BRITISH BIRDS NESTs OR SOLAN GOOSE. GANNET, G-L E72 K2+b B95 ~ BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS HOW, WHERE, AND WHEN TO FIND AINUD) JUDO INEGI PEI NE BY ee AE ON, AUTHOR OF ‘‘ BIRDS’ NESTS, EGGS, AND EGG COLLECTING” INTRODUCTION BY y as ‘TH ; abies £49) V/ ~ R. BOWDLER SHARPE, aie “uy VOY <9 199) Lis} on See TRIES ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BY C. KEARTON OF NESTS, EGGS, YOUNG, ETC., IN THEIR NATURAL SITUATIONS AND SURROUNDINGS CASSELL ann COMPANY, Limirep LONDON, PARIS & MELBOURNE 1895 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED SUCKED GREY CROW AND ING YOU ? TGGS. DUCKS INE OW Wie ELON. ———— Tue illustrations of Brrrrsaq Brros’ Nests which have been submitted to me by Mr. Kearton deserve more than a passing acknowledgment. This book certainly marks an era in natural history, just as Gouid’s ‘‘ Birds of Great Britain” and Booth’s “Rough Notes” did in the past. The method of illustrating works on natural history has undergone as much development, as the illustration of the animals themselves has done in our public museums. The works of the early part of the century were em- bellished with the faithful woodeuts of Bewick, or with coloured pictures of more or less merit. These were succeeded by the writings of Macgillivray, Yarrell, and Hewitson, the former contaiming the best life histories of our British birds, equalled only by those of the great German naturalist Naumann. The great merit of Macgillivray’s work les in the fact that it is almost entirely original, both as regards the descriptions of structure and plumage, as well as of the habits of the birds. Yarrell was also a great naturalist, and his work was illustrated by the neatest of little woodeuts, which survive unto this day; but a candid critic must admit that the attitudes of many of the birds are strained and unnatural, and must have been taken from stuffed specimens. Hewitson’s illustrations of the eges of British birds are still, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful of any which have appeared in this country, though the most perfect representations of birds’ eggs yet published are those of Captain Bendire, issued by the Smithsonian Institution. viii BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. The influence of faithful illustration in works on natural history soon began to make itself felt im museums, and a higher aim in the efforts of taxi- dermists became apparent; but the man who most fully realised this necessity, in England at least, was John Hancock, and, after him, the late H. T. Booth, of Brighton, whose museum in the Dyke Road is one of the attractions of that flourishing watering-place. I cannot vouch for the truth of the statement, but I have more than once heard it said that the formation of this collection cost the late owner sixty thousand pounds from first to last. Travelling all over the United Kingdom, and collecting diligently, Mr. Booth managed to get together a very complete collection of British birds, which, however, he did not mount in the usual way of museums, on rows of stands, but placed his treasures in cases, in which the birds were repre- sented with their natural surroundings. Thus we see the Waders feeding on the shore, with a view of the sea beyond; and Stone-Chats sit on their native gorse, instead of perching on a wooden stand, with a very evident stiffness due to the taxidermist’s wire. The pictures of bird-life in the Dyke Road Museum are faithfully reproduced by Mr. Neale in the illustrations to the ‘‘ Rough Notes,” which were published by Mr. Booth. The crowds of people, increasing year by year, who visit the Natural History branch of the British Museum at South Kensington, testify to the popu- larity of the bird-groups in the national collection. These faithfully represent the natural history of the species, for the actual birds are there, with their nest and eggs or young ones, exactly as they were on the day of their capture; every leaf, every flower, being exactly reproduced. It must, however, not INTRODUCTION. ix be forgotten that much of the interest felt in the nesting habits and the plumage of the young of our British birds is due to the late John Gould, in whose magnificent work on the ‘“ Birds of Great Britain” both these features were made conspicuous. His collection has passed into the British Museum, and the series of nestling birds is quite remarkable. The purchase of such works as those of Gould and Booth is beyond the compass of most of us, and this is an age when everyone expects knowledge to be dispensed at a cheap rate, and to be brought within the reach of people of moderate means. Even Mr. Seebohm’s work on British birds, the only one which can fairly be said to take rank beside those of Naumann and Macgillivray, is expensive, and unattainable by students of natural history, who are daily increasing in number. Mr. Kearton, therefore, steps in at the right moment with this book on British Birps’ Nests, and it will be some time before he finds a rival; for the photographs with which he and his brother have embellished the book are not only beautiful as photographs, but show us the nests and eggs of our birds wm setu. I will not detract from the interest of the work by quoting from it; but the way in which these young natural- ists have overcome the very serious diificulties presented by the task they undertook, proves that, in addition to the native British pluck, the true love of natural history is necessary to accomplish such a result as they have achieved. It is everything to show Nature as she really is, and here photography, the handmaid of science in the field, comes in. Artists will undoubtedly admire the illustrations, but the naturalist will love them still more, because they show him the nests of the birds as the authors A* x BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. discovered them ; no imaginary details, as is so often the case in illustrations of bird-life, but the actual nest itself, so that the perusal of the book is a birds’- nesting expedition. The descriptions of the birds and of the material of the nests are both adequate and instructive, and the latter will be most useful. I am certain that we are not going to hear the last of Mr. Kearton and his brother with the present volume; and, if I may suggest, naturalists would especially like to hear more of thei birds’-nesting experiences in detail. There is so much still to be learnt about the habits of birds, even of our commoner kinds; and in a long course of editing and writing of books on birds, I find the greatest difficulty im gathering any new facts about their habits. Even in my suburban garden I have learnt many interesting facts; and anyone who has travelled, hke Mr. Kearton, in search of subjects for the pen and camera, must have much to tell. That he could relate his experiences excellently, too, is evident from his preface to the present work, and I can only hope that he will speedily do so. The difficulties which he and his brother have sur- mounted in procuring their series of beautiful photo- graphs of British birds’ nests, prove that there is nothing which they would not dare; and I can assure them that there is nothing for them to fear from the British public, who will undoubtedly be glad to hear some more of their stories of bird-life in the field. R. BOWDLER SHARPE. British Musewn (Nat, Hist.), South Kensington, Sept. 7, 1895. le 163) dst ve Gla ——— THE primary object of this work is to supply such information as will help the student of ornitholog to find and identify the nests and eggs of birds breeding within the British Isles. In its prepara- tion I have endeavoured always to keep my own early wants in view, and worked accordingly. The arrangement of the book (a sort of combina- tion of Montagu and Newman) is, I am inclined to think, the best for a popular work of its kind, and enables a ready reference to any bird or its breeding habits and economy. ‘The brief descrip- tions of the parent birds—which are as far as possible in their breeding plumage, and have been made as concise and practical as circumstances would admit— will be found of considerable assistance in identifying specimens, which is unquestionably the most im- portant point connected with the study of the subject. I recognised this fact when I was a lad of nine years of age, and in endeavouring to carry it to its logical conclusion brought considerable trouble upon myself. During one of my solitary excursions along the side of a noisy Yorkshire beck I came across a bird’s nest, differmg so widely from all my previous ) ‘¢takes’’ and discoveries that I determined to find out the species to which it belonged, and accord- xii BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. ingly hid myself and began to watch for the return of its builder. Night fell without bringing any success, so I curled myself up beneath an over- hanging crag, in order to wait until the bird came back in the morning to lay another egg, entirely oblivious of the fact that I should be missed at home. My slumbers were broken early by a great outcry in the little gill. The whole of the able-bodied population of our mountain village had turned out to help find me, and I have good reason for believing that many mournful prophecies as to my fate were indulged in by those who knew some- thing of my queer habits. I suffered that night some- what severely in the interests of science; nevertheless my ardour was not quenched, and I returned at the earliest opportunity to the strange nest by the beck-side, when a sight of its owner as she hurriedly left her eggs made it plain that the domed house of moss belonged to a Dipper. I have on many occasions since that gratified my desire to spend a night with the birds, both on land and sea, in winter and in summer, and have learned on each occasion something it was both pleasant and profitable to know. I have been a bird lover and collector for upwards of twenty years, and much of this work has been written from my own specimens and note-books, giving, of course, in the case of the birds themselves, due care to the parts that fade and alter after death. I have also freely consulted and unreservedly acknowledge my indebtedness to such authorities as Yarrell (revised and enlarged by Messrs. Newton PREFACE. xiii and Saunders), Seebohm, Dresser and _ Sharpe, Dixon, Montagu, Morris, Newman (revised and rewritten by Miller Christy), Stevenson, Swaysland, Booth, Bechstein, Atkinson, and others. Neither must I forget to mention the Feld, from the natural history columns of which I have compiled a whole note-book of useful and extraordinary facts, many of which find a place in the following pages. I have also to express our thanks, for valuable assistance readily rendered, to the Duke of Argyll, the Marquis of Lorne, Lord Walsingham, the Con- servators of Epping Forest, Mr. J. Anderson of Oban, Mr. H. A. Paynter of Alnwick, Mr. James Sinclair of Kirkwall, Mr. Robert Baldry of Norwich, Mr. R, J. Ussher of Cappagh, Mr. C. H. Bisshopp of Oban, and the numerous factors, farmers, keepers, and boatmen who have assisted us most willingly in obtaining the necessary materials for the pro- duction of the work. The great feature of the book lies in the unique character of its pictures. In this respect we can claim that it is the first practical attempt to illus- trate a manual on the subject from photographs taken mm situ. A glance through its pages will at once establish the valuable nature of this new departure. Of course, it must not be supposed that all the nests and eggs are to be seen exactly as represented in the illustrations; for many of them had to be partially exposed before a photograph could possibly be taken, and in some instances actually removed from holes, as in the case of the Wheatear, Starling, and Swallow. xiv BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. The experienced ornithologist will no doubt miss a few nests he might reasonably expect to find in this work; but on the other hand it is certain he will discover some of infinitely greater value, which he did not expect to fall in with. The omission of such birds as the Golden Plover, Dabchick, Yellow Wagtail, Corncrake, and a few others, is due in some cases to accident, and in others to our inability to find them, although we searched long and diligently. In some instances it happened that directly we succeeded in finding and photographing a bird's nest which had entailed considerable trouble in the search, we immediately came across others by accident. This was notably the case with the Ringed Plover, Kingfisher, and Dunlin. In several cases good pictures have been left out because we were unable, from lack of trustworthy evidence, to identify them with absolute certainty. No one who has yet to try this particular branch of photography, can possibly appreciate its troubles and disappointments. As an instance of the latter, my brother on one occasion travelled upwards of five hundred miles by rail, and dragged his camera at least twelve miles up and down a mountain side, in order to take a view of one bird’s nest, and was defeated by the oncoming of a thick mist at the very moment he was fixing up his apparatus. The Golden Eagle’s eyrie was photographed during the temporary lifting of a Highland mist, and con- sidering the situation, and the unsatisfactory state of the hght, has turned out very successfully. The picture of the Solan Goose was obtained PREFACE. XV about four o’clock in the morning on Ailsa Craig, and so early in the season that the birds had not settled down seriously to the business of incubation; and is of especial value and interest to us on account of the adventures we encountered on that “ beetling crag.’ In getting down to the edge of the cliff, my brother placed too much dependence upon the stability of a large slab of rock, which treacherously commenced to shther down the terribly steep hill side at a great pace directly it received his additional weight. He narrowly managed to save himself and the camera, with which he was encumbered at the time, from being shot over the lip of the precipice, and sustain- ing a fall of several hundred feet, into the sea below. We took five photographs of the Gannet sitting on her nest, each at closer range, and although she was ill at ease while all this was going on, by working deftly we established ourselves somewhat in her confidence, and got close enough to obtain the picture forming the frontispiece to this work. When everything was ready, as if by the malicious intervention of some unkind fate, the screw affixing the camera to the tripod suddenly dropped out, and the apparatus toppled over seawards. It was well on its way to what the Americans describe as “ ever- lasting smash,’ when my brother, by a dexterous catch, stopped it from striking a piece of rock, off which it would have rebounded and finally dis- appeared over the cliff. By the aid of some strong feather shafts (the only materials available), we managed to fix up, after a fashion, our apparatus Xvi BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. again, and whilst the artist held the camera on to the tripod, and the author, from a more secure footing, held the artist by the coat-tails on to the Craig, the picture was obtained, which I venture to think amply rewards us for our trouble. The members of an eminent Northern natural history society visited the Craig about a fortnight afterwards for the same purpose, and, from the insurmountable character of the difficulties which presented themselves, had to return empty-handed. Nobody who has essayed the same task will much blame them. The Kestrel’s nest was situated on the stump of a tree growing at right angles from a cleft in a Highland ‘scar,’ and, as may be judged, was in an exceedingly awkward situation to photograph. However, by the kindly assistance of a gamekeeper and a strong rope, my brother and his camera were lowered on to the stump, sitting astride of which he lashed his apparatus thereto and exposed four plates, every one of which turned out a failure on account of the close range, snowy whiteness of the uneasy little birds, and the blackness of the background. We were obliged to do the whole thing over again, and after a series of experiments managed to secure the photograph from which our illustration has been reproduced. In 1894 we were unable to land upon the Meg- stone Rock at the Farne Islands, for the purpose of securing a picture of the Cormorants’ nests, on account of the dangerous swell running at the time. This year we went considerably out of our PREFACE. xvii way in order to remedy the defect in our series, and after inducing the boatman and his crew to land us, at great risk to the craft and all our lives, were disappointed to discover that a recent north-easterly gale had swept every nest and egg off the rock. The birds were busy building new nests, and our illustration represents the foundations of some of them. We sought hard on the shores of several High- land lochs for the nest of a Sandpiper, from four o'clock in the morning till breakfast time, three or four days running, but in vain; and when we had almost given up the task as hopeless, a curious thing happened. I was lying at full length one evening upon a great fang-like promontory of rock that jutted out into a sea loch, testing the capa- bilities of a smail rifle, when I startled a bird off her nest, containing four eggs, in a tussock of rushes close by me. At this time we had exposed all our stock of plates except two, and the reader will be able to judge of our chances of renewing supplies, when I tell him that we were staying at a place so remote and isolated that the kind Highland body who put us up (at considerable inconvenience to herself and her family) was for the space of three or four days quite unable to procure us fish, flesh, or fowl to eat. A strong breeze was blowing at the time from seaward, and after weighting the camera as heavily as we dared with a lump of rock to prevent vibration, and sheltering the waving rashes with our jackets, one of the remaining precious plates was exposed. Xvill BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. Fearful that we had not succeeded, my brother returned to our quarters a mile away and developed the negative—alas! only to find that the vibration of the apparatus had utterly ruined it. We were now reduced to our last chance. The breeze had increased if anything, and the prospect of obtaining a decent picture certainly looked gloomy. We rammed the legs of the tripod as far into the hard-baked handbreadth of ground as_ possible, weighted each with a heavy leaning stone, hung a huge iron otter trap beneath the body of the camera, and placed as big a stone as the construc- tion of the machine would bear on the top; then waited, jackets in hand and shoulder to shoulder, for a temporary lull in the wind. Luckily the result rewarded our trouble. The Kingfisher’s nesting-hole was in such a position that my brother was obliged to photo- graph it standing waist-deep in the river Mole, the switling waters of which reached very nearly up to the body of the camera. The nests of the Ring Dove, Sparrow Hawk, and several other high builders were obtained by climbing adjoiing trees and lashing the apparatus thereto, building scaffolds and other contrivances, the difficulties of which a practical photographer alone can fully appreciate. Some of the pictures were obtained with one of Messrs. Dallmeyer’s tele-photo lenses, an admirable contrivance for inaccessible objects and timid animals, which it would be impossible to approach near enough with an ordinary apparatus. Despite its difficulties and dangers, photographing natural PREFACE. X1x history objects in their own haunts and elements is an extremely pleasant pastime, and no one pursuing it should be without one of these instru- ments, which we had made adjustable to a_half- plate camera. A good pair of field-glasses are also very useful for watching shy birds on or off their nests, and I have made some really aston- ishing discoveries by the aid of mine at times. The circumstances governing the distances at which our photographs were taken made it quite impossible, as may be easily understood, for us to adjust the relative sizes of the eggs of different species. However, the average measurement of each bird’s egg in inches and the decimal parts thereof will easily prevent any misconception on this point. | Asa great deal of valuable time is often wasted in finding out how to get to good sea-bird haunts, I propose to give particulars respecting some of the best we have visited. The Farne Islands are now under the control of an Association, having for its raison détre the protection of the birds breeding on these far-famed rocks. However, passes may be purchased from Mr. Hughes, landlord of the Ship Inn, North Sunderland (nearest railway station — Chathill). Fisherman Richard Allen has a capital craft for taking visitors off, and is a capable and experienced boatman—a distinct acquisition to the naturalist or photographer, where tides and currents run as fiercely as mill-races. Mr. Kendal, of the Canty Bay Hotel, some four miles from North Berwick, rents 26.6 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. the Bass Rock; but before paying a contemplated visit to that ancient haunt of the Solan Goose, it will be well to make prior arrangements, in order to save time and prevent disappointment. Ailsa Craig is rented by two brothers named Girvan, one of whom lvyes on the rock and the other at Girvan, on the Ayrshire coast. The one upon the mainland will ferry the visitor across the nine miles or so of ocean, and the brother on the Craig will act as guide over the awesome rock-stack. Oban forms a very good base of operations for doing the Hebrides (per Mac Brayne’s splendid service of boats) and the mountaims round about. John Cowan, boatman, of Corran Esplanade in Oban, is a very intelligent fellow from an_ ornithological point of view, and owns a good sailing boat where- with the small islands in the adjoining lochs may be profitably worked. The Shiant Islands may be visited by a hired boat from Tarbert, Harris ; however, we experienced considerable difficulty at this place, by reason of the men being actively engaged in fishing just when we required their Services. In conelusion, I need hardly say that we shall be extremely grateful to any gentleman kind enough to give us an opportunity of taking the photograph of any bird’s nest which does not already appear in this work. Boreham Wood, Elstree, Herts, 1896. BRITISH BIRDS NESTS. ACCENTOR. See Hence Sparrow. BITTERN. Has now quite ceased to breed in the British Isles, and is only a rare visitor. BLACKBIRD. Description of Parent Birds.—Length about ten inches. Bill of medium length, nearly straight, and yellow. Hyelids yellow. Plumage uniform deep black. Legs and toes brownish black, claws black, The female is of a dark rusty brown colour, bill and feet dusky brown. Situation and Locality.—Bushes, hedges, ledges of rock, holes in and on projecting ‘‘ troughs” of dry walls, on banks, in evergreens, against the trunks of trees, and occasionally quite on the ground. I have upon more than one occasion found a Blackbird’s nest built upon an old Thrush’s, and vice versa. Common nearly all over the United Kingdom. Materials—Small twigs, roots, dry grass, moss, intermixed with clay or mud. Sometimes bits of wool, leaves, fern fronds, and even paper, lined internally with fine dry grass. B i) BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. Eiggs.— Four to five, sometimes six. Some authorities say as many as seven and eight; but although I have been birds’-nesting now for five- and-twenty years, I never met with either number. Of a dull bluish-green, spotted and blotched, and rarely streaked with reddish-brown and grey. They vary considerably, both in regard to ground colour, shape, size, and markings. Some varieties are covered with small spots, others with such large ones that they very closely resemble the eggs of the Ring Ouzel, whilst a third variety is almost spotless. Size about 1:18 by ‘85 in. Time.—March, April, May, June, July, and even as late as August. Remarks.—Resident. - Notes: call, tsissrr, tack, tach; alarm, a loud, ringing spink, or chink, chink, chink. Song powerful, and generally delivered at the beginning or end of the day. Local and other names: Merle, Black Ouzel, Amzel Ouzel. A close sitter. BLACKCAP. Description of Parent Birds.—Length about six inches ; bill of medium length, straight, and dark horn colour. Irides brown. All the upper part of the head black; nape ash grey ; back and wing- coverts ash-grey, tinged with brown; wing and tail-quills brown, bordered with grey ; cheeks, chin, throat, and breast hght grey; belly and under-parts white; legs and toes lead colour; claws brown. The female is. larger than the male; the top of her head is dull rust colour, and her plumage generally more tinged with brown. Situation and Locality.—In brambles, — briars, thick hedges, nettles, and gooseberry bushes, in IBIL/ MCV BIURIDIS INS AS, 4 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. gardens, orchards, thickets, shubberies, and other suitable places, at varying heights of from two to ten or twelve feet from the ground. In all parts of England and Wales, and more sparingly in Scotland and Ireland. It is a very widely dis- tributed bird. Materials.—F ibrous roots, straws, and dead grass, with an inner lining of hair. It is a flimsy structure, sometimes strengthened by wool or spiders’ webs. Higgs.—Five to six, very variable, and often difficult to identify, as they closely resemble those of some of the other Warblers. The commonest type is that of a greyish-white underground, suffused with buffish-brown, and spotted, blotched and marbled with dark brown. Sometimes they are found pale brick-red, marked with a darker tinge of the same colour, and reddish-brown; also faint blue, marked with grey and yellowish-brown. Size about °78 by "58 in. Time.— May and June. Remarks.—Migratory, arriving in April and leav- ing in September, odd specimens remaining till November or December. Notes: alarm, tach, tack, or tec, tec. Song of great power and freedom. Local and other names: Hay Jack, Hay Chat, Mock Nightingale, Nettle-creeper, Nettle-monger, Blackcap Warbler. Sits very closely. BULLFINCH. Description of Parent Birds.—lLength about six inches. Bill short, broad, and thick at the base, and black. JIrides dark brown. Round the base of the beak, and all the upper part of the head, black. Nape, back, and lesser wing-coverts grey ; BiG EN Gr. 6 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. greater coverts black, tipped with greyish-white, which forms a bar across the wing-quills, dusky. Rump white, upper tail-coverts and tail-quills black. Cheeks, breast, and belly tile-red. Vent and under tail-coverts white. Legs and toes flesh colour; claws brown. The female has the black on the head, wings, and tail not so intense; her nape and back are ereyish-brown, and breast, belly, and under-parts dirty brown. Situation and Locality.—In the lower branches of trees, the tops of high bushes, in thick, quick- set hedges and thickets in suitable localities through- out the British Isles; rarer towards the extreme north of Scotland and in Ireland. The one repre- sented in our illustration was situated in a thick Surrey wood. Materials.—Small twigs and fibrous roots, inter- laced so as to form, as a rule, a broad and flat platform, in the centre of which is the cup-shaped recess lined with fine fibrous roots and sometimes a little wool, hair, or a few feathers. Eggs.—Four to six. Pale greenish-blue, spotted, speckled, and sometimes streaked with dark purplish- brown, and with underlying blotches of brownish- pink. The markings generally form a zone round the large end of the egg. Size about ‘77 by Sct elit Time.—April, May, June, and July. Remarks.—Resident. Notes: call, soft, plaintive, and frequently-uttered; song, feeble and low. Male ceases to sing as soon as eggs have been laid. Local and other names: Beechfinch, Horsefinch, Pink, Twink, Olph, Nope, Red Hoop, Alp, Hoop. Sits very closely indeed. BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. 7 BUNTING, CIRL. Description of Parent Birds.—ULength about six inches. Bill short, conical, and bluish-grey. Irides hazel. = B & 3 24 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. Time.—May. Remarks.—Resident. Notes: Creea, creea, ren- dered by Mr. Seebohm as /héé-6, khee-6. Utters a quick, chattermg noise at times, lke a starling. Local and other names: Cornish Daw, Cornish Chough, Cornwall Kae, Market Jew, Chauk Daw, Red-legged Crow, lulligrew, Hermit Crow, Cliff Daw, Gesner’s Wood Crow. Gregarious, but decreasing in numbers. Not a very close sitter, and noisy when intruded upon. COOT. Description of Parent Birds.—LLength about eighteen inches. Jill of medium length, nearly straight, and dull white tinged with red. There is a smooth, naked white patch on the forehead which readily distinguishes this bird from the Waterhen, with its red shield. Irides hazel. Under the eye is a narrow, curved line of white. ‘he whole of the plumage is black with exception of white on the bend of the wing and narrow bar formed by the white tips of the secondaries. ‘The under-parts are tinged with bluish-grey. Legs, toes, and scallop- shaped lobes on either side of the latter, dark green. Above the knee is an orange-coloured garter. The female is similar in size and appearance to the male. Situation and Locality.—Amonegst reeds, rushes, osiers, and other aquatic herbage in marshes, by the sides of ponds, reservoirs, large sluggish rivers, and lakes. They are generally built up from the bottom, but are sometimes simply moored to surrounding objects, and becoming detached by wind or floods, float about without any apparent COOm: 26 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. inconvenience to the builder. I recollect once seeing an instance of this kind in a large reservoir in South Yorkshire. Breeds in suitable places in nearly all parts of the British Isles. Our illustra- tion was procured in Norfolk. Materials—Decaying sedges, flags, reeds, and rushes, and although not very elegant is wonder- fully strong. It is a very pretty sight to see this bird pulling up decayed weeds and swimming with them to its half-constructed nest. Hggs.—Seven to ten. As many as fourteen or fifteen have been found. Dingy stone-colour or dull buff, spotted and speckled all over with nutmeg brown. Size about 2°1 by 1°5 in. Time.—April, May, June, and July. Remarks.—Resident, and partially migratory. Note, a clear, rmging fo. Local and other names: Common Coot, Bald Coot. Sits lightly. CORMORANT. Description of Parent Birds——Length about thirty-six inches. Bill rather long, straight except at the tip, where it is hooked, and pale brown. Trides green. Crown, nape, and a portion of the neck black, intermixed with a number of very narrow white feathers almost lke hairs. The feathers at the back of the head are elongated into a kind of crest. The feathers on the back and of the wing- coverts are dark brown bordered with black. Wing and tail quills black. Round the base of the bill and chin bare and yellow, bordered with white on the latter. Neck all round below the portion streaked with white, breast, belly, and under-parts rich bluish- black, except on either thigh, where there is a patch BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. 27 of white. Legs, toes, membranes, and claws black. The female is said not to be so large as the male, but has her crest often longer. Situation and Locality —On ledges of cliff by the sea, and also inland, on low rocky islands and reefs, sometimes in trees. ‘The bird breeds pretty generally round our coasts wherever suitable cliffs and rocks are to be found, and has _ established inland colonies at several places. We were untfor- tunately unable to land on the Cormorant Rock at the Farne Islands on account of a heavy sea running, at the time we visited it in 1894. As we approached, the birds left their nests one by one and flew out to sea. The stench on the leeward side of the island was so intolerable that it turned my brother sick. In spite of this he, however, tried two flying shots from the boat; but the tide runs amongst the Farne group lke a millrace, and we were soon carried out of focus. Next year (1895) we were determined to land upon the Cormorants’ Rock (Megstone), and at length succeeded in doimg so at considerable personal risk, but, alas! only to find that a recent gale had swept every nest and egg off it. We, however, took a photograph of the new nests the birds were busy building, as represented in our illustration. Materials —Sticks, twigs, and coarse grass or seaweed, depending upon locality. It is a large, high nest. Eggs.—Three generally, but sometimes as many as five or six. The real shell is a pale blue, but this is usually hidden by a thick coating of chalk which can easily be scraped off. Sometimes the real shell shows through the casing of lime. Size about 2°6 by 1:62 in. Time.—April, May, and June. he oe) BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. Remarks.—Resident. Note: remarkably silent, but occasionally utters ‘‘a harsh croak’’ according to Seebohm. Local and other names, Crested Cormorant, Corvorant, Great Black Cormorant, Cole Goose, Sea Crow, Scart Brongie, Norie. Sits closely or lightly according to situation. CRAKE, BAILLON’S. A rare bird, whose nest and eggs have only been found about twice in the British Isles, and in neither case within recent times. CRAKE, CORN. Description of Parent Birds.—Length about ten and a half inches. Bill of medium length, nearly straight, thick at the base, and light brown. Inides hazel. Over the eyes and ear-coverts, also cheeks, ash-crey. Head, neck, back part of wings, tail- coverts, and feathers reddish-brown, with a long dusky streak in the centre of each. Wing-coverts rich bay, quills reddish-brown. Breast, belly, and under parts pale yellowish-brown or light buff, barred on the sides with two shades of reddish- brown. legs, toes, and claws light yellowish- brown. The female is rather inferior in size to the male, and the colours on the cheeks and wings less distinct. Situation and Locality.—On the ground amongst mowing grass, clover, willow beds, and standing corn all over the United Kingdom. CORMORANTS. 30 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. Materials.—Strong stems of dead grass and leaves, with an inner lining of finer grass. figgs.—Seven to ten; as many as twelve and even fifteen have been met with, however. Pale reddish-white or light buff, spotted, freckled, and blotched with red-brown of various shades and ash- erey. Size about 1:4 by 1:1 in. Time.-—May and June, although nests with eges in have been reported as late as September. Remarks.—Migratory, although individuals re- main all the year round in Ireland. Arrives in April and May and departs in September and October, although stragglers remain later. Notes: Crake, crake. Local and other names: Landrail, Meadow Crake, Corn Creak, Draker Hen. ‘The bird sits close, and, as a consequence, individuals sometimes get their heads cut off by the mower’s scythe or machine. CRAKE, SPOTTED. Description of Parent Bird.—Length about nine inches. Bill of medium length, straight, thick at the base and pointed at the tip, yellowish-brown in colour, with a brighter and redder tinge towards the base. Jrides brownish-hazel. Crown hazel- brown spotted with black in the middle; over each eye is a patch of dull blue-grey; sides of head, nape and sides of neck olive-brown spotted with white. The feathers of the back are black, broadly edged with dark olive-brown, and streaked up and down with fine lines of white. Wing-coverts olive- brown ; quills dark brown, mottled and barred with white; rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail-quills black, bordered with dark reddish-brown and spotted with white. Chin grey-brown; throat and breast BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. 31 dusky brown mottled with white; sides and flanks ereyish-brown barred with white; under tail-coverts buffish-white, legs and toes yellowish-green (toes long), claws brown. The female is a trifle smaller, and not quite so distinctive in coloration. Situation and Locality.—In a tussock of sedge, amongst reeds and other vegetation growing in marshes, bogs, and wet, swampy eround. The foundation is generally in water. Sparingly along the East Coast counties, in Wales, Cumberland, one or two suitable parts of Scotland, and Ireland. Materials.—Coarse aquatic plants, such as reeds and flags in somewhat liberal quantities, and lined with dry grass. Eggs.—Seven to twelve. White, yellowish-grey, or ocherous. Some authorities describe them as being occasionally white tinged with green, or grey tinged with pink, spotted with dark reddish-brown, and underlying markings of grey. Size about 1:5 ony 8) aba Time.—May is the principal laying month ; how- ever, eggs have been found in April and right through June. Remarks.— Migratory and resident. The first kind of birds arrive in March and depart in October. Notes: whwit, whut. Local and other names: Spotted Rail, Water Rail, Water Crake (this name is also applied to the Dipper), Spotted Gallinule, Spotted Water Hen. Slips quietly off nest and hides amongst surrounding vegetation. to BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. we CREEPER, TREE: Description of Parent Birds. — Length about five inches. Bill rather long, curved downwards, dark brown on the top, and dirty white, tinged with yellow, underneath. Ivrides hazel. Crown dark brown, spotted and streaked with pale brown. Back of neck, back, and rump tawny-brown, mixed with ash-grey. |Wing-coverts brown, tipped with ereyish-yellow ; quills variegated with brown and black, some of them tipped with light grey. ‘Tail tawny-brown, the feathers being strong in the shaft, and, from their help to the bird in climbing and holding on to the bark of trees, often worn quite bare at the ends. Chin, throat, breast, and belly ereyish-white, inclining to rusty reddish-white on the flanks and vent. Legs, toes, and claws, which are very long, light brown. The female is similar in size and colour to the male. Situation and Locality.—In a hole in a tree; behind a loose piece of bark still clinging to a decayed tree; amongst piles of stacked timber; in niches and crevices of buildings, and behind half- detached pieces of plaster. The one in our illus- tration was placed behind a sound piece of the outer shell of a decayed pollard. The bird could either slip off from the front, or up a kind of chimney, having its exit just under the face of the inquisitive onlooker. In nearly all well-wooded districts throughout the British Isles. Materials.—Fine twigs, dead grass, sometimes little chips of decayed wood, wool, moss, feathers, and rabbits’ down. Eggs.—Six to nine, white, spotted and speckled with reddish-brown and sometimes dullish purple UN I VW Wx‘ A Bh WG SITE, (OF TREE CREEPERS NESa. D 34 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. spots, generally in a kind of zone round the larger end. Occasionally more distributed. Size about “| Gola On ames Ef(e andl Time.—April, May, and June. vemarhks.—Resident. Notes: song not often heard, but high, shrill, and not unpleasant. Local and other names: Creeper, Tree Climber, Common Creeper. Sits very closely. CROSSBILL. Description of Parent Birds.—Length from six and a half to seven inches. Beak rather large, upper mandible turned down and lower up. They do not le in consequence in a straight lne over each other, but cross like the blades of a pair of scissors. The Crossbill varies more according to age, sex, and individual than perhaps any other British bird. Swaysland gives the following description: ‘‘ When young the male birds are greenish-brown, with a tinge of olive, the whole being speckled with darker brown; they are, however, lighter upon the under-parts ; but after the first moult a red tinge prevails, occasioned by the tipping of the feathers with that hue. ‘The red is much darker upon the upper-parts. At the second moulting these colours are lost, and the bird’s plumage becomes an olive-brown, shaded over with greenish-yellow upon the back, though it is much lghter upon the under-parts, and is speckled with orange upon the breast and rump. ‘“The females are, however, either grey with a little green on the head, breast, and rump, or else speckled in an irregular manner with those colours.” BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. 35 Professor Newton, in describing the male with the second dress on, says: ‘‘A red male that had completed his first autumnal moult had the bill dull reddish-brown, darkest towards the tip of the upper mandible; irides dark brown; the head, rump, throat, breast, and belly tile-red; the feathers on the back mixed with brown, producing a chest- nut brown; wing and tail feathers nearly uniform dark brown; vent and lower tail-coverts greyish- white; legs, toes, and claws dark brown. . . . Young females, after their first striated dress, acquire a greenish-yellow tint on the crown and the lower parts of the body mixed with greyish- brown ; the rump and upper tail-coverts of primrose yellow tinged with green; wings, tail, and legs as in the male.” A celebrated Continental authority, writing upon the matter, says: ‘‘If the Crossbills are grey or speckled, they are young; if red, they are one year old and have just moulted; if carmine, they are just about to moult for the second time ; if spotted with red and yellow, they are two years old and in full feather.” Situation and Locality—On the branches of Scotch and other fir-trees, sometimes quite close to the bole or stem, at others some distance away on a horizontal branch at varying heights from the ground. Generally in plantations of cone- bearing trees over the greater portion of England, Scotland, and in Ireland, where suitable plantations are to be met with. The bird is very sparsely distributed, and uncertain in its patronisation of recognised breeding haunts. It is most numerous in the central counties of Scotiand. Materials.—T wigs, roots, coarse dead grass, lined internally with finer grass, hairs, and feathers. It Dea 36 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. is similar in construction and appearance to that of the Greenfinch. Eggs.—Four to five. White, sometimes faintly tinged with pale blue, very sparingly speckled with reddish-brown and pale brown. Average size about ‘9 bye 76m: Time.—Some English authorities say Iebruary and March, others February, March, and April, and Continental authorities December to April. Remarks.—A winter visitor, but a few pairs stay to breed. Notes: call, chip-chip-chip. Other notes used whilst flying from tree to tree, soc-soc- soc. Local and other names: Common Crossbuill, Shell Apple, European Crossbill. A very close sitter. CROW, CARRION. Description of Parent Birds.—Length about eighteen inches. Bill fairly long, strong, and black. The base of the beak is covered with bristles, which stand forward. These bristles and its hoarser note distinguish it from the Rook. Indes dusky. The whole of the plumage is black, glossed above with a lustrous greenish sheen. Legs, toes, and claws black. The female is about the same size, but lacks a little of the metallic lustre which characterises the male. Situation and Locality.—In high trees, gen- erally on a large branch near the bole, and at a good height from the ground, on the outskirts of wood and plantations; sometimes on ledges of cliffs. In England, Scotland, and the North of Ireland. It is nowhere very numerous, as its predatory habits make for it an uncompromising CARRION CROW, 38 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. enemy in the gamekeeper. Our illustration is from a photograph taken in Westmoreland. Materials —Sticks and mud, lned with grass, wool, horse and cowhatr. Eggs.—Four to five, occasionally as many as six, grey-green, blotched and spotted with ash- colour or smoky-brown ; sometimes they are found quite blue, and minus spots of any kind. They are similar to those of the Rook and Raven, but larger than the former and smaller than the latter, and the position of the nest generally suffices to distinguish them. Size about 1:65 by 1:2 in. Time.—April and May. 2emarks.—Resident. Notes, a hoarse croak. Local and other names, Crow Mussel (from its habit of eating mussels), Doup, Gor Crow, Minden Crow, Black-nebbed Crow. Sits lightly, and gen- erally in such a position as to command a good surrounding view. CROW, GREY. See Crow, Hoopep. CROW, HOODED. Also Grey Crow and Royston Crow. Description of Parent Birds. — Length about twenty inches. Beak moderately long, pointed, strong, and black; the base is covered by stiff projecting feathers. vides dusky. Head, throat, wines, and tail a shining blue-black. Nape, back, rump, and under-parts generally dark slaty-grey. Legs, toes, and claws a shining black. The female is a little smaller in size, and the slaty-erey parts of her plumage are tinged with brown. HOODED CROW 40 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. Situation and Locality.—locks, cliffs, and trees. An instance has been recorded of this bird’s build- ing on the roof of a crofter’s hut. In Ireland, the mainland of Scotland, and the islands to the west and north. Our illustration was obtained on a smail rocky island near Oban. The young ones were ready to fly, and indeed did so on _ being disturbed. The day was very hot, and distressed them until they all gasped like hard-run spaniels. Materials. — Sticks, twigs, heather, and ling, with an inner lining of roots, moss, wool, hair or feathers. figgs.—Three to six; generally five, grey-green in ground colour, blotched and spotted with varying shades of olive or greenish-brown. Variable both in regard to size, shape, ground colour, and colour of markings. Size about 1°65 by 1:2 in. Time.—March, April, and May. vemarhs. — Resident, but subject to southern movement in winter. Note, a hoarse croak. Local and other names: Hoody, Dun Crow, Grey Crow, Bunting Crow, Royston Crow, Greyback, Norway Crow, Kentish Crow, Scarecrow. ‘The bird is a light sitter, and often interbreeds with the Carrion Crow. CROW, ROYSTON. See Crow, Hoopern. CUCKOO. Description of Parent Birds. — Length about fourteen inches. Bill rather short, slightly curved downwards, and black, turning yellowish at the base. Irides yellow. Head, nape, back, and upper parts generally dark ash colour. Wing-quills dusky, BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. 41 barred with white for some distance on their inner webs. ‘Tail-quills greyish-black, especially the middle feathers, tipped with white, and marked with white spots. Chin, throat, and upper breast pale ash-grey; lower breast, belly, vent, and under tail-coverts white, marked with wavy, transverse bars of black; the two last parts often have a reddish- brown tinge. legs, toes, and claws yellow. The female is very similar in appearance to the male, but a little smaller in size. Situation and Locality. — Deposits generally a single ege in the nest of the Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Hedge Sparrow, Sedge Warbler, White-throat, Robin, Yellow Hammer, Jay, and Martin, although the last two must be rarely patronised. Our illustration is from a photograph of a Pied Wagtail’s nest, containing a Cuckoo’s egg, which could only be distinguished by its greater size and shape and, on being blown, its thicker shell. The nest was situated about nine feet from the ground, amonest ivy growing over a high garden wall. A common summer visitor to all parts of the British Isles. I have noticed that in the more elevated parts of the North of England, Meadow Pipits rear more young Cuckoos than all the other foster- parents put together. Materials.—N one. Eggs.—It is certain that the bird lays more than one ege; but although naturalists of good repute have mentioned the number as five, and others have been of opinion that even a_ larger number may be laid, there is, so far as I know, no reliable evidence to support either supposition. I have never noticed that young cuckoos exceeded in numbers the old ones, in a given district, where 42 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. I was out of doors all day long, every day in the year, and many years together, in unbroken suc- cession. But, of course, the number hatched could never represent the number laid, although the place to which I refer was singularly free from vermin and collectors. A single egg is found in the nest of a foster-parent, but occasionally two have been seen, and in very rare instances even three; but it is, of course, impossible to say whether they were laid by the same bird. The egg of the Cuckoo is small in size compared with its layer, and varies very much in coloration, but, strangely enough, often harmonises closely with those of the bird in whose nest it is deposited. It is usually reddish-grey, mottled and spotted closely, with darker markings of the same colour, or pale greyish- ereen, marked with spots of the same _ colour. Size about ‘87 by °75 in. Time.—April, May, and June. remarks. — Migratory, arriving in April and leaving in July, the young ones in August and September. Notes: song, cuckoo, and a churring note. Local and other names: Gowk, Common Cuckoo. The young Cuckoo turns out all the other members of the nest in which it is hatched, an operation to which I was witness on one occasion. CURLEW, COMMON. Description of Parent Birds.—Length varying from twenty-one to twenty-two inches. Bull very long, slender, curved downwards, and dark-brown, paler at the base of the under mandible. Inrides hazel. Head, neck, upper part of back, scapulars, and wing-coverts pale brown, with a dark brown CUCKOO’S EGG IN PIED WAGTAIL’S NEST. (The one on the left is the Cuckoo’s Egg.) df BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. streak in the centre of each feather. Wing-quills black, spotted and marked with light brown on the inner webs. Lower back and rump white, marked by a few dusky spots. Upper tail-coverts white, marked with dark brown; tail-feathers barred with dull yellowish-white and dark brown. Chin white ; throat and upper part of breast very pale brown, marked with dark brown streaks; lower part of breast, belly, vent, and under tail-coverts white, spotted on the two first, with blackish-brown and a dusky streak or two on the latter. Legs long, and, like the toes, bluish-grey in colour. The female is similar in plumage, but is larger, sometimes even to the extent of five inches in length. Situation and Locality.—On the ground amongst long, coarse grass, tufts of rushes and heath ; some- times quite exposed on bare ground. On rough, undrained pasture land, moors, «nd uplands in the West and North of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Our illustration is from a photograph taken on the Westmoreland Hills, where these birds are very common. We found a couple of nests within a few yards of each other, the one containing two, and the other three eggs; and the specimen figuring on the page opposite was only just over the wall in an adjoining pasture. Materials. —A few short bits of dead rushes, withered grass, or dead leaves, placed in some small declivity ; sometimes nothing whatever. Gggs. — Four, sometimes only three, varying from olive-green to brownish-buff in ground colour, spotted and blotched with dark green and blackish- brown. Size about 2°65 by 1°85 in. Time.—April, May, and beginning of June sometimes. COMMON CURLEW. 46 BRITISH BIRDS’ NESTS. vtemarks.—Resident, but resorting to the coast- line during winter. Notes: curlew, cwrlew, uttered something like gurleck, gurleck, when the bird is alarmed. Local and other names: Whaap, or Whaup, Stock Whaap.