of  a  pair  purchased  last  year 
from  Jamrach ;  they  had  both  done  remarkably  well  in  the  new 
aviary,  feeding  chiefly  on  the  grass  growing  therein.  I  suspect  that 
the  commencement  of  the   moult  was  the  cause  of  death. 

July  2,rd.  Great  bustard  $  (Otis  tarda)  died  after  long  weakness. 
This  was  one  of  a  consignment  received  some  years  ago  from  Seville, 
and  presented  by  me  to  W.  H.  St.  Quintin ;  it  was  injured  when  it 
arrived,  and  St.  Quintin,  after  keeping  it  for  a  year  or  more,  sent 
it  back  to  me,  rather  than  kill  it,  in  October  1S90.  It  did  well 
here,  but  was  always  weakly  on  the  legs  from  an  injury  to  the  ribs, 
and  probably  to  the  vertebra,  on  the  journey  from  Spain,  though  it 
fed  well,  moulted  clean  every  year,  and  was  impudently  tame  and 
pugnacious. 

Woodpigeons  {;/.  antek)  have  hatched  out   one  young  bird. 

July  6tk.  Little  bitterns  {Ardetta  minuta).  Three  very  young,, 
received  from  Castang. 

July  &tli.  Australian  crane  (</.  antea)  died  after  failing  for  some 
time. 

Great  white  Siberian  cranes  (Grus  Icucogeranus)  in  pinetum, 
reported  by  Cosgrave  to  be  suffering  from  the  excessive  heat  more 
than  any  other  birds  in  the  collection. 

July  nth.  Bearded  vulture  {cf.  antek).  Very  fine  young  bird 
received  from  Malaea. 


APPENDIX    I  285 

Bonelli's  eagle  {Pseudaetus  bonelli).  Young  male  received  from 
Malaga. 

/uly  12th.  Marbled  duck  {cf.  antea),  long  lame  and  ailing,  died. 
Was  a  female  by  dissection,  and  despatched  to  Bowdler  Sharpe  at  South 
Kensington. 

Booted  eagle  {Aquila  pennata),  in  bad  condition,  received  from 
Jamrach. 

July  iTjth.  Egyptian  eagle  owl  (Bubo  ascalaphus)  received  from  a 
Mr.  Weeks,  of  Cheswardine,  near  Market  Drayton,  who  says  that  it  was 
captured  at  Luxor. 

Common  bittern  (cf.  antea).     Three  eggs  all  proved  rotten. 

July  \<-^th.  Japanese  kite  {Milvus  mclanotis  ?)  received  from  E. 
Marshall. 

Owl  from  Japan  {Slv/>s  sp.  ?),  id. 

July  2^tk. — Two  great  blue  herons  {Ardea  herodias)  sent  on 
approval  by  Cross ;  returned. 

Two  caracaras  {Polyborus  brasiliensis)  from  Uruguay,  received  from 
O.  V.  Aplin. 

Pileated  jay  {Cyanocorax pileatus),  id. 

Four  long-eared  owls  (Asia  otus)  received  from  Mr.  Adams,  of 
Cockley  Cley,  West  Norfolk. 

August  \st.  Tawny  eagle  {Aquiia  rapa.x)  {cf.  ante^).  Killed  by 
white-bellied  sea  eagle  {Haliaetus  leucogaster),  through  the  bars  of  the 
compartment  in  eagle  yard. 

August  2nd.  Redshank  (Totanus  calidris)  received  from  F.  Dyer 
of  Ramsgate. 

Three  black  woodpeckers  {Picus  marlius)  received  from  Jamrach. 

One  Montagu's  harrier  {Circus  cineraceus),  melanic  variety,  received 
from  Mons.  P.  A.  Pichot,  of  Paris,  with  four  others  of  the  same  species 
of  ordinary  type,  which  I  left  at  Zoological  Gardens.  In  the  individual 
above  noticed  the  whole  of  the  plumage  is  of  a  uniform  very  deep  brown, 
almost  black,  the  irides  of  the  same  colour.  I  believe  that  all  this  lot 
of  harriers  were  taken  from  nests  in  northern  France. 

One  honey  buzzard  {Pernis  apivorus),  white  mottled  variety,  received 
from  Mons.  Pichot  (as  above).     This  bird  was  still  unable  to  fly,  and 


2  86  APPENDIX    I 

has  developed  into  a  very  beautiful   and  charmingly  tame   pet,  only 
showing  a  little  restlessness  at  the  autumnal  migration  time. 

August  St/:.  One  nutcracker  {Corvus  caryocatactes)  presented  by 
Dr.  A.  Giinther. 

August  gt/i.  One  lanner  {Fako  feldeggi)  received  from  Consul 
Hunot,  of  Saffi,  Morocco. 

One  serpent  eagle  ( Circaetus  gallicus),  id. 

I  presented  both  the  last  named  birds  to  the  Zoological  Society. 

August  loth.  Diuca  diuca,  from  Chili,  received  last  year,  identified 
by  P.  L.  Sclater. 

Three  porphyries  (P.  edwardsi),  South  China. 

Brown-headed  gull  {Larus  ridibundus)  pinioned  by  shot  on  Tich- 
marsh. 

August  i2ih.  Red-backed  shrike  {Lanius  coUurio),  young,  received 
from  Bazeley,  of  Northampton. 

August  icjth.  Thirteen  little  bitterns  (Ardetta  niinuta),  from  Holland, 
received  from  Castang. 

August  2ist.  Six  avocets  {Avocctta  recurvirostra),  six  redshanks 
{Totanus  calidris),  and  black-tailed  godwit  {Limosa  mehnurd),  from 
Holland.     Received  by  order  of  F.  Blaauw. 

August  22nd.  Three  herring  gulls  {Larus  argentatus),  immature, 
from  south  coast,  presented  by  Alex.  Berens. 

August  2^th.  Little  kestrel  {Falco  cenchris),  southern  starling 
{Sturnus  uniiolor),  great  bustard  {Otis  tarda),  little  bustard  {Otis  tetrax), 
glossy  ibis  {Plegadis  falcinellus),  marbled  ducks  {Anas  angustirostris), 
from  Andalucia,  received,  per  Ochenden,  from  Gibraltar. 

August  30M. — Black-headed  partridges  {Caccahis  melanocephald) 
received  via  Bartlett  from  Aden. 

White-shafted  francolins  {Fraiicolinus  infuscatits),  from  Somali 
coast,  id. 

Singed  sand  grouse  {Pterocks  exustus)  received  via  Bartlett  from 
Aden. 


APPENDIX    1 


287 


But  there  was  already  the  collection  of  years  before 
this  record  began  to  be  kept  in  this  particular  form.  Of  the 
extent  and  variety  of  the  Lilford  Collection  of  living  birds 
during  the  whole  period  of  its  existence  some  general  idea 
may  be  gathered  from  the  following  list.  It  includes,  not  all, 
but  the  greater  proportion  of  the  birds  new  to  the  Aviaries 
between  the  date  last  given  and  the  third  week  in  March  1896 
— a  space  of  not  three  years. 


Mantell's  apteryx 
Owen's  apteryx  . 
Greek  partridge . 
Barbary  partridge 
Black-headed  partridge 
Bamboo  partridge 
Common  francolin 
Grant's  francolin 
White-shafted  francolin 
Double-spurred  francolin 
Madagascar  francolin . 
Guinea  fowl 
Crested  colin 
Scaly  colin 

Chinese  button  quails 
Pintailed  sand  grouse 
Singed  sand  grouse    . 
Madeiran  woodpigeon 
Laurel  pigeon     . 
Bolle's  pigeon     . 
Spotted  pigeon  . 
Snow  pigeon 

Grey  headed  fruit  pigeon 
Carolina  crake    . 
American  water  rail    . 
Ypacaha  rail 


Apteryx  mantel  It. 

Apteryx  oiveni. 

Caccabis  saxatilis  (Austria). 

Caccabis  petrosa. 

Caccabis  melanocephala  (Aden). 

Bambusicola  thoracica. 

FrancoUtnis  vulgaris. 

Fraticolinus  granti. 

Francolinus  kucoscepkus. 

Francolinus  bicakaratus. 

Alargaroperdi.x  niadagascariensis. 

Nianida  sp.  ? 

Eupsychortyx  cristatus. 

Callipepla  squamata. 

Excalfactoria  chinensis. 

Pterocles  alchata. 

Pterocles  exustus  (Aden). 

Columba  trocaz  (hatched  in  Aviary). 

Columba  laurivora. 

Columba  bollii. 

Cobimba  maculosa  (South  America). 

Columba    leuconota    (S.    Himalayas ; 

hatched  in  Aviary). 
Columba  o;vea1  (India). 
Forzana  Carolina. 
Aramides  cayennensis. 
Aramides  ypacaha- 


288 


APPENDIX    1 


Pectoral  rail 
Blue  water-hen  . 
Green-backed  Gallinul 
Allen's  gallinule 
Martinique  gallinule 
White-breasted  gallinule 
Black-throated  diver 
Fulmar 
Puffin 

Common  gull     . 
Sandwich  tern    . 
Stone  curlew 
Great  bustard     . 
Green  sandpiper 
Common  sandpiper 
AustraHan  wattled  lapwing 
Avocet 
Knot 

Oyster-catcher    . 
Black-tailed  godwit 
Black-necked  stilt 
Pratincole 
Sarus  crane 
White-necked  crane 
Wattled  crane    . 
Stanley's  crane  . 
Tufted  umbre     . 
Purple  heron 
Great  white  heron 
5quaccQ  heron  . 
Little  egret 
Buff-backed  egret 
Night  heron 
Bittern 
Little  bittern 
Tiger  bittern 
Roseate  spoonbill 


.     Rallus  pectoralis. 

.     Porphyria  edwardsi. 

.     Porphyria  smarcigdonotus. 

.     Porphyria  alleni. 

.     Porphyria  martinica. 

Gallinula  phainicura. 

Colymbus  arcticus. 
.     Fulmarus  glacialis. 
.     Fratercula  arctica. 

Larus  canus. 
.     Sterna  cantiaca. 

CEdicnemus  crepitans. 

Otis  tarda. 

Tatanus  ochropus. 

Tatanus  hypoleucos. 

Sarciophorus  pec  tor  a  lis. 
.     Avocetta  recurvirastra. 

Tringa  canutus. 
.     HcBtnatopus  ostrakgus. 

Limosa  melanura. 

Himantopus  nigricollis. 

Glareola  pratincola. 

Grus  aniigane. 

Grus  leucauchen. 
.     Grus  carunculata  (South  Africa). 

Tetrapteryx  paradisea. 
.     Scopus  umbretta  (Bechuanaland). 
.     Ardea  purpurea. 

Ardea  alba. 
.     Ardea  ralloides. 
.     Ardea  garzetta. 
.     Ardea  bubulcus. 
.     Aycticorax  griseus  (Arabia). 
.     Botaurus  stellaris. 
.     Ardeola  minuta. 

Tigrisoma  tigrinum. 
.     Plataka  ajaja. 


APPENDIX    I 


289 


Spoonbill  . 

South  American  white  ibis 

Black-headed  ibis 

Smew 

Gadwall     . 

Garganey  . 

Shoveller   . 

Pink-headed  duck 

Scaup 

Pochard     . 

Golden  Eye 

Tufted  duck 

White-eyed  pochard  . 

Red-crested  pochard 

Merganser 

Eider  duck 

Maned  goose 

Spur-winged  goose     . 

Cassin's  snow-goose    . 

Snow-goose 

Whooper  swan  . 

Bewick's  swan    . 

South  American  flamingo 

Flamingo  . 

American  darter 

Pygmy  cormorant 

Marsh  harrier     . 

Montagu's  harrier 

Goshawk    . 

American  sparrow-hawk 

Common  buzzard 

Red-backed  buzzard  . 
Many-zoned  hawk 
Chanting  falcon 
Lammergeier     , 


.     Plaialea  kucorodia. 

Eudocimus  albus. 
.     Ibis  melatwcephala. 
.     Mergus  albellus. 
.     Anas  strepera. 
.     Anas  querquedtda. 
.     Anas  clypeata. 
.     Anas  caryophyllacea. 

FuUgula  marila. 
.     Fuligula  ferina. 

Fuligula  clangula. 
.     Fuligula  cristata. 
.     Fuligula  nyroca. 

Fuligula  rufina. 
.     Afergus  serraior. 
.     Soinateria  mollissima. 
.     Bernida  jubata. 
.     Pledropterus  gainbensis. 

Chen  hypoboreus. 

Chen  albatus. 

Cygnus  ferus. 
•     Cygnus  bewicki. 
.     Phanicopterus  ignipalliatus. 
.     Phanicopterus  roseus. 
.     Plotus  anhinga. 

Carbo  pygmceus. 
.     Circus  icricginosus. 

Circus  cineraceus. 
.     Astur  palumbarius. 

Accipiter  fuscus. 

Buteo  vulgaris  (very   dark    variety ; 
Holland). 
.     Buteo  erythronotus  (Patagonia). 
.     Melierax  polyzonus. 
.     Melierax  canorus. 
.     Gypaetus  barbatus  (Switzerland  and 
Almeria). 

19 


290 


APPENDIX    1 


White-shouldered  eagle 
Imperial  eagle 
Spotted  eagle 
Golden  eagle 
Black  kite 
Common  kite 
Barbary  falcon 
Hobby       . 
Peregrine  . 
Lanner 
Merlin 

Cinnamon  kestrel 
Common  kestrel 
La  Marmora's  falcon 
American  kestrel 
Australian  peregrine 
Mediterranean  peregrine 
Eagle  owl 
Spotted  eagle-owl 
Cape  eagle-owl 
Burrowing  owl    . 
American  hawk-owl 
Short-eared  owl 
Long-eared  owl 
Lapp  owl  . 
Tawny  owl 
Ural  owl    . 
Spot-bellied  owl 
Little  owl  . 
Masked  owl 
South  American  liarn-owl 
Barn-owl    . 
Black-headed  caique 
Great  blue-eyed  cockatoo 
Red-faced  parakeet    . 
Orange-flanked  parakeet 
Carolina  parakeet 


.     A(/uila  adalberti  (Southern  Spain). 

.     Aqiiila  iniperialis. 

.     Aquila  ncevia. 

.     Aquila  chrysaetus. 

.     Milvus  migrans. 

.     Milvus  regalis. 

.     Falco  barbarus. 

.     Falco  subbuteo  (Southern  Spain). 

.     Falco  peregrinus. 

.     Falco  feldeggi. 

.     Falco  asalon. 

.     Falco  cinnamomina. 

.     Falco  tinnunctilus. 

.     Falco  eleonorcE  (Morocco). 

Falco  sparverius. 
.     Falco  melanogenys. 
.     Falco  pttnicus. 
.     Bilbo  maximus. 
.     Bubo  maculosus. 
.     Bubo  capensis. 
.     Speotyto  cunicularia. 

Syrnia  funerea. 
,     Asio  brachyotus. 
.     Asio  otus. 
.     Syrnium  lapponicum. 
.     Syrnium  aluco. 

Syrnium  uralense. 

Carine  spilogastra. 
.     Athene  noctua. 
.     Strix  castanops  (Australia). 
.     S/rix  guatemala. 
.     Strix  flavvma. 

Cdica  melanocephala. 

Cacatua  ophthalinica. 
.     Platycercus  novce-zealandicB. 
.     Brotogerys  pyrrliopterus. 
,     Conurus  cnrolinensis. 


APPENDIX    I 


291 


Guira  cuckoo     . 
Indian  black  cuckoo 
Senegal  touraco 
Toucan 

Green  woodpecker 
Pied  woodpecker 
Black  woodpecker 
Brahminy  mynah 
Hill  mynah 
Purple-headed  starling 
Long-tailed  glossy  starling 
Malabar  starling 

Rose  pastor 
Tristram's  grakle 

Black-collared  grakle , 

Blue-winged  magpie 

Nutcracker 

Australian  "  chough '' 

Alpine  chough   . 

Blue  hunting-pie 

Indian  oriole 

Golden  oriole     . 

Red-winged  hang-nest 

Hairy-headed  drongo 

Regent  bird 

Beautiful  grass-finch  . 

Gouldian  finch  . 

North  Queensland  grass-finch 

House-sparrow  . 

Brambling 

Greenfinch 

Teydean  chaffinch 

Brazilian  finch    . 

Mealy  redpoll     . 

Twite 
Crossbill    . 
Pine  grosbeak    . 


Guira  piririgua. 
Eudynamis  orientalis. 
Corythaix  persa. 
Pteroglossus  wiedi. 
Gecinus  viridis. 
Picus  major, 
Picus  martins. 
Teinenuchus  pagodarum. 
Gracula  intermedia. 
.     Sturnus  purpuracens. 
.     Lamprotornis  ceneus. 
.     Sturnopastor  malabaricus. 
,     Pastor  roseus. 
.     Amydrus  iristrami. 
.     Graculipica  nigricollis. 

Cyanopica  cooki. 
.     Niicifraga  caryocatactes. 
Cocora.x  nielaiwcephala. 
.     Fregilus  alpinus. 
Urocissa  occipitalis. 
Oriolus  indicus. 
.     Oriolus  auratus. 
.     Agelaius  phceniceus. 
Chibia  hottentota. 
Sericulus  melinus. 
.     Poephila  mirabilis. 
.     Poephila  gouldice. 
.     Poephila  cincta. 
.     Passer  domesticus. 

Fringilla  monfifriiigilla. 
.     Fringilla  chloris. 
.     Fringilla  teydea. 
Guiraca  cyanea. 
.     Linota  linaria. 
.     Linota  flavirostris. 
.     Loxia  curvirostra. 
.     Pyrrhulo,  ^nucleator. 


292 


APPENDIX    I 


South  American  bullfinch 

Oryzoborus  crassirostris. 

Woodlark 

.     Alauda  arborea. 

Snow-bunting     . 

.     Pkdrophanes  nivalis. 

Lapland  bunting 

Caliariiis  lapponicus. 

Bearded  reedling 

Panuriis  biarinicus. 

Greater  nightingale     . 

Daulias  philoinela. 

White-spotted  blue-throat 

.     Cyanecula  suecica. 

Grasshopper  warbler  . 

.     Locustella  nxvia. 

Barred  warbler  . 

.     Sylvia  nisoria  (North  Germany) 

Blue  robin 

.     Cyanea  wilsoni. 

Alpine  accentor 

.     Accentor  collaris. 

Blue  rock-thrush 

.     Monticola  cyanea. 

Pied  rock-thrush 

.     Monticola  saxatilis. 

Giant  kingfisher 

.     Dacelo  gigantea. 

Kingfisher 

.     Alcedo  ispida. 

Dusky  bulbul     . 

.     Pycnonotus  obscurus. 

Sulphury  tyrant 

.     Pyranga  sulp/iurea. 

Crested  jay-thrush 

.     Garrulax  leucolophus. 

White-throated  jay-thrush 

Garrulax  albogularis. 

Necklaced  jay-thrush . 

.     Garrulax  picticollis. 

Striated  jay-thrush 

Grainmatoptila  striata. 

Interesting   Hyurids. 

Fuligula  rufina         4          F.  ferina. 

Anns  boscas 

+         Mareca  penelope. 

Anas  boscas 

4-          A.  querquedula. 

APPENDIX   II 

Although  the  following  extracts  do  not  perhaps  pretend 
to  the  interest  of  what  has  gone  before,  they  seem  worth 
giving,  as  showing  how  the  ruling  passion  was  never  laid 
aside,  never  allowed  to  grow  rusty,  even  amid  apparently  the 
most  unfavourable  surroundings.  London  itself  was  made  by 
the  enthusiasm  of  this  naturalist  a  place  of  daily  ornithological 
interest ;  while,  on  every  little  trip  into  the  country,  he  takes 
notes,  even  of  the  most  familiar  birds,  with  just  as  much  care 
as  though  engaged  on  the  exploration  of  an  unknown  land. 
Thus  he  records  the  observation  of  no  fewer  than  thirty- 
one  species  of  birds  on  a  single  drive  from  Windsor  to 
Sunningdale. 

London 

November  /\tli,  1881.  Very  waini,  showery  day.  Went  round  to 
Den  *  in  the  morning,  and  did  some  work  at  my  Birds  of  North- 
amptonshire. Had  visits  there  from  Verner  and  Gunther,  who  talked 
much  of  choughs  {Fregilus  graculus)  observed  near  St.  Davids,  and 
say  that  they  seemed  to  feed  almost  entirely  on  insects  of  the  gnat 
{Tipuld)  family. 

November  ^th.  Went  in  the  morning  to  Zoological  Gardens 
specially  to  see  my  Spanish  bear,  which  is  quite  blind,  but  seems 
healthy  (very  different  in  looks  from  a  young  bear  from  Russia  which 

•  So  Lovrl  Lilford  called  his  rooms  in  Tenlerdeii  Street,  at  the  time  tlic  meeting- 
place  of  the  members  of  the  British  Ornithologists'  Union. 

393 


294  APPENDIX    II 

is  in  the  same  den)  and  the  Beatrix  antelopes  {Oryx  heatrix),  which 
I  received  from  Muscat  through  Col.  Miles,  and  presented  to  the 
Society.  The  latter  are  both  females,  Ijeautiful  animals,  but  one  has 
unfortunately  broken  both  horns,  and  lost  an  eye. 

In  the  Field  of  to-day  is  a  notice  from  Mr.  W.  Tomalin  of  a 
black-throated  diver  {Cofym/ms  arcticus)  shot  on  Naseby  Reservoir 
by  a  Mr.  Kennall  of  Northampton,  on  October  25th,  and  sent  to 
Mr.  J.  Gardner,  29,  0.\ford  Street,  for  preservation.  This  requires 
investigation  as  to  species. 

November  %th.  Colder  and  slightly  foggy.  I  went  to  Gardner's 
to  see  the  diver  before  mentioned,  and  found  that  it  is  a  genuine 
black-throated  diver  {Colymbus  arcticus).  Went  ^to  Uen  and  found 
Paul  Mollen  there,  not  having  been  able  to  start  last  night  for 
Holland  on  account  of  fog. 

G.  Hunt  writes  that  he  and  the  keeper  had  killed  eighty-one 
snipes  and  jack  snipes  in  six  days'  shooting.  Burton  showed  me  a 
fine  hybrid  from  Russia,  between  willow  grouse  {Lagopus  saiiceti) 
and  black  game  {Tetrao  tetrix). 

November  \oth.  Very  mild,  fine  day.  Went  round  to  Den, 
and  hunted  through  many  bird  drawers  in  search  of  some  missing 
skins,  without  success.  Leopold  called,  and  sat  with  me  for  some 
time.  Received  a  long-expected  box  from  Ruiz,  containing  many 
eggs  of  the  marbled  duck  (Amu  angustirostris),  some  doubtful, 
supposed  to  be  those  of  pochard  {Fuligiila  ferina),  a  skin  of  black 
stork  (Cico'iia  nigra,  juv.),  and  one  of  crested  coot  {Fit/ica  crisiala). 
Tri-stram  looked  in,  and  lunched  with  me  at  Oriental ;  gave  me 
some  interesting  details  of  his  last  travels  in  Palestine,  Syria,  and 
Asia  Minor;  the  most  startling  fact  being  the  discovery  of  a  darter 
{Plotui)  breeding  on  the  Lake  of  Antioch. 

November  11//1.  Mild,  dull  day.  Went  to  Burton's,  who  holds 
out  faint  hopes  that  some  of  my  missing  bird  skins  may  yet  be 
there.  Spent  the  greater  part  of  the  day  at  Den  writing  my  notes 
for  Birds  of  Northamptonshire. 

November  i$th.  Fine,  mild  day.  Went  to  Burton's,  and  found 
the   skin   of    Barbary  falcon,    about    which    my    mind    has   been    so 


APPENDIX    II 


295 


much  exercised.  Irby  paid  me  a  visit  al  the  Den.  Dined  at 
Zoological  Club  dinner  at  (jro.svenor  Restaurant  at  6  p.m. — Flower, 
Srlatcr,  A.  Newton,  (liinther,  Dresser,  O.  Salvin,  Saunders,  Grote, 
Holdsworth,  Forbes,  Dobson,  Hamilton,  another,  Waterhouse,  and 
self.  Meeting  afterwards  at  1 1,  Hanover  Square.  Tristram  exhibited 
a  very  fine  skin,  and  some  eggs  of  the  African  darter  {Plotus 
levaillanii)  from  the  Lake  of  Antioch,  Newton  a  specimen  of  rustic 
bunting  {Emberiza  rustled)  shot  in  Yorkshire,  and  Sclater  a  stuffed 
glossy  ibis  {Plegadis  falcinellus)  shot  last  September  in  Hampshire. 
Several  interesting  papers  read — one  relating  to  a  splendid  humming- 
bird {Loddigesia  iiiiral/ilis)  from  Peru,  of  which  specimens  were 
exhibited. 

November  iSf/i.  Thick,  chilly  fog.  I  went  up  by  appointment 
to  British  Museum  at  12,  where  Giinther  met  me,  and  showed  me 
the  groups  of  British  birds,  with  nests  and  eggs,  of  which  he  is 
very  justly  proud.  He  also  showed  me  an  extraordinary  tree-frog 
from  South  Americ.T,  with  perfectly  developed  young  in  a  bag  in 
its  back. 

November  i2>th.  Fine  bright  day  after  heavy  rain  in  the  night. 
I  went  hunting  for  some  pleasant  cage  bird  in  the  Seven  Dials  district, 
but  found  nothing  that  particularly  took  my  fancy.  Sabin  has  a  fine 
white  blackbird  and  a  young  mocking  bird  {Aliiniis  polyglottis). 

November  20th.  Notice  in  Field  of  Stone  Curlew  {(Edicnemtis 
crepitans),  shot  at  Gayton,  near  Northampton,  October  28th.  This  is  a 
rare  bird  in  agro  northantoniense. 

November  2yd.  Very  fine  and  bright.  Paul  Mollen  called  on 
his  way  back  from  Valkcnswaard  to  Lilford,  bringing  two  ash-coloured 
shrikes  alive  for  me,  which  have  been  used  at  tlie  huts  for  catching 
the  hawks. 

November  25M.     The  shrikes  are  very  wild,  but  feed  well. 

November  26th.  Irby  and  Edward  Acheson  called  at  Den,  and 
I  went  with  former  in  a  cab  to  Leadenhall  Market.  Castang  has  a 
young  male  Bonelli's  eagle  {Psettdaetusbonelli,  ^,  juv.),  two,  lanners  {Fako 
fe/deggi),  and  a  young  night  heron  {Nyticorax  griseus).  Great  quantities 
of  capercaillie  (Tetiao  urogallus)  in  the  market,  also  some  black  game 


296  APPENDIX    II 

{Tetrao  tetrix),  a  few  hazel  grouse  (Tetrao  bonasia),  and  willow  grouse 
{Lagoptis  sa/iceti).     Very  few  wild-fowl  {Anatidce). 

November  26th.  Received  three  snipes,  five  jack  snipes,  and  a  wild 
duck  from  Lilford. 

December  Tth.  Began  corrections  and  addenda  for  Dresser's 
Birds  of  Europe.     Received  three  snipes  from  Lilford. 

December  i^th.  Heard  from  G.  Hunt  that  he  had  killed  eleven 
wild  ducks  with  one  shot  with  the  big  gun  which  I  gave  him,  also 
that  there  are  hardly  any  fieldfares  (Turdus  pilaris)  in  the  country. 
Leo  sent  a  skin  of  hybrid,  I  think  second  cross  between  Reeves's 
{Phasianus  reevesi)  and  common  pheasant.  This  bird  has  a  trace 
of  white  neck  collar,  I  believe  it  is  from  Suffolk,  a  descendant  of  the 
old  male  Reeves's  cock  pheasant  which  I  gave  to  Nat  Barnardiston 
years  ago ;  this  bird  met  his  fate  lately  after  propagating  a  numerous 
hybrid  race. 

December  -ioth.  I  received  a  letter  from  Rev.  G.  E.  Morris, 
Rector  of  Middleton  Scriven,  near  Bridgnorth,  Salop,  enclosing  head 
and  wing  of  a  petrel  picked  up  in  that  neighbourhood,  about  which 
he  had  written  to  the  Standard  {vide  Standard,  December  8th,  1881, 
p.  2),  and  which  I  think  is  not,  as  he  supposes,  the  stormy  petrel 
(Thalassidroma  pelagica),  but  a  young  fork-tailed  petrel  {Thalassidroma 
leucorrhoa). 

December  wth.  I  make  out  from  Dresser's  book  that  the  petrel 
above  mentioned  is  a  specimen  of  Leach's  or  the  fork-tailed  petrel. 


Brighton 

December  2-i,rd.  Went  to  Swaysland,  who  showed  us  a  pair  of 
fork-tailed  petrels  recently  obtained  near  this  place,  also  two  birds 
which  look  like  hybrids  between  greenfinch  {Fringilla  chloris)  and 
brown  linnet  {Fringilla  catiiiabina) ;  of  this  Swaysland  says  he  has 
obtained  many  specimens.  He  also  had  some  good  specimens  of  grey 
redstart  {Ruticilla  cairii),  to  my  mind  a  very  distinct  bird  from  black 
redstart  {Ruticilla  titys),  which  often  turns  up  here,  and  of  which 
Swaysland  had  several  specimens. 


APPENDIX   II  297 

December  26th.  Young  Walter  Swaysland  called  in  the  evening  to 
tell  me  that  he  had  a  dark-breasted  variety  of  barn-owl  {Sirix  flammed) 
brought  in  alive.     1  had  a  long  ornithological  chat  with  him. 

Decemhei-  27///.  Swaysland  has  a  good  many  live  birds  in  a  com- 
partment at  the  end  of  the  pier  below  the  platform,  which,  in  spite 
of  very  limited  space,  seem  to  flourish.  I  bought  a  pair  of  mealy 
red-polls  {Liiiota  linaria). 

December  29//?.  Colonel  Verner  showed  me  a  cinnamon 
greenfinch  and  cinnamon  linnet,  a  red-breasted  thrush  {Turdus 
migraforius),  nightingale,  blackcap,  and  other  birds.  He  went  with 
us  to  see  Booth's  collection  of  stuffed  British  birds  in  the  Dyke 
Road.  It  is  a  very  fine  one,  most  of  the  birds  admirably  well 
stuffed  and  mounted.  His  cases  of  golden  (Aqtiila  fiilva)  and 
white-tailed  eagles  {Aquila  albicilla)  especially  are  beautiful.  Booth 
has  a  lot  of  gannets  (^Sula  bassana)  alive  in  his  garden,  one  of  which 
was  bred  there  this  year.  G.  Hunt  tells  of  a  bird  seen  at 
Wadenhoe  by  Quincey,  which  sounds  more  like  a  nutcracker 
{JVucifraga  caryocatactes)  than  anything  else. 

December  ^oth.  Received  and  corrected  proofs  of  a  fresh 
small  portion  of  my  notes  on  Northamptonshire  birds  for  the 
Journal  of  our  Natural  History  Society. 

London 

January  yd,  1882.  Went  back  to  Den  and  found  a  large 
concourse  of  ornithologists.  Seebohm  showed  us  some  beautiful 
skins  from  Astrachan  and  Siberia;  one  of  the  most  interesting  was 
a  flamingo  {P/uenicopterus  antiquortwi)  in  down,  from  the  Caspian. 
He  also  showed  some  beautiful  specimens  of  the  little  partridge 
{Perdix  barbatus)  from  North  China. 

January  26th.  My  remaining  butcher-bird  died.  Discovered 
an  egg  of  glossy  ibis  {Plegadis  falcinellus)  amongst  those  received 
in  the  last  box  from  Manuel  of  Coria.  It  was  not  mentioned 
in  Ruiz's  invoice  and  I  had  overlooked  it,  but  old  Manuel 
mentioned  it  in  a  letter  received  a  few  days  ago.  It  was  taken  in 
the  marisma. 


298  APPENDIX    II 

The  two  months  following  upon  his  cruise  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean in  this  year,  Lord  Lilford  spent  partly  in  London, 
partly  at  Neuenahr,   whither  he  went   to   take  the   waters. 

The  first  entry  in  the  following  extracts  finds  him  just 
returned. 

Dover.    London 

May  ic^th.     M S reports   my  bear  at   Zoological  Gardens 

as  being  very  ill. 

Letters  from  old  Manuel  announcing  the  finding  of  a  lanner's 
nest  in  the  Coto  de  Donana  with  three  young  birds  and  an  egg. 
Female  bird  shot  and  found  to  be  minus  one  leg.  Country  so 
dry  that  no  flamingoes  are  to  be  found. 

Gave  Dresser  a  pair  of  Audouin's  gulls. 

London 

May    26th.      Agreed   to    buy    the    great    auk   and    egg   of  C 

for  ^300. 

Irby  tells  me  that  Mcna  has  obtained  Totamts  stagnati/is  near  Malaga. 

Dresser  has  successfully  blown  the  eggs  of  Melizophilus  sardus. 
I  sent  the  two  snakes  up  to  the  Zoological  Gardens. 

May  21th.  Invested  in  a  fireproof  safe  for  the  better 
preservation  of  the  three  great  auk's  eggs. 

George  Hunt  tells  me  that  in  March  he  killed  500  woodpigeons 
near  Gidding  in  little  over  a  week. 

Windsor  and  Sunningd.\le 
May  T,\st.  Drove  up  the  Long  Walk  to  Cumberland  Lodge; 
the  beeches  in  great  beauty  and  rhododendrons  in  full  ijloom,  the 
young  fern  and  many  rabbits  adding  to  the  beauty  of  our  drive  to 
Sunningd.ile.  Noticed  the  following  birds  : — Blackbird,  song-thrush, 
missel-thrush,  swallow,  house-martin,  sand-martin,  swift,  rook,  jackdaw, 
nightingale,  blackcap,  lesser  whitcthroat,  chiffchafT,  willow-wren,  wood- 
wren,  robin,  wren,  great  tit,  coal  tit,  starling,  skylark,  pied  wagtail, 
yellow-hammer,  stone-chat,  stock-dove,  chaffinch,  common  sparrow, 
tree-creeper,   pheasant,  heron,  mallard. 


APPENDIX    II  299 

London 

June  1st.  Went  to  Jamrach's,  where  I  bought  twelve  roseate 
pastors  and  a  laughing  kingfisher.  Principal  things  noticed  :  Splendid 
pair  of  Persian  greyhounds,  three  Australian  quails,  and  some  jerboas. 

Neuenahr 

June  T,rd.  Birds  observed  between  Flushing  and  Cologne  :  Marsh- 
harrier,  kestrel,  white  wagtail,  skylark,  common  sparrow,  starling, 
carrion  crow,  peewit,  common  redshank,  common  heron,  white  stork, 
brown-headed  gull,  mallard,  and  cormorant. 

June  ^th.  Was  able,  thank  God,  to  stroll  round  the  garden  with 
frequent  rests,  more  than  I  have  done  in  the  walking  way  for  many 
a  day. 

Heard  landrail  and  many  nightjars  at  dusk. 

I  notice  that  most  of  the  sparrows  about  the  east  side  of  the  Curhaus, 
where  we  are  now  located,  are  the  tree  sparrow  {Passer  montanus), 
which  species,  curiously  enough,  escaped  my  notice  altogether  last  year. 
The  birds  seem  just  as  abundant  as  in  last  summer,  but  more  forward 
in  their  domestic  arrangements.  I  did  not  hear  so  much  song  of 
nightingale,  but  saw  a  good  many,  and  heard  their  churr  in  all  directions. 
Several  lesser  whitethroats  {Sylvia  curruca)  amongst  the  pea-sticks 
just  under  our  windows  ;  they  and  the  black  redstarts  are  kept  in  a 
constant  state  of  excitement  by  prowling  cats,  which  affords  excellent 
opportunities  of  observation.  Saw  a  robin  in  Curgarten  for  the  first 
time,  the  only  birds  of  this  species  last  year  seen  by  me  were  in  the 
hills.     Many  cuckoos. 

June  6f/i.  Very  fine  hot  day  with  south-west  breeze.  I  wandered 
out  after  breakfast  along  the  Acazien  Allee  and  saw  a  good  many  birds, 
but  there  is  so  much  more  grass  and  covert  of  all  sorts  this  year  than 
last,  and  the  breeze  was  so  strong  that  it  was  bad  for  observation.  I, 
however,  added  three  additional  species  to  list  of  birds  seen  here,  as 
follows : — 

Saw  a  pair  of  hawfinches  {Coccothraustes  vulgaris)  and  a  pair  of 
bullfinches  (Pyrrhula  europcea),  new  to  list,  and  heard  a  note  often 
repeated  which  I  have  no  hesitation  in  assigning  to  the  grey-headed 
woodpecker  {Gecinus  can  us). 


300  APPENDIX   II 

June  1th.  Heard  unmistakable  note  of  nuthatch  {Sitta,  sp.  ?)  new 
to  my  Neuenahr  bird  list. 

June  Ztk.  Common  wren  {Troglodytes  parvulus)  singing  lustily 
close  to  hotel  this  morning ;   new  to  Neuenahr  bird  list. 

June  <)tk.  My  bearded  Stuhlknecht  of  last  year  told  me  that  he 
knew  of  a  nest  of  kite  in  the  Wald  with  two  eggs. 

June  loth.  1  had  a  visit  from  a  Neuenahr  keeper,  with  whom 
I  plunged  recklessly  into  the  tongue  of  the  Fatherland,  and  got  on 
fairly  well. 

The  sportsman  did  not  seem  to  recognise  the  hobby  =  "  Baumfalke  " 
from  my  description,  but  knows  the  following  Raptores  : — kestrel  = 
"  Thurmfalka,"  goshawk  =  "  Habicht,"  sparrow-hawk  =  "  Sperber,"  kite  = 
"  Weier,"  buzzard  and  probably  honey-buzzard  =  "  Bussard,"  eagle- 
owl  ="Uhu,"  barn-owl  =  "Katzuhle."  He  also  knows  Gecinus  canus 
as  "Grauer  Specht,"  and  told  me  that  there  are  a  good  many  gelin- 
notes  =  "  Hazelhahn  "  in  the  Wald,  and  that  he  knew  of  a  nest  with 
seven  eggs  hatched  ofif  about  a  week  ago.  No  blackgame=  "  Birkhaln  " 
in  this  \Vald ;  a  few  woodcock  ="  Waldschnepfe "  breed  therein; 
many  roe  =  "Reh"  and  wild-boars  =  "  Wildschwein." 

June  \2th.  My  bearded  Stuhlknecht  brought  me  a  mutilated 
jay  =  "Magen,"  which  he  said  had  been  shot  in  the  Curgarten,  and 
insisted  with  some  truth  that  it  was  a  "  Raubvogel  "  =  bird  of 'prey. 

Jujte  i^th.  Letter  from  G.  Hunt,  telling  of  catching  some  good 
trout  in  Troywell  brook,  and  little  ones  in  Wadenhoe  eel-trap ; 
ailso  of  long-eared  owl  {Asio  otus)  at  his  reservoir,  and  green  sand- 
piper {Tetanus  ochropus)  last  month   on   the  brook. 

Bartlett  has  secured  the  two  Persian  greyhounds  for  me  {vide 
antei  June  ist,   1882). 

A  young  wild  swine  {Sus  scrqfa)  brought  to  our  sitting-room  at 
night  by  a  wilder  youth,  who,  as  far  as  we  could  make  out,  said  it 
was  one  of  four  taken  in  a  pitfall  this  morning  in  the  Hoh-Wald 
not  far  off.      It  appeared  to  me  to  be  moribund. 

June  i^th.  Saw  a  young  titys  redstart  about  on  his  own 
account. 

June  16th.       My  younger  Stuhlknecht  of  last   year  brought  me  a 


APPENDIX    II  301 

very  fine  specimen  of  long-eared  bat  {Fkcoius  auri(us),  and  our 
waiter  tells  of  a  man  at  Altenahr  who  has  two  young  "  Uhus  "  {Bubo 
maximus  ?)  alive. 

Jime  \'jth.  Found  that  the  "Uhus"  mentioned  above  had  been 
sold  and  sent  to   Bonn.     Young  swallows  flying. 

Letter  from  Leo,  with  some  details  about  his  Egyptian  birds  ; 
the  best  things  seem  to  be  ^gialitis  asiatka  in  breeding  plumage, 
and  a  fiilcon  doubtful   but  supposed   to  be  F.   barbartis. 

June  \%th.  Heard  from  G.  Lascelles  that  the  two  young 
falcons  from  the  Maddalena,  which  had  reached  him  in  wretched 
condition,  were  improving.  Wrote  to  Castang,  telling  him  to  send 
down  a  lanner,  hobby,  and  hawk,  which  he  thinks  is  Saker,  to  Lilford. 

June  ii.)th.  Saw  kingfisher  {Akedo  ispida),  new  to  Neuenahr 
list ;  also  a  woodpecker  in  Curgarten,  which  I  am  almost  certain  was 
Gecinus  canus. 

June  2otk.  Watched  tree  creepers  {Certhia  familiaris)  feeding 
their  young  in  nest  at  head  of  pollard  willow.  Saw  some  fifty  little 
tits  {Acredula  caudatd)  new  to  my  Neuenahr  list.  This  was 
apparently  a  collection  of  several  families  out  for  a  lark  together. 

June  22nd.  Saw  common  sandpiper  (Totanus  hypokuius),  new 
to  my  Neuenahr  list. 

June  2ird.  Saw  grey  wagtail  {Motacilla  sulphurea),  new  to 
Neuenahr  list.  Heard  golden  oriole,  quail,  and  woodlark.  Letter 
from  G.  Hunt  announcing  the  finding  of  hobby's  nest  with  three 
eggs  in  Geddington  Chase,  and  the  fact  that  the  gamekeeper  who 
found  this  one  destroyed  eggs  and  shot  the  old  birds  from  another 
nest  last  year  in  Boughton  AVood. 

June  2\th.  Heard  from  Bartlelt  that  he  had  a  hobby  for  me 
in  good  plumage,  and  from  Paul  MoUen  that  the  hawks  from 
Castang — viz.,  lanner  [Fako  feldeggi),  hobby  {F.  subbuteo),  and 
supposed  saker  (which  is  not  what  it  is  supposed  to  be)  had 
arrived  at  Lilford,  and  that  one  of  the  African  buzzards  {Buteo 
deseriorum)  was  dead. 


302  APPENDIX    II 

Saw  dipper  {Cindus  Mjuaticus)  and  heard  many  common  green 
woodpeckers  {Gecimis  viridis),  both  new  to  my  Neuenahr  list. 

Jutie  25///.  Letter  from  T.  telling  me  of  various  casualties 
amongst  birds  at  Lilford,  which  Paul  MoUen  had  ignored.  Notice 
in  field  from  W.  Tomalin  of  teal  {Anas  crecca)  breeding  at  Ecton, 
Northamptonsh  ire. 

June  21th.  Letter  from  J.  H.  Gurney  telling  me  that  falcon 
brought  by  Leo  from  Nile  is  a  puzzling  specimen,  more  particularly 
so  as  it  is  not  sexed,  but  he  is  inclined  to  consider  it  F.  punicus. 

June  iZth.  Saw  a  large  white-looking  bird  on  wing  far  away 
in  the  direction  of  Apollinaris,  which  must,  I  think,  have  been  a 
stork  (Ciconia  alba)  or  a  large  gull,  either  of  which  are  new  to  my 
Neuenahr  list. 

June  2()th.  Letter  from  W.  Tomalin,  dated  28th,  with  more 
particulars  of  teal  at  Ecton  {vide  25th  inst.  and  for  details  to 
Book  of  Northamptonshire,   vol.  ii.,  under  this  date). 

Letters  from  G.  Hunt  telling  me  that  the  hobby's  nest  before 
mentioned  in  Geddington  Chase  "is  in  a  straight  grown  oak,  an 
old  crow's  nest  about  thirty  feet  from  the  ground  and  some  two 
hundred  yards  from  nearest  track  or  riding  "  {vide  June  23rd). 

June  ■^oth.  Letters  from  Paul  Mollen  telling  me  that  the 
two  gulls  {Larus  domiiiicanus  and  L.  argentatus)  in  courtyard  at 
Lilford  had  paired  again  this  spring,  nested,  laid,  and  hatched  out 
three  young  ones,  two  of  which  he  has  lost.  He  also  says  that  he 
thinks  that  the  supposed  saker  {F.  sacer)  from  Castang  is  a  Barbary 
falcon  {vide  June  24th). 

Two  very  young  falcons  brouglit  to  me  alive  from  the 
Landskrone,  so  small  that  I  cannot  tell  what  they  are. 


INDEX 


Accentor,  Alpine,  276 

Accentor  collaris,  276 

Accipitcr  nisus,  133 

Address,  Presidential  (Northants  Field 

Club),  39 
Aigialitis  hiaticula,  284 
Alboran  Island,  Observations  around, 

203,  223 
Albufera,  Observations  around,  207 
A  mpelis  garni  his,  273 
Amydrus  tristrami,  49,  272-3 
Anas  aitgustirostris,  274 

„      caryophyllacca,  282 

„      nrcca,  302 
Andalucia,  Crossbills  in,  14 

„         Observations  in,  219 
Andalucian  hemipode,  15 
Aftscr  aliifrons,  75  (note) 

,,     brachyrhynchiis,  75  (note) 

„     fcrits,  214  (note) 

„      scgetian,  75  (note) 
Antelopes,  Beatrix,  294 
Aptcryx,  37,  38,  83 
Aquila  adalberli,  195  (note),  278 
Ardea,  283 

„     cinerea,  274 

„     goliath,  273 
Ardetia  minuta,  286 
Astur palnmbarius,  133,  283 
Athene  noctua,  16,  85 
Auk,  Great,  Egg  of,  58-9,  298 

,,     Little,  18 
Avocets,  50,  286 

Badgers,  5i 
Barbel,  5 


Barcelona,  Observations  around,  211 
Barclay,  Col.  H.,  Letters  to,  33,  264 
Bat,  Fruit-,  41 
Bats,  149,  153,  162 
Bear,  Spanish,  147,  293 

„     Story  of  a,  40 
Bee-eater,  241  (note). 
Bernicula  jubata,  284 
Bittern,  71,  72,  86,  279,  286 

Tiger,  293-5 
Blackbird,  "  Golden-winged,"  49. 
Blackbirds,  19 
Blackcap,  Madeira,  14,  48 

,,         Azores,  193 
Bladderwort,  6 
Blue  bird,  276 
Botaurus  stellaris,  279 
"  Brails  "  (and  note),  63 
Bramblings,  17 
Brazo  del  Este  (Guadalquivir),  Sport 

on,  218 
Bubo  ascalaphus,  285 

„      cincrasceus,  274 

,,     maculosus,  272 

,,     maximus,  59 
Buckley,  T.  Esq.,  Letters  to,  112,  141 
Bucks  Otter-hounds,  1 1 1 
Buffon's  Skua,  14 
Bulbul,  274 
Bullfinch,  71 

Black,  268 
Bunting,  Cirl,  20 
„        Little,  149 
,,        Yellow-breasted,  282 
Bustard,  Great,  30,  57,  146,  199  (note), 
200,  279,  284-6 


304 


INDEX 


Bustard,  Hoiibara,  67,  68,  71 

Little,  275,  286 
Bustard-quails,  169  (note) 
Bustards,  Killing  of,  29 
Butcher-bird,  122 
Buteo  vulgaris,  60  (note) 
Buzzard,  Common,  60 

,,        Honey-,  266  (note),  285 

„        Rough-legged,  80 

Caccabis  group  (note),  1 50 
,,       riifa,  29 
,,        sexaiilis,  152 
Cadiz,  Observations  around,  195,  213 
Cagliari,  Observations  around,  170-73 
Caliera,  Observations  around,  184 
Carcaras,  285 
Cat,  Archangelic,  78  (and  note) 

„    Wild,  214 
Catania,  Observations  around,  1 57 
Cereopsis  tiovcc-kollanditB,  275 
Chaffinch,  Canarian,  68 

,,         "Teydean,"  49,  71 
Chaffinches,  17 

Charadriiis  pliivialis.  Note  on,  22 
Cheiroptera,  149 
Chclidoit,  223 
Chettiisia  gregaria,  2 1 1 
Chiffchaffs,  12 
Choughs,  Alpine,  52,  60 

,,        Cornish,  52,  293 
Circai'tus  galliais,  180  (note),  286 
Circus,  160  (note) 

,,      cineraccus,  60,  160  (note),  285 
„      cyancus,  274-5 
Cirl  Bunting,  20 
Cockatoo,  Great  Blue-eyed,  267 
Collection,  Ornithological,  etc. — 
At  Brighton,  297 

,,    Genoa,  149 

„    Lilford,  36-38,  287-92 

„    Lisbon,  193 

„    Malaga,  203 

,,    Malta,  167 

„    Naples,  153 

„   Nice,  244 

,,   Palermo,  168 


Collection,  Ornithological,  etc. — 
At  Pisa,  226 
„    Valencia,  206 
"  Coloured     Figures    of    the     British 

Birds,"  ix,  90 
Coluinba  bollii,  66,  67,  80 
„         laurivora,  70  (note) 
,,        <enas,  151 
,,        palumbus,  279 
„        irocaz,  28,  50,  281 
Colymbus  arctiais,  294 
Coney,  The,  of  Scripture,  86 
Coracias  garrulus,  65  (note) 
CoRDEAUX,  John,  Esq.,  Letters  to,  13, 

19 
Corsica,  West  Coast  of,  Observations 

around,  244 
Corvus  cor  ax,  82 

„      frugilegus,  151 
CosGRAVE,  Richard,  Note  on,  44 
Courser,  68,  95 

„         Cream-coloured,    203    (note), 
261-2 
Crakes,  94 
Crane,  Hooded,  58,  70 

„       Manchurian,  58,  274 

„       Siberian,  284 

,,       White-necked,  170,  275 
Cranes,  58 
Crex  parva,  94 

Crichton,  Hon.  Mrs.,  Letters  to,  112 
Crossbills,  14,  17,  34 
Crow,  Grey,  13,  32 
Crvplorhina  afra,  280 
Curlew,  9,  282,  295 

„        Australian,  54 
CwTuca  heinckeni,  69 
Cursorius  gallicus,  203  (note) 
Curvirostra,  17 
Cyanocorax  luxuosus,  270 
„  pikatus,  285 

Cygnet,  White,  275 
Cygnus  bewicki,  276 

,,       ferus,  19,  276 

,,        olor,2T^ 

Dafila  spinicauda,  280 


INDEX 


305 


Danube,  The,  for  Naturalists,  33 

Darter,  294 

Dehesa,  Observations  in  the,  186 

Diuca  diuca,  286 

Diver,  Black-throated,  24,  294 

,,       Great  Northern,  ig,  31 

,,       Red-throated,  31 
"Don  Quixote,"  245,  269 
DoRiA,    The    Marchese    Giacomo, 

148 
Dormouse,  42 
Dove,  Crested,  50 

,,      Laurel,  70 

,,      Rock,  22S 

,,      Stock,  28 
Drake,  18 

„       Pink-headed,  282 
Dresser,  Henry,  Esq.,  Letter  from,  253 
„  ,,  ,,      on     Lord     Lil- 

ford's  "finds,"  253 
Drewitt,  Hon.  Mrs.,  Letters  to,  248, 

2501  253.  255 
Duck,  Bimaculated,  18 

,,      Pink-headed,  53 

,,      Tufted,  g,  ig,  165 
Ducks,  15,  214-5 

,,       Hawk,  281 

,,      Hybrid,  281 

,,      Marbled,  54,  274,  286 
Dunlins,  191 

Eagle,  Bonelli's,  201  (note),  285 
,,      Booted,  93,  201  (note) 
„       Chilian,  8.  283 
,,       Golden,  32,  33,  43,  284 
„       Sea-,  White-bellied,  46,  88,  281 
,,       Sea-,    White-tailed,    26    (note), 

42,  43,  92,  94 
„       Snake,  i,  180  (note) 
,,       Spanish  Imperial,  147,  212 
,,       Spotted,  95,  149 
,,       Tawny,  284 

„       White  -  shouldered,     93,      195 
(note),  278 

Eagles,  21,  33 

Editor,  The,  Letters  to,  73,  74,  75,  76, 
77,  78,  85,  86,  loi,  270,  271 


Editor,  The,  voyage  to  Kolguev  Is.,  270 
Egg  Act,  Lord  Lilford  on,  257 
,,    Protection,  Lord  Lilford  on,  257, 

261 
,,    Swindle,  An,  263 
Egrets,  54,  273 
Elba,  Observations  around,  227-9 

„       Rocks  of,  228 
Ernbcriza  aureola,  282 
Epirus,  Flighting  in,  142 

,,       Observations  in,  9-10 
Ernes,  25 

Eryth?-ospiza  githaginea,  7 1 
"  Eyesses,"  118,  119 

Falco  asalon,  129 
,,      anatum,  281 
,,     barbanis,  178  (note),  276 
,,     ce?ichns,  165  (note),  280 
,,     elconorce,  274 
,,     feldeggi,  196  (note),  286 
,,      norvegkus,  86 
,,     pcregrinaior,  79 
,,     pcregrimis,  118 
,,      suhbutco,  note  on  25,  78,  132 
,,      tinniinculus,  i-j 
Falcon,  40,  114-5,  124 

,,       Eleonora,  149,  175-6,  179 
,,       La  Marmora's,  149,  274 
,,       Nile,  301-2 
,,       Story  of  a,  32 
Falconry,  Antiquity  of,  115 
,,         in  Morocco,  81 

Mania,  117 
,,         Practice  of,  117 
Fame  Is.,  Protection  of  birds  on,  258, 

260 
Felts,  13 

Ferrets,  Polecat,  61 
Fieldfares,  9,  13,  15,  19 
Fishes  jumping  ashore,  15 
Flamingoes,  53,  297 
Flighting  in  Epirus  and  Tunis,  142 
Fox,  Hill-,  22 

Fraiicolinus  ikakaralus,  81,  277,  281 
„  infitscatiis,  286 

,,  vulgaris,  149,  156  (note) 

20 


3o6 


INDEX 


Freeman,  The  Rev.  Gage  Earle,  vii. 

Pref.,  1 14  (note),  115,  144 
Fregilus  graculus,  293 
Fringilla  tintillon,  68 
Fuerteveiitura  Is.,  61,  262 
Fuligula  crislata,  165  (note) 

Gadwall,  Habit  of,  g 
Galago  demidojfi,  8l 
Gallinula  angiilata,  278 
Gallinule,  277,  282 
Gannet,  187  (note) 
Gecinns  canus,  277 

,,      viridis,  i8,  76 
Geese,  Australian  maned,  284 
Genncea  sacer  or  lananus,  i6g  (note) 
Genoa,  Lord  Lilford  at,  148-9 
Gcranoactus  mclanoleucus,  283 
Germany,   Observations  in,  299,   300- 

1-2. 
Giannutri,  Observations  around,  232 
Gibraltar,  ,,  ,,        201 

Giglio,  „  „        234 

"  Glowworm,"  The  s.s.,  271 
Godwit,  219  (note),  286 
Goldfinches,  17 
Goosander,  22,  23 
Goose,  Bean,  75,  279-81 

,,      Cereopsis,  275-6 

,,      Grey  Lag,  214  and  note 

,,       Hybrid,  279 

,,      N.  American,  54 

,,      Pinkfooted,  ig,  75 

,,      Solan,  187  (note) 

,,      Wliite-fronted,  75,  91,  279-8 

„      Wild,  215 
Gosliawk,  114,  283 
Gracula  intermedia,  275 
Grakle,  Chestnut-winged,  49,  372 
Grebe,  Great  Crested,  13 
Grebes,  97. 
Grey-hen,  20 
Grouse,  286 

„       "Hawking,"  124,  126 
Griis,  australasiana,  280 

„     leucaucheii,  70,  275 

,,     leiicogeraniis,  284 


G/us,  monachiis,  58  70 

,,     viridirostris,  Tji, 
Guadalquivir,  Sport  on,  213-9 
Guillemot,  Black,  93 
Guillemots,  187 
Gull,  Audouin's,  149,  177,  2i,\-i. 

,,     Black-headed,  152  (note),  153 
,,      backed,  272 

,,     Brown-headed,    85    (note),    150, 
152  (note),  153 

,,      Common,  78,  178,  187,  240 

,,      Herring,  150,  286 

,,      Laughing,  21 1 

„      "  Robber,"  14 
GOnther,  Dr.  Albert,  Letters  from, 

to  Hon.  Mrs.  Drewitt,  250 
Gunther,  Dr.  Albert,  Letters  to,  5, 

34 
Gypadtiis  barbatus,  Note  on,  32,  75,  278 

"  Hack,"  Flying  at.  Note  on,  26 
"  Hacking,"  118-21 
Haggards,  1 18,  121  (and  note) 

,,  Method  of  Capture,  12 

Haliaetus  albicilla,  26  (note) 

,,         leucogasicr,  88,  281 
Hare,  Story  of  a,  142-3 
Harrier,  Montagu's,  60,  96,  285 
Harriers,  166  (note) 
Hawfinch,  7,  16,  17,  iS,  25 
Hawk, 

"  Duck,"  281 
,,       Gos-,  114,  132-3,  136,  293 
,,  ,,       in  " Yarak,'  135 

,,       Sparrow-,  132,  136-7 
Hawking,  Grouse,  124-6 
,,         Heron,  128 
,,         Magpie,  129 
„         Partridge,  126 
Rabbit,  135 
Rook,  128 
„         Snipe,  126 
Hawks,  14,  118 

„       Diseases  and  Medicines,  138-9 
"Eyess,"  1 23 
Imping,  138 
„       Long-winged,  118,  132-3 


INDEX 


307 


Hawks,  Moulting  of,  138 

,,        "  Passage,''  121 
Red,  121 

,,       Short-winged,  132-6 
Training  of,  134 
Wild-caiight,  126 
Hen-harrier,  274-5 
Heron,  23,  108,  126,  155,  274 

„      Goliath,  273-4,  279 

,,     -Hawking,  128 

„      Night,  85,  278 
Hierro  Is.,  35 

Hobby  Falcon,  9,  78,  13 1,  301-2 
"Holts"  of  Otters,  103 
Hoopoe,  14,  65 

Hope,  G.,  Esq.,  Letters  to,  258-60 
Hybrid,  Mallard  4- Teal,  31 
Hybrids,  Interesting,  292,  294,  296 
Hypocolijts  ampeliniis,  279 
Hyrax  capensis,  86 

Ibex,  149 

Ibis,  51,  54,  283 

„     Glossy,  212,  286,  295,  297 
"  Ibis,  "  The,  Lord  Lilford's  Contri- 
butions to,  ix,  X 
Isla   del  Ayre,    Observations    around, 

183-4 
Italy,  Sport  in,  151-2 
Iviza,  Observations  around,  185,  210 

„      Zoology  of,  210 

Jay,  Mexican,  278 
„     Pileated,  285 
Jays,  50 

Kestrel,  25,  26.  27,  286 

,,        Lesser,  165,  280 
Kite,  16  (note),  20,  21 

,,     in  Spain,  21 
Kiwi,  83  (note) 
Knot,  283 
Kolguev  Is.,  270 

Lacerta  simont,  Note  on,  35 
,,       viridis,  269 


La   Corta,    Observations   around,  214, 

216-7,  219 
La  Corta,  Shooting  around,  215 
Lammergeiers,  45,  75,  278 
Landrails,  12 

Lanner,  ig6  (note),  286,  29S 
Lapwing,  Black -bellied,  21 1  (note) 

,,         Cayenne,  275 
Lark,  Algerian  Horned,  66 

„     Thick-billed,  66 
Lotus  audouini,  149  (note),   177,  181, 

253 
,,       cachtnnans,  1 50  (note) 
,,       leiicopJueiis,  150  (note),  224 
,,       tnclanocephalus,  152  (note),  155 
,,       ridibimdiis,  152  (note),  211 
Leghorn,  Observations  near,  151,  226 
Lemon,  Mrs.,  Letter  to,  266 
Lemur,  Ruffed,  11 
Leverkuun,  Dr.  Paul,  xiii. 
Li  1  ford,  4,  36 

,,       Arrival  of  Migrants  at,  13,  23 
,,       Aviaries  at,  37-8,  287 
,,       Birds  at,  Jan.  31,  1895,  268 
,,       Birds  at,  July  16  and  31,  l888, 

12 
,,       Collection  at,  287-92 
,,       Neighbourhood,  Botany  of,  5 
„       Park,  6 
Lilford,  Lord  (4th  Baron),  i  (Introd.), 
II 
„  ,,     and  "Birds  of  Europe," 

254 
,,  ,,      and       Bucks       Otter- 

hounds, 1 1 1 
,,  ,,     and     correspondence, 

12,  252 
,,  ,,     and  Rev.  Canon  Tris- 

tram, 248 
,,  ,,     and  the  Egg  Act,  257 

,,  ,,     and  the  feather  fashion, 

264-6 
„  ,,     and  the  Soc.  for  Pro- 

tection  of    Birds, 
265 
,,  ,,     as  a  Naturalist,  249 

„  ,,     as  an  observer,  251 


3o8 


INDEX 


LiLFORD,  Lord,  in  conversation,  252 
,,  ,,      in  Parliament,  255 

,,  ,,      in  Spain,  146-7 

„  ,,      Kindness       of,       249, 

254-5 
,,  ,,      on  foxhunting,  100 

,,  ,,      on  liimself,  3  (Iiitrod.) 

„  ,,      on  Sport,  98 

Lilford's,  Lord,  Attachment  to  Spain, 

245 
,,  ,,       Work,   Appreciation 

of,  247 
,,  ,,        "Finds,"  253 

Linnets,  17 

Lisbon,  Observations  around,  193 
Littleton,  Thomas,  4th  Baron  Lil- 

FORD,  I  (Introd.) 
Lizard,  Green,  269 

„       Simony's,  35 
Loddigesia,  mirabilis,  295 
Longicornes,  164  (note) 

Machetes  pHgtiax,  28 1 

Maddalena,  Observations  around,  236- 

9.  243 
Magpie-hawking,  129 
Malaga,  Observations  around,  226 
Mallard,  9,  19 

Malta,  Observations  around,  167 
Marten,  30 
Matthew,  The  Rev,  Murray,  Letters 

to,  34,  85,  86,  143,  144,  214 
Matthew,  The  Rev.  Murray,  Letters 

to,  from  Hon.  Mrs.  Drewitf,  145, 

255 

Meade-Waldo,  E.  G.  B.,  Esq.,  Letters 
to,  12,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  20,  24,  25, 
26,  27,  28,  35,  61,  62,  63,  64,  65, 
67.  69,  70.  71.  73.  78,  79.  80,  81, 
82,  III,  257,  262 

Melizophilus  sardus,  243,  253 

Merganser,  22,  23 

Mergus  merganser,  note  on,  22 
,,       serraior,  22 

Merlins,  80,  129,  137 

Merops  apiaster,  241  (note) 

Messina,  Observations  around,  155 


Migrants,  Arrival  of,  at  Lilford,  13,  15, 

17,  21 
Milvus  ictinits,  20 
Minorca,  Observations  around,  124 
Monte  Cristo  and  Giglio,  Observations 

around,  230 
Motacilla  alba,  1 5 1 
fava,  34 
Mouse,  Barbary,  42,  75 

„      Harvest,  73,  74 
Mygale  pyrenaicum,  74 
Mynah,  Hill-,  275 

Naples,  Observations  around,  151 
"  Native  Companion,"  Australian,  280 
Nene,  River,  around  Lilford,  4,  5,  9 
,,  ,,      Perch  in,  5 

,,         ,,      Uncommon  Wildfowl  on,  9 
Neophron,  202 
Neuenahr,   Observations   around,   299, 

300-1-2 
Ninox  boobook,  281 
Nisaetus  fasciaius,  201  (note) 
„       pennatus,  201  (note) 
Northamptonshire  Birds,  267 
Northamptonshire,  Description  of, 

around  Lilford,  5 
"  Notes  on  the  Birds  of  Northants  and 

Neighbourhood,"  ix.,  7,  8,  9 
Numc7iius  arquatus,  282 

,,  hudsotiwus,  253 

Nutcrackers,  52,  81,  149,  274 
Nuthatch,  White-bellied,  277 
Nyctkorax  griseus,  278 

Observations  around — 
Alboran  Is.,  204 
Albufera,  207 
Barcelona,  211 
Cadiz,  195 
Cagliari,  170 
Cahera,  184 
Catania,  157-8-g 
Catania,  Pantani  di,  159 
Elba,  227 
Genoa,  150 
Giannutri,  232 


INDEX 


309 


Observations  around — 

Gibraltar,  201,  221 

Giglio,  234 

Isla  del  Ayre,  183 

Iviza,  185,  210-11 

La  Corta,  214 

Leghorn  and  Pisa,  151,  326 

Lisbon,  193-4 

Maddalena,  236,  243 

Malaga,  221 

Malta,  167 

Messina,  155 

Minorca,  224 

Monte  Cristo  and  Giglio,  230 

Naples,  152 

Neuenahr,  299-301 

other  Places  in  Sicily,  159-60 

Palermo,  169 

Palmas,  Bay  of,  i8o 

Pauillac,  188 

Port  Ercole,  231 

Port  Mahon,  182-3,  224 

San  Luca  de  Barrameda,  195,  213, 
220 

San  Stefano,  235,  240 

Santander,  189 

Seville,  196,  212 

Spargi  and  Spargiotto,  241 

Spezia,  150,  225 

Straits  of  Bonifacio,  236 

Syracuse,  162 

Taormina,  156 

Toro,  176 

Torre  del  Annunziata,  1 54 

Vacca,  174 

Valencia,  206,  223 

Vigo,  192 

West   Coast   of  Corsica,  Sagona, 
244 
Observations  at  Sea,  187-8,  222,  225 
„  between    Flushing     and 

Cologne,  299 
„  between    Windsor     and 

Sunningdale,  298 
„  in  the  Dehesa,  186 

(Edemia  nigra,  190  (note) 
CEdicnemus  crepitans,  295 


Osprey,  25,  95,  201 

Otis  macqueeni.  Note  on,  67 

,,     tarda.  Note  on,  29,  199,  279,  284 

,,     tetrax,  275 

,,     luidulata,  67  (note) 
Otocorys  bilopha,  66 
Otter-hounds,  103 
Otter  hunting — 

Country  for,  107 
"  hunting  a  drag,"  105 
in  South  Devon,  112 
"  running  heel,"  105 
the  "holf  or  "hover,"  106 
Otter  Hunts,  "  Red  Letter,"  105 
Otters,  15,  41,  loi,  112 
Owl,  Barn,  16,  24,  277 

,,      Boobook,  281 

,,      Burrowing,  88 

,,      Eagle,  59-60,  274,  285 

,,      Great  Grey,  76  (note) 

,,      Hawk,  63 

,,      Horned,  272 

,,     Lapp,  62  (note),  63,  65 

,,     Little,  16,  26,  46-7,  84,  85 

,,      Long-eared,  16,  282 

,,      Marsh,  16 

,,      Scandinavian,  64 

,,      Tawny,  16,  20,  24,  85 

,,      Ural,  86,  281 
Owls,  59,  60,  62-3,  85 

,,       Usefulness  of,  47-8 
Oyster-catchers,  50,  90 

Palermo,  Observations  around,  169 
Palmas,  Bay  of.  Observations  around, 

180 
Pantani     di     Catania,      Observations 

around,  159-60 
Park  at  Lilford,  6 

,,     ,,        ,,        Trees  in,  6 
Partridge,  Common,  1 50 
„         Hawking,  126 

Grey,  28 
,,  ,,     in  N.  Spain,  29 

Red-leg,  150 
Partridges,  12,  27,  286 
,,  at  Genoa,  150 


3'o 


INDEX 


Partis  Cypriotes,  253 

,,     palmensis,  67  (note),  6g 
Passage  of  small  birds  on  the  backs  of 

large  ones,  34 
Fauillac,  Observations  around,  188 
Peewits,  17,  23 
Pelican,  153 

,,       African,  223 
Percli,  dusky,  243 
Perdix  barbafus,  297 
Peregrines,  30,  n8,  iig,  281 
Pernis  apivorus,  285 
Petrel,  221  (note),  296 

,,      Storm,  96,  97 
Phalacrocorax  graculus,  278 
Phaps  chalcoptera,  281 
Pheasant,  Reeves's,  72-3,  80 

,,         Shooting,  144 
Pheasants,  23 

„         Hybrids,  153 
„         in  Albania,  28,  79,  144 
Phillips,  E.  Cambridge,  Esq.,  Letters 

to,  21,  26,  29,  257,  261 
Phillips,  IVIrs.,  Letter  to,  266 
Phylloscopus  sibilatrix.  Note  on,  24 
Picoides  major,  76 

„       tridactylus,  65  (note),  76 
Piais  cissa,  272 

,,     martius,  77 
Pigeon,  Bolle's,  66  (note) 
,,      Bronze-winged,  281 
Hybridisation  of,  28 
,,       Wood-,  15,  17,  24,  25,  50,  71, 
279-81 
Pigeons,  and  Falconry,  122 

,,        "  Antwerp  carriers,"  28 
Pinetum,  The,  Description  of,  37,  57 
Pintail,  19 

„       Chilian,  280 
Pipits,  17 

Plegadis  faldndlus,  212,  286,  295-7 
P lotus,  levaillanti,  294-5 
Plover,  22,  284 

,,      Bartram's,  96 
,,       Gold  Nicobar,  51 
,,       Golden,  22 
„       Norfolk,  85 


Pochard,  9,  19 

Pointer,  Description  of  a,  143 

,,       A,  used  in  Falconry,  124 
Polecat,  30 

Polybonis  brasiliensis,  285 
Porphyria  melanotus,  280 
Porphyrios,  51,  159  (note),  280,  286 
Porpoises,  188 

Port  Ercole,  Observations  around,  231 
,,    Mahon,  „  „        182, 

224 
Portugal,  Crossbills  in,  14 
Pratincola  dacoiia,  61  (note) 
Puffin,  91 
Puffinus,  151,  154 

Quail,  Madagascar  Bush-,  81 
Quails,  14,  66 

Rabbit-shooting,  144 
Ravens,  Hierro,  35 

„         "  Sankey  "  and  "  Grip,"  39,  82, 
83,  147,  272 
Redshanks,  22,  286 
Redstarts,  296 
Redwings,  9,  17,  27 
Retriever,  Story  of  a,  139-41 
Rhampiiocorys  clot-bey,  66 
Robin,  Blue,  50 
Robins,  19 

Rock-Thrush,  Blue,  48,  87,  202 
Rodents,  64-5 
Rollers,  65 
Rook-hawking,  128 
Rooks,  15 
Ruffs,  50,  90,  281 

St.  Quintin,  W.  H.,  Esq.,  Letters  to, 

30.  72 
Saker,  169 
San  Lucar  de  Barrameda,  Observations 

around,  195,  213,  220 
San    Stefano,    Obser\-ations,    around, 

235,  240 
Sand-grouse  in  the  Spurn  District,  13 
Sand-piper,  Green,  12 
Sand-pipers,  9,  151 


INDEX 


311 


Santander,  Observations  around,  i8g 
Saxicola,  162 

Scilly  Is.,  Protection  of  Birds  on,  259 
Scomber,  231,  235 
Scoters,  190 
Seal,  149 

"  Seal,"  The,  of  Otters,  102 
Sea-pies,  50 
Sea-swallows,  155 
Senegal  pies,  280 

Seville,  Observations  around,  196-201, 
212 
„        Shooting  around,  197-201 
Shags,  174-5,  278 
Shahin,  Black,  79 
Shama,  48 
Shearwaters,  154  (note),  175,   179,  221 

(note) 
Shovellers,  10 
Shrew,  Spanish  Trumpet,  74 

,,        Water-,  73 
Shrike,  Great  Grey,  61 
Grey  Coly,  279 
„       Red-backed,  286 
Shrikes,  122,  298 
SiaHa  stalls,  276 
Sicily,  Observations  in,  1 59 

„      Wild  life  in,  168 
Siskins,  23 
Siita  albiventris,  277 
Skylark-hawking,  130 
Skylarks,  17 
Skua,  Buffon's,  14 

..      Egg  of,  55 

„      Great,  55,  56 

,,      Richardson's,  222 
Smews,  19 
Snipe,  16,  77,  96,  190,  218,  294 

„       Hawking,  125 
Spain,  Birds  of,  91 

,,       Kites  in,  21 

,,       Lord  Lilford  in,  146-7 

„       Lord  Lilford's  attachment  to, 

245 
„       Vultures  of,  171  (note) 
Spargi   and    Spargiotto,    Observations 
on,  241 


Sparrovvhawk,  23,  87 

Sparrows,  164 

Spezia,  Observations  at,  150,  225 

Sport  in  Italy,  1 5 1-2 

"  Spraint,"  The,  of  Otters,  102 

Starling,  Rose-coloured,  149 

,,  Sardinian,  280-2 

Starlings,  17,  19,  279,  286 
Siercorarius  catarrhactcs,  55 

,,  parasiticus,  14 

Stoats,  Pied,  31 
Stone-chat,  61 
Stopford,  Walter  M.,  Esq.,  Letters 

to,  22,  23,  82,  113 
Storks,  34 
Straits     of     Bonifacio,     Observations 

around,  236 
S/rix  capcnsis,  277 
Stnrnus  unicolor,  280 
Sula  hassa?ia,  187  (note) 
Swan,  Bewick's,  9,  91,  276 

„       Whooper,  Note  on,  19,  91,  276 
Swifts,  12,  20,  222 
Sylvia  melanopogon,  223 
,,       jnelanothorax,  253 
Syracuse,  Observations  around,  162-6 
Syrnium  atricapilla,  69 

,,         cijtercum,  76 

,,        lapponicujn,  62,  79 

,,        newarensc,  63 

„        perspicillatiim,  63 

,,        ttralensc,  281 

TaorminS,  Observations  near,  1 56 
Teal,  15,  ig,  302 

..      Japanese,  54 
Tern,  172 
„      Black,  12 

,,      Protection   of,   on    East    Coast, 
258-9 
"Thick-knee,"  54,  85  (note) 
Thorburx,  a.,  Esq.,  Letters  to,  72,  83, 

90-97 
Thrush,  Blue  Rock,  48,  87 

,,        Chinese  La\ighing,  280 
,,        Missel,  27 
Song,  19 


312 


INDEX 


Thrushes,  15,  25 

Tigrisoma  tigrinum,  tjt, 

Titmouse,  67,  253 

Tits,  Blue,  69 

Toro,  Observations  around,  176,  181 

Torre    del    Annunziata,    Observations 

near,  154 
Tortoise,  180 

„        Giant,  79 
Totanus  stagtiatilis,  298 
Tribute  to  Lord  Lilford,  248 
Tristram,  The  Rev.  Canon,  Letters 

from  Hon.  Mrs.  Drewitt,  248 
Tristram,  The  Rev.  Canon,  Letters 

to,  4,  87,  88,  89 
Troupial,  50 
"  Trumpeters,"  71,  82 
Tunis,  Fligliting  in,  142 
Turdi,  27 
Turnix;  14,  i6g 

„       tUgricollis,  81 


Vacca,  Observations  around,  174,  181 

Valencia        „  „        206,  223 

Valkensvvaard,  14 

Vanellus  cayennensis,  275 

Vespertilio  sclircibcri,  153 

Vigo,  Observations  around,  192-3 

Visger,   Mrs.    Owen,    Letters    to,    3, 

267-8,  270 
Vulture,  Bearded,  26,  32,    33,   45,   92, 
273,  284 
„         Black,  44-5,  171  (note) 
,,         Cinereous,  278 

Egyptian,  171 
,,         Griffon,     44-5,     171     (note), 
216 
Vultures,  The,  of  Spain,  171  (note) 


Waders,  12 

Wagtails,  Blue-headed,  34 
Warbler,  La  Marmora's,  253 
,,         Sedge  and  Reed,  12 
„         Wood,  24 
Water-hens,  51 
Water-rail,  94,  108 
Waxwing,  19,  273 
Wheatears,  162 
Wliitethroat,  Lesser,  12 
Whoopers,  19,  276 
Wigeon,  19,  217 

Wildfowl,  Behaviour  on  the  wing  of,  9 
WiLLiMOTT,  The  Rev.  W.,  15,  30,  31 
WiLLiMOTT,  The  Rev.  W.,  and  Lord 

Lilford,  31  (note) 
Willow-wren,  12 
Wiud-hover,  Note  on,  27 
Woodcock,  13 

Woodpecker,    Black,    72,   75,   76,    147 
283 
„  Golden-winged,  76 

„  Green,   7,    note   on    18, 

272 
„  Grey-headed,  65 

,,  Lesser  Spotted,  8 

Little,  1 6 
,,  Pied,  272,  275,  283 

,,  Three-toed,  65 

Woodpigeon,  15,  17,  24,  25,  279,  281-2 

298 
Wood-warblers,  24 

Zoological  Club  Dinner,  295 

"  Zoologist,"  The,  Lord  Lilford'sCou- 
tributions     on    Mammalia 
in,  xii,  xiii 
,,       Lord     Lilford's     Contri- 
butions to,  X,  xi,  xii 


Prinltd  by  Haeell,  VValson  tS-  Vimy,  Ld.,  London  and  Ayltsbury.