raVes ih iede oie ; LAL igen , VC CONT OM 474 tet; ‘ te oe eh BT 1 UNA i ow , ier pias (cas : Pi a1 yD Wert 4 - Ak A Py. 26 é ‘ ial : St GBRUMBY & CLARKE, LTO... LITHOS.,, MULL & LONDON HVA, 5 7 Ce 0 cur Fics. 1— 4 MiIsseEL THRUSH. Fics. 18—19 RInG OUZEL. Fics. 24 REDSTART. 5— 9 Sonc THRUSH. 20 WHEATEAR. 25—28 REDBREAST. 10—17 BLACKBIRD, 2I—22 WHINCHAT. 29-31 NIGHTINGALE. 23 STONECHAT. i, D », ne fh ads ups Pgh Ait aise at ee FIGs. 32—34 Shiseul 38—4I1 42—44 45 46—45 69 WHITETHROAT. LESSER WHITETHROAT BLACKCAP. GARDEN WARBLER DARTFORD WARBLER GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN Fics. 49—51 $2—54 PES 70 71 CdIFFCHAFF. Fics. 64 WILLOW-WARBLER. 65—67 Woop-WARBLER 65 REED-WARBLER. 69 MARSH-WARBLER 70 SEDGE-WARBLER. 7I—72 GRASSHOPPER WARBLER Savvis WARBLER HEDGE-SPARROW BEARDED REEDILING LONG-TAILED TIT. DIPPER GREAT TIT WieretMaoat Emesee Waite tnaoat Rp aoROaY AChE. WARALRR Bastivan F aes 4th sre 2s REATARD WV RIN PIGS, 49°-Ht es oe SOS Soo ire a5 Caryvrciares Witiow- Waa, Hs Waoon-Was ni, Reem W Agere Maaste- Waanl ae Seu t- Wa Rata. eassnorrae Wak fe’ Wikies - Reaniie8 4 fone terse Teg os TPP htt Ongat Tir i 7 Pie i] iv if 1) 7 hi } as ite ‘, yy ory ‘ j i J ‘ Vs . > | ty Wy i ie 1g ' one : oy A ‘ ro a ee <1" pp * > ‘a * . ve i 105 CoaL-Tir. Fics. gl MarsuH-TI?r. 92 BLUE Tir. 93 CRESTED TIT. 94 NOTHATCH. 95—96 WREN. 97—100 TREE CREEPER. Ior 110 106 PIED WAGTAIL,. Fics 102 WHITE WAGTAIL. 103 GREY WAGTAIL. 104—108 BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL,. 109 YELLOW WAGTAIL. 110 TREE-PIPIT. IlI—II3 MEADOW-PIPIT. 107 Rock-PIpitT. GOLDEN ORIOLE. RED-BACKED SHRIKE. WoopcHAt SHRIKE. Prep FLYCATCHER. SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. ii oe oa9" (ap te Lub aT 1) A Aa] q Se KOT ae) : Mahl : ay, PB n 1 aye) as Y Seas Che i ney ai tw) 120 ——~ 150 FIGS. 114-116 117 11$-—119 151 SWALLow. MARTIN. SAND-MARTIN. Fics. 120—125 126 —128 129— 130 131 117 GREENFINCH. FIGs. TIAW FINCH. GOLDFINCH. SISKIN. 118 132—143 HoOUSE-SPARROW. 144—147 TREE-SPARROW. 148—155 CHAFFINCH. o BIRDS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND ORDER PASSERES, COMPLETE IN TWO VOLUMES. By ARTHUR G. BUTLER, M.B.0.U., PH.D., F.LS., E.Z.5., EES; CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF VARIOUS FOREIGN SOCIETIES, AUTHOR OF “BRITISH BIRDS’ EGGS, A HANDBOOK OF BRITISH OoLoGY” (ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR). ‘“ FOREIGN BIRD KEEPING;”’ “HINTS ON CAGE Birps;” “ How To GET CAGE BIRDS”’ AND NUMEROUS SCIENTIFIC WORKS AND MEMOIRS DEALING WITH VARIOUS BRANCHES OF ZOOLOGY ON ¥ SN ILLUSTRATED BY Z ae 4a H. GRONVOLD anv F. W. FROHAWK, M.B.O.U., F.E! as z\ 4 : ; VOLUME I. BRUMBY & CLARKE, LIMITED, PUBLISHERS, HULL AND LONDON. & Oh) AY eye aS 0985 “py oc7 1-1945 Mriona, muscu tH This Volume contains :— 4 COLORED PLATES OF EGGs. 56 COLORED PLATES OF BIRDS. 2 PAGES OF INTRODUCTION. 210 PAGES OF DESCRIPTIVE TEXT. ze - A . _ " a a aa re Accentor collaris Accentor modularis Acredula caudata Acrocephalus aquaticus Acrocephalus palustris Acrocephalus phragmitis Acrocephalus streperus *Acrocephalus turdoides *“Aédon galactodes Alpine Accentor *American Robin Anthus campestris *Anthus cervinus Anthus obscurus Anthus pratensis Anthus richardi - *Anthus spipoletta Anthus trivialis - Aquatic Warbler Barred Warbler Bearded Reedling Blackbird - = Blackeap - - Black Redstart *Black-Throated Thrush *Black-Throated Wheatear Blue-Headed Wagtail Blue-Tit - - *Calliope camtschatkensis Certhia familiaris Chiffchaff - = Cinclus aquaticus Coal-Tit - - Crested-Tit - Cyanecula suecica Dartford Warbler Daulias luscinia COS EIN hes» Those marked thus, * not being recognized as British Birds, are not figured. *Desert Wheatear Dipper - - Evithacus rubecula Fieldfare - = Fire-Crested Wren Garden Warbler Golden-Crested Wren Grasshopper Warbler *Great Reed-Warbler Great Tit - - Grey Wagtail - Hedge-Sparrow *Hypolais icterina *Tcterine Warbler *Tsabelline Wheatear Lesser Whitethroat Locustella luscinioides Locustella nevia Long-Tailed Tit Marsh-Tit = Marsh-Warbler Meadow-Pipit Missel ‘Thrush Motacilla alba - Motacilla flava - Motacilla lugubris Motacilla melanope Motacilla vaii - *Monticola saxatilis Nightingale - Nuthatch - = *Orphean Warbler Panurus biarmicus Parus ater Parus ceruleus Parus cristatus Parus major Parus palustris Phylloscopus rufus Phylloscopus sibilatrix Phylloscopus superciliosus Phylloscopus trochilus Pied Wagtail Pratincola rubetra Pratincola rubicola Redbreast Red-Spotted Bluethroat Redstart © - *Red-Throated Pipit Redwing - Reed-Warbler Regulus cristatus Regulus ignicapillus Richard’s Pipit Ring-Ouzel Rock-Pipit *Rock-Thrush *Rufous Warbler Ruticilla phenicurius - Ruticilla titys *Ruby-Throated Warbler Savi’s Warbler Saxicola enanthe *Saxicola deserti *Saxicola tsabellina *Saxicola stapazina Sedge- Warbler *Siberian Ground Thrush - Sitta cesta ClO RN Ee ENE tor I4I I51 158 162 147 154 96 102 92 99 177 33 37 Song Thrush - Stonechat - - Sylvia atricapilla Sylvia cinerea - Sylvia curruca - Sylvia hortensis- Sylvia nisoria - *Syluia orphea - Sylvia undata Tawny Pipit * Tichodroma muraria Tree-Creeper - Tree-Pipit - Troglodytes parvulus *Turdus atrigularis Turdus iliacus - Turdus merula - *Turdus migratorius Turdus meusicus - Turdus pilaris - *Turdus stbiricus Turdus torquatus Turdus varius - Turdus visctvorus *Wall-Creeper - *Water-Pipit - Wheatear - = Whinchat = White’s Thrush Whitethroat - White Wagtail - Willow Warbler Wood Warbler - Wren = = Yellow-Browed Warbler Yellow Wagtail 181 102 169 biKDS OF Gest BRITAIN AND IRELAND ORDER PASSERES. students of the feathered race. I have taken and preserved both nests and eggs of most of the British species, and have studied the habits of many of them in captivity, as well as in a wild state. The Order Passeres (following the classification adopted by Howard Saunders in his admirable “ Illustrated Manual”) includes seventeen families, the members of which are mostly suitable for aviary or cage-life; of these the 7usdid@ (Thrush- like birds), the /7zngtl/iide (Finches), and Adlaudide (Lark-like birds) find favour with the larger number of Aviculturists. The family 7Zzrdide, the first on our list, has been sub-divided into three sub-families :— ? ‘HIS group of Birds has always been a favourite with me, as with most 1.—TZurdine (Thrushes) in which the first plumage is spotted above and below. The males with long slender bills as compared with the females, in which they are distinctly broader and shorter. 2.—Sylviine (Warblers) in which the young closely resemble their parents excepting in their paler or duller colouring. The width of the bills differs little in the sexes, but that of the female is distinctly shorter. 3.—Alccentorine (Accentors) including our so-called ‘“‘ Hedge-Sparrow,” birds which, though spotted after the manner of true Thrushes when they leave the 2 ORDER PASSERES. nest, exhibit affinity to the Titmice in their strong straight subconical bills, rounded wings with short bastard-primary (the first feather in the wing), and strong scaled feet: the latter have the outer and middle toes united and the upper extremity of the tarsus is feathered. Bills of the sexes much alike, that of the female perhaps a trifle the longer. In their habits the Accentors seem to me more nearly to resemble the Tits than the Thrushes. Not only do their quick jerky movements and acrobatic actions remind one of the former; but, like the Tits, they are largely seed-eaters. The Thrushes of Great Britain are represented by eight genera :—7Zurdus (Thrushes so-called) ; onticola (Rock-Thrushes) ; Saxicola (Wheatears) : Pratincola (Chats); Puticil/a (Redstarts); Cyanecu/a (Blue-throats) ; 2vithacus (Redbreasts) ; and Daulias (Nightingales). The more typical Thrushes are the largest members of the Sub-family; they are bold, handsome, strongly-built birds, with a vigorous direct flight, at times somewhat sinuous but generally in a straight line. On the earth they proceed, either by running for short stages, with the head depressed and neck somewhat extended (but, at the end of each stage, assuming an erect and attentive posture, sometimes with a simultaneous elevation of the tail); or, if in a hurry, they clear the ground by long hops. Some of these are admirable songsters, and consequently are greatly sought for as cage-birds. Excepting in very severe weather, Thrushes are very shy of entering traps ; they also show considerable cunning in upsetting some forms of net-traps, especially that known to bird-catchers as the ‘‘Caravan’’: indeed it is rare to find any but birds of the year caught by this ingenious contrivance. This fact is perhaps rather an advantage than otherwise to the trapper, for young birds not only become more rapidly reconciled to captivity, but naturally last longer, as song-birds, than those which have spent several years of their lives in freedom. All the typical Thrushes build open cup-shaped nests, the walls of which are strongly built, usually with a lining of mud, clay, or cow-dung, and in most cases with a thick outer lining concealing the mud: the eggs usually number from four to six and, more frequently than not, are of some shade of green marked with some shade of brown. A. G. BUTEER. we & pea a an Bi > ba Furdus viscivorus, Lunn. ee : Root ee aa : }, the’ largest of our resident Thrashes, breeds throughout the suitabl : sof temperate Europe, from MNerway southward to Spain, and Wewgiey, warrowly pale-edged towords the tips; bill dark ‘trawa, [fee hate, especially on the lower mandible; legs pele brown; | & white; under wing-coverts sud axillaries pure white; tall, ay THE MissEL THRUSH. 3 Family—TURDIDA:. Subfamily—TURDINAE. THe MisseL THRUSH. Turdus viscivorus, LINN. HIS, the largest of our resident Thrushes, breeds throughout the suitable ae districts of temperate Europe, from Norway southward to Spain, and even to Northern Africa. Eastward, its range extends through Turkestan to the North-western Himalayas and Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is resident in many of the milder regions, but the greater number winter in Southern Europe and Northern Africa, the Siberian birds migrating to Northern India, Persia, and Africa north of the Sahara. In Great Britain the Missel Thrush is generally distributed throughout England and Wales; in Ireland also, since 1800, it has become tolerably common; in Scotland its range has gradually extended northwards throughout most of the Hebrides; in the Orkneys it has appeared after easterly gales, but from Shetland it has not been recorded. The upper parts of the adult bird are greyish olive brown, slightly darker on the head, and slightly more golden on the lower back; the variation of tint is, however, barely perceptible; the under parts (excepting the chin and throat, which are white, and the cheeks which are buffish white) are buff, strongly pronounced in young birds, but growing paler year by year until, in old birds, it becomes buffish white; the fore-chest and flanks are of a deeper buff, the cheeks and sides of neck indistinctly streaked with greyish brown and a few spear-shaped spots; on the chin and throat the spots are more arrow-shaped, on the fore-chest black and spear-shaped, and on the remainder of the under parts fan-shaped; the upper wing-coverts are broadly edged at the tips with dull white, the flights are slaty-grey, the primaries with white outer edges, the secondaries externally suffused with buffish, and nar- rowly tipped with white; under wing-coverts and axillaries pure white; tail feathers smoky-grey, narrowly pale-edged towards the tips; bill dark brown, paler towards the base, especially on the lower mandible; legs pale brown; A 4 THE MIssEL THRUSH. iris dark brown. ‘The female is more thick-set than the male, and has a thicker shorter bill. The Missel Thrush may be met with in almost any locality where trees are to be found, in woods, coppices, plantations, parks, pleasure-grounds, shrubberies, large gardens and orchards; in such places it makes its home and brings up its family. The nest is frequently built either in the fork of a branch or on the top of a strong horizontal bough, but perhaps the favourite site is in the central hollow, formed by the branching off of the lichen-covered boughs of some old apple tree. In the experience of the writer it is rare to find this nest either in a very lofty or lowly position, but on one occasion he saw it in a forked branch near the top of a tall elm tree in Hyde Park; whilst, on the other hand, the late Mr. E. T. Booth once observed it in a small stunted bush within three feet of the ground. Instances of this bird building in bushes are, however, extremely rare. Most nests will be found at an altitude of from ten to fifteen feet. The structure of the nest of the Missel Thrush is very solid, not un- like that of the Blackbird. It is frequently placed upon a foundation of mud, sheep’s wool and twigs. The outer walls are usually formed of twigs, roots, straws, and grasses, sometimes interwoven with wool and coarse moss; within this is a lining of mud or clay, brought in pellets and mixed with grass or roots. The inner lining is composed of finer grass, roots, and sometimes a little moss. When lichens abound on the tree where the nest is situated a few pieces are occasionally used to ornament the exterior, but one can hardly suppose that a bird which places its nest almost invariably in a conspicuous position, would make this addition with a view to concealment, although, by rendering the outer walls of its domicile more like the branch on which it rests, this result is, in a measure obtained. The number of eggs laid by the Missel Thrush varies from three to five, but four is the usual number. The colouring is rather suggestive of those of the Chaffinch, the ground colour being either pale greenish blue, yellowish green, or brownish flesh tinted, boldly speckled, spotted and often blotched with deep chocolate brown, and showing pearl grey or lavender underlying spots; in size they correspond very nearly with those of the Blackbird, but as regards their outline they more often give one the impression of being widest near the centre, than the eggs of that species. The pairing time of the Missel Thrush is early in February, and at this season, like most birds, they are exceedingly quarrelsome; the first mest is occasionally commenced before the end of the same month, but only in the THE MIssEL THRUSH. 5 South of England, where the bird is generally double-brooded; in my own experience its nidification extends from March to May, April being the month when most nests are to be found. If disturbed when sitting, the Missel Thrush is very noisy, but any attempt to interfere with the young is the signal for a perfect uproar; then too is the time to watch the perfect flight of this powerful bird as he sweeps round in wide circles, or, as the intruder stoops to examine the nest, flashes through the very branches close to his head; uttering wild guttural curses and shrieking out horrid oaths: well has this bird earned its titles of “Screech Thrush” and ‘‘ Holm screech.” The song of the Missel Thrush is wild, powerful and not without melody, although somewhat monotonous; it is uttered from early autumn until its nesting duties commence; and, wet or fine, from early dawn to dewy eve, its rich notes may be heard; in the wildest and stormiest weather, it tries to raise its voice above the uproar of the elements; on which account the well- known name of ‘“Stormecock” has been bestowed upon it. In the Hast Riding of Yorkshire it is called ‘‘ Charley Cock.”’ The food consists of berries, small fruits, seeds, snails, slugs, worms, larvee and insects. It is especially fond of the berries of the mountain ash, and after these it chooses those of the hawthorn or ivy; the berries of the mistletoe, to which it owes its name of Mistletoe Thrush, or Missel Thrush, are rarely eaten by it; during the autumn when grain is being sown, this bird eats it greedily, a fact which should be borne in mind by those who keep cage birds, many of whom labour under the delusion that because a bird is called ‘‘insectivorous”’ it should have no farinaceous food. Asa matter of fact, many “ insectivors,’’ when kept in the same aviary with seed-eating birds, swallow quantities of seed. Excepting when feeding, the Missel Thrush spends most of its time either in trees or shrubs, it is a somewhat shy bird, though bold in defence of its young, it having been known to drive predaceous birds from the vicinity of its nest by the impetuous and noisy attacks which it has made upon them. Moreover, it always seeks its food in the open fields, not skulking along under hedges and shrubs after the manner of the Song Thrush. In captivity it soon becomes tame and confiding, and if reared from the nest, it is quite as friendly and playful towards its owner as a Canary. In May, 1886, during a birds’-nesting expedition in Kent, I came across a nest of the Missel Thrush containing two young birds, in an old apple orchard. With the assistance of the owner, upon whose shoulders I climbed, I succeeded in pulling myself up into the lower branches, when it was easy to 6 THe MIsSsSEL THRUSH. climb to that which bore the nest: the question now was, how to get the young birds into my basket without injury; however as I leaned over the nest, the youngsters quickly settled the difficulty by leaping out and fluttering to the earth, screaming loudly the while. What with the old and young birds together, the noise was something to be remembered. I reared both these birds without the slightest trouble, upon snails (dropped into boiling water, taken from their shells, and cut into small pieces,) small worms, and a paste made of oat-flour, known as “‘fig-dust,” and fine pea- meal; as they grew older, however, they refused both worms and large snails, though they would readily swallow small living snails in their shells. They also ate both hawthorn berries and wheat greedily, subsequently ejecting the seeds of the former and the tough skin of the latter from the crop with considerable force, so that I have frequently found the ejected pellets several feet from their cage. These two birds proved to be unmistakably a pair, the male having a distinctly narrower head, slimmer build, more alert carriage and more master- ful disposition; indeed, after a time, he so tormented his companion, pulling out her feathers and scolding whenever she approached him, that when a friend took a fancy to her, I gladly gave her away. As the male bird gained strength, I gave him, as staple food, a mixture of oat-flour, pea-meal, and Spratt’s food (crushed dog biscuit), moistened with sufficient water to form a crumb-paste; on this diet he lived, with the addition of an occasional insect or earthworm, and throve amazingly for nearly four years, never having a day’s illness, and always being ready for a frolic. If I put my finger into his cage he would put one foot on it and thus holding it down would flap his wings and hammer it with his bill: when I wished to move him from one cage to another, he never attempted to get away until I had grasped him firmly, then indeed he would kick a bit and utter his harsh guttural call. At length, in 1890, when my friend was three years and nine months old, I was persuaded to send him to a show, but, unhappily, he who had never tasted a particle of flesh was fed entirely on a mixture of finely minced raw beef mixed with breadcrumbs; the result may be imagined—he had in- cessant fits during the week of the show, was returned to me in a state of apoplexy and died in a fit about an hour after he reached home. Never give raw flesh to any but predaceous birds. Although hand-reared birds may make amusing pets, unless taught by a wild bird, they never learn the wild song; my Missel Thrush only sang iat i igae - ivf 4 THE Sonc THRUSH. 7 two notes, one high, the other low, its song was far behind that of the Ox-eye Tit for melody. There is not the least trouble in keeping and taming wild Thrushes. They sulk at first, but a few lively worms quickly induce them to feed. Family—TURDIDA.. Subfamily—TURDINA:. THE SONG BRUSH. Turdus musicus, LANN. OUND throughout the Palearctic Region, but rare in the extreme East, H generally migratory in Western Europe, though resident in some countries; generally distributed throughout the British Islands, though of rare occurrence in the Shetlands. In England this bird is a partial migrant, great numbers travelling southward late in the autumn but returning to their old haunts at the first sign of spring weather; nevertheless, a considerable number remains with us during the winter. The adult bird above is deep olive-brown, the wing coverts tipped with bright deep buff, under parts mostly white, the cheeks somewhat yellowish, streaked with brown; the breast and sides ochraceous buff, boldly marked with fan-shaped black spots; spots on the white ventral surface of the body more elongated, spindle-shaped and less numerous; bill dark brown, paler at the base of the lower mandible; legs pale brown, iris brown. The female resembles the male, but has a slightly broader head and thicker bill. Nestlings differ from adults in having the upper parts mottled with buff. Wherever there is cover, you may expect to see the Song Thrush, he is B 8 THE Sonc THRUSH. fond of shrubberies, hedgerows, and all places which afford partial conceal- ment. Watch him in the garden, you will see him running down a path, stopping after every few feet to look cautiously around; now he spies a large bush or evergreen upon a bed to right or left and suddenly darting under it commences to dig vigorously for worms; presently he appears again upon another path running as before and again disappearing in like manner, he rarely remains very long in the open, yet is less skulking than his cousin, the Blackbird. Sometimes the Song Thrush proceeds by a series of hops, but certainly not always. He frequently runs as above described, but never walks sedately after the manner of a Starling; even when seeking for worms in a meadow or on a grass-plot he hops, and so he does when crossing a flower bed; but on a path, I have rarely known this Thrush to move in any other way but by running. The nest of the Song Thrush is usually built low down in the fork of a young tree, a shrub, especially an evergreen, the lower branches of old yew trees are also frequently selected as a building site. Occasionally, a nest may be seen among matted creepers, or even in the upper twigs of a rude wattle fence forming the walls of a country cart-shed. In hawthorn hedges, on ivy- covered walls, among stunted willows by streams, in crevices of rocks, or at the roots of a tuft of heather it may also be met with. The formation of the nest is somewhat different from that of the other British Thrushes. Externally, it is somewhat similar, being formed of slender twigs, roots, grasses, dead leaves, and moss; but internally it has a lining of mud and rotten wood or cow dung, so neatly rounded and smoothed off, that it much resembles the interior of half a large cocoa-nut shell. This deep smooth cavity is pro- duced in the most simple manner, namely; by the hen-bird squatting down and turning round and round in it whilst the lining is soft. The number of eggs laid by the Song Thrush varies from three to six, but five is the usual number; where only three eggs are deposited, it is probable that the first nest has been taken and a second one built immediately. In such cases I have known the new home to be built and lined in two days, the first egg being deposited whilst the mud lining was still moist; but the Song Thrush rarely builds in less than three days. In the case of this and all species at the beginning of the breeding season, a commencement of building operations is frequently made before the mother is nearly ready to lay. A nest is started and pulled to pieces, or deserted in an unfinished condition; this playing at building has given careless observers, or such as THE SONG THRUSH. 9 have not noted, year by year, the building of nests by the same species, an exaggerated idea of the time required for the construction of bird-homes.* The colouring of the eggs of Zurdus musicus is greenish blue, with distinct deep brown (almost black) spots; usually scattered sparsely over the larger end, though sometimes over the whole surface, or only on the smaller end; spotless examples occur also, but rarely, though I have taken entire clutches without marking; on the other hand some eggs are heavily blotched, and one which I have represented on Plate xxxvil of my ‘‘Handbook of British Oology,” has these blotches so arranged as to form an irregular half-zone towards the larger end. The form of the eggs of this species usually varies between a short pear- shape and a true oval; in size they differ a good deal, probably the largest eggs are deposited by the older birds. Incubation lasts from fourteen to fifteen days. When sitting, the hen Song Thrush is not easily scared from her nest; possibly she may dread to uncover her very conspicuous eggs, and may hope that her protective colouring and absolute stillness will serve to conceal them; so she sits close, her bill pointed upwards above one side of her castle, her tail cocked up over the other, until one may almost put one’s hand upon her; then suddenly she is gone like a shadow, usually without noise,+ and the bright spotted eggs are exposed to view. Without doubt the comparative difficulty of flushing the Song Thrush does tend to its preservation: even a Naturalist, unless he is a_birds’-nester, often fails to notice the nest; though, when one has acquired eyes to recognize birds’ homes at a glance, it seems marvellous that so conspicuous an object, and one so common in well-wooded country, can fail to be observed. The Song Thrush is one of the earliest birds to sing and also go to nest; in unusually mild seasons it will build as early as February, but March to August may be considered its breeding season, May and June being the months when nests of this bird are most abundant. The song of the Throstle or Mavis (as North countrymen call it) is very loud; so much so, that in a room or conservatory its notes are almost unbearable; in the open, however, they are cheerful and inspiring, though somewhat monotonous, each phrase being repeated at least four times in succession, and occasionally (more especially when the musician has hit *Dixon mentions the fact of the Song Thrush, after being robbed of its first nest, building in succession no less than three perfectly constructed nests within five days. t+ Seebohm states that, when put off her nest “her harsh cries and active motions, with those of her mate, awaken the silent woods, and speak most plainly of the anxiety of the birds for their treasure.’’ I have not found this to be the case, excepting where the young were almost ready to fly, and only when they have uttered a cry of alarm. 10 THE Sonc THRUSH. upon something novel), as many as seven or eight times. To my mind the song is rather joyous and vigorous, than melodious: when heard at early dawn as one wakens, it pleases the first time, annoys the second, irritates the third, and finally becomes an intolerable nuisance: the Blackbird’s melody, on the contrary, is always welcome. As one lies in bed trying to sleep, the whistle of the Song Thrush resolves itself into short sentences. I remember one particular bird which bothered me for weeks; in all weathers he would sit on a tree, within sight of my bedroom window, shouting as follows:—Deal o wet, deal o wet, deal o wet, deal o wet; I do, (pronounced dough as if he were trying to say know with a cold), 7 do, IL do, I ao; Who'd do it? Who'd do it? Who'd do it? Whod do it? Pretty dick, pretty dick, pretty dick, pretty dick,’ and so on ad nauseam. The food of the Song Thrush, when at liberty, consists of insects and their larve or pup, worms, snails, berries, and seeds; in the spring and summer living food is preferred, but towards autumn and throughout the winter, berries and grain when procurable, are devoured, husks and hard kernels being ejected some five or ten minutes after the food has been swallowed; thus it is that woody seeds like that of the hawthorn are carried far from the parent tree, to spring up and make the unthinking wonder whence they came. In captivity the Song Thrush sings quite as well as in its native haunts, indeed, a good bird often continues his song from November to the end of July; but if it is to reproduce the wild notes, it must be a wild-caught bird; for a nestling, brought up by hand, either sings a few short monotonous sing- song phrases; or, if it be a vigorous bird, brought up amongst other feathered companions, it shouts out the most deafening, though sometimes comical jumble of notes imaginable. My experience of hand-reared birds as compared with those caught wild is also unfavourable to the former in other respects, I have found them vicious and domineering in an aviary, dirty and wasteful in a cage; they are always more wild than a cage-moulted trapped bird. The latter, after its first moult, becomes gentle, confiding, and neither wasteful nor dirty; it has even been trusted in an aviary with small Finches, and I have never seen it molest them. As to the cruelty of caging up wild birds, it is more fanciful than real, a bird does not sing when it is unhappy, much may, however, be said as regards the cruelty of rearing birds from the nest; the parents’ anger and annoyance is the least part of it, the bungling method of feeding the young, often upon the most unsuitable food, is its worst feature. THE REDWING. II The best staple food for this, and all other insectivorous birds, is composed of stale household bread crumbled, mixed with half the quantity of preserved yolk of egg, preserved ants’ cocoons, and “Century Food,” the mixture being moistened by the addition of potatoes, boiled the day before, and passed through a masher when required for use; on this mixture with the addition of a few insects, or worms, and a little fruit, I have kept Thrushes, and many other birds, in perfect health for years; grocers’ currants, which are often recommended, should be avoided, they have a tendency to irritate the intestines and often produce diarrhoea; thin slices of apple, over-ripe pears, sweet-water grapes, sweet oranges, or ripe strawberries and currants, when in season, are as good as anything. In an aviary Thrushes and many other so-called “soft-billed” birds will swallow seed whole, and it seems to agree wonderfully well with them, rendering their flesh firm and their plumage glossy; but to feed a Thrush on bread and hempseed alone is the height of folly, and usually results in the early death of the captive. This, like most of the British Thrushes, has been bred in aviaries and even in cages of about the size of an ordinary rabbit hutch. Family—TURDIDAZ. Subfamily—TURDINAE. THE REDWING. Turdus tliacus, LANN. HIS, the smallest British Thrush, breeds from the Arctic circle through- out the Palearctic region, and winters in Western and Southern Europe and Northern Africa; it visits the Volga islands when on migration. West- ward it has straggled to the Canaries and Madeira. In Asia it has wintered in Persia, Turkestan and N.W. India, and in Siberia as far as Lake Baikal. (c 12 THE REDWING. Mr. Seebohm found it in the valley of the Petchora as far North as latitude 68’, he observes:—‘‘The Redwing frequents the birch region and the upper zone of the pine region, occurring in limited numbers South of the Arctic circle in many places where these trees are found, in South Norway and Sweden, and on the Russian shores of the Baltic. It is the most northerly in its range of any of the Thrushes, and occasionally wanders as far as Greenland.” To the British Islands the Redwing is a regular winter visitant, arriving on our Eastern coasts either towards the end of October or early in November ; it js supposed to linger longest in the Hebrides, the last examples probably leaving us during the month of April. The assertions which have, from time to time, been made, that this species has remained to breed in Great Britain, are not satisfactory, neither the birds or eggs having been secured as evidence of the fact. The Redwing, when in breeding plumage, is, next to the Blackbird. the most strikingly coloured of our Thrushes; its upper surface is olive brown; a clear creamy white eye-brow stripe extends backwards to the nape; wing- coverts with pale tips; the under surface is buff, gradually fading off into almost pure white on the belly; the breast and throat broadly streaked with dark brown; the flanks and under wing-coverts chestnut red, spotted with deep brown. The sexes are very similar, the young, however, differ in having their upper and under surfaces spotted. In general appearance the Redwing is like a small Song Thrush, but its whitish eye-stripe and red flanks give it a very distinctive character; when seen from the front it has a curious resemblance to a frog. Soon after their arrival in this country Redwings may sometimes be seen, even in our suburban gardens, feeding at twilight upon the berries of the hawthorn. I remember on one occasion, chancing to look out shortly before dusk at my garden, I was puzzled to see the entire length of a thick hawthorn hedge which closed in the end of my plot of ground covered with moving shadows. I ran for a field glass and discovered that no less than thirty Redwings were fluttering up and down like huge moths in front of this hedge, eagerly snatching off and swallowing the berries. The following day I discovered that an unusually fine crop of haws had almost entirely disappeared.* Seebohm says that ‘The favourite haunt of the Redwing is a sheltered *The birds were clearly distinguishable with the glass as Redwings, not Fieldfares, the latter arrived some weeks later and found hardly a berry left. THE REDWING. 13 valley down which a little brooklet runs, with the trees scattered here and there and tall hedgerows of thorn and hazel. They are very partial to small parks thickly timbered and studded with clumps of white thorn trees, with here and there a cluster of hollies or a dense shrubbery, whither they repair at nightfall to roost.” In wooded districts the Redwing usually builds in bushes or low-growing trees, but in more desolate regions a low fence, a hollow between stones, or a sloping bank serve as a nesting-site. The nest itself is a neat structure formed of plaited twigs, grass and reindeer-moss, plastered inside with mud or clay, and lined with fine grasses and root-fibre. The number of eggs varies from four to six, some writers giving the former, and some the latter, as the usual number. In colour they are pale green, either finely and closely streaked with reddish brown, like small specimens of some Blackbird’s eggs, or zoned with brown blotches; but, as with other Thrushes, eggs are some- times found of a uniform green colour. When the nest is approached, but especially when it contains young birds, the Redwing becomes much excited, flying angrily round the intruder and snapping its bill after the manner of its kind. It frequently produces two broods in a season. The food of the Redwing consists preferably of insects, worms and snails, but when frost and snow deprive it of these it feeds on various berries, more particularly those of the service tree and hawthorn; it is distinctly more insectivorous in its tastes than other Thrushes, nevertheless in confinement it thrives well upon the same soft food. One winter a bird-catcher brought me a bag, containing six Redwings and a Fieldfare which he had just caught. I would not, however, be persuaded to take the whole of them, but selecting two of the Redwings (which fortunately proved to be a pair) and the Fieldfare, I sent the man away. The Red- wings I turned loose in an unheated aviary with other British birds. At first the new-comers were somewhat wild, but they soon settled down in their new home. They never showed the slightest uneasiness at the season of migration, as I had been informed they would do, but early in the year assumed such rich colouring, that Naturalists who saw them in my aviary, expressed astonishment at the beauty of their plumage. Very early the male began to record his song, but usually in the morning only; in the evening its call- note—a soft plaintive whistle, which reminded me of that of the American Blue-bird, was all that I heard at that time; later, however, he began to sing out loud. 14 THE FIELDFARE. As an aviary bird, I found the Redwing ornamental, and most inoffensive, but by no means lively; it would sit in one place on the earth without moving for half an hour at a time, still as a breathing statue—a frog in behaviour and appearance; but, throw a spider or a smooth-skinned caterpillar into the aviary, and, like that Batrachian, it was instantly alert. In spite of its beauty I should imagine that the Redwing, if kept in a cage, would be intolerable; after two years I wearied of my pair, and sold them for a small sum to a friend, who immediately entered them for a show and carried off a first prize with them. Poor Redwings! I fear that their life after they left my home was not an enviable one. Although the breeding of the Redwing in Great Britain needs confir- mation, there seems to be no reason why it should not be possible, inasmuch as it has been proved that stragglers have remained with us throughout the summer. It has been known to nest in the Faroes. Family—TURDIDA:. Subfamily—TURDINA:. THE FIELDFARE. Turdus pilaris, LINN. ESPECTING the Geographical distribution of this species, one cannot do R better than quote Seebohm, he says:—‘‘A regular winter visitant to the British Islands, the Fieldfare is commonly distributed over the cultivated districts, and as far on the uplands as the mountain farms extend. The arrival of Fieldfares in Scotland is usually noticed first in the eastern counties, as it is quite natural to expect it would be, for their path in autumn is south and south-westwards. A few birds are said to be found on the Orkneys throughout the year, but they do not breed there. On the Hebrides the Fieldfare is he ace >. a a Le q SO a ee at ote -* . ee ew =F? Wyck tae ae eee ete cunt 2 a ] oe . + —— mis \ ; i a : ‘ rz . “ - . = | te" ets sj ee i ae | a é 5 5 “s : “| Famiie~TURDIDAG. y ALY1qd > AYVACTFI THE FIELDFARE. 15 does not arrive till mid-winter, and is only found on the farms and pastures —in the little oases of cultivated land so sparingly scattered amongst the wide- stretching moorland wastes. In Ireland these birds also arrive late, and are found commonly distributed over those districts suitable to their habits and needs—the cultivated tracts. Fieldfares have been said to have bred in the British Islands; but until definite proofs are forthcoming it is not safe to admit the truth of the statement, the birds being very liable to be confounded with Missel-Thrushes by careless observers. The Fieldfare has a somewhat more southerly breeding-range than the Redwing. It breeds in the Arctic circle, extending up to, and occasionally beyond, the limit of forest growth, and in north-temperate Europe as far South and West as the basin of the Baltic, and throughout Siberia as far East as the watershed of the Yenesay and the Lena. Its occurrence in Iceland is doubtful,* but it has been occasionally met with on the Faroes. It winters in Southern Europe, occurring very rarely in the Spanish peninsula, but crossing the Mediterranean to Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and Nubia. In Asia it winters in Turkestan and Cashmere; and one specimen at least has been obtained at Simla, in the North-West Himalayas.” The Fieldfare in breeding plumage is slaty-grey on the upper parts with the exception of the mantle which is chestnut brown, and the wings and _ tail, which are dark brown; the head is streaked with black; the throat and breast are rich golden brown, spotted and streaked with blackish brown; the flanks are similar, but more orange internally ; the centre of the belly is pure white and unspotted ; the bill yellowish ; feet black; iris deep brown. The female greatly resembles the male, but the young on leaving the nest are spotted with buff on the back, though after the first moult they much resemble their parents. The Fieldfare’s season of migration varies somewhat in accordance with the milder or colder temperature of its breeding-haunts; in like manner its time of departure from our shores depends greatly upon the appearance of spring weather ; there is no defined appointed time for its migration. Cold and scarcity of food in its native home represent the voice of nature calling upon it to seek comfort in somewhat milder regions; then again, the return of warmth and living food remind it that the season of love is at hand, and the inherited habit of centuries teaches this bird to seek for the fulfilment of its hopes in the land of its birth; doubtless this is largely the cause of the so-called migratory instinct in all birds, the weaker and more sensitive to cold and hunger being the first to migrate; therefore it is that the Redwing precedes the Fieldfare. It is easy to distinguish a Fieldfare from a Missel Thrush when it is on the *There seems, however, to be very little question that this species is an occasional Icelandic visitant.—A.G.B. D 16 THE FIELDFARE. ground, for, although it frequently associates with the latter bird, its grey rump, thrown into strong relief by the dark wings and tail, looks almost white. This species, however, is far less frequently seen upon the earth than our native Thrushes. Its favourite resort is a berry-laden hawthorn, upon which it will eat its fill unless disturbed, when with a clatter of chacks and chicks it shoots off in a straight line towards another of nature’s restaurants. Among the birches and pines of Norway the Fieldfares breed in colonies, in the former the nests are said to be situated in a cleft between the trunk and a large branch, but further north these birds become less gregarious, and their nests are then situated in low bushes, heaps of firewood, on fences and similar places, after the fashion of our Blackbird; whilst on the bare tundras of Siberia they select a hollow under the grassy edge of a cliff or bank for a breeding-site, like the Ring-Ouzel. The nest is very like that of the Blackbird, externally it is constructed of coarse dry grass, sometimes interwoven with birch twigs and a little moss, plastered inside with mud, and thickly lined with fine grass. The number of eggs varies from three to seven, but usually from four to six; according to Seebohm, they vary more than those of any of our British Thrushes; but I think most of those which I have seen could be matched among the almost endless variations of our Blackbirds’ eggs; their ground-colour is either paler or deeper green, blotched, mottled, and speckled with reddish brown, sometimes over the entire surface, but more frequently concentrated at the larger end. The markings of some examples (as with our Blackbird) are indistinct, evenly distributed, in others they are few and rich brown upon a deep blue ground (a variety which I have not seen in eggs of the Blackbird; though they are sometimes as blue as those of the Song Thrush). The food of this species consists in summer of worms, insects, as well as their larvee and pupe and small wild fruits; in winter, principally of berries, especially those of the hawthorn, also insects, snails and worms when procurable, and seeds of grain and grasses. The Fieldfare is a poor songster. He rarely sings excepting in the breeding season, and his performance consists of a wild warble, at times interrupted by chattering somewhat similar to that of the Starling. The example which I had for two years never sang at all, but occasionally uttered a harsh guttural sound like that of the Missel Thrush. As a cage bird the Fieldfare is most uninteresting, he soon becomes tame, and if allowed to bathe, keeps his plumage in beautiful condition; but, excepting for show purposes, is only an expense: like all Thrushes, he is a large eater, and - bad é ? ery i ‘ “ny a ae eh) tie yea thd Vy hes ts : Ks ae A * Seale “tad ‘| | a Sn tei q apoyo ia I sold my Redwings, Chin: ee ccn Vs Bion, somal a Oye Siena aaa in January, 18gp Se’ WHITE’S THRUSH. | therefore needs frequent attention. I parted with mine when I sold my Redwings, and have never wished to keep another. I fed him on the same food as my other insectivorous species, adding a few worms, snails, caterpillars, and berries when obtainable; he was always in perfect health, even when moulting, and never showed restlessness at the seasons of migration; in fact, he was one of the steadiest and most apathetic birds I ever possessed. His name has been corrupted to ‘“Felfer,” “Felt,” “Pigeon Felt,” or “Blue Felt” by country folk. family—TURDIDA:. Subfamily— TURDINA. WHITE'S ‘THRUSH. Turdus varius, PALLAS. HIS bird, also known as ‘“‘ White’s Ground-Thrush” and placed in the genus Geocichla, is only an accidental straggler to our shores; about a dozen examples having been obtained in the southern and midland counties of England and two in Ireland. ‘Therefore, although, from the writer’s standpoint, it has no more claim to be called British, than any foreigner stranded on the British coast has to be called an Englishman, its claim to the title is stronger than in the case of the ‘ Black-Throated,” the ‘‘Rock Thrush,” and many other species usually included in the British list on the strength of single examples which have come to hand. White’s Ground-Thrush is a native of South-central and South-eastern Siberia and of North China: at the approach of winter it migrates to South Japan, South China, the Philippines and even to Sumatra. The first example obtained in Great Britain was shot in Hampshire in January, 1828; and, being supposed to be new to 18 Wuitt’s ‘THRUSH. science, was named Z7urdus whited by Eyton, in honour of White, of Selbourne: thus the trivial name of White’s Thrush was first applied to it. The upper surface of this species is ochraceous brown, with black tips to the feathers; the wing feathers are darker and tipped with buff; the tail has fourteen feathers, the four central ones ochraceous brown, the others dark brown, all tipped with white; the under surface is white, tinged with buff on the breast, and boldly spotted with black crescent-shaped markings: the bill is brown, the lower mandible paler; the feet yellowish brown, the iris dark brown. The sexes are supposed to be alike. In size, this species rather excels the Missel-Thrush. The nidification of White’s Thrush was observed in 1872, at Ningpo, by the late Consul Swinhoe: the nest was roughly built, and situated on a fork of a horizontal pine-branch ; its outside consisted of dead rushes, grasses, a few twigs, dead leaves and a little moss; it was thickly plastered with mud, amongst which were fragments of some green weed; the inside, like that of the Blackbird, was thickly lined with mud, covered with an inner lining of coarse rootlets and sedgy grass. Three eggs only were in the nest; but the complete clutch would probably number four or five; Mr. Seebohm, who secured the nest and two of the eggs for his collection, thus describes them:—‘‘ They resemble those of the Missel- Thrush; but the ground-colour is slightly paler, and the spots much finer, more numerous, and more evenly distributed.” The flight of White’s Thrush, unlike that of our common species, is said to be “very undulating, like that of the Green Woodpecker, and low, often settling on the ground, and only making choice of a tree when it happened to pass under one, into which it rose almost vertically.” It is more strictly insectivorous than the true species of Zurdus, living principally upon insects, their larvee and pupe, spiders, worms, and such mollusca as are found in moist situations. In China it is known to feed also on berries, especially those of the banyan; nevertheless most of its food is obtained on the ground amongst decayed vegetation, in ditches, under bushes, or among the roots of trees. It is not known whether this species has any song; its call-note is said to be “a soft plaintive see, audible at a long distance,’ and when on migration it some- “ce 99 times ‘‘utters a melodious whistling cry. As a cage-bird, White’s Thrush would probably prove an utter failure ; whether it sings or not, it can hardly be an industrious performer, moreover it would probably pass much of its time on the floor of its cage or aviary. ELS ete he Bectaapelia aa es Aho ke eee ya les | PORE tong ae ee? 6 Bhi 's cet F mews 43 3523 -ocz 35 eagezage Pils 3 ; Peseeseebs rte Seaeds Seitbaagi ait: ih at beahagi a ~ oa — + THE REDBREAST. 53 In the winter if you care to try the experiment of putting out a trap baited with a lively mealworm, you may catch Robin after Robin without difficulty; but, in the spring, should you have a nest in your garden, you will see one pair only; should a stranger appear, he is chased and attacked immediately; woe be to him if he be the weaker bird, for even his death will not appease the rage of his opponent ; mutilation alone being satisfactory to his vengeful eye. The only time at which we miss the Redbreast about our homes is during the moulting season; for then it retires to the seclusion of the woods and coverts of the country to change its clothing; but no sooner has it donned its bright winter dress than it is with us again. At this season when we gladly welcome the reappearance of our trustful little friend, and delight, when gardening, to watch it impudently hopping about within a foot of our spade, or even for the nonce alighting on it to peep into the earth we have just turned over.* The Latin races are capturing this charming bird in myriads and slaughtering them for food. Excepting when on migration the Robin rarely flies high or for great distances. The flight itself is widely undulatory; the moment it alights and every half minute or so subsequently if it should have settled on a branch, it goes through a spasmodic little stooping action accompanied by a lowering of the head, flip of the wings and an upward jerk of the tail: on the earth it proceeds by long hops, with a pause and the characteristic epileptic stoop after every few hops. The building site of this bird varies almost endlessly, tany hollow into which it can stuff its nest seems to be welcome; if built near the habitation of man, it may be placed in a corner of an outhouse, or a ledge in a dust-bin, in a watering-pot hanging on a nail, a quart pot hanging on a fence, a flower pot in a shed, in ivy on the house wall, in creepers on a fence, in the side of a bean- stack or pile of brush-wood: in all which situations I have found it; in the country an old teapot flung into a plantation may be chosen, or a slight depression in the ground below a tree or ivy-covered stump, a cranny in a rock or a deserted chalk or sand-pit, or a hole in a grassy bank: but the Robin’s favourite nesting-site is at the side of a wide public road bounded on either hand by a wood, from which a sloping irregular bank partly covered with ivy and bramble descends to the thoroughfare: during the frosts of winter or during * When digging one day in my garden a Robin hopped between my feet alighting on the top of my spade, from which, a moment before, I had removed my foot, and there it sat peeping into the hole and then glancing sideways up in my face as if asking me to continue to turn over the earth; a feat which I could not accomplish without disturbing the bird, + Mr. Frohawk writes that a pair of Robins built on the bend of a gutter pipe to his house in 1894 and 1895, at a height of 20 feet from the ground: the pipe was slightly concealed by a few entangled sprays of Ampelopsis Vettchii: the situation was identical each year. 54 THE REDBREAST. heavy rains a large flint or fragment of rock is dislodged and rolls into the road leaving a hollow partly overhung by ivy or fern: such a site is tolerably certain to be occupied the following spring, and each succeeding year, by a pair of Redbreasts. I believe that of the many Robins which nest in our gardens and houses, not one pair in twenty has the pleasure of seeing its young leave the nest; nearly the whole of them fall victims to cats. As to the cat not eating Robins, that I have proved to be the wildest fiction; a mere rustic legend, no more true to fact than the reputed poisonous qualities of the slow-worm and newt. The nest of this bird, when placed in holes, is a loosely built structure, but is more compactly formed when situated in ivy or creepers,; the outer walls are made of fine roots, bast, or coarse dry grass, bents, and sometimes a few dead oak leaves intertwined with hair and moss; the cup is neatly lined with fine grasses, fibre and hair: when built in holes moss is largely used and when placed in ivy the front wall is largely covered with dead oak leaves, giving it somewhat the appearance of a Nightingale’s nest. The eggs vary in number from four to seven, but there are rarely less than five or more than six; in colour they are usually fleshy white, more or less mottled and spotted with sienna-reddish and red-brown; sometimes the spotting is weak, and forms a mere rusty nebula at the larger end; occasionally the eggs are pure white. The note of anxiety is a sharp tick, tick-a-tek, tek, tek; but when the young are out of the nest it is sometimes varied by a veritable croak, reminding one of the Nightingale; a thin plaintive piercing note, a kind of /see¢ (the same as the distress note) is usually repeated at intervals for a short time before the bird sings. The song itself is sweet and clear but somewhat plaintive: Henry Steven- son, in his ‘‘ Birds of Norfolk,” thus poetically describes it:—‘‘ Clear and sharp it sounds in the fresh morning air, whilst still the hoar frost hangs upon the trees, or glitters on the threads of endless gossamer. "The sportsman hears it by the covert side as at midday he rests awhile, and seeks refreshment after all his ’ toils; and later still, as he ‘homeward plods his weary way,’ that simple note, in some mysterious manner, awakens recollections of the past, when the same sport was shared with dear and absent friends. Again, in the months of September and October, as the day declines and the evening ‘draws in,’ how we listen to him in our gardens and shrubberies now chattering his little mandibles as he jerks up and down on some projecting branch, now singing sweetly, or at short intervals waiting for, and answering some neighbouring songster.”’ It has been said that the Robin sings best in the autumn and winter, but THE REDBREAST. 55 this is not the case; the song is best heard when nature is asleep, yet is quite as charming in the spring, when he carols to his mate as she sits upon her dappled eggs; yet he often wanders far away at this period and she, disconsolate and hungry, calls to him with her far-reaching and melancholy /see¢, until he reappears and brings some appetizing morsel to reward her patient toil: for it must not be supposed that Finches alone feed their hens upon the nest, many other birds do the same and often have I seen the Robin do so.* The food of the Robin is very varied; small worms, spiders, centipedes, insects and their larvee forming its staple diet during the open months, but it by no means despises currants and cherries, and during the winter it largely subsists upon berries, probably seeds of weeds, and all kinds of household refuse picked up in the farmyard, or purposely thrown out for him by those who love to see a little bright life about their homes during the desolate months of the year. As a cage-bird the Redbreast is a great favourite, but it is almost a sin to confine this trusting little fellow, and it is somewhat risky to turn him out into an aviary; for, although at various times I have kept Robins which never molested other birds, individuals have been known to prove dangerous companions to less active species. A friend of mine, who turned loose a Robin into his aviary, lost a Bullfinch, Goldfinch, and Linnet in a single night, the Redbreasted little ruffian having drilled a neat hole into the skull of each of them. My first experience of Robins in captivity was in the winter of 1886-7, when I caught twelve and selected the three brightest for pets, letting the remainder fly. As usual, these birds readily became quite tame, taking worms, insects, &c., from my fingers; indeed one of them did so on the third day after its capture. It soon learned to know me so well that it would follow me from one end of its flight cage to the other. I used. to sit down and watch this bird, and I made a note of the number of beats of the wing which were required to take it from one end of its little aviary to the other; this I could only do accurately by ear, but the number hardly ever varied: I then calculated that, flying in the same manner, the Robin would have to flap its wings 9240 times to cover a mile. "Two of these Robins died in the spring, one after eight, and the other after nine months’ confinement; the third I gave away to a friend. In September, 1887, I again caged two Robins, the first of which became perfectly tame in about a week and would come at my call to take mealworms * The American Bluebird is most attentive in this respect, constantly and most unselfishly giving every insect to his wife, from the time of courtship until the young are hatched. The ordinary call-note of our Robin is a short sharp whistled note. O 56 THE NIGHTINGALE. or earthworms from my fingers; both died of a pulmonary complaint in the spring of 1889, I having turned them into an unheated aviary: it thus became clear that after eighteen months of comparative warmth, the Robin is unfit to cope with the severity of an English winter. Since then I have had several of these charming little songsters, but of late years the only one I have had was a cock rescued from a cat, which had broken its wing; it spent the summer of 1906 in one of my aviaries, and sang incessantly ; but in the following winter it died. I always feel that a bird which will of its own free-will enter your house and remain for weeks (if you permit it) a willing captive, should not be ‘cribbed, cabined or confined.” One autumn, after allowing a Robin to take possession of a greenhouse for a week, I was finally obliged to drive him out; on account, not only of the disfigurement of my plants, but of his propensity to dig for worms in the flower-pots. Family—TURDIDA:. Subfamily— TURDINAE. THE NIGHTINGALE. Dautlias luscinia, LINN. OWARD SAUNDERS gives the following as the geographical distribution of this species:—‘‘On the Continent, Northern Germany appears to be the highest authenticated latitude for our Nightingale; south of which, except where systematically molested by bird-catchers, it is generally distributed throughout Central Europe. In such southern countries as Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey, it is very abundant in suitable localities; breeding also in North Africa, Palestine and Asia Minor. Its north-eastern limit in Europe appears to be the valley of the Vistula; and in Russia it is confined to the southern provinces.” The Nightingale visits Great Britain early in April, but does not reach the ge A ia so £ if}; | ff & ATER: a] i THe i ae ie i ea if Family TURDID A, COW ARTE ee DONE: Se me H wl Wake ae Os i aa toe a except where systeuintiitne! «- rascal Se ser | throughout Centiet Rompe Ge Aa ae inion sans Spain One Italy, Greece and Torkey. & is 4% HO feiesble lecktighens breeding also 0) 7 in North Africa, Palestine sind Qew PAS, Wk noes conbegate Fimit in aig “ appeats to be the vatley iw "SRY ‘ad jn Rusede. ie cit pena dt southern provinces.” . Ma re The Nightingale visits Grek MeAWiine qi in! April, Swe Woes ‘not reach ‘ ‘ae THE NIGHTINGALE. 57 more northern counties until later, it leaves us again in August and September ; it has not been known to occur in Ireland, its occurrence in Scotland is doubtful and in East Devon, Shropshire and South Yorkshire it is rare; its distribution is somewhat local, but in the woods of some of the southern counties it is very abundant. The colouring of this species above is russet-brown, the tail-coverts and tail being chestnut reddish. Below it is pale buff, greyish on the breast and flanks and brownish on the axillaries; under tail-coverts buff, deeper than on the centre of throat and abdomen. Bill brown above, pale horn-colour below; feet brown; iris hazel. The female has a broader crown and bill than the male, but resembles it in colouring. Nestlings are darker and have most of the feathers above spotted with golden-brown; below they are barred with greyish-brown. The Nightingale is a bird of the woods, its favourite haunts are copses, plantations, shrubberies and all timbered land where trees rise amongst dense and tangled undergrowth; but open forest is not suited to its somewhat timid and skulking nature. As one wanders on the outskirts of some of the almost impenetrable Kentish woods, it is no unusual thing to see this russet coloured songster dart out from the covert, and after an irregular flight of a few yards disappear again amid the thick foliage. In its actions the Nightingale resembles the Robin, but it has none of the impudent confidence of that bird; and, though very pugnacious, it is no match for the Redbreasted bird; of which, indeed, I proved that it stands greatly in awe :— On one occasion I turned a Nightingale loose in an aviary in which a Robin was flying about and, no sooner did they catch sight of one another, than Bob flew straight for Philomel, who crouched on the ground in such abject terror, that I quickly snatched him up to save his life. (It was a male Philomel!) In a state of nature, when scared, the Nightingale always seeks concealment in some tangled cover of bramble, hawthorn, scrambling honeysuckle or shady evergreen, uttering the while its harsh croak of alarm, and clicking together its mandibles after the fashion of other insectivorous birds. On the rare occasions when one catches a glimpse of it, in some small clearing in wood or shrubbery, seeking for small worms, beetles, or spiders, its behaviour is precisely that of the Robin, the manner in which it jumps and jerks at the worm, and having gulped it down, stands for a moment with head erect and tail slightly raised; then bobs, flicks his wings and throws up its tail, is in every respect a perfect facsimile of the Redbreast’s actions. Like most of the Thrush-tribe the Nightingale turns over dead leaves most industriously in the search for concealed insects. 58 THE NIGHTINGALE. Such is my experience of this bird as seen in the Kentish woods; but Henry Stevenson, speaking of it in Norfolk says:—‘‘Though frequenting the thick cover of our groves and shrubberies, the Nightingale is by no means a shy bird, at least on its first arrival, but sings fearlessly throughout the day in the most exposed situations. In my own garden, bordered on two sides by public roads, I have known one sing at intervals throughout the day, on the yet leafless branches of an almond tree, perfectly indifferent to the voices and footsteps of the passers by; and on the 1st May, 1864, a most exquisite songster stationed himself on a small tree, in Mount Pleasant lane, close to the footpath, where groups of Sunday walkers, both morning and afternoon, stopped to listen to its ‘sweet descants,’ and probably for the first time in their lives saw, as well as heard, a Nightingale.” This last sentence chimes in exactly with my belief. It is not often easy to discover the author of sweet Philomel’s discourses; one needs to look long and carefully ; and perchance, at length, one finds that the singer which one has been seeking for in the undergrowth, is perched among the smaller branches of some lofty elm; not that it always seeks so high a seat; for, many a time, on a hot spring morning I have seen it in full song in a plantation of birch trees grown for hop-poles, and among the briars and rank vegetation at their roots I have often sought and sometimes found its nest. The song of the Nightingale surpasses in melody and charm that of any other bird; it commences usually with a long-drawn plaintive phwee, phwee, phwee, phwee, repeated from four to six times in succession, and followed by a rapid water-bubble chooka, chooka, chooka, chooka, chooka, chookee, and then perhaps a series of clear notes commencing /ovey, foo, too, too, toott, more and more rapidly uttered and increasing in power; sometimes the song commences with this tooey, yet more often with the complaining note; but, without the bird singing at one’s side, it is impossible to remember, much less to do justice to, this brilliant musician; once heard, it can never be mistaken for anything else; the Blackcap sometimes strives to copy the melody, and does it fairly well; but he sings too loud, without the softness of sweet Philomel. On one occasion when out with Mr. Frohawk at twilight, on the skirt of a Kentish wood, we heard a Song-Thrush and a Blackbird trying to outdo a Nightingale: it was all in vain, all three birds were perfect masters of their art; the Thrush, by introducing part of the song of the Nightingale, much improved his own natural performance; but the Blackbird scorned to copy, he swung out his full flowing phrases in grand style, and when he knew himself beaten, in a royal rage he charged the tree in which the little russet songster sat, and drove it from its retreat; but the Nightingale, nothing daunted, perched THE NIGHTINGALE. 59 on a branch of another tree some fifty feet away, and then the concert re- commenced: never before or since have I heard any of these three species sing so superbly. The nest of the Nightingale is usually placed in a hole in the ground, less frequently in the forking base of a pollard partly overhung by rank grass and fern-fronds, rarely in bramble or hawthorn, a foot or more above the earth, but in such unusual positions I have only twice found it, its usual site is in a depression at the foot of a tree, pollard, or bramble-bush well concealed by ferns, grasses or other short undergrowth. On several occasions, however, I have found it fully exposed to the sky, among the drifted oak- leaves in a small clearing close to some blind keeper’s path: when thus situated, it appears to the casual pedestrian to be merely a round hole among the dead leaves; but, to the experienced birds’-nester, it is fully revealed at a glance. Curiously enough the rustics who, in a desultory fashion, have plundered and destroyed nests from their babyhood upwards, invariably over- look all nests which are merely protected by their environment in this fashion, and express the greatest wonder that a townsman should instantly recognize as a nest that which they would have passed as a hole in the ground, or a bunch of leaves. The structure itself is loosely put together, the cup very deep; the outer walls composed of coarse dry flattened bents, rushes, or even fine flags, lined with finer bents, root-fibre, and sometimes a little horsehair; the whole of the outer wall is covered and concealed by dead oak-leaves. The eggs, which number from four to six, are brownish olive; rarely, with a red-brown zone round the broader extremity. Still more rarely, they are bluish green, mottled with reddish brown, and somewhat resemble eggs of the Bluethroat: but eggs of this type I have never found, and those with the red-brown zone only twice; the colouring is doubtless protective, for the typical eggs look at first glance much like oval pebbles at the bottom of a small hole in the earth. The call-note is said to be wate, wate, cur-cur; but this always appeared to me to be a note of caution or anger; the call to the female is either a piercing thin key-whistle like that of the Blackbird and Robin, to which she replies in the same manner, or a soothing /ovey to which she does not reply, at least I never heard her; but perhaps the fact that a human being was in dangerous proximity to her nest, may have made her cautious: the alarm note is a low guttural sort of croak. The hatching of a brood is signalized by a different note which has been rendered churr, churr. The song of the Nightingale commences soon after his arrival on our coasts and continues until the young are hatched, P 60 THE NIGHTINGALE. which is usually in June, after this it is only heard in the evening after the arduous duty of providing for its family is completed for the day. As the young birds hear but little of the song which is their greatest gift, during the rearing season, it has been suggested that they may learn it while still in the egg; but this idea seems to me far fetched, and most improbable; at best the unborn chick could barely be capable of appreciating sound for a day or two before hatching: but, what seems to me to clinch the matter, is the fact that, if taken from the nest when eight days old and hand-reared, Nightingales in confinement do not sing a note; or such is my experience. I think it far more likely that the song is partly learnt when the father is at evensong and most other voices are hushed, for then the Nightingale’s melody sounds most impressive ; probably the finishing lessons are given in Africa, during our winter months. It has been said that Nightingales do not bear confinement well, yet I have seen individuals which have lived for years in quite small cages; I remember one which hung against the wall of a house exactly opposite our hotel bedroom window at Baden-Baden, about the year 1867; we were told that it had been caged for several years, and it sang grandly when we heard it. Many years later I saw one at an inn, at Selling in Kent, which had been caged for about eight years and still sang well. Every year many are exhibited at bird-shows, the same specimens being shown in successive years. I have also known an instance of this species breeding and rearing young in an aviary. The spring-caught Nightingales are those which are sold for songsters, those obtained on their autumn migration are said rarely to live. In June, 1887, I secured a nest of five birds nine days old, and (following the usual most misleading instructions) I fed them, amongst other things, on finely chopped raw meat; consequently they all suffered from violent purging, which carried off the two strongest. Guessing that the meat was the cause of this disaster, I at once changed their diet, and successfully brought up the three others upon a mixture of four parts pounded dog-biscuit, four parts oat flour, two parts pea-meal, two parts yolk of egg, and one part ants’ cocoons, the whole well mingled with water into a moist paste. When about six weeks old, they began to quarrel about trifles, and pull out one another’s feathers; therefore early in August, I placed them in three separate sections of a large aviary-cage with sliding wire divisions, and here they soon recovered their plumage. They were very tame, but, like most birds, objected to being handled ; although this was frequently necessary, as they used to get their feet clogged with dirt, which they never attempted to remove for themselves I now changed THE NIGHTINGALE. 61 their diet again; that upon which I had reared them proving too fattening, now that they were full-grown; I knocked off three parts of the oat-flour and one of the pea-meal, substituting finely crumbled dry bread. Curiously enough these Nightingales would persist in sitting in the direct rays of the sun, the result of which was that two of them got heat-apoplexy and lost all interest in everything, appearing as if stuffed, neither moving nor eating. I gave them both a warm bath after which one of them recovered, but the other died miserably about the end of August. It was said to have warbled a little before its attack, but I doubt it myself. My two remaining Nightingales became wonderfully confiding, and would come and pick caterpillars or mealworms out of the palm of my hand, but neither ever sang a note; one died from a recurrence of sunstroke in August, 1888, and the other (a fine male bird) went off in a decline at the end of the same year. As pets, hand-reared Nightingales are neither so pretty, nor so charming, as Robins; their outline is pleasing, and their full intelligent eyes give them an alert appearance not belied by their sprightly movements; but one wants some- thing more than a russet brown bird which only croaks or foveys; a Nightingale which sings is a joy for ever, but a silent Nightingale is a fraud. A caught Nightingale which I had some years later, sang a little in the evening, but never attained to the full song; it seemed healthy, but did not live many months. There are very few birds which sing their natural song when hand-reared, and the Nightingale is not one of them: whether the Robin is, I do not know; I tried to rear a nest of these once, but foolishly gave them some chopped raw meat, which killed the entire half dozen in one day. The best mixture for successfully rearing all soft-food birds is as follows :—Four parts ants’ cocoons, three parts yolk of egg, one part dry bread-crumbs; the whole mixed very moist at first, but given drier as the birds get older: the young of Butcher-birds, Crows, &c., should have raw meat also, because flesh is to them a natural article of food. This species concludes the Thrush-like birds. (7urdine/. 62 THE WHITETHROAT. Family—TURDID. Subfamily—S VL VITNA:. THE WHITETHROAT. Sylvia cinerea, BECHST. REEDS abundantly in Scandinavia and Western Russia as far north as lat. 65°, and in the Ural Mountains up to lat. 60°, southwards throughout Europe to the Mediterranean. It winters in the Canaries and Northern Africa, passing through N.E. Africa on migration and extending its wanderings down the west coast to Damaraland. Eastwards it occurs in Asia Minor, where it is abundant in the nesting-season, in Palestine, where it is partly resident, in Persia, Turkestan and South-west Siberia. In Great Britain it is very common and generally distributed, being most rare in the extreme north of Scotland, and unrecorded from the Outer Hebrides. The adult male in breeding plumage has the head, neck and upper tail- coverts smoky grey, the remainder of the upper parts greyish brown, deepest on wings and tail, the wing-coverts and innermost secondaries broadly margined with rufous; the outer tail-feathers paler than the remainder, broadly bordered and tipped with white. Under surface white, shaded on the breast with vinous-buff and on the flanks with buff; under wing-coverts and axillaries smoky grey; bill dark brown, the lower mandible paler, feet pale brown, iris hazel. The female differs in the absence of the grey head and upper tail-coverts, and vinous breast. After its autumn moult the male resembles the female. Young birds are more rufous brown. The Whitethroat reaches us about the second week in April, though in mild seasons I have met with it earlier; it takes its departure early in September. It is essentially a bird of the thicket, hedgerow, shrubbery or garden: in open spots overrun with blackberry, honeysuckle, stunted hawthorn, long rank grass and nettles you are almost certain to hear its cheerful little song or its harsh alarm note. Though rarely met with in dense woods, it abounds in those narrow strips of wood known in Kent by the names of saws and shaves; yet in lanes, and little frequented country roads where the hedges are untrimmed, and fringed at the bottoms with nettles and goose-grass, the Whitethroat is most in evidence; here, among the nettle heads, the flimsy nest is often suspended; not that the her ee dare eR ee "oi bap rere Sete aonanitn ee ees Pe ee a a sa Hoses: Re ay ae THE WHITETHROAT. 63 nest is always flimsy, for I have taken examples almost as stoutly built as that of a Sedge Warbler; nor is the nest always situated in so apparently perilous a position as a bunch of nettles, for I have often taken it from the top of a clipped hawthorn hedge partly overgrown with ivy; but it is most frequently found low down in bramble or dense but loose vegetation and more often than not near the foot of a thick hawthorn hedge. The nest is usually lightly constructed of dried stalks of plants and grasses with here and there knots of spider’s silk or sheep's wool; the lining is composed of fine bents and horsehair: it is generally very deep. Of ten nests in my collection, obtained during two consecutive years, two are interesting; one on account of its unusual size, the diameter of the interior of the cavity measuring nearly three inches, and thickly lined with black hair; the other has the walls rather thickly edged with sheep’s wool intertwined with the grasses. The eggs, which usually number from four to five, rarely six, vary a good deal in ground-tint and in marking; the best known type is greenish, indistinctly mottled with greyish olive, the larger end zoned with spots and specks of slate- grey and brown; another not uncommon variety resembles the egg of the Garden Warbler excepting for a belt of scattered slate-grey spots towards the larger end, a third variety is stone-grey with slightly darker mottling and looks almost like a diminutive egg of the Pied Wagtail; a fourth, somewhat larger, is similarly coloured, but spotted and splashed as if with ink; then there is a dark mottled greyish form, almost like a small egg of the Titlark; a pale ruddy variety with greyish mottling, reminding one of the Spotted Flycatcher’s egg, and a greenish white egg with scattered brown mottling speckled with blackish, and vaguely resembling some eggs of Passer; rarely its eggs are almost like enlarged editions of those of the Lesser Whitethroat, but with the surface between the blackish markings splashed and speckled with olive brown. The above are a few of the forms taken by myself, and it would not be difficult to add to the list, indeed an assiduous collector never seems to come to the end of variation in this egg, either in size, form, ground-tint, or pattern: I have one almost like that of the Dartford Warbler, but nearly spherical; others which, had I not taken them my- self, I should have declared to be large eggs of the Sedge Warbler laid by an old bird, yet I took them from a most typical flimsy Whitethroat’s nest, built in nettles: they are almost large enough for eggs of the Garden Warbler. Many even of the best collections give a very poor idea of the modifications to which this bird’s eggs are liable, and the published descriptions seem, so far as I have been able to judge, to have been copied from one ornithological work into another, most authors speaking of specimens being pale buff, or buffish white, spotted with Q 64 THE WHITETHROAT. yellowish brown and with violet-grey shell-markings: it would be rash to assert that such eggs never existed, but I must confess that I never saw anything approaching this variety among the hundreds which I have examined. This species is very largely insectivorous and its young are reared solely upon this diet, caterpillars, spiders, and crane-flies being its favourite articles of food; in the early fruit season it also robs the raspberry canes and currant- bushes, and is not averse to elder- and blackberries; early in August it is said also to eat the unripe milky corn. The ‘‘ Nettle Creeper,” or ‘Jolly Whitethroat” as the rustics call this bird, has a short but clear and melodious song, and may frequently be heard in the country lanes singing from the top of a hedge or one of the lower branches of a tree; sometimes you may see him from simple exuberance of joy soaring upwards after the manner of a Pipit and presently flinging himself downwards to the hedgerow; if you approach to watch him more closely he slips over to the other side of the hedge, rising and falling just ahead of you until convinced of your pursuit, when he wheels round and returns perhaps to the point from which he started; near to which, perchance, his nest may be concealed. The call-note is a clear phweet-phweet-phweet, but the alarm-note is a harsh hissing sound. The Whitethroat is well-known as a cage-bird and is not especially delicate, if supplied with plenty of insect food; but, if this cannot be provided, he is un- able to stand an English winter in an unheated aviary, and without question an aviary, not a cage, is the only confinement to which any Warbler ought to be subjected: doubtless, like all these birds, the Whitethroat does in time become reconciled to the close imprisonment of a cage; but no aviculturist, unless a great worshipper of bird-shows, would take much pleasure in watching its cramped movements in such an enclosure. The Whitethroat will sing freely in an aviary, but whether it ever does so in a cage I cannot say; a male captured on its arrival in this country, probably would do so, in time; but a hand-reared bird would be unlikely to give this satisfaction to its owner. It is therefore almost certain that caged Whitethroats are rarely kept excepting for the show-bench; they would hardly be selected for their brilliant plumage, and their song would certainly be heard to the greatest advantage, to say the least of it, in an aviary. To keep so restless and sprightly a bird as the Whitethroat in close confinement, merely for the sake of the slight profit which it may bring to its owner in the way of prizes, is not only a cruelty, but a meanness, of which no real bird-lover, who took the trouble to reflect upon it, could well be guilty. LESSER WHITETHROAT PLATE 17 THE LESSER WHITETHROAT. 65 Family—TURDID:. Subfamily—SVL VINA. THE LESSER WHITETHROAT. Syluia curruca, LINN. HE European race of this species ranges northwards almost to the limit of forest-growth; southwards it breeds throughout nearly the whole of temperate Europe, to Southern Europe it is chiefly a summer visitor, but Howard Saunders states that ‘“‘a few pass the winter to the east of Malaga.” Its usual winter quarters are Northern and Central Africa, Arabia, Palestine, where it is also said to breed, and Persia. In Great Britain its distribution is decidedly local, being especially so on the east and west coasts and in Scotland, whilst in Ireland it is not known to occur. The adult male has the crown smoky grey, the nape, back and upper tail- coverts brownish slate-grey, the wings greyish brown with paler margins to the innermost secondaries, the tail-feathers dark brown excepting the outer ones, which are greyer and have white outer webs; lores and ear-coverts dark brown. Under surface white, slightly tinged with yellowish brown on the breast and flanks; bill dark slate-grey inclining to black, the under mandible with pale base; feet slate-grey; iris pale brown. The female is slightly smaller and duller- coloured than the male. Young birds are browner, with better defined pale margins to the wing-feathers; bill and feet paler; iris hazel. The Lesser Whitethroat reaches us late in April or early in May and usually leaves us again late in September, but stragglers remain nearly a month later, and Mr. Swaysland even obtained an example at Brighton in November. This species is more skulking in its habits than its larger relative, it frequents the margins of dense woods, copses, plantations, shrubberies, rural uncultivated hedges, especially those which border little frequented lanes and thickly planted gardens. When disturbed it either slips away into the dense scrub or flies up into the branches of some lofty tree where it hops restlessly from twig to twig uttering an excitable defiant note see, fsee, fsee, repeated rapidly nine or ten times: if disturbed from its nest, however, its note is more like ef, 66 THE LESSER WHITETHROAT. kek, kek: the song is a rapid repetition of one whistled note; it has been called a trill, but is too staccato to answer that description; a few lower notes are sometimes added, but even these have a monotonous character. The nest is constructed at any time between April and June, but I have found more in May than in either of the other months; it varies considerably in its height from the ground, being sometimes placed among the upper twigs of a tall hawthorn hedge, sometimes in brambles only a foot or two above the earth ; it is also occasionally found in furze-bushes; but I took most of my nests either from hedges on the outskirts of woods, or in country lanes, the height from the ground being about four feet. Mr. Frohawk tells me that the Lesser White- throat, when building in shrubberies, very frequently selects the snow-berry as a site for its nest: he also reminds me of the frequency with which those found by us at various times contained imperfect clutches; a full clutch being the exception, and two to three eggs the rule. Although the bird itself is very shy, I have not observed that it makes any special effort to conceal its nest, and many a time when I have found it to contain only one egg, and have left it in the hope of subsequently securing it with a full clutch, I have found it torn out by some village clown. To take one egg from the nest of the Lesser Whitethroat is sufficient to ensure its desertion: even if a similarly coloured small marble is substituted, the only result is that the bird ejects the marble and then lets the empty nest alone: I never knew her to lay a second egg after the first had been abstracted. Like the Wren, this little bird will run no risks; if you interfere with her domestic arrangements, she will, for the time, give up housekeeping. The structure of the nest is much firmer, and, to my mind, neater than that of the Common Whitethroat; a pretty little cup formed of stout bents and root- lets firmly interlaced with the twigs among which it is fixed and interwoven here and there with a little fine wool and spiders’ cocoons; it is lined with fine bents, root fibre and a little horsehair. The eggs vary in number from four to five: when less than four are incubated, the nest is probably a second one and hurriedly constructed, the first having been tampered with. In colouring, the eggs vary much less than those of its larger relative; indeed the difference in ground-colour, is slight, varying from white to cream-colour, the markings diffused olive-brown, with underlying silver-grey or pale slate spots and overlying dots and lines of blackish-brown: some specimens have the spots large and boldly defined, especially towards the rounded extremity where they frequently form an irregular zone; sometimes the end of the egg enclosed by this zone is suffused with dirty buff; at other times the spots, though similarly disposed are small and THE LESSER WHITETHROAT. 67 scattered; and, lastly, in some clutches the spots are rather small and sprinkled over the entire surface. Although I have found few birds so easily put off the nest before the completion of the clutch, no sooner has the hen commenced incubation than she becomes a very close sitter, only leaving her eggs at the last moment, when satisfied that her death-like inaction has failed to protect them from the intruder; even then she does not move far away, but fidgets about in the scrub, scolding; in this pastime she is frequently accompanied by the male bird which is usually within earshot, and promptly appears on the scene to investigate the cause of his consort’s ill temper. The food of the Lesser Whitethroat consists of small insects and their larve, spiders, soft berries and small fruits, more particularly currants and cherries. Its flight is undulating. Mr. Blyth (Field Naturalist, Vol. I. p. 306) says of the “babillard or Lesser Whitethroat”’ :—‘‘He seems—to be always in such high spirits as not to know how to contain himself, taking frequently a long circuitous flight from tree to tree, and back again a dozen times, seemingly for no other purpose than mere exercise; but he never mounts singing into the air like the Whitethroat.”’ Gitke speaking of it in Heligoland, says that ‘‘Only solitary examples of this pretty little songster are met with on this island; it is the earliest arrival among its nearer relatives during the spring migration, almost always making its appearance as early as the first days of April, even if the weather is still raw, and completes its migration by the middle of May. In the autumn, when it occurs still more sparingly, it may be seen from the latter half of September till towards the end of October, and at times also somewhat later.” As a cage-bird the Lesser Whitethroat is not especially interesting; never- theless, if its song is not particularly attractive, I agree with Herr Mathias Rausch that it has the merit of zeal (Vide ‘Gefiederte Welt,’ 1891, p. 342) “inasmuch as, even in confinement, it sings the whole day long.” However, I have not personally had the pleasure of keeping a fully adult male of this little warbler. In June, 1887, I came across a nest of Lesser Whitethroats, evidently only about three days old; and, so anxious was I to discover what they would be like in captivity, that I took the nest and attempted the difficult task of rearing them. With such young birds it was not only necessary to cover them up care- fully with warm flannel every evening, after giving them their last meal; but I had to turn out of bed at sunrise to give them their first breakfast; no pleasant task at midsummer! I persevered, however, feeding them regularly on moistened R 68 THE ORPHEAN WARBLER. ‘Abrahams’ Food’ every hour, until they were old enough to require nourishment less frequently. Unhappily (as is often the case, even with the greatest care) they got very dirty: a flattened and pointed stick is a poor substitute for the parents’ bill. In consequence of the matting of their feathers, the two weakest died, probably from chill; the two remaining birds were reared; but, though unnaturally fat, from lack of proper exercise, they were incessantly clamouring for food; yet they seemed healthy enough. About the third week of July, in the act of stretching forward to snatch some food which I offered, they fell dead from apoplexy: the moral of which is—do not overfeed youngsters because they cry. Family—TURDID:. Subfamily—SVLVIINA:. THE ORPHEAN WARBLER. Sylvia Orphea, TEMM. HE existence of this species in Great Britain rests upon the authority of a female said by a bird-stuffer, Graham, of York, to have been shot near Wetherby, and upon a young bird caught in Middlesex, kept in captivity for nearly six months and then identified by the late Mr. EK. Blyth. Nests and eggs supposed to belong to this species have also been taken. In spite of these facts, it seems to me that there is, at present, not sufficient evidence to justify the admission of the Orphean Warbler into the British list. As Mr. Seebohm remarks :—‘‘ Under the most favourable circumstances, even supposing no error to have crept into the history or identification of any of these occurrences, the Orphean Warbler can only be looked upon as a very~rare and accidental straggler to our islands.” Europe, breed i extending 7 ia Minor and the Mediter- _* supposed Ahwwaittia | , 1% : oo e u reste Pelee cs S THE BLACKCAP. 69 Family—TURDID:. Subfamily—SVL VIINAE. THE BLACKCAP. Sylvia atricapilla, LINN. HIS delightful songster is generally distributed throughout Europe, breeding in every country from Scandinavia below 66° N. lat., and extending its range southwards to North Africa, south-eastwards to Asia Minor and Palestine, and also through the Caucasus to Western Persia. In the Mediter- ranean basin it has been obtained at all seasons. Its winter range is supposed to extend westward to Senegal and Gambia, and eastward to Nubia and Abyssinia; in the Cape Verde Islands, Madeira, the Canaries and Azores it is apparently resident. In Great Britain this species is somewhat local, but pretty generally distributed. The general colouring of the upper parts of the Blackcap in breeding plumage is smoky-grey, the upper part of the head jet-black; the edges of the wing and tail feathers brownish; under parts ash-grey, paler on the chin, the centre of abdomen, axillaries and under wing-coverts white; bill dark horn brown; feet leaden grey, iris hazel. The female chiefly differs from the male in its rufous brown cap and generally somewhat browner colouring. The young male in its first plumage resembles the female, but acquires the black cap in the autumn without a moult. Both sexes of the adult birds are said to become somewhat browner after their autumn moult, but I have proved that the male retains its black cap throughout the year, a fact also attested by Mr. John Young (Vide Howard Saunders’ Manual, p. 48). Although partially resident in this country, most of the pairs which breed with us arrive from Africa about the middle of April, and leave us again in September. The Blackcap is a bird which delights in wild dense uncultivated land, almost impenetrable thickets, tangled hedges, plantations where hawthorn bushes alternate with straggling brambles, nettles, and honeysuckle vines; even in badly kept gardens, where roses have run riot among the shrubs: in such spots it builds its neat and strongly constructed nest. In the clearings of the Kentish 70 THE BLACKCAP. woods, where the removal of the trees has permitted the wild blackberry, briony, convolvulus and many other things to sprawl over one another in profusion, rendering progression ruinous to clothing, I have often come across the nest of this bird: such clearings may either be on the outskirts or some distance within a wood. In the former case they are only separated from the main road by a hedge, or terminate in a steep bank running downwards to the thorough- fare; in the latter case, they adjoin a rough cart road cut through the wood. Little accidental clearings, entered by ‘‘blind’’* keeper’s paths, are also very favourite sites for the nest of this bird. The structure is very strongly built (though sometimes the walls are not very thick) and it is firmly attached to the stems of hawthorn, bramble, or other low-growing vegetation in which it is located. In form it is a neatly rounded cup, with walls externally composed of fine dry tough grass, more rarely with an admixture of straw, internally of fine grass, root-fibre and horsehair; the outside is sometimes interwoven with a little moss and always strengthened and bound to the supporting twigs by woollen thread or silk from the cocoons of some spider or caterpillar: in some nests, however, this thread is very scanty and can only be detected by carefully examining them with a lens, whereas in others it gives the outer walls a fluffy appearance to the naked eye. The eggs vary in number from four to five; in size they are tolerably uniform, those of young birds being slightly smaller than those deposited by older individuals: in colouring they exhibit considerable variability ; so much so that the tyro, unacquainted with the bird itself, its habits, or its nest, might take specimens which, by comparison with imperfect illustrations, he would perchance identify as those of the Garden Warbler, Greater Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher and Titlark: even the experienced birds’-nester unless aware of the different character of the structures formed by the two species might hesitate in deciding between some eggs of the Blackcap and those of the Garden Warbler. The ground-tint of the eggs is either chalky white, greenish white, pale buff, brownish buff, or flesh pink; the surface is more or less densely spotted, blotched and streaked with soft greyish olive, earth-brown, smoky brown, or (in the pink eggs) dull mahogany red, giving the egg the appearance of having been smeared with blood; above these again are sprinkled little spots and thread-like lines of black, or black-brown, often placed in the centre of a patch of the paler colouring which they serve to intensify. The flesh-coloured variety, which somewhat vaguely resembles the egg of the Spotted Flycatcher, is rare; the only two nests purely of this type which I ever * That is to say, long disused and overgrown with moss and weeds. THE BLACKCAP. apt obtained, were probably the produce of the same pair of birds in succeeding years; the two nests being situated near the top of the same rough hedge outside a small wood at Tunstall, in Kent; the first I took on the 24th May, 1877, the second on the 29th May, 1878: those of the later clutch are slightly larger and less pyriform than those of the previous year. Another variety, almost equally rare, has the ground-tint brownish buff, so densely mottled and blotched with brownish russet that, but for its minute black markings, it might almost be mistaken for some eggs of the Tree-Pipit. Both sexes incubate, but the male bird is more frequently seen on the nest than the female; it is therefore probable that, as in the case of Doves, the hen sleeps on the nest and gives up her place to the cock, for day-duty, after he has finished his breakfast, only returning from time to time to enable him to feed. The nest of the Blackcap is not only built about a fortnight earlier than that of the Garden Warbler; but, even when not tenanted, may be recognized as distinct from it, by its smaller, neater, and far more compact character; the eggs also are frequently slightly smaller, and, even when somewhat like those of C. hortensts, differ in the greater prominence of the small black markings on their surface. The food of this species consists of insects and their larve, spiders, centi- pedes, small fruits and berries, more especially elder- and service-berries, though those of the ivy are also eaten by it; the young are, however, principally fed upon small caterpillars. Although, on the Continent, it is said to feed upon ripe figs, my experience of it in confinement is, that it will uot touch dry figs when cut open and placed with the soft food, but red or white currants it devours with avidity. Next to the Nightingale, the Blackcap is certainly our finest songster, and its powers of mimicry as well as its ventriloquial gifts are superior to those of that most charming of all feathered vocalists; its song is at one time full, rich and clear as that of a Blackbird, then soft and mellow, again brilliant and plaintive as a Robin’s notes, or rapid and almost shrill as those of a Wren; it can copy deceptively the notes of many birds, even some portions of the Nightin- gale’s song, but it is almost too loud in its utterances to produce the latter in its purity. Among foreign songsters the only bird which reminds one somewhat of our Blackcap is the so-called ‘‘ Pekin Nightingale” (Lvothrix /uteus), a bird evidently far more nearly related to our Hedge Accentor. The song of the Blackcap may be heard from the highest branches of a lofty tree, from a low shrub, or even from the nest as it sits; but after the young are hatched it ceases, the duty of finding food for its babes occupying the bird’s S 72 THE GARDEN WARBLER. whole attention. When frightened this species scolds somewhat after the fashion of a Whitethroat, and, if flushed from its nest, it remains close by hissing angrily; its call-note is said to be a repetition of the word /ac or éec harshly uttered ; but it may be questioned whether this is really the call to its mate; it seems more probable that it is merely a querulous observation, such as many of these Warblers indulge in at the approach of man: I am satisfied that its call is a soft whistle. In the autumn of 1894, I purchased a male Blackcap, which was procured for me by Mr. E. P. Staines, who kindly took the trouble to “meat it off”’* for me. I turned it out into the same aviary with my Redstart and Wagtails, where it soon made itself at home; it used generally to roost upon a nail which had been driven into the wall, in the first instance, to support a log-nest. This bird in due course became fairly tame; it was tolerably quick at seizing spiders or mealworms and even earwigs, when these were thrown into the aviary. In the spring it began to record its song on one or two occasions, but I never heard it sing out. Eventually a Rosa’s Parrakeet bit one of its wings through, and a week later it died. Family—TURDIDA:. Subfamily—SVLVIINA. THE GARDEN WARBLER. Sylvia hortensis, BECHST. ORE delicate than the Blackcap, the Garden Warbler does not arrive in this country until early in May, and towards the end of September it departs on its autumn migration. This species breeds locally throughout Europe, from about 70° N. in Norway, and 65° N. in Finland and Russia, to the * A term applied to the process by which a wild-caught bird is induced to feed upon a soft mixture. Many aviculturists make the mistake of using finely chopped raw meat mixed with bread-crumbs for this purpose, hence the term has arisen. -, eorcs ? tie RN gt eae * A term applied to the procesr Many aviculturists make the mistake perpose, hence the term has’ arisen. i>] b aj oi ti Family —TURDITLM LE THE GARDEN WARBLER. 723 shores of the Mediterranean, but it does not appear to winter in Europe; it is not known to breed in Sicily or Greece, but Canon Tristram states that it does so in Palestine; eastwards its range extends to lat. 59° in the Ural Mountains : its migration extends through Asia Minor and Egypt to the Sahara, Damaraland, the Transvaal and to the east of Cape Colony. Generally but very locally distributed over the greater part of England, but not recorded as breeding beyond Pembrokeshire and Breconshire in Wales, or in the western part of Cornwall; probably pretty generally distributed in Scotland, although this has been questioned; it has nevertheless been seen in most of the midland and southern counties from Banffshire downwards. In Ireland the Garden Warbler is both local and rare, but it has been recorded from Antrim, Fermanagh, Dublin, Wicklow, Tipperary and Cork. Gatke states that the Garden Warbler though quite common at Heligoland during both spring and autumn migrations, is less numerously represented than the Whitethroat. The Garden Warbler in breeding plumage is olive-brown above, the wings and tail slightly darker, the flight feathers with narrow pale margins; a slightly paler streak over the eyes; under parts dull buffish white, purer on the belly, browner on the breast, flanks and centre of under tail-coverts. Bill deep brown, base of lower mandible paler, feet leaden grey, iris hazel, eyelid white. The female is very like the male but is slightly paler and probably has a somewhat broader head, but of this I am not certain. After the autumn moult the adult birds become more olive above and more buff-coloured below. Young birds resemble their parents in winter plumage, but their secondaries have well-marked pale margins. The breeding season extends from the end of May to about the end of July. I have found this species breeding in considerable numbers in North Kent, occupying the same localities as the Blackcap, which was also fairly abundant; I am therefore not prepared to endorse Seebohm’s statement that ‘“‘ where the Garden Warbler is abundant the Blackcap seems always to be rare, and wice versa.” In one sense, indeed, they do not breed together; the Garden Warbler begins to build about a fortnight or three weeks later than the Blackcap, and by the time her first egg is deposited the earlier bird is hatching out or rearing her family. Although often heard in the woods, this species is less frequently seen there than either the Nightingale or Blackcap; it is a shy skulking little bird frequenting the densest cover, the outskirts of woods where the undergrowth is thick and tangled, also the so-called “‘shaws and shaves” of Kent, almost impenetrable copses and plantations, well-timbered gardens, uurseries, and shrubberies; the 74 THE GARDEN WARBLER. fact that the Garden Warbler can be better recognized in the generally wider open spaces of the last mentioned haunts, having doubtless earned it the name of hortensis. The nest of this bird is usually situated in tangled blackberry, or low bushes, in copses or shrubberies; but in kitchen gardens it may sometimes be seen in gooseberry bushes, or among well-covered pea-sticks: amongst the undergrowth in small woods and thickets it is by no means a rare object at the end of May or early in June; though, of course, less common than that of the Whitethroat: I have never found it at any great altitude, usually about two or three feet above the ground. The structure of the nest is externally somewhat looser and more slovenly than that of the Blackcap, but the cup is beautifully formed within; the outer walls are formed of dry bents, or goose-grass and other fibrous plants ; sometimes mixed with a little moss and wool and lined with fine roots and horse- hair. The eggs vary in number from four to five aud are tolerably constant in their colouring; they are generally creamy, but sometimes pale greenish white, blotched and spotted with pale greyish olive or rufous brownish, with sometimes a few underlying spots of pearl grey, and a few blackish brown surface spots or hair-lines; some examples are very faintly marked, with all the markings sinuous but arranged longitudinally and covering the whole surface, others have somewhat bolder nebulous patches of spots chiefly confined to the larger end, in others most of the markings run together into a vague smoky cap at the larger end, leaving the remainder of the egg almost white; but the general effect of a crowd of Garden Warbler’s eggs impresses one with the conviction that they are extremely uniform in tone: some clutches contain small eggs, others large, according to the age of the parents; their average size is about the same as those of the Blackcap; but the latter bird sometimes lays a much shorter and rounder egg than I have ever found in a Garden Warbler’s nest. The Garden Warbler sits somewhat closer than the Blackcap, only slipping off her eggs at the last moment and then diving down over the edge of the nest, so close to your hand that her wing will sometimes brush your fingers; there is therefore no difficulty, apart from the different character of the nest, in making certain of the identity of any eggs which you take yourself, and there is only one variety of the Blackcap’s eggs which could by any chance be mistaken for the product of Sy/vza hortensis. The song of the Garden Warbler is exceedingly pleasing, less rich and full than that of the Blackcap; somewhat more plaintive, though rapidly enunciated ; in tone reminding one a little of an extra good Canary, yet without the shrieking notes which frequently mar the song of that bird. Excepting when rearing its THE GARDEN WARBLER. as young, this species sings frequently throughout the day, but whether it sings again after the rearing of its single brood (I do not believe in the double- broodedness of this bird) I cannot say; probably not: all I can positively state is that I have never heard it even as late as July, a month in which, occasionally, a late nest may be taken. The food of S. Aortensis in the spring and summer consists very largely of spiders, insects and their larvee, the caterpillars of the two smaller cabbage butterflies (Ganorts rape and G. napi) being favourite articles of diet and largely used for feeding the nestlings.* In the summer, however, currants and straw- berries are not despised by the Garden Warbler, while in the autumn fruits and berries seem to become its favourite food. The alarm note of the Garden Warbler is a kind of check, check, sometimes followed by a guttural sound. Speaking of the Garden Warbler, Stevenson observes :—‘‘I have rarely detected the song of this warbler in summer in close vicinity to the city, but in autumn, towards the end of August or beginning of September, a pair or two, with their little families (and the same may be said of the Blackcap and Whitethroat) invariably appear amongst the shrubs in my garden, betraying their presence by the same anxious cries so aptly described by Mr. Blyth, as ‘resembling the sound produced by tapping two small pebbles together.’ This is evidently intended as a note of warning to the young brood, always carefully concealed amongst the thick foliage, their whereabouts being indicated only by a rapid movement of the leaves, as they search the branches for berries and insects.” The call of the Garden Warbler to its mate is certain to be a soft sound ; but I have not specially noted it; and, in all works on British Birds which I have studied the cry of alarm or warning is incorrectly stated to be the call-note: the same error is made with regard to many other species, not only of European but of foreign birds; the harsh scolding chatter of the Pekin Nightingale having been stated to be its call note, probably because both sexes scold in unison: whereas the actual call of that species consists, in the hen—of a single whistled note repeated five times, and in the cock—of a short measured song consisting of seven or nine notes. The Garden Warbler in confinement is certainly more sensitive to cold than the Blackcap: a friend of mine who is very fond of fishing, sometimes takes a fine net with him which he fixes up across the trout stream; by this means he * These larvee are eaten with avidity by all insectivorous birds; whereas the caterpillars of the large cabbage butterfly (G. Brassice@) seem to be offensive to nearly all. Why this should be the case, when one sees that all three caterpillars eat the same leaves, and produce very similar butterflies (which are eaten indiscriminately) is a poser. ly 76 THE GARDEN WARBLER. has, from time to time, secured many interesting birds for stuffing (a proceeding with which I have no sympathy, for to my mind a live bird in the bush is far preferable to fifty dead birds in the hand). However, in September, 1888, he brought me two living birds, one of which was a male Garden Warbler. I turned these birds into a large cool aviary, among Waxbills, Mannikins and British Finches. The Garden Warbler seemed perfectly content, ate the usual soft food, as well as a few mealworms, caterpillars and spiders; the frost did not appear to affect it unpleasantly, and, in the early spring, it sang heartily every day: in May its song became less frequent, it grew somewhat listless in its movements, yet continued to eat as freely as ever. One morning, in July, 1889, I found it dead, and dissection showed that its lungs were seriously affected. I should therefore recommend Aviculturists to keep this Warbler in a mild temperature during the winter months, and give it as much insect food as possible: it ought, moreover, to be kept in an aviary, so that it may be able to take plenty of healthful exercise.* As an aviary bird, the Garden Warbler is well worth keeping; it is active and at the same time capable of being tamed, although somewhat more shy than the Blackcap; its song, though inferior to that of the latter species, is infinitely superior to that of any of the British Finches, yet that is not saying much for it, inasmuch as even the Robin’s plaintive little melody is purer in tone and more grateful to the ear than that of any of our Finches. * Mr. Staines, of Penge, gave me a second male in July, 1896, which was in perfect health at the time of penning this article. uel | . uk: SUT Hi Mat Wy 1 Tar Baa Fee Regkes Warstae ie te Heidt THE BARRED WARBLER. 77 Family—TURDIDAE. Subfamily—S VL VILNAE. THE BARRED WARBLER. Sylvia nisoria, BECHST. ESPECTING the distribution of this rare species, Seebohm writes :— “Besides South Sweden, it breeds in Germany east of the Rhine, Transylvania, South Russia, Persia, and Turkestan, as far east as Kashgar. It passes through South-eastern France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Asia Minor, and North-east Africa, as it is said to pass through Nubia in spring and autumn, but has not been recorded from the Transvaal. Its alleged occurrence in China is probably an instance of mistaken identification.” The same author, writing in 1883, observes that ‘The only claim of the Barred Warbler to be considered a British bird rests upon a single example, shot more than forty years ago near Cambridge—but apparently not brought under the notice of Ornithologists until March, 1879, when Prof. Newton exhibited it at a meeting of the Zoological Society of London, a record of which may be found in the Proceedings for that year, page 219.” The record referred to by Mr. Seebohm runs as follows :—‘‘ This specimen was formerly the property of Mr. Germany, for many years the highly-respected porter of Queen’s College, who in the course of a long life formed a considerable collection of birds, nearly all obtained by himself in and near Cambridge, and also stuffed by himself. At his death, more than twenty years ago, it passed, with many others of his specimens, into the possession of an old friend of his, Mr. Elijah Tarrant, of whom Mr. John Robinson, an undergraduate of Trinity Hall, bought it about a twelvemonth since. Up to this time no one seems to have known what the bird was, though some ingenious person had hazarded the suggestion that it was a variety of the Nightingale. Soon after it was seen by Mr. Frederick Bond, F.Z.S., who at once recognized it as Sylvia ntsoria, and was good enough to advise its being shown to me.” Prof. Newton then proceeds to point out good and sufficient reasons for believing that this specimen actually was obtained in England. Apparently it was shot either in spring or early summer: it was skulking in dense foliage and was only shot with the greatest difficulty and then at so short a range that a 78 THE BARRED WARBLER. good many of its feathers were knocked out. *The taxidermist who stuffed it inserted a glass eye with a pale yellow iris, a clear proof that he must have seen the bird very soon after it was shot; otherwise it is not probable that he would have selected a colour which is rare in the family. Had the occurrence of this single example been the sole argument in favour of regarding the Barred Warbler as British, I should have treated the species as a mere chance visitor to our islands, and practically ignored it; but singularly enough, on the very year after the publication of Mr. Seebohm’s observation, three specimens were brought to the notice of Zoologists: the first of these, a young bird, was shot on August 16th, 1884, near Broadford, in the Isle of Skye, by Mr. G. D. Lees; the second, an immature female, on the 28th of the same month, by the Rev. H. H. Slater, who observed it skulking in an elder-hedge by a potato-garden in some sand hills on the Yorkshire coast, he stated that the bird was very shy and difficult to see; the third, another immature female, was shot by Mr. F. D. Power, of Brixton, on the 4th of September, from scrub at the base of Blakeney sandhills, Norfolk. The occurrence of three young examples in one year, almost seems to justify the conclusion that this Warbler, when on migration, may frequently visit us; but, owing to its disinclination to show itself in the open, may have evaded observation. In the last edition of Stevenson’s “Birds of Norfolk,” edited by Thos. South- well, a member of the British Ornithologists’ Union, the latter gentleman speaks of an example of the Barred Warbler as having been shot at Blakeney after easterly winds on the 1oth September, 1888, and he says that this bird on dissection proved to be a male. The contents of the stomach consisted largely of earwigs. This would appear to be distinctly a fifth occurrence of the Barred Warbler upon the British coasts: scrub in the vicinity of sandhills seems to be the most likely haunt in which to seek the species, whilst August and September are the months most favourable for the search; but it seems a thousand pities that these rare birds should not be captured alive, and their habits in captivity studied in detail. All that can be learnt from the stuffed skin of a Barred Warbler has either long been known, or can be equally well studied from skins already in our cabinets; but really to know something of the nature and peculiarities of a bird, it must be studied, not only flying freely in its native home, but in a good-sized aviary. Lord Lilford has set an example which might, with advantage to Ornith- ological science, be well followed by many other naturalists, and especially those with means and leisure. When on migration the Barred Warbler reaches Heligoland in May and June, * This specimen is still in the possession of Mr. Robinson, who resides at Elterwater, Westmoreland. THE BARRED WARBLER. 79 but Gatke speaks of it as by far the rarest of those belonging to Germany which are met with on that island; he says:—‘‘The bird is never seen before the middle of May, and then only on warm, calm days, and in solitary instances; nor can it be by any means reckoned as a regular annual summer visitant.”’ The adult male in breeding plumage is smoky-grey above, the head, rump, upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers greyer; the wings browner; the wing-coverts, innermost secondaries, the feathers on the rump, the upper tail-coverts and the outer tail-feathers are margined and tipped with white, and have a blackish subter- minal bar; this is also sometimes the case with the forehead, lower back, and scapulars; the two central tail-feathers are indistinctly barred; under surface greyish white, barred with grey, the breast, flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts browner, the’ flanks somewhat heavily barred; axillaries and under wing-coverts mottled with grey and white, bill dark brown, the lower mandible paler at the base, feet greyish brown, iris pale yellow. The female is very like the male, but slightly browner and with fewer transverse bars. In the autumn the colouring becomes browner and the bars on the feathers more pronounced. Young birds are browner than adults and are hardly barred at all excepting on the under tail-coverts. Although not unlike the Whitethroat in its habits and even in its song, the Barred Warbler is far more shy and skulking, rarely leaving the dense cover of briar and brushwood; though not frequently met with in forests, it haunts planta- tions, copses, and tangled masses of thorn and blackberry, and from such retreats its song may be heard: this, though harsh in some of its notes, is said to be almost equal to that of the Garden Warbler and to include tones rich as those of the Blackcap, The cali-note is described as resembling the syllable chef; and the alarm note y-y-r-y-y, a harsh, warning cry. The food of the Barred Warbler does not materially differ from that of most other species of Sy/va; it consists largely of insects, with the addition of fruit and berries as soon as these are ripe; it sometimes captures winged insects in the air after the manner of its congeners. The nest is usually placed in a thorn-bush in thick cover, and as a rule very low down; but one instance is recorded of its being built among the topmost twigs of a birch-tree at a height of twenty-five feet above the ground. It is a firmly built and somewhat bulky structure, roughly formed externally of bents and roots intermingled with plant stalks and compacted with spiders’ cocoons or vegetable down; the inside is neatly formed, deep and beautifully rounded, the lining consisting of fine rootlets, horsehairs, and sometimes cobwebs. U 80 THE BARRED WARBLER. The eggs vary from four to six in number, but five is the usual clutch: they are dull buffsh white marbled with grey, and are not unlike those of the Grey Wagtail, excepting that they are larger; sometimes, however, they are marbled with brown with underlying grey spots; the colouring being massed especially on the larger end. Speaking of the song of this species, Herr Mathias Rausch, in the “Gefiederte Welt,” for July 30th, 1891, observes that ‘it is just as beautiful and rich in charming melodies as that of the Garden Warbler, for the most part flute-like and full-toned, frequently indeed intermixed with somewhat rough guttural sounds, yet withal distinctly powerful and also more or less intermingled with snatches from the song of other birds. Also the song of this bird has a swing peculiar to it, which characterizes the species as an original songster.” ‘Moreover if reared by hand or trapped when young, Barred Warblers, taught by good cage-birds, certainly often become admirable imitators of the song of other birds; but, in the case of old wild-caught examples, this faculty is much less perceptible, and for this reason it is hardly fair to reckon them plagiarists.” Lord Lilford (Coloured figures of Birds of the British Islands) evidently has not so high an opinion of the Barred Warbler’s vocal attainments; he says:—‘“I have three of this species caged at this time of writing; in attitude, song, and general demeanour they very much resemble our Lesser Whitethroat, but are the least restless of any Warblers that I have ever kept in captivity.” An adult which lived for some months in the possession of Rev. H. A. Macpherson was a very shy but active bird. Dresser, in his “Birds of Europe,” says:—‘It is never seen sitting still, but appears always moving about. If disturbed, or it sees anything strange, it raises the feathers of its head, jerks its tail, and utters a harsh note. It creeps about amongst the bushes, hopping about from twig to twig without using its wings. It is quarrelsome, and drives intruders from the vicinity of its nest.” “Tt sings from early in the morning, except during the heat of the day, until late in the evening, and frequently sings when at some height in the air or fluttering from tree to tree.” | i are 5 ie 4 é 4 ae es 3 eae cae a { bh in 7 THE DARTFORD WARBLER. 81 Family— TUR DID. Subfamily—S VL VINA. THE DARTFORD WARBLER. Sylvia undata, BODD. LTHOUGH this Warbler has been known to breed in Kent, I have never been able to be certain of having seen it, though I have sometimes suspected that nests which I have discovered built in furze-bushes, might have been the work of this species: whoever the architect was, she slipped away so quietly into the dense, prickly cover on my approach, that I could not even get a glimpse of her, and only knew of her whereabouts by the movement in the furze. Howard Saunders gives the following as the geographical distribution of this species :—‘‘ Although as a rule a non-migratory species, the Dartford Warbler has been observed in Heligoland; but it is unknown in Northern Germany, Holland, or Belgium. Rather rare in the Channel Islands, it is found throughout France in suitable localities, especially from the foot of the Western Pyrenees to Provence. In many parts of Portugal and Spain it is common, and I have watched it singing among the orange-gardens of Murcia; while it nests in the sierras of the almost tropical south coast at elevations of from 4,000 to 3,000 feet. In Morocco and Algeria it is also resident, and it has been recorded from Lower Egypt, and Palestine; but in Europe its eastern range is not known to extend beyond Italy and Sicily, the bird seldom reaching Malta.” With regard to its distribution in Great Britain, this author says :—‘“‘It is now known to breed in nearly all the southern counties, from Cornwall to Kent, especially in Hampshire (including the Isle of Wight), Surrey and Sussex ; sparingly in the valley of the Thames; perhaps in some of the Midland Counties; and, on the sole authority of Mr. C. Dixon, in the Rivelin valley, in the extreme south of Yorkshire. It has been observed in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk; while in Suffolk a few probably breed.” Respecting its occurrence in Heligoland, Gatke says that only two instances are recorded, “‘it having on one occasion been obtained by Reyners, and on the other observed by myself, on May 31st, 1851, hopping about in the thorn-hedge of a neighbouring garden at only a few paces distant. Unfortunately there being 82 THE DARTFORD WARBLER. other gardens behind the hedge in question in which people were occupied at the time, I was unable to shoot the bird.” The adult male above is dark smoky brown, deeper and more slate-coloured on the head, wings dark brown, the coverts, inner secondaries, and primaries with pale brown outer margins; tail dark grey, the two outside feathers with white outer margins and tips; under surface chestnut reddish, shading into white at the centre of lower breast and abdomen; under tail-coverts greyish; bill deep horn brown, base of lower mandible yellowish; feet pale brown, iris and eyelid saffron yellow. The female is smaller than the male and the underparts are paler. After the autumn moult the chin, throat, breast and flanks are spotted and streaked with white; birds of the year are paler above and whiter below than the female. The Dartford Warbler is an extremely restless, but at the same time a skulking bird; Seebohm’s description of its habits can, I think, hardly be improved on; he says:—‘‘In summer the Dartford Warbler lives almost entirely in the furze-bushes; hence its local name of Furze-Wren. In winter, though it may often be seen in its summer haunts, the necessity of procuring food prompts it to visit the turnip-fields, or to range along the coast. Its long tail and short rounded wings do not seem adapted to extensive flights; but it has nevertheless been twice seen on Heligoland. It is seldom seen on the wing. At Biarritz I found them frequenting the reeds on the banks of a small lake. The first sight I had of one was that of a little dark bird with a fan-like tail suddenly appearing amongst the reeds on the opposite side. Occasionally, as we walked on the bank of the lake, we heard a loud, clear, melodious /vfch’-o0 repeated once or twice amongst the reeds. The note was so musical that for a moment one might imagine that a Nightingale was beginning to strike up a tune. Now and then we saw the bird appear for a moment above the reeds, as if thrown up by a battledore; but it dropped down again and disappeared as suddenly. I have very rarely seen so skulking a bird; once only it flew up from the reeds, and perched in a willow near a large patch of furze-bushes. Like most other Warblers this bird is very active, scarcely resting for a moment, excepting when warbling its hurried little song from the top of a furze-branch. In many of its habits it reminds one of Cetti’s Warbler. It flits up a furze-bush, dodging in and out amongst the side branches in search of insects, perches for a moment on the top- most spray; but before you have had time to get your binocular on to it, it has caught sight of your movement and drops down into the furze-bush as if shot.” The nest in Great Britain has always been found concealed amongst dense furze, but on the Continent and more especially in the south it is said to be placed in broom or heather; the dead lower branches of the furze are selected as THE DARTFORD WARBLER, 83 a building site. In character the nest is small, deep and flimsy; it is formed principally of thin bents, interwoven with stems of goosegrass and moss, a little green furze, and wool. The eggs vary from four to five and are greenish or buffish white, mottled with olive and spotted with reddish brown; the marking is more densely distributed over the surface than in eggs of the Greater Whitethroat, to which in other respects they bear a slight resemblance; they, however, tend to be longer, and to my mind would be more aptly likened to very diminutive eggs of the Rock Pipit, or to some eggs of the Tree Sparrow. I do not think anyone well acquainted with British Birds’ eggs would ever confound those of the Dartford Warbler and Whitethroat. The breeding-season of this species is from April to July, and two broods are reared in the year; the second nest is said to be usually less compact than the earlier one; this is constructed in June, when there is less necessity for a warm receptacle for the eggs. The food of the Dartford Warbler consists principally of insects, and Mr. Booth, in the ‘“Zoologist,” for 1887, states that it ‘‘ generally feeds its young on the body of a large yellow moth,” which he says the parent birds hunted for among the lower part of the stems of the foliage. I have little doubt the moth intended is one of the common Yellow-underwings (7riphena tanthina, orbona, or pronuba) which I have frequently disturbed from furze-bushes in the day-time. In the autumn wild berries are also eaten. As this species is a fairly meritorious songster there is no doubt that it would be an interesting aviary pet; its scolding note is a somewhat harsh cha-cha, but its call-note is probably soft and pleasing like that of other Warblers. Its actions are sprightly, the tail being expanded as it alights; its flight is rapid and undulating, but not powerful. There is not the least doubt that this species could be fed in confinement upon the mixture which I have recommended for other insectivorous birds, supplemented by mealworms, caterpillars, moths, flies, cockroaches, earwigs, and spiders; these last, which are rarely mentioned in works on British Ornithology, form a considerable portion of the diet of all insectivorous birds; they are not only easy to capture, easy of digestion (even seeming to have a beneficial effect upon birds when out of health) but they are relished much more than any form of insect or its larvee, not excluding mealworms: centipedes also are eaten with avidity, but not millipedes, and many birds refuse to touch woodlice or only kill and leave them. The Dartford Warblers which Montagu kept in confinement were taken from x 84 THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. the nest and reared by hand. These birds ‘began to sing with the appearance of their first mature feathers, and continued in song all the month of October.” Family—TURDID. Subfamily—S VL VINA. THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. Regulus cristatus, K. 1. KOcu. ERHAPS to the case of few species are the observations of Herr Gitke more applicable than to that of the Gold-crest when he says, speaking of the countless myriads of birds which pass over Heligoland on migration, aud furthermore of this very species:—‘‘ The east-to-west migration of the Golden-crested Wren in October, 1882, extended in one continuous column, not only across the east coast of England and Scotland, but even up to the Faroe Islands. When one thinks of numbers of individuals such as these, which cannot be grasped by human intelligence, it seems absurd to talk of a conceivable diminution in the number of birds being effected through the agency of man. In one particular respect man no doubt does exert a noticeable influence on the numbers of bird-life, not, however, by means of net and gun, but rather by the increasing cultivation of the soil, which roots out every bush and shrub, great or small, as a useless obstacle, and thus robs the bird of even the last natural protection of its nest. Having thus driven the poor creatures into distant and less densely populated districts, we complain that we no longer hear their merry song, unconscious of the fact that we are ourselves responsible for the cause.” This is a point which I have always insisted upon: no Act for the protection of wild birds, which does not forbid the wholesale grubbing of woods, and so-called “waste land,” will ever prevent the diminution of bird-life in our Islands. The Gold-crest is generally distributed over Europe in Scandinavia northward to the Arctic Circle, and in Russia from Archangel and the Ural Mountains; in - Hap fORDIB Ts Subfamily -S¥L VIERA. - ‘Tne “Gorn-C cue Sra te ” Regia erste EL. min ~ >. ERHAPS ‘A the case of few special ate ee eharvetiean: of Here "Guike more applicable than to that of the Goldicrest when he says, speaking of the countless myriads’of birds which pass over Heligoland on migration, ‘and furthermore of this very spedies:--‘The ‘Gastto-west migration of the Golden-crested Wren im Olteber, 1882) extended in one~continuots to one pee rebpert Aes - Me she numbers of bisd-life a (raAhe increasing cultivates. of Jie ieee ae ‘aes aes every bush ia or small. ae e veces GOMn ak NEG bicd of eam ae natural protectiw: of its sem pheaye. igs heen the poor creatures into‘distant and less denvely -populated ten se qteiglain that we no longer hear their merry song, uiconseious of thu Awl (OE geile ourselves responsible for the cause.” This is a point which 1 apie, aBaags. insisted: apom: no Act for the protection of wild birds, which does mot (eee die wholesale: grabbing of woods, and so-called “waste land,” will ever prevent the diavinution of tird-life in, our’ Islands. The Gold-crest is generally distributed over Bnrepe in Scandinavia northward to the Aretic Circle, and in Russia from Archangel aud the Ural Mountains; in THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. 85 the east, southwards to the Himalayas and China, and in the west down to the Mediterranean. Dixon (Jottings about Birds, p. 70) observes:—‘“‘It is said that the Gold- crest, 2. cristatus (Koch) visits Algeria in winter, but I cannot find any conclusive evidence of the fact. It is said regularly to pass Malta on migration in spring and autumn.” In Great Britain it is generally distributed wherever coniferous trees occur, and breeds with us. Although the Gold-crest is the smallest British bird, its migratory powers are inferior to none, and its capacity for resisting cold so great, that it remains with us even in our severest winters: it is a common error to suppose that size necessarily accompanies vigour, inasmuch as many of the tiniest birds are undoubtedly far more hardy than larger species: as an instance, I would call attention to the little Indian Avadavat, which I have proved to be indifferent to 21 degrees of frost; whereas many of the larger parrots, at anyrate if recently imported, as some of my Waxbills had been, would have succumbed to a considerably higher temperature. The male Gold-crest is olive-green above, more or less suffused with yellowish; the crown of the head bright yellow in front shading into orange behind and bounded by a blackish streak, below which is a greyish-white superciliary streak; the wing and tail-feathers are greyish brown, the median and greater wing-coverts edged with white, the primary-coverts being blackish; secondaries tipped with white; under parts pale greyish-brown or greenish-buff, whiter on the abdomen ; bill blackish-brown, feet brown, iris hazel. The female is less brightly coloured than the male, the crown brown-yellow with narrower blackish streak. In the young the crown is slightly darker than the back, but shows no trace of yellow or black. In many illustrations this bird is represented with a well-defined crest; but, so far as I have seen, the feathers of the crown seem to be erected very slightly, if at all; though, when the little creature looks downwards, the feathers at the back of the crown project slightly above those of the nape. Possibly under great excitement the feathers of the crown would be partially raised as they are in many birds; but whether, even then, they would stick up like the quills of the “‘prickly porcupine,” as artists delight in representing them as doing, is, I think questionable. Mr. Frohawk, who has had considerable experience of the Gold-crest, tells me that in the autumn this species may frequently be met with singly, or in pairs (I have often seen it thus in my own garden); but in the winter it is generally 86 THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. seen in flocks, and often in company of Long-tailed Tits. In the latter season it haunts pine-forests, as well as hedges; but in the breeding season plantations of spruce and larch are its favourite resorts. The male sings continuously in the vicinity of its nest, and if disturbed the old birds creep about incessantly near to their home with quivering wings. Furthermore, Mr. Frohawk says that he has never known a Gold-crest to erect a crest; the feathers of the head are, however, somewhat expanded laterally so as to expose the golden stripe in its full beauty, this stripe being very narrow when the bird is in repose. Mr. Staines, of Penge, who has on several occasions attempted to keep the Gold-crest as a cage-bird, confirms Mr. Frohawk’s opinion in all particulars: he has never seen the bird erect, though he has seen it expand its crest. Lord Lilford (Birds of Northamptonshire) says:—‘‘The call-note of the Gold- crest is peculiar and constantly repeated whilst the birds are on their excursions. In very cold weather I have found a family of perhaps a dozen of these little birds clustered together for warmth beneath the snow-laden bough of an old yew- tree, to the under surface of which the uppermost birds were clinging by their feet, whilst, as far as I could see, the others clung to them and to one another, so as to form a closely packed feathery ball. I happened to notice this by chance, ‘and, in the gloom of the overhanging boughs, thought it was an old nest, but on touching it with the end of a walking-stick, the supposed nest dissolved itself into a number of these minute creatures, who did not appear much alarmed, but dis- persed themselves on the adjoining boughs, and, no doubt, soon resumed their previous formation, which I was sorry to have disturbed. Although the nests of the Gold-crest are generally placed under the branches of a yew or a fir tree, we have twice found them in a thin fence at about five feet from the ground; the materials are soft moss and lichens, wool, a little grass, and a mass of small feathers by way of lining.* The eggs are of a yellowish-white, very closely spotted or clouded with pale rust-colour, and vary in number from six or seven to ten or more; I once found twelve in a nest.” A nest in my collection, taken from the under-surface of a yew-branch and interlaced in the terminal feathery leaves, is formed almost entirely of moss, compacted with spiders’ silk and one or two small feathers; the lining appears to * Mr. A. T. Mitchell has drawn attention to the fact that, in some parts of Ireland, the Gold-crest “builds commonly against the sides of ivy-covered trees. The nest is not suspended under a branch of fir, as I have found it in England, and the nests here are badly and loosely put together.’’ Mr. J. Trumbull states that of seventeen nests of the Gold-crest found in Co. Dublin, only four were placed beneath the surface of a branch. Mr. H. S. Davenport has found half a dozen nests of the Gold-crest ‘placed against the sides of ivy-clad trees.”' The Rev. H. A. Macpherson has also pointed out that the Gold-crest occasionally builds its nest in the middle of a furze-bush (Cf. Zool. 1895, pp. 385, 431, 448). THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN. 87 consist wholly of small soft feathers. Some eggs which I have seen, were creamy white; others, densely and minutely dusted all over with rusty-reddish; others again, with a deeper rust-red zone, or terminal nebula, at the larger extremity. The song of the Gold-crest is short, low, but pleasing; though its call-notes are thin and almost as shrill as the notes of a bat. Dixon in describing the song calls it eulogistically ‘‘a few notes of matchless melody.” This tiny bird haunts woods, shrubberies, plantations of fir, larch and other conifers, yew-trees in churchyards and cemeteries, copses, orchards and gardens. In its habits it greatly resembles the Tits, dropping from spray to twig, turning, twisting, closely examining every inch of its swaying perch for insect prey, and incessantly uttering its high piercing whistle; then, gliding rapidly from the end of some feathery spray, it passes on to another tree and recommences its acrobatic performances. Like the Tits also, this little bird is wonderfully confiding: one autumn whilst standing on a balcony leading by steps into the garden of the house which I then inhabited, I heard the shrill note of this species just above my head, and looking upwards saw a pair of Gold-crests clambering about over a jasmine which I had trained to cover a wire arch above the doorway; they appeared to be quite indifferent to my presence not a foot below them. Stevenson, in his ‘ Birds of Norfolk,” after speaking of the well ascertained fact that thousands of these tiny birds in the autumn come to swell the numbers of our residents, observes:—‘‘ Perhaps the most striking instance, however, of the migration of the Gold-crest, in large numbers, to our eastern coast, was witnessed by Captain Longe, of Great Yarmouth, on the morning of the 2nd of November, 1862. In a letter to myself at the time, he says ‘As I was walking to Hemsby, about 7-30 when it was just daylight, about half a mile out of Yarmouth, on the Caister road, my attention was attracted to a small bush overhanging the marsh dyke, which borders the pathway, by the continuous twittering of a small bird. On looking closely, I found the bush, small as it was, literally covered with Golden-crested Wrens. There was hardly an inch of twig that had not a bird on it, and even from my rough attempt at calculation at the time, I feel sure there were at least between two and three hundred. Most of them were either females or young birds, having a lemon-coloured crest; they were perfectly tame, and although I sat down on the other side of the ditch, within six feet, and watched them for some time, they did not attempt to fly away; but one or more would occasionally rise off its perch, hover like a butterfly, and settle again in some other position. I went the next morning to look for them, but they were all gone. The wind had been easterly, with much fog. The food of the Gold-crest consists principally of insects, small spiders, &c.; o 999 88 THE FIRE-CRESTED WREN. but it eats a few seeds and small berries: in captivity insectivorous food and bread- crumbs moistened, also boiled potato, cooked the previous day, and finely chopped up with yolk of egg, would form a good staple diet; small mealworms, ants’ larvee, small caterpillars, flies, and spiders being given when procurable. Although sometimes kept in quite small cages, this bird, to be properly studied, should be turned loose in a moderately large aviary, planted with firs and yews; or at any rate with a few pot specimens of these trees standing about; but whether it be kept in cage or aviary, a snugly lined box should be hung up in one corner to which it may retire for warmth at night; for, although the Gold-crest is undoubtedly a hardy bird like the Tits, captivity at best deprives it of much of the free exercise which it takes throughout the day when at liberty; this, in conjunction with somewhat unnatural diet, less pure air, and the lack of companionship of any of its own species, doubtless tend to weaken and undermine the constitution of this feathered mite. In my opinion a bird which is never seen singly, but at the very least in pairs, should not be caged by itself; solitary confinement may not be objectionable to a parrot; but to a species which, when not breeding, is seen in family parties, small companies, or even in countless myriads, solitary confinement must be in the highest degree irksome: an aviary about eight feet square, devoted to a score or so of these fairy-like little birds, would be “‘a thing of beauty and a joy for ever.” Family—TURDIDA:. Subfamily—S VL VIINAE. THE FrIRE-CRESTED WREN. Regulus ignicapillus, C. L. BREHM. NOT infrequent straggler to the British Isles, the Fire-crest may fully claim its title to a place in these pages. Of its geographical distribution Howard Saunders writes:—‘‘ The Fire-crested Wren has a much less } : this, in conjunction with osdéibet ammataral diet, less pur see of companionship of any of tte own especies, doubtless tend to weaken and esdermine the constitution of this feathered mite. . ; im my opinion a bird which is never seen singly, but at the very least im geies, should not be caged by itself; solitary confinement may not be objectionable — t® & parrot; but to a species which, when not breeding, is seen in family parties, evall companies, or even in countless myriads, solitary confinement must be in the ‘oghest degree irksome: an aviary about eight feet square, devoted to a score or $0 of hese fairy-like little birds, would be “a thing of beauty and a joy for ever.” Pithesy 2 rat rors & a * he NRA SROVTINA, Tas Pat scoot Ren. Rigalie spose, Ke Re Brew. NOT infrequent straggier te they Moet Uales, the Fire-crest may fully claim its title to a place im these pete Of ite geographical distribution Howard Saunders writes:—~‘ Tie Mirecrested Wren has a much less Z FIRE-CRESTED WREN PLATE 23, THE FrrE-CRESTED WREN. 89 extended range northward than its congener, and although it appears to have straggled to the Faroes, it is unknown in Scandinavia; barely reaches Denmark ; and does not occur to the north-east of the Baltic Provinces of Germany. To some parts of the Rhine district it is rather partial in summer; and, although local in its distribution, it breeds in France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Central and Southern Germany, Greece, Turkey, and Southern Russia. In the Taurus Range of Asia Minor, it is more abundant than the Gold-crest. In the mountain forests of Algeria, and in some parts of Southern Europe, the Fire-crest is resident throughout the year; its numbers being augmented in the winter by migrants from the north.” Herr Gatke says :—‘‘ This species is a little smaller, and by reason of its black eye-streak, still somewhat more prettily marked bird than the preceding. It visits Heligoland almost as regularly as the latter, but invariably in very small numbers. In the spring it arrives somewhat sooner, and in the autumn somewhat later than &. flavicapil/us—and thus may be said in a sense to open and close the migration of the crested Wrens.” In England specimens of the Fire-crest have been obtained since 1832, when a cat slaughtered the first recognized specimen; the following counties have at various times witnessed its destruction :—Cumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, Lanca- shire, N. Wales, Norfolk, Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Devonshire, Oxon, Cornwall, and the Scilly Islands. One specimen is said to have occurred in Scotland in 1848, and one was supposed to have been seen at Tralee, in Ireland; but both of these occurrences are considered to be open to doubt. In general appearance the Fire-crest greatly resembles the Gold-crest, but differs in its yellowish frontal band, whiter superciliary streak, frequently more orange crown, a second black streak passing from the gape through the eye, and a third moustachial streak; the sides of neck and the shoulders washed with sulphur yellow; feathers of wings and tail brown, with yellowish-green edges; the greater and median wing-coverts tipped with white and the primary coverts dark brown; under parts dull buffish white; bill blackish brown, feet dark brown, iris hazel. The female is duller in colouring than the male and has a paler crest; young birds have the crown of the same colour as the rest of the upper surface, only acquiring the yellow colouring after the first moult. The habits, haunts and even the nest and eggs of this species are extremely like those of its near relative the Gold-crest; the nest is similarly suspended and is usually formed of moss felted with spiders’ cocoons and thickly lined with feathers. If the branch in which it is placed chances to be covered with lichens, go THE FIrRE-CRESTED WREN. the Fire-crest utilizes these also in the outer walls; in all probability this is done simply because the material is at hand; not, as has been suggested, with any idea of imitating the surroundings of the nest, with a view to its concealment. That the use of that which is most easily obtainable, because nearest, does often greatly add to the difficuly of discovering a nest by the inexperienced collector, nobody will deny; but to credit the little architect with deliberate design in the use of such material is, in my opinion, utter nonsense: indeed I have seen the nest of a Chaffinch in a hedge rendered most conspicuous by a covering of lichen from the trunk of a tree a yard or two behind it, and a Wren’s nest built of coarse dead grass and standing out prominently from the mossy trunk of a tree: both of these nests are in my collection. Speaking of the habits of the Fire-crest, Seebohm says :—‘‘ Their presence is at once betrayed by their soft notes, a monotonous z7¢-z7t, which is continually uttered as they are busily employed feeding on insects under the leaves of the overhanging trees, and becomes a rapid z-z-z-zet as they chase each other from tree to tree, or fly off in alarm at your movements. If you remain perfectly still they will sometimes come and feed close to you, occasionally two or three of them within a few feet of your head. It is very curious then to watch their movements. They twist in and out among the slender twigs, sometimes with head down and sometimes with feet up; but by far the most curious part of the performance is when they come to the end of the twig and examine the under surface of the leaves at its extremity. They have nothing to stand upon; so they flutter more like bees than birds from leaf to leaf, their little wings beating so fast that they look transparent, their bodies all the time being nearly perpendicular. Of course it is only on large-leafed oaks, and the shrubs that form the underwood in the garden, that you can examine them closely. In the pine-forest, when all the branches for twenty feet are broken off for fuel, you require a glass to see them well.” (British Birds, vol. 1, p. 459). Seebohm quotes the following from Dixon’s Algerian notes on this species:— “’The trees are full of life. Here in close company with the rare Algerian Coal Tit, the Fire-crest is very common. It is seen in the tall cedar trees, and is restless and busy amongst the branches fifty feet above, exploring all the twigs in search of its favourite food. The Fire-crest is also almost as common in the evergreen-oak forests, searching the lower branches all amongst the lichens and tree-moss for insects; and every now and then its brilliant crest glistens conspic- uously in the sunlight. Its note sounds shriller to me than a Gold-crest’s; but I think it was quite as familiar and trustful as that other little favourite bird of mine. In its motions it puts you in mind of the Willow Wrens; and when, as I THE FIRE-CRESTED WREN. gI have sometimes seen it, hanging with one leg from a drooping bough, picking out the insects from a bud, it looks precisely like a Tit. Although we were in these forests in May, the birds did not seem to have begun to breed.” Other writers, however, state that the note of the Fire-crest is ‘‘ not so shrill”? as that of the commoner species. The eggs, although averaging about the same number as those of the Gold- crest, are, I believe invariably, redder than even the most rusty eggs of that species, the markings usually covering their entire surface. Speaking of the nesting of this species, Howard Saunders remarks :—‘‘ In Germany the branches of a fir-tree are almost invariably selected; the nest being seldom found in pines or larches; and the same trees are frequented year after year. In the above country nesting does not begin before May; but in the south of Spain the young are able to fly by the middle of that month. Insects and spiders constitute its food.”” He continues thus:—‘‘In the Pyrenees, with excellent opportunities for observing the habits of both species, I noticed that the Fire-crest was much more restless and erratic in its movements, darting away suddenly after a very short stay upon the gorse-bush or tree where it was feeding, and being often alone or in parties of two or three at most; whereas the Gold-crests, five or six together, would work steadily round the same bush, and, if I remained quiet, would stop there for many minutes.” Hewitson, in the third edition of his ‘‘Eggs of British Birds,” states that the “Rev. E. H. Brown has watched this species during the summer, near his residence at Blo’ Norton, in Norfolk, and has no doubt it breeds there.’ The probability is that he was merely misled by brightly coloured examples of the Gold-crest, not being aware of the true distinctive characters of the two species: at any rate his supposition has not been confirmed. In an aviary the Fire-crest might be associated with the Gold-crest and would require precisely the same treatment; but it is not probable that many Aviculturists will have an opportunity of obtaining it in this country. Dr. Russ says that until recently it was supposed to be impossible to keep the European species of Regulus for any length of time, but recently they have been found in the care of a considerable number of aviarists; he, however, considers their habituation to confinement difficult. In disposition they are particularly gentle, sociable and peaceable. 92 THE YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER. Family—TURDID. Subfamily—S VI VIINAE. THE YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER. Phylloscopus superciliosus, GMEL. species as having been obtained in Great Britain: but, in the ‘‘Zoologist” for December, 1894, Mr. J. E. Harting says:—‘‘On October 8th, Mr. Swailes, an observant nurseryman, at Beverley, hearing the note of a small warbler which was unfamiliar to him, shot the bird, and sent it for identification to Mr. F. Boyes, who pronounced it to be Phylloscopus superciliosus, and on com- municating this information, Mr. Swailes found and shot two others in the same locality. Mr. Boyes having reported this interesting occurrence in ‘The Field’ of October 27th, Mr. J. H. Gurney, in the succeeding issue (Nov. 3rd) announced that on Oct. rst one of these little birds was shot on the coast of Norfolk by a labouring man, who fired at it merely for the purpose of unloading his gun! As ten instances of the occurrence of this species in the British Islands have now been made known, its claim to be regarded as a British bird, which for a quarter of a century remained doubtful, may now be said to be established.’”’* To Aviculturists Mr. Swailes is well-known as a successful breeder of British birds in out-door aviaries. Touching the distribution of Phy//oscopus superciliosus, Seebohm writes: —‘‘The breeding-range of the Yellow-browed Warbler is supposed to be confined to the pine-forests of North-eastern Siberia, from the valley of the Yenesay eastwards to the Pacific, and from the mountains of Lake Baikal northwards to the Arctic circle. It passes through Mongolia and North China on migration and winters in South China, Assam, Burma, and North-east India. Like some other Siberian M* Howard Saunders only mentions three examples of this pretty little birds which winter in South-east Asia, a few examples appear more or less regularly to take the wrong turning at Yeniseisk, and, instead of accompanying the main body of the migratory species, which follow the course of the Angora through Lake Baikal into the valley of the Amoor, join the smaller stream of migration, which flows westwards into Persia and Europe.” In the spring the adult bird above is olive-green, the rump and upper tail- * One of the specimens recorded by Mr. Swailes has, since, been presented by him to the Natural History Museum. Yue YELLOw-BRowWED WARBLER. ; Phylloscopus supercitiosus, GMaKt.. we. Boward Saunders my hme amps of thie ay iccics cade ahaa | te Mr. B. Boyes, who pronommved it to be Phylloscopus superciliosus, miumicating this information, Mr. Swailes found and shot two 1 th a lecaltty. Mr. Boyes having reported this ‘interesting occurrence in ‘The Field” of Oeteher 27th, Mr. J. H. Gurney, in the succeeding issue (Nov. 3rd) announced that om Oct. rst one of these little birds was shot on the coast of Norfolk by a labouring man, who fired at it merely for the purpose of unloading his'gun! (As ten instances of the oecurrence of this species in the British Islands have now Deen made known, ita ies ws Ss eagentee 0 5 Se ee of a century remained doubtful, may mow be set we ie een? icles ie a ae ee > N r Sg tn ee Cee ‘quene Pa cas os ite + gape gpa a R= eee ecm ih heh) Vhs Aeter —e me nar aang vo, birds which “duties «. Syche wi eh + ee ge appear mere or regulary to take the woo