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FOR THE PEOPLE
FOR EDVCATION
FOR SCIENCE

a
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

THE BIRDS

OF

SHERWOOD FOREST

W.J. Sterland, del Vincent Brooks, Day &Son,lith

THE BLACK RED@SEAT:
Sylvia Tithys.

THE BIRDS

OF

SHERWOOD FOREST.

WITH NOTES ON THEIR HABITS, NESTING,
MIGRATIONS, &o.

BEING A CONTRIBUTION TO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE COUNTY.

WTIH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR.
4

LONDON:

L. REEVE & CO,, 5, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN,
1869.
LRT

54 Q2L42 $3 )

Wy
LONDON

SAVILL, KDWARDS AND CO., PRINTERS, CHANDOS STRERT,
COVENT GARDEN,

“Faunists, as you observe, are too apt to acquiesce in bare
descriptions and a few synonyms. The reason is plain, because
all that may be done at home in a man’s study ; but the investiga-
tion of the life and conversation of animals is a concern of much
more trouble and difficulty, and is not to be attained but by the
active and inquisitive, and by those that reside much in the
country. Men that undertake only one district, are much more
likely to advance natural knowledge, than those that grasp at more
than they can possibly be acquainted with. Every kingdom, every
province should have its own monographer.’—GILBERT WHITE.

PREFACE.

THE substance of the following pages originally ap-
peared in the well-known natural history columns of the
Field newspaper, during the years 1865-6 and 7. They
were fortunate in attracting considerable attention, and
in eliciting from numerous readers a wish for their
separate publication. |

With some diffidence I now comply with that desire,
for my little work makes no pretension to be an exhaus-
tive history of the birds it treats upon, but is a simple
record of the results of twenty years’ observations in a
district of great natural interest. My occupations took
me much out of doors, and I omitted no opportunity of
jotting down every fact that came under my notice, that
might bear on the life-history of our feathered friends.

Some of my notes are but bare records of the occurrence

Vill ' PREFACE.

of a species; others I trust may be found to possess a
fuller interest.

I have carefully revised the original papers, and have
added much additional information, the result of later
observations. The introductory chapter on the forest
will, I hope, give my readers some idea of the district
in which my labours have been carried on.

One word with regard to an objection which has been
made to local histories. It is not pretended that the
Birds of Sherwood Forest are peculiar to that district, but
local naturalists are confined to local boundaries, though
it is obvious that these must often be arbitrary, or even
imaginary ; yet it is only by close and continuous local
observation that the presence of a species in a particular
district is detected, and its range determined, and thus
our knowledge of the birds of the whole country is
made more complete. I wish every county had its
ornithological biographer, for we should thus not only
become better acquainted with the habits and manners
of our feathered neighbours, but much light would be
thrown on a point which is confessedly obscure—viz.,
their local and general migrations, and the causes by
which they are influenced.

I cannot conclude without expressing my obligations

PREFACE. 1x

to Sir William Jardine. It was that veteran naturalist
who kindly stimulated my early efforts, and aided me
by his suggestions, and to our correspondence on natural
history topics, carried on during many years, I owe
much pleasure and profit.

Wid. &.

April, 1869.

sauna ae Uae Hh ihe
re penis | Pig

A RP cP eA

men,

CONTENTS.

PREFACE
Cuap. I. SHpRwoop Forest
II. Brrps oF Prey
III. Percuine Brrps
IV. Percuine Birps—continued
V. Game Brrps
VI. Wapine Birps
Vil. Warrer Brrps
APPENDIX .
INDEX

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Buack ReEpDstTartT
INOSCULATED FIR
TREE SPARROW

HEN IN MALE PLUMAGE

Frontispiece
11

. 103

. 188

OF THE

Sy NEW- YORK <i
2Cheyy nw

alt

THE BIRDS

OF

SHERWOOD FOREST.

CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.

HE ancient forest of Sherwood was, in days gone by,

of far greater extent than it is at present, spreading
northwards from Nottingham to beyond Worksop, a
distance of from twenty-five to thirty miles, and ranging
from seven to ten miles in breadth. Its capabilities for
the chase were indeed so great as very early to attract
the attention of royalty, and the estate surrounding the
palace of Clipstone (which, indeed, having been a park
before the Norman Conquest, is one of the oldest in
England), was seized by William the Conqueror, and
made a royal demesne. I am not aware whether he
enlarged or rebuilt the residence of Clipstone, but he
was partial to its seclusion when he relaxed from the
cares of government, though now a few shapeless ruins
alone stand to attest its former grandeur and importance.
It was here, on his return from the Crusades, that
Richard Coeur de Lion received the congratulations of
the King of Scotland, and it was a favourite resort of
both John and Edward I. Edward II. kept his Christ-

~~

/

2 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

mas here in 1315-16, and Edward ITI. granted a charter
to the town of Nottingham, from Clipstone, in the first
year of his reign.

Three abbeys had their sites within the limits of the
forest—viz., Welbeck, Newstead, and Rufford, and they
were each selected by their founders with that exquisite
taste which distinguished the “monks of old,” though
the holy fathers paid more regard to the requirements
of the kitchen in their selection, than to the mere beauty
of the scenery that surrounded their abodes.

The abbey of Welbeck was founded in the reign of
Henry II. by Thomas de Cuckney for Premonstratensian
canons, and the adjoining manor of Cuckney was settled
upon it by John Hotham, Bishop of Ely, i in 1329. It
was the head of all the houses of this order in England
and Wales.

Newstead was founded by Henry IL. for a colony of
Augustine monks in 1170, and it was granted at the
dissolution to Sir John Byron, who converted it into a
residence. This Sir John was an ancestor of the poet,
who thus in Don Juan described the building :—

“The mansion’s self was vast and venerable,
With more of the monastic than has been
Elsewhere preserved; the cloisters still were stable,
The cells too, and refectory I ween.
An exquisite small chapel had been able,
Still unimpaired to decorate the scene:
The rest had been reformed, replaced, or sunk,
And spoke more of the baron than the monk.”

Rufford Abbey was inhabited by Cistercian monks,
for whom it was founded in 1148 by the Ear! of Lincoln,
and after the dissolution of monasteries it came by ex-
change into the hands of the Earl of Shrewsbury. In

INTRODUCTORY. 3

addition to these three abbeys, there was a priory of
Augustins at Worksop, so that the forest was almost as
well supplied with monks as with deer.

The northern half of the forest was more thickly
wooded than the southern, and, indeed, is so now, that
part around the town of Ollerton still retaining its
ancient trees, and forming the most perfect specimen of
a forest of the feudal times existing in England. Besides
the extensive tracts still unenclosed, large portions have
been reclaimed from their sylvan wildness, and form
parks which, for extent and beauty, have few equals in
the country. Thoresby, Clumber, Welbeck, Rufford, and
Worksop Manor, all cluster round the present forest, of
which in bygone years they formed no insignificant
portion. These extensive domains, whilst retaining
much of their original beauty, have been greatly im-
proved by their owners, and their wild features have
given place to a softer’ loveliness. Much of the open
heathy ground has been covered with thriving woods
and plantations, especially of oak, an enormous number
of these trees having been planted by the late Duke of
Portland, who took great delight in the work. Large
sheets of water, swarming with wild fowl, ornament each
park, and the game in all is closely preserved.

The whole of this district, in addition to its charm of
great natural beauty, possesses an historical interest,
which, in spite of these utilitarian times, is not soon
likely to die. Ihave spoken of the numerous monks,
who, loving good cheer, fixed themselves where it could
be easily obtained, but I must not omit to mention one
who was their sworn enemy. Robin Hood has won a
name in our nation’s annals, whilst his gallant esquire,
Little John (a native of the county), with Will Scarlet,

B 2

THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

Maid Marian, and the jovial Friar Tuck, are personages
with whose doings in the glades of “ Merrie Sherwood,”
ballad and song have made all familiar. It would
require but little play of the fancy to bring them back
to their former haunts, for a large portion of the forest
is comparatively little changed from what it was in the
days of the renowned freebooter ; the same huge oaks,
whose gnarled and rifted trunks bear witness to their
antiquity, still lift their giant arms aloft in sturdy gran-
deur. Furze, and bracken, and heather, cover the
ground, and with the young self-sown trees, form dense
thickets, where the red deer might hide securely, and it
needs but to add the ring of the bugle, with the twang
of the bowstring, and the stalwart figures in Lincoln
green, to complete the picture of the past.

Geologically, the greater part of the forest lies in the
New Red Sandstone ; the northern extremity, however, is
included in the Magnesian Limestone, which, com-
mencing at Worksop, runs by Welbeck to Warsop, near
Mansfield, and then taking a more northerly course, it
joins the coal measures at Radford, near Nottingham.

The whole of the district, from Ollerton to Worksop
on the one side, and to near Mansfield on the other, is
closely wooded, parts of this area being unenclosed and
covered with aged oaks, whilst bere and there woods of
more recent growth, and still younger plantations, are
interspersed. Underneath the trees is a dense growth
of the Common Ling, or heather (Erica vulgaris),
mingled with patches of the Cross-leaved Heath (£. te-
tralix), and large tracts of furze, while here and there
the common Broom reminds us of the origin of the
surname Plantagenet, planta-genista. Over the whole
district the Bracken (Pteris aquilina) grows abun-

INTRODUCTORY. 5

dantly ; on a few exposed parts it is comparatively
dwarf and stunted, but it generally is exceedingly
luxuriant, and so dense that many a band of men like
the highlanders of Roderick Dhu might hide in its cover
without suspicion. Some stalks of this fern I have
gathered which measured eleven feet from the ground
to the topmost frond.

The peculiar arrangement of the ligneous fibres of
the bracken is worth noticing. These fibres are so dis-
posed, that on making a section of the root an exact
representation is obtained of an oak tree, and their
colour being blackish brown, they stand out with great
distinctness amidst the pale cellular tissue. Often as a
boy have I delighted to pull the larger stalks that I
might have a better representation of “ King Charles in
the Oak,” as children love to call it, and as by varying
the angle at which the stalk was cut, I could at pleasure
make the tree dwarf or tall, it was always a source of
amusement.

The old woods and the various parks I have men-
tioned which cluster around, are now the only vestiges
of the ancient forest, and glorious remnants they are.
The venerable oaks possess a beauty that is heightened
instead of being defaced by decay, and carry back our
thoughts to the scenes they have witnessed in the
bygone history of our country. Undoubtedly many of
these trees are of great antiquity, some of them, the
giant patriarchs of the forest, are a thousand years old
at the least. A discovery of a singular link between
the past and the present was made in 1786, in cutting up
some trees for the royal dockyards. In one, at a depth of
twelve inches from tbe outside, the letter I was found,
surmounted by a crown, with blunt radiated points, such

6 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

as in old prints was represented on the head of King
John. In another, about the same distance within the
tree, the letters I. R., James Rex, were revealed, while in
a third, three feet three inches from the centre, and
about nine inches from the outside, were the letters
W. M., and a crown, the initials most probably of
William and Mary. I believe these relics are now
preserved in the arsenal at Woolwich.

Some of the trees possess a reputation distinct from
their compeers, and are worthy of separate mention.
Perhaps the most interesting is the “ Parliament Oak,”
which was once included within the boundaries of Clip-
stone Park ; it stands by the side of the road leading
from Ollerton to Mansfield, and its massive trunk, now
rent and shattered by time, is carefully guarded and
supported by timbers placed around it through the
praiseworthy care of the late Duke of Portland. The
trunk is so much decayed that it is cleft into two dis-
tinct portions, the top of each being terminated by a
goodly arm in full vigour, and in most years bearing
acorns in abundance. I used to wonder at the vitality
of this old tree, cleft as it is to the ground through the
centre, the whole upper part gone, and the heart of
what remains decayed away, until a mere shell is left,
but on examination I saw the secret of its verdant
appearance. The bark which once clothed the shattered
trunk, has gradually decayed and fallen off, leaving only
a strip extending from the base of the arm to the
ground. Up this channel the sap has flowed until the
once flattened strip has swelled so much that it looks as
though the rounded stem of a tree about the size of a
man’s thigh had been placed upright against the bare
trunk to the base of the arm. It would thus be pos-

INTRODUCTORY. 7

sible to cut the whole of the trunk away without affect-
ing the vitality of the arm.

Many a traveller who knew not its history would pass
this venerable tree unnoticed, but mere relic as it is, it
once spread its sturdy branches over the head of royalty,
and it happened in this wise.

During John’s residence at Clipstone 1 in 1212, * and
his ae were one day hunting in the forest, when a
messenger in hot haste sought the royal party, bringing
intelligence of the second revolt of the Welsh. The
king summoned his lords around him to a brief confe-
rence under the spreading branches of a huge oak, which
from that day has in consequence borne the name of the
“ Parliament Oak.” The result of this hurried council
was that orders were at once sent to Nottingham to
execute the Welsh hostages there confined in the castle.

This remarkable tree has been computed to be from
a thousand to fifteen hundred years old. The following
were its dimensions when J last measured it, although
it is for age and not for size that it is noted. Circum-
ference on the ground, twenty-seven feet seven inches ;
ditto fourteen feet from the ground, thirty-two feet six
inches ; extent of branches from the trunk, sixty feet.
The internal diameter varies from three, to eight or nine
feet. There are some other trees whose celebrity,
though not historical, is still well deserved. The
“Greendale Oak” in Welbeck Park is one of these
giants, and can boast of an age little inferior to its royal
brother. So great was its diameter that a former Duke
of Portland cut a carriage way through the trunk.
Evelyn and Strutt both give figures of the tree, and the
latter says in his Sylva, “In 1724 a roadway was cut
through its venerable trunk higher than the entrance to

8 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

Westminster Abbey, and sufficiently capacious for a
carriage and four horses to pass through it.” The
dimensions of the archway were, height ten feet three
inches, width six feet three inches. In consequence of
the shores by which the old tree is supported, the feat
of driving through it cannot now be performed, but I
have often walked through, and wondered that it still
retained any life.

Welbeck Park has produced several other oaks
remarkable for size. One called the “ Duke’s Walking
Stick,” which was cut down about 1800, was one hundred
and eleven feet, six inches high, the first branch spring-
ing out of the trunk at the height of seventy feet, six
inches; the circumference of this tree at fourteen feet
from the ground was fourteen feet. There is another
worthy to take the place of this fallen giant, called the
“Young Walking Stick,’ of the juvenile age of 140
years ; it is more than one hundred feet in height, and
so straight and clean that it would be nearly fit for
the mast of a ship as it stands, though its circumference
at three feet from the ground is only five feet.

Thoresby Park also contains some fine oaks which
would almost rival the one just mentioned, whilst there
are scores of others which elsewhere would be noticeable,
but here in the presence of their loftier companions they
attract little attention except from the few genuine
admirers of nature. Rufford Park, too, can boast of some
exceedingly lofty beeches, though I regretted to notice
on a late visit that several of the largest had lost one or
two arms from the effect of high winds, which detracted
from their general symmetry.

Leaving the parks we will turn into the open forest,
and there amongst thousands of venerable old trees,

INTRODUCTORY. 9

scarcely one of which but is more or less shattered by
the storms of nearly a thousand years, are many worth
particular notice. The most remarkable of these is the
“ Major Oak,” which stands by the side of the broad
riding in Birkland, and, unlike most of its fellows, it is
externally unharmed; it is indeed a noble tree, and
covers with its spreading boughs an area of 240 feet
in diameter. It is not, however, until the spectator
approaches closely that the enormous bulk of both trunk
and branches is realized, several of the arms are each of
them large enough for a tree of no mean size. The
massive trunk, however, which looks so vast and firm,
with its huge cable-like roots anchored in the ground, is
hollow, the cavity being entered by a cleft only suffi-
ciently wide to admit a person sideways. But though
the entrance is narrow, the interior is large enough to
contain twelve adults standing closely together, and I
have seen twenty-seven school-children stowed at once
into its spacious recesses; indeed on one occasion I
remember a party of four actually sitting down to tea
within the tree, with a small round table in their midst.

The “Shambles Oak ” in Bilhagh is of almost equal
proportions, and owes its name to the fact that a noto-
rious sheep-stealer, who once resided in the village of
Clipstone, used its spacious hollow trunk as a place of
concealment for the sheep he had stolen and slaughtered.
Hundreds of other trees, unknown to fame by any
traditional remembrance, are yet worthy of all admira-
tion for their picturesque forms and venerable appear-
ance.

Although Sherwood Forest is royal no longer, no
part of it now belonging to the Crown, yet it was for
some centuries one of the sources from which was drawn

10 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

a large portion of the timber used in the construction of
our “wooden walls,” now, alas! becoming things of the
past. |

At various times portions of the forest had been
granted to different lords of manors, the last which
changed owners being that beautiful tract adjoining the.
little town of Ollerton, comprising the two Hays, or divi-
sions, of “ Birkland” and “ Bilhagh,” still covered with
trees. This about sixty years since was granted to the
late Duke of Portland in exchange for the perpetual
advowson of St. Mary-le-Bone, then held by the duke.
The division of Birkland (so called from the numerous
birch trees which are interspersed amongst the oaks),
was reconveyed by the duke to the late Earl Manvers
in exchange for the manors of Holbeck and Bon Busk,
which were contiguous to the duke’s domain at Welbeck
—Thoresby Park, the seat of the earl, being only
separated from the forest by a fence.

Some idea of the value of the timber derived from
the forest in bygone times may be estimated from the
fact that in 104 years—viz., from 1686 to 1790—there
had been cut down no fewer than 27,199 oak trees, all
of large size. From a survey made in 1609 it was -
found that even then the majority of the trees were past
maturity. The result of the survey was that Birkland
numbered 21,009 oak trees, and Biihagh 28,900. I
have heard my father say he remembered that in each
of the three consecutive years before the Crown parted
with the forest, a large fall of trees was taken for the
royal dockyards. .

Some curious instances of inosculation occur amongst
the trees in Thoresby Park, but this peculiarity does not
seem to be possessed by all trees even of the same

Th.

Vincent Brooks Day &Son,lith.

OSCULATED SCOTCH ike

AT
IN

Thoresby Park.

INTRODUCTORY. 11

species. On the eastern boundary of the park there is
a long row of fine trees, chiefly beech and lime, and in
one of the former this tendency is strikingly shown, for
there are at least twenty places where the boughs have
crossed each other and become perfectly united. In
some of these the opening formed by the junction is
only large enough to receive the hand, whilst in othersa
person might almost creep through ; indeed it seems as
if two boughs could scarcely touch each other without
uniting.

I have seen this tendency exbibited in the beech and
elm, though I never met with it in the oak, and but
once in the Scotch fir; this last, however, is a very
remarkable example, for it is not the mere junction of
two boughs of the same tree, but the actual union of
two distinct trees. These trees stand in a wood called
the “Catwins,” not far from the road leading from
Thoresby to Clumber. The largest grows with a
straight clean trunk about two feet in diameter, while
two feet from it grows another smaller tree of equally
clean growth of twelve inches diameter. At the height
of about four feet the latter bends at an obtuse angle
towards the larger tree until at six feet from the ground
it touches it, when the two form a perfect junction, com-
bining into one straight, round stem, without any seam
to indicate the point of union. The whole has a very
singular appearance, the smaller tree looking exactly
like a flying buttress placed to support the other.

In some tracts of the forest the oaks are replaced by
thorn trees of great size and age, and almost every one
bearing in abundance that peculiar parasite the mistletoe;
plentiful as it is on the hawthorn, I never met with it
on the oak, and perhaps it may have been its rarity on

12 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

the latter tree that gave it sanctity in the estimation of
the Druidical priests.

I cannot enter into the botanical treasury of the dis-
trict, but it is rich in rare plants, and especially in
mosses.

It is hard to say when the forest is most attractive,
though each season has its peculiar charms. It is cer-
tainly gayest in the spring, when the gorse with its
yellow bloom is mingled with the rich green of the fern,
and the glowing purple of the heather; while the wild
cherry, the mountain ash, and the hawthorn enliven the
woods with their fragrant blossoms, and many a “ bank
whereon the wild thyme grows,” is rendered brighter
with the graceful harebell, the yellow vetch (Vicva
tathyroides) with its scarlet buds, the dog violet, and a
host of others. With the approach of autumn the
summer flowers have departed, but the woods are
steeped in a multiplicity of colours, blending into each
other with marvellous richness. Nor is even winter
without its special beauties. No one could walk in the
depth of the forest when, after a misty night accom-
panied with frost, every twig of sturdy oak and graceful
birch, every sprig of heather, or frond of withered fern,
or stalk of dry but feathery grass is clothed with particles
of ice, which glitter in the rays of the sun like diamonds,
without owning their admiration for a scene so fair.

With the localities I have thus slightly sketched I
have been familiar from childhood. My home was
within ten minutes’ walk of the forest, and as I could
there roam about with unrestrained freedom, it was my
favourite resort. Boyhood increased my attachment to
the wild scenes, and kindled a taste for natural history
which to the present day has been one of the sources of

INTRODUCTORY. Bs.

my purest earthly pleasures. It became my delight to
watch the habits of the animals and birds I met with in
my rambles, until there were few that were not familiar
to me. Like most youths I had a spice of romance
about me, and I must confess that in spite of the stern
realities of life, it lingers still. Hour after hour have I
wandered, sometimes with a companion, but more fre-
quently alone, in all parts of the forest by night as well
as by day, until I almost came to know each individual
tree, and to look upon them as old friends. With what
delight have I watched on a summer's eve the glow-
worms light their lamps literally by thousands, until
almost every blade of grass and frond of fern bore its
tiny beacon fire. Delighted have I sat
* To listen as the night winds crept
From leaf to leaf,”

and as darkness shrouded everything from view I have
derived an inexpressible pleasure from the various sounds
which fell on the ear.

The long continued whirr of the night-jar would
alternate with the hoot of the white, or the screech of
the tawny owl, or the wild cry of the stone plover would
ring out clear as it passed overhead ; while in some sea-
sons, but not always, the nightingale would make the
woods echo with her song.

Year by year the habit and love of observation has
grown on me, and one of the results has been the follow-
ing notes on our forest birds.

Under this title I have included all I have met with
in the district, both constant residents and regular or
occasional visitors, the total number amounting to 172
species.

14

CHAPTER IL

BIRDS OF. fins,

HE woody district described in the preceding
chapter possesses two great attractions for rapa-
cious birds—viz., shelter and food, combined with a
large amount of seclusion. Minor matters may more or
less influence the occurrence of a particular family or
species in a locality, but it is the all-important question
of food which determines their greater or less frequency ;
the abundance of game and waterfowl! which are strictly
preserved on the numerous domains around us, offers to
birds of prey an additional attraction to their ordinary
supplies, and, as might be expected, a large amount of
black mail is levied by these winged reivers for their
own especial use.

In one respect, indeed, abundance of game might be
considered unfavourable to the increase of birds of prey,
for in Great Britain game is invariably accompanied by
gamekeepers, and they hold the whole tribe in detesta-
tion, and lose no opportunity of showing their hostility
to such “varmint.” This is sadly testified by the
numerous victims whose bleaching skeletons adorn the
doors and walls of the feeding hovels, and other similar
places. Yet, in spite of the war which is so unrelent-
ingly waged against them, the causes I have previously

BIRDS OF PREY. 15

mentioned combine to prevent their extermination, or
ere this, in England at least, the whole family would
have been extinct.

As forcibly illustrating this point, I copy from an
Inverness Courier, of May, 1856, the following account ;
it is headed, “ Extraordinary Destruction of Vermin,”
and extraordinary indeed it is. The list has not been
made by a naturalist, and there is consequently some
confusion as to the precise species meant; but there is
nevertheless the plain fact, that on one estate, in four
years and a half, 818 individuals belonging to the order
under consideration were destroyed by the keepers.
But here is the account :—

“The Marquis of Ailsa has for some years encouraged
his gamekeepers in the destruction of vermin by paying
so much per head for those brought in. Every keeper
and assistant-keeper has a record of all the vermin
killed by him, and he receives payment every three
months accordingly, besides the regular and liberal
wages to which they are entitled for their services. All
kinds of vermin were thus brought low, even to the
jackdaw and common rat, which, we are informed,
caused great destruction to the eggs of pheasants and
partridges. The rat has become very common there,
and is found to burrow in rabbits’ holes to such an
extent, that in ferreting rabbits, it sometimes happens
that a rat and a rabbit are shot right and left. Whole
broods of young pheasants and partridges have been
found dead, and partly eaten near rats’ holes, and some-
times even young hares and rabbits. The owl, generally
supposed to be harmless, has been shot with young game
in its talons ; and hedgehogs have been found with large
accumulations of eggshells in their burrows, or in the

16 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

long grass where they coil themselves up, and have
always been taken in traps baited with rabbits, hares,
or woodpigeons. Adders are included amongst the
vermin to be destroyed on the marquis’s property ; but
we believe they do not injure game. In four years and
a half, the sum paid on the estate of Culzean and
Craiglure moors, in Ayrshire, for vermin destroyed by
the keepers, amounted to 23J/. 15s. 10d.”

The following is a list of the vermin of all kinds
killed from June 25, 1850, to November 25, 1854:—

RE, On! aie 32 | Ash-coloured Hawks . . 310
eae. 2) Ot So eee 19 | Kestrel Hawks. . . . 281
SPE eb en 1 | Merlin Hawks): 2 .<j 50m
Cais .-. . . . . . 1296 | Small-Horned Owls. . peeee
Ne 2 | Large Glede Owls. . . 113
meen ee 43 | Common Fern Owls . . 33
Stoat Weasels. . . . 2132 | Yellow Barn Owls... 21
Common Weaseis . . 1942 | Ravens «| . ? dete eae
Rats killed in yee 12.586 Hoody, or Carrion Crows 225
and hedges . r Magpies . . « «so mee
Hedgehops’ °. . . . 1093 | Jaypies ~5 2 eee 4
Adders .. ... 9...) 267 | Jackdawau) 3) =) ee
Falcon Hawks. .. . 6
Buzzard Hawks . . . 7 Total. . .. -«<ja.8

It is certain that the wholesale destruction of animals
which act as a check to the undue multiplication of
other classes of life, cannct fail to operate in many ways
injuriously to the welfare of the landowner and the
agriculturist. A proprietor like the Marquis of Ailsa
may, by such an indiscriminate slaughter, secure a slight
increase in the number of partridges and pheasants on
his estates; but nature’s equilibrium cannot be dis-
turbed with impunity, and perchance he little dreams
how deeply his own pocket and that of his tenants are
touched by such a course. The woodpigeon, the field-

BIRDS OF PREY. 17

mouse, the cockchafer, and the wireworm, may be
specially instanced as seriously affecting by their ravages
both the corn crops and young plantations; but remove
the checks which keep them within the bounds designed
by their all-wise Creator, and they rapidly increase, the
damages they commit being multiplied immensely, and
possess a money value which few who have not examined
into the matter, would calculate upon. Instead, there-
fore, of a supposed gain being derived from a practice,
which I fear is too prevalent, an actual loss is the
general, and I believe inevitable, result.

This subject was incidentally alluded to by Sir William
Jardine at the meeting of the British Association in
1856, in connexion with the artificial propagation of
salmon in the Tay, a subject on which he was specially
deputed by his section to report. In the course of his
remarks, he stated that it had been found that one of
the worst enemies of the salmon ova in the breeding
beds was the larva of the Mayfly, which, in its turn, was
a favourite food of the trout. Now the practice in rivers
preserved for salmon-fishing was to destroy trout, while
this fact clearly showed that such ought not to be the
case, as, by keeping down the Mayfly, they aided in
propagating the salmon. As an illustration of this
immutable law of nature, Sir William pointed out that
in parts of the country where hawks had been ruthlessly
extirpated, with the object of encouraging the breed of
game, woodpigeons had increased to such an extent as
to have become a positive nuisance, and most injurious
to the farmer; and he showed tle danger incurred by
unduly interfering with the balance established by
nature amongst wild animals. But I shall recur to this
point again.

Cc

18 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST,

The rapacious birds usually considered as British
amount to thirty-three, and of these I can number nine-
teen as having come under my notice as rangers or
visitors in “ merrie Sherwood.”

The first is the Golden eagle (Aquzla chrysaétos), I
was aware of a reported visit of this noble bird, but as
I had not seen it myself, and could not authenticate its
occurrence, I determined to omit all mention of it. A
recent letter, however, from Mr. Tillery of Welbeck, to
The Field of January 27, confirms the report I had
heard, and enables me to include it in my list.

It was in the winter of 1838 that the bird appeared
in Welbeck Park. Mr. Tillery says :—

“The lake was frozen over at the time, except in one
place, where a flush of warm water entered from a
culvert which drained the abbey. The place was
covered with ducks, teal, and widgeon, and I saw his
majesty swoop down once or twice to get one for his
breakfast, but unsuccessfully, as the ducks saved them-
selves by diving or flying off. The park-keeper got two
shots at him with ball on a tree, but missed him each
time, and he gradually got wilder, so that he could never
be approached again near euough for a shot. After
levying b!ack mail on the young jambs, hares, and game
in the neighbourhood, he took himself off after a three
weeks’ sojourn.”

I ain enabled, through the kind attention of a friend,
to add two individuals of another species, and that one
of rare general occurrence in England—viz., the White-
tailed sea-eagle (Haliwétus albicilla) to my list. This
eagle appears somewhat subject to a partial southern
migration in the winter, and it has been usually at that
season that it has been noticed in England. It is also

BIRDS OF PREY. 19

rather discursive, frequently proceeding some distance
inland from its usual haunts on the seashore. The
birds in question were no exception to these peculiarities,
one being shot at Osberton, a few miles from Ollerton,
at the beginning of January, 1857, and the other was
killed several days later (January 13, 1857), at Lina
Wood, near Laughton-en-le-Morthen, just across the
northern border of Nottinghamshire.

The latter bird was seen in the neighbourhood of
Morthen for more than a fortnight before it was shot.
On several occasions it was observed perched in a tree
about a hundred yards from Pinch Mill, the person
resident there taking it at that distance for a stray
heron. Thomas Whitfield, the gamekeeper to J. C.
Athorpe, Esq., of Dinnington, made many attempts to
get within range of the bird, but was as often baffled by
its wariness, It was observed to be much molested by
crows and small birds, and frequently, as if to escape
from persecutions which were beneath its notice to
resent, it would mount into the air with graceful spiral
curves until it became nearly lost to sight, leaving its
puny assailants far below, and then would sweep as
gracefully down again, with all the ease and lightness of
wing of the swallow.

It seems uncertain what its food consisted of during
its sojourn, for it was not seen to make any attack. At
night it roosted on a tree, but still maintained a vigilant
watch. When perceived by Whitfield, it was perched
on a tree on the outskirts of the wood; but the night
being moonlight, it perceived his approach, and he
had great difficulty in getting within gunshot. At the
moment of his firing it flew off, and he thought he had
failed in hitting it; but in the morning he found it dead

c 2

20 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

in an adjoining field. Its expanse of wing from tip to
tip was seven feet six inches, and its weight eight pounds
and a quarter.

The friend I have mentioned kindly procured the loan
of the bird from Whitfield, and sent it for my inspection.
It is a fine specimen, in the immature plumage of the
third or fourth year, and its markings are as follows :—
Hackled feathers of the head and upper neck dark
brown, the basal portions being white, which here and
there shows through ; throat, breast, and back different
shades of white and brown, somewhat mottled, each
feather having an oval brown tip; back, belly, shoulders,
and upper wing coverts mottled, brown and white; thighs
brown ; primaries and secondaries dark brown, the
tertiaries being rather lighter; upper tail coverts
mottled, brown and white, lower tail coverts dirty white,
the terminal portion of each feather being edged with
dark brown, and distinctly tipped ; tail feathers, inner
webs dirty white, outer webs brown, somewhat mottled
on the centre feathers; bill dark horn colour; legs
yellow, with formidable black claws.

The next is one which I am afraid israpidly becoming
scarce even in its own Scottish fastnesses, the Osprey
(Pandion halieétus), one having taken up a temporary
abode on the borders of the lake in Thoresby Park in
the summer of 1855, I have only once noted the pre-
vious occurrence here of this fine fish hawk ; indeed,
it is very rarely seen so far from its usual haunts, but
the one in question must have been attracted in its
wanaderings by the piscine resources of the large sheet
of water where I had the pleasure of seeing it. Here
it remained some weeks, faring sumptuously, its manner
of fishing affording me and others who witnessed it

BIRDS OF PREY. .

much gratification ; its large size, its graceful manner of
hovering over the water when on the look-out for its
prey, and the astonishing rapidity of its plurge when
darting on its victim, rendering it a conspicuous object.
It then to my great revret took its d-parture, doubtless
alarmed at the attacks of the keepers, who viewed its
successful forays with little favour, The other was
shot by a keeper on Welbeck Lake a few years
before.

Foremost among the typical falcons I am glad to
include the noble Peregrine (Falco peregrinus), the
very perfection of a bird.

By the uninitiated observer in most rural districts, all
large birds of this kind are classed under the cognomen
of “hawks,” without discriminating one species from
another. The falcons, the buzzards, and tie harriers
are al] undistinguished from each other by country
people when seen in the air; and I am induced to
believe that the peregrine is a far more frequent denizen
of our forest than is generally supposed, for I have noted
the occnrrence of four individuals in the course of five
years. Of course they do not breed with us, for we
have none of the cliffs and headlands on which it
delights to place its eyrie, but a flight of a few hundred
miles is nothing to a bird whose speed rivals or excels
the best efforts of the locomotive, and a journey to or
from its distant home is soon performed. The keepers
say they know it, and call it the “blue hawk,” although
the male of the hen harrier is generally known by this
name ; but it isso much more frequent than the latter
species, and differs so greatly in its flight and general
appearance on the wing, that few who really knew the
two could mistake them; yet, strange to say, with all

22 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

their opportunities, keepers are not to be depended
upon fer the identification of a species.

I know few more beautiful sights than to watch the
flight of this noble bird, especially when it is in the
pursuit of its prey. Slowly winging its way on high,
as though in the mere enjoyment of its leisure, its keen
eye marks a mallard rise from the rushy stream, or a
wood pigeon from the stubble, and instantly the graceful
curves of its flight are arrested, and with quick strokes
of the wing it rushes with the speed of an arrow in
pursuit of its destined victim. Woe betide the unfor-
tunate quarry, for its chances of escape are small; even
the rapid flight of the woodpigeon avails nothing against
the headlong rush of the peregrine. Ina few moments
the distance between the pursuer and the pursued is
fatally diminished, when, with a velocity of which it is
almost difficult to conceive of the flight of a bird ualess
Witnessed, it swoops upon its victim, dashing it to the
ground with a stroke of its formidable hind claw, and
immediately rising obliquely in the air it checks the
impetus of its course, and then returns to pick up its
prey.

-What is the maximum speed of the peregrine’s flight ?
On this point I was appealed to by the gentleman who,
under the pseudonym of “ Peregrine,” has written much
on the ancient sport of falconry in the columns of The
Field, and who is one of our best authorities on the
subject. After admitting that the best estimate must of
necessity be but an approximation, I expressed my belief
that the actual speed attained by this noble bird during
the death rush was at the rate of 150 miles an hour! Many
who have not witnessed it, may be incredulous as to any
bird flying with such velocity, but “ Peregrine’s ” long

BIRDS OF PREY. ya,

experience as a falconer with birds of this very species
enabled him fully to confirm my estimate, though, as
he says, it is difficult to conceive the lungs of any bird
lasting through it. Of course this rapidity of motion
could not be maintained for long, but that it is actually
attained I have not the shadow of a doubt.

It was a strange idea that the peregrine killed
or disabled its prey by a blow with its breast; but
this is such an evident absurdity that it has long
been discarded. Alexander Wilson thus alludes to this
opinion :—

“From the best sources of information we learn that
this species is uncommonly bold and powerful, that it
darts on its prey with astonishing velocity, and that it
strikes with its formidable feet, permitting the duck to
fall previously to securing it. The circumstance of the
hawk never carrying off the duck on striking it, has
given rise to the belief of that service being performed
by means of the breast, which vulgar opinion has armed
with a projecting bone adapted to the purpose. But
this cannot be the fact, as the breast-bone of the bird
does not differ from that of others of the same tribe,
and would not admit of so violent a concussion.”

In Montagu’s Ornithological Dictionary,* an ac-
count is quoted from a writer in a popular periodical
of a peregrine pursuing a razor-bill, and stating that
“instead of assaulting, as wsual, with the death pounce
from the beak, he seized it by the head with both his
claws.” This “as usual,’ is undoubtedly a mistake, for
the stroke is given with the foot.

Byron was no better ornithologist than the writer

* Second edition, 1831.

24 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

above quoted, for in the original draught of “Childe
Harold” (canto 3, stanza 18), he wrote :—

* Here his last flight the haughty eagle flew,
Then tore with bloody beak the fatal plain.”

In the edition of 1837 this note is appended :—

“On seeing these lines, Mr. Reinagle sketched a
spirited chained eagle, grasping the earth with its talons.
This circumstance being mentioned to Lord Byron, he
wrote thus to a friend at Brussels: ‘Reinagle is a
better poet and a better ornithologist than I am; eagles
and all birds of prey attack with their talons, and not
with their beaks, and I have altered the line thus :—

“Then tore with bloody talon the rent plain.

“This is, I think, a better line, besides its poetical
justice.”

On April 5, 1856, I obtained a peregrine, which had
just felled a common blue pigeon to the ground by a
stroke of its foot, and was descending to pick up its prey,
when it was shot. It was a remarkably fine male bird
in perfect feather, with the markings clear and dis-
tinct. ‘The pigeon, when taken up, was found to have
received a fearful blow, the back being deeply ripped
up, clearly evidencing the force with which it had been
struck.

Of the smaller falcons, the hobby and the merlin occur
with us at short intervals, whilst the kestrel is as abun-
dant here as it seems to be in every other part of the
kingdom.

Although the Hobby (fF. subbuteo) is always con-
sidered a summer visitor, yet it is strange that I have
never met with it at that season. My note-book records
the occurrence of three individuals in about eight or

BIRDS OF PREY. 25

nine years, but all of them were in winter—viz., one in
November, one in December, and another in March ;
the latter might be accounted for as a particularly early
arrival, as it was a fine adult male; the other two were
in immature plumage, and may have been hatched late,
but I believe it is quite exceptional to meet with them
in mid-winter.

I have no knowledge of its breeding with us, and
have in vain sought for its nest; and yet the fact of
meeting with birds in the livery of the young is pretty
strong proof that it does so, though it has escaped my
notice. At the same time, no country could be more
favourable to its habits, or furnish a more abundant
supply of food. It is not unlikely that the incessant
attacks of the keepers upon everything in the shape of
a hawk may have taught it instinctively to seek safer
quarters.

The little I have seen of the hobby has impressed me
with the opinion that, though naturally wild and shy,
yet when in pursuit of its prey it will be absolutely fear-
less even of man’s presence, and will pertinaciously
follow on regardless of any danger to itself.

The beautiful little Merlin (f. esalon) is more fre-
quent than the hobby, and though it cannot be called
rare, it is sufficiently so to make it an object of interest
when seen on the wing. Like the latter, too, most of
the occasions on which I have met with it have been
during the winter months, several having occurred in
February. It haunts a wild heathy tract at Inkersal
more commonly than elsewhere ; and here, with little
to disturb it, it breeds, placing its nest on the ground,
which is, I believe, its usual practice. I have often
thought the latter circumstance must, even in districts

26 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

which merlins habitually inhabit, account in some degree
for their scarcity in comparison with the kestrel, their
eggs and young being destroyed by weasels, rats, and
other predatory animals; were it not so, I think we
should find them more abundant, for both lay the same
number of eggs, their food is equally plentiful, and when
they are able to fly they are equally liable to the attacks
of the same enemies; yet, after all, the kestrel isa hun-
dred times more abundant than the merlin.*

The merlin is a compact little bird, and, in fact,
might be called a miniature peregrine, for it fully equals
it in bcldness and spirit; though it does not secure its
prey with the same dashing flight, yet it is quite as un-
relenting in pursuit, and even more persevering, follow-
ing it in all the efforts it makes to escape. It is not at
all particular as to the size of its victim, a partridge or a
linnet being pursued with equal ferocity, and I have
known one shot whilst killing a skylark, its most favou-
rite food.

Every part of the district is frequented by the Kestrel,
(F. tinnunculus), especially the more heathy parts of
the forest, and it would be difficult at any time to go far
without seeing one poised buoyantly on outstretched
wings, with head depressed, and eyes eagerly scanning
the ground below. It is to be deeply regretted that a
bird which is at once an ornament to the landscape and
a benefactor to the agriculturist should be so constantly
persecuted. I have often tried to reason a keeper into
the fact of the kestrel and the owl being his best allies

* This discrepancy in the respective numbers of allied species is
one of those facts we cannot account for, and can only acknowledge
that it is so.

BIRDS OF PREY. , 27

in the destruction of various kinds of vermin more or less
injurious to game; but it has been a fruitless task, and
one instance which he may be able to adduce of either
one or the other having dined or supped on game (for I
do not deny that they sometimes vary their diet in this
way), fairly outweighs with him all their good qualities,
and makes them outlaws at once.

Their labours are, indeed, highly beneficial to the
farmer and the forester, their chief food being field mice,
of which they destroy vast numbers, and various kinds
of beetles, especially the cockchafer; birds are some-
times preyed upon, though I believe not so frequently
as by others of the family—at least, I have observed
that the kestrel is less subjected to the noisy pursuit of
small birds, and I have often watched it hunting where
no notice of its presence has been taken.

It is plentiful with us throughout the year, al-
though I have no doubt that it is partially migra-
tory, as we certainly receive an accession of numbers
in the spring, which again gradually leave us in the
autumn.

I have known the nest placed in the hollows of some
of the blasted tops of the old oaks, and sometimes a
deserted nest of the crow or jay bas been made use of.
I have an egg in my collection which, instead of being
blotched and marbled in the usual manner, is of a uni-
form chestnut colour.

What I have said of the kestrel cannot, however, be
applied to the Sparrowhawk (Accipiter fringillarius).
Its appearance is the signal for a general commotion,
and the cries of alarm which are uttered when first the
presence of the enemy is detected are well understood
by various species, and swallows, linnets, chaffinches,

28 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

and others, instantly muster at the summons and join in
hot pursuit.

I have noticed on these occasions that linnets and
chaffinches usually follow in steady chase, while now and
then one more bold than his fellows will dart forward
and make a momentary attack on the hawk, and then
rejoin his companions; but the swallows, with much
greater power of wing, fly wildly to and fro, now darting
_ across his path, then shooting ahead, and again return-
ing, all the time uttering cries of fear and hostility. The
sparrowhawk seems generally to hold all his noisy perse-
cutors in supreme contempt, excepting that now and
then his patience becomes exhausted, and with a fierce
sally he sacrifices one of them to his resentment. In
this it shows more spirit than the kestrel, which I have
often observed to be apparently annoyea, and more
anxious to escape such boisterous recognition than to
become the aggressor.

I have often remarked how quickly the poultry in my
yard have caught sight of a kestrel or a sparrowhawk
on the wing. The watchful cock is generally the first
to utter his warning cry, which is immediately repeated
by the hens, and all, with head turned sideways, scan
the course of the intruder, those who have chickens in-
stantly calling them ogether for protection until the
danger is past.

We hear from all parts of the country of the large
amount of damage done to the crops by woodpigeons.
In some districts of England and Scotland meetings
have been held to devise means for their destruction,
for they have enormously increased of late years. We
cannot wonder at this, for their natural enemies are un-
relentingly extirpated, and the sparrowhawk is especially

BIRDS OF PREY. 29

a foe to the woedpigeon, preferring it to any other
quarry. During the first week in the present year (1869)
a flock of these birds passed over Barnet, which was
estimated to be a mile long, and to contain from 8000
to 10,000 in number.

The sparrowhawk is not such an abundant species as
the kestrel, though still very common. It has always
struck me that the females are much more numerous
than the males, though I am uncertain if it is not more
apparent than real, the greater boldness and spirit of
the former bringing them more frequently into notice.

The Goshawk (#. palumbarius), rare in Scotland,
though said to be resident there, is still rarer in England.
I never saw the bird on the wing, and only once in the
flesh, and we seem to know very little of its life history.
Rare as it is, a single specimen was killed by one of the
keepers near Rufford in 1848, being the only instance I
have known of its occurrence, and I am thus able to add
it to my list.

The Kite (Milvus regalis) is now with us, as it is
elsewhere in England, a comparatively rare bird ; I have
noted several instances of its occurrence of late years,
two coming under my own immediate observation, and
one of these under circumstances of much interest. I
was riding on horseback over the forest between Ollerton
and Budby, where it is open and heathy. On a strip of
greensward, bounding the unenclosed road by which I
was proceeding, a brace of partridges were busy search-
ing some droppings of dung. I had approached them
within about some fifteen yards, when a kite glided
across in front of me, and made a swoop at the par-
tridges on the ground ; but, whether his aim had been
rendered unsteady by my close approach or not, he

30 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

missed them both. The poor birds with loud cries of
alarm scudded along for a short distance, and then
dropped into the long heath ; while the kite, urged on-
wards by the impetus of his swoop, rose gracefully in the
air, and wheeling over my head, mounted upwards in
spiral circles, gradually increasing in circumference until
he became a mere speck in the blue sky, and was lost to
my gaze. I could not help admiring the ease with which
this was done, for after he commenced his gyrations I
could not detect a single stroke of his wings; he soared
aloft as if propelled by some invisible power, his forked
tail, broadly outspread, alone moved, as rudder-like, it
directed his graceful course.

Another, a female, was shot near Edwinstowe while
flying from the old trees of Birkland to the grounds
surrounding the house of the late Dowager Countess of
Scarborough. At one time the kite was by no means
uncominon, but, from its habit of taking its prey on
the ground, it is easily trapped, and I have little doubt
that this is one of the chief causes of its diminished
numbers.

To me there is something very wild in the shrill
squeal of the kite, and when heard in the moorland dis-
tricts, where now it is chiefly to be encountered, it has a
peculiarly drear and mournful sound.

I have met with all the buzzards more or less fre-
quently, especially in the wilder and less wooded parts
of the district ; but I have not found any of them breed-
ing with us. Those whose presence I have recorded
must have migrated from other quarters, and they, alas!
are no sooner seen than they are picked off by the
keepers, leaving their places to be supplied by fresh
victims.

BIRDS OF PREY. 31

The Common Buzzard (Buteo vulgaris) is the most
frequent species, and indeed may be called common.
It is more discursive in its habits than the other two,
but appears to prefer the neighbourhood of the older
woods and plantations, while the bare heathy tracts
which approach the moorland in character are the choice
of the rough-legged and honey buzzards,

The common buzzard appears a much larger bird
when on the wing than it really is, especially when seen
soaring, as 1t sometimes does, at a great elevation; but
when hawking for food it flies at a very short distance
from the ground, and with a peculiar gliding, noiseless
flight. It seems especially fond of beating along the
outside of plantations which are surrounded by hedges,
pouncing on the rabbits which sally out in the evenings
to feed, and which form its favourite repast,

Inkersal Forest, about three miles south-west of Oller-
ton, is a favourite haunt of the Rough-legyed Buzzard
(B. lagopus), several having been there met with during
the last few years. I obtained a very fine male which
was shot there by a keeper in 1857 while on the wing,
The shot took effect and brought him down, but, as it
afterwards proved, he was not seriously hurt, excepting
that one of his wings was broken. As soon as the bird
dropped on the heather a retriever, accompanying the
man, started off at once to fetch him in, but no sooner
had the dog approached, and was about seizing the
buzzard in his mouth, when, doubtless much to his
astonishment, the bird of which he expected to make so
easy a capture at once sprang on his back, and began to
ply his beak and talons in good earnest. For a short
time the unequal contest continued, the poor og in vain
attempting to free himself from his antagonist, who

32 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

inflicted on him some severe wounds before he could be
dislodged by the keeper from his post of vantage. The
plumage of this bird was altogether of a much darker
tone than is usually the case, the brown markings on
the centre of the breast and belly being very deep and
large, as well as those on the feathers of the thighs and
legs.

I have met with three instances of the occurrence of the
Honey Buzzard (Pernisapivorus). One was killed at Ruf-
ford in the summer of 1854; and a pair, male and female,
were taken together in the same trap in Inkersal Forest,
on April 26, 1858. This was a remarkable capture, for
the birds, with singular unanimity, whether caused by
hunger or rivalry I cannot tell—most likely the former
—must have pounced on the rabbit with which the trap
was baited at the same moment, for both were caught
by the legs, and of course forfeited their lives. Their
seizing on the rabbit is a proof, too, that this species
does not confine itself to insect diet ; and in the absence
of the larve of bees and wasps I imagine it is not very
fastidious.

The circumstance of these birds having mated, and
the time of year when they were taken, are strongly
presumptive that they would have bred here bad they
not met with such an untimely fate, for the locality is a
very lonely one, and offers many suitable spots for a
nest. ;

The harriers are not nearly so plentiful with us as in
many other parts of England, and especially of Scotland.
Our district is not generally favourable to the natural
tastes and habits of the Marsh Harrier (Circus rufus),
and I have only noted the occurrence of one; but the
Hen Harrier (C. cyuneus) is frequently met with,

&

BIRDS OF PREY. 33

although individuals in brown plumage are much more
numerous than the grey-plumaged male. This is, I
think, easily accounted for. These brown birds, which
are known as ringtails, are generally considered to be
females, yet such is not the case, the young males wear-
ing the livery of the female until they are a year old,
and not being easily distinguished without dissection.
Still, the “blue hawk,” as the male is called, is not by
any means uncommon ; and both male and female being
considered, and I fear not unjustly, as very destructive
to game, are visited, whenever opportunity offers, with
condign punishment, and their once buoyant forms are
often seen nailed up in terrorem amongst others of
their order, in grim companionship with stoats, weasels,
polecats, and other vermin.

The ringtail, as is usual in birds of prey, is much
larger than her mate, and far bolder in her search for
prey, not hesitating to frequent the neighbourhood of
dwellings for the chance of picking up a stray chicken
In 1857 I was walking past Lord Manvers’ poultry-yard
at Perlthorpe, which adjoins Thoresby Park, when a
ringtail came sailing over, evidently intent on plunder.
Three times she soared round the large inclosure, which
contained several hundred head of poultry, and although
it is bounded by a high wall, and surrounded by the
dwellings of the keepers and others, she was only
deterred from carrying off a fowl by the presence of
some of the men.

All parts of the forest are frequented by them, though
they seem to prefer the more open portions. Here, how-
ever, their habit of seizing their food on the ground often
leads to their destruction, as they are easily trapped, and
I have had them frequently brought tome when thus taken.

D

o4 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

I have been surprised to find some writers expressing
a doubt as to the propriety of applying the name of
harrier to birds of this genus. J cannot but think they
well deserve the appellation ; none others of the family
obtain their food in the same manner, and few who
have carefully witnessed their mode of hunting will
doubt the correctness of Mr. Yarrell’s suggestion that
“the origin of the name has probably been derived from
their beating the ground somewhat in the manner of a
dog hunting for game.” They do not spy out their
prey from a distance, or pursue and strike it in the air,
as is the habit of the falcons, but with a low, buoyant,
but somewhat stealthy flight, they steadily hunt and
quarter the ground, as a well-trained pointer might do,
until they catch sight of some unfortunate bird or rabbit,
when, if practicable, they pounce upon it at once, or, if
it take the alarm, they chase it until it is secured. The
meaning attached to the word “harry” in the dic-
tionaries—viz., “to tease, to hare, to make harassing
incursions,” is so descriptive of their habits that there
can be little doubt of the derivation of the name.

Of the nocturnal birds of prey I am fain to be content
with a record of four species—viz., the white, the tawny,
aud the long and short-eared owls. These are tolerably
abundant, especially the two former, but I have never
seen any of the smaller species, nor am I aware of their
occurrence in the district.

An owl is not by any means a popular bird. His
grotesque appearance, his wild and unearthly cry, ringing
through the air when honest people should be in bed,
and his silent, spirit-like flight in the darkness, all com-
bine to invest him with a certain amount of mystery,
which in the popular mind does not tend to make him

BIRDS OF PREY. 35

a favourite. His hoot, too, near a dwelling is in some
places considered a sign of impending trouble, and,
whether he makes his appearance by night or by day,
he is always persecuted ; yet Minerva’s bird ought to
meet with better treatment, for, apart from being the
symbol of wisdom, the habits and manners of the owl
are exceedingly interesting.

THE OWL.

I,

In the hollow tree, in the grey old tower,
The spectral owl doth dwell,
‘Dull, hated, despised in the sunshine hour,
But at dusk he’s abroad and well:
Not a bird of the forest e’er mates with him,
All mock him outright by day;
But at night, when the woods grow still and dim,
The boldest will shrink away ;
Oh, when the night falls, and roost the fowl,
“Then, then is the reign of the horned owl!

II.

And the owl hath a bride who is fond and bold,
And loveth the wood’s deep gloom,
And with eyes like the shine of the moonbeam cold
She waiteth her ghastly groom!
Not a feather she moves, nor a carol she sings,
As she waits in her tree so still;
And when her heart heareth his flapping wings,
She hoots out her welcome shrill!
Oh, when the moon shines, and the dogs do howl,
Then, then is the time of the horned owl!

III.
Mourn not for the owl, nor his gloomy plight!
The owl hath a share of his good;
If a prisoner he be in the broad daylight,
He is lord in the dark green wood !
D2

36 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

Nor lonely the bird, nor his ghastly mate:
They are each unto each a pride—
Thrice fonder, perhaps, since a strange dark fate
Hath rent them from all beside!
So when the night falls, and the dogs do howl,
Sing ho, for the reign of the horned owl!
We know not alway who are kings by day,
But the king of the night is the bold brown owl.

So sings Barry Cornwall, — his spirited lines are very
characteristic.

If the constant destruction of the hawk tribe is a
matter of regret to the true naturalist, it is doubly to be
lamented that the owls are visited with such indiscri-
minating and ignorant hostility. I will venture to
affirm that the good they effect is tenfold, ay, fifty-fold,
greater than the injury inflicted by the occasional
poaching of a young rabbit or partridge, and earnestly
would I raise my voice in their defence, and urge on their
destroyers that, even from the lowest and most unworthy
motive—that of self-interest—their preservation is de-
sirable.

Bishop Stanley says with great truth: “ Generally
speaking, a more useful race of birds does not exist,
since, with the exception of one or two of the larger and
rarer species, their food consists entirely of vermin and
insects very prejudicial to our crops, and which, but for
these nocturnal hunters, might do serious mischief. A
striking instance of their utility occurred some years ago
in the neighbourhood of Bridgewater, in Somersetshire,
where, during the summer, such incredible numbers of
mice overran the country as to destroy a large portion of
vegetation, and their ravages might have extended to an
alarming degree had it not been for a sudden assemblage
of owls, which resorted from all parts to prey upon .

BIRDS OF PREY. oT

them.” And again: “Some idea may be formed of the
number of mice destroyed by a pair of barn owls when
it is known that, in the short space of twenty minutes,
two old birds carried food to their young twelve times,
thus destroying at least forty mice every hour during
the time they continued hunting; and as young owls
remain long in the nest, many hundreds of mice must
be destroyed in the course of rearing them.’

Montagu says, in writing of the tawny owl: “This
bird breeds in the hollows of trees, and sometimes in
barns, which last it frequents for the sake of mice, and,
as it is a better mouser than the cat, the farmer holds it
in great estimation, and leaves a hole in his barns and
granary for its egress.”

I am afraid that on this latter point the farmers now
are not so enlightened as in Montagu’s day, or does the
fault rest with the builders; I have often seen these
holes in the gables of old barns, but modern erections
are without them. Now the appearance of any species
of owl in a farmyard is merely the signal for the pro-
‘duction of the gun, and the instant execution of the
visitor. I fear this stupid prejudice or practice will
retain its sway until a desire to know something of the
habits of the various forms which we daily see around
us is more extensively diffused than at present, and
until the wanton love of destruction is exchanged for a
spirit of admiration and reverence for those works which
by their divine Creator were pronounced to be “very
good.”

Perhaps some reader may be inclined to think that,
in advocating the preservation of rapacious birds, I have
exaggerated the amount of mischief caused by mice,
cockchafers, &e., and that the money value of their de-

38 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

predations is not of that extent which I have assumed
as probable. Let such carefully read the following
authentic account of the destruction of young trees in
the Forest of Dean by the short-tailed field mouse (Mus
arvalis), which was communicated to Paxton’s Hor-
ticultural Register, by Mr. E. Murphy, and I think
they will no longer doubt the value and importance of
the checks placed on the inordinate multiplication of
creatures apparently insignificant, but which in their ag-
gregate attacks are really so formidable.

After mentioning the appearance and gradual increase
of the mice, Mr. Murphy goes on to say: “ Before the
autumn of 1813 the mice had become so numerous that
we could pick up four or five plants of the larger five-
year-old oaks on a very small piece of ground, all bitten
off just below the ground, between the roots and the
stem ; and not only oak and ash, but elm, sycamore, and
Spanish chestnut, of which, however, they did not appear
to be so fond as of the two former. The hollies which
had been cut down produced abundance of suckers,
which were destroyed in the same manner; and some
of them, which were as thick as a man’s leg, were
barked all round four or five feet up the stem. The
crab-tree, willow, furze, birch, spruce, in a word, every
kind of tree, and even grass, particularly cock’s-foot
grass, seemed equally acceptable to those voracious little
creatures, till at length Lord Glenbervie became so
alarmed about the final success of raising a forest, that
we were instructed to pursue every means we could
think of—by cats, dogs, owls, poison, traps, &c.; but all
was to no purpose.

“ At length a person hit upon a simple, and cma
a very efficacious mode, Having, in digging a hole in

BIRDS OF PREY. 39

the ground, observed that some mice which happened —
to fall in could not get out again, the idea of forming
similar holes was suggested ; it was tried accordingly,
and found to answer. In short, holes about two feet
long and ten inches broad at the top, and somewhat
larger every way at the bottom, were made at twenty
yards apart, over about 3200 acres of plantation.
Persons went round early in the morning to destroy
such mice as might be found in the holes. In this way,
besides what the owls, hawks, magpies, and weasels took
out of the holes (and several of those depredators lost
their lives in attempting to seize their prey), 30,000
mice were paid for by government; nor were they
extirpated till they had destroyed 1700 acres, the as-
tonishing number of 200,000 five-year-old oaks, to-
gether with an immense number of acorns and young
seedlings.”

I have frequently met with the Long-eared ‘Owl
(Stria otws) in the fir plantations in various parts of the
forest, these being its favourite places of concealment in
the day-time; but it is not common with us, and indeed
does not appear to be an abundant species anywhere.
It is an amusing bird, and when met with during day-
light, perched on a shady bough, it has a most grotesque
and perky look ; it sits quietly enough if undisturbed,
but when roused its ears are instantly erected, and if
you pat your hand towards it you will quickly experience
the sharpness of its beak and claws, with which it fights
vigorously.

An allied species (Stria bubo), the Eagle Owl, appears
to attain a great age, and the keep of Arundel Castle in
Sussex is tenanted by some which were introduced many
years since by the then Earl of Arundel. One of these

40 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

died in August, 1859, about the age of 100 years.
And it is worth mentioning, as an instance of the length
of life attained under favourable circumstances, a fact
always difficult to ascertain of wild animals. The bird
in question was so noted as to deserve a special obituary
by the editor of the West Sussex Gazette. He says:
“These owls have become almost as famous as the
Saxon keep which they occupy. They are very peculiar,
and perch up in the niches of the citadel, looking on
visitors with a pride which seems to bespeak the dignity
of a connexion with the ancient house of Howard.
Since their introduction only about six have been added
to the family, so that the race is not likely to become
common. They usually live to a green oid age, but
none have ever before passed over a hundred summers.
This bird must have been hatched in the reign of
George II. Four kings have passed away since it first
saw the light, and many Dukes of Norfolk have been
numbered with the dead.

“The recently-departed owl was the famous ‘ Lord
Thurlow’ of the keep, in connexion with which a ludi-
crous anecdote is told. It was formerly the custom of
the castellan to give each of these birds a name, and
from their singularly wise appearance they were invari-
ably named after some celebrated dignitary of the law.
One was called Lord Eldon, and the subject of this
notice was dubbed Lord Thurlow, we presume in total
ignorance of the sex of the bird, which was in reality of
the feminine gender. It happened one time that the
famous Chancellor, Lord Thurlow, was ill, and much
political anxiety was felt at the circumstance. The
Duke of Norfolk was desirous of learning the latest
intelligence of the learned man, and as he was riding

BIRDS OF PREY. 41

one day into the gateway of the castle, an attendant ran
up to him, out of breath, exclaiming, ‘Please your
grace, Lord Thurlow—’ ‘ Well, said the duke, sharply,
‘what news—is he better or worse? ‘Oh! please your
grace, replied the man, ‘he’s just laid an egg!’ As
may be concluded, it is quite an event for an egg to be
laid by these aristocratic birds; they do not average
amongst them one a year, and it is seldom they are
productive.”

The Short-eared Owl (8. brachyotos) is less frequent
than the preceding species, and all the specimens I have
seen were in turnip-fields. At the same time, some are
met with every winter, and generally in October and
November. A male bird was shot on November 9,
1858, while hunting over a turnip-field at Car Brecks,
close to the town; it was in most perfect feather, the
ears were well developed, and the whole plumage very
soft, and, like that of the rest of the family, admirably
adapted for a noiseless flight.

This owl is less nocturnal in its habits than its fellows,
feeding chiefly, if not entirely, by day; indeed, I never
met with it on the move at night, and no amount of
sunshine seems to dazzle or confuse it. It possesses
great power of wing, though I have always seen it flying
near the ground, on which it often alights, and also
roosts at night. I think it rarely perches on trees.

Far more numerous with us than any of its congeners
is the White or Barn Owl (S. flammea), although we
have neither ancient towers nor ivy-clad ruins to afford
it a shelter or retreat. It is at no loss however, for, in
default of these, the old hollow oaks in the forest are
generally selected as its breeding places, for which they
are admirably fitted, being both comfortable and secure.

42 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

In these situations the nest is a mere depression in the
decayed and crumbling wood at the bottom of the
cavity, without any lining; and so difficult are they of
access to any but the owners, that they can only be
reached by enlarging the aperture with an axe. Only
once have I known of a different situation being selected,
and that was an old barn, in which the nest was made
of straw, that material being ready to hand.

I believe the white owl is strictly nocturnal in its
habits ; although I have frequently seen individuals on
the wing in the daytime, yet it has been clearly
evident that their flight was not a voluntary one, but
that their siesta had been accidentally disturbed, for on
these occasions they flew in a confused and uncertain
manner, as though “blinded by excess of light,’ and
were glad to take refuge in the first tree they met with,
manifesting no inclination to leave it unless compelled.
These diurnal flights, too, can rarely be made unnoticed,
for, like the hawks, they are attended by a numerous
following of small birds, who show their hostility by
noisy cries of alarm and anger.

I have spoken of the grotesque appearance of the
long-eared owl, but that of the white owl is, I think, still
more so; when in captivity it wears such an air of mock
gravity and wisdom—as though it was intending to
burlesque those attributes, now holding its head on one
side, and now on the other—that I never look at one
without feeling inclined to burst into a fit of laughter,
and could fancy it had some difficulty to refrain from
doing the same.

I once saw a white owl, which a person had shot and
only winged, throw itself on its back when he approached,
and fight most vigorously with its sharp claws, rendering

BIRDS OF PREY. 43

jt a rather difficult matter to effect its capture without
receiving a wound, and all the time fixing its large eyes
upon him with a strange weird-like intelligence, but
with no appearance of ferocity. I could not help being
struck by its expression, as though it was animated by
a feeling more akin to reason than instinct, and my
heart ached for the poor bird thus struck down so use-
lessly.

With regard to the note of the white owl, I venture
with diffidence to express an opinion which I am aware
is contrary to that of most who have written of it; at
the same time it is no theoretical fancy, but the result
of close and continuous observation. It is generally
stated that this species seldom hoots. Montagu boldly
says, “it is never known to hoot;’ Macgillivray, that
“it has no other note than ashriek ;” and Mr. Waterton,
that “the tawny owl is the only owl which hoots.”
Similar assertions might so easily be multiplied that it
seems almost like temerity to assert the contrary. “A
desire to elucidate the truth, however, compels me to
do this, and I am glad to be supported by so high an
authority as Sir W. Jardine, who, in a note to a late
edition of White’s Selborne, says that the white owl
does hoot, for he has shot it in the act—and more, that
at night, when not alarmed, hooting is its general cry,
This I can confirm most uuhesitatingly, for I have heard
it repeatedly and continuously do so, and, on the very
account of the alleged infrequency, have taken particular
pains to verify the fact. I have been familiar with both
species from boyhood, and have roamed through our
forest at all times of the evening, and it was always the
tawny owl which we designated as the “screech owl,”
while the well-known “hoo-hoo-hoo-hooo” was almost

44 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

invariably uttered by the white owl. I have watched
both in various situations, and have often been startled
in the woods by the unexpected shriek of the brown
owl, while, by blowing into my closed hands, I have
imitated a hoot with such exactness as to cause the
white owl to approach me very closely. A pair of the
latter frequented a small field opposite to my house in
the village, and on moonlight nights I have repeatedly
and distinctly watched them while uttering their hoot
even within a few yards of the house. The result of my
own careful and repeated observations may be thus
summed up—that the white owl hoots chiefly, but
sometimes, though very seldom, screams; while the
tawny owl screeches, and rarely, if ever, hoots,

The Tawny Owl (Ulula stridula), although not so
common with us as the white, is still a plentiful species,
our extensive woods favouring its arboreal habits. Its
favourite hiding-places in the daytime are the thickly-
clothed branches of the spruce and Scotch fir, especially
the former. Itis not nearly so wary a bird as the barn
owl, and if disturbed from its roost before the evening it
is even more confused and blinded by the light ; but in
the dusky twilight it is all activity, hunting on the out-
skirts of the woods and plantations with noiseless flight,
its tawny colour rendering it invisible in the dark
shadows of the trees, and I have often been aware of
its presence only by its unearthly cry as it glided past
me.

The venerable oaks, whose lichened trunks and limbs
are rifted and decayed into innumerable cavities, are the
places it generally selects in which to breed. In these
its young are secure from all enemies except the pdlecat,
and even he would hesitate ere he faced the sharp beak

BIRDS OF PREY. AD

and talons of the old ones, and must be content to make
his raids, if at all, in their brief absence.

After what I have previously said, I need hardly add
that it is equally an object of persecution with its con-
geners, and in fact meets with no quarter from its biped
enemies.

46

CHAPTER III.
PERCHING BIRDS.

N our thickly-wooded and well-cultivated district the
birds of this order are pretty numerous, and at least
two-thirds of the British species have come under my
notice. Of some of these, which are plentiful enough in
other localities, the occurrence of a single specimen
is all I have been able to chronicle, while others of
greater general rarity have been frequent, and, in addi-
tion to the pleasure I have derived from a quiet acquain-
tance with their habits, I have been fortunate enough to
record a few interesting facts respecting them.

The former part of this remark applies to the first
species in the order—the Great grey Shrike (Lanius
excubitor)—a single male bird being the only one I
have met with here; this was perched on a hedge in
Thoresby Park, from which it flew on my approach. I
am aware of one or two specimens having been seen by
others, and I have seen one that was shot in Nottingham
Forest—a male in fine plumage—but it is here only a
straggler. Its congener, the Red-backed Shrike (L. col-
lwrio) is, on the contrary, a regular visitor, and I have
repeatedly observed it on the hedges bordering planta-
tions, which appear to be a favourite place of resort.
In these hedges its nest is usually placed, and they offer

PERCHING BIRDS. 47

advantages also for the capture of its prey. It is a noisy
bird during the breeding season, its clamorous cries of
defiance on the approach of danger only exposing it to
greater notice. Amongst its eggs which I have taken I
have one pretty specimen, the ground of which is suf-
fused with a pale pink, and the encircling band of spots
at the larger end is a deep red.

It has long been asserted that the shrikes fix insects
on thorns in order to decoy small birds within their
reach. This, though disputed by some, is believed in by
others, and I confess myself of the latter number.

Rennie relates, in his Architecture of Birds, that a
friend of his expressing his doubts of this habit, he un-
dertock for his own satisfaction, as well as his friend’s,
to endeavour to ascertain the fact, and he soon found
within five miles of Lee, in Kent, half a dozen nests of
each species. ‘“ We discovered,” he says, “that near
those nests large insects, such as humble-bees, and the
unfledged nestlings of small birds were frequently seen
stuck upon thorns. We did not succeed in seeing the
birds actually impaling their victims, but we ascertained
what we considered good proof of the fact; for the
peasants, who had never heard of the story,” which he
says was first promulgated by Heckwelder, “all concurred
in affirming that the butcher-birds fix their prey upon
thorns, not, however, according to their belief, to allure
larger game, but to kill or secure what has been already
captured.”

The fact of the shrikes impaling on thorns the bodies
of small birds which they have killed has been too often
observed and too well authenticated to admit of doubt;
but I should imagine that the mangled body of a hedge-
sparrow or yellow bunting would offer little that was

48 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

attractive to their fellows. With insects I think the
contrary is the case; the bird has no need to impale a
moth or a humble-bee in order to devour it; and it is
my belief that this is practised as a lure to entice small
birds. Thisidea is strengthened by the careful man-
ner in which the insect is generally transfixed. I was
one day rambling on the skirts of a wood which divides
Thoresby Park from the forest, where, amongst the
heath and fern surrounding it, many young thorn trees
were growing, the hedge inclosing the wood being a
favourite haunt of the red-backed shrike. Something
on one of these thorn-bushes caught my eye, and on
going up I found it was a large egger moth impaled
on a strong thorn, The thorn projected at least half an
inch through the body of the moth, and so little was it
injured that it was difficult to understand how the bird
placed it there. But the bush stood in such a secluded
spot, surrounded by ferns as high as my breast, and at a
distance from any path, that I could come to no other
conclusion than that it was the work of the shrike. If
it had not been intended as a decoy, such a bonne
bouche would hardly have remained undevoured by the
shrike, for the body was quite dry, and it had evidently
been there some days. However, the specimen was
such a fine one, and so artistically “pinned,” that I cut
off the branch as it was, and carried it home.

A much rarer member of this family is the Woodchat
Shrike (Z. rufus), of which I am glad to record the oc-
currence, one having been killed in the forest near the
entrance to Thoresby Park called the Buckgates, in
May, 1859, by Mr. H. Wells. It is abundant on the
Continent, and the late Mr. Hay described it as breeding
in the Netherlands. Its eggs have the same zone of

PERCHING BIRDS. 49

spots as the other species, but differ somewhat in the
ground colour, which is in some cases tinted with blue.

I am able to include both the pied and spotted fly-
catchers in my list. The former (Musicapa luctuosw)
I had the pleasure of first seeing at the end of April,
1854, though only for a few minutes. I imagine from
the early period of its appearance that it must have been
merely en route to those more northern counties which
appear to be its strongholds. It was perched on a pro-
jecting stake in a hedge by the roadside, a little way out
of the village, and it immediately attracted my atten-
tion by its active movements as well as by its rarity.
The morning was genial and sunny, and the bird, a male,
was catching flies most vigorously, as if it had not pre-
viously broken its fast, springing from its perch into the
air and again returning, at the same time uttering in a
very decisive manner a short note resembling “ chuck.”
For a few minutes I watched its motions with great in-
terest, when it became alarmed at my presence and flew
away. I should not be surprised to find this species
breeding with us; we have many spots which are exactly
suited to its habits, and it is found in both the adjoining:
counties of Derbyshire and Yorkshire; but at present I
only know it as a visitor.

I have since met with the Pied Flycatcher several
times in the forest, and I hope my anticipations as to its
breeding may be realized. Mr. Wells of Cockglode
has killed several of them in Birkland.

The Spotted Flycatcher (M. grisola) is very plentiful,

but is comparatively rarely seen in the forest until after

_ its young brood are able to fly. The gardens around the

village and the meadows along the margin of the stream

are its principal resorts, the latter especially so, The
E

50 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

banks are fringed with many old and decaying pollard
willows, and in some of their cavities it delights to place
its nest. Often on a quiet summer's evening, when
strolling alone down the river's side with my fishing-rod,
have I remarked it in such situations, and while I have
been silently making a cast with my flies, intent on
hooking a trout, it has been equally intent on making
its captures, and seemed to pay little regard to my pre-
sence. Now, with a short spring, it would seize some
gnat from the cloud dancing in the air, and immediately
return to its perch; now, making a longer excursion
after a Mayfly as it hovered over the stream, or with
more devious flight pursuing a vagrant white butterfly.
Often on such occasions, when the setting sun tinged
everything with gold, and the peaceful calm was scarcely
broken by the murmur of the rippling water, have I
watched this bird, and have been much interested by its
busy quietness, which at times seemed to chauge to one
of listlessness or melancholy—an idea which was strength-
ened by its plaintive chirp.

Its stay with us is briefer than that of most of our
summer visitors, and though I have seen it as early as
the first week in May, it seldom makes its appearance
until towards the end of that month, and leaves us about
the close of September. Its nest is a careless structure ;
those I have found in the willows were usually made of
grass, with sometimes a few slender twigs at the base.

As settled residents or visitors we number many
members of the thrush family, and it was with no less
pleasure than surprise that I first made-the discovery
that the Dipper (Cinclus aquaticus) was to be found in
our little trout stream. I once, whilst fishing, saw at a
distance a bird which I failed at the time to identify,

PERCHING BIRDS. P 51
and a boy who sometimes brought me eggs, described a
bird which he had seen in the stream, which (as I never
expected to meet with the dipper) I tried in vain to
make out, and felt sure he must be mistaken. Further
research, however, cleared up my difficulties, and the
sight one summer’s evening of a veritable dipper dis-
porting itself in the water settled the matter, much to
my satisfaction. I must add that I have never been
fortunate enough to meet with it again, though they
have been seen once or twice by others. I have in vain
sought for the nest, and from what I have read of its
usual haunts we have few suitable spots for its erection ;
but the stretch of stream in which it was seen is very
solitary, the channel being confined on one side with
high sandstone banks covered with furze, while numerous
plantations and ash-holts border the other, the whole
bearing the name of New England.

Quiet inoffensive bird as the dipper is, yet it has been
lately accused of feeding on the eggs of the salmon and
trout. I believe this charge, like some which are
brought against others of our feathered friends, cannot
be substantiated, but is nothing more than a hasty con-
clusion. The dipper doubtless frequents the streams
where salmon and trout spawn, but it is to feed upon
one of the worst enemies of salmon ova—the larva of
the Mayfly, as well as water-beetles and molluscs. Let
those who believe in the poor little dipper’s crime, open
the stomach of the next they kill, and I am much
mistaken if they will not coincide with me in a verdict
of “ not guilty.”

The Missel Thrush (Zurdus viscivorus) is very
common, and in the winter frequents the forest and
parks in large flocks, During this season they fly ina

E 2

52 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

scattered, loose order, in a series of undulations, and
seldom for any great distance at a time, sometimes
alighting on the ground and searching for food, at others
perching on the tops of the highest trees. I have found
them on these occasions very wary and difficult to
approach, one of the party apparently acting as sentinel,
and on the alarm—a loud harsh note—being given, the
flock take wing one after the other, and never, as far as
I have observed, simultaneously.

After they have paired, orchards and gardens are their
favourite breeding places. A large pear tree in a garden
near my own was chosen several years together, evidently
by the same pair, as the site for their nest ; it was placed
on a large bough, close to the trunk, and was by no
means so carefully concealed as is usually the case with
this species. I have often been amused by their pug-
nacity, especially after the eggs were hatched, any bird
that came near their domicile being instantly chased
away. ‘The pleasure grounds at Thoresby are much fre-
quented by them, and I have found their nests on oak
trees in the midst of the forest; one that I took on
May 11, 1853, was placed in the fork of an oak, about
twenty feet from the ground.

Mr. Rennie is rather severe on writers who, in de-
scribing the nest of the missel thrush, have omitted to
mention that mud or clay is used in its construction.
He and many other naturalists describe the skeleton of
the nest as being composed of twigs, incorporated with
clay ; while, on the other hand, authors of equal obser-
vation and veracity leave out the mud or clay altogether.
I am inclined to believe that it is much as with the
travellers who disputed about the colour of the chameleon,
“both are right, and both are wrong.” My opinion is

PERCHING BIRDS. 53

based upon the simple fact, that the nest I mentioned
above as having been found in the fork of an oak, had
no clay or mud whatever in its structure; for having
pulled it to pieces I found it was made of birch twigs,
with moss worked into the interstices, and lined with a
quantity of dry grass ; the outside was neatly ornamented
with bits of lichen like that on the boughs on which it
rested, withered oak leaves being here and there inserted
and left to hang down and add to the general conceal-
ment. In other nests I have found clay used, but it is
evident that their method of construction is variable.

In 1853 a nest came under my notice which, from the
singularity of its lining material, proves what I have
said, that the missel thrush does not adhere to one un-
varying rule in its constructive plans. On the 5th of
May in that year one of the labourers in the pleasure
grounds at Thoresby Park, observing something white
hanging from the bough of a cedar which stands in the
grounds near the entrance from the courtyard, climbed
up the tree, and at the height of about thirty feet from
the ground discovered the nest of one of these birds,
daintily lined with a piece of lace, and a lace cap and
collar. These articles had been missed, and nothing
could be learnt respecting them until the white string of
the cap, dangling in the wind, led to the discovery of
the lost treasures. They were carefully laid round the
interior of the nest, and on the unwonted lining, which
was not in the least soiled, were deposited two eggs.
The drying ground is situated on the outskirts of the
pleasure grounds, about forty or fifty yards from the
tree, and from this spot had the articles been. purloined
by the mysterious thief.

The missel thrush 1s an early singer, and though it

54 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

does not possess the mellow tones and variety of modn-
lation of the song thrush or blackbird, yet it is no mean
songster, and much more attractive than some authors
describe it. I have heard the woods ring again with its
music, the height at which it perches while singing (gene-
rally on the extreme point of a tall larch) effectually
subduing the loudness of its song, which is much greater
than that of either of the two I have mentioned. The
absence of other songsters during the months when it is
most in song makes its music the more welcome. I have
heard it frequently about the 19th or 20th of January,
sometimes when the day was fine and sunny, at others
when it was cold and stormy, as befits its best-known
name of the “storm cock.” I must confess that to me
its song ringing at such times has a very charming effect ;
and, instead of its “loud, untuneful voice,” as Mr. Knapp
calls it, “ being like that of an enchanter calling up a
gale,” it has seemed to me to herald forth with gleesome
heart the approach of the more genial days of spring.
The reputed favourite food of this thrush, the berries of
the mistletoe, is most abundant in the district, growing
chiefly on the whitethorn. I have no doubt that the
missel thrush assists greatly in the propagation of this
curious parasite; I used to think that the idea of the
seeds germinating after passing through its stomach a
mistaken one, for I conceived that the action of the
gizzard and stomach would effectually destroy all their
vitality, but in this I must confess myself mistaken. Its
agency as a disseminator of the plant is exercised also in
another way. The berries are exceedingly viscid, and
the seeds frequently cling tenaciously to the bill of the
bird, who, to rid itself of them, is compelled to rub its
bill on the bough of a tree, and thus the seeds are un-

PERCHING BIRDS.

wittingly placed in the best position for germination in
the clefts and crevices of the bark.

The Fieldfare (7. pilaris) is as abundant with us in
the winter season as it is in every other part of the
kingdom. The forest and parks are more frequented
by them than the fields, the former being in many parts
thickly studded with hawthorn trees, while under the
modern system of farming, the hedges surrounding the
fields are rarely allowed to grow to the height at which
they usually flower, but are kept low and well trimmed.
These hawthorns are of great size and age, and rarely
fail to bear an abundant crop of berries; indeed, in the
spring they are so profusely covered with bloom as to
appear at a distance hke huge snowballs; while in
autumn, when the berries are ripe, they are masses of
scarlet. Of course such abundant provision is duly
appreciated, and attracts large flocks of fieldfares and
other birds; I have also seen them feeding on the
berries of the mistletoe. When these fail, and when
long-continued frost or snow cuts off their insect food,
they are put to great straits, their usually wild and wary
character is exchanged for a bold and fearless one. At
these times they associate with the sheep in the turnip
fields, and frequent the clumps and plantations of beech
trees in Thoresby Park and the forest, where they
scratch through the snow into the heaps of withered
leaves underneath, to search for beech-nuts, of which
they are particularly fond.

The earliest day on which I have noted their arrival
has been the 9th of October; they generally leave us
about the end of April, seldom at that time appearing
in flocks, but in scattered pairs. In 1547 I met with
several pairs on the 9th of June.

56 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

They most frequently roost on the ground, but I have
sometimes aroused them from the old oaks.

The redwing (7. z/vacus) visits us in greater numbers
than the fieldfare, and, both species feeding on the same
food, are often seen mingled together. They both fre-
quent the same localities, and whilst reaping the benefit
of an abundant supply of food, are equal sufferers during
hard weather; indeed, I think they feel the effects of
scarcity even sooner, and become more quickly emaciated,
some I have shot in a severe season being mere skin
and bone. At such times they are more fearless and
familiar than the fieldfare, and I have approached within
three yards of some when searching amongst fallen
leaves for beech-nuts, and this close to Thoresby House.
Even then they manifested no alarm, not even taking
wing, but merely hopping a few yards further away,
and busily continuing their scrutiny. In the same
winter (1849) I disturbed some out of the garden
attached to my house in the village ; they flew away on
my approach, settling in some nut trees a few yards off,
and uttering at the same time a plaintive cry. In open
weather I have found them more timid than the field-
fare, and they perch more in trees than the latter gene-
rally do.

The Song Thrush (7. musiews) is a very abundant
species ; in some of the plantations you may meet with
a nest every few yards. Like the missel thrush it is an
early singer, and J have remarked as soon as the Ist of
February, many perched on the top of furze-bushes in
the coverts filling the air with music; and even at that
season they will continue their song from morning to
evening. Though generally commencing to build in
March, instances of earlier incubation are not wanting,

PERCHING BIRDS. 57

and I have a record in my notebook of finding a thrush
sitting on five eggs on Feb. 22, 1859. The season was
particularly mild and open, and many other birds were
equally early in their nesting. A singular occupation
of a thrush’s nest by other species occurred a few miles
from us in 1846. A pair of thrushes built their nest in
some ivy on the mansion of Mr. Simpson of Babworth,
and notwithstanding the spot they had chosen was close
‘to the door, and that persons were constantly passing,
they reared in safety four young ones, who duly took
their flight. Immediately on their departure a pair of
blackbirds took possession, and after effecting a few re-
pairs the female laid her eggs, which she hatched, and
the young safely left their birthplace. No sooner was
this done than a couple of spotted flycatchers became
the tenants of the domicile, but not contented with its
condition they built one of their own nests within it;
five eggs were laid and hatched, and thus a third brood
was successfully reared in the same nest.

Though such attractive denizens of our woods, they
are sadly destructive to the fruit in our gardens, and in
an hour will strip a large currant bush of the whole of
its crop; indeed, during one summer they, in conjunc-
tion with blackbirds, frequented my garden in such
numbers as to make serious inroads on my fruit. De-
fensive measures were in vain; nothing in the shape
of whirligigs or scarecrows had any effect, for their
numbers did not appear to be at all diminished; “the
cry was still, they come,” and only when the fruit was
gathered and devoured together did they cease their
visits. I believe half my crop of gooseberries and cur-
rants, which that year was unusually heavy, was eaten
by them.

58 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

The eggs of the thrush are sometimes found of a
uniform blue, without mark or spot. I have frequently
taken one of these plain ones in a nest where all the
rest were of the usual spotted kind, and on one occasion
I found a nest in the Lawn plantation in Thoresby Park
containing five eggs, four of which were of this spotless
variety, while the fifth had five or six distinct spots of
black towards the larger end.

Albino varieties of the thrush are not uncommon ;
one, two, and even three white ones have been taken
out of the nest where the plumage of all the rest had
the usual markings, and one instance is related by the
Rev. F. Morris of a nest being found by Dr. Moses of
Appleby, where all the five birds were albinos, with
scarlet eyes.

The idea has occurred to me, although I have had no
opportunity of attempting its verification by experiment,
whether these white varieties may not be the produce
of the plain blue eggs. At the same time 1 am bound
to say that, though 1 have repeatedly taken eggs with-
out a spot, I have never met with more than one bird
whose plumage differed from the usual markings. This
was not pure white, but had a large number of white
feathers mingled irregularly amongst the brown ones,
chiefly in the back and wings.

The Blackbird (7. merula) is as abundant a species
as the thrush. The rich black plumage of the adult
male, so compact and glossy, relieved by the deep orange
of the bill and eyelids, makes it an attractive and
favourite bird, its bright eye harmonizing with the
vivacity of its movements. It is a very wary bird, and
when disturbed in gardens (which are much resorted to)
it is unwilling to take wing as long as there is any

PERCHING BIRDS. 59

covert, beneath the friendly shade of which it bounds,
rather than hops, rapidly and silently away ; but when
forced to leave its shelter it flies off hurriedly, with
vociferous notes of alarm, though seldom to any great
distance. During the winter of 1860-61, the cold was
so intense that even the blackbird lost his wariness, and
a fine male repeatedly came for food to my kitchen door.

In gardens, as I have before mentioned, it is equally
destructive to fruit as the thrush ; but I remarked that
nearly all the birds of this species which I saw in the
summer I have named were females, or young birds of
the year.

Their staple food consists chiefly of berries of various
kinds, but I have seen them devour earthworms with
great avidity, and snails, too, are a favourite repast for
them, as with the thrush. At all times of the year, but
especially during the winter months, I have often
watched them at the bottom of the hedgerows, breaking
the snail-shells with repeated blows of their bills, or
sometimes by dashing them on a stone, and have been
surprised to see the quantity of broken shells they have
left in one spot. <A writer in Chambers’ Edinburgh
Journal, quoted in Sweet's Warblers, mentions an
instance where a grassplot was quite furrowed and dis-
figured by a number of blackbirds, who were found on
examination to be feeding on the larve of the cockchafer
with which the ground was infested.

The blackbird has usually two broods in a season, and
sometimes more, generally in the same nest, though
occasionally a fresh one is built. J have known an
instance where a pair brought up three broods in one
season, and in the same nest; the first brood consisting
of five, and the second and third of three each.

60 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

The eggs often vary greatly in shape, and I have one
in my collection which scarcely tapers at all, but is almost
cylindrical, with obtusely rounded ends. I have also
taken some which distinctly differed from the usual
markings in having the ground colour of a clearer blue,
while they were rather sparingly freckled with rich red-
dish-brown spots, with here and there a more prominent
dash, approaching the general appearance of the eggs
of the ring ouzel.

With regard to the seng of the blackbird, I am half
inclined to consider it superior to that of the thrush;
though lacking the variety and continuance of the latter,
it has a far richer and fuller tone, its few notes being
most exquisitely modulated, and to hear it at sunrise
pour forth its joyous song, when perched on the extreme
top of a high tree, is peculiarly pleasing ; it seems to be
not merely for the amusement of its mate, but the ex-
pression of intense happiness, a hymn of praise to the
great Creator.

There are few of our British birds of which we know
so little generally as the Ring Ouzel (TZ. torquatus) ;
it is by no means what may be called common any-
where, and its partiality for wild and unfrequented
localities, such as the mountain and the moor, tends still
further to diminish our acquaintance with it. In addi-
tion to this, its natural habits are shy and retiring, and
excepting when it assembles for its migrations it is only
met with in single pairs. In other parts of the country
its visits are chiefly confined to the spring and autumn,
though occasional instances are recorded of its breeding
in places at variance with its natural habits. I was
pleased to meet with a pair in the summer of 1856.
The nest, which was very similar to a blackbird’s, was

PERCHING BIRDS. 61

placed in a bush in the forest about four feet from the
ground, and contained three eggs. Their ground colour
is pale greenish blue; two of them are speckled and
dashed all over with reddish brown, but the other has
the markings more closely distributed, and at the larger
end they form a confluent zone, having a suffused
appearance, and quite concealing the ground colour.

Another pair were seen at the decoy at Houghton on
the 6th of April, 1858, but, with the usual fate of rare
birds, they were shot, or I have no doubt they would
have bred also.

A male in immature plumage, with the crescent on
the breast distinctly marked in light brown feathers
intermingled with one or two of a still lighter shade,
was shot at Kdwinstowe on the 26th of November,
1856,

These are all the instances of its occurrence with us
that I am aware of.

The numerous family of the warblers is a very attrac-
tive one. The sweetness of the song of the majority,
’ their compact and sprightly appearance, and the liveli-
ness of their manners, combine to make them general
favourites. The greater part of them are closely
associated with the spring and summer seasons, and we
are accustomed to look forward to their arrival with
great pleasure.

The unpretending dunnock, or Hedge Sparrow
(Accentor modularis), in its neat and sober-coloured
dress, 1s common, as it is everywhere. It cannot be
called gregarious, seldom more than two or three being
seen together or near each other. It is always busy,
though never in a hurry, and seems an especial pattern
of that valuable qualification of minding one’s own busi-

62 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

ness. It hops—or rather glides—quietly amongst the
twigs of the hedges or the currant bushes; and its
chief food being insects, and being, moreover, especially
active in the destruction of caterpillars, its labours in
the gardens are of no little value. Its low but sweet
song is perfectly in keeping with its appearance and
habits, and not only is it a summer warbler, but, residing
with us all the year round, it “ cheers the winter with its
melody.” Ihave heard it at the beginning of February
singing as gaily asinJune, It is a hardy little bird,
and an early nester.

How different in disposition is the Robin (Sylvia
rubecula). Deeply enshrined in household memories is
“the little bird with bosom red,” and never to be for-
gotten the childish delight with which we have pored
over the sad fate of the lost but loving children, while

** Robin Redbreast faithfully
Did cover them with leaves.”
He wins our admiration and regard by the frank confi-
dence with which he approaches our dwellings, and the
fearlessness with which he takes the offered crumbs, ~
turning up his large dark eye the while. And yet this
bird, so familiar and so welcome, is amongst his fellows
of a most quarrelsome disposition. I have seen two
robins meet to do battle with all the boldness of the
game-cock, lowering their heads and setting up their
hackles in a similar manner, and leapmmg at each other
with the utmost fury, utterly regardless of my approach.

Other birds are not exempt from its pugnacity. I —
have often been amused when a party of small birds,
sparrows, chaffinches, &c., have been engaged in search-
ing about in the garden or the yard, to see their quiet
labours disturbed by the sudden appearance of a robin

PERCHING BIRDS. 63

amongst them. Lowering his wings, he rushed first at
one and then another, until he had driven them all
away and remained master of the situation, the others
not venturing to contest the matter.

But in spite of its pugnacious disposition it will ever
hold a chief place in our regard. Like its winter
neighbour the dunnock, its principal food is insects,
and no corner of the garden is overlooked in its search
for those tiny ravagers, which, if left unchecked, would
do us so much mischief. In addition to this the robin
is one of our most pleasing songsters, and its sweet
notes are heard, with few intermissions, all the year
round. In the spring there is more liveliness and viva-
city in its tones than at other times, though amidst the
choral harmony that then prevails it attracts but little
notice. But when our summer friends are fled with the
fading flowers, and the “sere and yellow leaf” comes
whirling from the tree, the robin’s song awakens our
attention. Yet it lacks the joyousness of spring, and in
sympathy with the departing season it seems to breathe
a plaintive and melancholy strain, bidding us, as it
were, to remember that we “all do fade as a leaf,” and
turning our thoughts to that haven of rest where nought
is touched by ‘‘ decay’s effacing fingers,” but, fresh with
eternal spring, the redeemed of the Lord shall dwell
there for ever, “and there shall be no more death.”

Keble quotes from a friend some sweet lines in his
Christian Year, which I am tempted to transcribe :—

**Unheard in summer’s flaming ray,
Pour forth thy notes, sweet singer,
Wooing the stillness of the autumn day ;
Bid it a moment linger,
Nor fly
Too soon from winter’s scowling eye.

64 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

*‘ The blackbird’s song at eventide,
And hers, who gay ascends,
Filling the heavens far and wide,

Are sweet. But none so blends
As thine
With calm decay and peace divine.”

It is rather singular that, while the robin remains
with us throughout the hardest winters, it suffers much
less from cold than many other birds. It is stated by
Bechstein that in Germany it migrates to warmer
climates at that season, leaving in October and return-
ing in March, the few that venture to remain paying
for their want of prudence with their lives. A writer
in The Field on the natural history of Malta states the
same fact. He says: “ Robin Redbreast comes hopping
in about the same time, and through the sunny winter
day sits on the bare bough of the fig, ‘ piping discon-
solate’ until early spring, when, with such of its kin as
have passed Malta in autumn and struck Africa, pene-
trating even to the oasis of the Sahara, again it returns
to Sicily and Southern Europe to rear its young. Why
is the robin of the south such a valetudinarian, whilst
his brother of the north braves the severest winter of
England?’ The answer to this question is not easy to
give, but it opens a point of much interest. With us it
is very hardy, and perhaps one reason why it bears the
cold better than others may be that, from its fearless
and familiar nature, it obtains food in places where
other birds dare not venture, and thus is better fortified —
to resist the rigours of winter.

The apex of the gable end of a building is a spot
often chosen by the robin from which to pour forth its
song in the autumn, and even in the depth of winter;
and I once in January, at the close of a long frost,

PERCHING BIRDS. 65

noticed five robins in full song at the same time, and
within a stone’s throw of each other, three of them
occupying the position I have named, while the other
two were perched on the corners of high chimneys.

I have met with the robin in the wildest and most
solitary parts of the forest, but chiefly during the sum-
mer ; yet, though favourable as such seclusion is, I have
rarely found them nesting in such situations. A sunny
bank at the foot of a hedgerow, or sometimes in the
lower part of the hedge itself, and various positions in
gardens, are most commonly chosen. I have several
times found a nest placed on the top rail of a row of
espalier white currants in my own garden, about four
feet from the ground.

The eggs frequently vary in their markings, but I
have never found the eggs in the same nest to do so.
I have seen them where the ground colour has only been
removed from white by the faintest possible tinge, and
they have been uniformly marked all over with pale
red. Generally, however, the ground is of a delicate
pale reddish-brown colour, freckled with a slightly darker
shade, and forming at the large end a dark and distinct
zone.

The pretty Redstart (S. Phenicurus) is one of our
handsomest summer visitors, and though abundantly
distributed, its quiet and wary habits would lead a care-
less observer to think it uncommon. But this is far
from being the case. If you ramble in the forest, fol-
lowing one of the grassy paths which wind their way
amongst the ancient oaks, or seat yourself on a moss-
covered root, you can hardly fail to see this lively little
bird restlessly flitting about. Its nest is most commonly
placed in a decayed oak-tree, whose hollow trunk and

F

66 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

branches afford numerous safe and sheltered sites.
Sometimes so small a cavity is chosen that its nest is
perfectly safe from the usual poachers of eggs, including
even the daring schoolboy; at others it is fixed inside
the hollow trunk, supported by some rugged projection.
Amongst the branches of these trees, or those of the
hawthorns which are scattered about, they may be seen
searching for caterpillars and other insects, and now and
then darting on outstretched wing after a gnat or beetle.
Sometimes they may be observed busily engaged on an
anthill, both ants and their eggs being a very favourite
food; but they soon retire from notice unless the spec-
tator is very still and quiet.

Amongst the oaks in Birkland it is abundant, and
especially so in an oak plantation on Budby South
Forest, which is divided from the open forest on the
southern side by a high hawthorn hedge, outside of
which runsa broad green drive for more than half a
mile. This is a very favourite walk, and many an hour’s
enjoyment I have had in watching the redstarts here.
During the early part of the summer the males alone
are visible, and on the approach of any one they utter a
quick impatient note, flitting restlessly about, now perch-
ing on a projecting twig of the hedge, now on the top of
a furze bush, flirting the wings and tail with a quick
motion, and showing conspicuously the bright colour of
the underside of the latter and its coverts, from which
they derive their best-known name of the “ firetail.”
Now they will fly off to one of the upper branches of an
oak, their voice and manner expressing their dissatisfac-
tion at your presence; but later in the season—when
the young are hatched and able to cater for themselves—
they do not manifest their hostility to intruders, and if

ee iii i =

PERCHING BIRDS. 67

such walk quietly and slowly along, the redstarts will
take no further notice than to flit a few yards further
on and continue their occupations.

In this neighbourhood they rarely frequent gardens,
though I have occasionally met with them there ; but in
every instance, though approaching within a few yards
of the house when no one was visible, they still retained
all their usual shyness, and instantly flew off when any one
came in sight. J never met with their nests in such
situations.

I always admire the eggs of the redstart ; their colour
and shape are both peculiarly elegant, and when lying
in their nest in a cavity of an old tree, they form a
pleasing picture, their tint harmonizing while strongly
contrasting with the rich brown of the decayed wood
around them.

Those of my readers who possess the spirit of a natu-
ralist, can easily imagine the pleasure which arises from
a first acquaintance with a rare species which they have
only read of or seen ina museum. Such will sympathize
with me in my delight and surprise when I first met
with the Black Redstart (S. tithys), and found it not
only a visitor but actually breeding with us. My first
acquaintance with it was the discovery, on May 17, 1854,
of a nest in a thorn hedge bythe side of the road leading
from Ollerton to Edwinstowe. It was placed about four
feet and a half from the ground, and was constructed of
dry bents, intermingled with a little moss, and lined
with hair. When I found it, it contained four eggs;
had it remained undisturbed, I have no doubt they would
have been increased to the usual number of six, as the
female was on the nest. As it was, I appropriated them
as a valuable addition to my collection. This, however,

F 2

68 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

was not a solitary instance, for two years later, on May
13, 1856, another nest was taken from the same hedge,
near the place from which I had taken the previous one ;:
it contained one egg, which was brought by the finder
to me. A third nest was taken the next day at Oller-
ton ; it was placed in the side of a cattle hovel, amongst
the thorns with which the upright framework was inter-
laced, and was constructed of dry grass only, and lined,
as were the others, with hair. The second nest had
moss mixed with the grass, like the first.

My satisfaction at the discovery, so far as I am aware,
of the first instancg of the blackstart breeding in England
(for I perceive Mr. Newman does not include it as so
doing in his recent Zoologist List), was all the greater
from their being no possibility of the fact being con-
tested, as in addition to my seeing the bird, its eggs can-
not be mistaken for any others. Without possessing
the least polish, they nevertheless have a very peculiar
gloss, and are of the purest white, with an extremely
delicate semi-transparent appearance, quite unlike those
of any other British bird.

From the circumstance of the two first-named nests
being placed in the same hedge, I should infer that they
were the work of the same pair of birds, and this pro-
bability is of course increased in the case of a rare species.

It is singular that their nests were placed in situa-
tions so different from those authors describe as usually
frequented by them. Bechstein, to whom the bird was
well known, says :—“ They build in rocks and holes of
walls, but especially in lofty old buildings, on timbers of
roofs where the nest can stand alone on a beam without
support.” No similarity to its native haunts could have
tempted it to remain with us, for we have nothing in

PERCHING BIRDS, 69

the shape of rocks for many miles around us, and the
fact seems to be one of those inexplicable ones which
baffle all our conjectures to find a cause. I have not
met with it since, but I should not be surprised to
find a few pairs breeding regularly in the neighbour-
hood.

Those pretty little birds, the Stonechat (S. rubicola)
and the Whinchat (S. rubetra), are very common, parti-
cularly on the furze-clad parts of the forest, which they
much enliven by their active and restless habits. They
are almost exclusively found in wild localities like these,
seldom intruding on the limits of cultivation. The
stonechat resides with us all the year round, but I think
not in equal abundance, a partial emigration appearing
to take place in the autumn, while their numbers are in-
creased in the spring. It is a snug-looking, compactly-
built bird; and the male in the breeding plumage, with
the deep black head and rufous breast, is really hand-
some, though there is much variation in the distinctness
and brilliancy of the colours. Perched on the top of a
furze bush or a prominent sprig of heath, these birds
utter their singular notes, “chat, chat, chat,” from which
they take their name; and though rather shy and wary,
I have often called them close to me by rapping two
stones together, and thus producing an exact imitation
of their call. While perched in this manner, they jerk
their tail and wings simultaneously with the utterance
of their cry, then perchance dart to the ground to cap-
ture an insect, and again flit to their post of observa-
tion, rarely remaining many minutes in one spot. They
seem to be very constant in their attachments, seldom
being seen otherwise than in pairs even during the
winter; and I think that only the old birds remain

70 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST,

during that season, the young of the year appearing
to migrate to some other locality.

The whinchat is a summer visitor with us, as else-
where, but during tle few months of its residence it
is more abundantly distributed than the stonechat. It
frequents the same localities, but is not so exclusively
confined to the open forest or moorland; I have often
met with it in pasture fields. Its habits are almost
precisely those of the stonechat, though it shows more
fearlessness, perching on the bushes of furze or heath,
or sometimes on the hedges by the roadside. Its ordi-
nary call is scarcely so stony in sound as the former,
whilst its song is more musical; and I have heard it
singing very sweetly while it hovered over a bush
before perching, its notes much resembling those of the
skylark.

The nests of both species are placed in similar situa-
tions at the foot of a bush of furze, or gorse, as it is
called locally ; they are very difficult to find, and when
discovered are by no means easily obtained from the
midst of the natural chevaux de frise that surround
them. The difficulty of finding that of the whinchat is
greatly increased by the covered entrance leading to it,
and I have often searched in vain when I felt sure, from
the presence of the birds, that the nest was close at
hand.

That graceful and chastely-coloured bird, the Wheatear
(S. Enanthe), is a regular summer visitor, but is confined
to two or three spots—viz., Oxton Warren and Boughton
Brake (both of them being rabbit warrens sparsely
covered with furze bushes), and occasionally on that part
of the forest adjacent to the toll-bar on the outskirts of
the village.

PERCHING BIRDS. Ma

Though always to be met with in the two first named
tracts, it is never seen except in pairs, and these but
thinly distributed, though most frequent on the warren
at Oxton. This, traversed by the road leading from
Ollerton to Nottingham, is a lonely, quiet spot, and I
have watched there with much interest these pretty but
wary birds. From being accustomed to see persons
passing along the road, they are not quite so shy as
usual, and will allow any one to approach within a few
yards before taking flight. Perched on a grass-covered
molehill or a large stone or clod, they seem always on
the watch, turning the head quickly from side to side,
while the body is carried very erect. They hop rapidly,
but their flight is low, and’ is maintained for very short
distances. Their movements while catching flies and
other insects are very lively; but they are continually
occupying for a few moments some little prominence,
and again flitting about after their food. I have once
or twice seen them perch on the top of the walls of turf
that surround the warren, but I never knew them to do
so on either bush or tree. The wheatear is compara-
tively a silent bird, its faint warble being seldom heard,
and its call-note, which it utters while hopping or rather
running about, consisting of a single “ chat.”

The Grasshopper Warbler (S. locustella) is more
plentiful than it appears to be. It is so fond of conceal-
ment, and so shy and watchful in its habits, that even in
the piaces which you know it frequents it is difficult to
catch a glimpse of it; and- whenever this is accom-
plished, it seems, from the way in which it creeps or
rather glides through a bush or hedge, as Mr. Yarrell
justly remarks, “more like a mouse than a bird.” I
have seen it so repeatedly in the furze and underwood

72 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

in some parts of the forest, heard its stridulous note so
constantly, and, in addition, have obtained the bird
itself, that I am perfectly satisfied it is not by any
means rare; and yet I have never been successful
enough to discover the nest. Many times have I
watched the birds with the utmost caution in the hope
of tracing the female in her approaches to her eggs, but
the habit of forming a covered passage has increased the
difficulty, and I have always been disappointed in my
endeavours. They generally arrive about the latter end
of April—but I have known a specimen obtained on the
13th of that month—and leave us again at the beginning
of September.

Amongst the common birds, the Sedge Warbler (S.
Phragmitis) is conspicuous, and its fearless and gar-
rulous habits render it very amusing. That which
would frighten away another bird only has the effect of
exciting it to louder outbreaks of noisy mirth, sometimes
uttered as though in defiance of all comers. It chiefly
frequents the neighbourhood of our various small streams,
though I have known its nest placed at some distance
from water. The bottom of a hedge bordering a stream
is a favourite position, where the long grass and weeds
have formed a friendly screen. I have seen a nest in a
very different place—viz., on the head of a pollard
willow, several large tufts of grass which had there
taken root in the partially decayed wood, effectually
concealing it from the observation of any one on the
ground ; and I, perchance, should not have discovered it
had I not one day, when fishing, climbed the tree to free
my artificial flies from a bough in which they had
hooked.

The song of the sedge warbler is a kind of medley,

-

PERCHING BIRDS. 13

and seems as if composed of imitations of various birds.
I cannot, however, agree with those who consider this
species and the whitethroat as mocking birds. Although
undoubtedly the notes of the skylark and the swallow
may easily be recognised, and especially those of the
house sparrow, yet why should it be supposed that these
are merely imitations? Such an idea has not much
show of reason in it, for the house sparrow is one of the
last birds whose note is likely to be heard by the sedge
warbler. I have met with a passage in Mr. Rennie’s
Habits of Birds, which I think places the matter in
so clear a light that I am tempted to quote it. He
says: “ Amongst some hundreds of these birds which
we have listened to in the most varied situations in the
three kingdoms, all seemed to have very nearly the same
notes, repeated in the same order ; a fact which appears
to us to be fatal to the inference of the notes being
derived nut from one, but a number of other birds. For
if this were so it is not possible that these imitated notes
should all follow exactly, or very nearly, the same order
in the song of each individual imitator in different and
distant parts of the country. The close similarity of the
notes to those alleged t> be imitated cannot be denied,
but, taking all the circumstances into account, we think
it much more probable that these resembling notes are
original to the sedge bird, and that we might with
equal justice accuse the swallow and the skylark of bor-
rowing from it.”

The above exactly corresponds with my own expe-
rience. I have heard the same series of notes continually
occur, and this repetition of the strain has been
always rendered the more noticeable by the harsh
chirrup of the house sparrow occurring at intervals

74 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

which were as regular as the song of any other of our
warblers.

The Reed Warbler (S. arwndinacea) I have not met

with nearer than Nottingham, where it is tolerably
abundant in the reed beds on the banks of the
Trent.

I think there are none of our warblers that are so
truly local as that queen of them all, the Nightingale
(S. luseinia), although it is mysterious how exactly the
line of demarcation is drawn between one district and
another, where no apparent difference exists which can
account for their frequency in the one and their absence
in the other. It is a regular visitor in some of our
woods, though not by any means numerous. Ollerton-
corner Wood is the most favourite spot. There I have
heard it make the forest echo with its melody, and on
still evenings even as far as my own house, a distance
of half a mile. One summer a large poplar in the
garden of a farmhouse in the village was the constant
resort of a male bird in the evening. His station was
usually near the top, and here for an hour or two ata
time would he pour forth his song, taking no heed of
the passers-by, who continually stopped to listen. I was
not able to ascertain whether his mate had her nest in
the vicinity, for I never saw her; but she most probably
had.

Their arrival in the forest is generally during the first
week in May, the second of that month being the earliest
day on which I have heard their song. I have seen a
male and female on the 7th of May busily searching an
anthill in one of the grassy rides bordering the wood I
have named above. Their motions were quick and full
of vigour, but on perceiving me they flew up into one of

PERCHING BIRDS. 75

the oaks, from which they quietly watched me for a few
minutes.

The question has often been discussed as to whether
the song of the nightingale is merry or melancholy, and
many are the authorities both in poetry and prose who
have been ranged on either side of the controversy. I
do not presume to decide the matter, or to set aside the
verdict of the many well-qualified judges who have ex-
pressed themselves on this questio vexata ; at the same
time, as a close observer, I must reserve to myself the
right to differ. My own opinion is, that though it lacks
the ringing hilarity of the song thrush, I should never
call it melancholy. Coleridge’s beautiful lines exactly
embody my own thoughts.

“A melancholy bird? Oh! idle thought—
In Nature there is nothing melancholy.
But some night-wandering man, whose heart was pierced
With the remembrance of a grievous wrong,
Or slow distemper, or neglected love
(And so, poor wretch! filled all things with himself,
And made all gentle sounds tell back the tale
Of his own sorrow), he, and such as he,
First named these notes a melancholy strain,
And many a poet echoes the conceit.

We have learnt

A different lore; we may not thus profane
Nature’s sweet voices, always full of love
And joyance! ’Tis the merry nightingale
That crowds, and hurries, and precipitates
With fast thick warble his delicious notes,
As he were fearful that an April night
Would be too short for him to utter forth
His love chant, and disburden his full soul
Of all his music! * * * i
* * * * * Far and near,
In wood and thicket, over the wide grove,
They answer and provoke each other’s songs,

76 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

With skirmish and capricious passagings,

And murmurs musical, and swift jug, jug,

And one low piping sound more sweet than all,
Stirring the air with such a harmony,

That should you close your eyes you might almost
Forget it was not day.”

There is nothing sad or sorrowful in its sweet tones ;
but in perfect harmony with the quietude of a summer's
evening, when all the toil and bustle of the day is
hushed, it breathes a sense of calm and peaceful happi-
ness.

Much, no doubt, as Coleridge has so well expressed
in the lines I have quoted above, must be allowed for
the state of the listener’s feelings. Where the mind of
such a one is filled with sorrow or care, he would very
naturally invest the song with a plaintive, or even a
melancholy character; but, with a mind at rest, and
filled with thoughts of Him whose power and goodness
have so greatly contributed to our earthly enjoyment,
surely it speaks of nothing but thankful gladness—a
tribute of praise to the great Creator.

The conjecture above expressed is illustrated by an
interesting incident related by the Duke de Cabellino,
one of the noble band of Neapolitan patriots who, in
1859, sought a refuge on our shores from the cruel
tyranny of the Bourbons. In a letter he wrote on land-
ing in Ireland to the Cork Daily Reporter, giving an °
account of the sufferings which he and Baron Poerio and
others endured in the stifling prison cells of Monte
Fiesco, he says :—

“A nightingale, as if on a mission from Nature, ap-
parently feeling for our sorrows and solicitude, used to
come to the boughs of a mulberry-tree, and with his
plaintive song he expressed our griefs, so that he became

PERCHING BIRDS. ifs

our friend—the very friend of our hearts. We used to
throng to the prison bars to listen and to treasure his
loving plaint. Ah! fond fool! he and his tender ditty
awakened suspicions amongst the police that we had
communicated with the outer world—a blessing, indeed,
which they trusted had ended for us. They shouted
with their voices and hurled sticks, but in the evening
the little nightingale came again and again with his song
of solace to us; but his sympathy for patriotism brought
his doom—he was shot !”

As a songster, the Blackcap (S. atricapilla) is, I
think, only second to the preceding species, and well
deserves its name of mock nightingale. There is an in-
expressible charm about its song, which is wildly sweet
and very varied, partaking of the notes of the nightin-
gale, thrush, blackbird, and garden warbler. It pours
forth a flood of rich melody, not confined to any set
song, but giving a play to his fancy, like the minstrel’s
_fiugers wandering amidst his harp-strings, —

“ In varying cadence, soft or strong,

He swept the sounding chords along.”

This species frequents the gardens along the side of the
stream in the village where I have found its nest; but
it is not confined to such localities, for I have met with
it in the wildest parts of the forest, where the dwarf
hawthorns are favourite stations of the male from which
to pour forth his song. I have seldom seen more than
a pair inhabiting one spot. The pleasure grounds at
Thoresby are much frequented by them.

These grounds and the adjoining shrubberies are also
resorted to by the Garden Warbler (S. hortensis), whose
sweet and flute-like song is scarcely inferior to the black-
cap ; indeed, I think it excels it in fulness and richness

78 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

of tone, and is certainly more sustained. It is more
abundant in this delightful and secluded spot than any-
where I know, and I have frequently found its nest
placed in some of the low bushes under the trees at the
lower end of the lake. It is usually formed of goose-
grass, mixed with small roots, and lined thinly with hair,
and sometimes with a little wool. I took a nest of this
species which was built of fine goose-grass and slender
fibres of a uniform thickness, looking exactly like black
and tarnished brass wire, and the singularity of the
appearance was increased by the lining of long black
horsehairs, which, as well as the materials forming the
body of the nest, were laid in concentric circles with
hardly any interlacing; the whole formed a rather
loose yet neat structure. It was placed in a small box-
tree about three feet from the ground, and contained
four eggs. The kitchen gardens at Thoresby are also
frequented by the garden warbler, where they are very
partial to strawberries and raspberries.

The Whitethroat (S. cinerea) is one of our commonest
summer visitors, and its loud and lively song is con-
stantly heard in our hedges and gardens. It is always
amusing, for it seems as if it was ever in a hurry to get
through its varied song. This is frequently interrupted,
like that of the sedge warbler, by an exact imitation of
the chirp of the house sparrow, and it was especially
remarkable in a pair that built in my own garden for
several years together, and which, from frequenting the
same spot for the erection of their nest, 1 judged to be
the same pair. A nut-tree was the place always chosen
by the male bird from which to pour forth his song, and
from a seat underneath I could watch him without being
perceived. His body was in incessant motion, the wings

PERCHING BIRDS. 79

and tail being shaken, the crest prominently raised, and
his whole appearance being one of excitement. Most
generally he sang while perched on a spray near the
top of the tree, but sometimes he would spring up in a
singular way as if unsuccessfully trying to baiance him-
self, and then he would hover a few feet above the tree,
slowly descending to his perch, and all the time singing
with the utmost rapidity. While thus engaged he ex-
hibited very little fear, but would allow me to approach
closely before he moved; but he evidently did so un-
willingly, not liking to forsake his charge, as the nest
was placed in a clump of herbaceous plants at the foot
of the tree. The presence of a cat in the garden was
always met with loud cries of alarm, and I have seen
one that belonged to me, who was a noted _ birdcatcher,

greatly annoyed at these unwelcome attentions, and
even shrinking with evident fear from the vigorous
attacks which parental love led the little fellow to make
on pussy, and in which he seemed quite regardless of
his own safety.

The Lesser Whitethroat (S. cwrruca) is almost as
common as the preceding species, and is very frequent
in the gardens and in the hedges of the neighbouring
meadows. My own garden was seldom without a pair
during the summer, the clear white of the throat and
breast making them very prominent. It does not show
itself so openly as the whitethroat, and utters its song
while flitting about in the concealment of the bush or
tree. In one corner of my garden grew a clump of nut
and plum trees, overshadowing an arbour, the sides of
which were clothed with honeysuckle which climbed
upwards, clasping the boughs of the trees above. The
clump was the constant resort of this little bird, and

80 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

while quietly seated on the bench below, and hidden
from its sight by the broad leaves of the nut-trees, I
have watched it through the interstices of the foliage
with great interest. Here I heard to advantage the
low inward warbling, which is not noticed without being
close to it, but which is very sweet. This would be
interrupted, or rather ended, by the loud, shrill, well-
known notes which Bechstein describes by the words
“ Klap, klap ;” while at intervals it would utter several
times in succession a hissing kind of note resembling the
word “ tzee,”’ repeated three times. Sometimes the nest
would be placed well hidden in a currant-tree fence close
by, and sometimes in a thick privet hedge which shut
in my garden from the stream flowing past it. I never
could perceive any difference between the male and the
female, though I believe the latter is generally described
as somewhat paler in colour.

The Wood Wren (S. sylvicola), or, as it is better
known with us by the name of the “yellow willow
wren,” regularly visits us, but I have only occasionally
succeeded in finding the nest, which has always been
placed on the ground, and well concealed with withered
leaves. The eggs are rather larger than those of S. tro-
chilus, and differ so greatly in the colour that they
cannot be mistaken. The ground is pure white, dis-
tinctly but closely freckled with dark brownish purple ;
in some there are spots of a light purple underlying the
others, but not easily seen except on close inspection.
Some have the spots very thickly distributed, giving
quite a darker tone to them, and being still more closely
accumulated at the larger end. Others are thinly
marked, while I have seen one in which the spots were
arranged in a somewhat indistinct zone. The bird itself

PERCHING BIRDS. 81

is elegant in shape, and the colours of the plumage are
very pleasing, while its singular tremulous call cannot
remain unnoticed.

The Willow Wren (S. trochilus) is much more abun-
dant than the wood wren, and frequents the alder and
willow trees growing on the banks of the streams, and
the hedgerows of the adjacent meadows. The brook
below the town is bordered here and there by rows of
dwarf willows and hedges of the same, and here the
willow warbler is numerous. Often while fly-fishing on
a summer's evening I have been interested in watching
their lively and active habits as they climbed and hopped
about from twig to twig; now searching the river bank,
now darting out to share with the trout below, the gnats
that hovered over the water, and again regaining an
overhanging bough they would thread their way quickly
into the willow above, prying under every leaf and into
each crevice for aphides and caterpillars. They do not
always agree kindly with their fellows, but will chase
each other in a quarrelsome manner, and occasionally
direct their puny attacks on other birds,

The Chiffchaff (S. rufa) haunts the same spots, both
species being often seen together ; indeed, they are so
much alike that an ordinary observer would not detect
the difference, and I believe they are frequently con-
founded ; but the legs of the chiffchaff are darker than
those of S. trochilus, and the yellow mark over the eye
is less distinct. Their nests, too, are placed in similar
positions, and are formed of like materials, but the eggs
are very distinct, those of the willow warbler having the
ground of a pinkish white, closely freckled with light
rusty brown, while the chiffchaff’s have the ground
a pure white, and are very sparingly speckled with.

G

82 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

dark brown spots, more numerous towards the larger
end.

The majority of our woods are oak and ash, chiefly the
former; but here and there a plantation of Scotch fir
and spruce is tenanted by that tiny monarch, the Gold-
crest (Regulus cristatus). Though often overlooked
because of its diminutive size, its sprightly habits make
it worthy of attention, and with a little caution it may
be safely approached without exciting its alarm. It is
constantly in motion, like the titmice, and assumes every
possible position.

It is singular how so small a bird survives the rigours
of our cold season; but it really is very hardy, and in
the depth of winter may be seen busy as ever, searching
for its daily food, as if constant motion was absolutely
necessary to maintain its bodily warmth; indeed, I do
not remember ever seeing one indulging in the luxury
of rest in the daytime.

It is my impression that they are more numerous
with us in the winter than the summer, as if we received
a partial migration from the north at that time ; but I
may be mistaken.

Its compact nest, formed chiefly of moss, is neatly
suspended under a bough of a spruce or fir, and requires
a sharp eye to discover it.

The titmice are a very interesting family of birds,
and, though little in size, they seem determined not to
remain unnoticed amongst their neighbours. Their
constant activity and grotesque attitudes make them
very amusing, and though some of them do not escape
the censure of the gardener, yet few of our feathered
friends are, I believe, more truly beneficial to us. Insects
form the staple of their food, and, from their incessant

PERCHING BIRDS. §3

care in feeding their numerous progeny, their consump-
tion of the various ravagers of our fruits and flowers
must be considerable, more so, perhaps, than those who
have not watched their exemplary attention to their
young would be inclined to believe.

Of the seven British species five are constantly to be
met with throughout the year, though some are more
abundant than others.

The Great Titmouse (Parus major) delights in a
woodland home, but in the winter it is a constant
visitor to our gardens. In its search for insects it is un-
doubtedly very destructive to the buds of fruit trees, and
I have often remarked the partiality which it evinced
for the buds of a Siberian crab-tree in my own garden.
I have seen them in the beginning of December in our
woods in company with P. ceruleus, P. ater, and
P. caudatus, busily searching the mossy trunks of the
old oak trees, prying ito every crevice of the rugged
bark, or clinging to the branches and plucking off with
a vigorous twitch the withered leaves that still clung
closely to them.

A writer in the Gardener's Chronicle states that he
has observed the great tit come down on the roof of his
wooden shed over his beehives, and tap on it with his
bill until a bee came out, when he pounced on it, and
ate it; and this not once or twice.

In our gardens the Blue Titmouse (P. ceruleus) is the
most constant visitor. Ever in motion, it seems the
personification of mischief, a veritable ornithological
mountebank, for in the course of five minutes it will go
through all the postures and attitudes which it is pos-
sible for a bird to practise, and while so doing it seems
to have no fear of determination of blood to the brain,

G 2

84 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

for it is quite as often seen with its head downwards as
otherwise. It is a carnivorous little fellow, and delights
in a bit of carrion. My next door neighbour, being a
sportsman, kept a number of dogs, and to feed these,
the carcases of sheep that had died in the fields were
often skinned and hung up on poles around the kennel.
These I have sometimes seen covered by as many as
forty or fifty of the blue titmice, pecking away with all
the vigour of which they are capable, and that is not a
little. Tallow scraps, too, which were used for feeding
the dogs, were much relished, but the carrion had the
preference.

Professor Buckman has recently noticed that the blue
tit benefits foresters by destroying the flies which cause
the oak galls, which in many parts of the country are
threatening ruin to young oak plantations.

The blue tit is not afraid to enter houses, and I have
very often found them in a detached room in my garden
that was used as a schoolroom, taking advantage of the
door being left open. They would generally fly to the
window on any one entering the room, but did not
exhibit much fear, and when I have caught them in my
hand the little things would bite fiercely at my fingers
and try to effect their liberation.

Mr. Hewitson mentions a pair of bluecaps having
built their nest in a bottle, and the following is another
‘instance more remarkable still, and is well authen-
ticated :—

In 1779 a pair of these birds built their nest in a
large stone bottle that had been left to drain in the
lower branches of a plum tree in the garden of Calender,
near Stockton-on-Tees, and safely hatched their young.
Every following year the bottle was frequented for the —

PERCHING BIRDS. 85

same purpose and with a like result, the bottle having
been allowed to remain by the occupiers of the farm-
house. In 1822, the old plum tree upon whose boughs
the bottle had been placed having fallen into decay, the
bottle was rested on the branches of an adjoining plum
tree, and fastened by iron hooks. The change of posi-
tion, however, did not cause the little creatures to desert
their home. The Cumberland Paquet of May, 1844,
recorded the continuance of the tenancy without inter-
mission up to that date. From another reliable source
Iam able to add, that in 1851 the pair made their
appearance as usual to take up their summer residence.
It had always been the custom of the inmates of the
farmhouse te draw the nest of the previous year out of
the bottle, but this year they had neglected to do this,
and the pair selected another place for their nest. How-
ever, in the following year the needful preparations
were made, and the birds again built their nest in the
old domicile, and safely reared their numerous progeny.

Whether at the present time the bottle is still
occupied I am not able to say. It would be an ex-
ceedingly interesting fact if we could ascertain how
many pairs had tenanted the bottle during these years,
for we may reasonably conclude that it was not the
same pair. Taking the number of the young of this
species at ten, which is, I believe, a fair average, between
seven and eight hundred individuals must have been
the produce of this “inexhaustible bottle.”

The chastely-coloured Cole Titmouse (P. ater) is far
from uncommon, but it is exclusively a denizen of our
woods and plantations, and I never saw it in other situa-
tions. It does not refuse to mingle with others of the
family ; but it is in little parties of its own species,

86 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

probably the summer’s brood, that I have chiefly met
with it.

Though insects form a considerable portion of its
food, yet it is more a ground feeder than any of the
others, and in the winter season it busily searches
amongst the withered leaves for seeds, especially under
the beech trees, the nuts of this tree being a favourite
food. It is also very partial to the seeds of the birch,
on the long pendulous twigs of which it clings in almost
every position, swinging about with each passing breeze.
Its more terrestrial habits are also shown by the position
in which it places its nest, a hole in a bank or under
the roots of a tree being often chosen for that purpose.
I have heard its monotonous note as early as the 24th
of January.

In our neighbourhood the Marsh Titmouse (P. palus-
tris) is hardly so abundant as the cole. Jt is not by
any means confined to low or marshy situations, for we
have few such around us, but 1 have met with it far
from water. The notes uttered by the great tit are like
the whetting of a saw, but this is far more correctly
imitated by the marsh tit; indeed, I have often been
surprised at the close similarity, and have been tempted
to look round for the sawyer. Their cry resembles the
words “ Chika, chika, chika,” repeated four or five times
in succession, and ending with a shorter syllable, “ chike.”
Its habits are much the same as those of the others of
the tribe, perpetually in motion, seeking its food in the
crevices of the bark of the trees which it frequents ; but,
as far as I have observed, it does not associate with the
other species, but keeps together in small parties.

The long-tailed Tit (P. caudatus) is the last I have
to notice, for, as far as I know, neither P. cristatus nor

PERCHING BIRDS. 87

P. biarmicus have been seen in our district. The
“bottle tit,’ as it is most commonly called with us, is
very plentiful in our woods and plantations, particularly
in those where there is a growth of underwood, in which
it delights to place its nest. I have found it especially
abundant in a large wood called the Catwins, on the
outskirts of Thoresby Park. I have never met with a
nest at a greater height from the ground than about
four or five feet, nor is it at all particular as to conceal-
ment. I have most commonly found it placed in the
fork of a young hawthorn, and on two occasions, where
the fork consisted of three stout twigs, they were all
included in the body of the nest, the moss and wool
being so closely and firmly fitted around them that it
was utterly impossible to detach the nest from its sup-
ports without completely pulling it to pieces. One of
these especially excited my admiration, for the three
branches, springing upwards equidistant from each
other, were equally included in the structure they sup-
ported, which was woven of green moss intermingled
with wool, and decked outside with grey lichens, the
whole presenting a beautifully symmetrical appearance.
The opening was near the top, and, as is usual, the
interior was almost filled with feathers.

It has often been a wonder to me how the parent
bird manages amongst such a mass of down to find all
her numerous and tiny young ones. The opening to
the nest is so small that when the bird enters, the in-
terior must be almost in perfect darkness, and the marvel
is that some of the gaping mouths below are not left un-
supplied with food. But in this, as in all of our Maker's
works, the means are perfectly adapted to the end, and
if in any case we are unable to comprehend how this

88 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

end is attained, we cannot withhold our faith in that
Divine wisdom which both plans, and carries the plan
into effect.

The pretty Bohemian Chatterer (Bombycilla garrula)
has several times visited us. The winter of 1850 was
particularly marked by the appearance of several flocks,
chiefly during the severe frost in January of that year;
many were shot, and all of these had their craws filled
with holly berries.

The confusions of nomenclature were never, I think,
more strikingly shown than in the family at which we
have now arrived, that of the wagtails. Two or three
specific and vulgar names are often applied to the same
species by various authors, until it is extremely puzzling
to make out which is meant.

The pied, which was formerly considered to be the
Motacilla alba of Linnzeus, but was found by Mr.
Gould to be distinct, was changed to M. lotor by Pro-
fessor Rennie ; it is now, however, thoroughly established
as M. Yarrelli (Gould).

The white, which is the true M. alba of Linnzus, is
called cinerea by Latham, while Montagu says the name
of white wagtail, is a name for the winter wagtail, which
he then describes under the specific name of M. boarula
(Linn.), which is known as the grey wagtail, called by
Macgillivray the “grey and yellow wagtail,” and by
Bechstein M. sulphurea.

There are, in fact, three species, which are often con-
founded under the trivial name of the yellow wagtail.
The first is the one just named as the grey wagtail
(M. boarula, Linn.); the second is the grey-headed
wagtail (M. neglecta, Gould) the M. flava of Linnezus,
and Budytes flava of Macgillivray ; and the third

PERCHING BIRDS. 89

the true yellow, or Ray’s wagtail, which by Cuvier was
removed into another genus, and called Budytes, but
which in Orr’s edition of Cuvier (1849) is stated to be
the M. neglecta of Gould, although previously known as
M. flava of Linneus.

According to the most recent arrangement they there-
fore stand thus: Pied wagtail (Motacila Yarrelli,
Gould), White wagtail (I. alba, Linn.), Grey wagtail
(M. boarula, Linn.), Grey-headed wagtail (M. neglecta,
Gould), Yellow wagtail (M. flava, Linn.). All these
five I am convinced are clearly distinct species, and I
have met with all of them in my own neighbourhood ;
even the rarer ones more than once, and under favourable
circumstances for recognition and identification.

The Pied Wagiail (M. Yarvrelli, Gould) is by far the
most abundant of the family. Some of them remain
with us all the year, but it is in spring and summer that
they are met with in the greatest numbers. Their elegant
form and active habits are very pleasing, and all their
motions are marked by an airy gracefulness. During
the winter they frequent the neighbourhood of houses,
and I have often seen them busily employed in searching
the roads and gutters.

They are very hardy, being far less affected by cold
than many other birds who are apparently better able to
bear it. On Feb. 17, 1855, during a severe frost, with
the thermometer standing at 22° at the time, I watched
with much interest one of these birds bathing in a
shallow and rapid part of the stream running through
the village, a few yards below the mill. It walked in as
far as it could, and then with great energy dipped in its
head and threw the water over its back several times,
and with such evident enjoyment that you might have

90 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

imagined it to have been July instead of February.
Having finished its ablutions it bounded along the
margin of the stream, apparently feeding eagerly, as if
the bath had sharpened its appetite.

The ground is its favourite place, but in the winter it
often perches on the tops of houses and outbuildings, sel-
dom remaining there long, but flying off with an elastic
bound and a cheerful twitter. Occasionally I have seen
them alight on the rails of a fence, and once watched
one feeding a young cuckoo, which was evidently its
foster-child, both being perched on the top rail of a
fence by the side of the stream. I never but once saw
them perch on trees.

In March they are in some measure gregarious, for,
though rarely associating in more than twos and threes
in the daytime, yet in the evening they assemble in
flocks of forty or fifty in number on the gorse coverts on
the forest. They arrive in pairs and small parties about
an hour before dusk, and perch on the bushes, con-
tinually shifting their places and uttering rather clamo-
rously a shrill “t-wee.” Often have I stood concealed
and watched their proceedings, and as I listened to their
busy twitter, I could fancy that they were each of them
detailing their personal adventures during the day. As
darkness drew on the gossip gradually ceased, and one
by one they dropped down amongst the furze bushes,
where they roosted for the night.

A bank at the bottom of a hedge I have found the
most usual place for the nest, and frequently at a great
distance from water. The foundation is generally
formed of grass and roots, and lined with hair and wool,
and rarely with feathers; cow’s hair, which is doubtless
picked up on the pastures, is the most usual lining.

PERCHING BIRDS. 91

Sometimes I have seen it used in such abundance as to
form a mass more than half an.inch thick, slightly
felted together. I have known of two very singular
positions for the nest. One of them was underneath a
rail on a colliery railway which was in constant use, the
parent bird flying off on the approach of a train of coal
waggons, and resuming her seat on her eggs when it
had passed. The other was built in the bows of a ferry-
boat, and though the boat was constantly passing back-
wards and forwards, the young were successfully reared.

The White Wagtail (IM. alba, Linn.) is I believe not
such a stranger to our island as has been supposed. I
have met with it several times, most frequently in the
autumn and winter months. During the former season
they have appeared in some years abundantly, while in
the winter I have never seen more than one or two at a
time. They were very numerous in September, 1854,
frequenting the roads and margin of the stream running
through the village. In January, 1855, during a sharp
frost, and when the ground was covered with snow, I
saw on two occasions a single bird in the street opposite
my own house; it was busy searching the gutters in
company with two or three of the pied species, and the
distinction between the two was strikingly seen, the
bluish ashen grey of the back of the white, contrasting
strongly with the dusky colour of that part in the pied
bird.

The Grey Wagtail (I. boarula) generally visits us in
the winter, though it is not common. I have met with
it both in the neighbourhood of houses (my own couri-
yard, for instance) and on the shallow parts of the
stream, and in severe frosts I have even seen it wade
into water as deep as it could bottom. It generally

92 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST,

leaves us in March or the beginning of April, in some
instances partially attaining the black feathers of the
chin.

I have had the pleasure of meeting with two speci-
mens of the Grey-headed Wagtail (M. neglecta, Gould).
One was in my own courtyard in the summer of 1855,
where I saw it several times during the day. The
absence of any yellow on the rump, the darker colour of
the legs, and the conspicuous black mark under the chin
enabled me readily to distinguish it. The other occurred
a few days later, and when I saw it, was busily engaged
in feeding by the side of the stream in the village where
it is crossed by the bridge, below which the water
spreads out over a gravelly bed, and is very shallow. Here
it was running nimbly along the edge of the water, and
sometimes into it, rapidly seizing small aquatic insects,
and twice it flew up and settled on a large stone in the
middle of the stream, which was so far below the surface
that the little bird looked as if it was swimming ; but it
seemed to have no fear of being carried off its legs. I
watched its sprightly movements for nearly half-an-hour
with great interest, and all the more so from its being a
rare species. It often approached within a few yards of
the bridge on which I stood, but at length flew away.
I have little doubt these were a pair, as from the duller
tints of the one I have last mentioned, I conjectured it
to be the female. I looked in vain during the summer
for their reappearance.

But if the last two species are somewhat rare, the
Yellow, or Ray’s Wagtail (IM. flava, Linn.), is by no
means so, but is constantly to be found in the meadows
during the summer. Though not nearly so long as the
three first named species, yet to my mind it is the

PERCHING BIRDS. 93

most elegant of them all, its movements being very
light and graceful. Though haunting the margin of
the streams, it does not appear to enter the water so
freely as the others, but seeks its food on the grass, on
which it is well fitted for running by its much longer
hind claws. At the same time I have remarked its
fondness for frequenting the beds of the water daisy,
which in summer nearly fills the stream with its waving
masses, and where the birds appear to find a rich feast
of aquatic insects. The pied wagtail is also constantly
to be seen on these fish-beds, as they are called.

I have once met with the yellow wagtail in the winter
—viz., on February 8, 1848. It was a solitary bird in
a meadow near my own garden, where it was feeding by
the side of a small carrier which takes the overflow from
the stream above.

Amongst our common summer birds is the Tree Pipit
(Anthus arboreus, Bech.). It is a favourite bird of
mine, and in my solitary wanderings in the woods, its
brief and singular flight and sweet song have often
afforded me much pleasure ; its habits are rather shy,
and I never saw more than a pair together. I have
found it most frequent in the wooded parts of the forest,
not amongst the plantations, but where the giant oaks are
interspersed with the graceful birch. Its favourite perch
is a withered limb of one of the old veterans, springing
from which it soars upwards in the manner of the sky-
lark for about twenty or thirty yards, describing a half
spiral in its flight, when it descends diagonally on out-
stretched wings and tail to the branch which it left. It
is during its downward flight that its song is uttered,
and sometimes, though but rarely, from its perch. With
us it is seldom, if ever, met with in the cultivated parts,

9 4 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

and it is amongst the grass, and moss, and heath of the
forest, overshadowed with broad fronds of the fern, that
it delights to place its nest.

There is little difficulty in distinguishing the tree pipit
from the meadow pipit, though they have been fre-
quently and strangely confounded. The former is so
much more graceful and elongated in form, the ground
colour of the neck and breast is more fawn than the
latter, and the markings are more distinct, that it may
be recognised at a glance by one who knows both species.
On a closer inspection, the short hind claw of the tree
pipit is an unerring distinction, as well as the lighter
colour of the legs. Their habitat, too, as far as my
observation goes in our own district, is as distant as
their names imply, nor have I ever met with the two
together.

The eggs of the tree pipit vary more than those of
any bird I know, hardly any two being alike éither in
colour or markings; every tint from dark bluish-purple
to rich red may be met with. Half a dozen are now
lying before me. The first has a pale purplish-grey
ground with very dark bluish-purple marks and blotches
sparingly distributed, except at the larger end, where
they are thickly accumulated; the second has a still
paler ground, with blotches of very light purple, as
though washed on; over this are spots of rich red, in-
terspersed with smaller spots and lines of the same
colour, but much darker, and crowded like the first at
the larger end; the third has a pale reddish ground,
pencilled over irregularly with a darker shade of the
same, the larger end being also darker; the fourth is
similar in markings, with the addition of distinct dark
spots, the edges of which are somewhat shaded, but

ee ee a ee ee

PERCHING BIRDS. 95

both ground and markings have a more purple tone
than the preceding one; in the fifth the ground is pale
reddish, minutely speckled all over with a darker shade
of the same colour, but allowing the ground to be seen.
The sixth has a still redder ground, but is so minutely
freckled as to appear at a little distance of a uniform
red. The six I have thus described I selected for my
cabinet out of a large number I had collected, but they
all varied so much that I had great difficulty in choosing
such as I wished to retain as specimens. The variation,
too, extends to the shape, some being rather short, with
the small end very pointed, while others are more
elongated, and some again almost oval.

The eggs of the Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
have a brownish-white ground uniformly marked all
over with minute specks of hair brown; the only
variation is that the general hue of some is darker,
from the specks being more thickly distributed. Mon-
tagu says that some are tinged with red, but I never
met with such.

The Titlark, as it is commonly called with us, is a
constant resident, but it is my impression that our
numbers in summer are much greater than in winter.
It is partial to cultivation, and its nest I have usually
found in the meadows, placed on the ground, sometimes
at the foot of a tussock of grass or a tuft of weeds.

The Skylark (Alauda arvensis) is as abundant with
us as it is everywhere else. I do not think one of our
native birds hasso cheerful and inspiriting a song; it
seems prompted by the very exuberance of joy and
gladness, as if it could not be contained or controlled.
What wonder, then, that both poetry and music should
have chosen it for its theme; it would, indeed, be an

96 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

almost endless task to enumerate the poets who have
written on this delightful songster.

Its habit of singing ia mid-air adds indeseribably to
the charm of its melody ; now its notes die away in soft
cadences, now they come swelling in ringing glee.
Mounting upwards, it leads our thoughts away from
earth, and while we watch the tiny speck in the blue
sky until it fails our sight, the notes of joy still fall on
our delighted ear, prompting our hearts to rise in unison
of praise to Him who made us both.

“ Higher still and higher,
From the earth thou springest
Like a cloud of fire ;
The blue deep thou wingest,
And singing still dost soar,
And ever soaring singest.”

The skylark is one of our earliest songsters, even
cheering the winter with its melody. On the 22nd of
January, 1854, while the sun was shining brightly, I heard
two singing as gaily as in summer, and another on the
10th of February the same year. It will sing also when
everything is shrouded in darkness, as if the daylight was
not long enough for its lays of love. On the 12th of
April, 1853, very early in the morning, when it was so
dark that I could not see distinctly many yards before
me, and in the space of half a mile, I counted six or
seven larks soaring at a great height, as I judged by
their song, for of course I could not see them. About
half an hour after this, the first faint tinge of light
appeared in the eastern sky, and as it increased until
first one object and then another came into view, bird
after bird rose from the dewy grass with sprightly song,
until the very air was vocal.

PERCHING BIRDS. 97

Our winter flocks vary greatly in numbers; in some
years they are much more abundant than in others. In
January, 1850, this was particularly the case ; the frost
in that year was very severe, and during its continuance
the larks frequented the turnip-fields and fed on the
tender shoots of the tops, as well as on those parts of
the roots themselves where the sheep had bitten. Of
this I satisfied myself by frequent observation. They
- never, however, assemble in such immense numbers on
the downs of the southern counties.

I have not had the pleasure of seeing the skylark re-
move its eggs, as it is reported to do, but on two occasions
I have known a nest laid bare by the mowers in my field,
and on visiting each a few hours afterwards, the eggs
were gone. No one had been in the field, and though
in the case of one which was exposed, some prying crow
might have abstracted the eggs, yet as there were no
fragments of shells around, this did not appear to have
been the case, while the other was almost concealed
from view by the swathe of clover which partly projected
over it. In both cases the eggs disappeared, and I have
little doubt were removed by the bird itself. Any one
_ who will take the trouble to place an egg in the foot of
a skylark will find how easily it is clasped by the toes
and their long claws, and what facilities these offer for
its safe removal.

I have only met with one other member of this family
—viz., the Woodlark (A. arborea), and it is by no means
common, I have seen it often enough to be well ac-
quainted with it, and have watched its flight, so different
from any of its congeners; but it is sufficiently rare to
be very interesting when it does occur. I once found its
eggs, which were of a whitish ground colour, rather

H

98 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

sparingly speckled with brownish grey, except at the
larger end, where they accumulated, and on two of them
formed a very distinct and well-defined zone.

Of the family of the buntings I can enumerate five—
viz., the snow, the common, the black-headed, the yellow,
and the cirl. The Snow Bunting (Emberiza nivalis) is
only a straggler with us; I have occasionally met with
them during the winter, mingled with skylarks in the
fields on the edge of the forest at Edwinstowe. Some
individuals have been killed wearing the adult white
livery, while others were in that immature plumage
which has led them to be classed as a separate species,
under the name of the tawny bunting.

The snow bunting migrates regularly during the
winter, appearing in large flocks on the shores of the
Humber; but I have not seen it in numbers to the
southward of this boundary, those occurring in our forest
district being but stragglers from the main body. The
proportion of adult males in these flocks is but small,
the majority being either females, or the young of the
first year in the tawny livery. At times the numbers
to be met with on the Humber banks are very large ;
they feed on the seeds of the dog-grass, the crops of
those I have killed being literally crammed with them.
They run along very actively, moving each foot alter-
nately, and in the situations I have mentioned are very
fearless, allowing you to approach within a few yards.
If the weather continues severe, their visit is of some
continuance ; but no sooner is any indication felt of a
change of temperature than they depart at once for their
nortkern homes.

The Common Bunting (EZ. miliaria) is very plentiful
on our arable lands, where its nest is placed on the

PERCHING BIRDS. 99

ground, and generally with very little attempt at con-
cealment. This species seems to be subject to variation
of plumage—chiefly a large admixture of white—those
I have seen having a dappled appearance; but I met
with one in December, 1859, at Clipstone, which was
entirely white, with the exception of two or three slight
markings of brown on the back.

The flight of the common bunting lacks buoyancy,
and consists of a series of undulations caused by the
momentary closing of the wings, alternating with a few
somewhat laboured flappings. It is by far the largest
of the family, and is not by any means to be despised
when well cooked.

In suitable spots the Black-headed Bunting, or reed
sparrow (HL. scheniclus), is frequent ; the change from
the dusky hue to the deep velvety black on the head of
the male, is one of the earliest signs of the approach of
spring, and in this, his nuptial dress, the male is really
a handsome bird. I have always found its nest on the
ground—most frequently near the bank of the stream,
sometimes at the foot of a bush, at others amongst reeds
and coarse high grass—but I never saw any attempt at
suspension.

The eggs do not offer much variety ; the ground-
colour is generally a pale dirty brown, with a bluish or
purplish tinge, and marked with distinct spots and
curved lines of blackish or purple-brown, chiefly at the
larger end ; their shape is very similar to those of the
yellowhammer, but the smaller end is rather more
taper.

The vocal powers of the black-headed bunting do not
attain to the dignity of song ; two or three short notes,
followed by one rather prolonged, in the manner of the

H 2

100 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

yellowhammer, but harsher, being all its accomplish-
ments.

But the Yellow Bunting (£. citrimella) is by far the
most common species ; it throngs every hedge and bush,
and you cannot go many yards in the cultivated dis-
tricts without seeing several. It delights to roll itself
in the dust on the roads in summer time, and with
such vigour that it raises quite a cloud. Its flight is a
very broken one, a mere series of flittings, seldom con-
tinued for any distance. It is a handsome bird, though
subject to variation in the markings, some having the
yellow of the neck and breast much brighter and more
unmarked than the others. I have seen one which had
the whole of the head and neck a bright, clear yellow,
entirely devoid of the usual olive-brown markings—
most likely a sign of age. Its call, for it cannot be en-
titled a song, is very monotonous, and is well described
by Bechstein by the syllables “ tee, tee,” repeated rapidly
six or seven times, and ending with the more prolonged
note ‘‘tchee.”

It usually places its nest on the ground, the bank of
a hedgerow being a favourite situation, and once or
twice I have seen it placed on the thick lower branches
of the hedge itself. The eggs sometimes differ remark-
ably in size, some nests containing one or two very much
smaller than the rest. I have one I took out of a nest
where the others were-the ordinary size, which is only
about half their dimensions.

The nest is composed externally of grass and fine
roots, but internally it is a thick mass of hair, chiefly
cowhair, and in form is very shallow. I have taken one
which was the smallest possible remove from being

a oe \

PERCHING BIRDS. 101

quite flat, but the lining of hair in it was nearly an inch
in thickness.

The Cirl Bunting (£. cirlus). This species, like
nivalis, is not common, but they are occasionally taken
on the forest fields at Edwinstowe during the winter,
appearing with us as mere stragglers.

Amongst our native birds hardly one, I think, equals
the Chaffinch (Fringilla celebs) in the exquisite con-
struction and finish of its nest ; and not one spends so
long a time in its formation ; I have known three weeks
consumed in this process. It might well be thus when
the elaborate style of the workmanship is considered,
for indeed it is a very model of neatness; no straggling
straws or other materials disfigure the symmetrical
outline, but both the interior and exterior are per-
fectly compact and smooth. I have sometimes been led
to believe that, in addition to the weaving and felting,
by which the wool and moss and other materials are
wrought together, the chaffinch uses its saliva for the
purpose of increasing the firmness of its work. I have
seen some of their nests which certainly appeared on
removal, to have been attached to the branches of trees
by other means than the mere weaving of the materials
around them.

I was first impressed with this idea by finding a nest
on the top of a post in my own garden. The post
formed part of an open feuce, on either side of which
currant trees were placed ; it was of split oak, and the
top having been sawn off the surface was perfectly
smooth, and nearly, though not quite, level. On this
platform of six inches by four, without a splinter or pro-
jection of any kind to afford an attachment, 1 found in

102 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. a

the middle of May a chaffinch’s nest. It was such an
exquisitely wrought specimen that I was tempted to
remove it for my cabinet, and was astonished at the
tenacity with which it adhered to the post.

The body of the nest was formed of wool, and lined
with reddish cow’s hair and two or three feathers; on
the outside the wool was incorporated with green moss,
and studded all over with green and white lichens ~
similar to those on the rails of the fence; these lichens
were more numerous towards the base, forming a sort of
lip, and adhering to the surface of the post, on which
there were no lichens growing naturally. Finding it
cling so closely I used great caution in its removal, and
am quite convinced that its adhesion was effected by
means of some glutinous substance, most probably, as I
have said, the saliva of the bird itself.

The male chaffinch in his brightest breeding plumage
is an elegant little bird ; some in this respect far out-
shine their fellows, but these perhaps are of more mature
age. The clear bluish grey of the head and nape, the
pink breast, and chestnut brown back, harmonize well
with, and are set off to advantage by, the black and white
of the wings. The males have a very distinct crest, which
is raised and depressed at will.

They are resident through the whole year, but I have
not noticed that marked separation of the sexes, as
on the Continent and in the northern parts of our own
island, to which it owes its specific name.

The local name given it is “spink,” which is derived
from its own well-known note.

Though the chaffinch is chiefly a vegetable feeder, yet
at some times of the year insects enter largely into its:
daily food, I have on several occasions seen it cap-

PERCHING BIRDS. 103

turing flies on the wing, springing up in the manner of
the flycatchers, and again returning to its perch. I
once watched a female clinging to the wall of my house,
and apparently employed in picking out insects from
the joints of the bricks; she was thus engaged a con-
siderable time, shifting her position easily, and using
her tail as a fulcrum, in the manner of the woodpeckers.
They are very fond of the tender leaves of radishes
when first peeping through the ground, and often cause
much annoyance by their depredations, but they are
good friends in other. ways, freeing us from many insect
foes.

The pretty Mountain Finch (FP. montifringilla) is a
constant winter visitor, chiefly frequenting the beech
woods, where it feeds upon the mast. Sometimes a
straggler may be seen associated with linnets, but they
generally visit us in small flocks. consisting only of
their own species. The abundance ot beech trees in
Thoresby and Rufford Parks affords plentiful supply of
mast ; there the mountain finch is found in varying num-
bers. They do not exhibit much shyness, but permit
themselves to be approached within a few yards while
they are feeding ; I have even seen them come close to
the house without showing signs of alarm. They gene-
rally leave us about the middle of March for their
northern breeding grounds.

I was for some time unaware that the Tree Sparrow
(Passer montanus, Ray), was an inhabitant of our dis-
trict. I had often found nests with their eggs in hollow
trees, but I had always considered that they were those
of the house sparrow. Having, however, shot one of
the owners of a nest which I found in a cavity of a pol-
lard willow, I saw at once my mistake, and recognised

iy

104 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

it as the tree sparrow, the dull chestnut of the head and
nape forming a clear distinction from its relative, the
house sparrow. Further observation showed me that it
was more abundant than I had supposed ; indeed, so
much so that I cannot call it very rare.

With us it exclusively inhabits the cultivated dis-
tricts, the meadows and hop grounds being much re-
sorted to. As faras I have noticed, its nest has gene-
rally been placed in the hollows of pollard willows, of
which numbers grow along the banks of the stream ;
the old oaks in the forest offer innumerable cavities
in their decayed arms and trunks, but I never saw the
tree sparrow avail itself of them; nor indeed have I
ever met with it in woods.

Its habits are more shy than those of thé house spar-
row, and though easily recognised as a sparrow, yet its
general form has a more graceful outline, and it is rather
less in size. With the robust form it also lacks the pert
impudence of its congener; and even in winter |
never saw it mingle with the flocks of the latter which
throng our farm and stack yards at that season. Its
ordinary call is similar to that of the house sparrow, but
shriller in tone; and it sometimes utters a few consecu-
tive notes which are meant for a song, but have not much
music in them. The eggs have a dull whitish ground,
rather finely speckled all over with greyish brown. They
do not vary much either in size or markings, though now
and then I have found an egg in which the usually close
speckles were replaced by larger markings and spots,
sparingly distributed.

No bird is so well known or so universally distributed
throughout the British Isles as the House Sparrow
(Passer domesticus). Town and country, smiling fields

- PERCHING BIRDS. 105

and barren moorlands, wherever there is a human habi-
tation, however humble, all are the same to him, for he
is always at home. Everywhere he is the same fearless,
independent bird; but the town sparrow is a much
‘more pert little fellow than his brother of the country,
and of the former elass the London bird is the beau
ideal—he seems to have borrowed all the forwardness
and impudence of the London gamin, and as for fear
or timidity, it has no place in his disposition. But it is
with country sparrows that we have now to do; and
though they are rather more unsophisticated than those
inhabiting our towns, they are still a fearless tribe,
and very amusing with their consequential and impu-
dent airs.

But notwithstanding all that can be alleged against
them, they are eminently serviceable to man, and cer-
tainly do not deserve the indiscriminate attacks which
are made upon them. I believe the benefits they confer
in the destruction of caterpillars and other insects
injurious to our various crops, outweigh tenfold their
consumption of corn and seeds, and I have found them
most valuable assistants in the garden in clearing my
gooseberry and currant trees of caterpillars ; one pair of
sparrows, during the season of feeding their young ones,
will kill in a week more than 3000 caterpillars. I am
convinced that the sparrow suffers unjustly from the
many accusations brought against him by those who
have not closely watched him feeding from one year’s
end to the other, but have formed their judgment from
seeing, perchance, a flock revelling on the corn where
laid by the wind, or even on the gathered sheaves.

Such an opinion I met with a little while since in the
Essex Herald, in which the writer, after stating that

106 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

the average yearly progeny of a pair of sparrows
amounts to fourteen, goes on to say: “It is surprising
that farmers should be so little interested on this matter ;
surely they cannot be aware that the little feathered
tribe claim a tithe of their land’s produce. The daily
consumption of small birds is compyted to be, in weight,
one-sixth of their own bodies, and allowing the average
weight of sparrows to be one ounce avoirdupois”
(which, by-the-bye, is too high), “the consumption
of 100 would be 6083 oz. or nearly 34 cwt. for
the year. Supposing, further, that every hundred
acres of Jand contained 1000 sparrows, their yearly con-
sumption would be, according to the preceding theory,
60,830 oz., or nearly 343 cwt.”

Now, undoubtedly, the consumption of this quantity
of wheat or other corn would indeed bea serious matter,
and if corn was the exclusive food of the sparrow, then
something might be said in favour of his destruction.
But we must not condemn him without hearing his own
witnesses as well as those of bis enemies. In the
Zoologist, page 2349, Mr. Hawley of Doncaster writes
that he has repeatedly watched sparrows feeding their
young, and has found that on the average they bring
food to the nest once in ten minutes for six hours out
of the twenty-four, each time bringing from two to six
caterpillars. He goes on to say, “Now suppose the
‘three thousand five hundred sparrows’” (alluding to
an association which had destroyed that number in a
year), “were to have been alive the next spring, each
pair to have built a nest, and reared successive broods of
young during three months, we have, at the rate of
252,000 per day, the enormous multitude of 21,168,000
larve prevented from destroying the products of the

PERCHING BIRDS. 107

land, and from increasing their numbers from fifty to
five hundredfold !”

But we will leave estimates and suppositions for facts.
It is well known that in France, where game is not pre-
served, a large class of “sportsmen” content themselves
with shooting anything that comes in their way, and do
not think it infra dig. to bag sparrows, linnets, and the
like. The consequence is that small birds of all kinds
have been so extensively destroyed that serious injury
has resulted to the crops by the increase of insects, and
numerous petitions have been presented to the Govern-
ment praying that, on this ground alone, a law may be
passed to prohibit the practice of destroying small birds.
In one of the eastern departments the loss sustained in
1861 by the ravages of wireworm alone was computed
at 4,000,000fr. or 160,000/. ; and this enormous sacrifice
of property was almost entirely caused by the ruthless
destruction of small birds.

The attacks upon sparrows and other small insectivo-
-rous birds, however, still went on, with a consequent
increase of insect pests; the agriculturists became
alarmed at the result, and in June, 1864, presented four
petitions to the French Senate praying for redress, and
asserting that agriculture would “be seriously menaced
if the destruction continued of their sole auxiliaries in
arresting the propagation of insects, the scourge of all
cultivation.” In accordance with their prayer, a com-
mission was appointed, presided over by M. Bonjean,
which proceeded to collect evidence. The result as
regards our friend the sparrow was, “that he, and he
alone, could carry on the war successfully against the
cockchafers and the thousand winged insects infesting
the low grounds,” and that in Hungary and in the Pays

108 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

de Bade, where the sparrow had been exterminated,
insects had increased to such an extent, “that the very
persons who had offered rewards for his destruction,
were the first to labour for his return, thus going to a
double expense !”

I know something by experience of the numerous
insects that ravage the gardens in Australia, and can
understand the eager efforts made to introduce the Eng-
lish sparrow into that country. Our little friends took
kindly to the climate and rapidly increased, and the
following extract of a letter from a gardener near
Melbourne, quoted by Mr. E. Wilson, shows clearly the
value of their services :—

“A few weeks ago a portion of our grounds was
literally swarming with caterpillars, and I dreaded the
havoc that must ensue to our choice and valuable collec-
tion of young trees ; fortunately, befere any injury was
done the sparrows came to our aid, not in scores, but in
hundreds, and so completely destroyed the invaders that
in less than ten days very few of them were to be seen;
and at the present moment the sparrows may be seen all
day long following up the trail of the caterpillars, and rave-
nously destroying the last remnants of the army that may
have before escaped their vigilance.-—Dec. 11, 1866.”

It was in 1862 that sparrows were introduced into
Australia, and so rapid had been their increase, that in
1868 the colonists were complaining that the fruit in
their gardens had been largely destroyed, and alleging
that the sparrows were the chief depredators. In April, -
1868, the Secretary of the Victoria Acclimatization
Society was directed by the council to write to Mr,
Wilson to ask him to “assist them in procuring evi-
dence as to the utility of the sparrow to the garden

PERCHING RIRDS. 109

and the farm.” Now to me it is simply marvellous,
that with the actual evidence before their eyes of the
value of the sparrow in destroying insects, they should
make such an inquiry; as an old colonist, I feel
ashamed of such an appeal ad misericordiam, because
the sparrows had eaten a few of their grapes and
cherries. Well, Mr. Wilson proceeded to make some
inquiries, and amongst other information obtained this
remarkable fact, that a gentleman had picked up below
the nest of one pair of sparrows 1400 wing cases of the
cockchafer ! Now this insect, especially in its prolonged
larval condition, is one of the most destructive enemies
of the agriculturist, and in consequence of the practice
I have adverted to, has increased to such a frightful
extent in France, that Mr. Wilson says the damage they
have done to the crops has been estimated in some years
as high as forty millions sterling! That thisis not an
undue estimate will be seen from the following extract
of a correspondent of Zhe Field, dating from Havre,
May 6, 1868 :—

“Gardening is here carried on under very great
difficulties. Every Frenchman who has a chance is a
‘chasseur indomptable, and consequently great is the
destruction of every kind of small bird,:so that the
insects enjoy a perfect jubilee. The air has been black
with cockchafers during the last ten days. So great is
the damage done by them that a penny per pound
weight is paid for them, and numbers of men and boys
are engaged hunting them. On Saturday, a cart drawn
by two horses, threw its load of over 3000 kilogrammes
of dead cockchafers into the sea.”

Such is the result of the undue interference with
nature’s laws, _No one asserts that the presence of

110 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

the sparrow is an unmixed good, but the balance is so
largely in his favour, that he ought to be welcome to take
a little fruit or corn as wages which he has fairly earned.

In the face of facts like these, who will be inclined to
hold up the sparrow and our other tiny feathered friends
as hostile to the farmer, and what in this enlightened
nineteenth century are we to think of the wtelligence
which could perpetrate such acts as the following letter
records, and which I copy from the Times of December
12, 1862 2—

“Sparrow Murper.—I think the following ane
_ of the ‘wise men’ of Crawley ought to be shown to the
world in your widespread journal ; it speaks for itself,
and requires no comment on my part, It is taken from
a country paper of this week :—‘ CRAWLEY SPARROW
CLtus —The annual dinner took place at the George
Inn, on Wednesday last. The first prize was awarded
to Mr. J. Redford, Worth, having destroyed within the
year 1467. Mr. Heaysman took the second, with 1448
destroyed; Mr. Stone third, with 982 affixed. Total
destroyed, 11,944; old birds, 8663; young ditto, 722
egos, 2559.—Yours obediently, A REAL FRIEND TO THE
FAaRMER.—December 10, 1862.”

I do not know where Crawley is, but I feel ashamed
of the profound ignorance and inhumanity of its in-
habitants, and especially of the three individuals who
carried off the prizes in their sparrow club.

The nest of the sparrow is a loose, careless structure,
and it is amazing to see in some cases the quantity of
materials of which it is composed without any apparent
necessity for such an accumulation. The mouth of a
cast iron pipe, about six inches in diameter, proceeding
from a stove in a laundry attached to my father’s house,

PERCHING BIRDS. 111

was, singularly enough, ¢hosen every year, and some-
times twice in the season, as the site for a nest. The
stove was only used every fortnight, and in this time the
nest was built and some eggs always laid, but I never
knew the parents bring up a brood, for the smoking of
the stove always led to the obstruction being discovered
and removed; and sometimes I have found the eggs
quite baked with the heat.

The space underneath the tiles of my own house was
generally occupied by a pair or two of sparrows, and
hearing one day a very noisy commotion on the roof,
and seeing numerous birds flying to and fro in apparent
trepidation, as if some calamity had befallen them, I was
convinced something was the matter, and procuring a
ladder I mounted to the spot, and at once discovered
the reason for all the outcry. One of the owners of a
nest underneath the tiles—the female—in passing
through the small aperture leading to her domicile, and
which at the lower end tapered quickly, had evidently
slipped, and her neck had become so securely wedged
between the tiles that escape was impossible. Her dying
struggles attracted her neighbours, who with great good-
will had done their best to extricate her from her un-
fortunate position ; their zeal, however, was greater than
their discretion, for they had pulled and tugged so
earnestly that, when I arrived on the scene, hardly a
feather was left on the body, which of course was
lifeless.

I remember another similar instance, and on the
same roof too, where a young one in leaving the nest
had got its leg entangled in a loop of a piece of worsted
which was amongst the materials composing the nest.
It vainly tried to free itself, and, as in the former in-

112 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

stance, a great crowd assembled to assist their unfor-
tunate companion ; but their efforts did more harm than
good, for, as it hung halfway down the tile suspended
by the thread, they had tried to release it by pulling it,
and with the same result as in the other instance, for by
the time I reached it, it was half stripped of its feathers,
and its little life was almost gone.

In both these cases I feel convinced that the efforts
which were made by the companions of the luckless
sparrows were prompted by a feeling of compassion
and a real desire to alleviate their misfortunes; their
anxious hurrying to and fro, and the distress expressed.
in their cries, clearly indicated this. I have seen similar
feelings of alarm and sympathy shown by domestic
poultry, when on one occasion a cock was flying to the
top of a fence in my own yard, but missed his aim, and
fluttering down, his head slipped between two of the
palings; the hens hurried to help him, but of course
unavailingly, and he would soon have been strangled if
I had not gone to the rescue.

T remember an instance, however, in which the cir-
cumstances were similar, but I am not quite so sure
ef the nature of the feelings which prompted them.
In what is called the Dark Wood, in Thoresby Park,
there are several old oaks growing on a high bank, from
which, on the lower side, the earth has fallen away, and
exposed the interlacing roots of the trees. This spot is
much resorted to by the fallow deer, who, when the
velvet is ready to fall from their newly-grown antlers,
delight to hasten the process by rubbing them on these
roots. On one occasion a fine buck with a full head
was thus engaged when his horns became locked in such
a manner as to be inextricable. All his struggles were

OE ae

PERCHING BIRDS. 113

in vain, for when found he was still fast, but quite dead,
having been gored in numerous places by the antlers
of lis companions. Whether they had done this in hos-
tility to one who may have rendered himself obnoxious—
for there is a great spirit of rivalry amongst the bucks—
or whether the wounds had been inflicted in kind but
vain endeavours to effect his freedom I know not, but
I am inclined to think the latter may have been the
case, and that the friendly spirit had been manifested
with more zeal and energy than judgment. Had it been
in the autumn, during the rutting season, when fights are
constantly occurring between rivals, it would have only
been natural to refer it to the former cause.

I have often been amused to see a sparrow take pos-
session of the nest of a house martin (Hirundo urbica).
The eaves of a house near my own were always selected
by the martins year by year for their erection, and rarely
has a Season passed without one of these aggressions
occurring, which I have watched from my windows with
much interest.

It: always appeared to me that this forcible taking
possession of their neighbour’s house by the sparrows,
was never done with the intention of making it their own
residence, but from sheer mischief, and a desire to tease
and tantalize the poor martins. These invasions always
took place when the nest was empty, either before any
eggs had been laid, or after the young had gained suffi-
cient strength to take wing. I have watched the spar-
row sitting quietly on the tiles above the nest, asif he
was the most innocent creature possible, intent only
upon his own affairs, and had not the slightest thought
of intruding upon his neighbours; but the moment he
became assured that the nest was unoccupied, he flut-

I

114 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

tered down, and popping in, turned himself quickly
round, and sat with his head peeping out of the opening.
Great, of course, was the consternation and distress of
the martins on discovering the intruder, but though I
have seen the incident dozens of times, I never saw any
attempt to attack or eject the sparrow, nor, as it is
asserted has been done, to stop up the hole with clay,
and thus to inclose him, as the erring nuns were of old,

** Alive, within the tomb.”

I have always been inclined to disbelieve this story,
for I thought that the sparrow was too bold a bird to sit
quietly and allow itself to be thus immured, when a few
strokes of its strong beak would speedily demolish its
prison walls; but Macgillivray adduces three such well-
authenticated instances of a similar occurrence, that I
am compelled to abandon my doubts in the face of so
eminent an authority. One of these instances he thus
relates :—

“ A few years ago, in the window of a second story of a
house in Linlithgow, inhabited by Mr. James Brown,
buckle-maker, a pair of martins built a nest, which was
taken possession of by a female sparrow. In attempting
to dislodge this bold intruder, a dozen of their com-
panions came to their assistance, but after many severe
struggles they were unable to effect their object. For
her rash conduct, however, they were determined to
make her suffer. They agreed to entomb her alive by
closing up the entrance with the mortar which they
use in building their nests, and in this they succeeded.
Mr. James Douglas, slater, with whom I have been a
long time acquainted, and upon whose veracity I can
depend, assured me that he was a spectator of the occur-

——

PERCHING BIRDS. 115

rence, and that he in the preseuce of several individuals,
some of whom he named, took the dead bird out of the
nest. The truth of it is further confirmed by Mr. John
Ray, nailer, in Linlithgow, who told me he was also
present when it happened.”

What I have said about its boldness is well proved by
the following incident, which occurred at the vicarage of
Beeston, near Nottingham, in August, 1859. Numerous
flocks of sparrows had frequented the grounds, and the
cat belonging to the house had been watching their
arrival, and seized every opportunity of pouncing upon
them. She was at the foot of a tree one day looking up
at the sparrews, and doubtless on murderous deeds intent,
which they seemed to divine, for in a few minutes they
descended en masse. As the birds came within reach
the cat made a spring at them; but the tables were
now turned, for so fierce and pertinacious was their
attack, so closely did they follow up their enemy, hem-
ming her in on all sides, that she was perfectly cowed,
and compelled to seek safety by springing through a
window, leaving the victory to her brave little as-
sailants.

I knew a few years since an instance of the power of
imitation which the sparrow possesses. A young one
was brought up by a person at Newark from the nest,
its place being always in a cage by the side of a skylark.
Here it learnt the song of the lark, and would repeat it
so accurately that if you did not see the bird it was im-
possible for a time to tell whether it was the lark or the
sparrow that was singing. Often have I heard and ad-
mired its surprising imitation, when suddenly it would
cease its song and utter the usual harsh chirrup of its
race. Sometimes its sweet song would be frequently

I 2

116 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

interrupted by this natural note, while at others it would
sing for a long time without giving vent to it.

Variations of the sparrow’s plumage are not uncom-
mon, being chiefly interminglings of white. In Decem-
ber, 1859, one was shot at Ollerton which had the whole
of the plumage white, the head and back merely having
a slight tinge of brown, giving the white on those parts
a dirty appearance.

I have seen a singular place selected for the nest of the
sparrow—viz., the ornamental iron brackets supporting
the roof over the platforms of several of the stations on
the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and where they
seemed quite unconcerned by the passage of the trains.

The Greenfinch (Fringilla chloris) is a common bird
with us in the summer, chiefly frequenting the cultivated
districts, but in winter it is less abundant, or at least ap-
parently so, and I have seldom seen it congregating in
large flocks as the linnet does.

The vocal powers of the green linnet, as it is locally
called, are very limited ; its ordinary note, uttered chiefly

when perching on the topmost spray of a hedge, is
rather a melancholy one, and Meyer very correctly repre-
sents it by the word “tway.” It is a shy bird, and at
once flies off on your approach, or betakes itself to the
tops of the trees, from whence they soon descend when
the danger is past. It builds a neat nest, which is
generally well concealed in a bush or hedge.

I have had the pleasure of meeting with the Hawfinch
(F’. coccothraustes) several times, but chiefly in the
winter. The last occasion was in the winter of 1859-60,
when a small party of four made their appearance in the
shrubberies of Rufford Abbey. They arrived at the
beginning of November, and remained for several

) PERCHING BIRDS. 117

months. Their habits were very shy, and they confined
themselves to the clumps of evergreens, principally holly
and box, where they appeared most frequently employed
on the ground underneath the shrubs. One of them, a
female, was seen on the 19th of March, when they ap-
pear to have left. During the same season another pair
were seen at Cuckney, but both were unfortunately
shot.

A hawfinch in immature plumage was caught in
Thoresby Park in July, 1864; it had one of its wings
hurt, which prevented it from flying, and consequently
permitted a workman to take it up in his hand. He
carried it to his workshop in the woodyard, and there
offered it some green peas, which, to his surprise, it ate
greedily, taking them in the most fearless manner from
his fingers. In August following, when I saw it, its
wing had healed, and it took well to confinement, but
was very shy when strangers approached, fluttering to
the further side of its cage, though it manifested no alarm
at its captor, with whom it was quite familiar, and
would take food from his hand.

The Goldfinch (£. carduelis) is at once one of the
most beautiful, as it is one of our commonest, song
birds. With us it is especially abundant on the forest,
where, on the open parts, numerous plants of the
common thistle grow, either singly or in patches; here
I have often watched small parties of these pretty birds
clinging to the prickly heads and nfling them of their
downy seeds, incessantly uttering all the time their
musical call notes, as if they could not contain their en-
joyment. In our gardens it feeds on the silky seeds of
the groundsel: it delights, too, to build its nest in such
places; and a small clump of nut and plum trees in my

118 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

own garden, overshadowing an arbour from which a
honeysuckle clambered upwards and entwined them
together, has often been selected by a pair of goldfinches,
their nest being always placed on the bough of a plum
tree.

The nest of this species is an elegant structure, very
similar to that of the chaffinch, though if possible more
elaborate in its compact felting of wool and hair, but I
have rarely found any twigs used in its construction ;
the exterior varies with the situation and the materials
to be obtained, sometimes being ornamented with moss,
at others with lichens, the last being most frequent.
The country people call the goldfinch the “ proud tailor,”
and truly, in the construction of its nest, it may well be
proud of its exquisite workmanship.

The natural song of the goldfinch, though sweet, does
not possess much variety, but it is a good imitator, bears
confinement cheerily, and is therefore much prized as a
cage bird. Jf the young ones are taken before they can
fly; the parents will feed them readily if put in a cage to
which they can have access. The adult birds are very
easily caught in a trap-cage, and soon become reconciled
to their prison.

The Siskin (F. spinus) is a rare bird with us, at least
as regards its visits; as a species it is abundant, and
when it does make its appearance it is always in large
flocks, but no one locality appears to have the preference,
nor do its migrations appear to be guided by any fixed
laws, but are fitful and uncertain.

In our district I have only met with it three times—
twice in the winter of 1848, and again in February,
1854. It was in the first week in January in the former
year that I saw a large flock of sixty or seventy, who

PERCHING BIRDS. 119

were busily occupied in extracting the seeds from the
berries of a group of alders in Rufford Park. I was
riding near the trees when my attention was attracted
by the birds rising from them. The action was a most
singular one, for so simultaneous was the flight of the
flock, and so exactly alike was the movement of each
individual composing it, that it was just as if all were
regulated by one will instead of many. In this compact
phalanx they wheeled about for a few turns, uttering at
the same time a shrill twitter, and again alighted on the
trees and commenced feeding, suffering me to approach
within half a dozen yards of them, and at this distance
I watched them carefully with extreme pleasure.

While engaged in picking the seeds from the alder
berries, they clung in every imaginable or unimaginable
position, exactly like the blue titmice, of which they
strongly reminded me, and, like that species, hanging
with the back downwards as often as otherwise. After
observing them for some time, I roused them from their
employment with a stone, being curious to witness again
their beautiful evolutions, which were performed exactly
as before ; they did not seem at all alarmed at my inter-
ference, but again descended en masse, and recommeénced
their occupation.

I spent some time in close observation of their habits,
exhibited under such favourable circumstances, and was
the more interested, from this being the first time I had
seen them in a state of nature. I am sure that no one
who had only seen the siskin in a cage would conceive
the ease and grace of its movements, and its extreme
activity when in freedom. I should like to have secured
a few specimens, but had not the heart to fire a gun
at the pretty little creatures, when a single discharge

120 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

would have killed fifteen or twenty, so closely were they
packed together.

I met with another, or perhaps the same flock, about
a month later in the year, and not far from the place
where I saw them before. In 1854 we were visited by
a smaller party, who, like the others, were feeding on
the seeds of the alder. These, with the addition of a
single one which was shot in company with some linnets
and brought to me, are all I have seen.

No bird is more common with us than the Linnet
(fF. cannabina). In summer it is scattered all over the
heathy tracts of the forest and the cultivated fields ad-
joining, and even in the close vicinity of the village. In
winter they assemble in large flocks in the stubbles, and
I have seen them frequent corn stacks that were erected
in the fields, clinging to the sides and picking out the
corn. Notwithstanding this, they do good service to the
farmer and gardener by feeding on the seeds of many
troublesome weeds, such as the thistle, the dandelion,
and others of the same winged character.

Though the heath and gorse bushes on the forest
offer innumerable suitable sites for the nest of the linnet,
it does not by any means confine itself to such places,
but builds in the hedges also, where I have often found
its nest. Bolton says the nest of the linnet is lined with
“hair, wool, and the down of willows;” it may be so,
but I never met with any other lining than wool and
hair, with a feather or two.

In the next species, the Lesser Redpoll (F. linaria),
the case is different. It is by no means a rare bird
here ; and I have generally found the nest placed in a
low bush of alder or willow. One is now before me, and
consists entirely of thin dry bents, woven together with

PERCHING BIRDS, 121

wool, and thickly lined with the snowy down of the
willow catkins; this forms a beautiful bed for the eggs,
which are of a bluish green, speckled with orange- brown
chiefly at the larger end, and are both smaller in size
and deeper in the ground colour than any of the other
species. Like the former species, they feed on the seeds
of the thistle, dandelion, &c.

The Mountain Linnet or Twite (F. montium, Gmel.)
is the last of the family I have met with, for I am not
aware that the mealy redpoll has occurred with us. The
twite is abundant on our heathy grounds, where it regu-
larly breeds. The nest is generally placed in a tuft of
heather, but I have taken one out of a furze-bush. It
is composed of small roots and sprigs of heather, with
here and there a dry bent, the whole being interwoven
with moss, and lined with hair mingled with a few
feathers. The eggs are numerous, sometimes as many
as seven, the ground-colour being pale greenish white,
with small dashes of light yellow-brown, and spots of
purplish-brown, chiefly at the larger end.

When perching on the tall heather, or gorse, it keeps
uttering a single note resembling its name, “twite,” but
when it flies off this is rapidly repeated in a twittering
manner.

Our well-wooded district is a favourite one with the
Bullfinch (Pyrrhula vulgaris), and its conspicuously
coloured and portly form is consequently very common.
Its provincial name with us is “Pick-a-bud;” and
assuredly it is not undeserved, for it makes sad havoc in
the gardens amongst the fruit trees in spring time. I
am not inclined to agree with those who consider that
the bullfinch and titmice destroy only those buds which
contain a grub, for I have seen branches of gooseberry,

122 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST,

cherry, and Siberian crab so entirely stripped of their
buds year by year, that I cannot conceive such to be the
case, or other branches of the same trees which were not
so denuded would certainly show more traces of the
ravages of the grub than they have done. I have
watched them in a Siberian crabtree in my own garden,
which stood about three yards from the window, and I
feel convinced that they eat most of the buds they pick |
off ; for the ground under this tree only showed one here
and there which the birds had let fall.

The bullfinch is a permanent resident in the district.
In spring it is only met with in pairs; in autumn and
Winter it associates in small parties of five or six in
number, most probably the members of one brood, In
winter it chiefly frequents the fields of stubble for seeds,
and I have often met with it in hawthorn hedges feeding
on the haws, to which it is very partial.

Mr. Morris, in his British Birds, conceives that the
name bullfinch is a “corruption of budfinch, the word
bud being pronounced in the vulgate of the north of
England as if spelled ‘bood ;’” but surely this is a
forced conjecture ; is it not rather derived from the
thick rounded form of its head and body, and its short
neck? The word bullis used in many compound words to
express largeness and roundness, as “ bullfaced,” having
a large face; “ bulltrout,” a large kind of trout; “ bull-
rush,” a large rush. This is the sense in which I have
always been accustomed to consider the word, and have
thought it very expressive,

123

CHAPTER IV.
PERCHING BIRDS—continued.

a instances of the appearance of the Cross-
bill (Loxvia curvirostra) have come under my notice.
Many years since a large flock visited a number of Scotch
firs and larches which grew around the house of a friend
of mine in the village, although I cannot specify the
exact year. Of course their rarity made them an object
of attraction, and one of them was captured alive by my
friend in a rather singular manner. The surface of a
small pool of water in his stable yard happened to be
covered with chaff and dust, which had blown upon it
from a quantity deposited near; on this treacherous
surface one of the flock, a male, descended, but the poor
bird was speedily undeceived by sinking into the water,
and so wetted his plumage that he was unable to rise,
and became an easy capture. My friend put it in a
cage, where it spent no time in unnecessary regrets, but
cheerfully resigned itself to its confinement, being plenti-
fully supplied with fir-cones, on the seeds of which it
eagerly fed ; here it remained for several months, when
it was accidentally liberated by the servant.

On the 18th of February, 1556, a small flock of fifteen
visited some elm and larch trees at Edwinstowe, where
they were extracting the seeds from the few remaining

124 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

cones of the latter, and biting off the buds of the former.
Their motions greatly reminded me of those of the
parrot tribe; they climbed with equal facility, holding
on by beak or feet, and twisting themselves round the
boughs in every possible position, all the while uttering
a shrill twittering expressive of satisfaction. They
remained in the immediate locality for a day or two,
but alas! only to meet the fate of rare birds, for they
were so intent on their occupation that the whole of the
flock—twelve males and three females—suffered them-
selves to be shot.

Other birds were killed in March of the same year at
Rufford, and in the following April some were also
killed in a fir plantation called Ollerton Hills.

In the year 1849 Mr. H. Wells shot twenty-five on
the firtrees surrounding the house of the late Lady
Scarborough in the village of Edwinstowe.

It is rather singular, as noticed by Montagu, that the
mandibles of the crossbill do not always cross on the
same side. A pair of the flock mentioned above, which
I obtained from the person who shot them, vary in this
particular, the upper mandible of the male crossing to
the right, and that of the female to the left.

In Macgillivray’s account of this species he quotes
Yarrell’s description of a young one which was taken
when only just able to fly, the mandibles of which were
quite straight, the under just shutting into the upper,
and then makes this curious remark: “ It then appears
that until the crossbill has used its beak in extracting
the seeds from between the scales of the cones of
pines and firs, so as by the peculiar action which it
employs in so doing to bend the tip of the upper
mandible to one side, the curious crossing and elonga-

PERCHING BIRDS. 125

tion of the tips of the mandibles characteristic of this
genus are not observable, the bill being similar to that
of a finch or sparrow, though stronger and more com-
pressed.” 4

Surely his meaning in the passage above quoted cannot
be that if a young crossbill were taken before it left the
nest and prevented from feeding on its favourite food,
the crossing of its mandibles would never take place,
but that they would remain straight, like those of a
finch or asparrow! Apparently it is, but to my own
mind such an idea carries no weight, for I believe that
the deflection of the mandibles would gradually be
accomplished, even if the bird never tried their power
on a fir-cone. The whole instrument, instead of being
as Buffon declared it, a “useless deformity,” is a most
beautiful adaptation of means to an end, for when the
points of the mandibles are brought together and
inserted beneath the edge of a scale, the very powerful
muscles by which they are moved across each other gives
them a wedgelike action, which forces open the scales
of the cone and liberates the seeds—a process which
would be otherwise impracticable to it, and one which
finches and sparrows never accomplish. ‘The special
development of the muscles of the cheeks in this and
the allied species shows clearly the use for which they
are manifestly designed, and is sufficient to dissipate the
idea contained above.

Two other members of the genus Loxia have been
taken in the district, both being rare stragglers,

The first, the Parrot Crossbill (L. pityopsittacus) isa
native of the north of Europe, its stronghold being the
pine forests of Norway and Sweden. It is but very
seldom that any of this species visit our shores, but in

126 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

the winter of 1849, a small party were seen in a clump
of Scotch firs at Edwinstowe, and were all shot by Mr.
H. Wells on the 4th March. Within a month from
that date four of the American White-winged Crossbills
(L. leuwcopterus) were shot in the same trees. The
latter is a rarer visitor to this country than the
former, and though a native of North America, being
found in all the extensive forests of that continent, it
yet appears to be sparsely distributed in Sweden and
Norway, and it was doubtless from these countries that
our visitors came, and not from America. Both species
were busily engaged in feeding on the fir-cones.

The Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) frequents the old
oaks in the forest by thousands and tens of thousands.
Every tree during the summer has its several pairs of
birds, who build their nests in the holes and decayed
cavities in company with the jackdaws. In the autumn
they collect together in immense flocks, and leave the
district for the winter, resorting to the reed and osier
beds on the Trent. Their return to us is very gradual,
a few pairs being seen in some years as early as the
middle of January, in others not until some weeks later.

Pairing has already taken place in those who reach
us the earliest, and their peculiar guttural breeding-call
I have heard at the beginning of February. Every
week adds to the number until we receive our full com-
plement, and the woods resound with their prolonged
plaintive whistle, alternating with an oft-repeated
gurgling note.

The starling is not only subject to local migrations,
but I believe large flocks leave us for the continent in
the autumn, and return in the spring ; indeed, the fact
that on one occasion seventeen dozen were picked up

PERCHING BIRDS. 137

near the lighthouse on Flamborough Head, which had
been killed, lamed, or stupefied by flying against the
lantern of that brilliant light, seems to leave no doubt
on the question, as they were evidently approaching our
shores from the continent.

The great abundance of old decaying oaks in the
forest leaves the starlings little to desire in the choice
of a resting-place, and with us other sites are but seldom
selected ; but in 1853 I met with several pairs which
had appropriated some deserted holes of the sand-martin
at Robin Dam, near Rufford, a very unusual site.
Pigeon cotes are also chosen, but in these cases the poor
starlings become the victims of an ignorant prejudice,
the common idea being that they suck the eggs of the
pigeons. I fully believe them guiltless of such a habit,
and that they are prompted to resort to such places only
by a natural instinct to secure a comfortable domicile
for their young. The stove-pipe, which I have men-
tioned as generally occupied by the sparrow, was once
selected by a starling for its nest, but its eggs shared
the same fate of being half baked.

No skill is exhibited by the starling in the construction
of the nest, but it accumulates as great a mass of
materials as the house sparrow, chiefly. dry grass and
straw, and rudely lined with a few feathers. I never
met with it otherwise than in a hole or cavity of some
kind.

Insects form the staple of the starling’s food, and I
think are always preferred when attainable. I have occa-
sionally seen the birds seize insects on the wing, although
it is not a common habit, and the first time it came
under my notice it struck me as very unusual. A pair
had a nest in the hollow of an old oak in the forest,

128 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

which at the time contained young ones; one of the
parent birds flew out of the hole, which it had just pre-
viously entered, and was rapidly departing for a fresh
supply of food, when it suddenly deviated from its course
and seized a large insect which was flying near, and then
darted on one side and captured another. I was within
four or five yards at the time, and had a distinct view
of what was to me then a novel proceeding, but I have
since observed it several times, and particularly so on
the 20th of May, 1856, when I saw a number of them
hawking for flies in the manner of the swallows. In
this case it was no momentary impulse that prompted
the habit, as in the first instance, but they were steadily
making a business of it, and continued thus employed
for some time. | .

They are staunch friends of the farmer, and consume
an immense number of grubs and slugs, and in their
search for these I have seen them literally blacken the
pastures with their numbers.

The Raven (Corvus corax) is but a straggler in this
part of the country. I have not known of more than
two instances of its occurrence, a fact which I have been
rather surprised at. Its predaceous character makes it
many enemies, and I have never known it to nest with
us. I have the evidence of old residents that it used to
be comparatively frequent in the district, but it is very
rare now.

Many years ago the landlord of the Black Bull Inn,
at Mansfield, had a tame raven in his stable-yard. I
always frequented this inn when I had occasion to go to
Mansfield, and whenever I drove or rode into the yard,
Tom, the raven, was sure to be about; and if the ostler
was not in sight, he invariably called out with a hoarse

PERCHING BIRDS. 129

but distinct voice, “Ostler, come and take the gentle-
man’s horse!” bustling about all the time in a pompous,
amusing manner, as if he had sole charge of the
yard.

The Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) is a much more
frequent species, but as its predaceous habits bring it
unrelenting hostility, it is not abundant. Farmers dis-
like the “corby ” for its attacks on their lambs as much
as the keepers do for its ravages on their game, so its
numbers are constantly thinned.

They are rarely seen together in greater numbers than
a single pair, and these appear to remain constant to
each other throughout the year. Yet though exhibiting
much affection and faithfulness to each other, their
omnivorous appetites do not tend to recommend them
to our notice. Nothing comes amiss to them. The
young of hares and rabbits, as well as the nestlings
of any species of bird, are especially subject to their
attacks, and they are particularly partial to the eggs of
those birds that breed upon the ground, the partridge
and the plover for instance. I have seen them in a
place much resorted to by the latter bird, regularly
hunting for their eggs, of which they are very fond,
while their poor victims flew wildly about, uttering their
“ pease-weep in a very disconsolate and distressed tone ;
the young of many birds are also greatly subject to their
depredations. ;

The Hooded Crow (Corvus corniz) is a regular visitor
during the winter months, from November to March
inclusive. The earliest date of its arrival I have noted
was the 21st of October, and the latest of its departure
the 5th of April. Mr. Harley of Leicester, in a com-
munication to Macgillivray (vol. i. p. 721) says: “An

K

130 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

old coachman, who for at least twenty years drove the
London and Leeds Express coach from Loughborough to
Mansfield, across Sherwood Forest, used to say that he
knew to a day when the grey crows would come upon
the forest. That day he said was Guy Fawkes day,
of notable memory, the 5th of November.” My own
observations would lead me to confirm this as the usual,
though, as will be seen above, not the invariable time of
their arrival.

The hooded crow generally frequents the uncultivated
districts, chiefly the wooded parts of the forest and
parks ; and though you may always make sure of seeing
it, it never occurs in flocks or large parties, but generally
in pairs, or as solitary birds. This species appears to
be only partially migratory, for though I never missed
its presence during the winter, yet at the same time
numbers are always to be seen on the seashores, its
habits being essentially maritime. There it follows the
ebb and flow of the tide with great constancy, feed-
ing greedily on anything that may turn up. It is very
shy and wary, rarely allowing you to come within gun-
shot unless you do it cautiously, yet at times I have
seen it exhibit much boldness and fearlessness. I was
riding on one occasion through the forest, where, perched
on an old oak, sat a pair of these birds. As I came
near, a sparrowhawk flew past within a few yards of the
tree on which the hoodies were sitting, when one of
them immediately took wing and attacked the hawk
with such fierceness and pertinacity that he seemed
fairly cowed. He made no show of resistance, but
doubtless thinking discretion the better part of valour,
left the field to his assailant, who, after following him
for some distance, returned in triumph to his mate, who

PERCHING BIRDS. 131

had remained on the tree a quiet spectator of the
combat.

In February, 1855, I passed through a field where a
dead horse was lying, on which two shepherd dogs were
making their repast. A pair of hooded crows, attracted
by the carrion, came sailing by, and alighted on the
ground within a few yards of the carcase; both the
dogs immediately ceased their feast and sprang at the
birds with a grow], driving them off to a short distance.
Nothing daunted, the birds returned, and again were
driven off, and this was repeated many times, on each
occasion the birds approaching nearer the horse until
they settled down on the carcase within two feet or so
of the dogs; but they were excessively wary, and if
either of the dogs ceased eating, or raised his head, the
crows sprang to the wing in a moment; and in this way
they managed to secure a portion of the coveted food.
It was during a severe frost, which perhaps had sharpened
their appetites and rendered them more fearless than
usual.

The food of the hooded crow during its inland sojourn
seems to be chiefly carrion, worms, and grubs, and they
likewise devour eggs. I once watched one flying near
the island in Thoresby Lake, where a party of five
herons sat preening their feathers, while a sixth was
sailing overhead. On the approach of the crow the
heron on the wing immediately gave chase, uttering
shrill cries; hoodie, however, exhibited no boldness this
time, but sneaked away without delay. The island is
covered with tall trees, in which the herons build one or
two nests each spring, but the eggs are usually destroyed
by the carrion crow; possibly the hoodie was mistaken
for one of his sable brethren, and hence the attack.

K 2

132 THE RIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

_ I met in a Scotch paper with the following instance of
the destruction of eggs by these birds, and have no
reason to doubt its authenticity :-—

“Mr. Purves of Linton Burnfoot, near Kelso, had a
tree on his farm in which a hooded crow had built her
nest and hatched her eggs. Mr. Purves then went with
the intention of destroying the young, but found he was
too late, as they had flown. The ground around the
tree was so thickly strewed with eggshells that he
obtained the assistance of two friends and took the
trouble to pick them up and count them, when they
amounted to the large number of 196, all the eggs of
the partridge, which had evidently been brought to feed
the young.”

The Rook (Corvus frugilegus), with perhaps one ex-
ception, is more numerous than any bird in our district ;
that exception is the jackdaw, which, though it does not
assemble in immense flocks like the rook, yet, I think,
equals it in numbers. Rookeries, great and small, are
scattered all over our neighbourhood, those in Thoresby
Park being the largest and most thickly populated. One
of these, in a grove of Scotch fir and oak, about a quarter
of a mile from the mansion, is of immense extent, and
its occupants must be counted by thousands.

I have seen them in an evening when they were re-
turning to their nests, quite darken the air with their
flight, and on one or two occasions, when the turf
has been infested more than usually with the larvee of
the cockchafer, they have literally blackened a patch of
ground about a quarter of a mile square; and never
shall I forget the amazement with which a relative of
mine, fresh from a town residence, gazed on their count-
less numbers.

PERCHING BIRDS. 133

Their partiality for the grub of the cockchafer is pro-
ductive of the most beneficial results. But I have seen
long patches of sward in the forests and parks so
thoronghly and uniformly dug up in their search for
them that it was greensward no longer; not a patch as
Jarge as the hand had escaped being uprooted, clearly
showing the abundance of these destructive larvee.

I do not agree with the opinion so commonly ex-
pressed, that the bare space around the base of the bill
of the rook is produced by its habit of grubbing in the
ground; I have watched them very closely when they
have been engaged in upturning the turf as I have
described, and never saw the bill plunged beyond its
length. Even when they are searching the newly-
ploughed ground, I never observed any action which
could produce the abraded appearance. I admit it is
very natural to attribute it to such a cause; but is it
not a singular fact, telling strongly against this theory,
that in the extent of this bare skin there should be no
appreciable difference in one bird over another, but all
are equally denuded? Surely, if it was produced by
digging, some variation in this would be noticeable, but
I never saw such; the jackdaw, too, is as great a digger
as the rook, and bed a shorter bill, and yet the base is
clothed with feathers which bear no trace of injury from
such a cause. The editor of The Field favoured me
with the following note on this point :—‘‘There was a
long discussion on this subject in The Field some years
since, and several instances were mentioned in which
rooks kept in confinement, where they could not dig,
nevertheless lost the feathers. We also received the
head of a rook in which the feathers were only partially
removed ; and those which yet remained were nearest

134 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

to the point of the bill, and consequently, it may be
supposed, would have been the first to suffer in the
digging process, while those which had disappeared
could scarcely have been removed by abrasion without
injury to the feathers, which still existed in an untouched
state.”

Though naturally insect feeders, yet there are times
when, pressed by hunger, rooks levy their contributions
on the newly-springing corn, and in hard winters they
will even frequent stackyards. They are very partial to
potatoes, at least they are much addicted to digging up
and carrying off those freshly planted, but it is chiefly
at the time when their young are clamorous for food,
“when there is little to earn and many to keep ;” indeed
they often suffer greatly from want at this time of the
year. Macgillivray doubts the assertion that the rook
pilfers freshly-planted potato sets, but I have seen them
do so hundreds of times.

Though in our neighbourhood the corn is always
tended by boys from the time of sowing until it is well
out of the ground, in order to drive off the rooks, who
would otherwise commit great havoc, yet I think the
cultivators of the land have a pretty correct idea that,
on the whole, the labours of these birds are productive
of great benefit to the crops, and no greater destruction is
made than of an occasional one, who, with wings extended
by two split sticks, is placed im terrorem in the centre of
a corn or potato field; and a very effectual scarecrow he
makes—his constrained attitude is understood at a
glance by his wary brethren, and they need no other
hint. In some parts of the country the agriculturists
are not so conversant with the habits of the rook, and I
know that in one locality in an eastern county a large

PERCHING BIRDS. 135

rookery was destroyed under the belief of the farmers
that its inhabitants were hostile to their interests, and
consumed a large quantity of corn. But mark the
result. Two years passed away, and the farmers con-
gratulated themselves on being rid of their winged foes,
little thinking that they had other foes in their place
whose approach was more difficult to detect. In the
second year many fields of wheat suffered from wire-
worm ; but in the third their ravages had become so
general throughout the district as to occasion serious
alarm. Little could be done to suppress their numbers
until the rooks were again thought of, and the evil was
traced to its true source. The rookery was permitted to
be re-established by the return of many who had escaped
the massacre, and who still cherished a partiality for
their native trees, but who had hitherto been continually
driven off. Their rapidly increasing numbers soon re-
duced the insect pest, leading the farmers to acknow-
ledge the error into which they had fallen, and henceforth
to look upon the rook as a friend instead of an enemy.

When rooks are feeding they always station several of
their number as sentinels, and very faithful they are in
sounding the alarm on the approach of a foe; they are
not only vigilant in their watch, but evince a large
amount of sagacity, an amusing instance of which was
communicated to me by a friend on whose statement I
can rely, and who witnessed the occurrence.

A very large field had been sown with wheat, and in
the centre a little hut had been erected to shelter the
boy who had to tend the field, and to enable him to
reach all parts of it. A gentleman who wished to obtain
a few birds to hang up in his own fields thought this
would be a good opportunity of procuring them, for they

136 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

thronged around in great numbers, and kept the boy
actively employed to drive them off. So taking his gun,
he went into the hut accompanied by the boy, and
through some holes in the sides prepared to pour a volley
on the invaders. But he reckoned without his host.
The watchful sentinels seemed instinctively to divine the
plot, their warning “caw” was loudly uttered, and the
presence of the ambushed foe made known. They
circled round and round and settled in the surround-
ing fields, but not one of them would trust himself
within gunshot of the hut. For some time the gentle-
man waited in vain, and then sent the boy away with
directions to walk straight out of the field; but this
ruse did not succeed. The rooks still refused to “ come
and be killed,” so he left the hut and followed the boy,
but no sooner had he gone out of the gate of the field
than the sentinels gave the signal, and scores of their
fellows at once descended and commenced their foray.
The sportsman determined not to be outwitted in this
way, so he immediately took two persons with him into
the hut and resumed his ambush, the rooks having taken
fight on his reappearance. After a short time had
elapsed he sent one of the persons away; and after
another interval the second, expecting that as soon as
they both left the field the rooks would return; but he
was again doomed to disappointment; “beware” cawed
the sentinels in the most sonorous tones, and none
ventured to disregard the warning. Determined still
further to test their powers of numeration, he again
left the hut and returned with three persons, all four
entering together. Again, one by one, the companions
were sent away, and the plan was at last crowned with
success ; the rooks could count as far as three, but four

PERCHING BIRDS. 137

was beyond their powers, and no sooner had the third
person left the field than they hurried to the spoil, but
only, alas! to leave two of their number dead on the
field, victims to the want of a knowledge of numeration.*

I met with an interesting account of the sagacity of
the rook in the Dundee Courier a few years since. Its
truthfulness was vouched for by the gentleman who com-
municated it, and by the editor :—

“On Saturday week a very curious scene occurred in
the colony of crows on the South Inch, Perth. One of
the black denizens had been laboriously occupied in
conveying sticks from the opposite side of the river,
wherewith to build his nest, when something seemed to
strike him that he was making no progress in its erec-
tion, and that he was the victim of some thievish neigh-
bour. That his suspicions were correct he soon dis-
covered, and evidently adopted the following plan to
detect the culprit. He set off apparently to cross
the river, and kept his usual way, but on reaching
the island he suddenly wheeled round, and sweeping
behind the lime sheds he reached his nest just in time
to catch the suspected rogue in the very act of robbing
him of a stick. A fierce engagement ensued, lasting
several minutes, when the thief clearly having the worst
of the fight, was compelled to render justice to his in-
jured neighbour by restoring his stolen property, as for
nearly half an hour after, the latter was seen to carry
stick after stick from the other’s nest without any mo-
lestation, and apply them to his own.”

* A similar instance is given by Macgillivray of the carrion
crow, from an account communicated to him by Mr. Weir, but in
this case the crow proved a worse arithmetician than the rooks I
have mentioned.

138 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

I can quite give credit to this anecdote, for I have
known two similar cases in which one rook was detected
stealing sticks from another ; in both instances, however,
the punishment was inflicted by more than the injured
bird, and in one case with such severity that the offender's
life was forfeited. I have more than once seen a rook
chased from a rookery by a number of its inhabitants,
but whether the hostility was shown because he was a
stranger or a criminal I could not discover, but most
likely the latter.

Lord Campbell, in his Lives of the Chancellors,
says that “in Scotland the crows, who take such good
care to keep out of gunshot on every ‘lawful day,’ on
the Sabbath come close up to the houses, and seek their
food within a few yards of the farmer and his men, dis-
covering the occurrence of the sacred day from the ring-
ing the bells and the discontinuance of labour in the
fields, and knowing that while it lasts they are safe.”

Various instances have been recorded of rooks eating
eggs, and I once saw a pair on the 4th of June actively
engaged for some time in chasing.a pair of green plovers
in a field on the verge of the forest. They were evi-
dently bent on driving them away from a particular
spot, which the plovers seemed as determined not +o
leave, and from their pertinacity I concluded that their
nest was thereabouts, and that they suspected the rooks
of a wish to plunder it, a conclusion which was no doubt
correct.

The rook is occasionally subject to variations of
plumage, and the saying of “as black as a crow” is not
always applicable. In March, 1860, one was killed near
us which was uniformly speckled with white.

I have already said that I think the Jackdaw (C.

PERCHING BIRDS. 139

monedula) is as numerous in our district as the rook,
though it does not assemble in those large flocks in
which the latter is seen. Its chief nesting places with
us are not buildings, ruins, or cliffs, but the huge oaks
which are the ornaments of our forest and parks. Every
one of these ancient trees is more or less hollow, and
two or three pairs, or even more, will make their abode
in one tree; some of the cavities are very large, extend-
ing a great distance into the trunk of the tree, although
the entrance may be only large enough to admit the
bird.

When a hollow of this kind is selected it is astonish-
ing to see what an immense mass of sticks is carried in
for the purpose of raising the foundation to within a
moderate distance of the entrance. I have seen cavities
six or eight feet deep crammed with such a quantity of
small sticks as would fill several wheelbarrows; and I
have heard of an instance in which a small spiral stair
in a church tower, which was. seldom used, was so
choked up with a similar accumulation, that when the
door was opened no entrance could be effected until a
quantity of sticks, sufficient to fill a cart, had been re-
moved, In their strongholds in these hollow trees they
rear their young in safety, and as comparatively few
attacks are made upon them their numbers are very
large. They are as pertinacious in their forays on the
newly-sown corn as their larger brethren, the rooks, but
their general labours are equally beneficial to the
husbandman, larve being their chief and favourite food.

They are active, lively birds, and possess a large
amount of cunning as well as impudence. I have seen
them rob the dinner-baskets of the labourers in the
fields ; and it was most amusing to watch the stealthy,

140 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

wary manner in which they effected their plunder—
proving themselves most accomplished thieves.

They are sociable and friendly amongst themselves,
and live in goodwill and peace towards their neighbours.
I never saw amongst them any of those violent, ill-
natured attacks which the rooks make upon some un-
fortunate individual who may not happen to-belong to
their coterie, but they appear quietly to do as they
would be done by.

They mingle freely with the rooks when feeding, and
are as active as they in their search for the larve of the
cockchafer, digging up the turf with great perseverance.
Why, then, is not the skin around the base of the bill
as bare as the rook’s? I have watched them most
closely, but I never saw the slightest abrasion of their
feathers, which must have been the case if produced by
digging.

In confinement they manifest great familiarity, and
are much attached to their owners, sometimes exhibiting
a quaint comicality of manners which is very amusing,
and greatly delighting in a bit of mischief; they will sit
on the rail of a cottage garden watching the play of the
children, and at dinner-time keeping a good look-out
for their share.

The artfulness and thievish propensities of the crow
family seem to be concentrated in the Magpie (C. pica).
Wary to an extreme, it is ever ready for plunder, and,
though often kept in a cage, I know of few common
birds with whose general habits in a state of nature we
are so little familiar. It is rarely that it permits of a
near approach, except under favourable circumstances
for concealment, but in our secluded districts I have
often enjoyed these opportunities, and have been much

PERCHING BIRDS. 141

interested in observing its lively habits. It is very fond
of mingling with sheep, especially when feeding on
turnips, and under cover of a hedge I have frequently
stolen up and enjoyed a laugh at them. They search
about for insects, now with a long elastic bound snapping
a tick from a sheep’s fleece ; now looking up in its face
with the utmost pertness, as much as to say, “I should
like a peck at your eyes ;” and then, with a few vigorous
hops, away to another.

With regard to the haunts of the magpie, it appears
most decidedly to prefer the cultivated farm land to the
wilder forest, being rarely seen in the latter localities. In
woods or plantations I never met with it ; and its nest,
as far as I have observed, is almost always placed in
hedgerow trees. The ash appears to be more frequently
chosen than any other. I have often admired the archi-
tectural beauty of the magpie’s nest, though why it
builds it with a dome it is difficult to say. Certainly
the structure is too open to afford any protection from
the weather, but at the same time, as the nest is
generally placed in isolated trees, the dome may be
designed to screen the eggs from a passing plunderer,
and for that it is quite sufficient.

The assertions of some of our older naturalists that

*the magpie builds her nest with two entrances seems to
want verification. I never met with one so contrived.
Nevertheless, such a construction is followed by some
birds, the pheasant cuckoo of Australia for instance
(Centropus phasianus), which I know builds a domed
nest with an opening on each side, from which the head
and tail of the female project when she is sitting; it is
therefore possible that there may be some truth in the
story.

142 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

The appearance of the magpie used to be considered
as an omen of varied significance according to the num-
bers seen. ‘This superstition has greatly died out of late
years, but a rhyme which is still common amongst us,
and which I have known from a boy, records the popular
belief as follows :—

‘One for sorrow,
And two for mirth,
Three for a wedding,
And four for a birth;
Five for a fiddle,
And six for a dance,
Seven for Old England,
And eight for France!”

The meaning of the last four lines is not very
apparent ; perhaps the poet thought his stanza required
a finish !

The Jay (Garrulus glandarius) is one of the most
beautiful of our native birds; but he bears a bad
character, from his predatory habits, and suffers accord-
ingly. The keepers shoot every one they meet with,
and one cannot go far in our woods without seeing their
dead bodies dangling from the lower branches of a tree,
and bleaching in the wind.

They are lively, restless birds, ever on the watch and
ready to give the alarm with their harsh cry, whether ite
be quadruped or biped that appears. When it is pos-
sible to get near them unperceived (which is rarely the
case), it is very interesting to watch their quick, active
motions, the rapid raising and lowering of their crest as
any other bird flies past, and the inquisitive glance of
their bright blue eye; the ear too will be saluted with
varied but not very musical sounds, their own natural
harsh “wrake, wrake,”’ or an imitation of the cries of

PERCHING BIRDS, 143

some of their neighbours. Indeed, in their general
habits they are very similar to their American cousins,
described so inimitably by Alexander Wilson.

Jays seldom congregate in larger numbers than the
brood of the year, these small parties of five or six
generally associating together through the winter, and
dispersing in the spring. Their flight is not extended
far, and is of a broken, undulatory character, as they
pass from tree to tree, or from one plantation to another.
A high hedge or bush is generally chosen for the nest,
which is constructed of dried sticks, the base being of
larger ones, supporting a shallow cup, which is loosely
woven of small twigs, and lined with fibrous roots. I
once took one containing four eggs from the extreme
top of a tall beech tree, at least fifty or sixty feet
high ; this was entirely made of dead birch twigs, with
the exception of the lining of roots, and was much more
neatly put together than usual. The late Mr. Waterton
remarked that “the nest of the jay is never seen near
the tops of trees ;” the instance I have mentioned was
certainly an exception to this rule, if it is one, which I
greatly doubt.

The Woodpeckers are peculiarly inhabitants of the
forest, and that handsome species the Green Woodpecker
(Picus viridis), is very abundant, our old decaying
oaks being a favourite resort, and furnishing them with
an ample supply of food. The light, sandy forest soil is
greatly frequented by ants, and here you are sure to
meet with the green woodpecker. It is a shy species,
and its white eye wears a peculiarly wild expression,
while its singular cry, heard in the depths of the woods,
has something very unearthly and startling about it. It
is generally uttered while it is on the wing, making its

144 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

odd, festooning flight from tree to tree, but not invariably
so, as I have heard it both when clinging to a tree and
when on the ground. The latter situation is only fre-
quented where there are anthills, when it willingly leaves
its strongholds the trees, to search for its favourite
food.

Its motions on the trees, for which it is so admirably
fitted, are well worth watching. I never saw it by any
chance perch on the upper side of a bough, but it is
fond of clinging to the under side, where during the day
insects chiefly congregate. It is on the perpendicular
trunk, however, that it is most at home. Commencing
at the base it pursues a spiral course to the top, prying
into every chink and crevice, tapping here and there
with vigorous and rapid strokes to alarm its insect prey.

I have remarked previously that nearly all the old
oaks in the forest have suffered the loss of their tops by
the agency of wind and lightning, aided by natural
decay. Sometimes you may see the upper portion of
one of these venerable trunks quite denuded of its bark,
and riven with many fissures, though the tree is all the
while in vigorous growth. On some of these I have
often noticed the green woodpecker practise a singular
feat. Placing its bill in one of the long cracks I have
mentioned, it produces, by an exceedingly rapid vibra-
tory motion, a loud crashing noise, as if the tree was
violently rent from top to bottom. I have heard it
when the sound was so loud and sudden that the woods
rang again. For a long time I was at a loss to know
how it was produced, but I one day witnessed the pro-
cess, and have seen it several times since. It would
effectually rouse up all the insects, for it seemed as if the
tree quivered from top to bottom.

PERCHING BIRDS, 145

‘Montagu mentions the jarring sound made by this
species, but imagines it to be the call of both sexes to
each other. With this I do not agree, but think from
frequent observation that it is produced in the way I
have mentioned for the purpose of procuring food.

' The hole in which the eggs are laid is generally with
us hewn through the sound outer portion of the trunk,
until at a few inches deep the decaying wood is reached,
in which the hollow for the eggs is formed, for nest there
isnone. I have met with one or two holes where the
bird has evidently erred in its calculations. One in
particular was about fifty feet from the ground, and had
been begun in a tree too sound for the purpose; the
hole was chiselled out of the solid wood, and must have
cost. its maker great labour, having been driven forward
in a horizontal direction for about nine inches, but the
wood continuing sound the bird had apparently become
disheartened in her work, and abandoned it. When I
first discovered it, it had not been long deserted, for I
took the trouble to climb up and carefully examine it,
measuring the depth with my stick, and ascertaining by
the sound that the wood at the bottom was free from
decay. I could not help wondering how the bird, in a
hole not larger than the diameter of its own body, could.
find room to give those violent strokes with its bill which
would be necessary to penetrate the solid oak.

The great Spotted Woodpecker (P. major), though
by no means so plentiful as the last species, is still suf-
ficiently so to prevent its being considered rare. It is
an active climber, generally taking a diagonal course up
a tree, and I have sometimes observed that when it has
reached the base of a large arm, it has left the trunk,
and with great rapidity run round the arm spirally for

L

146 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

several yards of its length, and then flown off to the
trunk, and resumed its course upwards. This motion,
which was performed without a break, had a very singular
appearance.

Thoresby Park is a favourite habitat of this species ;
there, from a large crab tree, I once roused three
together ; they uttered a short, sharp cry, as they usually
do when disturbed, and flew off to a clump of large
Scotch firs at a little distance—two of them, by the red
occiput, being evidently males. In that part of the park
known as the Old Wood, I have méfwith them more
frequently than in any other, but seldom with more than

one at a time; I have also seen them in Birkland.

They are not such exclusive insect feeders as the pre-
ceding species, but vary their diet with the seeds of
various trees, especially those of the pine.

The lesser Spotted Woodpecker (P. minor) is, I
think, more local than any of our other British species.
I have only met with three specimens—one a male, and
the others two females ; two were in Thoresby Park and
one in Birkland; none of them had the shyness of the
other two species. The male I watched especially for
some time, while it was engaged in searching with most
industrious agility the branches of a very large silver
willow. It seemed little alarmed at my presence, but
at length took wing to some trees at a short distance,
repeating its cry several times in a shrill tone.

I have only met with the Wryneck (Yuna torquilla)
a few times. It is well known by our country people as
the “cuckoo’s mate,’ but its shy and secluded habits
remove it greatly from the common gaze. I have never
seen it but in the forest, where it is attracted by the —
same inducements as the woodpeckers—abundance of

PERCHING BIRDS. ; 147

ants, and hollow decaying trees. It is one of our most
beautiful birds, though its charms do not consist of gay
colours, but of minute and exquisitely varied pencillings
which it is impossible to describe. I never found its
nest but once, when three eggs occupied a shallow and
much exposed cavity in a decayed oak tree. My atten-
tion was drawn to it by the female, which was perched
on a bough of the tree, and which, after suddenly raising
the feathers of her head, flew off to a short distance.

In every part of our wooded district the little Creeper
(Certhia familiaris) findsahome. Summer and winter,
if you watch carefully and quietly, a glimpse will be had
of its little brown figure gliding up the trunk of some
tree like a mouse, and if your person is concealed, you
may see it prying with its slender bill into the crevices
of the bark for spiders and other insects that lurk there ;
but the moment you are perceived it creeps round to the
opposite side of the tree, or flits to another at a little
distance. Its chirp is very weak and humble in tone,
as if it was afraid of being noticed, and yet in the sum-
mer time it may be heard oftener than it can be seen.
Indeed, so retiring and unobtrusive are its habits alto-
gether, that a careless observer might fail to see it at all.

In the winter I have noticed it frequenting barns and
other outbuildings, and the neighbourhood of houses,
the warmth of which attracts a large number of insects ;
T have also seen it searching the fences in my garden.
At such times it loses somewhat of its usual timidity,
although it is still very shy.

Of the Common Wren (Troglodytes Europeus) it is
hardly necessary to say more than that it is a most
familiar and abundant species. Every child knows and
delights to see “little Jenny Wren,’ the very picture of

L 2

148 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

vigorous, bustling industry and pert independence; and
its share in the tragic story of “ Who killed Cock Robin ?”
will ever make it familiar to our children.

It is always interesting to watch the active vagaries of
these birds as they half flit, half creep in the bushes and
hedges of our gardens; they are bold little creatures,
approaching within a yard or two without fear, but at
the same time vigilantly alive to secure their own
safety. While I write there is one in a barberry bush
just outside my window, so busy and bustling in its
activity, and with its tail cocked up at right angles with
such a consequential air, as fairly to provoke a burst of
laughter from my children.

I hardly know any bird that employs such various
materials in the construction of its nest as the wren.
Moss is the most generally used, but it seems to avail
itself of those substances which lie most conveniently
for use, and these are often selected with an evident
view to concealment, or at least that end is attained,
whether designedly or not. On the other hand, sites
for the nest are frequently chosen in the most public
situations, as though privacy was scorned ; but these are
exceptions.

It has often been noticed as a singular circumstance
that so many unfinished nests of the wren should be
found, and one year I counted six at one time in the
creepers outside a summer-house or rustic temple in the
pleasure grounds at Thoresby, within the space of a few
yards. They were in various stages of construction,
though none of them were completed, but seemed to
have been abandoned one after the other. A writer in
Loudon’s Magazine of Natural History, vol. iii. p. 568,
broached the theory that the male bird, from want of

PERCHING BIRDS. 149

having nothing better to do during the incubation of the
female, keeps his hand—I beg pardon, his bill—in
practice by constructing “cock nests!” This idea,
however, seems to me to be not very probable. A
likelier cause, perhaps, is that the wren may be more
fastidious than other birds, and suffers itself to be
affected by very slight causes of disturbance, and so after
a nest has been partially coustructed it deserts it and
commences another, and this several times in succession.
This, I think, is far more probable than the erection of
“cock nests” by the male. Mr. Neville Wood says that
the wren “ often builds itself a dwelling in autumn, and
lodges in it on.cold nights.” Mr. Weir states the same,
and both are thus quoted by Macgillivray, who is of the
like opinion. The nests I found, as mentioned above,
were in spring, and were recent erections; and though
it may have a habit of erecting nests for winter roosting
places, yet I scarcely think these would be commenced
so early in the year.

I am pleased to be able to record a single instance of
the Hoopoe (Upupa epops) visiting our district. A
male in fine plumage was shot on the forest a few miles
north of Ollerton, but I know of no other occurrence of
this rare and handsome bird.

The pretty and chastely-coloured Nuthatch (Sitta
Europea), though it is rather locally distributed in
England, is by no means rare with us ; indeed, in some
places it is plentiful. The large kitchen gardens at
Thoresby, which stand in the midst of the park, are a
very favourite haunt, the attraction being a long row of
large and aged nut trees which skirts the southern side.
There I have often watched their busy operations in
nutting time. The nuts are of various kinds; the

150 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

filberts are made short work of, but several of the trees
bear a large cob nut with a very thick shell, and into
these they are sometimes puzzled to find an entrance.
Two of the posts in the garden-fence were constantly
resorted to in consequence of their being split, and in
these cracks they fixed the nuts with great dexterity,
and were thus enabled to break them with ease. A
slight cavity in a fork of one of the trees was also used
for the same purpose, and their loud hammering might
be heard for a considerable distance.

It is only on a tree that they are seen to full ad-
vantage ; there they are perfectly at home; up or down
the trunk they glide with equal facility, and rarely
resort to the ground. I have seen them do so to pick
up a nut they had let fall, but they appeared to move
awkwardly on a flat surface, and flew back to the tree
the moment the nut was secured.

The nest of the nuthatch, if it can be called a nest, is
always placed in a hollow tree, and is generally con-
structed of dried leaves or moss very carelessly deposited.
I took the eggs from one in 1854, which was composed
of dry grass. The five eggs it contained were of the
usual white, marked with brown; but in this instance
they exhibited a singular gradation of colour, the egg
which had apparently been first laid having the markings
dark and numerous, each one of the others being less so,
until the one which I consider was last deposited had
only a few minute specks of pale brown, the glands
which secrete the colouring matter having evidently be-
come exhausted. I have remarked this gradation in
colour in the eggs of other species. Those I have just
mentioned were taken out of a hollow in a decayed oak
tree, the entrance to which was only about six feet from

PERCHING BIRDS. 151

the ground, and (as usual where the opening is too
large) was contracted by a plastering of clay.

Few of our native birds possess such pleasing associa-
tions as the Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). The very
name carries us back to the times of merry childhood,
-and recalls the feeling of joy which the monotonous
though musical note awakened in our breasts. We
knew that winter was gone, and that violets and prim-
roses were to be found in the woods. How blithely did
we set off to gather them, and how pleased were we
to imitate the well-known call of the “harbinger of
spring !”

Yet it is only its association with the joyous spring-
time that makes us welcome the cuckoo, for the bird
itself possesses none of those attractive qualities which
naturally call forth our admiration. It elicits in us no
sympathy, for it exhibits no fidelity to its mate, no
affection or tender solicitude for its offspring, but,
scattered here and there, it leaves its young ones to the
protection and care of strangers. Yet we-cannot blame
it for this, as it does but obey its natural instincts. It
has often struck me as one of the many marvellous ways
which our Divine Creator has devised for the preserva-
tion of species, that the foster parents never seem to
discover the fraud perpetrated upon them, but hatch the
strange egg and tend their foundling with as much care
as their own offspring.

Of few of our British birds have such various as-
sertions and opinions been hazarded as of the cuckoo,
some no doubt arising from want of observation, others
from observations carelessly made. Some have stated
that the cuckoo has been known to feed her own young
one ; this has been denied by others, who have asserted

152 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

that in the alleged instances the young of the goatsucker
has been mistaken for that of the cuckoo—a mistake
which might easily be made, from the similarity of the
plumage of the young of both species.

The mode in which the cuckoo introduces her egg
into the nest of another bird has been made a greater
difficulty of than necessary, from the fact that usually it
would be a physical impossibility for the cuckoo to enter
the nest and lay her egg in the ordinary manner. I
have often found the egg, but never, (except in one
instance, where the shallow nest of the pied wagtail was
chosen), was the nest in such a position as to be reached
by the cuckoo otherwise than with her bill. The latter
is doubtless the instrument by which the egg is deposited
in its chosen place.

But of all the extraordinary theories which have been
brought forward respecting the cuckoo, that advanced
by Dr. Baldamus of Stuttgart is the most amazing. It
was first published by him in 1853 in the Vawmanmia,
the leading ornithological periodical of Germany, but
had remained unknown to English naturalists until the
Rey. A. C. Smith called attention to it in the Zoologist
for March, 1868, and gave a translation of Dr. Baldamus's
paper in that periodical for the following month. 1[
would advise all my readers who are interested in the
subject to peruse that article for themselves, but for
those who have no opportunity of doing so I will give a
brief outline of the theory. Dr. Baldamus begins by
asserting that the eggs of the cuckoo are subject to great
variation, both in colour and markings, and that he had
found thirty-seven varieties! He then set himself to
discover the cause of this singular variability, and after
some time spent in diligent research and examination,

PERCHING BIRDS. 153

he communicated his views in the article in question.
Dr. Baldamus says he discovered that the cuckoo de-
posits her eggs in the nests of thirty-seven different
species, and that in by far the greater number of in-
stances these eggs bore the same colour and markings
as the eggs of the birds in whose nests they were laid.
He enters into details, and proves this to his entire
satisfaction, giving a list of all the species in whose nests
he and his friends found cuckoo’s eggs, summing up the
question thus:—“ Therefore I do not hesitate to set
forth as a law of nature, that the eggs of the cuckoo are,
im a very considerable degree, coloured and marked
like the eggs of those birds in whose nests they are
about to be laid, in order that they might the less easily
be recognised by the foster parents as substituted
ones.”

' He then asks the question, “ Does the same hen
cuckoo lay eggs of the same colour and markings
only ? and so, 1s she limited to the nests of but one
species? Or else, does the same individual lay eggs
of different colour and markings, according to the
character of the eggs amongst which her own will be
intruded ?”

In discussing these points the Doctor considers it by no
means “improbable” “that the sight of the eggs lying
in the nest has such an influence on the hen which is
just about to lay, that the egg which is ready to be laid
assumes the colour and markings of those before her,”
and adduces as evidence in proof the account of the
proceeding of the patriarch Jacob as given in Genesis
xxx. 37, &e.

His final conclusion, however, is this, “that every hen
cuckoo lays only eggs of one colouring, and con-

154 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

sequently (as a general rule) lays only in the nests of
one species.” Such is, I believe, a fair outline of the
theory, and the italics are the Doctor's, not mine.

The publication of the article in the Zoologist
elicited a discussion in the Field, in which Mr.
Hewitson, Mr. Newman, Dr. Bree, Mr. Dawson Rowley,
and others took part, the weight of opinion being adverse
to the theory. It is but just that the views of a man
of eminence like Dr. Baldamus, made in good faith,
however startling and contrary to our preconceived
conclusions, should be received with respect, and be
subjected to a careful examination. I must, however,
frankly state that I cannot accept his conclusions, be-
cause I doubt the facts from which they are drawn.

I never found the eggs of the cuckoo to vary in any
great degree ; they most resemble in colour and mark-
ings the light varieties of the skylark’s, and next, those
of the pied wagtail, and these I believe to be the usual
types. So eminent and experienced an oologist as Mr.
Hewitson holds this opinion, and Mr. Rowley, who pos-
sesses the nests and eggs of fourteen species, with a
cuckoo’s egg in each, twelve of which he took with his
own hands, says that out of all these, only two (and
those the two he did not take himself) display any re-
semblance between the intruder and its companions, and
in both to him it is very faint. 1 believe that what Dr.
Baldamus supposed were cuckoo’s eggs, were only ab-
normally large ones of the birds in whose nests they
were found, and this variation in size is well known to
every oologist and every bird’s-nesting schoolboy. It
would be strange indeed if the cuckoos laid these varied
eggs in Germany and not in England, and yet British
ornithologists have never discovered them. Another

PERCHING BIRDS. 155

point on which the Doctor lays stress is what he calls
the grain of the shell. I have been unable to detect
this. I have examined under a low magnifying power
the eggs of the cuckoo, as well as those of the hedge-
sparrow, the meadow pipit, the pied wagtail, and others,
and can see no difference in this respect.

I am at a loss to see what purpose can be served by
such an alleged resemblance. The German professor
says it is to prevent them being detected by the owners
of the nest, and ejected or destroyed, and thus the con-
tinuance of the species is insured. Is this necessary ?
If so, the American Cow Bird (Icterus pecoris), which
deposits its eggs in the same manner as the cuckoo,
should possess this advantage for the same ends: and
yet Wilson says of it, “these odd-looking eggs were all
of the same colour, and marked nearly in the same
manner, in whatever nest they lay, though frequently the
eggs beside them were of a quite different tint.” No
variation is discoverable here, and yet the species does
not fail ; but, reasoning from analogy, if it is necessary in
one case, it is in the other.

There are two conclusions to which we are shut up by
this theory. First, every cuckoo must possess the power
of colouring her eggs at will; or, secondly, there are
thirty-seven kinds, each kind laying different eggs, but
which are constant in their colour and markings.

With regard to the first, I believe a cuckoo does not
seek a nest until her egg is ready for extrusion, and con-
sequently mature, having received its colour and mark-
ings from the glands in the lower portion of the oviduct,
and this is confirmed by the opinion held by many
naturalists, that she possesses the power of retaining her
egg after it is ready, until she can find a nest for its

156 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

deposition, when the act is a very rapid one. How then
could a sight of the eggs in a nest alter the colour of her
egg already matured ?

Dr. Baldamus finally gives up this conclusion in
favour of the second, which I think is as unsupported as
the first. Of course he admits that all the thirty-
seven kinds of cuckoos are specifically identical as
Cuculus canorus, and yet in one important point,
the colour of the eggs they lay, he alleges they are
specifically distinct. I cannot, I confess, understand
such an anomaly. The thirty-seven kinds are identical
in structure, plumage, and size, and yet each lays a
differently marked egg. But are we to suppose that
these thirty-seven kinds, visit a country at the same time,
feed on the same food, mingle-in the same hedgerows,
and yet do not breed together? The idea is incredible,
and yet the crossing- which must of necessity take place
between these imaginary kinds, would of course destroy
in time the alleged distinctive markings of the eggs their
progeny would produce, and-bring all to one uniform
character.

I have dwelt at length on-this subject, which is one
of great interest, but I must say that I should like
clearer proof than-I at. present possess, before I can
accept either conelusion.. All who possess the oppor-
tunity should lend their aid. in its investigation, and
accumulate such evidence as will either disprove the
theory, or make us willing to give up our long-cherished
opinions.

The first point evidently is, do the eggs of the cuckoo
vary to the extent asserted? I believe they do not;
and to this our observations should be directed, and
nothing but positive evidence admitted.

PERCHING BIRDS, 157

On the 20th of August, 1860, I witnessed with great
interest a pied wagtail feeding a young cuckoo. I was
crossing the bridge in the village, when I saw the cuckoo
perched on the upper rail of a fence which divided the
meadow from the stream, the spot where it sat being
about fifteen yards below the bridge. The stream was
shallow and partially filled with weed-beds, and on
these the wagtail was running in its usual rapid manner,
seizing first one insect and then another, which it directly
conveyed to its foster-child on the fence. There the
great overgrown baby sat, eagerly receiving the food
from its tiny friend, but looking far more able to provide
for itself. I stood on the bridge watching the pair for a
quarter of an hour, and during the whole of this time
the wagtail was constantly feeding the cuckoo, which sat
so quietly that I thought it was unable to fly far, and
that perhaps I might effect its capture. I accordingly
got over the hedge into the meadow, and went cautiously
towards the spot, which it allowed me to do until I was
about three yards from it, when it flew off and settled
on a pump that stood in the meadow at a short distance.
The poor wagtail seemed distressed, and followed it to
the pump, where it again resumed its feeding. On my
approaching a little nearer it again took flight, but with
such strength of wing as to convince me that I had been
mistaken in thinking I could make it a prisoner. It
settled on the top of an alder tree, and from there flew
out of sight, the little wagtail faithfully following in its
wake. It was evidently a strong, vigorous bird, equal
to a long flight, and would doubtless soon take its
departure.

Some have supposed that the cry of the cuckoo
is only uttered by the male bird, but this has been

158 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

denied by many others; I disbelieve it myself, for I have
positive proof that the note is uttered by both sexes,
from having shot the female when thus engaged. I
have met with equally undeniable proof of its egg-suck-
ing propensities, for a friend of mine shot one in a garden
a short distance from my own, his attention having been
drawn to it by the well-known cry. As he went into
the garden the bird rose from the foot of the hedge, and
was immediately brought down; when he picked it up
it was not quite dead, and as he held it, it laid an egg in
his hand, thus being another instance of the female
uttering the cry. The bill of this bird was covered with
yolk of egg, which was also spread over the feathers at
the base. On proceeding to the spot from which it rose,
the cause of this was at once seen; for there was the
nest of a pied wagtail, with all the eggs broken. It
seemed as if the cuckoo had greedily plunged her bill
amongst them, and thus smeared the yolk over the
feathers of her face.

The common cry is uttered both while on the wing
and when perching; in the latter case the bird lowers
and raises its head at each utterance, spreading out its
tail, and partially swinging itself round as if on a pivot
at the same time. It has also another note of a very
liquid character, resembling the syllable “quille,” which
I have remarked it repeat quickly five or six times
in succession, and generally after it has alighted on
a tree.

The earliest arrival of the cuckoo I have noted was on
Feb. 16, 1849. The weather was particularly fine and
sunny for the time of the year, and the cry at that un-
usual season attracted the attention of a number of
persons. It was heard for half an hour on that day,

PERCHING BIRDS. 159

but not subsequently. Could this have been a late-
hatched bird which had not migrated? I should hardly
be inclined to entertain such a supposition ; for where
could it have found caterpillars, grasshoppers, and other
summer insects, which are its chief food, to support it
through the winter? I am more disposed to think it
was an unusually early arrival, and that, as it was not
heard again, it most likely perished from cold and want
of food,

None of our birds can boast of more beautiful plumage
than the little Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida) ; the glossy
metallic blues and greens with which it is adorned seem
to belong more to the parrots, trogons, and other species
peculiar to warm or tropical countries. Indeed, when I
watch the rapid flight of a kingfisher, it always reminds

me strongly of some of the Australian parrakeets, espe-

cially the Lathamus discolor, the metallic colours of
whose plumage show most brilliantly during their glane-
ing flight, particularly when the sun is shining.

The kingfisher is constantly to be seen, and yet is not
an abundant species with us. The two small streams,
the Morn and the Idle, which intersect our forest dis-
trict, are very favourable to its habits and requirements ;
but though it delights to seek its food in secluded spots,
it does not coufine itself to such, and I have repeatedly
seen several glancing up and down the stream which
runs past the village, and darting through the arches of
the bridge as I stood on it. I have even taken its eggs
from a hole in the bank of the stream within a stone-
throw of some houses, and of my own garden.

The nest of the kingfisher is another of those questions
on which naturalists have greatly differed, aud I know
not that my own observations have enabled me to throw

160 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST,

much light on the matter. Whether a layer of fishbones
is purposely laid for the reception of the eggs, as Mon-
tagu asserts, I cannot say, but in every nest I have ex-
amined I have never found any other material used, nor
have I ever seen the eggs on the bare ground. In every
instance they rested on a layer of the castings, which
were slightly hollowed for them, though the latter form
may have been produced by the mere weight of the
parent bird while the eggs were laid. I believe that a
deserted hole of the water-rat is usually chosen, and that
they rarely excavate for themselves. 7

The young ones, after they have left the nest, are ex-
ceedingly clamorous; so much so, that their loud, shrill
twitterings were once the cause of my witnessing the in-
teresting scene of a brood being fed by their parents.
They were six in number, and were perched on the
boughs of a dead bush overhanging the stream. They
seemed very voracious ; for though both the parent birds
were constantly bringing them food—sometimes a small
fish, sometimes what appeared like a slug or leech—
they apparently failed in satisfying their appetites, and
every fresh supply was eagerly competed for, sometimes
a sort of scuffle taking place as to which was to receive
it. During the absence of the parents the young ones
sat very quietly; but the distant approach of the old
ones was quickly perceived, and in a moment their list-
less attitude was changed into one of animation, they
stretched themselves eagerly forward, and with loud
twitterings and open mouths showed how expectant
they were.

The Chimney Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is almost
as much a household bird as the robin; it appeals to
our better nature by the fearless confidence with which

PERCHING BIRDS. 161

it seeks our dwellings, as the sanctuary where its tender
young will be safe; and this, combined with its gentle,
pleasing manners, justly makes it a general favourite.
Wherever the swallow is found it seems to possess the
same instinctive confidence in man, and the same prefe-
rence for buildings.

In this country a chimney is most generally chosen
by the swallow wherein to erect its nest; but in this
selection I have never observed it show any particular
preference for a shaft in a stack of chimneys more than
for an isolated one. I fancy the only condition which
seems greatly to influence it in this respect is, that it
shall not be one which is in constant use. In my father’s
house there was an isolated chimney, which certainly
was not used more than once or twice a year, and for at
least thirty years I never knew this without a nest. It
was a short, straight shaft, up which when a boy I
have often looked with longing eyes at the prize above ;
and once or twice I remember an unfortunate young one
tumbling down into the empty fireplace when essaying to
leave the nest on its first journey. There was a window
at a short distance, nearly on a level with the chimney-
top, and I have spent hours, at various times, in watch-
ing the busy labours of the parent birds in constructing
and repairing their nest. In some years the winter rain
_and snow would be so heavy as to demolish the frail
structure, when a new one had to be built; in others it
merely required a little patching, or a new lining of
feathers, to make it habitable; but, with very few ex-
ceptions, the same angle of the chimney was always
selected for the new nest, and it never varied more than
a few inches in its distance from the top.

Though the swallow does not rank high as a songster,
M

162 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

yet it has a very pleasing and melodious warble; it
chiefly indulges in this early in the morning, even
long before sunrise, or towards evening, and it is quite
in keeping with the gentle character of the bird.

By what extraordinary instinct do the swallow and
its congeners ascertain what weather is prevailing in
this country, for such really seems to be the case? In
some years, when the season has been backward, I have
remarked a few pairs only arrive, and even these have
seemed after a day or two to disappear. In the year
1849 the spring was particularly backward ; April was
cold and bleak, and unfavourable to the development
of insect life ; and not until the 11th of May did any of the
hirundines make their appearance, on which day I first
noted a few pairs of the common swallow and the
house martin, but the main body did not arrive until
three days afterwards. This was no local occurrence,
for the same ungenial weather was general throughout
England. In 1847 I noticed the same phenomenon,
under precisely similar circumstances as regards the
weather. A few pairs arrived on the 29th of April, but
immediately departed, and I saw no more until the 4th
of May, when I remarked a single pair of swallows ; but
these were not joined by the main body until the 6th.

By what mysterious system of telegraphy was the
intelligence conveyed to the southern voyagers that their
journey had better be delayed fora time? We boast of
our wisdom and intelligence, but how little able are we
to elucidate facts like these.

During the time of building I have often seen the
swallows frequent the gutters, or any wet place in the
village street, from whence they obtain the mud for
their nests; their feet, however, and short legs do not

PERCHING BIRDS. 163

well fit them for walking, and I never saw one make
more than two or perhaps three steps without using its
wings. As soon as the young ones can fly they
are in the habit of resting all together on the branch
of a tree, generally choosing a withered one, and here
the parent bird feeds them as she passes on the wing.

The swallow is very vigilant to detect the presence of
any bird of prey; one or two wild hurried shrieks are
uttered by the first who becomes aware of the danger,
the call to arms is immediately obeyed, and in a few
seconds all within hearing of the note of alarm are
gathered together, and fly wildly about their enemy.
The cuckoo is pursued in this way quite as much as any
of the hawks,

How strange it is that the idea that swallows wintered
in the mud at the bottom of ponds and rivers should
ever have been a matter of belief with intelligent and
scientific men, and have been so long and pertinaciously
held; and stranger still that in this boasted age of
enlightenment the wild story seems to be yet believed.
Only last year I met with a paragraph in a serial circu-
lating entirely amongst the educated classes, which
stated this as a fact about which there were not two
opinions. I opened my eyes in astonishment to read
such information as the following :—“In Sweden the
swallows, as soon as the winter begins to approach,
plunge themselves into the lakes, where they remain
asleep and hide under the ice till the return of the sum-
mer, when revived by the new warmth, they come out
and fly away as formerly. While the lakes are frozen,
if somebody will break the ice in those parts where it
appears darker than the rest, he will find masses of
swallows—cold, asleep, and half dead ; which, by taking

M 2

164 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

out of their retreat and warming, either with his hands
or before a fire, he will see gradually to vivify again and
fly. In other countries they retire very often to the
caverns under the rocks. As many of. these exist
between the city of Caen and the sea, on the banks of
the Orne, there are found sometimes during the winter
piles of swallows suspended in these vaults, like bundles
of grapes. We have witnessed the same thing in Italy.”
How the supposition can be entertained that a hot-
blooded and lung-breathing creature like a bird can
undergo immersion in water for months, and not be
drowned, passes my comprehension. A single experi-
ment would at once have demonstrated the absurdity of
the theory, and proved that a swallow is no more fitted
to live under water thana man. That some swallows
have been found during the winter in a dormant condi-
tion has often been proved. These are most likely late-
hatched birds; but I think it is very questionable if
they ever survive the winter in a torpid state, and when
such have been accidentally disturbed and roused into
temporary activity, they almost immediately disappear
again, and doubtless perish from want of food. In
January, 1842, I knew of an instance in which a pair
of chimney swallows fluttered out of the thatch of an
old barn which was being pulled down. They seemed
in great distress, and after flying about the place during
that and the following day, nothing more was seen of
them.

The late mild winter seems to have led a few pairs of
this species to remain with us to an unusually late
period. Five or six were seen skimming about at Sark
on the 26th October last, and two or three at Margate
at the latter end of December last. All these showed

PERCHING BIRDS. 165

great vigour and liveliness, very unlike the languid
fluttering of the pair above mentioned.

The House Martin (1. wrbica) is generally a few days
later in its arrival than the swallow (whether the latter
be early or not), the same atmospheric influences affect-
ing both species equally in limiting or increasing the
supply of food. Its flight is less powerful than that of
the swallow, or perhaps it merely appears so from lack-
ing all those vigorous swoops which mark the course of
the latter; but it often flies with a wavering motion, as
if uncertain of its destination.

The martin is, equally with the swallow, an attendant
upon civilization, and loves to associate its dwellings with
those of man; indeed, the situations it generally selects
for its nest are such as to bring its nidification more
immediately under our notice than that of any other of
our native birds, and a pretty sight it is to watch their
busy operations.

The eaves of buildings or the corners of windows are
their most favourite spots; but I have never met with
a nest in such places open at the top, as I have
frequently seen it represented in works of natural history.
In one recent book, the illustrations of which are
generally very faithful, the nest is figured as a shallow
dish fixed to a wall, and entirely open at the top.
Surely this must be a mistake ; or, if drawn from nature,
it cannot be taken as the type of the nest of this species.
All that I have ever seen have had their walls carried
up until they met the projection under which they were
built, leaving a rounded hole in the middle immediately
under the angle of the tile or cornice.

I saw a very remarkable instance of variation from
the ordinary situation of the nest of the martin in the

166 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST,

summer of 1864. The nest was built of the usual
materials, but was placed on the top batten of a door in
the wall of the gardens at Rufford Abbey, the batten
being very broad, and extending to within a few inches
of the top of the door. The nest was not only attached
firmly to the door, but also to the lintel, and when first
discovered had to be cut away from the latter in order
that the door might be opened. This, however, did not
divert the intentions of the parent birds: the eggs were
duly laid and duly hatched; and when I saw it the
young birds were nearly ready for flight. The door was
in constant use, being opened thirty or forty times a
day ; but this frequent and sometimes sudden motion
seemed in no way to alarm either old or young, the
latter suffering me to touch them.

The martin, like the swallow, is fond of frequenting
the ruts and gutters of roads for the purpose of picking
up the mud with which it builds, which, it is very
evident, is rendered more retentive by being tempered
with the saliva of the bird. Insome districts, where the
soil is a strong clay, as it is a few miles from Ollerton,
little tempering may be needed ; but in our own neigh-
bourhood, where the soil is very ight and sandy, more
preparation of the kind would, we should think, be
necessary ; yet with materials so different the nests they
build with us are not less strong than those they erect
in the clay villages.

A house opposite my own has been resorted to year
by year as long as I can remember. There, under the
eaves of the tiled roof, five or six nests were always
placed. Sometimes, on account of the annoyance occa-
sioned by their excrement, the occupant of the house
caused those to be broken down which were directly

PERCHING BIRDS. 167

over the door or windows, the others being left unmo-
lested. The latter were always retenanted in the spring
after receiving needful repairs, and new ones would be
‘built on the foundations of the old ones, or occasionally
a fresh site would be selected.

In my notice of the sparrow I have mentioned their
fondness for taking possession of a martin’s nest during
their temporary absence. The martins were alwaysgreatly
distressed by the aggression, flying wildly to and fro, and
by their cries of alarm bringing a large number of their
fellows to the rescue; but no active measures were
taken, they contenting themselves by incessantly flying
up to the entrance of the nest and giving utterance to
their strong indignation—which, as a faithful chronicler,
I am bound to say appeared to be entirely disregarded
by the sparrow. Rarely has a summer passed without
this scene being repeated two or three times in the same
group of nests; and being just opposite to my own win-
dows, it afforded me a great fund of amusement.

In 1835 a pair of martins built their nest under the
eaves of a house at Sutton, a village a few miles distant ;
but during a violent thunderstorm it was partly
demolished, and two young unfledged birds fell from it
to the ground, but were apparently uninjured. The
owner of the house, with great humanity, directed one
of his men to procure a ladder; a board was placed
under the nest, and secured by a couple of iron holdfasts,
and the nest was then repaired with clay as well as it
could be, a little cotton wool added to make good the
lining. When this was done, the two young ones were
replaced in the nest; but the most extraordinary part
was that the parent bird, which was in the nest at the
time part of it fell, remained sitting in the uninjured

168 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

portion during the whole time it was being repaired,
without exhibiting any alarm at the unusual proceed-
ings. When all was finished, and her young ones
restored, she flew around for some minutes, chirping
cheerfully ail the time, as if expressing her thanks for
the kindness shown her.

The martin is much infested with a very disgusting-
looking insect, as large, or larger, than the common bug.
I have seen them swarm so thickly on some that the
birds were rendered quite incapable of flight. I picked
up one in this condition from the gravel walk in my
garden. The poor thing manifested no alarm; buta
glance told me the reason of this, as the bugs were creep-
ing in and out of its feathers in numbers. I took it to
the stream at the bottom of my garden, and got rid of
its tormentors in the same way as the fox is reported to
do. It seemed really grateful for the assistance, and as
soon as the operation was completed flew off with the
greatest alacrity.

The next species, the Sand Martin (H. riparia), is,
if possible, more subject still to these insect pests, and it
is rather singular that two years after the occurrence I
have just mentioned, I found in my garden a sand
martin in a precisely similar condition, and freed it in
the same manner. I have sometimes found their nests
abound with fleas, and this was particularly the case
with a group of some twenty nests which had been
excavated in the sides of a shallow gravel pit in the
forest. The pit was not more than five feet deep on its
steepest side, and the holes were formed in a stratum of
slightly hardened sand, which was only ten or twelve
inches beneath the heather-covered surface of the
ground. At least a third of these had been abandoned ;

PERCHING BIRDS. 169

for, wishing to satisfy myself on several points of their
economy, I took the opportunity of the nests being
within easy reach to examine them. All the empty
ones, with the exception of one, swarmed with fleas, and
I have no doubt had been forsaken from that cause.

This little swallow generally arrives from a week to a
fortnight before either of the others ; in some instances I
have known it make its first appearance in March, quite
regardless of the bleak cold winds. It is not, with us
at least, seen much in the neighbourhood of houses, but
prefers to seek its food over the meadows, and especially
over water ; the stream that flows through the outskirts
of the village is always frequented, while I have rarely
seen them in the street.

The flight of the sand martin, though rapid, is much
less powerful than that of either the swallow or the
martin, and I rarely remember to have seen it at those
great altitudes attained by the latter in fine weather ; it
appears to prefer skimming just above the surface of
either stream or meadow.

It is a pretty sight to watch a sandbank where their
nests are abundant at the time they have young ones.
Both parents take their part in feeding them, and dur-
ing the greater part of the day it is seldom that many
seconds elapse without one or other of them arriving
with a supply. They are notwithstanding very discur-
sive, and I have seen them constantly hawking for
flies between two and three miles from their nearest
nests.

The Swift (Cypselws apus), though found in all parts
of England, is very variable in regard to the numbers
frequenting any particular locality. In some I know,
two or three pairs are the most I have seen, while in

170 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

our own district it is abundant ; but nowhere, I believe,
does it equal in numbers either of the other hirundines.
They are of social habit, delighting to hunt in company,
generally in parties of from two to eight or ten pairs ;
and few sights are more beautiful than to watch a flock
as they dart past like an arrow, or wheel with impetuous
flight round the church tower, squealing all the time as
if in the very exuberance of unfettered liberty and joy ;
and unfettered it truly is, for in the power, rapidity, and
elegance of its ordinary flight, and its untiring activity,
it has few rivals and still fewer equals.

The swift’s period of residence with us is a very brief
one, rarely exceeding two months and a half. No
avant-courier precedes their arrivai, which is sudden
and simultaneous; one day none are to be seen, and the
next they are in full force, making the air ring with
their shrill cry. Their departure is also equally sudden,
though not always so simultaneous, as now and then you
may meet with a pair detained, perhaps for a week or
two after their friends have departed, by domestic cares.
The first week in May is the usual time of their appear-
ance; but in 1854 I remarked an exception to the
general rule, a single bird making its appearance on the
4th of April. This is the earliest date, and the 15th of
May the latest, on which I have noted their arrival.

Some writers say the swift sometimes lays three or
four eggs, but I never met with more than two. The
old ducal mansions in our neighbourhood are always
tenanted by several pairs, and the roofs of old houses are
also frequented, the birds gaining entrance under the
pantiles. These last are the most favourite resorts of
the house sparrow, whose nest, I believe, is very fre-
quently made use of by the swift without the owner's

PERCHING BIRDS. 171

permission. The hollow limbs of the old oaks in the
forest are also chosen, though but very seldom.

The heathy character of our forests and parks is very
favourably adapted to the habits and requirements of
the Nightjar (Caprimulgus Europeus), and during its
brief visit it is here numerously distributed. Its common
appellation is the fern-owl, for its jarring note is well
known to every one; but yet few are familiar with its
form, or would recognise in the day, the bird which they
have chiefly seen darkly glancing in the dim and fading
twilight, or perhaps only heard. It seldom makes its
appearance in the daytime, but even then it does not
exhibit that half sleepy, half stupid character which
some of our other nocturnal birds do. I have met with
it when it has been perched in its usual position length-
wise on a bough; when basking on a grassy bank in the
sunshine ; and once when busily engaged in half burying
itself in a patch of loose dry sand ; and on each occasion,
although it allowed me to approach within a short dis-
tance, it showed itself quite awake to its own safety.
At one time I attributed this fearlessness to stupidity,
and meeting one day with one sitting on a grassy ride
in the forest, it allowed me to approach so closely that I
flattered myself I could effect its capture, and accord-
ingly pounced on it with hat in hand. It took wing in
a moment, settling again about a dozen yards further
on, when I repeated my experiment with a like result,
and then came to the conclusion that I was the more
stupid of the two.

The nightjar is one of our latest visitors, generally
arriving about the middle of May, though, like many
other of our migratory birds, its arrival is hastened or
retarded by atmospheric causes. I have seen them as

172 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

early as the 21st of April (1847), and in 1853 I neither
heard nor saw one until the 4th of June; this was very
late indeed, but it was a most ungenial season, as may
be gathered from the fact that on the night of the 13th
of May there were four degrees of frost, and so cold and
backward did the weather continue that there was little
grass in the meadows on the Ist of June.

The flight of the nightjar is very light and buoyant,
and almost as noiseless as that of the owls; though,
from the nature of its food, the necessity for the latter
quality is not apparent. When hawking for food it
glides in graceful circles round the trees, every now and
then doubling on its course in the most rapid and sudden
manner. From close observation, I am of opinion that
these abrupt turns are not mere capricious changes in
its line of flight, but are occasioned by its making a dart
at a moth or chafer. I have repeatedly tested this by
throwing up a small stone as the bird flew over my head,
when it would invariably make a plunge at it in the way
I have described.

After the young are hatched, the parent birds are
very watchful against any approach to them; and when
walking in the forest in the evening I have constantly
had them swoop at my head in a threatening manner,
and sometimes so closely as to touch my hat with their
wings. During the day the female rarely leaves either
her eggs or young, and if disturbed feigns lameness, in
the manner of the partridge, to draw off her enemy.

The use of the serrated claw of the goatsucker has
been, and still is, a disputed question. I have watched
the birds closely in a district where they are particularly
plentiful, and have spent much time in carefully endea-
vouring to discover the purpose for which this claw is

PERCHING BIRDS. 173

used. White’s idea that the bird captures insects with
its foot, and that the toothed claw is to give it a firmer
grasp, 1s a pretty one, though I do not think this is its
usual practice ; if it is, we might suppose that a careful
observer could not fail in time to mark the action of the
leg as it struck at its prey; but during many years’
attentive observation I have failed in seeing it used in
this way. Bishop Stanley is of White’s opinion, and
says that its singular habit of “dropping or tumbling
over as if shot” is in consequence of the bird losing its
balance as it puts its food into its mouth with its foot.
I believe, however, an examination of the claw itself
would be against White's theory. It is slightly flattened
and curved outwards, and it is the inner or convex edge
that is pectinated, not the under side, which would
make it the most effective instrument for grasping.
Then the kestrel, which is known to catch cockchafers
with its foot, should also have a serrated claw, but it is
entirely devoid of anything of the kind.

Alexander Wilson’s opinion is that in the American
species it is employed for the purpose of freeing the
plumage of the head from vermin, that, he says, “being
the principal and almost only part so infested in all
birds ;” but why, then, are not all birds furnished with
a similar comb ?

There is yet a third theory—viz., that the said comb
is used to straighten the vibrissee with which the bill is
furnished, and which may get clogged or bent in use.
The singular tumbling over during flight, which White
and Bishop Stanley think is due to the bird losing its
balance whilst putting an insect into its mouth, might
with equal reason be attributed to the action of combing
out the vibrissee. Here again a difficulty meets us; one

174 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

of the American species, and the whole of the Australian
genus Hwrostopodus, have the rictus without bristles,
and yet have the claw strongly pectinated.

All these theories are plausible, and I believe all may
be occasionally exemplified. The feathers of the head
may be infested with vermin, and the bird then natu-
rally uses its foot as the only instrument whereby it can
free itself from its tormentors, and so brings its toothed
claw into use. Again, chafers and other large insects
may be at times caught with the foot, in the manner of
the kestrel ; the long bristles of the rictus may become
clogged or displaced in use ; the foot again is the only
means at the bird’s disposal for straightening them, and
in this the toothed claw may assist. I cannot think,
however, that any of these uses is the one for which
most of the species of this family are furnished by their
Creator’s wisdom with an instrument so peculiar. ;

My own observations have long led me to suspect
another use. JI am not sure whether the same idea has
not been mentioned by some naturalist, though I know
not by whom; but, apart from this, I am more and
more convinced of its probability, and it has been still
further confirmed by a minute examination of the foot
of our European species, as well as some exotic ones.

The larger number of species composing the family
of the Caprimulgidz do not perch across a bough, as
all other perching birds do, but lengthwise; and it is
for this peculiar use that I believe the foot to be spe-
cially formed.

In the ordinary position of perching birds, the twig
or bough is grasped by the foot, and thus a firm hold
is obtained, the weight of the body, by tightening the
tendons, increasing the stability ; but it is evident the

PERCHING BIRDS. 175

nightjar cannot effect any grasp of the bough as it sits
lengthwise, and therefore the necessary firm position is
obtained in other ways. It will be seen by any one who
will take the trouble to examine it, that the serratures
on the centre claws are therefore placed in exactly the
best position for preventing the foot from slipping side-
ways; and this is still further provided against by the
hind toe projecting forwards and inwards—so much so,
indeed, that it has the appearance of being inserted on
the inner side of the foot ; and the whole organ is thus
admirably adapted for its designed use.

It is worthy of remark, as tending to corroborate my
theory, that there are one or two Australian species
(Podargus and Agotheles), and at least one in South
America, which have the middle claw smooth and the
hind toe directed backwards. This variation in struc- -
ture leads, as might be expected, to a corresponding
difference in the use of the organ; and we consequently
find that they do not perch sideways, but across, and
also hop from bough to bough.

I do not put this view forward as the undoubted solu-
tion of the disputed point, but think that from both
positive and negative evidence the probabilities are in
its favour.

There is a peculiarity about the jarring note of the
nightjar which I have never seen mentioned by any
writer. This peculiar sound consists of two notes, ut-
tered alternately—one a third lower than the other—
the highest being evidently made when the breath is
expelled, and the lowest when it is inspired ; and thus
the jar is continued without intermission for a much
longer time than would otherwise be possible.

Mr, Jesse, in his Gleanings, says, “ they continue their

176 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST,

jarring note for a long space together, without seeming
to draw breath,’ considering that the two notes are
sounded during one expiration; but I have frequently
heard their “jar” sustained for two, three, and some-
times four minutes, and I cannot conceive it could do
shis without taking breath; yet it is easily accounted for
if my conjecture is correct. At any rate, the alternation
of the two notes is so constant that it seems strange it
has never been noticed.

I believe this jarring note is invariably uttered when
the bird is perching, and never when it is on the wing,

and it is not commenced for a week or ten days after its _

arrival. It has another short, sharp note, like the sylla-
ble “dek,” which it utters during flight, and especially
when any one approaches its haunts.

The eggs are usually marbled with light brown and ash
colour on a white ground; but in 1856 I took two from
a mossy hollow on the forest, in which the ground colour
was yellowish white, marked with distinct spots of ash
colour and brown without any streaks or marblings, the
spots being accumulated at one end,and forming an irregu-
lar zone. At the time I found them the female was on
the eggs, and sat immovably until I was within two yards
of her, when she flew off, feigning lameness at first, and
afterwards flew around me for some minutes as if
desirous of intimidating me:

Of the family of the Columbide, three species are all
that I can number—viz., the Ring Dove (C. palumbus),
the Stock Dove (C. nas), and the Turtle Dove (C.turtur).

Amongst our numerous woods and plantations the
ring dove is plentifully distributed. It is an indiscrimi-
nate feeder on seeds of every kind; and, though well
provided with abundance of beech-mast and acorns, it

y

er

PERCHING BIRDS. 177

levies heavy contributions on the crops of the farmer. In
one way or other, however, it has with us been pretty
well kept in check, but the indiscriminate destruction of
birds of prey is leading to a gradual increase in num-
bers, though they are not seen in those large flocks
which in Scotland and the north of England have com-
mitted such serious depredations as to awaken public
attention to the matter.

Few of our native birds are shyer in their habits, or
more difficult to approach within gunshot. I have often
walked to a clump of trees where a pair have been roost-
ing, but they would invariably take flight from the
highest part of the trees and as far out of danger as pos-
sible, never giving me the possibility of even a long
shot, and this I have found to be their general habit.
Mr. St. John, in his last interesting work,* remarks on
the somewhat unusual tameness of these wild and wary
birds, that they built in some shrubs close to his house
and not above six feet from the ground, where, when
sitting, they allowed the members of his family to pass
without showing the least alarm. _I have recently been
told by a friend of a similar instance near his own
house.

It would seem almost impossible for any bird to build
a frailer nest than the wood pigeon, and I have often
wondered that the eggs do not fall, or are not blown off
by the wind from the slight platform on which they are
laid, and through which you may sometimes see them
from below. I remember one instance in which a pair
had selected a young birch tree as the site for their nur-
sery, the stoutest bough of which was not more than an

* Natural History and Sport in Moray. 1863.
N

178 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

inch and a half in diameter; but it was on one very
much smaller than this, and close to the stem, that this
apology for a nest was placed. It was formed of very
slender birch twigs; but they had been so sparingly
used that it was simply a piece of lattice work, through
which the two eggs were distinctly visible from the
ground, the distance being about twelve or fourteen
feet. One of these eggs was very much larger than the
other—a peculiarity I have noticed on several other
occasions. I knew an instance in which a wood pigeon
chose a very singular site for her nest; this was none
other than a rabbit hole. A pigeon had frequently
been seen coming out of this hole ; the mouth was there-
fore stopped, and a cut made at some distance from it ;
on reaching the hole the hen bird was taken, with two
eggs which she had laid.

In April, 1861, Mr. Sterling Howard communicated
to the Sheffield Literary and Philosophical Society, a
most remarkable instance of the selection of unusual
materials for their nests by a number of domestic pigeons,
and these were no other than horsenails! He said,
“ Over one end of the blacksmith’s shop is a rude loft,
in which are a number of boxes, the domiciles of the
pigeons. The nails, which were abstracted from canvas
bags and other receptacles, were of the ordinary kind for
horseshoes, of various sizes, some new, others old and
crooked. They were, however, laid with some regard to
comfort, inasmuch as the points were not allowed to pro-
ject upwards, but without any admixture of softer mate-
rials This is the more singular as there was abundance
of straw, shavings, &c., in the neighbourhood. On these
‘iron beds’ the birds had laid their eggs, which were
just ready for hatching when the discovery was made of

PERCHING BIRDS. 179

the use to which the nails were applied. The nails,
when removed, filled a watering-can holding about two
gallons, one of the nests containing more than fourteen
pounds weight.”

The Stock Dove (C. enas) is not uncommon, mingling,
in the winter more especially, with the small flocks of
ring doves. I never found the nest on the ground,
where it is stated to be frequently placed; but I knew
a very large and almost globular mass of ivy in the fork
of an ash tree, in Blythe-corner Wood, in the close
recesses of which a pair of stock doves reared their
young for several years together. I do not think this
Species is so numerous with us as the preceding one, but
it is still plentiful.

The latter word cannot, however, be applied to the
Turtle Dove (C. turtur), one or two specimens being all
that I have noted, though some have been killed in
other parts of the county. I have never known it nest
with us, and it can only be considered a rare straggler.

N 2

180

CHAPTER V.
GAME BIRDS.

HE Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) abounds on all
the estates in the forest district, and to such an ex-
tent that few would credit the immense numbers. They
are almost as tame as harn-door fowls, and may be seen
on the skirts of various plantations. Carefully tended
and fed, and all their natural enemies destroyed, they
become so accustomed to the presence of man that in
many parts they will hardly take the trouble to get out
of the way, and are scarcely entitled to the appellation
of wild. Under circumstances so favourable they mul-
tiply rapidly, but a natural limit seems to be set to their
increase, and frequently where they are most abundant
large numbers are found dead without apparent cause.
These are always exceedingly fat, and their plumage in
the glossiest condition ; they seem to drop down and die
without a struggle. I have had them brought to me in
this state, and have found their flesh plump and of
good colour, and every feather smooth and perfect. The
mortality from this cause is sometimes great, but it
is only what might be expected when natural laws are
interfered with; a farmer might as well attempt to keep
an unlimited stock of sheep on his pastures. A remark-
able instance of a similar result occurred in 1859 on Ailsa
Craig. For some years previous to this date, every

GAME BIRDS. 181

enemy of the sea-birds, ravens, falcons, &c., had been
killed off by the tenant of the rock, that his own gains
might be multiplied. Without their natural checks the
sea-fowl increased beyond the resources which either the
rock or the sea in the immediate neighbourhood could
yield, and at the time of their annual migration in Sep-
tember, old and young died off in thousands, literally
covering the sea for miles with their dead bodies.
The grouse disease may be attributed to the same
destruction of nature’s police, the birds of prey, who if
they had been left alone would have wed out the weakly
birds, leaving the strongest to continue the race, whereas
the sportsman does the contrary, killing the strong
flying bird that rises first. When will game-preservers
learn to value their best friends?

In addition to the ordinary plumage we have two
varieties. All male birds possess a small tuft of feathers
springing from over each ear, though a casual observer
might fail to detect them; but a variety occurs in which
these tufts (each composed of seven or eight feathers),
are much lengthened, and form two prominent horns,
especially conspicuous when the bird is excited, and
giving it quite an imposing appearance. The most dis-
tinct variety is one with a ring of white round the neck,
clear and well defined. It was introduced on the Rufford
estate some years ago, and has so greatly increased that
it is now commonly met with. Individuals irregularly
pied with white are occasionally seen.

A very singular variety was shot several years ago
near Edwinstowe, and was shown to me by the person
who shot it; it was a cock bird, but the whole of the
plumage was stone-coloured, with the usual black mark-
ings on the feathers.

182 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

T have been favoured by the Rev. C. Thompson, rector
of Kirton near Ollerton, with some particulars of two
birds which he shot in Kirton Wood, in October, 1865.
From the description he has sent me, I think it most pro-
bable that they were hybrids between the blackcock and
the pheasant. The first was shot in an isolated part of
the wood, and proved to be a female. It was about the
size of a blackcock, with naked legs and feet. The
plumage on the back and neck was mottled brown and
black, very similar to the back of the common snipe ;
breast and belly, brownish-white, not unlike the breast
of a wild duck; tail square, with the two centre feathers
rather longer than the rest, and the whole of them
slightly tipped with white. Mr. Thompson had seen
this bird in the same wood the previous winter, and she
had also been noticed in the summer with two nearly
full-grown young ones, in a cornfield near. She was killed
on the 3rd of October, and on the following day Mr.
Thompson shot in the same wood a male bird equally
remarkable in its peculiarities. Its size was about that
of a cock pheasant, but the whole of the plumage of
the body was mottled black and brown; the head was
black ; neck, very dark glossy green; a ring of bright
scarlet skin round the eye; iris black; tail similar in
suape to that of a cock pheasant, but shorter, the colour
dark brown, having each feather tipped with black;
legs and feet naked.

Mr. Thompson thinks, and with great probability, that
this bird was the offspring of the hen he shot the day
before, one of the two young ones previously mentioned.

I much regret that these two birds were not pre-
served ; but Mr. Thompson was not aware of their value
as instances of hybridism.

: »
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GAME BIRDS. 183

Naturalists have frequently noticed the fact that the
hen pheasant will sometimes partially assume the plu-
mage of the male. Montagu says, “in confinement ;”
and adds, “in a state of nature this circumstance pro-
bably does not take place. It is not, however, restricted
to birds in confinement, for I have met with well-defined
instances of it in wild birds. It is rarely that the full
plumage of the male is assumed; but the change is
most frequently confined to the head, neck, and breast,
the black margins on the feathers of the latter not being
so well defined as in the male, and consequently the
contrast does not appear so rich. Sometimes the spurs
are put on also.

In March, 1854, I met with a well-marked instance
of this singular change. The head and neck were of
the usual purplish green, and the bare skin around the
eye bright scarlet ; the breast and shoulders were glossy
golden red, especially the former, each feather possess-
ing the ordinary broad margin of velvety black. The
rest of the plumage was entirely that of the female, but
the change was further indicated by a small pair of
spurs. This assumption by the female of the plumage
of the other sex is well known to be produced by
diseased ovaries, and is not necessarily connected with
age.

I have before me the notes of a remarkable instance
of transformation from the same cause in a domestic
fowl of the black bantam kind, which belonged to my
friend Mr. T. Sissons of Hull, by whom. she was bred.
Up to the age of seven years she laid abundance of eggs
at all seasons, but never sat, or showed any wish to incu-
bate. . In her eighth year she ceased to lay, and began
to assume the male dress, which in the following year

184 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

was so fully attained, that no one ignorant of the change
which had taken place would have had the least con-
ception of her sex. Every characteristic of the male
was put on; the comb and wattles became prominent,
the long arched feathers of the tail, as wellasthe droop-
ing hackles of the scapularies, were completely developed ;
and, to crown the metamorphosis, she had a formidable
pair of spurs, an inch and a half long, and the scales
down the front of the tarsi were very large. In this
dress she lived until she was sixteen years old, when
she died of a decay of nature.

Of the genus Tetrao I can include two species—viz.,
Tetrix and Scoticus. Black grouse (Tf. Tetrix) occur
in scattered pairs all over the heathy parts of the forest,
but in two localities (Inkersal Forest and Coleorton
Corner) are rather plentiful. They are, of course, care-
fully preserved, and on the first-named spot as good a
bag has been occasionally made as on some of the
northern moors. Though fitted for imbhabiting the
ground, the blackcock is by no means a bad percher,
and in several instances during spring time, when I
have disturbed them during my walks, I have seen them
fly off, making a circuitous route, and then settle on a
bough of one of the old oaks, where they seemed quite
at home. I have the eggs taken from the forest. My
claim to include the Red Grouse (T’. scotsews) in my
list rests on a single male bird which was shot at Bever-
cotes in November, 1860, a solitary straggler from its
northern home.

In the cultivated parts of the district the Partridge
(Perdia cinerea) is most abundant, for it is closely and
carefully preserved. It is, however, by no means con-
fined to the arable lands, but is plentiful on the heathy

=”

GAME BIRDS. 185

parts of the forest, where the numerous ant hills furnish
a rich supply of food for the young. Its affection for
its eggs and young, and its devices to conceal them, or
to entice intruders from the vicinity, are well known to
every country resident, and often as I have witnessed
its solicitude, it has always been with renewed interest.
I once came suddenly on a brood of young ones, who
could not have been more than a day or two old; they
were accompanied by both old ones, and were busily
feeding on an ant-hill in the midst of the moss and
heather. On my unexpected appearance, the cock bird
tumbled off on one side and the hen on the other, with
well-feigned Jameness. Out of curiosity, I threw myself
on the ground and tried to secure some of the young
ones ; but, to my surprise, it wasin vain. A few seconds
before, there were ten or a dozen of them in a spot
scarcely larger than my hat, but before J was down on
my knees, they were dispersed in all directions amongst
the surrounding heather, and I failed to capture one of
them. I could not help admiring the instinct which
prompted these tiny things to such instant and energetic
action, for it could not have been acquired by imitation
or experience.

The partridge is not readily disturbed from her eggs,
but will sit closely until the last moment. One which
had laid her eggs in the bottom of the hedge dividing
my garden from the field, covered up her eggs every
time she left the nest. This, I think, is not a usual
practice ; but as the garden was constantly frequented,
it was no doubt adopted as a special contrivance against
detection.

How singular it is that some of our native birds have
become so accustomed to the strange sights and sounds

186 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

of our railways ; and how soon they have acquired the
knowledge that to them they threaten no danger! I
have seen partridges feeding in a field within ten yards
of a railway, and taking not the slightest notice of a
rapidly-passing train ; and a little further on a common
peewit was equally unconcerned. I once counted sixteen
martins sitting on the telegraph wires at the Hitchin
station of the Great Northern Railway ; they not only
manifested no alarm, but seemed actually to derive plea-
sure from the trains passing to and fro. Even the
whistle of the engine failed to startlethem. I have also
known several instances of the house-sparrow building
its nest in the ornamental iron brackets supporting the
projecting roofs of some of the stations on the Liverpool
and Manchester railway, where the traffic is almost con-
stant, and where every train passes within four or five feet
of the brackets. With the pert and familiar sparrow this
is not so surprising, but with the others I have named,
who are naturally timid, it offers a point of interesting
consideration.

The Red-legged Partridge (P. rubra) has occurred
in one or two instances with us, but they were mere
stragglers.

The Quail (P. cotwrniz) is occasionally met with, but
it is seldom that more than one bird occurs at a time.
A friend of mine shot two in one day in 1848, in a field
on the banks of the Maun, about seven miles from
Ollerton. I cannot call this species a constant resident.

a a eee

187

CHAPTER VI.

WADING BIRDS.

NE of the regrets necessarily attendant upon pro-
gress and improvement, is that arising from the
gradual extinction of much that once excited our
admiration or interest. This is especially the case in
the natural history of our country, where the advance
in agricultural improvement, by draining our marshes
and reclaiming our moors and forests, has been the
means of banishing many races of animals which once
were plentiful. Hence, while rejoicing at the increase
in the material wealth of the country, and the general
well-being of our population, the lover of nature cannot
but regret the loss of some of our finest indigenous
species of animals. The noble bustard and the stately
crane have become matters of history as far as England
is concerned, while many others are only known by the
occurrence, at long intervals, of solitary individuals, who
are no sooner seen than they are shot; and others
again, though permanently residing with us, are by the
gradual invasion of their haunts slowly but surely
diminishing. |.
But though the great bustard may be considered
extinct as far as England is concerned, its representa-
tive in miniature, the Little Bustard (Otis tetraa) occa-

188 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

sionally appéars, though only as a winter visitor. As
such I am able to include it in my list, a single
individual having been killed at South Clifton on the
21st December, 1866. It is singular that birds of this
species should occasionally wander so far from their
haunts on the plains of Southern Russia, and at such
a season. Rarely more than a solitary bird is seen at a
time, and it receives but a poor welcome.

Amongst the birds becoming scarcer every year is the
Thick-knee (Zdienemus crepitans), or, as it is also
called, the great plover or stone curlew. Though scarce
enough to be an object of interest, it is yet by no means
a rare species, and regularly frequents many parts of
our bare sandy forest land which are suitable to its
habits. It used to breed on a large rabbit warren at
Oxton, but the greater part of this has now been in-
closed, and the thick-knee has disappeared with the
solitude. I have known it also occur on Walesby Breck,
and on the sheepwalks in the neighbourhood of Inkersal
it may frequently be seen and heard. I have noted
their arrival as early as the 17th of March. Its habit
of resting in the daytime and squatting under cover of
stones or bushes renders it difficult to detect in places
which it is known to visit. It feeds and migrates in the
night; every summer I have heard its well-known loud
shrill cry, as it flew over my head in the darkness, most
frequently during the season of its arrival.

The Golden Plover (Charadrius pluvialis) occurs in
varying numbers, chiefly in early spring and summer.
On the banks of the Trent it assembles in large flocks
in winter, but in cur own immediate neighbourhood I
never met with it at that season, with the exception of
two that were killed on the farm of Leyfields on the

WADING BIRDS. 189

10th of January, 1856; these were male and female.
A few pairs breed with us every year, frequenting for
that purpose the flood meadows between Ollerton and
Clipstone. On Carbreck farm I have sometimes seen
them in company with the lapwing.

The Grey Plover (Vanellus melanogaster) is occa-
sionally seen in winter, but not in great numbers. One
was shot a few years since by Mr. H. Wells in summer.
This was on Edwinstowe Forest, and is the only one I
have known of at that season.

The Lapwing (Vanellus cristatus) is common all
over the district, and is to a large extent migratory,
arriving with us in March, and leaving again about
November. The wide extent of Thoresby Park is a
favourite resort, as well as the moor-like parts of the
forest and the large exposed fields on the forest farms.
Here they regularly breed; and though the eggs are
sometimes collected, they are not found in such numbers
as to make it so profitable an employment as it is in
some of the eastern counties. I have often been misled
when in search of the eggs by the enticements and
manceuvres of the parent birds, notwithstanding my
knowledge of their practice. While the female is on
the nest the male is seldom far distant, and on the
approach of an intruder wheels and tumbles around very
closely, in order to entice him from his partner. The
latter on leaving the nest runs quickly for a short
distance before taking wing, and by this device renders
it difficult to detect the exact spot she has left, and this
is increased by the colour of the eggs themselves.

Few birds are more in keeping with a retired country
scene, or add more to its picturesque beauty, than the
Heron (Ardea cinerea), whether it is a winding sedgy

190 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

stream, or the wider expanse of lake or mere in which
it takes its stand. The attitude in which it is generally
seen is one of pensive quietude, for unless the observer
is an early riser, or a watcher in the dim evening twi-
light, he does not behold it in its more active moods.

The island on the large sheet of water in Thoresby
Park was long the resort of four or five pair of herons,
who built their nests on the tall trees with which it is
thickly covered. Here in the daytime some were gene-
rally to be seen in watchful inactivity, sometimes standing
in the shallow water a few yards from the bank, but
more generally roosting on the trunk of a large silver
willow, which, growing on the margin of the island, had
given way and fallen until it lay at a slight inclination,
or on the large projecting arm of another that grew close
by. Though the island is a long way from the shore,
and very far beyond the reach of a gun, they invariably
took flight if any one stood on the mainland opposite ;
and it was a pretty sight to watch them wheeling high
in the air, or flying off to a wood on the further shore
of the lake, where on the tops of the highest trees they.
would perch to keep guard against their enemy.

I have often approached to the edge of the shore
under cover of the thick shrubs, and with a telescope
have been delighted to watch their movements. It has
surprised me to see that even those that appeared the
most listless and unconcerned were extremely vigilant,
their bright eye marking everything that moved around.
Sometimes a mallard or a teal would come flying by,
with a loud warning “quack,” when the herons would
be on the gui vive in an instant, ready to take wing at
the smallest sign that indicated danger.

It is amusing to see them perch on the top of a tree;

= g ae

Te ee ee | ee ee

WADING BIRDS. 191

their long legs appear as if quite in the way, and they
sway backwards and forwards like a pendulum for a few
times until they have found the centre of gravity.

This little colony never increased in numbers; for
some years no young were reared at all, the egos being
destroyed by the carrion crows, who seemed to have a
particular spite against them. I have seen a heron when
flying over the island, give active chase to a hooded
crow that came by, pursuing it fiercely, and uttering
shrill cries, as if aware of hoodie’s propensity. They
cannot, however, suffer from its depredations, as the
hooded crow leaves us for the sea-side before the eggs of
the heron are laid.

The herons on the island did not by any means con-
fine themselves to Thoresby, but frequented the lakes in
Welbeck and Rufford Parks, and the surrounding streams.
I have written of them in the past, for I regret to say
all the birds were shot by the keepers in 1856. Their
depredations were so great, both in the lake and in the
streams, that it was determined to sacrifice them, and
one by one they became victims to the proscription.

A few years since a heron was found dead on the
edge of a fish-pond at Walling Wells, the seat of Sir
T. W, White. The way in which it lost its life was very
singular. In the pursuit of its prey it had struck its
bill completely through the body of a large eel, near the
head, without immediately killing it, but the eel in its
death struggles had coiled itself round the neck of the
heron, as well as round some aquatic plants on the
bank, and both were found dead in that position.
Curiously enough, an exactly similar occurrence was re-
corded and figured in the Illustrated London News
in January last.

192 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

My notices of the next six or seven birds are very
meagre, for they are mostly stragglers in our dis-
trict, and some indeed but occasional visitors to our
shores.

I have notes of the Bittern (Ardea stellaris) occurring
on four occasions ; one in 1846, shot in a willow holt on
the banks of the Trent, near Nottingham, a second in
the next garden but one to my own in 1853, a third on
the water at Carburton in 1863, and a fourth in a boggy
place on the margin of a small stream in Welbeck Park
in 1866. We have few, if any, haunts suitable for the
permanent residence of this handsome bird, and indeed,
throughout the country there are comparatively few
spots where now can be heard what Scott graphically

calls
“The bittern’s sounding drum,
Booming from the sedgy shallow,”

and they are yearly becoming scarcer. The bird I have
mentioned as killed near my garden was shot in mid-
winter, during a long and hard frost, and was little more
than skin and bone. It had fared badly indeed, and
had lost its fear of man, for it made no attempt to
escape when perceived by the person who shot it.

A few specimens of the Curlew (Vumenius arquata)
are occasionally seen on Inkersal Forest during the time
of their vernal migration, but I am not aware of their
breeding there; I have also seen a solitary one on the
edge of the lake at Thoresby. Every spring small par-
ties may be seen in the daytime passing high over head
on their way to their breeding places on the Yorkshire
moors; oftener at night I have heard their well-known
clear shrill whistle, uttered by cne of a party when it
has been too dark to see them, and in a few seconds the

WADING BIRDS. 193

cry was taken up by one and another as they passed,
and had a peculiarly wild effect.

The Redshank (Totanus calidris) is the next of our
visitors, but at rare intervals. I have only known of
three, all occurring in the winter. One was killed in a
small boggy piece of ground bordering the stream on
the outskirts of the village ; another, a young female, was
shot in 1859, in a meadow on Carbrecks farm, while
feeding.

The Common Sandpiper (7. hypoleucos) occurs spar-
ingly on our streams, but I never met with more than
a pair atatime. <A low-lying meadow a short distance
from my garden was frequently chosen by a pair as
their summer residence, and their lively habits added
a charm to the quiet stream on whose banks they fed.
If left unmolested they would doubtless have bred there,
but they generally, alas! fell victims to the mania for
shooting everything strange.

My claim to include the Greenshank (7. glottis) in
my list rests on the occurrence of a single individual
seen by my father many years ago on the same
piece of swampy ground which I mentioned as having
sheltered the redshank. It rose on his approach, and
flew slowly away, and was not seen again.

The same remark applies to a bird which is still more
seldom seen—the Avocet (Recurvirostra avocetia). On
the 24th of July, 1856, one was seen in a meadow on
the banks of the stream at Edwinstowe by a boy, who
of course did not know what the strange bird was. He
managed in some way to steal upon it so closely as to
kill it by a stroke of a stick. It proved to be a young
bird, in good condition, but in immature plumage. It
is not often that this bird comes inland; even when

Oo

194 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

more plentiful than it now is, it was chiefly on the low.
mud flats and marshes bordering the sea that it was
to be found during its summer visits, and on the latter
that it deposited its eggs. The bird I have mentioned
may have been bred in the Lincolnshire marshes.

Of still greater rarity is the Black-winged Stilt (H7-
mantopus melanopterus), and I am pleased to be able
to note its appearance, though only on one occasion.
This was on the 30th of January, 1848, when one was
seen standing in a ditch of shallow water in an ash-
holt at Perlethorpe,-by Mr. Mansell and his father. It
was apparently feeding when they caught sight of it,
and on being disturbed rose with a shrill “squeal,”
flying low in the direction of the river that bounds the
ash holt. Mr. M. would have shot it had not his father
stood in the way, so it continued its course unharmed.
Its extraordinary long legs gave it a most singular
appearance when standing in the water, and still more
so during flight, for they were then carried stretched
out behind, and the clear contrast afforded by its black
and white plumage and red legs was very striking. It
was doubtless a visitor from the Continent, for this
species has, I believe, been seldom seen of late years in
this country.

The Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa melanura) and
the Bar-tailed Godwit (L. rufw) are occasionally met
with; more frequently the former, which is not un-
common on the banks of the Trent in the neighbour-
hood of Nottingham ; but both are but stragglers.

The Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) is generally con-
sidered as a winter visitor, retiring in the spring to
Northern Europe for the purpose of rearing its young,
though many occasional instances of its breeding in

)

WADING BIRDS. 195!

various parts of the country have been noted, especially
of late years, more attention having been paid to the
subject. In our own forest district, however, they have
become constant denizens throughout the year, breeding
regularly in our woods in great numbers. I have no
doubt that these are regularly augmented and diminished
by a partial migration from and to the Continent in
October and March, but still a very large number take
up their permanent residence with us, and may be con-
stantly met with during the summer. Ollerton Corner,
and Blyth Corner Woods abound with them to such an
extent that, while walking along the side of the former
wood on a summer’s evening for the distance of a mile,
I have counted at least from twenty to thirty woodcocks
flying from the wood to the forest, and this I could do
any evening during twilight. In these woods they breed
abundantly, their nests being loosely formed of dry
leaves and fern, with sometimes a little grass, and placed
in a warm sheltered situation. The eggs are always
four in number, the young being hatched about the last
week in April or the first in May, and being able to run
as soon as they leave the egg.

The female shows the greatest affection for her pro-
geny when very young, hissing in a menacing manner
on the approach of an enemy, and when compelled to
retreat taking one under her wing, and sometimes one
under each wing, and conveying them away to a place
of safety.

In 1846 a woodman was engaged with some others in
clearing the underwood from a plantation in Thoresby
Park. He had just cut down a small thornbush with’
his billhook, when directly it fell, a woodcock started
up from the fern at its foot, where she had been brooding

0 2

196 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

four young ones. She fluttered round them for a few
minutes in great alarm, and then taking up one under
one of her wings she ran off with it for a short distance,
beating the ground with the other wing in the manner
of the partridge; the remaining three young ones
quickly concealing themselves in the grass and fern.

A friend of mine, who was a very close observer,
informed me that he came on a nest in a wood called
the Catwins, where the young, four in number, and only
recently hatched, were being brooded by the female.
On being discovered she did not stir, but hissed at him
like a goose, in order to deter his approach. His curio-
sity prompted him to advance within a yard to see
what, she would do, when she merely moved off about
the same distance, followed by her young family, and
again brooded them. The tiny things were covered with
blackish down, very similar to the young of the water-
hen, and with their long bills looked very funny little
fellows.

A week before this Mr. Mansell found a nest with
four eggs in a dry place at the foot of a furze bush in
Thoresby Park ; but, contrary to the usual habit, it was
in a most exposed situation, being only about five yards
from the public carriage-way leading to Clumber, and
no attempt at concealment had been made. These eggs
were safely hatched a few days afterwards. A nest
which I found in Blyth Corner Wood consisted merely
of a layer of dead leaves, with a few pieces of dry fern,
and was warmly placed in a dry spot at the foot of a
bush amongst various trees of large growth, and within
a short distance of a small shallow pool.

_ These instances of the woodcock’s breeding were, of
course, only accidentally discovered in closely-kept pre-

WADING BIRDS, 197

serves, any curious and inquisitive deviations from the
rides and paths through them which a naturalist might
be inclined to make being forbidden, except you are one
of the privileged ones. Nevertheless, the frequency of
their breeding with us can be fully proved any summer’s
evening by the numbers which may be seen as they leave
the woods for their feeding grounds.

An interesting fact in the natural history of the wood-
cock has lately been cleared from a doubt which hung
around it; I refer to the question whether it utters an
alarm note, or whistle, when flushed in covert. For
myself I had no more doubt of this fact, than that it
utters an ordinary call in feeding time, or during the
season of pairing, for I have repeatedly heard this note
of alarm when aroused. Many appear to have thought
that the bird rises mute, and strange to say many
sportsmen were of this opinion, but others of great ex-
perience, and who have combined the observant character
of the naturalist with the energy of the sportsman, have
clearly testified to the fact that an alarm note is uttered
by the bird on rising.

In the beginning of January, 1859, a woodcock whose
plumage was entirely white was shot in Thoresby Park.

The Common Snipe (S. gallanago) is numerous wher-
ever the ground is suitable to its habits. It is chiefly a
winter visitor, though birds have been killed in summer,
and I have been told on good authority that its eggs
have been found on one or two occasions, but I have not
seen them. In severe winters they are very fearless, and
I have noticed them close to my own garden. During
a hard frost, when the ground was covered with snow,
I started one from a drain in a low-lying meadow, three
days together, and within a few yards of the same spot,

198 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

the bird showing little signs of shyness, and allowing me
to approach cleeely before taking wing.

The little Jack Snipe (S. gallinula) is icoaceaiedth
met with in the winter. Like the larger species, it will
frequently return to the spot from which it is roused.
It seems possessed of a secret worth knowing—viz., how
to live well, for it is always in good condition, and never
seems to suffer even in the hardest frosts. In the severe
winter of 1849-50, when fieldfares and redwings, through
the lung continuance of the frost, were so greatly ema-
ciated as to be little else than skin and bone, allowing
themselves to be approached within two or three yards,
a jack snipe was brought to me which surpassed any I
ever saw. I skinned it for preserving, and found its
whole body covered with a layer of solid fat to the depth

of a quarter of an inch—not a bad protection against —

intense cold.

That bird of singular habits and note, the Landrail
(Crex pratensis), visits us in abundance every year,
sometimes arriving as early as the Ist of May, while in
1853 I did not hear its note until the 18th. This was
unusually late, the season being a remarkably cold and
backward one, a fact of which our other migratory birds
also seemed, in some mysterious way, to be fully cog-
nizant. Nothing, indeed, relating to the feathered tribes
is more wonderful or more deserving of our admiration
than that knowledge, call it instinct or what you will,
which, implanted in them by their Creator, enables them
’ to hasten or delay their departure for their distant but
temporary places of abode, according as the seasons there
are suitable to their necessities or otherwise. How
strikingly is this wisdom brought forward in Holy
Scripture to shame man’s neglect and ingratitude !

\
a -
4 “?
I

WADING BIRDS. 199

“Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed
times; and the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow
observe the time of their coming ; but my people know
not the judgment of the Lord.”

I have never succeeded in causing the landrail to take
wing except with a dog, and even then its flight is
always brief, as it takes an early opportunity of dropping
to the ground and regaining its covert. It flies rather
slowly, with its legs hanging down, and there is such an
air of effort about its movements on the wing, that I
have wondered how its migrations are performed.

On the ground, however, all this is reversed. It is
marvellous to see the ease and rapidity with which it
threads its way through the corn or grass; and even
when the latter is short, as it sometimes is on the land-
rail’s first arrival, the bird’s course is so smooth and well
concealed that only now and then you perceive any
motion of the grass to indicate its whereabouts.

Its form and plumage are admirably adapted to its
habits and requirements; none of its feathers project
beyond the graceful outline of its body, and they are
particularly close and firm in texture. When in motion
the head and neck are carried in a horizontal line with
the body, the whole constituting a most efficient wedge,
enabling the bird to thread its way through the densest
foliage with the greatest facility.

Its ventriloquial powers are well known to every
observer. Now its harsh “crake, crake,’ seems within
a few yards, and the next-moment it sounds as if it were
half across the field, and this apparent variation in dis-
tance is so well simulated, that in a consecutive repeti-
tion of its call for ten or twelve times, a few notes will
sound as if uttered almost at your feet, and the next two or

200 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

three from afar, and yet the bird is standing motionless
all the time, as I have several times tested. Its singular
call I have often imitated by drawing my nail across the
teeth of a pocket-comb, and thus inducing its near
approach.

The female sits very closely on her eggs—so closely,
indeed, as not unfrequently to lose her life by the
mower’s scythe ; I have known two instances of this, mm
one of which the poor bird was almost cut in two. A
single specimen of the Spotted Crake (Crex porzana)
was killed in a swampy piece of ground by the stream
at Budby, in October, 1863. I have known no other
instance of its presence with us.

All the streams which intersect our neighbourhood,
and especialiy the large lakes in the parks, are abun-
dantly stocked withthe Water-hen (Gallinula chloropus).
In the streams it only frequents the stiller reaches, where
the banks are fringed with reeds or bushy aquatic plants,
which afford it concealment when required. It is, how-
ever, by no means a shy bird, and where its haunts are
in the neighbourhood of houses it becomes comparatively
bold. At Budby the stream washes the side of the turn-
pike road, which on the other side is bounded by a row
of houses ; here the water-hens mingle with the ducks
and geese which throng the water from a neighbouring
farmyard, and, regardless of passers-by, walk fearlessly
on the road, feeding amongst their tame companions,
In Thoresby Park they are equally tame, frequenting
the lawns and gardens, and the park itself in the vicinity
of the water, especially near the bridge leading to the
house, and running about amongst the sheep and deer.
A few pairs inhabit a deep still part of the stream flow-
ing through our village, the banks on either side being

WADING BIRDS. 201

occupied by gardens. Here they are fond of making
incursions, and in the summer time of feeding on the
currants and gooseberries ; but they run to the water on
the slightest alarm, and, if unable to conceal themselves
amongst the weeds on the water’s edge, will sink their
bodies until only the beak is above the surface, remain-
ing quite still until the danger is removed, and rarely
making any attempt to escape by diving. As my own
garden abuts on this part of the river, I have often
carefully watched them when they have taken to the
water as I have described, and have twice detected them
in this trick by the bill when the body was submerged, but
it required a very close scrutiny. On one of these occasions
the bill was projected in the midst of a few broad flaggy
leaves of grass, which were bent down upon the water.

The Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) is not uncommon,
but only on some portions of our streams which are
peculiarly suitable to its retiring habits ; these are chiefly
swampy ash-holts at Perlethorpe, and a similar marshy
spot much covered with alders at Budby; here, how-
ever, they must be sought for. They are rarely seen
swimming on the streams themselves, but delight in
wading in the shallow pools and amongst the dense
aquatic vegetation.

Spots such as these do not tempt the ordinary excur-
sionist, and few except the sportsman and the naturalist
care to risk a wet foot in their investigation. The water
rail is most plentiful in the first-named locality, which
is especially retired, and is the same where the black-
winged stilt was seen which I have previously mentioned.
I have often searched for, but never succeeded in find-
ing, its eggs.

In March, 1849, a friend of mine picked up a water

202 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

rail, which had killed itself by flying against the tele-
graph wires on the Hull and Selby Railway, on the
banks of the Humber.

The Coot (Fulica atra) is a plentiful species on all —

our sheets of water, but is especially abundant on the
large lake which is so great an object of beauty in
Thoresby Park, and which contains nearly one hundred
acres. It is about a mile in length, and on the southern
side is bounded for about two-thirds its extent by a
wood called the Lawn Plantation. A strip of this along
the bank, covered with grass and reeds, and planted
with shrubs, is allowed to grow undisturbed, and is a
favourite resort of the coot at all times of the year.
Here they breed without molestation, as well as on the
island which is just opposite, and which I have men-
tioned as the breeding-place of the heron.

The nest is usually formed of a large mass of rushes
and flags placed on the water amongst the growing
reeds, but raised a sufficient height to keep the eggs
dry ; it is sometimes, though more rarely, placed on the
ground, and I once found a nest, containing nine eggs,
which was built on the trunk of a tree which grew on the
bank of the island, but which had gradually fallen over
until the trunk rested on the surface of the water. On
this trunk, between two small boughs projecting upwards,
a coot had piled a large quantity of flags. This was on
the 13th of May; and while rowing down the side of
the island we found, behind a projecting point, seven
young ones, which could not have been hatched above
a couple of days; they were accompanied by the mother,
but we came on them so suddenly that she, with great
alarm, took to instant flight, leaving her young family.
With these we were greatly amused; for though they

WADING BIRDS. — 203

kept cheeping piteously for their absent parent, they
showed not the slightest alarm at us, but as we rowed
quietly along they swam slowly after our boat, and so
closely that I took up one in my hand, and as we left
the island we had to drive them away, or they would
have followed us to the shore, which was at some dis-
tance, and where, possibly, the old bird might not easily
have found them. The little things, with their dingy
bodies and reddish heads, looked so pretty, and showed
such confidence in us, that I felt quite sorry to leave
them. I have known the male take charge of the
young, tending them as carefully as the female ; whether
this was owing to the death of the latter I cannot say,
but I have noted an instance of the male being shot
when thus engaged. The eggs of the coot are very con-
stantin colour and markings, a cold stone-coloured ground
uniformly covered with small blackish dots and specks.
I have never but once seen a coot on the land; and
here, as might be expected, from the construction of its
feet, its actions were rather ungainly, though not so
much so as might be supposed ; on the water it 1s quite
another creature, thoroughly ‘at home, diving incessantly,
and sometimes to the amazing distance of at least ninety
or one hundred yards. Its skill asa diver is best seen
in pairing time, when the male amorously chases the
female, sometimes on the surface of the water, but as
often beneath, and under cover I have watched with
much interest and surprise the extent of their sub-
aqueous evolutions, which I could see distinctly.

204

CHAPTER VII.
WATER BIRDS.

T first thought it might perhaps be concluded that
in a strictly inland district, comparatively few
species of birds of purely aquatic habits wouid be found.
In this locality, however, there are features which tend
materially to modify this conclusion. The numerous
parks which have given the forest district the title of the
“ dukeries,’ are most of them graced by artificial lakes
of greater or less extent. That at Thoresby covers about
ninety-five acres, and those at Clumber and Welbeck are
not much smaller; while Rufford and some others are
more contracted. These lakes, with the streams supply-
ing and flowing from them, lie in the greatest seclusion,
and form secure and quiet sanctuaries, which offer such
attractions that, in addition to their ordinary residents,
few winters pass without the presence of some of the
rarer species of water-fowl. The river Trent also forms
a sort of highway from the sea, by which many littoral
and pelagic species find their way into the district ; and
it is chiefly thus that we can account for the occurrence
of the solan goose, the little auk, the terns, and other
true sea-birds amongst those which visit us occasionally ;
and the goosander, the smew, and some of the gulls as
constant winter residents.

a el a il ie

WATER BIRDS. 205

The strictness with which the whole district is pre-
served by the respective owners, secures that seclusion
which is so congenial to the habits of wildfowl. For
many a mile their haunts are undisturbed save by the
occasional visit of the keeper, or the foot of some prying
naturalist ; and many a quiet summer hour have I passed
in observing the wild duck

*‘ Lead forth her fleet upon the lake,”

or in watching the gambols of the little grebe and the
water rail, or the glancing flight of the kingfisher ; while
a walk in winter would reveal in addition the pochard
and tufted duck, or a flock of the handsome but wary
goosander.

There is one subject connected with this order that
has often excited my interest and occupied my thoughts
—viz., the property which their feathers possess of re-
sisting wet. I have never felt satisfied as to the cor-
rectness of the commonly received theory that their
repellant qualities were owing to a dressing of oil which
the bird applied with its bill, and which it obtained
from the gland or glands which are situated on the
rump; the more I thought over it and the closer I
observed and examined, the more convinced I became
that the idea was not based on fact. ‘That the feathers
of such birds as seek their food on the water are water-
proof needs no demonstration ; and this is especially the
case with those whose home is on the sea, and whose
feathers are almost oily to the touch.

Some birds are furnished with only one oil gland on
the rump, while others have two. I have taken some
pains to discover how this distribution is made, and
from an examination of a large number of species I

206 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

have ascertained, as far as my inquiries have extended,
that the possession of one gland is confined (with some
exceptions, which I will mention presently) to those

birds which are strictly land feeders; while those pro-

vided with two seek their food on the water.

It may, perhaps, be considered that this fact goes to
strengthen the common opinion; but let us examine it
a little closer. First, it is necessary for the maintenance
of this theory that the gland or glands should contain a
supply of oil sufficient for the constant requirements of

the birds; and this, in those whose time is spent upon.

the water, must be very large, for a daily application at
least would be needful to keep the feathers as repellant
as is requisite, to enable them to obtain their food and
to preserve that warmth and dryness which is essential
to their existence. But let any person ascertain by
actual experiment the quantity of oil contained in one
or both glands, and it will be seen at once that it is
totally insufficient for the alleged purpose, even in those
water birds which have the glands very large, as the
divers and grebes. Willughby, I think, says that these
species, and such as want tails, have the glands small ;
but my experience is quite the contrary, and I believe
that the tail has nothing at all to do with the
question.

. But there is another difficulty. Supposing the ordi-
nary theory to be true, then all birds, and especially the
aquatic species, would make constant application to the
glands during the process of preening their feathers, in
order to obtain thence the oil for dressing them. This
I can venture to affirm is not the case. I have watched

various birds, both wild and tame, during this operation,

a
ik

WATER BIRDS. gE

and certainly never succeeded in witnessing it. The
feathers on the rump were dressed in the same way as
those on the other parts of the body, but there was no
repeated application to the gland, as must have been
the case if it had been necessary to obtain thence a
supply of oil. Let any one watch a duck thus engaged,
and they will bear me out in this; and yet at the next
plunge into the water the feathers are as oily and re-
pellant as ever, and the drops of water shoot off them
like molten silver; the feathers on the head, too, are as
repellant as those on the body; and yet it is evident
that the bird cannot possibly apply oil to that part.

It has often struck me as very strange that one writer
after another should have gone on repeating the same
story, without apparently taking the trouble to examine
and test its truth. There may, indeed, be some little
plausibility about it. All birds, from a natural love of
cleaniiness and personal comfort, preen their plumage;
but water birds are more assiduous in this respect than
land birds, and for a very good reason. It is absolutely
necessary that their plumage shall lie very elosely, both
to diminish friction during their passage through the
water, but more especially to prevent the latter having
any access to their bodies, thus increasing their buoyancy
and maintaining their warmth. To a water bird, there-
fore, a broken and disordered feather is of the utmost
importance ; it is essential that all shall be smooth and
compact ; and it is to effect this that they are so fre-
quently seen trimming them and passing the webs
through their bills; and this act has doubtless given
rise to the supposition of a practice which I believe to
have no existence, and which, with few exceptions, has

208 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

been repeated by every author, from Montagu to the
present time.* |

The gallinaceous birds have generally only one gland,
which, as they do not seek their food upon the water,
would, according to the common theory, furnish sufficient
oil for their wants. But surely a dressing of oil, how-
ever slight, would be a bad preparation for the practice
of dusting, in which these birds love to indulge. Instead
of tending to their cleanliness and comfort, it would have
a contrary effect, dirtying and clogging their feathers.
And yet we know it is not so; for, after the dust is ex-
pelled by a few vigorous shakes, their plumage is as
clean as ever.

The practice of dusting, which seems merely to be
employed as a simple mechanical means of dislodging
the parasites with which all birds are infested, I have
seen practised three or four times in succession ; and if
the feathers had been oiled, this repeated application of
dust would but increase their filthiness.

While thus rejecting the common notion, I would not
venture to assert that Iam certain of the true use of

* “ Nature, ever provident in all her ways, has taken care to supply
every bird, more or less, with an external secretion of an unctuous
nature, situated in a glandular bag upon the rump, which they in-
stinctively make use of for oiling and dressing their feathers as
occasion requires. In water-fowl this bag is most conspicuous,
and it is remarkable that birds most frequently use it after washing,
previously to their feathers becoming perfectly dry.”—Montagu’s
Ornithological Dictionary, p. 136. “And finally, the gland
which all birds have at the rump, and from which they express an
oily matter to preserve their feathers moist, is most considerable in
those that live upon the water, and contributes to make their plu-
mage impermeable.’—The ‘Sea and its Living Wonders, by Dr.
G. Hartwig, p. 123. Longmans, 1860.

WATER BIRDS. 209

the glands, but I have no hesitation in coming to a con-
clusion which, to my mind, is perfectly satisfactory, and
that is, that they are simply excretory. In the course
of my examination of various species, I found that not
merely were the webs of the feathers of aquatic birds
oily, but that the shafts and quills were equally so.
The chief food of most pelagic species is of an oily
nature; and their stomachs are filled with oil to such an
extent that, as is well known, the body of a fulmar petrel,
with a wick of cotton drawn through it, is the common
lamp of the inhabitants of St. Kilda. I have also often
seen the Cape pigeon (Daption Capensis) vomit nearly
a tablespoonful of clear oil when captured. It is evident
that in these and similar species which seek their food
on the water, no outward application of oil to their
feathers is necessary, for both skin, flesh, and feathers
are thoroughly impregnated with it.

In support of my view we find, as I said before, that
those birds whose food is obtained from the water, and
whose flesh and skin are more or less oily, are fur-
nished with two glands, in some species of large size ;
whilst land birds, whose flesh is generally free from oili-
ness, have only one gland; and in some of these, as in
the black grouse for instance, it is very small, though
singularly enough, the red grouse and ptarmigan have
each two glands, but very small. An apparent excep-
tion exists in the white-tailed sea eagle, which has, like
the rest of the rapacious birds, but one gland; but
though it feeds on fish, which it captures in the water,
lambs, hares, and other animals also enter largely into
its diet. But there is another more remarkable exception
to this arrangement, and one totally incompatible with
the popular idea, and that is the group of the penguins,

kg

210 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

These birds are more thoroughly aquatic than any others,
seeking their food entirely under water; and, if the
received theory is true, they would require much oil to
keep their plumage waterproof, notwithstanding the
scale-like character of some of the feathers; and yet,
strange to say, they do not possess the vestige of an oil
gland, and they, consequently, have no means of “ oiling
their plumage.”

I had some correspondence with Mr. Zurhorst, the
eminent poultry breeder of Dublin, on this subject, who
considers from his observations on his domestic ducks,
that they do, or at least appear to, apply the oil which they
obtain from the gland, to their feathers. He says, “ At
all events the feathers around the glands are raised on
end, the bill is buried in them, accompanied by a jerk-
ing motion expressive of pressure or squeezing being
used on some special part or parts; this is followed by
repeated applications of the bill to the different parts of
the plumage—not at random, but going carefully over
the surface, inch by inch. My Aylesbury ducks, after
long confinement, when fattening for exhibition pur-
poses, when turned out on the pond for the first time,
are evidently loose-feathered; the plumage becomes
speedily saturated, and, if the birds are at once confined
again, takes very long to dry; whereas if, after being
allowed time to dry and dress their feathers, they are
turned in again, they come out apparently as sleek and
impervious to wet as ever they were. I would incline
to think that if the oil were supplied by an involuntary
operation through the body itself, there would be no
deficiency in the supply during confinement. With
reference to gallinaceous birds, the dusting process
strikes me more as a cleansing process than specially

WATER BIRDS. 211

directed against parasites, and as being performed for
the purpose of cleaning the feathers from any clogg
matter that may be on them, including the effects of
natural perspiration ; the process of pluming themselves
being by no means so frequently repeated as in water-
fowl.”

lam afraid Mr. Zurhorst has mistaken, as I believe
has often been done before, the preening which ducks
give to their feathers for the alleged process of “ oiling.”
I have made careful observations with an especial refe-
rence to this question, for the last fifteen years, and I
never once succeeded in witnessing any duck make
repeated application to the oil gland; in fact, it was
from watching domestic ducks that I first became con-
vinced of what I consider the fallacy of the common
opinion. I have seen them trim the feathers around the
glands with as much care as any others, but not more
so; and, as Mr. Zurhorst says, I have marked them go
over their feathers “inch by inch.” This assiduous preen-
ing of the feathers by the domestic duck is greatly sur-
passed by wild birds, and both have good reason for the
practice. It is absolutely essential, both for warmth and
dryness, that their plumage shall lie close and compact—
a disordered feather is therefore all-important, and, no
matter how oily the plumage may be, such a feather
would admit the water, and hence the necessity of care-
ful preening. Nothing can surpass the trim neatness
of wild ducks, for instance, and I have been surprised at
the time spent by them, as well as by widgeon and teal,
over their toilets.

Mr. Zurhorst’s Aylesbury ducks are an illustration in
my favour. All birds thus fed up in confinement are in
an unnatural condition, and more or less unhealthy—

P 2

212 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

witness the enlarged livers of fattened geese. Deprived
of access to water, on which nature intended them to
live, they do not feel the necessity for a careful preening
of their feathers, and, as a consequence, do not practise
the habit as they did before; but let them be turned
out to a pond, and the natural habit is resumed with
the returning necessity. I have myself repeatedly
remarked this loose plumage of ducks that have been
put up to feed, and how little they preen their feathers.

{ am glad to find my views confirmed by the late Mr.
St. John, who, as a practical and accomplished naturalist,
was well qualified to pronounce an opinion on such a
question. He says :—

“The imperviousness to wet of the plumage of wild-
fowl is evidently not caused by any power which the
birds have of supplying grease or oil to their feathers.
The feathers have a certain degree of oiliness no doubt,
but from frequent observation I am convinced that it is
the manner in which the feathers are placed which is
the cause of the water running off them as it does.

“ As long as a wild duck of any kind is alive, his skin
remains perfectly dry, though in the water, and although,
from the situation in which he may be placed—being
pursued, for instance—it is quite impossible for him to
find time to ‘oil his plumage,’ as some authors assert he
does, ‘in order to keep out the wet;’ but the moment
a duck or water-fowl is dead the water penetrates
through the feathers, wetting the animal completely.
If one wing is broken, the feathers of that wing imme-
diately become soaked with wet, the bird not having the ©
power of keeping the feathers of the broken part in
proper position to resist the entry of the water. We
all know that birds are able to elevate, depress, and, in

WATER BIRDS. 213

fact, to move their feathers in any direction by a mus-
cular contraction of the skin. When this power ceases,
the feathers hang loosely in every direction, and the wet
enters to the skin.

“The live otter’s skin never appears to be wet, how-
ever long the animal may remain under the water, but,
like the plumage of birds, soon becomes soaked through
when the animal is dead. Whilst he is alive the water
runs off his hair exactly as it does off the back of a bird
during a shower. When we find any live water bird or
animal with its feathers or hair wet or clinging together,
it is a sure sign that the creature is either diseased, or is
suffering from some wound or accident.”*

Cage birds often suffer from ulceration of the rump
gland, which affects the general health of the bird, as
the stoppage of any other of the secretions would do.
This doubtless arises from the unnatural condition in
which they are kept, and not, as Bechstein amusingly
says, from their neglecting to use the gland.

I will now enumerate the true water birds which have
come under my observation. Of inany of them my notes
are very brief—a mere mention of their occurrence ; but
it must be remembered that it is not my object to write
a general history of the respective birds, but to record
observations actually made in a particular locality. My
readers must therefore kindly make allowance for, in
many instances, the paucity of information J have
given.

Of the Anserinz I can only include two species. The
Grey Lag Goose (Anser palustris) is not of unfrequent

* Natural History and Sport in Moray, by the late C. St.
John, p. 65.

214 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

occurrence. I have met with it both on Thoresby
and Rufford Lakes, though it cannot be looked for
regularly, as we have none of the marshes in which it
delights, and where it can be secure from interruption,
for it is excessively shy and wary, and detects a sports-
man at a great distance. In winter I have often seen
large flocks of this species passing overhead from the
northward in the well-known form of the letter «; but
it is only in twos and threes that they pay their brief
visits to us,

Of the Bean Goose (A. ferus) I have known a few
individuals obtained, but they do not visit us in any
numbers as in the neighbouring county of Lincolnshire,
and their well-known wariness makes it very difficult to
approach them unobserved.

That fine winter visitor the wild swan or Hooper
(Cygnus ferus) appears in small parties in hard seasons,
generally frequenting the Trent, where, I am sorry to
say, it soon falls a victim ; for no sooner is a flock seen
than numberless guns are put in requisition. I have
known several instances of their occurrence on the river
near Nottingham; on one occasion the flock consisted
of seven, and all of them were shot. Two hoopers
visited Thoresby Lake in December, 1863. They did
not seem to fraternize with the next species, and were
both shot by the keepers.

The artificial lakes I have mentioned are all tenanitell
by the Mute Swan (C. olor). They are most numerous
on the sheet of water at Thoresby, where I have some-
times counted more than thirty at a time. Their num-
bers vary a little from time to time, small parties of two
and three arriving from Clumber or Welbeck, and their
visits being returned in due course. I once saw the

———_——

WATER BIRDS, 215

arrival, on Thoresby Lake, of a pair of the Australian
black swans which are kept by the Duke of Portland at
Welbeck ; they flew very rapidly, dashing energetically
into the water, and continuing to dive for a minute or
two—a habit which I never saw practised by the mute
swan.

A number of the latter species were on the lake at
the time, but their old world notions seemed quite
shocked by the vigorous gambols of the colonial birds.
They raised their snowy pinions, and arched their necks
with increased dignity, as if to remind their sable rela-
tives that they had quite forgotten the proprieties of
swan life; but they vouchsafed no further recognition
of them, and gradually sailed away to another part of
the lake.

The female makes use of the same spot for many
years in succession, and I have known three such places
at Thoresby which have been occupied without intermis-
sion for at least a dozen years. One of these is a small
island in the river near the house, just above where it is
crossed by a bridge; the island is covered with large
trees, but as it is only a few yards from either bank, it
is very much exposed to every passer-by. Here the
nest is always composed of decayed sticks, which have
fallen from the trees, and has little else intermingled
with them. Two other spots in the pleasure grounds have
been selected for nearly an equal length of time, and
in both these sticks were used for the nest; in two other
places it was constructed of flags and rushes—if we can
say so of a mere heap of those materials. The female
alone collects the materials for her nest, the male never
condescending to help his partner, but contenting him-
self with keeping watch and ward, and is ready to do

216 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

battle with all comers, great or small. It is not neces-
sary to make any burglarious attempts to be entitled to
be considered an enemy ; the wayfarer may pass along
near if he go on his way like a peaceable person ; but if
he stand to look,the jealous husband’s ire is immediately
aroused, his wings are raised, the feathers of his neck
are erected until it becomes double the usual thickness,
and instead of his ordinary quiet gliding motion, he pro-
pels himself by violent strekes at long intervals. The
observer had better beat a retreat now, for if he delay
another minute, the bird will fly out of the water at
him, and a stroke from his wing is no joke. I confess
that I have often ignominiously run away under such
circumstances, when from motives of curiosity I have
tried his patience too long; and I was even once
attacked when on horseback.

The nest on the island I have mentioned was only a

few yards from the bank of the river, along which per-
sons were constantly passing, and so frequent were the
attacks of the male bird that three hurdles drawn with
boughs had to be placed as a screen as soon as the female
began her nest ; and this protection seemed to be fully
appreciated by both birds.

Some years ago, one of the younger members of the
family at Thoresby wished to obtain a swan’s egg, and
an old man whom I knew well, and who was a labourer
in the grounds, was commissioned to procure one. A
nest at the foot of a tree, in the pleasure grounds, con-
tained several eggs, and old Thomas watched his oppor-
tunity, when the female was absent, to accomplish his
task. Taking his garden rake in his hand he was about
to secure his prize, when he was suddenly attacked by
the female, who had seen his approach, and who at once

WATER BIRDS. 217

flew up and felled him to the ground, Recovering his
feet, he attempted to defend himself with his rake, was
again knocked down, and, judging discretion the better
part of valour, he beat a hasty retreat, leaving the parent
bird in triumphant possession of her eggs.

The number of cygnets reared by each pair is gene-
rally from two to four; J have known six on two occa-
sions, and once seven, but the latter number is very un-
usual.

Of the numerous family of the Anatidz which I have
seen in Sherwood Forest, few are constant residents with
us; some, indeed, are very regular in their visits,
while others I have to mention occur only occasionally.
Amongst the latter is the Shieldrake (Tadorna Bel-
lonnir), which, though a maritime species, I have seen
twice on Thoresby Lake. It is a handsome bird, and
the distinct colours of its plumage make it a very strik-
ing object on the water. I have known of its occurrence
also on the river Idle, at Retford, and I have heard that
they have bred there.

The Shoveller (Anas elypeata) is another of our rare
visitors. On the 24th of October, 1854, 1 saw a male
of this species on the lake at Thoresby, apparently alone,
and watched it for some time. It appeared rather rest-
less, though occasionally feeding for a few minutes, and
then resuming its watchful attitude; but it soon took
its departure, and I did not see it again. <A pair, male
and female, was seen on the 23rd of April, 1857, on
the decoy at Houghton, and the male, I regret to say,
was shot by the keeper there; or, from the time of the
year, they might very likely have remained and bred in
that very secluded place.

The Wild Duck (A. boschas), I need hardly say, is a

218 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

common species, found on all our streams, and is par-
ticularly abundant on all the large sheets of water. I
think I have mentioned that one side of the lake at
Thoresby is skirted for more than half its length by a
broad belt of plantation, which, being securely fenced
in, preserves that margin of the water in strict seclusion,
and this is constantly thronged by an immense number
of wild ducks. Many an hour’s enjoyment I have had,
while, hid from their observation, I have watched their
various gambols. Aided by my glass, I could note
every movement unsuspected. Some would be busy
snapping rapidly at the water spiders and other insects,
or, with tail poised in air, would endeavour to reach the
water-weed below; others, with head laid back, or with
bill buried in their plumage, floated lazily along, enjoy-
ing the dolce far niente. Presently, an arrival of three
or four from a distant flight would put the whole flock
in commotion, while with loud quacks they appeared to
be questioning the new comers, who perchance had
brought intelligence of some fresh feeding ground;
while another detachment would quietly take their de-
parture. Now and then they would make up their
minds to a boisterous game of play, chasing one another
with great vigour, and diving incessantly. But idle or
busy, they were ever on the alert, and at the slightest
symptom of danger the whole flock would sail towards
the centre of the lake; or if the danger appeared more
imminent, they at once with loud cries of alarm took
their flight to a safer spot.

In severe winters, when the lakes are frozen, the large
flocks of wild ducks, which had made them their homes
during the rest of the year, disperse themselves in all
directions, taking up their quarters on the running

WATER BIRDS. 219

streams; yet at such seasons they often suffer severely
from want, and become quite emaciated if the frost is of
long continuance, losing much of their usual shyness
and resorting to the fields.

A site for her nest is by no means invariably selected
by the wild duck in the vicinity of water. The long
heath on our open forest is constantly chosen for that
purpose, and numberless are the nests | have known
where the nearest stream has been at least a mile dis-
tant. How the young, when first hatched, were con-
veyed to the water, long surprised me; that it is done
as soon as they break the shell I have no doubt, for
though I have often found the eggs before hatching, and
the empty shells after, | never met with the young ones.
The extraordinary fact that they occasionally placed
their nests in trees convinced me that the parent birds
must in such cases carry their young at least to the
ground ; and I do not now doubt that this is their com-
mon practice where the distance to water is too great for
the young ones to travel on foot.

I knew a nest which was placed in an evergreen in
the pleasure grounds at Thoresby, and from which the
young were hatched and brought safely off. Another
instance came under my notice in 1856, in which the
nest was constructed in a large beech tree, in an avenue
in the same grounds, at the height of forty feet from the
ground, and from this great elevation the young ones
were safely conveyed to water.

The late Mr. Mansell of Thoresby related to me the
following instance of the parent bird actually conveying
her young to water, which he himself witnessed. He
was passing one morning at daybreak, in the early part
of May, under a large ash tree, which was thickly

220 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

clothed with ivy, when a cheeping and rustling over-
head induced him to withdraw a few steps and stand
still. He had hardly done so when a wild duck flew out
of the ivy, some height up the tree, holding a young one
in her bill; this she put down on the bank of the stream,
which was about a hundred yards from the tree, and
then, returning to the nest, conveyed the remainder, one
by one, in the same manner until thirteen were safely
placed on the bank. Here she brcoded them for a
few minutes, and then with much apparent fondness led
them down the bank into the water, where they were
speedily darting about with the utmost liveliness,

This incident clearly illustrates how the difficulty of
conveying the young from a height, or from a distance,
is overcome, and I have little doubt of its being the com-
mon practice.

A large piece of water at Houghton, known as the
“Decoy,” was many years ago used as such, and a great
number of wild ducks were annually captured there ;
but it has long fallen into disuse.

In May, 1855, I accidentally met with the nest of the
Garganey (A. querquedula) in a small patch of furze,
at no great distance from water. I did not see the
birds, nor was I aware that they visited us. The nest
was formed of dry grass, with a thick lining of down,
and contained three addled eggs, and the broken shells
of the others, which had been successfully hatched, their
buff colour and size rendering them readily distinguish-
able from any allied species. My identification of them
was confirmed by an experienced collector, who was with
me at the time.

The Teal (A. crecca) is a constant winter visitor,
occurring rather numerously on Thoresby Lake. The

WATER BIRDS. 221

sheltered margin is a favourite haunt, and there in the
daytime they float lazily about in large parties, betaking
themselves at dusk to their feeding grounds. They
generally arrive at the end of September or beginning
of October, if the season is open, and take their depar-
ture about the middle of March; but I have seen strag-
glers a month later,

The Widgeon (A. Penelope) arrives about the same
time as the teal, and frequents the same localities, but it
is scarcely so numerous. I have often met with it on
our streams, while the teal confines itself more strictly
to the lakes, and have frequently heard their whistling
cry while passing overhead in an evening, when I could
not distinguish them. I am not aware of any instance
of either of the last-named species breeding with us.

I must now pass over a number of species which are
either but rare visitors to this country, or are strictly
maritime in their habits—and in consequence are not to
be expected to be found in my list—and come to that
prettily marked duck the Red-headed Pochard (A.
fervna), a few specimens of which are seen every winter.
I cannot call it a common bird, though, as it is partial to
quiet shaded streams in preference to more open waters,
it perhaps escapes observation ; a large number, how-
ever, frequented Thoresby Lake in the winter of 1860,
and many were killed on the stream at New England,
and Houghton, and other places.

Thoresby Lake is visited with great regularity every
winter by large flocks of the Tufted Duck (A. fuligula).
This is a small but lively species, constantly diving, but
exceedingly shy and wary in its habits, and difficult of
approach. In some years it is very numerous, as, for in-
stance, in 1854, when I counted above one hundred

922 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

together at a time, while in the winter of the following
year immense flocks visited us. A few stragglers are
occasionally found on the brooks, and in February, 1848,
I saw a male bird for several successive days on the
stream at the bottom of my own garden. Some floating
rubbish had accumulated against a wooden grating,
which stretched across the stream, and here the bird was
feeding ; but on my sudden approach it immediately
took wing, uttering its alarm cry, which greatly resem-
bled the wild duck’s, but considerably shriller. On each
of the following days I succeeded, under cover of a
hedge, in getting within three or four yards, where I
could watch it unperceived, and was greatly interested
in its exceedingly lively active habits; but a very slight
sound was sufficient to awaken its alarm, causing it to
look round with a glance of its quick eye, erect its
pendant crest, and take to flight if the sound was
repeated.

I was one day watching a large flock of this species
on Thoresby Lake, amused by their incessant diving and
their active chases after each other, when I witnessed a
singular freak on the part of a female, of turning herself
over in the water and floating on her back for several
minutes, while with her feet she appeared to be preening
the feathers of the belly.

Towards the beginning of April the tufted ducks com-
mence leaving us for the north, not taking their depar-
ture all at once, but gradually diminishing their numbers.
In some years their stay is more prolonged than in
others—doubtless influenced by the weather; for in
1856, when the spring was unusually cold and uncon-
genial, they remained with us until May 13, on which
day I saw a great number engaged as usual in diving

WATER BIRDS. 223

incessantly, but the following morning they had dis-
appeared,

One or two pairs have occasionally abandoned their
northern visit and remained with us to breed, choosing
the long grass and rushes on the banks of the lake in
which to place their nest. They have also been known
to breed at Osberton.

In 1849 a small party visited a large pond in Colwick
Park, near Nottingham, where they remained for several
weeks, mingling in a friendly manner with some domestic
ducks, and evincing little shyness, although the pond was
close to the house.

The Golden-eyed Garrot (A. clangula) is generally
amongst our winter visitors, though we cannot reckon
on its regular arrival. In the winter of 1860 six or seven
individuals frequented Thoresby Lake, and remained a
few weeks; and through the winter of 1863 they were
unusually plentiful.

Another handsome stranger is the Smew (Mergus
albellus), which occasionally favours us with a visit.
Several frequented the same water for a short time in
February, 1855; and again, in 1860, I saw a pair on the
same day I noticed the golden-eye. Five or six were
also seen on the Trent in the winter of 1849, and several
of these were shot; but it is only in hard wintérs that
they come so far inland.

The smew shows wonderful activity in the water,
diving on the slightest alarm ; and I have been much
astonished at the immense distance which it will pass
under water.

Unlike the smew, the Goosander (M. merganser)
regularly frequents the lakes in the parks, and in some
years in considerable numbers, arriving about the end

224 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

of October, and generally leaving in March ; but I have
known them prolong their stay until April—once, in-.
deed, in 1854, I noted a flock of eighteen on Thoresby
Lake so late as May 1].

The plumage of both the male and female goosander:
is very handsome, though so different that it is no
wonder that fora long time, as in the similar case of the
hen-harrier and ringtail, they were classed as distinct
species, the female being known as the dun diver, and
receiving the specific name of castor. This confusion
of the sexes has, however, long since been cleared up by
dissection, the anatomical peculiarities of the trachea
being alike in both. I have myself frequently noticed
amorous passages to take place between the goosander
and the dun diver whilst on the water.

The contrast in the plumage of the male, between the
black of the head and back and the rosy cream-colour
of the neck and breast, is exceedingly striking, and
though less obtrusive, the reddish-brown of the head and
neck of the female, with the bluish-grey of the back,
offers almost as pleasing a distinction.

The plumage of the young males is so exactly the
same as that of the female, that until after their first
moult it is impossible to distinguish them ; yet they do
not asstime the full adult livery at once, as I have seen
several in which the dark feathers of the head were in-
terspersed with brown ones, the lower part of the neck
and the breast being also mottled with ash colour. The
pendant crest of both males and females adds greatly to
their beauty; that of the former is looser in texture,
and hangs more gracefully than that of the female, which,
though of equal length, is narrower, and thicker at the
upper part.

WATER BIRDS. 225

_ The numbers that frequent Thoresby Lake vary con-
siderably: in some years there have not been more than
fifteen or twenty ; in others as many as thirty, or even
forty, as in 1855. Welbeck Lake is generally visited by
a small party, and sometimes Rufford also, and a few
are annually seen on the Trent.

There is always a large proportion of males in adult
plumage in every flock, and it is a very pretty sight to
see them chasing each other, diving in apparent play-
fulness and emerging immediately ; when they are
feeding they remain much longer under water, and
often traverse a space of seventy or eighty yards before
coming to the surface. J have had many opportunities
of observing their habits from the thick plantation on
the border of the lake already mentioned, where I could
conceal myself close to the water without being per-
ceived, and many an hour have I passed there in watch-
ing their varied motions. They swim with their bodies
low in the water, but yet with great activity and com-
mand, and I have seen them submerge themselves until
their backs were almost covered ; this is particularly the
case with the female when making amorous advances to
the male, her head and neck at the same time being
outstretched and laid flat on the surface, until at a little
distance she is almost invisible. Unaware of my vicinity,
they often approached very near me, letting me inspect
them closely. As the season drew on, the males gave
some indications of choosing their partners ; two or three
would select the same female, and pursue her most un-
ceremoniously for some time, she all the while diving
incessantly to elude the pursuit of her obnoxious suitors,
or to aid that of the favoured one, reminding me often
of the racing courtships of the Tartar maidens and their

Q

226 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

mounted lovers. Towards the end of March their matri-
monial engagements appeared to be concluded, and the
flock was mostly broken up into pairs; but they became
still more wary than before, and on the approach of any
one near the opposite bank of the lake, which is there
about a quarter of a mile wide, they would directly take
wing to a greater distance, while in January they would
merely swim slowly away.

I have never seen any of these on the land but once,
and then it was only a single pair; their motions were,
like those of any other waterfowl, rather ungainly, and
greatly wanting in the activity they display on the
water.

A single specimen of the Great Crested Grebe (Podi-
ceps cristatus) was taken in April, 1856, under rather
singular circumstances. It was a male bird, one of a
pair which was seen by a labouring man on a small
pond on the green, close to the village of Wellow. He
was going to his work at dawn, and whilst crossing the
green saw two strange birds on the pond busily diving ;
one of them dived out of sight on his approach, while
the other with difficulty rose to the wing, but only flew
a few yards before it fell to the ground, when the man
ran up and secured it. As he had some distance to go
to his work he did not remain to look after the other,
which evidently was the female, and it was not seen
again. It is somewhat remarkable that a small duck-
pond in so public a place, and without the slightest
shelter of reeds or rushes on its banks, or communication
with any stream, should have been selected for a visit.
I have not met with this species again.

The smallest of the family, the Little Grebe or dab-
chick (P. manor), is comparatively common in all our

WATER BIRDS. oF

waters. At one time I thought it to be only resident
- with us in the summer, but I have found it plentiful in
winter also, though apparently varying in numbers in
different years. It constantly breeds with us in suitable
spots, the nest being formed of a large quantity of flags
and other water-plants, and those I have found have
always been placed on the ground, close to the water,
and not floating on that element. There is no difference
between it and that of the coot—both are mere heaps of
material, with a shallow cavity in the centre, and are
very far removed from being hot-beds, as some have sup-
posed they are. The eggs are oval, tapering to both
ends, but to one rather more acutely than the other, and
when fresh-laid are beautifully white ; it is rarely, how-
ever, that they are found so, for whether with the wet
feet of the bird, or the damp condition of the nest, they
soon become sullied, until those first laid acquire an
almost uuiform brown hue, each successive egg being a
shade lighter than the other.

No bird that I know has for its size greater power in
the water than the dabchick ; indeed, as a diver few
surpass it. Heels over head it goes with the least pos-
sible splash, and if you could look into the water in which
it has just dived you would perceive it gliding about
with as easy a motion as a fish, using its wings to assist
its progress, and seeming without any effort to keep
below the surface. It is astonishing too how long it
will reraain beneath, and how rapidly it again disappears
after it has come up to take breath. I once had an op-
portunity of witnessing these subaqueous gambols in a
deep sluggish stream at the bottom of my garden, where
I could look down into the water; but it is rarely that
such an opportunity is afforded. So quickly do they

Q 2

228 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

dive, that I have shot at them at a distance of twenty
yards more than once, and before the shot touched the
water they had vanished.

Far away from its usual haunts on the ocean, a solitary
specimen of the Black-throated Diver (Colymbus are-
ticus) was taken in the neighbourhood in January, 1848.
It had alighted on the ice which covered a large piece
of water, on which some snow had fallen and had partly
thawed, but freezing again quickly in the evening, the
poor bird was unwittingly detained a prisoner, and was
found in the morning frozen to the ice and much
exhausted. It was killed with a stick by the man who
found it, and proved to be a female in good plumage.

In the winter of 1855 another dweller on the deep
paid us a visit. ‘This was the Common Guillemot (Uria
troile), several of which frequented Thoresby Lake for a
week or two in December of that year. They occupied
themselves busily with fishing while they remained, and
then suddenly took their departure.

The eggs of the common guillemot vary much in
colour and markings, the most common ground colour
being green, or dirty white, with streaks, spots, or
blotches of dark reddish brown, or in some cases nearly
black. I obtained one at Flamborough Head of a per-
fectly pure white, and I have one in my collection with
the ground of a uniform warm buff, blotched as usual
with brown.

During the severe frost of January, 1847, a specimen
of the Little Auk (Uria alle) came into my hands. It
was seen by a labouring man ina ditch on the banks of
the Trent at Holme Pierrepoint, and as he thought it a
“very strange sort of thing,” as he afterwards described

oe ee

WATER BIRDS. 229

it, he threw a hayfork, which he had in his hand at the
time, at the bird, and one of the prongs entering its
neck, he secured his prize without further trouble. The
little bird was in good flesh and plumage, but from its
making no attempt to escape when first seen, I imagine
it was exhausted with its southern journey. A few
days after this a Razorbiil (Alcea torda) was seen on the
Trent at Nottingham, and was shot, the severe weather
having forced both these out of their usual course.

I have often wondered that attractions like ours have
not brought the Cormorant (Carbo cormoranus) more
into our neighbourhood. I am only aware of one, and
that was on Thoresby Lake, and it was soon shot. This
was in August, 1864. The swans regarded the stranger
with evident dislike, and chased it whenever he came
near.

The Shag (Carbo cristatus) I have known occur once,
a pair in immature plumage having been shot on the
Trent, at Burton Joyce, in the summer of 1851.

Although greatly circumscribed in its habitat, yet the
Gannet (Sula bassana) is sometimes driven from its
ocean home and found far inland. In 1837 a male bird,
in mature plumage, was seen on the lake in Welbeck
Park, and shot at, but being only injured in one wing,
it was captured and kept alive for some time on a small
pond. Here, while it lived, it fiercely defended its
limited dominions against all comers, and with unvary-
ing success, for no intruders ventured to face bis sharply
pointed bill In 1849 three others were seen together
at Hexgrave, a few miles from Ollerton. They were
resting in a field, and permitted themselves to be
approached without difficulty, when one of them was

230 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

shot by the person who discovered them ; the other two,
on the death of their companion, immediately took to
flight, and were not seen again.

Several members of the graceful family of the terns
have frequently been noticed in our neighbourhood. A
pair of the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) visited our
village on August 12th, 1857, and were flying up and
down the stream, as if hawking for insects, at times
skimming close to the water, and then rising again with
all that elegant ease of motion and command of wing
for which they are noted. But alas! their visit was cut
short by the miller who lived close by, who shot one of
them, which proved to be a male, and the other, which
doubtless was its mate, was not seen again.

The Lesser Tern (S. minuta) has been seen éovebet
times on Thoresby Lake, and once or twice the Black
Tern (S. nigra) has been in company. One of the
latter species was shot out of a flock which was seen on
the Trent, near Nottingham, in June, 1851; and,
singularly enough, several made their appearance at the
little village of Wilford, on the Trent (the scene of my
schoolboy days), during a severe snowstorm in January,
1854.

I have noted four species of gulls which have been
seen at various times and in various parts of our district,
some of them occurring not unfrequently. |

A Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) was shot
by a boy at the village of Boughton, two miles from
Ollerton, on June 2nd, 1854, and was brought to me.
It was a male in nearly mature plumage, the dark brown
on the head and upper part of the neck being quite per-
fect, but the scapulars and wing coverts retained some
slight mottling of brown, and the tail its dusky tips,

WATER BIRDS, oan

except the centre, and one outer feather, which were
pure white. There are several large colonies of these
birds in Yorkshire, and this most likely was a straggler
from one of them.

The Kittiwake (L. tridactylus) is frequently seen on
the Trent, and I have noted its occurrence several times
in our own immediate neighbourhood. On February
12th, 1850, I saw a young one busily searching some
dung on the turnpike-road on Budby Forest ; it rose on
my approach, but soon alighted again, showing little
sign of fear or timidity. On February 7th, 1854, a
young bird in immature plumage was brought to me.
It was first seen by the side of the race at Rufford Mill
by the miller, and was evidently in an exhausted state,
most likely from want of food during the severe weather
that then prevailed, for he ran it down, after a short
chase; it bore no marks of hurt or disease, and its
plumage was in beautiful condition. On December
15th, 1857, two adult males were picked up, one at
Southwell with its wing broken by shot, and the other
at Farnsfield, dead. Another adult male was seen fly-
ing over the water at Perlethorpe Mill, and was shot by
one of the keepers.

The Common Gull (ZL. canus) is a still more regular
visitor, sometimes appearing in large flocks, but always
in the winter. In January, 1848, during a severe frost,
I saw a numerous party several times, and obtained one
of them. In subsequent years I have frequently noticed
their occurrence in greater or less abundance ; but on
each occasion they flew listlessly about, as if the want of
food had deprived them of their usual busy energy ;
indeed, in November, 1859, one or two were picked up in
quite an emaciated state. It seems strange that they

232 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.

should leave their usual marine feeding grounds at all,
and especially to penetrate so far inland, when their
prospects of congenial food are so uncertain.

The Lesser Black-backed Gull (Z. fuscus) I have
known to visit us twice, both times in May—once in
1855, at Bothamsal, and the other in 1859 at Markham
Moor; both were young birds in immature plumage,
and both were of cowrse shot.

I have only one more to add to my list, and that is
that little, active ocean roamer, the Stormy Petrel
(Thalassidroma pelagica). It is strange that a bird so
peculiarly maritime in its habits should have been noted
in the heart of Sherwood Forest! Few birds visit terra
jirma less than this smallest of our sea birds; and those
that have been taken in various parts of England have,
I believe, always been in winter, and have generally
been blown out of their marine haunts by gales or
storms.

A pair, male and female, was shot on Thoresby Lake
in the winter of 1845, and thus I claim a place for them
in our local fauna—they were skimming over the water
in their usual manner.

Often have I with delight watched the ceaseless ac-
tivity of these little dwellers on the sea; whether the sea
was calm, or whether

“In breeze, or gale, or storm,
Icing the pole, or in the torrid zone dark heaving,”

it made no matter—there was this little petrel steadily
pursuing its way. The boundless ocean is its home, and
I have seen it more than a thousand miles from the
nearest land, tipping the waves with its little feet, and
following in the wake of the ship to pick up such frag-

WATER BIRDS. 233

ments as might be thrown overboard. I have often
amused myself by dropping bits of biscuit, and watch-
ing the race that was made for them by our numerous
followers; sometimes the powerful albatross would glide
by on outstretched and motionless wings and snatch up
the morsel; but oftener the little stormy petrel suc-
ceeded in picking it up, though sometimes its right
would be disputed by one of its more powerful neigh-
bours. It seems to possess more discrimination too
than some of the latter ; for though I have captured the
albatross and some of the larger sea birds by the com-
mon method of baiting a fish-hook with a bit of pork, I
never succeeded in hooking a storm petrel, though they
constantly followed in our wake.

My task is done, and I lay down my pen with some
regret, for I have in thought lived over many pleasant
hours, and revisited scenes to which I am much attached.
I only hope my readers have derived pleasure from my
scanty notes, and that some may thereby be induced to
undertake for their own localities, what I have very
imperfectly attempted for Sherwood Forest.

APPENDIX.

BILL OF CROSSBILL, p. 124.

This bird so seldom breeds in this country, that oppor-
tunities for examination are very rare, and in reference to the
crossing of the mandibles, since the text was written I have
met with a notice by Mr. Blyth, of a nest of the common
species that was taken in the vicinity of Sevenoaks. The
young birds, four in number, were haif fledged when found,
and were uniformly brown in colour; but the most noticeable
peculiarity was that the mandibles of each were as much
crossed as those of the adults. This, therefore, confirms the
opinion I have expressed that this is their normal form. The
straight mandibles of the young one mentioned by Yarrell
must be considered an exception, and indeed were literally
deformed. |

NUTHATCH, p. 150.

I have lately noticed a peculiarity in the mode in which
the Nuthatch gives the heavy blows necessary to penetrate the
thick-shelled nuts. The bill is particularly thick and strong
for so small a bird, and approaches in character the wedge-
shaped bill of the woodpeckers. Formidable as this weapon
is, its efficiency is increased by the singular manner in which
it is sometimes used. The bird seems to have an idea when
additional force is required, and instead of striking with the
bill by the movement of the neck alone, it throws the whole
weight of its body into the blow, turning itself as it were
into the head of a hammer, which swings upon the feet as a
pivot.

236 APPENDIX,

O1t GLANDS oF Birps, p. 213.

In investigating the question of the use of the oil-glands
in birds, I examined a large number of species for the pur-
pose of ascertaining how these glands were distributed, some
possessing only one, others two. In this I have been greatly
assisted by Mr. Dunn, whose extensive opportunities as a
collector have rendered his kind help extremely valuable.
The following are the species examined:

1. Those possessing one Gland.

Griffon Vulture.
Egyptian Vulture.
Golden Eagle.
Spotted Eagle.
White-tailed Eagle.
Osprey.

Iceland Falcon.
Peregrine Falcon.
Hobby.

Merlin.
Red-footed Falcon.
Kestrel.

Goshawk.
Sparrowhawk.
Kite.

Buzzard.

Rough-legged Buzzard.

Honey Buzzard.
Marsh Harrier.

Hen Harrier.
Ashcoloured Harrier.
Eagle Owl.
Scops-Eared Owl.
Long-Eared Owl.

Short-Eared Owl.
Barn Owl.

Tawny Owl.
Snowy Owl.

Hawk Owl.

Little Owl.

Great Grey Shrike.
Red-backed Shrike.
Woodchat Shrike.
Fieldfare.

Song Thrush.
Rock Thrush.
Redwing.
Blackbird.

Ring Ousel,
Golden Oriole.
Alpine Accentor.
Hedge Sparrow.
Redbreast.
Blue-throated Warbler.
Redstart.

Black Redstart.
Wheatear.

Great Sedge Warbler.

a a

APPENDIX. 237

Orpheus Warbler.
Rufous Sedge Warbler.
Melodious Willow Wren.
Dartford Warbler.
Great Titmouse.

Blue Titmouse.
Crested Titmouse.
Marsh Titmouse.
Bearded Titmouse.
Bohemian Waxwing.
White Wagtail.

Pied Wagtuail.

Grey Wagtail.
Grey-headed Wagtail.
Ray’s Wagtail.
Meadow Pipit.

Rock Pipit.

Sky Lark.

Wood Lark.

Crested Lark.
Short-toed Lark.
Shore Lark.

Snow Bunting.
Lapland Bunting.
Common Bunting.
Black-headed Bunting.
Yellowhammer.

Cirl Bunting.

Ortolan Bunting.
Chaffinch.
Brambling.

Tree Sparrow.

House Sparrow.
Greenfineh.
Goldfinch.

Linnet.

Lesser Redpoll.

Mealy Redpoll.
Twite.

Crossbill.

Parrot Crossbill.

Starling.

. Chough.

Raven.

Crow.

Hooded Crow.

Rook.

Jackdaw.

Magpie.

Jay.

Nutcracker.

Great Black Woodpecker.

Green Woodpecker.

Spotted Woodpecker.

Lesser Spotted Wood-
pecker.

Wryneck.

Wren.

Roller.

Swallow,

Purple Martin.

White-bellied Swift.

Rock Dove.

Turtle Dove.

Passenger Pigeon.

Pheasant.

Capercailzie.

Black Grouse (small).

Partridge.

Barbary Partridge.

Quail.

Andalusian Quail.

Virginian Colin,

238

APPENDIX.

2. Those with two Glands.

Dipper.

Belted Kingfisher.
Kingfisher.

Red Grouse (small).
Ptarmigan (small).
Golden Plover.
Dotterell.

Ringed Plover.
Kentish Plover.

Little Ringed Plover.

Gray Plover.
Lapwing.
Turnstone.
Sanderling.

Oyster Catcher.
Heron.

Purple Heron.
Great White Heron.
Buff-backed Heron.
Squacco Heron.
Bittern.

Little Bittern.
American Bittern.
Night Heron.
White Stork.
Spoonbill.

Glossy Ibis.
Curlew.

Whimbrel.
Redshank,

Green Sandpiper.
Wood Sandpiper.
Common Sandpiper.
Spotted Sandpiper.

Greenshank.
Bartram’s Sandpiper.
Black-winged Stilt.
Ruff.

Woodcock.

Brown Snipe.

Knot.

T’emminck’s Stint.
Dunlin.

Purple Sandpiper.
Spotted Crake.
Little Crake.
Baillon’s Crake,
Moor Hen.

Water Rail.

Coot.

Grey Phalarope.
Red-necked Phalarope.
Gray Lag Goose.
Bean Goose.
Pink-footed Goose.
White-fronted Goose.
Bernicle Goose.
Brent Goose.
Canada Goose.
Hooper.

Ruddy Shieldrake.
Common Shieldrake.
Shoveller.

Gadwall.

Pintailed Duck.
Wild Duck.
Garganey.

Teal.

APPENDIX. 239

Widgeon.

American Widgeon.

Eider Duck.

Velvet Scoter.

Common Scoter.

Surf Scoter.

Long-tailed Duck.

Pochard.

Ferruginous Duck.

Seaup Duck.

Tufted Duck.

Harlequin Duck.

Goldeneye.

Buffel-headed Duck.

Smew.

Hooded Merganser.

Red-breasted Merganser.

Goosander.

Red-necked Grebe.

Sclavonian Grebe (very
large).

Eared Grebe.

Little Grebe.

Great Northern Diver
(large).

Black-throated Diver.

Red-throated Diver(large).

Guillemot.
Brunnich’s Guillemot.
Ringed Guillemot.
Black Guillemot.
Little Auk.

Puffin.

Razorbill.
Cormorant.

Shag.

Gannet.

Sandwich Tern.
Roseate Tern.
Common Tern.
Arctic Tern.
Whiskered Tern.
Gull-billed Tern.
Sabine’s Gull.
Little Gull.
Black-headed Gull.
Laughing Gull.
Kittiwake.
Common Gull.
Iceland Gull.
Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Herring Gull.
Great Black-backed Gull.
Glaucous Gull.
Common Skua.
Pomarine Skua.
Richardson’s Skua.
Buffon’s Skua.
Fulmar Petrel.
Great Shearwater.
Manx Shearwater.
Fork-tailed Petrel.
Storm Petrel.

UK, Little .
Avocet. . .

AR-TAILED Gedwit
Bittern .

Black Grouse .
Black Tern. . .
Black-headed Gull
Black-tailed Godwit .
Black-throated Diver
Black-winged Stilt .
Blackbird .
Blackcap .
Blackstart
Blue Tit .
Bohemian Chattarer .
Brambling .
Bullfinch

Bunting, Black-headed ;

Ciel:

» Common

am SOW —”.

cr, Lelow .
Bustard, Little
Buzzard, Common

», Rough-legged :

>» Honey .

HIFFCHAFF

Cirl Bunting
Chaffinch . 3
Clipstone Palace .
Cole Tit . .
Common Bunting

a Caulk

1.) Sere

INDEX.

1 ee
Cermorant . .
Crake, Spotted .
Creeper .. .
Crossbill

vi Parrots.

. White-winged .

Crow, Carrion
» Hooded

Cuckoo.

Curlew.

ABCHICK
Dipper .

Diver, Black-throated

Dove, Ring .
99 Stock .
», Turtle .

Duck, Tufted .
» Wild

AGLE, Golden

», White-tailed .

IELDFARE
Finch, Gold
»» Green
» Haw

»» Mountain .

Siskin .
Flycatcher, Pied .
Br Spotted .

ARDEN Warbler
Garganey

242

Gannet. .
Godwit, Bar- poled :
» Black-tailed
Golderest .
Golden Plover
Goldeneye.
Goldfinch .
Goosander .
Goose, Bean 2
» Grey-lag .
Goshawk . .
Grasshopper War bler
Great Crested Grebe
Great Tit .

Grebe, Great Crested ;

» Little 2
Green Woodpecker .
Greendale Oak
Greenfinch .
Greenshank .

Grey Plover .

Grey Wagtail
Grey-headed Wagtail
Grouse, Black

95 med
Guillemot, Common.
Gull, Black-headed .
Common
Kittiwake.

ARRIER, Hen .
a Marsh
Hawfinch . ~
Hedge Sparrow :
Heron . :
Hobby. . .
Hooded Crow.
Hooper .
Hoopoe. :
House Martin .
»» Sparrow
Hybrid, Game

i ta OSCULATED Trees

ACKDAW .
Jack Snipe .
Jay

» Lesser Black- backed

INDEX.
PAGE
. 229 ESTREL
. 194 Kingfisher .
, 494 4 Bate. . .
. 82 | Kittiwake Gull
. 188
. 223
a hs ANDRAIL .
223 Lapwing
214 | Lark, Sky. ..
213 »» Wood
29 | Lesser Black- backed Gull .
a »» Redpole
226 Spotted Woodpecker
83 » Lem ose
226 », Whitethroat .
226 | Linnet.
143 », Lesser Redpole
7 » Mountain .
116 | Little Auk - .°.°%
193 ,, Bustard
189 » Grebe .
91 | Long-tailed Tit .
92
184
184 \ AGPIE .
228 Major Oak
230 | Marsh, Tit
231 | Martin, House
231 » sand
232 | Meadow Pipit
Merlin . E
aq | Mice, destruction of trees by :
82 | Mountain Finch . :
82 » Linnet.
116 | Mate Swan
61
189
39 | NEWSTEAD ABBEY
149 Nighijar .
165 | Nuthatch .
104
182 | AIL Glands .
Osprey
10 | Ousel, Ring
» Water
Owl, Eagle.
138 », Long-eared
198 » Note of
142 », Short-eared

Owl, Tawny
», White

ARLIAMENT Oak .
Parrot, Crossbill
Partridge .

« Red- legged .
Peregrine Falcon .
Petrel, Stormy
Pheasant . . .
Pied Flycatcher .

» Wagtail .
Pipit, Meadow

a Cree
Plover, Common .

» Golden

a0 Grey: .

mw) | BmOnHe. .
Pochard, Red- headed

|

AVEN. .
Razorbill

Red Grouse :
Red-headed Pochard.
Red-legged Partridge
Redshank F
Redstart . ;

w Black .
Redwing
Ring Dove .
Ringtail
Robin .
Book . >
Rufford Abbey

AND Martin

Sandpiper, Common

Sedge Warbler

Shag .

Shambles Oak

Shieldrake

Shoveller . :

Shrike, Great Grey . °
» Red-backed .

INDEX.
PAGE
44 | Shrike, Wood Chat .
41 | Siskin :
Skylark
Smew a?
6 | Snipe, Common
125 » vack
184 | Snow Bunting
186 | Sparrow, Hedge .
21 e House .
232 Pe Tree
180 | Sparrowhawk
49 | Spotted Crake :
89 », Woodpecker
95 | Starling : ;
93 | Stilt, Black-winged :
189 Stock Dove :
188 | Stonechat .
189 | Stormy Petrel
188 | Swallow
221 | Swan, Mute
£ Hooper
Swift :
186
EAL. .
Tern, Black
- 128 », Common
. 229 » Lesser
. 184 | Thick-knee .
221 | Thrush, Missel
. 186 e Song
- 193 | Titmouse, Blue .
65 wi, Cole
67 ‘i Greats? (a) |
56 » Long-tailed .
Pegi - Marsh
33 | Tree Pipit
62 »» Sparrow
132 | Turtle Dove
2 | Tufted Duck .
WAG, ah co's
168
193 AGTAIL
72 x) Grey. . :
. 229 jo Grey- headed .
9 ae | :
217 » White.
217 Yellow
46 Warbler, Garden...
46 », Grasshopper .

Lesser, Spotted . 146

Spotted

Wagtail
Willow Wren

244 INDEX.
PAGE
Warbler, Reed ; - 74 | Wood Lark
x» Sedge BPM V2 »» Wren
Water Hen . . 200 | Woodchat
>> Rail - 201 | Woodcock
Waxwing . 88 | Woodpecker, Green .
Welbeck ‘Abbey . 4 2 =
Wheatear : 70 as
Whinchat . 70 | Wrens ee
White Wagtail . . altiis, |) | », Gold-crested
White- winged Crossbill | . 126 Wryneck
Whitethroat . ; ieee
4 Lesser . Mash
Widgeon SR ae is ELLOW Bunting
Wild Duck oe olen
Willow Wren . : : 81 —

Jy! NEW- Yok Cy

ae wT >

THE END.

. 145

a a

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NEW SERIES OF NATURAL HISTORY ... : ae
BOTANY ... sate oes ts re é foc ED
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BRITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS; an Introduc-
tion to the study of our Native Leprpoprera. By H. T. Sratnton.
Crown 8vo, 16 Coloured Steel Plates, containing Figures of 100 Species,
engraved from Natural Specimens expressly for the work by E. W. Rosin-
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BRITISH BEETLES; an Introduction to the Study of our
Indigenous Corroprera. By E. C. Rye. Crown 8yo, 16 Coloured
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---- EEE

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BOTANY.

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BRITISH WILD FLOWERS, Familiarly Described in the
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HANDBOOK OF THE BRITISH FLORA; a Descrip-
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HANDBOOK OF THE BRITISH FLORA, Ittusrratep
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ees ss SE EE IEEE

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CURTIS’S BOTANICAL MAGAZINE, comprising New and
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THE TOURIST’S FLORA; a Descriptive Catalogue of the
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of not inconvenient bulk.

~ ————— — eee

A FLORA OF ULSTER, AND BOTANIST’S GUIDE
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A SECOND CENTURY OF ORCHIDACEOUS PLANTS,
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GENERA PLANTARUM, ad Exemplaria imprimis in Her-
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FLORA OF THE ANTARCTIC ISLANDS. By Dr.
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ON THE FLORA OF AUSTRALIA, its Origin, Affini-

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mania. By Dr. J. D. Hooker, F.R.S, 128 pp., quarto, 10s.

ees

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miles, is characterized by an extraordinarily varied Flora, partaking, however, of
that of South Continental China, of which comparatively little is known. ‘The
number of Species enumerated in the present volume is 1056, derived chiefly
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FLORA OF TROPICAL AFRICA. By Dantet Oxtver,
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Gardens, Kew, and other museums, for many years past. The present volume
contains the Orders Ranunculucee to Connaracee.

HANDBOOK OF THE NEW ZEALAND FLORA; a
Systematic Description of the Native Plants of New Zealand, and the Chat-
ham, Kermadec’s, Lord Auckland’s, Campbell’s, and Macquarrie’s Islands.
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A compendious account of the plants of New Zealand and outlying islands,
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Fa ee tt

FLORA AUSTRALIENSIS; a Description of the Plants of

the Australian Territory. By Grorce BentuaM, F.R.S., President of the
Linnean Society, assisted by FERDINAND MUELLER, F.R.S., Government
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FLORA OF THE BRITISH WEST INDIAN ISLANDS.
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10 L. REEVE AND CO.’S PUBLICATIONS.

FLORA VITIENSIS; a Description of the Plants of the

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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF MENTONE,
- AND TO A WINTER FLORA OF THE RIVIERA, INCLUDING
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In this work a full page is devoted to the illustration of each Species, the
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ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE NUEVA QUINOLOGIA
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A superbly-coloured volume, illustrative of the most recent researches of Pavon
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REVISION OF THE NATURAL ORDER HEDERA-

CEA, being a reprint, with numerous additions and corrections, of a series
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BERTHOLD SEEMANN, Ph.D., F.L.S. 8vo, 7 Plates. 10s. 6d.

THE LONDON JOURNAL OF BOTANY. Original

Papers by eminent Botanists, Ietters from Botanical Travellers, ete. Vol.
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JOURNAL OF BOTANY AND KEW MISCELLANY.
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etc. Edited by Sir W. J. Hooker, F.R.S. Vols. IV. to IX., Demy 8yvo.
12 Plates, each £1. 4s.

———— eee

ICONES PLANTARUM. Figures, with brief Descriptive
Characters and Remarks, of New and Rare Plants, selected from the
Author’s Herbarium. By Sir W. J. Hooxer, F.R.S. New Series, Vol. V.
Royal 8vo, 100 plates, 31s. Sd. .

L. REEVE AND CO.’S PUBLICATIONS, ll

FERNS.

—_—o—_

BRITISH FERNS; an Introduction to the study of the
Ferns, Lycopops, and Equiseta indigenous to the British Isles. With
Chapters on the Structure, Propagation, Cultivation, Diseases, Uses, Pre-
servation, and Distribution of Ferns. By M. Puiues. Crown 8vo, 55
Wood-Engravings, 6s.; with 16 Coloured Plates by W. Fitcu, 10s. 6d.

One of the ‘ New Series of Natural History for Beginners,’ accurately de-
seribing all the Ferns and their allies found in Britain, with a Wood-Engraving
of each Species, and Coloured Figures of 32 of the most interesting, including
magnified dissections showing the Venation and Fructification.

THE BRITISH FERNS; or, Coloured Figures and De-
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the Ferns of Great Britain and: Ireland, systematically arranged. By Sir
W. J. Hooker, F.R.S. Royal 8vo, 66 Plates, £2. 2s.

The British Ferns and their allies are illustrated in this work, from the
pencil of Mr. Fircu. Each Species has a Plate to itself, so that there is ample
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whole are delicately coloured by hand. In the letterpress an interesting account
is given with each species of its geographical distribution in other countries.

GARDEN FERNS; or, Coloured Figures and Descriptions,
with the needful Analyses of the Fructification and Venation, of a Selection
of Exotic Ferns, adapted for Cultivation in the Garden, Hothouse, and Con-
servatory. By Sir W. J. Hooker, F.R.S. | Royal 8vo, 64 Plates, £2. 2s,

A companion volume to the preceding, for the use of those who take an in-
terest in the cultivation of some of the more beautiful and remarkable varieties
of Exotic Ferns. Here also each Species has a Plate to itself, and the details of
Fructification and Venation are given on a magnified scale, the Drawings being
from the pencil of Mr. Fircu.

FILICES EXOTICA; or, Coloured Figures and Description
of Exotic Ferns, chiefly of such as are cultivated in the Royal Gardens of
Kew. By Sir W. J. Hooker, F.R.S. Royal 4to, 100 Plates, £6. 11s.

One of the most superbly illustrated books of Ioreign Ferns that has been
hitherto produced. The Species are selected both on account of their beauty of
form, singular structure, and their suitableness for cultivation.

_

FERNY COMBES; a Ramble after Ferns in the Glens and
Valleys of Devonshire. By Caartorrre Cuanter. Third Edition.
Fep. 8vo, 8 coloured plates by Frrcu, and a Map of the County, 5s,

NATURE-PRINTED FERNS, prepared according to a new
patented process. By H.C. Baitpon. The Descriptious by THomas
Moore, F.L.S. Folio, 4 Plates, printed in colours. 10s. 6d.

12 L. REEVE AND CO.’S PUBLICATIONS.

MOSSES.

—_~> —

HANDBOOK OF BRITISH MOSSES, containing all that
are known to be Natives of the British Isles. By the Rev. M. J. BERKELEY,
M.A., F.L.S. Demy 8vo, pp. 360, 24 Coloured Plates, 21s.

A very complete Manual, comprising characters of all the species, with the
circumstances of habitation of each; with special chapters on development and
structure, propagation, fructification, geographical distribution, uses, and modes
of collecting and preserving, followed by an extensive series of coloured illustra-
tions, in which the essential portions of the plant are repeated, in every case on
a magnified scale.

SEAWEEDS.

ai °

BRITISH SEAWEEDS; an Introduction to the Study of

the Marine Auc& of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Channel Islands. By
S.O. Gray. Crown 8vo, 6s.; with 16 Coloured Plates, drawn expressly
for the work by W. Fircu, 10s. 6d.

One of L. Reeve and Co.’s ‘ New Series,’ briefly but accurately describing,
according to the classification of the best and most recent authorities, all the
Algee found on our coasts.

PHYCOLOGIA BRITANNICA; or, History of British

Seaweeds, containing Coloured Figures, Generic and Specific Characters,
Synonyms and Descriptions of all the Species of Alge inhabiting the
Shores of the British Islands. By Dr. W. H. Harvey, F.R.S. Royal
8vo, 4 vols., 765 pp., 360 Coloured Plates. [New Edition in the Press.

This work, originally published in 1851, is still the standard work on the
subject of which it treats. ach Species, excepting the minute ones, has a
Plate to itself, with magnified portions of structure and fructification, the whole
being printed in their natural colours, finished by hand.

PHYCOLOGIA AUSTRALICA; a History of Australian

Seaweeds, comprising Coloured Figures and Descriptions of the more cha-

racteristic Marine Algze of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South

Australia and Western Australia, and a Synopsis of all known Australian

gr By Dr. Harvey, F.R.S. Royal 8vo, 5 vols., 300 Coloured Plates,
. 13s.

This beautiful work, the result of an arduous personal exploration of the
shores of the Australian continent, is got up in the style of the ‘Phycologia
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most curious and remarkable forms.

L. REEVE AND CO.’8 PUBLICATIONS, 13

NEREIS AUSTRALIS; or, Alge of the Southern Ocean,

being Figures and Descriptions of Marine Plants collected on the Shores
of the Cape of Good Hope, the extratropical Australian Colonies, Tas-
mania, New Zealand, and the Antarctic Regions. by Dr. Harvey, F.R.S,
Imperial 8vo, 50 Coloured Plates, £2. 2s.

A selection of Fifty Species of remarkable forms of Seaweed, not included in
the ‘ Phycologia Australica,’ collected over a wider area.

FUNGI.

i

OUTLINES OF BRITISH FUNGOLOGY, containing
Characters of above a Thousand Species of Fungi, and a Complete List of
all that have been described as Natives of the British Isles. By the Rey.
M. J. Berkevey, M.A., F.L.S. Demy 8vo, 484 pp., 24 Coloured Plates,
30s.

Although entitled simply ‘Outlines,’ this is a good-sized volume, of nearly 500
pages, illustrated with more than 200 Figures of British Fungi, all carefully
coloured by hand. Of above a thousand Species the characters are given, aud
a complete list of the names of all the rest.

THE ESCULENT FUNGUSES OF ENGLAND. Con-

taining an Account of their Classical History, Uses, Characters, Develop-
ment, Structure, Nutritions Properties, Modes of Cooking and Preserving,
ete. By C.D. ‘BADHAM, M.D. Second Edition. Edited by F. Currey,
F.R.S. Demy 8vo, 152 pp., 12 Coloured Plates, 12s.

A lively classical treatise, written with considerable epigrammatic humour,
with the view of showing that we have upwards of 30 Species of Fungi abounding
in our woods capable of affording nutritious aud savoury food, but which, from
ignorance or prejudice, are left to perish ungathered. “I have indeed grieved,”
says the Author, “when reflecting on the straitened condition of the lower
orders, to see pounds of extempore beefsteaks growing on our oaks, in the shape
of Fistulina hepatica; Puff-balls, which some have not inaptly compared to
sweetbread ; Hydna, as good as oysters; and Agaricus deliciosus, reminding us of
tender lamb-kidney.” Superior coloured Figures of the Species are giveu from
the pencil of Mr. Fitcu.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF BRITISH MYCOLOGY, com-

prising Figures and Descriptions of the Funguses of interest and novelty
indigenous to Britain. By Mrs. T. J. Hussry. Royal 4to; First Series,
90 Coloured Plates, £27. 12s. 6¢.; Second Series, 50 Coloured Plates,
£4. 10s.

This beautifully-illustrated work is the production of a lady who, being an
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folio of exquisite drawings of the more attractive forms and varieties of British
Fungi. The publication was brought to an end with the 140th Plate by her
sudden decease. The Figures are mostly of the natural size, carefully coloured
by hand.

14 L. REEVE AND CO.’S PUBLICATIONS.

SHELLS AND MOLLUSKS.

—~——

ELEMENTS OF CONCHOLOGY ; an Introduction to the
Natural History of Shells, and of the Animals which form them. By
Lovett REEVE, F.L.S. Royal 8vo, 2 vols., 478 pp., 62 Coloured Plates,

£2. 16s.

Intended as a guide to the collector of shells in arranging and naming his
specimens, while at the same time inducing him to study them with reference
to their once living existence, geographical distribution, and habits. Forty-
six of the plates are devoted to the illustration of the genera of shells, and
sixteen to shells with the living animal, all beautifully coloured by hand.

THE LAND AND FRESHWATER MOLLUSKS indi-

genous to, or naturalized in, the British Isles. By Lovet. Rexve, F.L.S.
‘Crown 8vo, 295 pp., Map, and 160 Wood-Engravings, 10s. 6d.

A complete history of the British Land and Freshwater Shells, and of the
Animals which form them, illustrated by Wood-Engravings of all the Species.
Other features of the work are an Analytical Key, showing at a glance the na-
tural groups of families and genera, copious Tables and a Map illustrative of
geographical distribution and habits, and a chapter on the Distribution and
Origin of Species.

CONCHOLOGIA ICONICA; or, Figures and Descriptions

of the Shells of Mollusks, with remarks on their Affinities, Synonymy, and
Geographical Distribution. By Lovett Rexve, F.L.S, Demy 4to, pub-
lished monthly in Parts, 8 Piates, carefully coloured by hand, 10s.

Of this work, comprising illustrations of Shells of the natural size, nearly
2000 Plates are published, but the plan of publication admits of the collector
purchasing it at his option in portions, each of which is complete in itself. Hach
genus, as the work progresses, is issued separately, with Title and Index; and an
Alphabetical List of the published genera, with the prices annexed, may be pro-
cured of the publishers on application. The system of nomenclature adopted
is that of Lamarck, modified to meet the exigencies of later discoveries. With the
name of each species is given a summary of its leading specific characters in
Latin and English; then the authority for the name is quoted, accompanied
by a reference to its original description; and next in order are its Synonyms.
The habitat of the species is next given, accompanied, where possible, by par-
ticulars of soil, depth, or vegetation. Finally, a few general remarks are offered,
calling attention to the most obvious distinguishing peculiarities of the species,
with criticisms, where necessary, on the views of other writers. At the com-
mencement of the genus some notice is taken of the animal, and the habitats
of the species are worked up into a general summary of the geographical distri-
bution of the genus.

L. REEVE AND CO.’8 PUBLICATIONS.

CONCHOLOGIA ICONICA IN MONOGRAPHS,

Genera. Plates. =. s
VA CPAUN A) «5. eckwes cee ncs :
ACHATINELLA
ADAMSIELLA
AMPHIDESMA
AMPULLARIA ...
PEA STOMA: coe ccentessdsese
UWEANTEN Al anes Ss cuasus
ANCULDARYA.. 2.00. cccccss
ANCULOTUS... .o.-scceceee
PA YRPEMERE osc Vacsccmnec soos
PURCA tS actocabiases
AEGONAUTA ...ccccsscesees
AROMMETS) siicenctsast ceases
ASPERGILLUM
NTODES. <.:ccscocceccasses
BUCOCINUM ...ccccosvecces
PG UAWEU Sess sveseasaveccces 89
MGREEIOAS 5, 2522 sa5ey Resasanen 4
MCAT PTR AGA «2a ccencssces 8
CANCEL EAREA |. oicccccnee ds faemen errr ae es
CPA 20k Se soidy sos etivca’s i (ee 01
CONPSRETA cccccckecvcnceccse ene Oe 0 3
OT CS SOE ae Dy eossbcass 011
Um e/a rig eh" ees eee ee eee Boe Se Des
SOMREMARUA foo 525. 252.0 aera Or
CWASSED AREA). consssabeees dager 0 1
CORSE es eo ec ee We ckaesas 0 15
CERITHIDEA .........00. ASs, cedeses 0 5
CERITHIUM .....2cccc0cces DO socee, tac Lb
CPAWER Se ee es 78 Odea, 0 1]
CHAMOSTREA .....00-.. AW eh aaa 01
OCTETS ad Oe ee en 3 ge 2.2
CHITONELLUS .......00006 5 eee a 1
CHONDROPOMA ......... RY Sets 0 14
(OTe 8 ie Se ok aU eee 0 13
COERMEEDEA: i.2:.05.0003 BY eee Sig
CONCHOLEPAS .........00. Se oded as U3
GRE hs eo eee ae rrers BG assscaees 3 it
CORB EMAC. 2. cucssace aces Sparepe hha 0 6
AD BAN UR hes adiatevectscasss Saget es ie Otc
CRASSATELLA ......c0000. OY csicera 0 4
CRENATUGN 2s iscticc.e ces Bie eae ae 0 3
CME EN UIN Cos ose cacess Oi sageenncs 0 6
CRUCIBULUM ....2...cc00 f poder st. 0 9
CYCLOPHORUS........ os. GOs nee 1 5
EXCLOSTOMA %.600.0062:. 2B seaceoxee 19
VOLOTUS... cecerekaseseeee ON eetese 011
COEMRTURNE. ose. 2c sctine ess Vine ae 1 13
CORP AEM, Ses, Fos acne hee 4 Capree eee 1 14
CYPRICARDIA cocccceccoss rege Olek
JA iia i ee ae | | ieee eee 0 13
WIREPHIN UDA. 2225. csccces Ee es 0 6
WYEOW os cbc sccsepaeesctess ee oo ts es 0 15
0 10
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HISSUREEUA. | .Js<ces..388 NG) c.ceusee £0
POR Ble, wo ate als vac oslcn ee pA ie eae Lac6
GLAUCONOME ............ Wigeadeaees 0 |]
EPNSTAY Sooo oos oe dace eee ee 01
ERT OPIN os, c37 casay oe Fuh i (7 eer a ae 11
EU RR PR c6 i208 stouwesbes My i Span aiae ‘0 -5
NLA VE, Were Be ee aera SEO 2 ee8 as 8 5
HEMIPECTEN pip | aie ore 01
‘T RMISEN DB» ..<ccscecsss0e Ae ee 0 8
PIU WITRS bcs sdebsctveends YS ccatzes | Las
HTP SORUE 52a: <cc sent cues Dr aseeS; as 01

Genera. Plates. se
PAMUPHEN A. .ccic0ssnescasee ns tae 0 6
ND oe cekatds casanceausenaases SS Ghaatensa 0 4
PSO GARDEN scec-c2icoceseas pee, ee Ok
Ei AMP RITA G2 rete cease Sr es 0 &
TE REORME NOM. on. cs0scsce<, eee 0 4
LEPTOPOMA .........c00008 SS) cence 0 10
1 Fras (ry Qe DY adaaaeas 0 3
LITHODOMUS .........005 apa kei 2 0 6
PTORINA | cocasacccaceves TBR aes 1 ae
MIU GEN Sores ccneases a Ii RAN Ai e 0 14
EFUDWARVAGeckeacgsctteodcs EMM aera 0 6
NENG BBA Shoo cskseocus A Re Ee 6
MAT UR ec iosancasesass aos Dba sa 0 4
MANGEEIA. Jiccccscccsccons oa ee 0 10
MARGINELLA. ©...0<ssines Pere cies 1 14
Mir ara. ee ie BO uctstce 3 14
MELANOPSIS +
MELATOMA 0 4
MEROE 0 4
Mzesatia & Hanista.,. 1 .....0s.. | ee |
MERSODESMA....5.ccrsceces Beas caides 0 5
WAC. 55) ctasenwelaacscseacne PO oasenes 0 1
Pp AS 5 PI ee a 3 ee are 2 9
MELO TOEM. ou secnateacanen UE ee 0 14
MONOCEBROS.......2.000008 Oh Seaesite 0 5
WTR Ses ees J eee eenees Fy ER aes a7
IME AD OWA oss 05 - ons laassen ee eee 0 1
WESOCHASER. 5. .osndcsersces Pee | ey
Wr ereE IS 24% shee oc adee UP essen 0 14
INGA Conce, A ere re rd RAL of hay,
1 - Ul 0 peers AR ape SO cnoesaaee 118
Naerenue irik se ie ee Be 0 8
NavicELha & Latta... 8 ...:... 20°10
INE A es Fed 1 Bee 14
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1 5 (570 ea rt a Detar ee hae eaies 01
CUBEVIAD NS itestcseh torre 51) ae es 118
OCUNTROPAUS 30225 5..2 252. 00s Peer cere O25
ORBLCUE A Woc21ck nee ascaes en AOsd
OVIENIME (costes sone ee fy. ae 018
IPAE UD BEWN 52). on ae i Deeae ee 0 14
PABUDOMPB Asi) Sheer ae 0 4
IP ARM UIA cpnsedes anes Air boon 0 5
IPARREDA: ote eee AQ Rte 2138
PROP 055-02 eth SOE ee 2 4
PRCTUNCELUS 2... 2000 cee eat 011
PRDUM, co. cusrscieecneeees Recs ee 01
PERNASs2S 2s tees eee Oleic 0 8
PHAStANEE DAR. 22.503 Ges 0 8
BO RDS. 35. coaeee oases Sue cases 0 4
PEN IVA! 5k vets cepepkase es Neate bet ares
IP TRRWN 24 ocbt Sos ebuseos o 2K OS
PGA CWW AM OMEM i555) 1S coseacnt 0 4
PLEVROTOMA,....<c0ce000. AOS ee ke 210
Ee GINARELISHE, css oso0nciecee Lee ee 01
PSAMWMORUA 250002260. Ye sdseas sce 0 10
PSAMMOTELLA ....00ce000s My ess 01
PYTBROCKERM®. cconesccsevees Bi tsecsee 0 8
PTEROCYCLOS .....<.-.00: Bi cotuaee 0 6
WT CRIRPUTIOR) ccisasascescccads jt eee 0 16
PYRAMIDELLA,;>......00. ©: cesses 0 8
PP SoA AIS Dobe, bos Wasieatae’ hp leat: OLE
ina = ee ee SE ic oameckee 01)
WOANRUGAs hice Hock. knee 2 APA I > 0 10
SGM oeb Sex, rakes Gene: 0 8
RosTELLARIA So eh ek 0 4
SANGUINOLARIA ae cae Oy. is
SCARABUS......... Pi concunaee 0 4
‘SIGARKTUS . BY ees 0 6
SiMPULOPSIS. ...........- y pee to eee 0 3
SIPUONARIA..........0000 d,, scadowsee 0 9

~
~

SVTAPASROAAQDOAWVOAAGARSCSSSOSOCAIAROAPOS

16 L. REEVE AND CO.’S PUBLICATIONS.

Genera. Plates. £.. sa Genera. «78. vd.
SOTARTWOM. i sdp sek cadets B Racxevess 0 4 0 DPRITOW ca. svceedac even eeee 20 BIG
SOLETEELINA 2... ccccocas A 2h ates 0. S46 TROCHITA 4 0
BEONDVUUS ictc.casesrets Mee pees gf mie t) TRrocaus 0 6
SUTROMBUS.....0..c0ccccasse LO ye eee Lea TUGONIA id:
STRUTHIOLARIA ......... EN ery eae 0-16 TURBINELDA’*..,.:ese000e sae 016 6
DP aviansies esas sabi ates stirs be eet S 016 6 TURBO: ..cidcccebeweee NSy cee .016 6
TRLESCOPIUM .2....s00ee NM ecdsacete OT 6 ‘TT UREITELLA...csgeccceeees WA eeeeeee 014 0
APirerrer weal (3.226 saccaca sees Dieses. sees 114 6 TYMPANOTONOS .......-. Dee Ose O
TRREBELLUM ......02000 aie OP 6 UMBEEELA: <2.sasceeteee Lee 0.1.6
TEREBRATULA & RyNn- WRNUS. i... scasccnerssenenens DG! cvccecee fis’ y

GHONELGDA:’ :;..,cr0cesse ib eee 014 0 VERTAGQUS ~~ .20i2,2.s200 eso £06 “6
ERAS Une ss eee By eee saee 0 4 0 Wit RTWA ics. déseesee hoes 10H see 013 0
TORNATELDA °coscsosseese 2 a eee 0 5 6 VOnUDe. Ase eee DO care eed LT: 87.0
"TARTANA NAS Sse cubcataeas ons oh ree oe 010 6 VULSELUDA....cccvcvscesues eee 0
TRIGONTA occccesccns ccese Leos ere 0 6 ZIZYPHINUS:...ccesere cere SV his neces 010 6

CONCHOLOGIA SYSTEMATICA ; or, Complete System of

Conchology. By Lovretn Reeve, F.L.S. Demy 4to, 2 vols. pp. 537,
300 Plates, £10. 10s. coloured.

Of this work only a few copies remain. It is a useful companion to the
collector of shells, on account of the very large number of specimens figured, as
many as six plates being devoted in some instances to the illustration of a single
genus.

THE EDIBLE MOLLUSKS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND

IRELAND, with the modes of cooking them. By M.S. Lovetn. Crown
8vo, 5s.; with 12 Coloured Plates, 8s. 6d.

INSECTS.

=

CURTIS’S BRITISH ENTOMOLOGY. Illustrations and
Descriptions of the Genera of Insects found in Great Britain and Ireland,
containing Coloured Figures, from nature, of the most rare and beautiful
species, aud, in many instances, upon the plants on which they are found.
Royal 8vo, 8 vols., 770 Plates, coloured, £21.

Or in separate Monographs.

Orders. Plates. # a d. Orders. Plates. £4 aa
APHANIPTERA ccccsccceees oe =O 2510 HYMENOPTERA .......00008 125 40"
COLEOPTERA .......00:se808 206 s) 10 0 LEPIDOPTERA .......00c0s 19S 12 O16
DeRMAPTERA....... ec 1 OO NEUBOPTEBA ....00ccecceces 13. ae OD
DICTYOPTEBA ......cee0e if Oe 20 OMALOPTERA....osussceeces 6. peat EN
IDTPM RRA .2.cccs vecikceceeense 103 BF oi, 10 ORTHOPTERA ....c.ecessseee 5 ioe OL ee
FIEMIPTERA Avccastectices 32 see: Fert) STREPSIPTERA ....cseeeees 3' 2. PO s2ti6
HOMOPTERA "2.5. csecbo oes 21 014 0 TRICHOPTERA ......+c000 9° 26 0S Geb

‘ Curtis’s Entomology,’ which Cuvier pronounced to have “reached the ulti-
matum of perfection,” is still the standard work on the Genera of British In-
sects. The Figures executed by the author himself, with wonderful minuteness
and accuracy, have never been surpassed, even if equalled. The price at which
the work was originally published was £43. 16s.

L. REEVE AND CO.’S PUBLICATIONS. 17

BRITISH BEETLES; an Introduction to the Study of our
Indigenous CoLeoprera. By E. C. Rye. Crown 8vo, 16 Coloured
Steel Plates, comprising Figures of nearly 100 Species, engraved from
Natural Specimens, expressly for the work, by E. W. Rosrnson, and 1]
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This little work forms the first of a New Series designed to assist young per-
sons to a more profitable, and, consequently, more pleasurable observation of
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BRITISH BEES; an Introduction to the Study of the Na-
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By W. BH. SHuckarp. Crown 8vo, 16 Coloured Steel Plates, containing
nearly 100 Figures, engraved from Natural Specimens, expressly for the
work, by E. W. Rosryson, and Woodcuts of Dissections, 10s. 6d.

A companion volume to that on British Beetles, treating of the structure,

geographical distribution and classification of Bees and their parasites, with lists
of the species foun] in Britain, and an account of their habits and economy.

LR aes

BRITISH SPIDERS; an Introduction to the Study of the
ARANEID& found in Great Britain and Ireland. By E. F. Srave.ey.
Crown 8vo, 16 Plates, containing Coloured Figures of nearly 100 Species,
aud 40 Diagrams, showing the number and position of the eyes in various
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One of the ‘New Series of Natural History for Beginners,’ and companion
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ee ee eee"

BRITISH BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS; an Introduc-
tion to the Study of our Native LEpipoprrra. By H. T. Srarnron.
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son, and. Wood-Engravings, 10s. 6d.

Another of the ‘ New Series of Natural History for Beginners aud Amateurs,’
treating of the structure and classification of the Lepidoptera.

wearer eri~737"—7“"_—<3a3O3wrv73wrk7OeV73oeee~

INSECTA BRITANNICA; Vols. II. and III., Diptera. By

Francis WALKER, F.L.S. 8vo, each, with 10 plates, 25s.

18 L. REEVE AND CO.’S PUBLICATIONS,

ANTIQUARIAN.

—$—

SACRED ARCHASOLOGY ; a Popular Dictionary of Eccle-

siastical Art and Institutions, from Primitive to Modern Times. Compris-
ing Architecture, Music, Vestments, Furniture Arrangement, Offices, Cus-
toms, Ritual Symbolism, Ceremonial Traditions, Religious Orders, etc., of
the Church Catholic in all Ages. By Mackenzie E. C. Watcorrt,
B.D. Oxon., F.S.A., Preecentor and Prebendary of Chichester Cathedral.
Demy 8yo, 18s.

Mr. Walcott’s ‘ Dictionary of Sacred Archeology’ is designed to satisfy a great
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is the object which has been kept in view in the compilation now offered to the
public. In no work of the kind has the English public, it is confidently believed,
had presented to it so large and varied a mass of matter in a form so conveniently
arrauged for reference. One valuable feature to which attention may be invited
is the copious list of authorities prefixed to Mr. Walcott’s Dictionary. The
student will here find himself put readily upon the track for following up any
particular line of inquiry, of which the Dictionary has given him the first outlines.

MAN’S AGE IN THE WORLD .ACCORDING TO
HOLY SCRIPTURE AND SCIENCE. By an Essex Rector. Demy
8vo, 264 pp., 8s. 6d. ,

The Author, recognizing the established facts and inevitable deductions of
Science, and believing all attempts to reconcile them with the commonly re-
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general principles, consistent alike with their authenticity, when rightly under-
stood, and with the exigencies of Science. He treats in suecessive Chapters of
The Flint Weapons of the Drift,—The Creation,—The Paradisiacal State,—The
Genealogies,—The Deluge,—Babel and the Dispersion; and adds an Appendix
of valuable information from various sources.

~~

A MANUAL OF BRITISH ARCHASOLOGY. By

CuarLes Boutett, M.A. Royal 16mo, 398 pp., 20 Coloured Plates,
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A treatise on general subjects of antiquity, written especially for the student
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THE BEWICK COLLECTOR AND SUPPLEMENT. A

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WHITNEY’S “CHOICE OF EMBLEMES;” a Facsimile

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LOS

CALIPHS AND SULTANS; being Tales omitted in the

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OILS TT

SUNSHINE AND SHOWERS: their Influences through-

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BLBLOIRB Lae eee ee ee eee eae

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