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COLOURED

ILLUSTRATIONS

OF

British Birds,

AND THEIR

Gggqs.
BY H. L. MEYER.

VOL. I.

CONTAINING SIXTY PLATES.

LONDON:
G. W. NICKISSON, 215, REGENT STREET,

SUCCESSOR TO THE LATE JAMES FRASER,

1842.

ee : eee re SS ¥
PRINTED BY S. & J. BENTLEY

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME.

Egyptian Vulture
Golden Eagle
White-tailed Eagle
Osprey

Goshawk
Sparrow-Hawk

Jer Falcon

Peregrine Falcon
Hobby 3
Orange-legged Hobby
Kestril

Merlin

Kite 5
Swallow-tailed Kite
Buzzard
Rough-legged Buzzard
Honey Buzzard
Marsh Harrier
Hen-Harrier
Montagu’s Harrier
Eagle Owl
Long-eared Owl
Hawk Owl
Scops-eared Owl
Yellow Owl

PLATE

ite

bo

Lee

BDO Oe ee
SSS SoA en SS eo LoS

21.

SOS

PAGE

Tawny Owl
Snowy Owl
Canada Owl
Little Owl
Tengmalm’s Owl
Roller .
Bee-Eater
Swallow
Martin
Sand Martin
Swift
Alpine Swift
Night-Jar
King-Fisher

Spotted Fly-catcher

Pied Fly-catcher

Ash-coloured Shrike
Red-backed Shrike

W ood-Shrike
Dipper

CONTENTS.

PLATE PAGE

26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
dl.
32.
33.
b4.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41,
42.
43.
44,
45.

128
134
140
143
148

PREFACE

TO THE OCTAVO EDITION OF ILLUSTRATIONS OF BRITISH
BIRDS.

Tue Author cannot permit the first Number of the Octavo
copy of his Illustrations of British Birds to come before the
Public, without expressing the gratification he has experienced
in the distinguished and continued patronage with which the
quarto edition of the same work has been honoured, and
trusts that the present will meet with equal favour and success.

The present publication will, in all respects, resemble the
former, except in size, and no pains will be spared to render
it as perfect as possible.

To each Number will be subjoined a Plate of the eggs
belonging to the birds represented, as no work on ornithology
can be complete without them: the eggs alone are not re-
duced in size, but are represented, as in the quarto edition,
of the natural size.

It has been the Author’s wish to represent the birds, as much
as possible, in their natural attitudes; for which purpose he
has, for some years past, availed himself of every opportunity
of studying them in nature, and has also collected, and kept,
living subjects from which his drawings have been made, as
represented in the quarto publication, now within a few parts
of its completion. The book alluded to is, as it were, a

VOL. I. B

2 PREFACE.

guarantee to the Public, that although the present publication
is a periodical, the subjects for the whole work are already in
the possession of the Author. In the course of the work will
be mentioned such modes of treating the different species of
birds in captivity, as the Author has found most suitable, in
order that the poor prisoners may not suffer more than ne-
cessary from the love of those who keep them, either for the
sake of their song or of their beauty, and also that the trouble
and care thus bestowed upon them may not be without its

reward to the possessor.

ILLUSTRATIONS

OF

BRITISH BIRDS.

ORDER. RAPTORES.

VULTURIDA.

THe members of this branch of the order of Birds of Prey
are distinguished by having the head partly divested of fea-
thers, or clothed with a short down; the beak straight at the
base and inclining downwards at the tip in both mandibles.
Their general aspect is sluggish, and their usual appearance,
when at rest, with the wings drooping. ‘They differ in many
essential particulars from the more noble birds of prey, espe-
cially in their food, which consists, in most of the species, of
animals that have fallen a prey to disease or accident, offal,
and decaying animal remains. One European species only,
the Vultur Barbatus, which approaches in many respects to
the habits of the Falconide, chooses for its food living
subjects.

4 VULTURIDE.

RAPTORES. VULTURID ZL.

PLATE I.

EGYPTIAN VULTURE.

Neopuron Percnoprerus. (Sar.)

Or the six species of Vulture indigenous to Europe, the
Kgyptian Vulture represented in the plate is the only one
that has been ever taken in Britain, and of this but one
example is recorded to have occurred, which was shot at
Kilve in Somersetshire in 1825. As this individual was in
an undoubtedly wild state, it has been considered by all sub-
sequent writers on British Ornithology as affording a fair
opportunity of including it among the rare accidental visitants
to these shores. Its true locality is in countries much warmer
than our own, in which its services are more needed; and
where, by a benevolent dispensation of Providence in adapt-
ing its powers and inclinations to the offices it is destined to
perform, it removes from the face of the earth those putrify-
ing animal substances which in such climates, without the
assistance of these insatiable scavengers, would become noxi-
ous to its fellow beings. This species differs from the other
Kuropean Vultures in its habits, living chiefly in pairs, and
not associating like its congeners in flocks. In character the
Vulture differs greatly from the other species of Raptores, in
being destitute of the courage and boldness by which they
are distinguished. In the formation of its feet, also, as
Temminck justly remarks, it is not furnished with the pow-
erful weapons of offence with which other rapacious birds are

EGYPTIAN VULTURE. 5

provided, its claws being neither adapted to seize nor to
carry off its prey, which it consequently devours on the spot.
In their flight, which is powerful and long-sustained, Vultures
sometimes ascend to a surprising height in circling gyrations.
Their sense of vision and organs of smell are very acute.
They are said to be extremely timid and easily put to flight ;
yet they appear susceptible of a sort of domestication, as they
are described by African travellers as attaching themselves to
individual groups of the natives in the regions they inhabit.
Their geographical range is very extensive, specimens per-
fectly similar having been found in Norway and at the Cape
of Good Hope, in Spain and in India. In Africa and Turkey
they are more numerous than elsewhere. They have not
hitherto been found in America.

The Egyptian Vultures choose for their place of nidifica-
tion the most inaccessible rocks, and their eggs, according to
Le Vaillant, are white. The young birds differ greatly in
colour from the adult, their plumage being in the first year
deep brown, varied with a lighter tint; this plumage gives
place as the bird approaches maturity to feathers of a brownish
grey interspersed with white, in which state the iris is brown,
and the feet, head, and beak livid. This mottled plumage
is succeeded in the mature bird by feathers of spotless white,
with exception of the quills, which are in all stages black.
The sexes differ only in size, the female being the largest.

In the Egyptian Vulture the beak is long and compressed ;
the cere is naked, except at the base, where it is covered with
a few radiating white hairs, and extends beyond the middle
of the beak; the nostrils are placed in the lower part of the
cere, open, and of an oval form; the head and upper part of
the neck are nearly naked, the skin livid red, interspersed
with a few straggling hairs and white down ; the lower part
of the neck covered with long pointed feathers: the toes are
partially scutellated ; the middle one has five scales, the

6 VULTURID£.

outer and hinder toes three ; the upper part of the toes and
the tarsus are reticulated; the claws black, and but little
arched: the tail is graduated, and extends three inches and
a quarter beyond the tips of the wings.

The entire length of the Egyptian Vulture is thirty-one
inches; the bill is two inches four lines in length; the
tarsus three inches; the middle toe three inches, the outer
and middle toes united at the base; wing from carpus to tip
nineteen inches: the inner claw measures thirteen lines, the
hinder nearly the same, and describe one-fourth of a circle ;
the outer claw is still less arched. The legs and toes are
yellow, the iris red.

The specimen mentioned to have been shot in Somerset-
shire was in immature plumage, but it was thought advisable
to choose an adult individual for the subject of the plate, as
affording a more perfect representation of the species to which
it belongs.

I regret the impossibility of giving a representation of the
ege of the Egyptian Vulture, which, although the species is
common in so many parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, re-
mains still unknown. In all probability it bears a resem-
blance to others of the Vulturide. One which I have seen,
of a different species of the Vulture tribe, was of a very pe-
culiar form ; long and pointed, or, to speak more correctly,
narrowed at both ends, white, of a dull surface, somewhat
resembling chalk, and rugged.

FALCONIDE. 7

ORDER. RAPTORES.

FALCONIDZE.

Tue birds of prey, placed by ornithologists of all ages at
the head of the feathered tribes, are justly entitled to the
distinction thus bestowed upon them, by their superior size,
their powerful and muscular limbs, their address in pursuing,
and courage in attacking their prey. ‘Those under present
consideration attack only living subjects. Of the larger
kinds some feed chiefly upon quadrupeds, others plunge into
the ocean in pursuit of their aquatic prey. Among the
smaller kinds some attack reptiles, and others nourish them-
selves almost entirely upon insect food.

The Falconide are further distinguished by the powerful
offensive weapons with which they are provided, in the strong
and hooked beak, and the claws formed for grasping with
resistless tenacity. ‘Their flight is rapid and long sustained,
and they rise to a great elevation, from whence they are
enabled, by their piercing vision, to detect the creatures
suited to their wants.

In most species of this family several years elapse before
the perfect adult plumage is attained, during which period
many changes take place. These changes are chiefly effected
by the annual moult; but partially also, as far as regards the
tint of the plumage, by the increasing age of the subject.
For instance, the tail of the young male Kestril, which, in
the plumage of the first year, is brown barred with black,
may be observed to become more and more inclining to grey
at the base, as the bird approaches the period of the annual
autumnal moult, before the actual discharge of the brown

8 d FALCONIDS.

feathers, which distinguish the young, give place to the cine-
reous grey feathers peculiar to the adult.

The feathers of the young birds of this family are generally
more varied with spots and streaks than in the adult, whose
plumage is coloured in larger masses ; and it is invariable that
in species in which the feathers of the adult are marked with
transverse bars, as in the case of the Peregrine Falcon, Gos-
hawk, Honey Buzzard, etc. those parts in the young are
marked with longitudinal streaks and rays. In many species
among the Falcons, the young of the year resemble each
other so much in plumage that it is difficult to distinguish
the species to which they belong, except by an accurate ob-
servation of their comparative dimensions, and of the colours
of the beak, feet, and cere.

GOLDEN EAGLE. 9

RAPTORES, FALCONID.

PLATE IL.

GOLDEN EAGLE.

Agquita Curysaeta. (Fleming.)

Tue Goipen Hacte is found in many parts of Europe,
inhabiting the Pyrenees, the Tyrol, and the mountainous
parts of France and Germany. It is common in Sweden,
and is found in forest districts in other parts of the north of
Kurope. In the British Islands the localities of the Golden
Eagle are chiefly confined to Scotland, Ireland, the Orkney
and Shetland Isles. It is rare in England, although instances
of its capture are recorded to have taken place even in some
of the southern and western counties. These can, however,
only be considered as of accidental occurrence, since the breed-
ing places are chiefly confined to limits not further south than
the Grampians. A geographical survey of the localities above
assigned to the Golden Hagle, as well as of those more parti-
cularly specified by ornithologists, appear to prove that this
species prefers mountains of minor elevation, leaving to a
nearly allied species, the Aquila Imperialis of ‘Temminck, the

more lofty ranges of the Alps and the mountains of Hungary
~ and Austria.

In America, the arctic and temperate regions are alike the
abode of the Golden Hagle. In the old Continent its range
does not appear to extend far eastward, and it is not included
by 'Temminck among the birds of Japan.

In perfect adult plumage, the Golden Hagle may at once

be distinguished from the other British species, by the rufous

10 FALCONID.

feathers that clothe the head and neck, by the dark barred
tail, and by the general shade of its plumage.

In young specimens that have not acquired those distin-
guishing characters, it is less easy to detect the difference
between them. Some characters are, however, permanent,
and are sufficient, at all ages, to distinguish the species at
present under consideration from the White-tailed or Sea
Eagle, namely, the feet, which in the Golden Eagle are
reticulated, except the last phalanx of each toe, which bears
three well-defined scales; while on the contrary, the toes of
the White-tailed species are scutellated through the greater
part of their length. The tarsi of the Golden Eagle are also
covered with feathers; those of the White-tailed are naked
some space above the foot; and the tail of the present
species is in all stages longer than the wings.

In a state of immaturity the Golden Eagle differs in
many particulars of its plumage from the adult; the feathers
on the inside of the thighs, the tarsi, and under tail-coverts
being white: the same colour prevails also upon the tail,
which is white for two-thirds of its length, the third occu-
pying the tips of the feathers being brown. In this state of
plumage it is generally known as the Ring-tailed Hagle. As
the bird approaches maturity the brown colour prevails more
and more, encroaching upon the white portion, of which, in
a state of perfect maturity, very little remains. Three or
four years usually elapse before the adult plumage is entirely
completed: the quill-feathers of the wings and tail are the
last that attain maturity. The colours of the cere, bill, and
feet are nearly the same in young as in adult individuals,
and the colour of the eye only varies from a darker to a
lighter and more golden tint.

The Golden Eagle is believed to be untameable in dispo-
sition. Its cry is a double note uttered many times in suc-
cession, and if not in itself clear and sonorous, is rendered so,
when heard in the wild regions it inhabits, by the softening

GOLDEN EAGLE. 11

medium of the atmosphere, and harmonises perfectly with the
scenes by which it is surrounded, verifying the saying, that
in Nature all is harmony. Their food consists of deer,
lambs, fawns, and other quadrupeds: they do not reject
birds, and are said to regale themselves upon the young of
sea fowl. The places chosen for nidification are rocks and
lofty forest trees, and the eggs are two or three in number.
They appear partial to their old haunts, and have been
known to revisit, several years in succession, the same breeding
places. By continental authors, the graphic name of Stein-
adler is bestowed upon this species in allusion to its favourite
haunts.

The egg marked No. 2, figured from a specimen in the
British Museum, is the one belonging to this species, and is
represented, as well as all others in this work, of the natural
SIZe.

The following dimensions are taken from an adult speci-
men at the British Museum. Beak, from the forehead to the
tip, two inches three lines; from the gape to the tip, two
inches nine lines; from the front corner of the eye to the tip
of the beak, three inches. Space from the eye to the nostril
covered with radiating black hairs. Length of the wing, from
carpus to tip of the third, which is the longest feather in the
wing, twenty-six inches and a half. Hxpanse of foot, seven
inches, including the claws. Hinder claw two inches, de-
scribing one-third of a circle; inner claw one inch ten lines,
middle claw one inch four lines; the claws are grooved be-
neath. On the middle toe three or four large scales ; on the
outer, inner, and hinder, three, on the last joint of each toe ;
middle toe, including the nail, measures three inches and a
half. In this species the gape does not extend further back-
ward than the front corner of the eye.

The drawing from which the plate is taken, is from a
living specimen at the Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park.

11002 FALCONIDE

RAPTORES. ; FALCONID£..

PLATE IIL.

WHITE-TAILED EAGLE.
HALI£ETUS ALBICILLA. (Sar.)

Tuts bird is nearly equal in size to the Golden Eagle, but
its aspect does not possess the quiet dignity of that species,
and the long pointed feathers that cover the head and neck
give it rather a haggard appearance.

The White-tailed Hagle is found over all the continent of
Europe, principally near the sea-coast and borders of exten-
sive lakes. This species is more common in Britain than the
Golden Hagle; and although it is most usually found in the
mountainous and rocky parts of the island, many instances
are recorded of its appearance in the southern counties during
winter, being attracted in that direction, possibly, by the
flocks of geese that are driven by the severity of the weather
towards the southern rivers. I shall mention only such
instances of its capture as have fallen under my own obser-
vation.

A specimen was shot on the Thames at Weybridge, in
Surry, in Lord Portmore’s park some years since; it had
alighted on one of the trees in the park, so near the house
that it was shot from one of the windows. The mansion
alluded to has since been pulled down, and the whole place,
occupying one of the loveliest spots upon the river, is going
to decay.

Another individual which had been taken alive in a trap

in Suffolk, was for some time in the possession of John

WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. 13

Spicer, Esq. of Esher Place, Surry, from whence it was trans-
ferred to Ashley Park, the seat of Sir Henry Fletcher, which
bird I have had frequent opportunities of observing. An-
other specimen, a young female, was shot in Suffolk in the
winter of 1831, the dimensions of which will be subjoined.

A circumstance illustrative of the great muscular strength
which these birds possess, I had the pleasure of witnessing in
one confined in the Zoological Gardens in the Regent’s Park,
in the severe winter of 1835.

I was employed in completing a sketch of the bird in
question, when I observed him make many endeavours with
his beak to break the ice that had frozen upon the tub of
water placed in his cage. Finding all his efforts to get at
the water in this manner were ineffectual, he deliberately
mounted the uppermost perch in his cage, then suddenly
collecting his strength he rushed down with irresistible force,
and striking the ice with his powerful claws dashed it to
atoms, throwing the water around him in all directions.
After performing this feat of strength and sagacity, he quiet-
ly allayed his thirst and returned to his perch. This is no
doubt the mode employed by this species in a wild state, to
obtain its aquatic food, from the frozen rivers and inland seas
it frequents in various parts of the Continent.

The birds represented in this plate are from living speci-
mens in the Zoological Gardens. The brown specimen re-
presents the usual colour of the bird in adult plumage. The
pale ash-coloured one is a variety of the White-tailed Hagle
brought from Ireland. Various conjectures have been made
upon the unusual colour of this bird, that it proceeded from
its great age, &c. but none very satisfactory. Whatever may
be the cause it has preserved the same colour in its plumage,
year after year, ever since its capture. No painting can fitly
represent the delicate and beautiful colour of this bird.
When its feathers are ruffied, as may be frequently observed,

a

14 FALCONIDE.

at the pleasure of the creature, a delicate azure blue tint is
seen to pervade the basal part of the feathers, which, appear-
ing through the whole transparent texture, imparts to its
plumage the singular tint it displays. It is observable that
the beak of this individual is rather less in depth at the base
than is usual in this species, and the iris yellowish white.

It is believed that many individuals of the White-tailed
Kagle migrate to and from different parts of Hurope, according
to the season, and are observed to be much more plentiful
in Britain in winter than at other times. A circumstance that
I think corroborative of this migratory habit occurred many
years ago at my father’s seat near Haarlem :—An Eagle of this
species, apparently spent with fatigue, fell into one of the orna-
mental pieces of water with which gardens in Holland are fre-
quently embellished. Being within sight of the house the
descent was observed by several persons, and one domestic,
who wanted neither strength nor courage, got into a boat and
throwing a sack over its head succeeded in securing his cap-
tive ; the bird was too much exhausted to offer much resist-
ance at the time, although a day or two after he made a fierce
attack upon a Spanish blood-hound belonging to the establish-
ment, which chanced to approach within his reach. The fol-
lowing dimensions were taken from the bird mentioned in
the preceding page,—a female :—

Entire length three feet and a quarter ; expanse from wing
to wing seven feet and a quarter; weight eight pounds and a
half; expanse of foot, including the claws, seven inches ;
girth of leg two inches; length of hind and inner claws one
inch and a half; length of the longest quill-feather twenty
inches; of the longest tail-feather fourteen. The beak is
three inches from the forehead to the tip; three and a half
inches from the tip to the gape.

The males are not so large as the females, seldom measur-
ing more than twenty-eight inches in length.

% Ge 0AM

WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. 1)

One in the British Museum, supposed from its small size
to be a male, measures much less than the female above de-
scribed. The beak is two inches from the forehead to the
tip, and three inches from the tip to the gape; the long-
est quill-feather of the wing seventeen inches. ‘This spe-
cimen resembles very nearly the brown one represented in
the plate, with the exception of the upper coverts of the
tail, which are dark chocolate, two or three only being a
little mottled with white; the tail is pure white. It would
thus appear that the upper tail-coverts are the last part of the
plumage that attains maturity. Mr. Selby describes a bird in
his possession as having ‘the tail, and upper tail-coverts
white;” while Dr. Latham, on the authority of Dr. Hey-
sham, says, that an individual which had been kept in con-
finement, was ‘six or seven years before the tail became
white.” This species goes through many interesting changes
of colour in the course of its progress from the nestling to
a state of maturity. We are informed by Montague, speak-
ing of some young birds that he had obtained from the coun-
ty of Down, that “the Eaglets were at first covered with a
glossy, dark, murrey-coloured down ; on their first moulting
they became much darker, particularly about the breast and
thighs, the latter almost of a dusky black, and it was not
until they were two years old that the base of the bill became
yellow.” In this dark state of plumage the iris is umber
brown; and it is not until the upper tail-coverts begin to
assume the white colour, indicative of maturity, that the iris
becomes yellow, tinged with burnt sienna.

In this species the lower part of the tarsus is bare of fea-
thers, scutellated in front, the hinder part reticulated; the
claws are grooved beneath. The beak is long, straight at
the base, and bending from the cere to the tip; the gape
extends nearly as far as the hinder corner of the eye.

16 FALCONIDE.

The egg marked No. 3 belongs to this species. The
food of the White-tailed Eagle consists of fish, birds, and
quadrupeds.

It is indigenous in England; and the localities chosen for
its nest are precipitous cliffs near the sea-coast, or in the
vicinity of lakes. ‘The eggs are two in number.

a8

OSPREY. iy

RAPTORES. FALCONID£..

PLATE IV.

OSPREY.

Aquita Haurezetus. (Meyer.)

Tue Osprey is one of the smallest of the Hagle tribe,
and in many of its characters differs from them so essentially
as to have induced some recent ornithologists to separate it
from the genus Aquila, and form for its reception a new
division under the name of Pandion.

The Osprey is met with in the northern parts both of the
old and of the new world. His favourite haunt is on the
borders of lakes and rivers that abound with fish; he prefers
the vicinity of fresh waters, but when driven from them by
the frost and ice of winter he resorts to the sea coast, where
he can at all times procure a supply sufficient for his wants.
The appearance of the Osprey when on the wing is different
from that of any other bird: his flight is sedate, with slow
and continued motion of the wings, and with his tail slightly
depressed. Occasionally he sails for short intervals with
wings extended and motionless watching for his prey. When
he perceives a fish, he may be observed for some time hovering
over it until certain of his quarry ; he then rushes down per-
pendicularly from his elevated station with great rapidity,
with wings closed and claws extended, and disappears for a
second beneath the splashing waves, the water closing above
him. When he again emerges successful, he rises shaking
the water from his plumage by a shivering motion, utters a

VOL. 1. c

18 FALCONIDE.

cry of joy and exultation, mounts high in the air, and soars
away to a distance to devour his prey. If, however, the fish
is too large to be borne away, he will consume it near the
water's edge. His manner of holding the fish is always with
the head directed forwards, and in this position the peculiar
formation of the scales of his feet enable him to hold it so
firmly that it is impossible even for prey so slippery to elude
his grasp. He sometimes hooks his claws so deeply into the
fish that he cannot extricate them until he has consumed it,
by carefully picking the flesh from the bones.

Ospreys have been observed to plunge into the water and
not to rise again, which leads to the supposition that they
occasionally strike their claws into a fish too large for their
strength, and consequently are retained involuntarily beneath
the water and drowned. The peculiar formation of the
feet of the Osprey renders such a conjecture not alto-
gether impossible. The food of this species consists en-
tirely of fish, from a quarter of a pound to two pounds and
a half in weight. ~'Trout and carp are preferred, but they will
also take other kinds that approach the surface of the water,
such as perch, chub, roach, ete. ‘The Osprey does not pur-
sue. his prey to any great depth, as may be inferred by his
rising almost instantaneously after having plunged in pursuit
of it; and he is consequently sometimes observed to emerge
unsuccessful, having failed in the attempt to reach his prey.

When at rest, the Osprey may be seen seated upon a rock,
mountain, hill, or stone, but he rarely alights upon a tree.
They build, however, in forests upon a lofty tree, or resort
to buildings, ruins, etc. ‘The nest is composed of an abun-
dance of strong branches, and is of a platform shape. In
May the female lays three or four eggs, which are hatched
after three weeks’ incubation. The young birds are entirely
fed with fish, and are supplied by both parents. When, in
the act of fishing, the Osprey visits a pond, he crosses it

OSPREY. 19

several times at no great elevation; if he perceives no fish,
he passes on to another, and continues the pursuit until
successful. His times of feeding have been observed to be
eight or nine in the morning, and from twelve to two in the
afternoon ; between these periods he is rarely seen, but sits
quietly in a retired place digesting the previous meal. The
Osprey is a great enemy to preserves of fish, of carp in par-
ticular, and will remain for days and weeks in the neigh-
bourhood of them, if undisturbed ; but he is shy and watch-
ful, and does not soon revisit a place where once he has been
fired upon. It requires a considerable charge to kill or arrest
the progress of an Osprey, as the feathers of this species are
remarkable for being closely placed, especially on the under
parts, and resemble in this respect, and also in texture,
those of water birds; without this provision of nature, their
plumage, from frequent submersion, would become so loaded
with moisture as to obstruct their flight. Different modes are
employed for catching the Osprey: they are sometimes taken
by means of a steel spring placed under water, to which a
live fish is attached; nets are also employed for the same
purpose with a fish for a bait. Young Ospreys may be
brought into subjection and taught to catch fish.

The Osprey is a bird of not uncommon appearance, and
is indigenous in some of the more hilly parts of England ;
but on account of its being limited to one species of food, it
is only found in the vicinity of rivers and lakes, and on the
borders of the sea. It is indigenous also in the mountainous
and wooded parts of Wales, Scotland, and Iveland, and re-
sident throughout the year. This species is widely distri-
buted both in the northern and southern hemispheres, re-
maining in polar regions a shorter or longer time according
to the latitude and the opportunities of procuring food. In
the central parts of the European continent it is also migra-

tory, and is found there chiefly in summer, when the absence
c2

20 FALCONIDE.

of frost enables it to procure its food from the rivers of the
interior; but it retreats during the winter, sometimes as
early as September, and returns again in spring as soon as
the waters are open. The Osprey is frequently pursued by
other birds of prey in order to rob him of the remains of his
food, especially by the Moor Buzzard and the Crow.

The general description of the Osprey is as follows :—The
cere and legs are light blue, the iris yellow. The legs are
very strong, feathered for three-quarters of an inch below
the knee before; the knee naked behind and roughly scaled :
the larger claws form half a circle. From the eyes to the
shoulders, on both sides, runs a blackish brown band; the
under parts are white, with a few arrow-shaped marks on the
breast : the tail is crossed with six dark transverse bars.

The Osprey differs very materially from all other birds in
many peculiarities connected with its fishing habits, which
render it admirably adapted to its particular mode of life.
Its feet are of a remarkable character, strong, and go con-
structed as to enable it to retain a powerful grasp upon its
prey. The feet as well as the legs are covered with a rough
granulated skin like that of the shark ; the roughest part is
on the sole of the foot, where the reticulations are in the
form of sharp spines; all these incline backwards towards
the junction of the toes: on the foremost ball of the sole,
both of the outer and middle toe, the spines are longer than
elsewhere to assist in holding the fish. The toes are strong
and thick, and the outer one reversible; the claws are much
arched, round, and smooth beneath, not grooved as in the
other species of Aquila. The middle toe measures three
inches one line, of which the claw occupies thirteen lines ;
the hind toe two inches one line; the inner and outer toes”
nearly the same: the claws, which are included in the mea-
surement, are of each one inch and one line.

The entire length of the male is twenty-four inches. The

OSPREY. 91

wings when closed reach to the tip of the tail; the third
quill-feather is the longest. The tail-feathers are about
eight inches long, and of equal length. ‘The beak measures
one inch and a half from the forehead to the tip (following
the curve two inches), and is three-fourths of an inch in
thickness at the base. The cere and upper part of the beak
are blue, the tip dark horn colour. The nostrils are slanting,
the iris golden yellow, but paler in young specimens. ‘The
female is larger, and measures from five to six inches more in
length than the male. In the adult male the crown of the head
is white, marked with dark brown spots ; round the eyes runs
a dusky ring which encircles the white eyelids. The elon-
gated bristling feathers of the head and neck are white, with
yellow points and a few dark brown shafts. From the base
of the bill and along the temples runs a blackish brown band
towards the back of the neck and forwards to the wing, and
loses itself in the back feathers. All the under parts are
white, tinged in some places with yellow; the breast only is
marked with brown spots of an arrow-head form. The under
tail-coverts are sometimes spotted with pale rufous. The
feathers on the back and wings are dull brown, the tertials
sometimes edged with white; the quill-feathers are dusky ;
the tail is brown with six bars across it of a darker colour.
The outer feathers of the tail are lighter than the central
ones, and the under parts white between the brown bars ; the
shafts beneath yellowish white: the thigh feathers are white,
very short and close, as is the case with other birds of aquatic
habits. The bird represented in the plate is an adult male.
The adult female differs only from the male in superiority
of size, and in having the marks on the breast stronger. In
- the young male the back feathers and wing-coverts are bor-
dered with pure white, giving a variegated appearance. In
the young female these are less distinct and of a dirty colour.
The white borders are most prominent in the fresh feathers,

22 FALCONIDE.

~ and disappear almost entirely before the return of the annual
moult ; consequently the appearance and description of this
bird vary greatly at different seasons.

The egg marked No. 4 belongs to this species, and is
figured from a specimen in the rich collection of W. Yarrell,
Ksq. to whose unvarying kindness I have been indebted
for the loan of many valuable specimens both of birds and

egos.

GOSHAWK. 23

RAPTORES. FALCONIDE.

PLATE V.

GOSHAWK.

ASTUR PALUMBARIUS, (Bechst.)

THE GosHawx is common in all the northern and tem-
perate regions of Europe and Asia, in North America, and
the northern parts of Africa. In central Europe there are
few places where it may not be numbered among the common
birds of the country. In Britain the Goshawk is not very
numerous; it is of rare occurrence in the southern parts, but
more frequently found in Scotland, where it is known to
breed. It inhabits, indifferently, mountainous or flat coun-
tries, provided the district is well wooded and interspersed
with fields and occasional tracts of open land. HExtensive
forests and unsheltered plains are less frequented by the Gos-
hawk than districts of a more varied aspect. The number
of this species that breed in the central parts of Europe, is
not very considerable ; in those parts it is a bird of passage,
which arrives from the north, and passes the winter in the
South of Europe.

The flight of this bird is quicker than the shortness of its
wings would lead us to expect. He generally flies low, with
his tail closed ; but in fine and warm weather he may be seen
in the higher regions of the air with tail expanded, wheeling
round from time to time as if for the purpose of cooling him-
self. The Goshawk is generally shy, and upon his guard,
nevertheless, when in pursuit of his prey, his voracious ap-

Q4, FALCONIDE.

petite sometimes leads him into danger, and he thus readily
falls into snares or traps laid for him by the bird-catcher.
The male, although smaller than the female, greatly surpasses
her in boldness, courage, and quickness: he is therefore more
valued by the falconer. The Goshawk was at all times a
favourite falcon for the chase, although being stubborn and
self-willed, he is more difficult to train than some other spe-
cies. Rapine and love of bloodshed characterize him, yet
these savage qualities are united with much courage, sagacity,
strength, and agility. His voice in times of danger is a loud
single note, many times repeated, and bears a great resem-
blance to that of the Sparrow-hawk ; besides this cry, he
utters another much resembling the note of the Peregrine
Falcon, which is chiefly used when engaged in a contest with
some other bird of prey. When the Goshawk seeks a place
of rest, it is usually a branch in the middle of a tree; he is
never seen in the top, and rarely on a rock in open country.
He passes the night generally in copse wood, in preference
to large trees, or if he chooses a pine tree he perches only ten
or twenty feet from the ground. When at rest he sits in a
slouching attitude, with his back raised, and his head rather
depressed ; but does not drop his tail in the manner that
some other birds of prey are in the habit of doing. This
bird is less noble in the acceptation of the term by falconers
than some other Hawks. He catches, indifferently, flying and
perching birds, the large and the small; he does not descend
upon them from above like other falcons, but attacks them
from below or sideways.

He is fond of woods, and in such places he chiefly resides,
and there retreats with his prey in order to consume it at his
pleasure. No uninvited guests dare approach him while en-
gaged in this occupation, but in order to avoid interruption
he usually conceals himself when at meals. If his wooded
retreat be too distant he will hide himself behind a bush or

GOSHAWK. Q5

tuft of verdure. He frequently chases and seizes partridges
and pigeons; the places chosen by him rendering such birds
peculiarly liable to fall in his way; he also takes small perch-
ing birds of any kind. Wild ducks, pheasants, black grouse,
crows, magpies, &c. are all acceptable. Of mammalia, he
takes hares, rabbits, and sometimes mice. All birds that fly
low are subject to become his prey, as he does not follow the
chase in the upper regions of the air. Wood-pigeons seem
to be his peculiar property, these and all other birds are
panic-struck by his unexpected appearance, and already bleed
under his grasp before they have sufficiently recovered from
the alarm of his sudden apparition, to be able to provide for
their safety by laying themselves close to the ground; with
partridges this is frequently the case. He is so ardent in
the pursuit of his prey, that he sometimes chases pigeons
into the farm-yard, and, as before mentioned, occasionally
brings himself into captivity by pouncing upon the call-bird
of the bird-catcher.

In his turn, the Goshawk is pursued by Rooks, which fol-
low him with clamorous outcries, and not unfrequently one
of these vociferous enemies pays for his boldness with the
forfeit of his life.

Before he begins to tear his prey in pieces he plucks them
nearly clean of feathers, but small animals he swallows en-
tire. Living prey alone is sought by the Goshawk.

As early as March pairs may be seen soaring over their
place of incubation, and describing circles high in the air.
They build in forests in the oldest and loftiest fir trees, oaks,
&e. The nest is composed of dead sticks and moss, and is
large and flat. The female lays three or four eggs, of a short
oval form, and greenish white colour; some are marked with
yellowish brown spots, others quite plain. The young birds
which make their appearance at the expiration of three weeks,
are covered with a white down. During incubation the fe-

26 FALCONID.

male is fed by the male, at which time he confines his pursuit
chiefly to the forest, and frequently takes rooks, turtle, and
ring-doves off their nests, thus destroying innumerable
broods. After the gathering in of the corn he again leaves
the forests and pursues the chase through corn-fields and
thickets as before.

When gorged with food, and sitting at rest among the
branches of a tree, the Goshawk falls an easy prey to the
sportsman, who may then approach him unperceived by con-
cealing himself among the trees as he advances. In former
times the Goshawk was much used for the chase, and it still
retains the preference among short-winged hawks. It may
be trained to take hares, rabbits, herons, pheasants, and par-
tridges, pigeons, &e. Among preserves of game he is a most
destructive enemy; and during the season of rearing his
young, commits great ravages, no inconsiderable supply of
food being necessary to satisfy the wants of his family.

The beak of the Goshawk is strong, bending from the
base; the upper mandible has a large tcoth or festoon. ‘The
nostrils are egg-shaped. The wings are short, reaching only
two-thirds the length of the tail; the first quill-feather is
much shorter than the second; the third and fourth of equal
length, and the longest in the wing ; the shafts of all rather
stout and strong. The legs and feet are of moderate length
and strength ; the middle toe long, the claws much hooked
and sharp, the balls beneath the toes, which constitute the
sole of the foot, are very prominent.

In the adult male the cere, legs, and feet, are full yellow ;
the claws black; the beak is bluish horn colour at the base,
black at the tip; the iris orange-yellow. Over the eyes a
white streak, inclining towards the back of the head; the
space between the beak and the eyes is covered with white
down, and radiating black hairs. The head, neck, back,
wings and tail, are cinereous ash-colour, intermixed with

GOSHAWK. Oi

brown, and darkest on the head. The tail-feathers have
four, five, or six, transverse bars of a dusky colour, and a
narrow white band at the tip; also, at the root, under the
tail-coverts the feathers are intermixed with white. The
throat is white, streaked with dusky; the lower throat, breast,
thighs, and feathers under the wings, are barred with dusky
transverse lines. These lines are regularly disposed, and are
about half the width of the white space between them; each
feather has four or five bars. ‘The quills are dark brown to-
wards the tip, and crossed with dusky bars towards the roots.
On the lower surface the quills and tail-feathers are greyish
white, the dark bars appearing through them in consequence
of their transparent texture.

The ash-colour upon the upper plumage of the Goshawk
is to be seen only upon living and recently killed specimens ;
it is a kind of bloom which disappears shortly after the bird
is dead, and turns to a greyish brown; the older cabinet
specimens become, the less they retain of the grey tint: a
similar change takes place in the upper plumage of the adult
Sparrow-Hawk, but not quite to the same extent; the grey
colour in that species being more permanent.

The colouring and markings of the young males are, dur-
ing the first year, very different from those of the adult.
The feathers of the head are dark brown edged with rufous ;
the nape cinnamon brown, with an oblong dusky spot in the
centre of each feather. The feathers of the upper plumage
are brown, tipped with white.

The tail-feathers have five dusky, and five greyish brown
bars, and are all tipped with white. The quills, tertials, and
secondaries are dusky, with grevish brown bars. The throat,
and a band over the eyes white, speckled with brown. The
breast, belly, thighs, and feathers under the wings, light cin-
namon brown, or white strongly tinged with rufous. All
these reddish feathers have in the centre a dusky stripe,

28 FALCONID2.

broader at the root than at the tip, and much narrower on
the thighs and belly than on the breast. In young birds the
iris is pale yellow, and the feet the same, tinged at the joints
with green. ‘The young female is paler in colour than the
male, and the dusky spots on the under plumage are larger.
She is also of larger dimensions than the male, and stronger.
The annual moult takes place in July or August, at which
time birds of a year old begin to exchange the plumage just
described for a very different livery. It resembles, in general
appearance, that of the adult birds, but the back is browner,
and the under parts dirty white or yellow, and the transverse
bars broader and less numerous. Several years elapse before
the upper plumage acquires the fine grey colour, and the
under parts the bluish white, proper to the adult.

The adult female is more brown than blue on the upper
parts, and her under plumage strongly tinged with rust
colour; when very old the adult female differs very little
from the male, and can not without difficulty be distinguished
from him.

The length of the male Goshawk is twenty-one inches,
from the carpus to the tip of the wing twelve inches and a
half. 'The beak measures in diameter from the forehead to
the tip thirteen lines, in the arc fifteen lines, and nine lines in
thickness at the base. The tarsi are feathered half way down,
scutellated before and behind, and three inches in length ;
the toes are scutellated on the upper surface; the middle toe
measures two inches and a half, including the claws ; outer,
one inch eight lines; the inner toe two inches three lines,
the hinder two inches three lines, including the claws, which
occupy one inch.

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SPARROW-HAWK. 29

RAPTORES. FALCONID.

PLATE VI.

SPARROW-HAWEK.

Accip1teR Frineruuarivs. (Will.)

Tuts well-known bird is commonly met with in all parts
of England in situations suited to it. It prefers wooded
country, interspersed with meadows and corn-fields, as in such
parts its favourite food abounds. 'The female Sparrow-Hawk
is much more frequently seen than the male, as she is of
bolder disposition, and seeks her food in the neighbourhood
of villages, in their gardens and hedgerows, where she is the
constant enemy of the sparrow race, and destroys them in
great numbers; she will also take young or feeble pigeons:
from the farm-yard. The male is in his habits much more
shy and retired, seldom approaching villages, but concealing
himself, in preference, in woods and copses ; in such localities
he seeks his prey, which consists of finches, buntings,
and blackbirds, also mice, cockchafers, and grasshoppers.
He is, however, sometimes bold enough in early morning,
when pressed by hunger, to attack the call-bird of the bird-
catcher. ‘The bird represented in the plate, a male in perfect
adult plumage, was taken in this manner. In manners and
habits, as well as in appearance, the Sparrow-Hawk bears a
striking resemblance to the Goshawk. Like him the Sparrow-
Hawk takes his prey perching or.flying, or sweeps it from the
ground ; like him, also, he hides himself behind a bush to

devour his prey, being very jealous of observation. The

30 FALCONID.

flight of the Sparrow-Hawk is particularly buoyant, from the
extreme lightness of his slender body, and rapid, notwith-
standing his short wings. He is valued by the falconer on
account of his readiness in learning the lessons instilled by his
master; he is courageous and daring, and will attack birds
much his superior in size. ‘The female, on account of her
superiority of size, may be trained to catch partridges and
quails. In the month of April the Sparrow-Hawk retires
into the woods with his mate: the place chosen for nidifi-
cation is usually among the uppermost branches of a pine or
fir tree. The nest consists of sticks and is lined with moss
and hair, and flat in form: sometimes a deserted crow’s nest
is chosen for the foundation. ‘The eggs are from four in
number to six or seven, and are marked with reddish brown
blotches upon a bluish white ground. The blue ground
colour fades shortly after the eggs are preserved ; cabinet
specimens are therefore paler than the one represented in the
plate (fig. 6), which was drawn from a fresh specimen taken
from a fir tree in the woods at Claremont. The young birds,
which are hatched after three weeks’ incubation, are at first
covered with white down; the females may be detected even
in the nest by their superior size: they are fed upon small
birds, mice, and insects. ‘The mother courageously defends
her young if molested, and will lose her life rather than leave
the spot; the male, more shy, will retreat on the first alarm,
and from a distance view the tragedy that ensues. Although
the Sparrow-Hawk is well known to feed on pigeons, and is
even said to take the young ones from their nest, | am ac-
quainted with an instance of a pair of pigeons and their young
offspring being respected by a pair of Sparrow-Hawks, al-
though in the immediate vicinity of their own young brood.
On the banks of the Thames at Weybridge a pair of these
Hawks built in the top of a lofty cedar tree ; in a few days
a pair of wood-pigeons selected a lower branch of the same

SPARROW-HAWK. 31

tree, in which they also built their nest, and subsequently
hatched and reared their young ones entirely unmolested by
their dangerous neighbours.

This Hawk is the greatest enemy of sparrows and other
small birds; and as he can take them at every disadvantage,
they have no way of escape but by flying into a hole in a
tree, or hiding themselves in some other manner from obsery-
ation. If they are overtaken by him, and there is no shelter
near, they will crouch close to the ground, and in this man-
ner sometimes escapes his vigilance.

When in search of his prey he flies with the swiftness of
an arrow, and in order that his approach may not be observed,
he skims near the ground, or close to hedges and palings :
when arrived at the spot where he expects the birds he is in
pursuit of, he mounts quickly and descends like lightning
upon the little flock, and, having secured his victim, escapes
with it to his retreat. ‘The larger birds are plucked very
clean before they are devoured; the smaller ones are swal-
lowed nearly entire. I have seen a Sparrow-Hawk swallow
even the legs and long hind claws of the skylark. Sparrow-
Hawks are not only met with in all parts of Europe, but in
the temperate regions of Asia and Africa.

When alive, or recently killed, the upper plumage of the
adult male Sparrow-Hawk is rich bluish grey, as represented
in the plate; this colour is more or less evanescent, although
more permanent in this species than in the Goshawk. Above
the eyes is an interrupted band of white, which passes to the
back of the head, and is permanent at all ages. The tail and
upper tail-coverts are of the same colour as the back and
wings: the quill-feathers are dusky grey towards the tips,
the outer web brownish. The under parts are white, barred
with brown and rust colour, and tinged with rust along the
sides of the neck and flanks. The beak is blue at the base,
the tip dark horn; the base of the under mandible ochreous

32 FALCONID.

yellow. The cere and orbits are yellow, the iris rich orange ;
the feet and legs are full yellow or gold colour, long and
slender, and the balls or soles of the feet, very prominent ;
the claws black ; the outer and middle toes are united by a
membrane.

The very cold female nearly resembles the male, but her
upper plumage is of a duller and more leaden tint, and her
under parts are not tinged with rufous. The young male has
no grey on the upper parts ; his feathers are dusky, bordered
with reddish brown; the tail-feathers brown, crossed with
dark bars as in the adult. The young female much resem-
bles the young male, but her plumage is of duller colours ;
dusky above, bordered with greyish brown, beneath dusky
and white. The legs and cere of the young birds are green-
ish yellow; the eyes yellow instead of orange. The eyes of
the Sparrow-Hawk have a peculiar restlessness, lustre, and
beauty above all other birds.

Entire length of the male twelve inches; length of the
wing, from carpus to tip, seven inches two lines. The tail
extends three inches beyond the tip of the wings. The tarsus
measures two inches and a quarter; the middle toe and claw,
two inches; the hinder, one inch; the inner, one inch; the
outer, one inch ten lines. The claw of the inner toe measures
six lines, of the hinder, five; the middle and outer, three
lines. The beak measures six lines; in the are, eight lines.
The female is nearly one-fourth larger than the male, and
weighs six or seven ounces more.

The Sparrow-Hawk has been separated from the genus
Astur, in which it was formerly placed, on account of its
long and slender legs,—an arrangement which we have adopt-
ed, although we think the difference hardly sufficient to con-
stitute a separate genus, consisting, as it does, merely in the
superior length and slenderness of the legs: in all other
respects the same generic characters apply to both.

.
4

JER FALCON. 33

RAPTORES, FALCONID.

PLATE VIL.

JER FALCON.

Fatco Isuanpicus. (Latham.)

WE cannot better describe the peculiar characteristic dis-
tinctions of the genus “ Falco,” the one under present con-
sideration, than in the words of T. P. Selby, Esq. ‘ The
birds of this genus,” he observes, “‘justly considered the typi-
cal form of the Falconide, as possessing the raptorial powers
in the highest perfection, are distinguished from the other
groups by their stronger bill, furnished with an acute tooth ;
their long and acuminate wings, vigorous power of flight, and
peculiar mode of capturing their prey. From their docility,
and susceptibility of being reclaimed, that is, trained to the
purposes of Falconry, they have been usually termed the
noble birds of prey, all the others coming under the designa-
tion of ignoble.” - .

The Jer Falcon is a native of the most northern parts of
Europe, Asia, and America; inhabiting Iceland, Norway,
and Lapland; Greenland, and the countries around Hudson’s
Bay. It is chiefly found in the most mountainous parts, but
occasionally visits the level tracts and the sea-coast in search
of food. According to the best authorities, the Jer Falcon
confines itself during the summer months to those countries
that border on the Arctic regions, rarely visiting the southern
parts of Sweden until late in the autumn, and even in winter
seldom descending below sixty degrees of north latitude.

VOL. I. D

34 FALCONIDE.

This species is, however, not entirely confined to such north-
em regions, as it is occasionally met with in Germany, and
other parts of Europe, in winter; and many instances are
recorded of its appearance in Scotland, Wales, and England,
even to the most southern parts, but such occurrences are
rare.

This beautiful bird is the largest of all true Falcons, and
possesses, in an eminent degree, the peculiar attributes of its
tribe. As the Golden Eagle deserves the first place among
eagles, so does the Jer Falcon among the falcon tribe. In
him, courage, power, and speed, are united with a noble ap-
pearance and an elegant and graceful form. His shoulders
are broad; his chest full and round; his wings long and
pointed ; his tail narrow; his beak is short, thick, and doubly
toothed : his feet are strong; the tarsi short and stout; the
toes are very long, with large balls on the soles of the feet,
and strong sharp claws. His compact clothing, consisting of
closely set and firm feathers, contributes much to display to
advantage his noble form.

Notwithstanding his wild and lively nature, which is per-
ceptible through all his actions, this species is easily trained
for the chase, and being strong, courageous, active, enduring,
and willing to obey, he has always obtained the preference
among birds used in faleonry ; and although his natural resi-
dence is in high northern latitudes, individuals have been
kept for several years at a time in England, and used for
the chase. A trained and well kept Falcon will live from
ten to twelve years in confinement. Now, however, this once
favourite sport having been so long on the decline, owing to
various causes, a Jer Falcon is become a rare sight in Eng-
land. In countries where this sport is still pursued, the pre-
ference is given to birds that are taken when about a year
old; older birds are less valued; and those taken from the
nest and brought up in confinement, a practice sometimes

JER FALCON. 35

pursued, are still less adapted to purposes of falconry. Fal-
conry has declined for many years on the continent of Europe
as well as in England, which is attributed in a great measure
to the long duration of war in the beginning of this century,
which was the means of breaking up many hawking establish-
ments.

In confinement this species requires to be treated with
great care, and in order to retain his powers in perfection, he
must be fed entirely upon fresh food, especially birds.

In a wild state the food of the Jer Falcon consists of hares,
and other animals of a similar size, and birds, among which
the ptarmigan is preferred, and pursued unceasingly. In his
manner of pursuing and taking his game, the Jer Falcon
much resembles the Peregrine. Like him, he descends with
the swiftness of thought upon his prey; in case of failure he
reascends and repeats the stroke. These birds never descend
perpendicularly, but always in a slanting direction, upon their
prey.

The Jer Falcons build upon lofty and precipitous rocks,
and their eggs are two or three in number. From these
situations the young are sometimes obtained with consider-
able risk, the old birds defending the nestlings with great
intrepidity.

The Jer Falcon can only be considered in Britain as an
accidental visiter, and probably all that have been taken here
have been immature. M. Boié is of opinion that in their
adult state, birds of this species do not quit their native
Arctic regions ; and Temminck concurs in the same opinion.

The bird represented in the plate is from a specimen pre-
served in the British Museum, and is apparently beyond the
middle age. The very old birds are said to become perfectly
white, as the spots upon the feathers decrease in size at every
succeeding moult. The following measurements were taken

from the same bird, which appears from its size to be a male.
D2

36 FALCONIDE.

The beak, from the forehead to the tip, measures in diameter
one inch and one line, but in the are one inch six lines.
The beak is of a peculiar form, having the tooth longer than
in any other species of British Falcons. The nostril is
round, as in all true Falcons, and has a small pyramid or
column in the centre. The wings measure from the carpus
to the tip fourteen inches, and extend to within two inches
of the tip of the tail. The middle toe, which much exceeds
the others in length, measures three inches, including the
claw. The inner claw, which is the longest, measures in the
are one inch and two lines. The tarsi are feathered half the
way down, the naked part as well as the base of the toes
reticulated ; the remaining part of the toes, towards the
claws, scutellated. The claws are black, hooked, and finely
pointed. The legs and feet, cere, and orbits, are in the
adult birds yellow, but become bluish grey when preserved
as specimens. In immature birds these pany are naturally
of a dull blue, tinged with green.

In plumage the females differ little from the males, but
the brown marks upon their feathers are larger and darker.
They exceed the males in size.

In young birds the whole of the upper parts are cinereous
brown with dirty-yellowish edges and spots; the under parts
are yellowish-white, each feather marked with an irregular
lancet-shaped spot, of a dusky colour, largest on the breast.
In this state of plumage the beak is black; the cere, orbits
and legs, dirty pale blue, the iris dusky grey; a dark streak
descends from the corner of the beak down the side of the
throat ; this streak disappears as the bird becomes older.

The egg figured 7, is the one belonging to the Jer Falcon.

mal. JUKE .

SRC age

ae

| PR REUMINE MPA LOOT.

7
AN

»

“PLATE. Vit.
PEREGRINE 5 FALCON,

vay Parco Pinvonio vy, Wim.)

regrine akon is 4 very eonugents, powarial, ane
qualities observable:.avi feet: maght.. in: his stomsele
pend brilliant eye: fiw Right is mpid, with sui

seen skint’ near the ground. ‘Oa, ining, he
histiely and fice in o slanting dinection tyr ome
‘before he wounte, wy the ar. Whee $k Ss
Dis emily distinguished (coi other binds Shyhie Here
his nartiw. tail, ani long aid. pointed wings.
Pat resi with ‘lie neck: shortened, and the wins
This breast: spread. Over the. shovldyes of the

th hy contrasting! with the white. enloing ah: thee throat,
tim a staking aad Gongpicrious objet.’

‘ yeh . buiobserved. His favounte haunt for, resting ab nigh
Bidigh branch: of a lofty forest-tree, and pine-forests soem
apace to auch places he retired about’ sunset.
we he t aven in the open fields, cevied upon a stone,

mace of the Peregrine Faldon: we loud, clear, amat

fi eth Paleo Np

pig tues: be ie rately observed. ty early tae

the- bale streaky which dessend toss the-comete of

if FPaleon ix shy vied wary’ bird, and dificalt: te ep”

Q

PEREGRINE FALCON. 37

RAPTORES. FALCONIDE.

PLATE VIII.

PEREGRINE FALCON.
Fatco Pereerinus. (Linn.)

Tue Peregrine Falcon is a very courageous, powerful, and
active bird; qualities observable at first sight in his strongly
built form and brilliant eye. His flight is rapid, with quick
movement of the wings: he is rarely observed to sail, but

is usually seen skimming near the ground. On rising, he

g
expands his tail, and flies in a slanting direction for some
distance before he mounts in the air. When on the
wing, he is easily distinguished from other birds by his fine
proportions, his narrow tail, and long and pointed wings.
When sitting at rest with his neck shortened, and the white
feathers of his breast spread over the shoulders of the
wings, the black streaks which descend from the corners of
his mouth, contrasting with the white colour of the throat,
render him a striking and conspicuous object.

This Faleon is a shy and wary bird, and difficult to ap-
proach unobserved. His favourite haunt for resting at night
is the high branch of a lofty forest-tree, and pine-forests seem
to be preferred; to such places he retires about sunset.
Sometimes he is seen in the open fields, seated upon a stone,
rock, or hillock, where he quietly waits, watching for his
prey.

The voice of the Peregrine Falcon is loud, clear, and

38 FALCONIDE.

sonorous. These birds build their nest in the highest pine-
trees ; sometimes, also, in the fissure of a precipitous rock.
Both male and female may at times be seen over the place
chosen for nidification, wheeling in circling flight. The nest
is a flat structure, composed of dry sticks, on which the
female deposits three or four eggs; and three weeks is the
length of the period of incubation. During this time the
male seeks food for himself and his mate within the limits
of the forest; rooks, pigeons, and other forest breeders, be-
come at this time his prey. He is also a great enemy to
grouse, ptarmigans, and partridges, and when once a covey
of the latter is discovered, there remains but little chance
for the escape of any of them from his persevering returns to :
the spot they frequent. In more northern countries, the
Peregrine is said to attack the capercailzies, notwithstanding
their great size, and to consume them in great numbers: and
he is so fastidious that he never resorts a second time to the
prey that he has left, which renders him more destructive
than he would otherwise be.

Another circumstance that brings upon the devoted Pere-
erine the charge of destructiveness, is the fact, that various
birds, less courageous and less successful in the chase than he
is, habitually rob him of his prey.

The buzzard sits quietly upon a rock or a stone, watching
with eagerness the motions of this hawk, when engaged in
the pursuit ; as soon as he has taken his prey and alighted
on the ground for the purpose of devouring it, he is driven
away by the buzzard, to whom he resigns it without a struggle,
and takes to flight. However hungry, he is never seen
to defend himself, or dispute his right. The rough-legged
buzzard, and even the harrier, rob him in a similar manner.
Nevertheless, the Peregrine displays both courage and ad-
dress. in frequent contests with his equals.

PEREGRINE FALCON. 39

The food of the Peregrine Falcon consists entirely of
birds, which are plucked clean before they are devoured.
He attacks indifferently all kinds from the size of the lark
to that of the wild-goose. Reptiles are never taken by
him. His prey is always captured when on the wing, by out-
soaring and pouncing upon his victim ; he cannot take birds
from the ground, nor does he venture to pounce upon such as
are skimming near it, as he would endanger his own safety.
Pigeons are well aware of this, and may often be seen
to fly cautiously close to the ground when a hawk is in
sight.

The Peregrines, as well as all the other noble birds of
prey, destroy their victim instantaneously, by attacking it in
a vital part.

The Peregrine Falcon is met with all over Europe, and in
the northern parts of Asia, Africa, and America. It is indi-
genous in England, inhabiting especially the more hilly districts.
‘“‘ From its nature,” says Montagu, “the Peregrine Falcon is
limited to certain districts, choosing only the mountainous
parts, where it can settle on the shelving rock of some stupen-
dous cliff, and breed in security in the midst of plenty. From
this circumstance, this species appears less plentiful with us
than it really is, there not being on any part of our coast,
from north to south, a spot where the cliffs rise to the height
of three or four hundred feet, but they are found scattered
during the breeding season, and from which they seldom
retire, except for occasional migratory purposes, or when the
young are driven to seek fresh quarters.”

The Peregrine holds the next rank to the Jer Falcon in
estimation for falconry ; his strength, courage, and aptitude
to receive instruction rendering him for this purpose a valu-
able bird. Formerly, when falconry was much esteemed,
considerable care was taken with the education, treatment,

40 FALCONIDE.

and feeding of these beautiful birds, and large sums ex-
pended for that purpose. They were used, and still are,
where this sport is exercised, for flying at herons, par-
tridges, &c.

The birds represented in the plate, are an adult female in
the lead coloured plumage proper to maturity, and a young
male.

The entire length of the male Peregrine Falcon is fifteen
inches; of the female seventeen. The following dimensions
were taken from the female figured in the plate :—the length
of the wing from the carpus to the tip fourteen inches; of
the tarsus two inches. The beak of the Peregrine Falcon
bears a strong resemblance to that of the Jer Falcon, except
that the prominent tooth of the beak is not so strongly
developed; it measures from the forehead to the tip one
inch and a quarter in diameter, or an inch and a half follow-
ing the arc. The legs and feet also much resemble those
of the Jer Falcon in size, and in the number of the scales
upon the toes. The wings, when closed, reach nearly to the
end of the tail: the second quill a little exceeds the first
in length, and is the longest in the wing: the tail is nearly
square.

The adult male and female are very much alike, except
in size. The older this bird becomes the paler are all the
under parts of his body, the transverse bars on the breast and
flanks become narrower, the reddish tint disappears, and the
white ground colour becomes tinged with pale bluish ash,
particularly on the sides and thighs; the upper plumage
also acquires a darker shade. ‘The young birds are quite
differently coloured from the adult, as may be seen in the
brown bird delineated in the plate, which represents a young
male of about a year old, before the autumnal moult. Its near
approach to maturity was indicated in this specimen by one

PEREGRINE FALCON. 4]

or two new feathers among the side-coverts of the tail, which
were grey, barred with black, as in the adult. At this age
the beak is pale blue; the cere, orbits, corners of the gape,
and legs, greenish yellow.

Number 8 is the egg belonging to this Falcon.

Pl, g.

HOBBY. 4B

RAPTORES. : FALCONID i.

PLATE IX.

THE HOBBY.
Fatco Sussureo. (Linn.)

Tue Hossy is an inhabitant of the warm and temperate
parts of Hurope, Asia, and probably Africa. In Europe its
northern limit appears to be the most southern parts of
Sweden and Siberia, and the central portions of Russia. In
England it does not appear to be met with further north
than Northumberland, although on the continent of Europe
it possibly reaches a higher latitude; but although widely
diffused this species is not considered anywhere to be very
numerous.

The Hobby is an elegant little bird, and greatly resem-
bling the Peregrine Falcon in the distribution of its colours.
Through all its actions it displays great acuteness, persever-
ance, courage, and quickness. It flies with great buoyancy
and speed, and may readily be distinguished when on the
wing from the Kestril and Merlin, by its narrow pointed
wings, and slender form. When at rest, perched upon a
stone or clod of earth, or sitting upon a naked branch of a
decayed tree, it is readily known by the marked character of
its plumage, its white breast and throat, and the dark bands
that descend from the corners of the beak.

The Hobby is found in mountainous as well as in flat
countries, and appears to prefer copse wood and thickets in
the neighbourhood of fields and open commons rather than
forests. In England it arrives in April, and in September

44, FALCONID.

or October is again on its retreat to warmer latitudes. The
Hobby chooses for its prey larks, swallows, and martins,
which he pursues in the air, following them easily in all their
rapid evolutions, and strikes with such unerring aim that he
seldom fails to secure his selected prey: even the swift can-
not escape him. He takes also quails, young partridges,
sandpipers, and plovers, when on the wing.

The male and female hunt together, but are said sometimes
to quarrel for what they have caught, and suffer their prey
to escape from them. ‘The martins are so terrified at their
approach, that they throw themselves upon the ground for
safety. Larks are equally disturbed at the sight of their
mortal enemy, but instinct teaches them sometimes to seek
their safety by rising hastily into the air, where they are
secure unless their enemy rises above them.

The Hobby will occasionally follow sportsmen when shoot-
ing with their dogs, and skimming along without any appa-
rent motion of the wings, will pounce like lightning upon the
Jarks or other small birds that, startled by the approach of
the dogs, rise upon the wing. He also chases cockchafers,
grasshoppers, and other large insects, and pursues them until
late in the evening ; sometimes he is seen, like the Nightjar,
chasing insects over ponds and rivulets when nearly dark.
On this account the Hobby retires late to rest, and is not
among the earliest risers in the morning, many birds having
finished their morning song before he makes his appearance
from his nocturnal retreat in the woods.

The Hobby builds in forests and woods, always selecting a
lofty tree. In one of the upper branches in such a spot the
nest is constructed, which is built of dry sticks, and lined
with cows’ hair, moss, and other warm materials. Sometimes a
hole in an aged tree is chosen as affording a sheltered retreat.
If not disturbed, the same birds sometimes return to their haunt
in the succeeding year. ‘The female deposits three or four

HOBBY. 45

eggs, which, like other Hawks, are hatched in three weeks.
The young are fed with small birds and insects, and remain
for some time in the neighbourhood of the nest. Sometimes
the young are seen catching the grasshoppers that make their
appearance among the tops of the long grass ; and when old
enough to fly they follow their parents to the field.

This courageous and docile little Hawk may be trained to
catch quails, larks, and other small birds. In confinement it
becomes very tame: it requires to be carefully kept during
the winter, to protect it from the rigours of the climate, not
suited by nature to the delicacy of its frame. Hobbies, from
their shyness in a wild state, are difficult to approach, but
they may sometimes be shot when in the ardour of pursuit
they venture, as before mentioned, too near the sportsman,
whose dogs they are following in order to share in the started
game.

The note of the Hobby resembles somewhat the call of the
Wryneck, and in the spring may occasionally be heard.

The Hobby represented in the plate is a male bird in
adult plumage. When very old this bird is said to lose
entirely the dusky spots upon the thighs and under tail-
coverts, those parts acquiring a fine plain rust colour; at
which age the upper parts of the plumage become steel blue,
without any bordering to the feathers.

The full grown male bird is about twelve inches in length ;
the tail, whose feathers are of equal length, measures about
six inches: the wings, when closed, reach beyond the tip of
the tail.

The beak is blue, tipped with black, short, and sharp
pointed, and measures seven lines in diameter, and nine lines
in the arc; the cere, eyelids, and feet are yellow; the iris is
chestnut brown. The tarsi are short, measuring about an
inch and a half, and feathered below the knee; the toes are
long and slender.

46 FALCONID.

The adult female is nearly the same in colouring as the
male, but larger in size, exceeding him by about an inch and
a-half in length.

The young birds have the legs paler in colour; the cere
and orbits almost white, sometimes intermixed with blue ;
the head, neck, and all the upper parts are dusky, with rust
coloured and yellowish edges.

The egg figured 9 in the plate is that of the Hobby.
Some of the eggs of this species, as described by Montagu,
are bluish white, with olive green or yellowish brown blotches.

aye

ORANGE-LEGGED HORBY. 4

RAPTORES. FALCONID i

PLATE X.

ORANGE-LEGGED HOBBY.

Fauco RuFires.

Tue Orange-legged Hobby is found in many of the tem-
perate parts of Hurope, from the forty-third to the fifty-third
degree of north latitude: it is of rare occurrence in the
western, but is said to be common in the eastern countries
of Europe, and in Siberia. It is often seen in Russia,
Poland, Hungary, «and Silesia. It appears sometimes in
Switzerland, and occasionally, but very rarely, in France.
In England it is considered of very rare occurrence, a few
specimens only having fallen into the hands of persons ac-
quainted with this branch of natural history. ‘These spe-
cimens, which were first recorded by Mr. Yarrell, were shot
on the eastern coast of England, in Norfolk; and one has
since been met with in Ireland.

According to my own observation, the Red-legged Hobby
has appeared in this country since the period last recorded,
namely 1832; and it is possible that when further investi-
gation is made on the subject, it may be found not to be of
such rare occurrence as it is at present supposed to be.

I have more than once seen this bird, but have not been
so fortunate as to obtain possession of it. On one occasion,
in the summer of 1838, I was late one evening walking in
the unenclosed plantations belonging to Claremont, and was
carefully searching for Plovers’ eggs on a boggy heath, on

VOL. I. EB

4S FALCONIDE.

which I knew they were sometimes found, when my advance
roused from the ground a bird, whose peculiar flight in-
stantly arrested my attention, and I followed it as far as
the enclosure of the plantation into which it had entered
would permit. I presently perceived it sitting upon the
branch of a tree, in company with another bird of similar
size, but differing in colour. I was near enough to observe
their plumage, and no doubt remained upon my mind respect-
ing them,—they were Orange-legged Hobbies. They pre-
sently took to flight, but did not leave the plantation, which
was of young larch, and other fir-trees; their manner of
flying was peculiarly buoyant and graceful, with frequent
turns and evolutions, as if in pursuit of some aerial prey ;
it was now dusk in the evening, and I watched them until
they could no longer be perceived. It was in summer, and
I conjectured that they must have a nest in some part of
the copse. I returned several evenings to the same spot,
and saw them again and again. I was extremely anxious
to obtain the nest, if such existed, which I do not doubt,
considering the season of the year, and the fact of their
being seen in the same place several successive evenings.
Claremont being strictly watched by the King of Bel-
gium’s keepers, it was only through their interference and
assistance that I could hope to obtain my object, and I
accordingly applied to them; but such is their illiberality
and extreme jealousy of the interference of a stranger, that
I could not prevail upon them to take any trouble in the
search, although [ offered a liberal reward for the birds, and
for any indication of their nest; nor would they permit me
to resume the search myself. This was in the summer of
1838 : since this period I have had a circumstance detailed
to me of the capture of a little bird of the hawk species,
which could be no other than the one at present under con-
sideration. A young friend, who himself related the cir-

ORANGE-LEGGED HOBBY. 49

cumstance to me, had a hawk brought to him of a kind
that he had never seen before ; it had been observed, by one
of the before-mentioned keepers of Claremont, to enter a
hole in a tree at eleven or twelve feet from the ground; the
man had with him an active little boy, who, climbing up the
tree, succeeded in securing the bird. ‘The keeper had never
seen a bird of the sort before, although well acquainted with
the other small species of hawks which abound in that part -
of Surrey. My young friend described it as extremely small,
very dark in colour on the upper parts of its plumage, and
with red or orange-coloured legs, and whitish claws ; it sat
remarkably upright on its perch, so as to give an impression
that it would fall over backwards. It ate voraciously such
food as was offered it, but was so extremely wild, that, fearing
he could never succeed in taming it, or reconciling it to its
cage, after keeping it about a week, he determined to give
it its liberty, being unconscious of the rarity and value of
his captive. On opening the door of its cage it flew off with
ineredible swiftness, and was presently lost to sight. Wish-
ing to ascertain more exactly the appearance of this bird, I
showed my young friend various drawings of hawks, and
other birds, and he immediately pointed out, without hesi-
tation, the female of the Orange-legged Hobby. It was in
the middle of the summer of 1840 that this bird was cap-
tured. ‘The fact of its being seen several times in the middle
of summer, leads to the supposition that some few pairs may
occasionally breed in England ; and it is not impossible that
the bird which was caught in a hole in a tree had chosen
that locality for the purposes of incubation ; we are the more
inclined to this opinion, as it has been conjectured by seve-
ral naturalists that such a situation is chosen by this species
as a breeding place, although nothing certain is known on the
subject of the nest and eggs, which have not hitherto been
described, that we are aware of. These remarks, crude as they

E 2

50 FALCONID.

may appear, are hazarded in order to draw attention to a sub-
ject which it may possibly yet be in the power of some Bri-
tish naturalist to set satisfactorily at rest.

The appearance of this species in the south of Europe,
Monsieur Temminck considers to be accidental. It is pro-
bable, he says, that it is drawn towards the coasts of the
Mediterranean by the accidental migration of the insects
that form its customary food. Monsieur Roux also says
that its appearance in Provence is not sufficiently frequent
to allow it to be ranked among the birds of passage of that
country.

This faleon is said to be chiefly observed, in countries
where it abounds, in copse-wood, or in open level ground
interspersed with bushes; sometimes it is seen seated upon
the dead branch of a tree. Its food is known to consist
chiefly, if not entirely, of insects of the coleopterous order,
crickets and grasshoppers, as the remains of such insects
alone have been found in the stomachs of specimens that
have been dissected. In pursuit of these nocturnal insects,
the Orange-legged Hobby is seen skimming over marshy
spots late in the evening, occasionally uttering its peculiar
and musical call-note.

These particulars of the habits of the species perfectly
agree with my own observations with the locality in which
I have seen them, and their supposed occupation.

The figures represented in the plate are an adult male,
and a young bird about a year old.

The male measures ten and a half or eleven inches in
entire length ; the wings, from the carpus to the tip, are nine
inches ; and reach, when closed, to the tip of the tail. The
beak measures six lines in diameter from the forehead to the
tip, and four lines and three-quarters in thickness at the
base ; it is sharp pointed, and has a prominent tooth, but
the upper ridge is not much arched. The wings are long

e

ORANGE-LEGGED HOBBY. 51

and pointed, the second quill-feather the longest, the first
and third nearly of equal length. In the adult male the
feathers of the thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts, are
bright orange brown; the rest of the plumage is uniform
slate colour, palest on the breast and sides. The legs and
feet, orbits and cere, are orange red; the claws whitish flesh
red; the iris dark brown ; the beak blue, tinged at the base
with yellow.

The adult female differs very materially from the male ;
on the mantle, scapulars, wing-coverts, and tail, her plumage
has the same slate grey as in the male, but the feathers on
these parts are barred with black: the forehead -is whitish ;
the crown of the head pale rufous, the back of the neck is
darker rufous barred with black ; the throat and sides of the
neck are yellowish white; the breast, belly, and thighs, are
rufous brown, marked with a few longitudinal streaks down
the shafts of the feathers, which marks are said to disappear
with advanced age. The grey tail is crossed above with
seven or eight dusky bars, the last near the extremity of the
feathers the broadest, the tips are greyish white; the tail-
feathers beneath are pearl white, showing the dusky bars
through them ; the under tail-coverts are white, clouded with
rufous ; the moustache and region of the eyes are blackish.
The legs, orbits, beak, and cere, as in the male. The very
old females are said to become paler on the under parts, the
upper parts lighter grey, and the black bars narrower.

KESTRIL. 53

RAPTORES. PALCONID/:.

PLATE. XI.
KESTRIL.
Fauco Tinnuncuuus.

Tue Kesrrizt is a bird of prey well known all over
Europe. In America and in Asia it is also equally com-
mon. In Africa they abound, even as far as the Cape of
Good Hope. In Europe, says Temminck, this species is
not usually found beyond the regions of the arctic circle ;
its place being supplied in those countries by the Merlin.
It appears to prefer rocky and mountainous localities to
woodland, on account of its preference for the fissures and
holes in rocks for the purposes of nidification and shelter :
it is not, however, confined to such localities, but is found
in greater or less abundance in all situations.

From its general distribution, its peculiar appearance when
on the wing, and the little fear it appears to entertain for
man, it is more frequently seen and better known than any
of our indigenous Hawks.

When engaged in searching for its food, it will suffer the
very near approach of an observer without showing any alarm
or desisting from its employment, and continue at the cleva-
tion of a few yards from the ground with outspread tail
and stationary, except the occasional tremulous flickering of
its wings; then, as if suddenly losing sight of the object of
its search, it wheels about and shifts its position, and is
again presently seen at a little distance suspended and hover-

54 FALCONIDA.

ing in the same anxious search. We have occasionally
watched a pair thus pursuing the chase together, for a con-
siderable time.

Ficld mice are believed to constitute the chief food of the
Kestril ; but they occasionally take birds. They also pursue
cockchafers and other flying beetles, which they devour upon
the wing. Frogs and lizards become also their prey.

The nest of the Kestril may be found in crevices of rocks,
or holes in high banks, in church towers, and in ruins:
where such places are not to be met with, a hole in an old
tree is chosen, or even a deserted nest of sufficient size.
The eggs are frequently deposited in the bare cavity, at
other times a few straws or loose feathers are brought to the
spot. The female seldom deposits more than four eggs ;
these are of a roundish form, much resembling those of the
Merlin in size and shape; they are rust yellow, spotted all
over with brownish red, sometimes entirely brick-red, mot-
tled with a deeper tint. The partiality of this species for
towers and ruins as resting or breeding places has given rise
in several countries to its local name. In Italy it is called
Falco di Torre, and in Germany Thurmfalke, both signifying
Tower Falcon. One of its provincial names in England is
Kastril, which seems also to admit cf the same interpreta-
tion.

The young Kestrils are at first covered with a greyish
white down. Before they leave the nest they have acquired
a garb resembling that of the adult female. At this age
there is but little difference in size or colour between the
sexes, but the bars upon the feathers of the females are
rather broader and less distinctly marked than in the males.
Four young ones, which had just been taken from the nest,
were brought us; they were fully feathered, and scarcely any
difference of plumage could be discerned among them. In

KESTRIL. 55

this plumage they remain until the summer of the following
year, when an alteration may be perceived in the colouring
of the male, even before the commencement of the autumnal
moult. The tail acquires a hoary grey colour near the base,
the upper tail-coverts also partake of the same hue; when
the moult takes place the brown barred feathers of the tail
are exchanged for the characteristic grey ones; and subse-
quently the head also acquires the same colour. The barred
feathers of the upper plumage give place to feathers of a
brighter and fuller tint, and the black marks only remain in
the form of a diamond-shaped spot near the tips of the fea-
thers. These marks at the succeeding moult become smaller,
and eventually disappear entirely upon the mantle. The
irides of the adult Kestril are rich brown ; when young, they
are dusky with a tinge of grey; the legs and feet are stout,
lemon yellow in the adult birds, as well as the cere, eyelids, _
and orbits, paler in the young birds; the claws are bright
black and very sharp.

The beak of the Kestril is rather long and slender, and
compressed towards the tip, of a pale blue colour tipped with
dark horn. ‘The wings reach within about an inch and a half
of the tip of the tail, and measure about nine inches from the
carpus to the tip. ‘he first quill-feather is three-fourths of
an inch shorter than the second and third, which are the
longest in the wing; it is very deeply notched on the inner
web. The quills are dusky on the upper surface, greyish white
beneath, barred with a darker grey.

The tail-feathers are tipped with cream white, above which
is a bar of brilliant purple black, occupying the space of
about an inch and a quarter; and the middle tail-feathers
are about an inch longer than the outer ones. The breast
and belly are white, tinged with reddish ochre, and marked
with dusky spots in the centres of the feathers; the thighs
and vent are without spots.

56 FALCONID.

The moustache upon the sides of the face is conspicuous
in both male and female.

The Kestril is easily reconciled to captivity, and becomes
extremely tame. One that we reared from a nestling ex-
hibited the utmost docility and attachment to the persons it
was accustomed to see. It lived on terms of perfect friend-
ship with many small caged birds, and although the perch to
which it was fastened by a chain often stood within reach of
their cage, it never made the smallest effort to molest them.

This pretty creature would suffer itself to be caressed,
and even appeared pleased with attention, and certainly
looked upon us as its protectors. It always evinced great
alarm at the sight of a black cat, which frequently entered
the garden where it stood, in order to snatch from an aviary
such of the small birds as should venture near the wires, and
several luckless goldfinches did fall into its power. On the
appearance of this terrible enemy, our favourite Hawk would
utter redoubled cries until some one ran to its assistance ;
but if any of its human friends happened to be in sight, it
took no notice whatever of the intruder, as if perfectly secure
when in our presence.

The egg represented in the plate, and numbered 11, belongs
to the Kestril.

PAL 42,

MERLIN. yi

RAPTORES. FALCONIDL .

PLATE XII.

MERLIN.

Fatco AYSALON.

Tus beautiful little bird, although widely distributed
throughout all the warm and temperate parts of Hurope,
appears to be nowhere very abundant, especially in this coun-
try, if we may judge from the various conflicting accounts of
ornithologists and other observers respecting the season of
its appearance in different parts of England, the locality it
chooses for nidification, the colour of the eggs, and other
particulars.

Bewick, although inhabiting the northern part of England,
where it is now known to breed, describes the female of this
species as the Merlin; and the adult male, which he con-
siders a different species, under the designation of Stone
Falcon. ‘This error has long since been set at rest; but
other discrepancies still exist respecting some portions of its
history, which prove that the opportunities of observing its
habits are not very frequent.

The Merlin may be distinguished from the Hobby when
flying by its less slender form, and by the greater length of
the tail in proportion to the wings. The same difference
exists between the Merlin and the Kestril, the latter having
a still longer tail and slower movements.

58 FALCONIDS.

In character the Merlin is courageous, extremely wild, and
shy. Although of small dimensions, this spirited little Hawk
frequently attacks birds much larger and stronger than itself.
Its usual prey consists of larks, swallows, linnets, chaffinches,
goldfinches, and other small birds that live much on the
wing: thrushes and plovers sometimes become its prey, and
it is said to take quails and young partridges when it can
surprise them flying, but it is not able to take birds of this
size from the ground. It also, in common with other small
Hawks, feeds upon cockchafers and other flying insects.
When in pursuit of its prey in the open moors, in which it
delights, the Merlin may be seen flying from stone to stone
watching the larks and other small birds that frequent such
situations. This habit of resting upon a stone has ob-
tained for him in several countries appropriate names
synonymous with its common English appellation—Stone
Falcon.

The Merlin is indigenous in some of the northern counties
of England, also in Scotland and the Scottish Isles. Monsieur
Temminck, in the fourth volume of his Manuel d’Ornithologie,
says the Merlin rarely breeds in the temperate parts of Hu-
rope, and only in the most elevated regions. During the
breeding season, he observes, it inhabits Sweden and other
northern parts, the rocky districts of Norway, and the island
of Bornholm in the Baltic, and extends beyond the region
of the arctic circle. In England, according to Mr. Selby, it
breeds in the extensive upland moors of Northumberland,
where he has frequently met with its nest placed in all in-
stances upon the ground amongst the heather. The eggs of
the Merlin, according to the same authority, are of a bluish
white colour, marked with brown spots, principally disposed
at the larger end.

The eggs appear subject to variation in colour: the one

=
MERLIN. 59

we have figured, which is from the cabinet of Mr. Yarrell,
differs from those described by Mr. Selby, but agrees per-
fectly with the description Bechstein gives of the eggs of this
species. According to Montagu, the Merlin does not visit
the south of England until October, about the time that the
Hobby retires; but we have reason to think that in some
few instances this species passes the summer months more
southward than the limits assigned by most authors, as we
have received from Suffolk eggs perfectly resembling Mr.
Yarrell’s specimen.

That this bird is capable of enduring a high degree of cold
we may conclude from the assertion of Monsieur ‘Temminck
that it is commonly found beyond the limits of the arctic
circle.

The adult male Merlin is from ten to eleven inches in
length, and weighs five or six ounces. ‘he wing from the
carpus to the tip measures seven inches and a half; the tail
extends an inch and a quarter beyond the points of the
closed wings. ‘The beak measures seven lines in length, and
is not so much curved as in the preceding species; it is
strong, and with the tooth prominent. The upper parts of
this bird are of a fine blue stone colour, including the crown
of the head, the back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and tertials.
The crown of the head is streaked with black down the
shafts of the feathers; the blue feathers of the upper plu-
mage have also black shafts. The blue tail has a broad
black band near the tip, and the specimen from which
the plate was taken bore traces of three interrupted black
bars; the tail-feathers are tipped with cream white. The
primary quills are dusky above, paler, and barred with white,
beneath. ‘The second and third quill-feathers are the longest
in the wing; the first is a little shorter than the fourth;
the first and second feathers are strongly notched on the

60 FALCONIDE.

inner web, the second and third sinuated on the outer web.
The forehead and throat are white; round the neck is a
reddish brown ring spotted with black; the cheeks are the
same above and below the eye is pale reddish white; from
the corners of the mouth run a few black streaks poimting
downwards, indicating the characteristic moustache which all
true Falcons possess in a greater or less degree. The under
wing-coverts are yellowish white with dusky spots and streaks.
The under plumage is rufous, each feather upon the breast
and flanks marked down the shaft with a dusky streak ; the
thighs are rufous with narrower streaks; the legs and
toes, cere and eyelids are yellow; the beak is blue at
the base and tipped with dark horn; the irides dark
brown.

The female differs very much from the male; the grey
colour which is so prevalent upon his plumage is only per-
ceptible in hers upon the scapulars and wing-coverts, where
it occupies the centre of each feather; these feathers are
bordered with rufous and have black shafts. The greater
coverts of the wing, and upper coverts of the tail, are brown,
bordered with dirty yellowish white. The tail is greyish
brown, tipped with yellowish white, and crossed with fine
yellowish white bars. The throat is plain white; the ring
round the neck, the breast, and under parts are yellowish
white streaked and spotted with dusky; the nape of the
neck and thighs tinged with rufous. The crown of the
head and nape are rich reddish brown, with dusky streaks
down the shafts of the feathers; forehead and streak
above the eye yellowish white; the ear-coverts grey and
brown.

The young male birds much resemble the female above
described, but have no grey in the centre of the feathers on
the upper parts, these being dark brown bordered with rufous.

MERLIN. 6L

The young females wear nearly the same dress as the young
males, but they may be distinguished by their larger size.
In young birds of both sexes, the legs, cere, and orbits, are

greenish yellow.
The Merlin’s ege is represented in the plate, and num-
fore) )

bered 12.

nha ae

ad oh

4

rr oo aly Bea ly

[es

Aichi ae

aha

. SPER ANS eine. ns

KITE. 63

RAPTORES. FALCONIDE.

PLATE XIII.

KITE.
Mitvus Icrinus.

Tue Kite is not very numerous in Britain as a species,
and but partially distributed; being tolerably abundant in
some districts, and in others rarely seen. It is, nevertheless,
a bird well-known, partly on account of its peculiar flight and
appearance, which render it easily distinguishable from all
other predaceous birds ; and still more, perhaps, on account of
its habits, which render it peculiarly obnoxious to man, from
its partiality for the young of various species of game, as well
as for the cherished nurslings of the farm-yard.

This species was formerly much more plentiful than it is
at present; the increasing cultivation of territories formerly
left in their natural wild state of moor or woodland, and the
growing desire to preserve game, having operated upon this,
as upon all others of the predaceous tribes, in decreasing their
numbers, and limiting them to those localities that still re-
main in a state suited to their mode of life.

The localities now best known as the resort of Kites, are
wooded districts in Cumberland, Westmoreland, and some
parts of Yorkshire. In Scotland, according to Mr. Selby, it
is more abundant, occurring plentifully in the vicinity of
Loch Katrine, and Loch Awe, as well as about Ben-Lomond.
It is partial to the neighbourhood of lakes and rivers, the

VOL. I. F

64 FALCONIDS.

waters of which supply a considerable portion of its customary
food. It is also found in Wales.

The Kite is considered a heavy and sluggish bird, and its
appearance when perched might seem to justify that opinion,
but for a restlessness in its brilliant eyes, and a sinister ex-
pression of countenance, that seem at variance with a dull and
heavy character; and even in confinement, when moving
about its cage from perch to perch, the Kite exhibits a light-
ness, grace, and ease of motion, that prepare the observer to
expect the buoyancy of flight and power of wing that so
eminently characterize its actions in a state of liberty.

The length of wing possessed by this species gives an ex-
panse greatly disproportioned to its weight, which does not
exceed two pounds and a half, and enables the bird to sustain
itself for a great length of time in the air without fatigue.
Its flight is slow and graceful; for hours it may be seen
floating in the air with little movement of the wings; its tail
is, however, continually in motion from side to side, directing
the movement of the body. It sometimes rises to a great
elevation, in slow and repeated circles, mounting and soaring
until lost to sight.

The elevation to which some species of birds rise is truly
astonishing. Humboldt, observes Mr. Kirby, says that the
Condor soars to the height of Chimborazo, an elevation almost
six times greater than that at which the clouds that over-
shadow our plains are suspended.*

This power of rising to such surprising elevations, is chiefly
attributable to the means with which birds are endowed of
receiving air at pleasure into certain parts of their bodies.
Mr. Kirby, speaking on this subject in the interesting work
before referred to, says, ‘‘ Of all animals, birds are most pene-
trated by the element in which they move; their whole or-
ganization is filled with air, as the sponge with water; their

* Kirby’s Bridgewater Treatise, vol. ii. p. 473.

KITE, 65
lungs, their bones, their cellular tissue, their feathers,—in a
word, almost every individual part admit it into their in-
terstices ; thus giving them a degree of specific levity that
no other class of animals is endowed with: which, however,
does not render them the sport of every wind that blows, for
by means of their vigorous wings formed to take strong hold
of the air, of their muscular force, the agility of their move-
ments, and their powers of steerage by means of the prow
and rudder of their little vessel, their head and tail, they can
counteract this levity.” Rennie enters further into this sub-
ject; he says, ‘The lungs of birds have several openings
communicating with corresponding air-bags or cells, which
fill the whole cavity of the body from the neck downwards,
and into which the air passes and repasses in the process of
breathing. This is not all: the very bones of birds are
hollowed out with the design of receiving air from the lungs,
from which air-pipes are conveyed to the most solid parts of
the body, and even into the quills and plumelets of the fea-
thers, which are hollow or spongy, for its reception. As all
these hollow parts, as well as the cells, are open only on the
side communicating with the lungs, the bird requires only to
take in a full breath to fill and distend its whole body with
air, which, in consequence of the considerable heat of its
body, is rendered much lighter than the air of the atmo-
sphere. By forcing this air out of the body again, the weight
becomes so much increased, that birds of large size can dart
down from great heights in the air with astonishing ve-
locity.” *

Kites choose for their breeding-place forests, or copse-
wood, without showing any decided preference for mountain-
ous localities; and are often seen in spring, rising in their
beautiful and circling flight above these chosen spots, uttering
their clear note of joy. The situation selected for the nest

* Tnsect Transformations.

66 FALCONIDS.

is a lofty beech, oak, pine, or fir; the structure is large, and
formed of dry branches; it is lined with straw, moss, or wool,
or similar warm substances. ‘The eggs, which are three or
four in number, are white, clouded with a dirty greenish
colour; sometimes spotted, as they are represented in the
plate, sometimes plain. Incubation lasts three weeks, during
which time the female is assiduously fed and watched by the
male bird. The nestlings occasionally betray their place of
retreat, by the cries they utter whenever the parent birds
approach.

The food of the Kite is of a very varied character, and
consists chiefly of what can be taken from the ground ;
such as young hares, mice, snakes, efts, frogs, and toads ;
also grasshoppers and other insects. The Kite is a great
destroyer of young ducks, geese, and poultry, when he can
meet with them unprotected ; but not being of a daring cha-
racter, except when much pressed by hunger, he is easily
driven from the pursuit of them. Nevertheless, in defence
of their own young when molested, the Kites display much
boldness as well as affection. It has also been observed to
take live fish; and, in default of living food, carrion, and even
dead fish, snatched as they float from the surface of the water,
are not rejected.

The services of the Kite, however, in destroying obnoxious
animals and removing offensive carrion, are overlooked or
forgotten, when in an evil hour it comes within reach of the
farmer whose poultry-yard has been robbed by this bold in-
truder; the luckless carcase of which is henceforth doomed to
grace the walls of the barn or cow-house, as many of its
fellows have done before.

The Kite, although indigenous in Britain, and resident
throughout the year, has been observed to shift its quarters
from time to time according to the season.

On the continent of Europe, where it is found from south

KITE. 67

to north, as far as Sweden and Norway, it is decidedly mi-
gratory, especially in the northern parts above latitude fifty-
two or fifty-three degrees; retiring from thence to warmer
regions as winter approaches, being unable to sustain the in-
clemencies of a northern winter.

According to M. Boié, the Kite is very common in Den-
mark, where numbers arrive in the spring; but a very small
portion of these, however, remain during winter. ‘Their migra-
tion is performed usually in flocks ; sometimes from fifty to
a hundred may be seen together. During these migratory
flights they proceed along the open country, flying low, and
from time to time settling on the ground to rest themselves,
and in this manner slowly pursue their route. Many are
supposed to winter on the southern side of the Mediterranean.

By Bechstein and other German authors this species is
called Rother Milan, or the Red Kite, to distinguish it from
another species which somewhat resembles it, but is much -
darker in the tints of its plumage. With us no such dis-
tinction is necessary; the Common Kite being the only bird
of this species that is found here, with the exception of the
rare straggler which forms the subject of the following plate.

The living specimen from which our Kite was drawn, was
one of two very fine birds, male and female, kept in the me-
nagerie of Mr. Cross, of the Surrey Zoological Gardens; in
which excellent collection we have had the opportunity of
sketching several birds not commonly to be met with.

The entire length of the male Kite is about two feet two
inches, and the expanse from wing to wing five feet; the
female is larger, measuring in length about two inches more
than the male, and in expanse exceeds him by about six
inches. The tail is broad, and much forked; the middle
feathers measure about twelve inches; the outer, fourteen and
a half or fifteen inches; the tips of the wings, when closed,
reach nearly to the end of the tail. The beak is long, with

68 FALCONID.

very little appearance of a tooth, consisting only of a shallow
festoon ; the tip of the upper mandible rounded. ‘The nos-
tril is oval, and bordered by a fold on the outer edge. The
beak is black at the tip, bluish towards the base, and in very —
old birds yellow; the colour of the iris is silver-white, but
acquires a yellow tinge in very old birds. The beak measures
in diameter, from forehead to the tip, one inch and three-
eighths, in the are one inch and a half, and is only three-
quarters of an inch thick at the base. ‘The feet are small in
proportion to the size of the bird; the tarsi are feathered for
about an inch below the knee, the naked part in front scutel-
lated, and measuring together two inches and a half; the
outer and middle toes are united by a membrane.

The adult male bird has the entire head and throat whit-
ish grey, lightest upon the forehead and chin, the shafts of
the feathers black ; in some specimens the head inclines more
to rufous than to grey. The feathers of the head and neck
are acuminate, as well as those of the breast and tippet. The
quill-feathers, and larger coverts of the wings, are blackish
brown ; all the rest of the upper plumage reddish brown; the
central part of each feather dusky. The feathers of the
breast and under parts are reddish orange, darkest upon the
thighs; those of the breast are marked down the shaft with
a streak of fine black, bordered with white. The tail and
upper coverts are of the same orange colour as the breast,
with dark shafts; the outer feathers dusky along the edge,
and crossed with dusky lines; the tail-feathers beneath red-
dish white, with seven or eight indistinct bars of a dusky
colour, showing through from above. The female has nearly
the same colour and markings as the male; the variations
admit of little distinctness in description, although when seen
together the difference may be perceived.

In young birds of the year the feathers of the head and
neck are less long and pointed, and are reddish, tipped with

KITE. 69

white ; and the upper parts of the body are more rufous than
in the adult. The effects of light and sunshine are particu-
larly observable in the colours of this bird ; the bright rufous
in the new feathers of the young birds of the year becomes
very much faded, and changes to a pale yellowish rust colour,
before the next annual return of the autumnal moult, which
occurs about August.

These gradual changes of colour, from the effects of the
atmosphere, from the wearing away of the edges of the fea-
thers by friction, and from the daily increasing age of the
birds, are the causes of the different descriptions of different
authors, and of the varied appearances to be seen among
cabinet specimens ; although, probably, all birds of the same
species resemble one another in their respective stages of
growth.

The egg, figured 13, belongs to the Kite.

70 FALCONID2.

RAPTORES. FALCONIDE,

PLATE XIV.

SWALLOW-TAILED KITE.

Navucuervus Furcatus.

THis very rare species, a native of North America, has
in two instances only been recorded to have visited Great
Britain, driven probably by contrary winds from its periodical
course of migration through the American States. The first
of these occurred many years ago, in the year 1772, in Ar-
gyleshire, and the second in Yorkshire in 1805; since which
period no instance of its capture is known to have occurred.

This elegant bird bears much resemblance to our common
Swallow in its form and manner of flying, in the length and
shape of its prolonged tail-feathers, and also in its manner of
taking its prey, which is always captured and devoured upon
the wing. By American authors we are informed that the
evolutions they perform when on the wing in pursuit of their
prey are remarkable for grace, ease, and rapidity. This con-
sists chiefly of aerial insects, with which the countries they
inhabit abound: they also feed upon reptiles, which they
sweep from the surface of the ground, or take from the
branches of the trees when passing along; but they are said
in all cases to eat their prey while on the wing.

They are found in the warmer parts of North America ;
also in a similar latitude south of the equator, towards which
they migrate at the approach of winter. ‘They usually asso-

LY... Lb.

SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. ql

ciate together in flocks, and while on their migratory passages
are seen travelling in large companies.

The loftiest trees are selected by this species for their
place of incubation, in low and marshy situations. The nest
is formed of sticks and coarse grass, and lined with warm
materials. The young, in their nestling state before the
appearance of their feathers, are covered with down of a yel-
lowish colour: the plumage of the first year resembles that
of the adult, but, as is usually the case in young birds, it
wants the gloss and changing tints that play upon the plum-
age of the older ones.

The eggs are said to be greenish white, marked irregularly
at the larger end with blotches of dark brown.

The length of the Swallow-tailed Kite is about twenty-
four inches; the wing from the carpus to the tip is sixteen
inches, and the tail extends about three inches beyond the
closed wings. ‘The toes are entirely divided ; the middle toe
and claw measure about one inch and five lines, the hind toe
and claw about one inch two lines, of which half is occupied
by the claw.

The beak measures from the forehead to the tip one inch
and one line in diameter, about two lines more in the arc;
it is hooked and drawn to a fine point. ‘The lower line of
the beak, from behind the tip to the gape, is rather undu-
lating than toothed; the nostril is oval, and the cere covered
with radiating hairs. The legs are feathered half-way down
the tarsus, the naked parts reticulated. The anterior joints
of the toes are scutellated. The quill-feathers are long and
narrow ; the third a little exceeds the second in length,
and is the longest in the wing.

The tail consists of twelve feathers, and is much graduated.
The head and back of the neck, as far as the junction of the
wings with the body, are pure white, as well as the whole
under parts, from the chin to the under coverts of the tail

(ee FALCONID&.

inclusive: a few white feathers are also perceptible along -
the inner line of the wing, where they are more or less:
covered by the scapulars. The whole upper plumage is a
rich black, with purple, and green, and orange reflections,
particularly on the scapulars and some of the tertials, towards
the longest of the tertial feathers, which is white: the tail and
upper coverts are black. The cere is described by Audubon

as blue; the legs are greenish blue, with the claws flesh
colour.

eS hs.

BUZZARD. 13

RAPTORES. FALCONIDE.

PLATE XV.

BUZZARD.

Buteo VULGARIS.

AurtnHovueH included in the genus Falco of Linneus, the
birds of this class differ from the Hagles and Falcons in many
modifications of form, but still more in their character and
manners. Although of large size and powerful form, they
are cowardly and sluggish in disposition, and slow in their
motions. In their manner of flying they bear much resem-
blance to the Owls, to which they approximate also in the
softness and looseness of their feathers. They fly low, hardly
above the level of the hedges, in search of their terrestrial
prey ; and are seen to visit the same fields daily, and fre-
quently at the same hour, as if mechanically performing their
accustomed route. Sometimes they sit concealed among the
bushes watching lazily for their prey.

This species is of common occurrence in wooded districts,
and in such situations it is very generally diffused throughout
Kurope. It is indigenous in England, and remains with us
throughout the year. On the continent of Europe it is num-
bered among the birds of. passage ; even in Holland it is not
at all times to be met with. Temminck speaks of them as
arriving in autumn, and remaining only part of the winter in
that country; at which time they disperse themselves along
the downs that border the sea-coast. They migrate, he

observes, in small companies, associated frequently with the

74 FALCONIDE.

Rough-legged Buzzard. In Germany this bird is still more
abundant than in Holland at particular seasons of the year,
when pursuing their migratory course. At such times they
are seen in flocks of more than a hundred: they fly slowly,
and irregularly dispersed, sometimes rising and circling in
the air, so that their passage is leisurely performed.

Those stragglers which arrive singly rest where they meet
with a bush or shelter, and remain for days or weeks about
the spot to recruit their strength, and then proceed on their
voyage ; and their places are supplied by fresh comers pur-
suing the same compulsory migration in search of food. In
the corn countries of the Continent this bird is of essential
use in destroying immense numbers of field-mice and similar
depredators, which, but for this seasonable check, would de-
stroy the hopes of the succeeding harvest. Yet, notwithstand-
ing the disgusting food consumed by the Buzzard, which
includes not only mice, but moles and carrion, this species
is considered a great delicacy in some Continental countries,
and eagerly sought after as an article of food.

The Buzzard is a short, stout bird, with large and broad
wings: he is generally seen flying low, and resting from time
to time upon a little eminence, watching for mice or moles,
or he may be seen perched upon the branch ofa tree. He
wants the energy to pursue flying birds, and is said not even
to catch partridges or pigeons, unless they are sick or weak.
We are, however, disposed from observation to think that
the Buzzard sometimes displays more energy than is attri-
buted to it. One, which is frequently about in this neigh-
bourhood, and appears to have nestlings in a wood at a little
distance, has several times shown a disposition to sweep off
one of a young brood of black turkeys now about the size of
partridges.

In his search for moles, the Buzzard is said to show much

sagacity. In his usual patient manner he sits upon a stump,

BUZZARD. 5

or upon the earth, near the mound inhabited by this quad-
ruped, and watches for the stirring of the soil: as soon as he
perceives a movement, he pounces with both feet upon the
mound, and if successful drags forth the unfortunate animal
and devours it.

Whether in thus destroying moles the Buzzard deserves
to be considered as the friend or the enemy of the agricul-
turist is a doubtful question, for the able discussion of which
we must refer our readers to the highly interesting account
_ of that extraordinary animal in Mr. Bell’s admirable work on
British Quadrupeds.

The partiality of the Buzzard for moles, and the means
employed for capturing them, explain the reason of this bird
being often found with its feet covered with mud and earth.
Field-mice are also a favourite repast with the Buzzard, and
seven or eight have been found in the stomach of a dissected
bird. Besides the above-named articles of food, this species
preys upon young hares and rabbits, rats, frogs, and snakes,
also upon birds and insects.

These birds pair early in March, and about this time are
seen sporting in circling flight above their retreat in the man-
ner pursued by many other birds at the same season. The
place chosen in which to construct their nest is a lofty fir,
oak, or other forest-tree of similar size: the nest is flat, and
consists of sticks lined with moss or hair. Frequently, to
save the labour of constructing their nest, these indolent birds
take possession of the old habitation of some other bird, or
repair their own nest of the preceding year. The eggs are
usually three, and the young birds when hatched are covered
with a whitish down. They are assiduously fed and tended
by the parent birds, and remain a long time in the nest, and
after quitting it require still, for a considerable period, the
parental care of the old birds.

No birds vary more in the colour of their plumage than

76 FALCONIDE.

the Buzzard. Brown, white, and grey, are the prevailing
tints, and these are variously disposed upon different indi-
viduals, so that hardly any two birds are alike. These differ-
ences are said not to depend upon the different ages or sex
of the individuals. The old birds can only be distinguished
from the young, when dissected, by the toughness of the sinews
and hardness of the bones. As little as these different colour-
ings have to do with age or sex, so little can they be con-
sidered as indicating different species ; since, with exception
of colouring, these birds resemble one another perfectly, and
breed together: the young of such parents partly resemble
the male, and partly the female. The individual from which
the plate was taken, represents the most usual colouring of the
common Buzzard. This may be distinguished at a little
distance by the bars that cross the body above the thighs.
Temminck considers the Buzzards to differ as much in the
colours of their plumage as the Ruffs. They may, never-
theless, be divided into three or four principal varieties ; one
of which resembles in a great measure the one figured in the
plate, has the entire colouring dark brown, with lighter bor-
ders to the feathers, except the lower part of the breast and
the inside of the thighs, the feathers of which are barred with
alternate bands of dark brown and white; the under tail-
coverts and inside of the wings barred in a similar manner.
Birds of this description have the cere and legs full yellow ;
the beak grey, tipped with black; and the iris of the eyes
reddish brown. A still darker variety is sometimes seen,
which, at a little distance, appears perfectly black. The
entire plumage of this variety is a dark chocolate colour, the
tips of the quill-feathers black, and the dark feathers of the
tail crossed by narrow lines of ash-colour. Buzzards of this
sombre colouring have the cere and feet dark in proportion,
approaching to orange; the iris is also of a fuller brown than
in the preceding.

BUZZARD. Hel

A beautiful variety, of which there is a specimen in the
Zoological Museum, is also occasionally seen, but is com-
paratively rare. The ground of the plumage in this variety
is white, tinged in various parts with yellow. The head is
marked down the centre of the feathers with narrow streaks
of brown ; a few of the feathers on the breast are marked with
arrow-shaped spots of the same colour, the smaller coverts of
the wings the same. The quill-feathers are dark brown to-
wards the tips; the tail is crossed on a white ground with
dark brown bars seven or eight in number, the bar nearest to
the white tip broader than the rest. In the white variety the
eyes also partake of the light colour of the plumage, and are
pearl-coloured or greyish white: the cere and feet are also
lighter in the same proportion, being a pale lemon-yellow.

In all specimens of the Buzzard the bars that cross the
tail appear the only permanent marks, which are found
equally in all the varieties, differing however in number from
six to twelve.

The entire length of the Buzzard is twenty-one or twenty-
two inches, and in breadth about four feet six inches. The
beak is long in proportion to its depth, and its form does not
indicate much strength; the upper mandible is rather si-
nuated than toothed, but the point of the tip is sharp and
prolonged. The legs are rather short, the tarsi scutellated
in front; the toes are scutellated about half their length, the
rest towards the junction with the leg reticulated: the middle
toe has eight scales, the outer five, the hind and inner toes
four. The claws are not much hooked. The tail is square,
and the wings reach nearly to the end of it; the fourth quill
the longest.

The head is large, and the whole aspect of the bird heavy.

The egg, marked 15, belongs to the Buzzard.

Se de NEED

CORR ee Ba see (tee Ve nah en th Sheds ws oat a

Pa”

’ ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD. "9

RAPTORES. FALCONID.

PLATE XVI.

ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD.

Buteo Lagoprpus.

THE Rough-legged Buzzard is found in nearly all parts of
the world, and in all latitudes, from the southern parts
of Africa to the Arctic circle. These northern regions are,
however, only visited during summer or the breeding season,
and deserted on the approach of winter: this species is, conse-
quently, less stationary in its place of residence than the
common buzzard, being in the northern a summer, and in the
equatorial countries a winter visiter, and chiefly known in the
central parts of Europe during its vernal and autumnal mi-
grations.

In England, the Rough-legged Buzzard is much less com-
mon than the preceding species; it has, however, been met
with occasionally at all seasons, and although most frequently
seen in spring and autumn, has been observed in winter by
Mr. Selby, and has also been seen in the summer in York-
shire, where it has been known to breed.

Open country, interspersed with wood and marshy land,
is the favourite resort of this species: in such places it may
be seen sitting with drooping wings and ruffled feathers. Its
flight is slow and noiseless, and performed apparently without
much exertion: this exercise is frequently continued until a
late hour in the evening, approximating in this respect, as
well as in its noiseless flight, to the habits of the owls. The

VOL. I. G

80 FALCONID.

woods in the vicinity of its hunting ground afford a retreat
to this Buzzard during the night, and if undisturbed it will
resort nightly to the same tree as long as it remains in the
neighbourhood.

In their migrations these birds do not usually associate in
flocks like the common buzzard, but travel in pairs or in
small companies of four or five, being, most probably, the
members of an individual family.

The food of the Rough-legged Buzzard consists of leverets,
moles, and other small quadrupeds, especially mice, to which
it appears very partial; it also eats reptiles, such as frogs,
lizards, &c., and insects. Birds constitute part of its food,
and in taking them it appears more enterprising than the
common buzzard, attacking, when pressed by hunger, wild
ducks and other birds of similar size.

The habit of this bird of sitting with its feathers ruffled
gives it an appearance of greater size than it really possesses :
the length varies according to the sex, from twenty-one inches
to twenty-five.

The Rough-legged Buzzard breeds in high northern cli-
mates, in Norway and other countries of similar latitude,
both in the eld and in the new world. The nest has been
described by northern naturalists as greatly resembling that
of the common buzzard, and placed in a lofty forest tree.
The eggs are three in number, greenish white, with pale
brown spots. We have not been able to obtain a sight
of the eggs of this species, and are therefore indebted to a
foreign work by Dr. Thieneman for a representation of one.

Although rather of uncommon occurrence in England, this
bird is very frequently met with on the Continent in a
similar latitude. 'Temminck speaks of it together with the
common buzzard as one of the most numerous species fre-
quenting his country ; we may therefore infer that its manner

of progressing in its migrations is by short journeys from

ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD. 81

one clump of trees to another, and that it generally avoids
the longer flight that must be incurred in passing from the
southern parts of the Continent to England, and thence on-
ward towards its northern breeding stations. Suffolk and
Norfolk, and other parts of the eastern coast, being in the
direct line of its migrations, are more frequently visited than
any other part of England.

Great variations of plumage are observed in this, as in the
preceding species, although not quite to the same extent.
The most prominent character which distinguishes this species
at all periods is the white that always prevails more or
less upon the basal half of the tail feathers, and the white
breast and dark brown shield upon the lower part of the
belly are common to most specimens.

The beak of the Rough-legged Buzzard is small and weak,
a good deal hooked, but without a tooth: the colour is black
at the tip, and bluish horn at the base; the nostril is
oval and placed in a slanting direction ; the cere and corners
of the mouth are fine yellow. The tarsi are feathered down
to the junction of the toes, resembling some species of the
owls. The outer and middle toes are united by a membrane ;
the toes are all reticulated at the base, or junction with the
tarsus, with several broad scales towards the claws. The inner
and hinder toes have each four scales, the middle toe seven,
the outer five. The lore, according to the observations of
Mr. Selby, is covered beneath the dark radiating hairs with
small feathers, showing an approach to the feathered lore
and face of the honey buzzard. ‘The first and second quill
feathers are short, the third and fourth the longest in the
wing.

The bird represented in the plate is in the colouring most
usually seen in this species, and exactly resembles those des-
cribed by Montagu, Selby, and Temminck, and ‘appears

common to both sexes. The entire length of this specimen
G 2

82 FALCONID,

was twenty-two inches. The wings, which reach nearly to
the end of the tail, measured fifteen inches ; the tarsus three
inches ; the middle toe, including the claw, two and a quarter
inches, and the hinder toe and claw about two inches. The
feet are yellow; the iris yellow in the greater number of
specimens, but, like those of the common buzzard, subject to
variation, being in some brown and in others greyish white.

A very dark mottled specimen is sometimes obtained, but
does not appear yet to have fallen into the hands of any
British naturalist. It is in its general aspect much darker
than the one figured; the whole head, neck, and breast,
are black, the feathers bordered with reddish white; the
band above the thighs is white, crossed with black lines;
the thighs and feathered tarsi are rufous, crossed with many
narrow black bars, the black occupying rather the greater
portion: in these specimens the tail is white, banded near
the tip with a broad black bar, above which are four or five
narrower bars of the same colour. In some of these speci-
mens the throat ‘and sides of the body are quite black, very
narrowly streaked with yellowish white: these are considered
to be the oldest birds. In autumn, after moulting, all are
darker than in the summer, at which time the plumage has
become faded. ‘Temminck describes this variety but does
not say to what age he considers it referable. The egg marked
16 belongs to the Rough-legged Buzzard.

me

es ee ee

HONEY BUZZARD. 83

RAPTORES. FALCONIDE.

PLATE XVII.

HONEY BUZZARD.

Pernis Apivornus. (Cuvier.)

THe Honey Buzzard is of a more slender form than the
two preceding species, and the tail is longer in proportion
to its size, giving to its whole appearance a much lighter
character. This species, which is now classed among the
genus Pernis of Cuvier, departs still more than the buzzards
from the characters attributed to the birds of prey. The beak
of the Honey Buzzard is weak and lengthened, the legs are
also rather slender, the toes and claws long, and the latter
but little hooked; and the description of food sought by it is
in conformity with these deviations from the Raptorial cha-
racters, consisting chiefly of insects and their larve.

The Honey Buzzard is known in most parts of Hurope and
Asia, with the exception of the colder regions of the North, to
which it is believed not to penetrate. It is spoken of as
inhabiting Norway and Sweden, Russia and Denmark,—we
conclude as a summer visiter,—in which case these and similar
latitudes in Asia must be the native regions of the greater
number of this species; but on this subject most of the
authorities to which we have referred are silent : it is, however,
known to breed occasionally in the middle of the Huropean
Continent, where it appears in April, and seldom is seen
later than September. Some uncertainty seems to prevail

84 FALCONID.

with regard to the summer retreat of the Honey Buzzard;
but as it is known that this species seeks, as food for its
young, the bee and the wasp in their immature state, it is
natural to suppose that at the season of reproduction it would
seek the countries most likely to afford this necessary susten-
ance. These countries lay in the eastern parts of Europe,
such as Turkey, Hungary, and the south of Russia, which are
known as the most productive of honey; also the borders of
the Levant. In confirmation of this supposition that these
eastern parts are most frequented during summer by this bird,
it may be remarked that many are seen during their autumnal
migration pursuing their course from the east in a westerly
direction. In England it is but rarely seen, and must be
ranked among occasional or accidental migrants. It is chiefly
confined to the eastern coast of Britain: some few instances
are also recorded of its occurrence in the southern counties ;
and as it has generally been spoken of in connexion with sum-
mer insects, such as dragon-flies, the larvee of wasps, &c., as
constituting its food, it is to be supposed that its appearance in
this country is confined to the summer months, and that it
passes the winter further to the south. White of Selbourne
speaks of having taken an egg of this species from a nest
in Selbourne Hanger in the middle of June: September and
October are mentioned by Mr. Selby as the period when two
specimens occurred in Nerthumberland and in Berwickshire ;
but later than October we do not find any mention of its
appearance in this country. According to Temminck, it is
very rarely met with in Holland; it is more abundant in
France, especially in the department of Vosges : but he speaks
of it in all as a bird of passage.

The Honey Buzzard is observed to frequent the skirts of
woods or forests bordering upon open country, usually in the
vicinity of water, to which it is attracted by its partiality for
aquatic insects and reptiles. It is occasionally seen flying

HONEY BUZZARD. 85

low, from tree to tree, or skimming over the water in pursuit
of its prey ; sometimes it remains quietly seated on a lonely
tree on the outskirts of a wood, for hours at a time, with the
sharp scale-like feathers of the head erect, forming a sort of |
crest, and the feathers of the body ruffled and loose.

Besides the food already mentioned, other insects are also
sought for by the Honey Buzzard, and either captured on the
wing, or pursued upon the ground, on which it has been ob-
served to run swiftly. Caterpillars, worms, moths, beetles,
and the remains of frogs, mice, lizards, moles, &c. have been
found in their stomachs when dissected.

This bird is very quick in discovering, and expert in ob-
taining the combs of the wasp and wild bee; and, probably,
is protected from the attacks of these insects by the scale-like
feathers with which the lore and head are covered ; the whole
plumage, indeed, especially of the upper parts, is remarkably
frm and close. ‘The nest of this species has usually been
found in the top of a high tree; and, according to White of
Selbourne, is a broad structure of sticks, and lined with
leaves. ‘The eggs are three or four, rather smaller than those
of the Buzzard ; and, according to the descriptions of Pen-
nant, and White of Selbourne, appear much to resemble the
one we have figured. Ours being from a specimen some time
preserved, has lost the red tinge which is commonly prevalent
im the markings of this and of many other species of hawks,
namely, the kestril, hobby, merlin, and sparrow-hawk, &c.,
all of which lose that colour after having been some time pre-
served, if exposed to the light: this may be seen in the eggs
of some of the above mentioned species, in the collection at
the British Museum, in which the deep red colour has faded
to a pale brownish-green. If carefully kept from the light,
we have reason to think the colour does not change ma-
terially, as we have in our collection some eggs of the smaller
hawks, which have for six or seven years preserved their

86 FALCONID.

original tints, dark brick red upon a ground colour of pale
greenish-blue.

The young birds, when excluded from the egg, are, accord-

‘ing to Willoughby, covered with white down, intermixed with
black. Adult as well as young specimens are among those
recorded to have been met with in Britain: the one described
by Bewick in his incomparable work, appears to have been an
adult male, having the ash-coloured head usually observed in
mature age. Selby describes one which appears to be a male
approaching the plumage of the adult, as it has the head
brown, inclining to ash-colour; and Montagu’s specimen,
which was shot in Berkshire, and since placed in the British
Museum, is supposed by Mr. Selby to be a female, or young
bird, having the under parts of the plumage brown.

The original of our plate was a young female shot in Suf
folk, and kindly sent to us for the furtherance of our work ;
its entire measurements were as follows :—The wing, from the
carpus to the tip, fifteen inches ; length of the beak, from the
forehead to the tip, one inch one line and a half in diameter.

The eye is placed rather further from the beak than in the
genus Buteo, the front corner of it being one inch seven lines
from the tip of the beak.

The toes are long, and cover a considerable space, mea-
suring, from the hind to the middle claw, three inches eleven
lines; the middle toe measures two inches one line, thence
to the feathered part of the tarsus eleven lines; the hinder
claw nine lines, middle and inner claws the same, the outer
claw rather less. In the tarsus this species differs from the
buzzards in having the naked part reticulated instead of
scaled. In this specimen the chin and the feathers round
the base of the beak, and the feathered orbits of the eye, were
white ; the crown of the head, sides of the face, and ear-
coverts also white, each feather strongly tipped with dark
brown ; the back of the neck and tippet brown, with paler

HONEY BUZZARD. 87

borders ; the rest of the plumage dark and light brown, vary-
ing in different lights, and strongly glossed with a purple
bloom. <A few of the long tertial feathers had a dark angular
patch near the end, and some showed indications of a dark
bar above it; the upper tail-coverts white ; the quill-feathers
dusky ; the third and fourth the longest in the wing. The
tail, of which the feathers are broad, was very irregularly
barred with dark and light brown, as represented in the plate,
and tipped with dirty white; the middle feathers longer than
the outer. On the under parts the feathers were all pale
yellowish-brown ; every feather when raised or displaced,
showing its hidden parts towards the body to be white. The
feathers on the lower part of the body were of a looser tex-
ture than above.

In the perfect adult plumage of the male, the whole head,
including the forehead, nape, and corner of the mouth, are
ash-grey ; the throat pure white, the whole under parts the
same, tinged on the lower breast and flanks with yellowish
buff colour; the shafts of the feathers are dark, and near the
tip of each feather is a well-defined crescent-shaped patch of
bright rufous brown. The upper plumage, from the nape of
the neck downwards, is deep brown tinged with ash-colour ;
the feathers tipped with white, and many of them crossed by
dusky marks forming dark bars when the wing is closed. In
this plumage the cere is said to be grey, the inside and cor-
ners of the mouth, iris, and legs orange. The tail is brown
tipped with white, and crossed by three broad dusky bars, the
one nearest the tips the broadest ; between which broad bars
are several narrower ones.

The tail feathers are white at the root, which is the case
with most, if not all the feathers of the body; and this is in
perfect harmony with the description given by Willoughby,
of the young birds that he obtained from the nest, which he
describes as covered with white down spotted with black ;

88 FALCONIDE.

the spots were doubtless the tips of the young feathers mak-
ing their appearance.

The bird described by Mr. Yarrell, which was shot at
York, appears to be like the variety mentioned by Tem-
minck in his third volume, which has the head and neck and
all the under parts yellowish white, with dark shafts to the
feathers.

The young female is above described, and figured in our
plate.

The more adult females have the brown and white of the
head and neck more distinct ; but retain the dark line that
borders the side of the throat ; and in all the under parts the
brown colour is confined to crescent-shaped dark spots upon
a white ground, the upper parts barred in the same manner
as in the adult male.

The egg, No. 17, belongs to this bird.

oo”

:

MARSH HARRIER. 89

RAPTORES. FALCONID#.

PLATE XVIII.

MARSH HARRIER.
Circus RuFus. (Brisson.)

Tue Harriers are another division of the Falconide, which
partaking both of the characters of the buzzards and of the
owls, is very properly placed between these two tribes. In
their want of courage, in their sluggishness, and manner of
taking their food, these birds resemble the buzzards; and
they approach the owls in the rough stiffened feathers en-
circling the neck, and in their habit of continuing the chase
for food until late in the evening. They are, however, more
active in their movements than the buzzards, and exert more
skill and dexterity in obtaining their food, although in these
particulars they fall far short of the true falcons. They can-
not seize their food on the wing, but usually take it from the
ground, or from the water. They chiefly frequent plains, in
the vicinity of lakes or marshes, and in such situations only
they are found to breed. In colour their eggs differ entirely
from those of all the preceding birds of prey, at least such is
the case with the species indigenous to this country: and in
the places chosen for nidification, they differ from all the
other divisions of the Falconide. Three species are recog-
nised as inhabiting Britain, and are all indigenous.

The Marsh Harrier appears to be widely dispersed through-
out the temperate regions of the globe, being found in all its
quarters : but it is not everywhere equally distributed, being

90 FALCONID.

rarely, if ever, seen in hilly or mountainous countries, but
abounding in such as are level, and especially where inter-
spersed by marshes and level tracts, on the borders of rivers
and lakes. In England these birds are indigenous, and are
found at all seasons of the year; but this appears not to be
the case much further to the north. Ags a summer visiter its
migration extends as far as Norway and Sweden, and other
countries in the same latitude; but it does not remain beyond
the fiftieth degree of north latitude later than September or
October.

The Marsh Harrier, as its name implies, frequents the
swampy margins of rivers and lakes, districts covered by
morasses, or interspersed with reeds and sedges. It seldom
sits stationary in one spot, like the more sluggish buzzards,
but remains on the wing, beating about the bushes or sedges
in search of food. Its flight is wavering and uncertain, but
slow and performed with little noise. It is seldom seen to
alight upon a tree, nor does it roost at night in such a situa-
tion, but rests itself upon the ground, or on a hillock, or
palings by day, and at night seeks the concealment and
shelter afforded by osier beds or reeds by the water side.
When flying, this bird may be known by its long and slender
wings and wavering flight. Occasionally it rises high in the
air, so that only an experienced eye can detect the moving
speck.

The usual food of the Marsh Harrier is water birds and
their young, or eggs, also small mammalia, reptiles, terrestrial
or aquatic,-and insects. Montagu says that on the coast
of Carmarthenshire, where this bird is common, it feeds
upon young rabbits. 'Temminck observes that in Holland
it passes the winter on the downs, and lives upon the bodies.
of rabbits that have been killed by the stoats, and in the
spring supports itself wpon the eggs of the wading and web-
footed tribes. The destruction that these birds commit

MARSH HARRIER. 91

among the young of water-fowl is so well known by the parent
birds, that they pursue and attack them with vociferous cries,
especially the gulls and pewits, and endeavour to drive them
from the spot. Nor are the young of land birds more ex-
empt from the attacks of these general depredators; young
quails, partridges, larks, and many others fall a prey to them.

When the reeds begin to grow in the spring, the Marsh
Harrier seeks a place for incubation. This is chosen usually
on the reedy margin of a large pond, lake, or swamp, and the
nest is either placed among the high reeds, or in the stump
of an osier bush ; it is composed of dry rushes, sticks, and
leaves, and is a very shapeless structure. The female de-
posits from three to five eggs, which are white and entirely
spotless. The specimen figured in our plate is, we believe,
more pointed than is usual with this species, since they
are described by some authors as resembling those of the
common domestic hen, but more round in form. While the
female is sitting, the male may frequently be seen flying
overhead, and expressing his satisfaction by various and
elegant evolutions, rising and descending in his flight, and
sometimes soaring to a considerable height. The young
birds are fed with insects, frogs, and other reptiles. Where
the bean-goose breeds these birds are observed to frequent,
and great numbers of the young geese fall a sacrifice to their
rapacity.

In the Marsh Harrier the beak is of small dimensions,
long and narrow, measuring fifteen lines from the forehead
to the tip in diameter, and seventeen from the tip to the
gape. ‘The upper mandible is armed with a blunt and
inconspicuous tooth; the cere long and partly covered with
radiating bristles; the nostrils are egg-shaped. The tarsi
are slender, and naked for three inches above the foot. The
toes are long, the middle one measures two inches eight
lines, of which the claw occupies ten and a half lines: the

92 FALCONIDS.

claws, which are all nearly of equal length, are slender, and
but little arched; the middle one is dilated on the inner
edge, and sharp; the outer and middle toes united by a
membrane. The body is long and slender. The wings

are long, measuring from carpus to tip seventeen inches two’

lines ; the first and second quill-feathers are short, the third
the longest in the wing. The tail feathers measure ten
inches. ‘The lower part of the face is surrounded by a ruff
of stiff feathers, and capable of erection at the will of the
the bird: the rest of the plumage is soft and rather loose :
the wings, when closed, reach nearly to the end of the tail.
These measurements were taken from a specimen in the
Zoological Museum, the same which forms the subject of
the plate. According to Montagu, the entire length of
one measured by him was twenty-three inches, and weighed
twenty-eight and a half ounces: the male is rather less in
weight and dimensions.

The bill is dusky, the cere, iris, and legs yellow in the
adult birds; in younger subjects the cere and legs are paler
yellow, inclining to greenish, the iris dark brown.

This bird, in consequence of the great difference in
plumage between the young and old, and the time that
elapses before it arrives at maturity, was formerly multiplied
into several different species. Its various changes, which
chiefly depend upon age, are however now well understood,
and to the elucidation of them we are greatly indebted
to Montagu and Selby, Temminck, and other continental
authors.

The young birds of the first year have the head and throat
yellowish white, tinged with rust colour, the rest of the plum-
age, including the yet unmarked disk, chocolate brown, re-
flecting tints of violet upon the back: the under surface of
the wings and tail are pearly ash grey. In this state of

————

MARSH HARRIER. 93
plumage is the bird so exquisitely figured by Bewick, under
the title of Moor Buzzard.

The one mentioned by Latham is supposed to have been
still younger, as they are darker, soon after they leave the
nest, than at any other period. In these early states of
plumage it forms the Falco aeruginosus of Linneus, and arun-
dinaceous of Bechstein.

When more advanced in age, about their second summer,
these birds begin to acquire some of the variegated colours
of maturity: the dark ground colour of the plumage becomes
more rufous on the thighs and flanks; the tail paler; and
on the ruff, shoulders, and front of the neck, some yellowish
white spots appear, and a gloss of ashy grey becomes visible
upon some of the larger coverts of the wings.

In the third and fourth year these approaches to maturity
become more and more apparent, and, when the full plumage
is attained, at the age of four years, the bird presents the
tints and distribution of colours represented in the plate.
At this time, the back is rufous brown, the tail pale grey,
without any bars, and the under surface of this and of the
quill-feathers plain silvery-white.

No. 18 is the egg of the Marsh Harrier.

0 Nis

—

:
,

HEN HARRIER. 95

RAPTORES. FALCONIDE.

PLATE XIX.

HEN HARRIER.
Crecus cyaneus. (Flem.)

To Montagu we are indebted for the elucidation of many
difficult and obscure points in this branch of natural history ;
and as his field of study was nature, the only certain guide,
and the deductions he so clearly details are open to the in-
vestigation of every one interested in the subject, perfect
confidence may be placed in the result of his observations.

Before the publication of his remarks in the Linnean
Transactions, the history of our English Harriers was in-
volved in inextricable confusion, and the existence of a third
distinct species, now well known as Montagu’s Harrier, does
not appear to have been even suspected. On the other hand,
the Hen Harrier had been by various authors multiplied into
several species, inaccurately founded upon the different ap-
pearances presented by the male, female, and young. All
these difficulties were satisfactorily reconciled by the persever-
ing investigations of this distinguished naturalist, from whose
observations we shall freely quote, offering no apology to our
readers for so doing, since the information contained in them
is the best of its kind. ‘* I undertook,” he says, ‘‘ the care
of three young Hen Harriers found in a nest in a furze bush,
and only covered with white down. At this time the two
largest had thrown out many feathers, sufficient to discover
the plumage of the Ringtail approaching ; the other, by its

VOL. I. H

96 FALCONIDE.

appearance, must have been hatched much later. In about
a month, it was evident from the size, that there was but one
male, so that all my hopes rested on this single life. As
they became full feathered, there was at first no distinction
in plumage, but the eyes of the supposed male were always
lighter than those of the others, whose irides were so dark as
not to be distinguished at a small distance from the pupil.
In the dress of the Ringtail, the whole continued through the
winter, when the one which had been weakly from the first,
died. ‘This circumstance induced me to force a premature
change in some of the quill and tail-feathers of the others,
fearing some accident might frustrate my earnest desire of
bringing the matter to a decisive proof; and about the
middle of June, I was highly gratified by discovering an
appearance of the new feathers, in the place of those which
had been plucked out, that clearly evinced the smaller bird
to be a Hen Harrier, and the larger a Ringtail. Thus I
had compelled nature to disclose her secrets before the ap-
pointed time; for in every other respect their plumage was
yet similar, excepting about the sides of the face, which were
paler in colour in the former, in which also the irides were
of a dull yellow, somewhat mottled; whereas in the latter
they still continued dark. The male had, about the 20th
of July, thrown out many of the new feathers naturally,
especially the greater coverts of the wings, and a few grey
feathers on different parts of the body. On the 20th of
August, the greater part of the quill and tail-feathers were
grown to their full length, and a gradual increase of grey
feathers appeared on most other parts. The eyes also be-
came more orange; but it was not till the middle of Sep-
tember that it had attained that state which made it desirable
to be retained as an existing fact of the change; it was then
killed, and is now in my museum.

“Tn this state the plumage of the Ringtail, or female,

—

HEN HARRIER. 97

still remains about the neck, the smaller coverts of the wings,
the thighs, and part of the belly, intermixed with the male
plumage ; the top of the head and wreath have also a mixture
of the feathers of both sexes; the quills, scapulars, and tail
are completely masculine ; in the last of these are a few small
broken bars of cinereous brown, on a white ground, in the
three outer feathers, the exterior margins are cinereous grey ;
the six middle feathers are almost wholly grey, and the mark-
ings are very obscure beneath.

** From the account here given of the Hen Harrier, it is
quite clear that the change of plumage is effected in the
autumn of the year after it leaves the nest, and not in the
same year; and as it is between three and four months in
the act of moulting, it is certainly very extraordinary that so
few instances have occurred of its being killed in that state
which might have been decisive. That such has been taken,
is evident by the description of Falco Hudsonius of authors,
which is doubtless this bird in change of plumage.

“The nest of this bird was composed of sticks rudely
put together, was nearly flat, and placed on some fallen
branches of furze, that supported it just above the ground.”

This Harrier is less attached to marshy places than the
two other species; it frequents in preference cultivated land
or open heaths, and, as country of that description abounds
in England, it is consequently a well known species in most
parts ; it is found also in Scotland and Ireland. In other
parts of Europe it is met with more or less frequently, ac-
cording to the different nature of the several countries. In
Holland it is far less abundant than the Marsh Harrier and
Montagu’s Harrier. In Switzerland it is scarce, but in many
other parts of the Continent it is well known, and extends
to the eastern confines of Asia. It is found in many parts
of Africa, and is generally believed to inhabit America, both
in the northern and southern hemisphere ; but the specimens

H 2

98 FALCONIDE.

we have seen from those continents have not perfectly satis-
fied us of their identity with the British species, as we have
observed the flanks and thighs of such American specimens
to have a narrow brown streak down the shafts of the fea-
thers, which the Hen Harriers of our own country have not
in their adult male plumage.

The Hen Harrier remains in Britain all the year, but in
countries a few degrees further north it is migratory; it is
said to leave the northern parts of Germany in autumn, and
is not seen again until the spring is far advanced.

The habits and manners of the Hen Harrier are so very
similar to those of the Marsh Harrier, previously mentioned,
that a very minute description is unnecessary. Its food is
the same, and taken in the same manner from the ground.

The structure and component parts of the nest are also
very similar, and the egg, although smaller in size, is nearly
the same in colour, namely, white, a little tinged with green.
The locality chosen for the nest is not altogether the same,
but differs in proportion to the less aquatic inclination of the
bird, and has usually been found among long grass, upon a
moor or heath, or on a fallen furze-bush ; and we have this
summer seen a nest of young birds of this species taken from
a similar place on a boggy heath in Surrey.

In flight this species much resembles the Owls, especially
the Short-eared (Otus brachyotus). The general plumage
of the adult male is pale ash-grey on the upper parts, in-
cluding the head, back, scapulars, coverts of the wings, tail,
and some of the larger quill-feathers ; also the upper parts of
the breast. The first five quill-feathers are dusky, and grey
or white towards the root. The under parts of the plumage
are pure unspotted white, including the belly, thighs, under
tail-eoverts, and under surface of the wings; the rump and
upper coverts of the tail are also white, and a whitish ruff
nearly encircles the neck; on the nape is a patch of black

HEN HARRIER. 99

and white chequered feathers. The beak is black ; the cere
pale yellow ; the iris of the eyes, and the legs bright yellow.

The female of the Hen Harrier, commonly called the
Ringtail, is altogether different in colour. She has the crown
of the head, neck, back, scapulars, and lesser wing-coverts
dusky, bordered with rufous brown ; the primary and second-
ary quill-feathers, tertials, and larger wing-coverts are dusky,
and slightly barred above, but beneath the bars are very con-
spicuous, being on a white, or greyish-white ground. The
middle feathers of the tail are dusky ash, with three or four
broad dark bars ; the side feathers of the tail are white, tinged
with rufous, and barred with dusky or rufous brown; the
upper coverts of the tail white. Breast, sides, under parts,
and thighs, are white, broadly streaked down the shafts of the
feathers with rufous brown.

The ruff round the neck is very conspicuous, and is com-
posed of feathers mottled with dusky and white: the under
coverts of the wings are reddish white, with dark centres to
the feathers. Above and below the eye is a white line, and
the chin is also white. Iris, cere, and legs, as in the male.
The young nearly resemble the female. The chief difference
is in the ground colour of the under parts, which is in the
young reddish-yellow instead of white.

The following dimensions were taken from a specimen of
an adult male bird. The beak, from the forehead to the tip,
eleven lines and a half; from the gape to the tip, one inch
one line and a half. ‘Tarsus two inches three lines; quill-
feathers of the tail nine inches; the wing, from the carpus to
the tip, thirteen inches three lines; the inner and hinder
claws eight lines. The tail extends two inches beyond
the tips of the closed wings. ‘The male measures in entire
length about eighteen inches and a half, and weighs thirteen
ounces,

The female, or Ringtail, exceeds the male considerably in

100 FALCONID®.

weight and dimensions, being twenty inches in entire length,
and eighteen ounces in weight. Her beak measures one inch
two lines, and from the gape one inch four lines; the tarsus
three inches ; the tail-feathers nine inches six lines; the wing,
from carpus to tip, fifteen inches; and the inner and hinder
claws measure ten lines.

In this species the third and fourth quill-feathers are the
longest, and are nearly equal in length, and the first is shorter
than the sixth.

The egg No. 19 belongs to the Hen Harrier.

MONTAGU’S HARRIER. 101

RAPTORES. FALCONID 4.

PLATE XxX.

MONTAGU’S HARRIER.
Circus Monraeur. (VYarrell.)

In size, general appearance, and habits this species so
much resembles the Hen Harrier, the subject of the preceding
plate, that the circumstance of the one having so long re-
mained undistinguished from the other is hardly a subject
of surprise ; and credit is the more due to the acute observa-
tion of our before-mentioned countryman, Montagu, for dis-
criminating between them. The differences are, however,
when pointed out, sufficiently obvious, and such as will en-
able an observer acquainted with the subject to decide readily
to which species any specimen he meets with should be re-
ferred. The differences consist in relative proportions and
in weight, as much as in the colours of the plumage; and
it may be observed, on referring to the dimensions specified
of the males of the two species, that, although Montagu’s
Harrier is smaller than the Hen Harrier in all other measure-
ments, it equals that species in the length of the tarsus, and
exceeds it in the expanse of the wing. ‘The first notice of
this bird was published by Montagu in the Linnean Trans-
actions, and was the description of one killed in the summer
of 1803. In May, 1808, the same author says, “‘ We ob-
served one of these birds in South Devon, skimming over
a patch of furze very near, and noticed that it repeatedly
dropped into the same spot, after having pitched on the bare

102 FALCONIDE.

ground at some distance, but could not cbserve whether it
was preparing a nest or not. At the same time, we noticed
a large brown Hawk floating over another piece of furze, at
a little distance. 'This had much the appearance of a Ring-
tail, but appeared longer in the wings, which gave a suspicion
that these were actually the two sexes of the ash-coloured
Falcon, and which seems to be confirmed by subsequent
events.”

Shortly afterwards, he says, “in the month of July, in the
same year, a nest was discovered on the ground amongst furze,
containing three young birds and an addled egg, which last
was white. ‘Two of the young Hawks continued alive till the
summer of the following year, and were evidently, from their
disproportionate size, of different sexes. About the begin-
ning of August they began to moult, plainly discovering that
they were not Hen Harriers, as before supposed, but actually
the birds in question. Unfortunately, at this most inter-
esting conjuncture, the female made her escape, before she
had nearly completed her mature plumage, and the only part
we could obtain of her was an outer feather of the tail that
had been broken off, and was evidently of recent growth, by
not being completely expanded at the base. This feather
had five bars of ferruginous, with alternate rufous-white on
both webs ; towards the end the dark bars inclined to dusky.
In the latter end of November, the male was, by some acci-
dent, killed in the middle of his moulting, when assuming
the feathers of maturity, and was in a mutilated state sent to
us for examination, the description of which is as follows.
The head, neck, part of the scapulars, and most of the lesser
coverts of the wings, still possess the nestling brown feathers,
which are similar to those of the immatured male Hen Harrier,
or the adult Ringtail ; but the ferruginous-brown is brighter,
and more inclining to dull orange: all the smaller feathers
upon the under part of the wings are bright ferruginous, differ-

~

MONTAGU S HARRIER. 103

ing most essentially in colour from that part in the Hen Har-
rier of either sex, or in any state of change, and which, in the
adult male of that species, is invariably white. The under
scapulars on one side are similar to those of the adult, ele-
gantly barred ferruginous and white; but on the other side
these feathers have not been changed, and are plain ferrugi-
nous; the under parts of the body and thighs are nearly ma-
tured, being white, and possessing the bright ferruginous
streaks down the shafts of the feathers: the quills and the
greater coverts are mostly matured, but a few of the nestling
feathers remain, which strongly and most interestingly mark
the distinction, particularly two or three of the secondaries,
which are destitute of the dusky bars, and are of a uniform
chocolate-brown, darker than those on the young Hen Harrier :
the tail is much mutilated, but the remains of the old feathers
are in appearance barred much like those of the adult; the
outer feathers with bright ferruginous and white, the others
with ferruginous bars at the base; but the third feather is
new, on which there are five dark, and five pale bars, alter-
nately,” etc. etc. |

This Harrier appears to be far less common in England
than the preceding: it has been chiefly noticed in Devon-
shire and other southern counties, but has also been seen in
the north of England. Temminck says it is chiefly found on
the Continent in the eastern and southern parts; in Hungary,
Poland, Silesia, and Austria, and is common in Dalmatia
and the Illyrian provinces: it is also found occasionally in
Italy and Switzerland. It is very common in Holland in the
marshy parts, and in spring frequents the downs on the sea-
coast.

The plumage of the adult male, represented in the plate,
is ash-grey on all the upper parts, including the entire head
and upper half of the breast, the back, scapulars, and wing-
coverts, and the middle feathers of the tail: the secondaries

104 FALCONID2.

are crossed by three dusky bars, one of which only is visible
above, which bars constitute the principal difference in appear-
ance between this species and the Hen Harrier. The primary
quill-feathers are black, the outer feathers of the tail are
barred ferruginous and white, the under surface of the wings
the same. The lower part of the breast, flanks, thighs, and
under-coverts of the tail are white, marked down the shafts of
the feathers with a stripe of bright ferruginous.

In this species the third quill-feather is the longest in the
wing, and the ruff round the head is not so conspicuous as
in the Hen Harrier.

The dark bird represented in the plate is a young male,
drawn from a specimen in the Zoological Museum, and is in
the plumage of the first year. ‘The measurements taken from
this specimen are as follows :—the beak from the forehead ten
lines, from the gape eleven and a half lines; the tarsus two
inches, three lines ; tail-feathers eight inches, two lines; the
wing, from the carpus to the tip of the quill-feathers, thirteen
inches, six lines.

Egg No. 20 belongs to this bird.

chia Eee

EAGLE OWL. 105

RAPTORES. STRIGID @.

PLATE XXI.
EAGLE OWL.

Buso Maximus. (Stbbald.)

THE greater number of species of the Owl genus are of
nocturnal habits, lying concealed by day, and seeking their
prey during the morning and evening twilight, or by the
light of the moon. Among these may be classed the short-
tailed species, the pupils of whose eyes are so constructed
as to admit a great number of rays of light: these are
unable to sustain the full glare of day, but whether retired in
thick feliage, or hidden in the gloom of an old ruin, they
are sufficiently able to see what is passing around them to
escape on the approach of danger. Some species, whose
habits are more diurnal, are able to avail themselves of the
full sense of sight, even in open day: these pursue their
prey on the wing, or lay in wait for it in the shelter of a
wood or forest. Such are chiefly those species whose heads
are unfurnished with tufts, and whose tail feathers, more
or less graduated, extend beyond the tips of the wings.

All the birds comprised in this genus have their feathers
soft to the touch, of a downy or silky character. They
seize their prey with their claws, and, except when greatly
pressed by hunger, refuse all but living food. They moult
but once in the year, and the plumage of the young birds
differs in most species but little from that of the adult. The
beak of the Owl is strongly hooked from the base, with

106 STRIGID.

a very sharp and lengthened tip, but without any tooth
or indentation; both mandibles are very moveable: the
base and cere are covered with stiff bristling feathers: the
nostrils are round and placed on the edge of the cere. The
eyes are very large, and surrounded by a disk of stiffened
feathers, which are mostly directed forwards, and calculated
eminently to protect the large and tender visual orbs from
the influence of wind and light: when the eyes are closed,
these radiating feathers are often drawn together so as to
conceal the eyelids. The ears are very large, and defended
by feathers of a peculiar construction. The legs are, in
most species, closely feathered, the toes rather short, and
the outer one reversible: the claws are long, thin, but slight-
ly arched and very sharp. ‘The head, in most of the species,
appears very large, but this appearance of size is deceptive,
and caused by the position of the feathers, which chiefly
stand up at right angles, the head itself when grasped in
the hand appearing to have shrunk away at the touch. A
border of rounded, shell-like feathers surrounds the face; this
border is sometimes expanded into a circle, sometimes con-
tracted into a triangular form, with one of its corners pointing
downwards. The extreme susceptibility of the eyes may
be observed in the contraction and dilatation of the pupil with
every inspiration of the breath. 'The wings are of consider-
able length and breadth, the larger quills very broad, and
usually rounded at the tips, with the shafts bent. The tail
feathers in most species have the shafts bent backwards,
which occasions the tail to hang perpendicularly down when
the bird is at rest. The feathers on all the other parts are
mostly large, soft, and elastic, and almost invariably projecting
loosely from the body.

The greater number of the species of this genus are, as
before observed, nocturnal or crepuscular in their habits,
going out to feed when other birds of prey retire to rest.

EAGLE OWL. 10%

Their broad wings and loose feathering enable them to fly
with exceeding lightness and buoyancy, and the serrated
edge, which is observable on the outer web of several of the
larger quill-feathers, greatly contributes to their noiseless flight,
and enables them to steal unheard upon their prey. During
the day they are usually asleep, or they sit quietly with half-
closed eyes, watching with great attention all that takes place
around them: motionless, and with feathers smoothed, they
Jean sideling against a tree or wall, so that the unaccustomed
eye may easily overlook them. They are fond of lonely
gloomy places, dark recesses in the forest, or hollow trees
in the woods, fissures in rocks, or recesses in old ruins. In
such places they sit concealed during the day, but as soon as
the gloom cf the evening sets in they begin to be on the
alert, and steal forth in search of food. At this time they
take birds from their nest, or snatch them from their roosting
place: animals also that come forth under cover of night in
fancied security become their prey; of the murine tribe es-
pecially are destroyed innumerable quantities.

The larger species of Owls take hares, rabbits, and other
animals, and are very destructive among grouse, and birds
of similar size. The larger animals and birds are torn in
pieces, the smaller are usually swallowed whole, and the bones,
hair, or feathers, ejected in the form of long pellets. In this
process they open the beak wide, lower the head, writhe and
violently shake the body until the pellet is disgorged.

The breeding-places of Owls are mostly chosen in holes
in trees or old buildings, in rocks or caves: their nests are
slightly and rudely constructed, and the eggs of all the species
are white and rounded in form. Owls exhibit great attach-
ment to their young, and have been known to supply with
food for a considerable time such as have been caught and
caged.

The Eagle Owl figured in the plate was drawn from a

108 STRIGIDE.

fine male bird in the Zoological Gardens. While sketching
the male, our attention was attracted to his companion, who
sat on the ground at the bottom of the cage, shuffling with
her feet and wings in the sand. After some time, on shift-
ing her position, we perceived that she had laid an egg.
Being anxious to obtain the dimensions and particulars of an
egg so undoubtedly genuine, we informed the keepers of the
garden of the circumstance, and one of them entered the
partition to take it away. ‘To this proceeding the bird made
every resistance in her power, flying furiously at the man,
with open beak and claws extended, hissing and snapping
with her bill, and spreading her wings and tail until every
feather was set up like the quills of a porcupine. The egg
thus opportunely obtained, measured two inches seven lines
in length, and one inch eleven lines in width: it was per-
fectly white, of a rough chalky appearance, and without any
polish.

The Eagle Owl is one of the largest of its tribe, nearly
equalling the Eagle in apparent size, and exhibits in its ap-~
pearance, when roused into action, more of the dignity of the
Eagle than the grotesqueness usually characteristic of the
Owl. To this dignity of appearance, we conclude, may be
attributed the name of Grand Duc, bestowed upon it by
Buffon, Temminck and other authors. What Grand Duke
has had the honour of being its prototype we are not in-
formed. This species is chiefly an inhabitant of mountain-
ous countries: it is common in Norway, Lapland, and
Russia, is found in Germany and the mountains of Switzer-
land, but is rare in France, and more so in England. Ac-
cording to Temminck it inhabits Italy, and is even met with
in Rome: it is found also in the middle and north of Asia,
in Africa, and in North and South America. It is never
seen in countries that are open and level; but the more

EAGLE OWL. 109

rocky and unfrequented the country, the more it is preferred,
especially where old ruins exist, which are its chosen places
of resort. On this account the south of Germany is much
visited by the Eagle Owl, and in the Hartz Mountains it is
everywhere well known.

In these wild regions this Owl was formerly the subject of
many a curious and popular superstition, and even at the
present time plays no inconsiderable part in the history of
the Wild Huntsman and other evil genii. Its singular and
savage appearance, associated with its melancholy voice, ren-
der it no inappropriate auxiliary in the supernatural tales
in which Germany so much delights. The modulation of
the higher and lower notes of several of these birds, heard
among ivy-covered ruins, or in dark forests, where echoes
repeat the hollow unearthly tone, may well be likened to the
barking of dogs, the neighing of horses, or the unhallowed
laughter of the phantom-huntsman,—stories which even now
thrill through the nerves, and chill with superstitious horror
the uneducated clowns, the chief inhabitants of the gloomy
and lonely mountain-forests of the Hartz.

In former times, when fire-arms were not so much in use,
these birds frequented the towers of isolated castles, although
inhabited. About the latter end of March, these birds begin
their arrangements for breeding, although they only produce
one brood in the year. ‘heir large unshapely nest is con-
structed of many dried sticks and branches, and lined with
dead leaves or straws, and is either placed among the rocks,
in old buildings, or stumps of trees, and occasionally in a
lofty tree.

Sometimes the eggs are deposited in a hole, without any
attempt at a nest. The female deposits two or three, rarely
four eggs, and sits three weeks ; seldom more than two
young ones are hatched. ‘These much resemble a ball of

110 STRIGIDE.

wool, being covered with dirty white loose down, sprinkled
with brown; and it is not before the sixth week that the
quills show themselves through the down ; consequently the
young birds remain a long time in the nest: they utter a
continua] hissing and piping noise, by which they frequently
betray their retreat. The parent birds supply them with
food in great plenty, and never wander far from their place of
concealment. The old birds usually return every spring to
the same place for incubation, and even if continually robbed
of their eggs or young, they will not desert a favourite spot.

The Eagle Owl lives generally alone, except during the
season of pairing, when he remains with his family. His
flight is performed with ease and lightness, is slow, wavering,
and generally near the ground. In habits he is nocturnal,
but when disturbed from his place of retreat, even in bright
sunshine, he is able to see sufficiently to avoid flying against |
branches or other objects which surround him. In confine-
ment he is far more alert by day than many others of
his tribe, and frequently feeds during daylight. His usual
cry is poo-hoo, accompanied, when molested, with hissing
and snapping of the beak. During the breeding season
the female utters a screeching noise, together with the
accustomed hoot. When at rest the appearance of this bird
is clumsy and shapeless, but when its attention is attracted
on the approach of any one, it opens to the full width its
large and brilliant eyes, throws its head from side to side,
snaps its bill, and shaking its plumage and expanding its
formidable claws until its passions are fully roused, finally
darts with fury upon the object of its anger. Its strength
being equal to its courage, it does not easily relinquish what
it has once seized.

The Eagle Owl feeds upon all sorts of animals and
reptiles: among the larger animals it sometimes takes a

i
ce
iS
Hi
&

4

ener

EAGLE OWL. 111

young deer, or a lamb; also hares and rabbits, rats, moles,
mice, etc. Among ground birds the largest are not too
powerful for it; cocks of the wood, and other grouse, pheasants,
partridges, crows, rooks, etc. become its prey ; snakes, lizards,
and frogs, and even insects are not overlooked. The en-
tire length of the Eagle Owl is twenty-four or twenty-five
inches ; the expanse from wing to wing sixty-eight to seventy
inches.

The tail is square, and the feathers measure ten inches in
length ; the wings, when closed, cover about three-fourths of
its length. The beak is strong, bent into nearly a semi-
circle, measures two inches from the forehead to the tip in
diameter, and two inches and three-quarters in the arc ; the
colour is dusky-horn.

In the fine large eyes may plainly be seen the contraction
and expansion of the pupil with every effect of light: the
orifice or pupil is not so large in proportion as in some other
Owls ; the iris is a fine rich orange. The tarsi are three
inches long, the middle toe two inches and a half, the claw
one inch and a half; the hinder toe one inch, and its claw
two inches and a half. ‘The tarsi and upper parts of the toes
are covered with close feathering, the soles of the feet are
rough and warty, and of a sooty colour. The feathering
consists of a mixture of yellow, brown, rufous, dusky and
black, disposed in markings almost impossible to describe.
The strong bristling feathers round the eyes are pale ash,
intermixed with brown, yellow, and black; the tufts over the
eyes are composed of black feathers, edged and marked with
yellowish-brown, the longest measure three and a half inches.
The entire upper plumage is dark brown and rufous yellow :
the under plumage is in the ground colour ochre and rufous
yellow, the feathers crossed with dark waving lines, and mark-
ed down the centre of each with a stripe of dusky, broadest

VOL. I. I

112 STRIGIDE.

upon the upper part of the breast ; the throat is white. The
female is generally darker in colour than the male, and larger _
in size. The young birds, when they have acquired their full
feathering, much resemble the adult.

The egg of this species is marked 21 in the plate.

oO

LONG-EARED OWL. 113

RA PTORES. STRIGID A.

PLATE XXII.

LONG-EARED OWL.

Orus Vutearis. (Flem.)

Tuts very handsome species is indigenous in England,
and remains here all the year, but is far less common than
several of the British Owls. Its places of residence, and
habits of concealing itself, may contribute to render it less
generally known. In confinement it is readily tamed, and
will become very sociable, and makes itself extremely amus-
ing by the ridiculous and indescribable attitudes it assumes,
which are rendered picturesque by its long and beautiful
ears. It frequently sits apparently asleep, with its eyes
closed, except the narrowest slit, through which it perceives
and notices all that surrounds it. When undisturbed, these
birds remain very quiet by day, and sit motionless on a
branch as long as daylight lasts; if carefully approached,
they will not take wing, but endeavour to effect concealment
by shrinking closer into their places of retreat. Thus
hidden in dark woods, in summer, among the thick foliage,
forest-trees, or close copse-wood, and in winter in ivy, fir-
trees, or evergreen shrubs, this species is so effectually
sheltered from inexperienced observers as to be seldom
“seen. Its mottled and downy plumage harmonizing with
the rigged bark of the stem against which it rests, or assimi-

114 STRIGIDE.

lating with the dead, or withering leaves of autumn, also
contributes to ensure its safety.

In open unsheltered country this species is seldom, if
ever, met with. Dark woods, and thick plantations over-
grown with underwood, are, however, the only shelter sought
by this Ow], which is never known to inhabit ruins, rocks,
or hollow trees, like some others of its tribe. It is found
in most parts of the world, in countries well covered with
wood; but, although it remains in England during the
winter, it is considered to be migratory on the Continent of
Kurope.

Nest-building is not much studied by any of the members
of this family; and as the Long-eared Owl never avails
itself of the remains of human architecture in the shape
of old ruins, like most other species, it is compelled to seek
the accommodation afforded by the deserted habitation of
some other bird, and frequently chooses that of the pigeon,
if sufficiently sheltered, of the magpie, or the squirrel.
The eggs deposited are four or five in number, white and
round.

The young birds are at first covered with white down.
This soon becomes yellowish, intermixed with brown; by
degrees the dusky face appears, and the tufts begin to rise, in
the form of two elevations, streaked with brown.

The call-note of this species, which is occasionally heard
in the evening, or during the night in the spring, is de-
scribed to be a long-drawn note, resembling the word hook,
the latter part of the word being pronounced half a note
higher than the beginning; sometimes a hollow booming
noise is uttered by them.

The note of the young birds is similar to that of the
parents, but uttered in a higher key.

In entire length this bird measures fourteen or fifteen

LONG-EARED OWL. Ss

inches; in expanse from wing to wing, three feet two inches;
the length of the tail is five inches and a half, and the
closed wings reach beyond the tip.

The ear in this species is particularly large ; the lids, or
flaps, when expanded, are nearly as long as the head. 'The
tufts, or horns, upon the head are also very large and con-
spicuous ; they consist of several feathers, capable of erec-
tion; the frontal ones are the longest, and measure from
one and a half to two inches; the hinder feathers are the
shortest. The beak is much arched, and measures one inch
and a quarter in the arc ; it is black, as are also the cere and
eyelids. The iris is bright orange, or fire-colour, The
tarsus measures one inch and three-quarters in length, the
middle toe one inch, and the claw five eighths of an inch ;
the hinder toe half an inch, the claw the same. The legs
and feet are covered with close, short, soft feathers, except
the soles, which are bare, and of a dirty yellow colour.
The claws are thin and sharp, of the appearance of horn.
The colours of the upper plumage are dusky, ash-grey,
rufous, and white, beautifully blended and softened toge-
ther. The quill-feathers are salmon-colour, passing into
reddish grey at the tips, and crossed by narrow dusky bars.
The upper part of the breast is rufous brown, passing into
white on the flanks and under tail-coverts. The bristling
feathers between the eyes and beak are black at the root
and white at the tip; the rest of the face ferruginous.
The feathers of the tufts are black, bordered with white and
rufous brown.

The food of this species is rats, mice, moles, and beetles,
occasionally birds; but, as this Owl is of nocturnal habits,
its food must necessarily consist chiefly of creatures that are
most readily met with at night. As soon as twilight sets

in, they come out of their hiding-places, and fly about in
13

116 STRIGIDE.

every direction in search of food; through woods and fields}
sometimes around gardens and orchards, continues this ram-
bling of the night, which ceases only with the approach of
day. In winter, in severe weather, when their usual food is
scarce, individuals of this species have been seen boldly
pursuing the chase for food in open day.

vy
oye
5 Ta a

i . ia

YO)

HAWK OWL. 117

RAPTORES. STRIGIDE.

PLATE XXIII.

HAWK OWL.
Orus Bracuyorus (Fleming.)

Tuts species, called by some authors Hawk Owl, from its
small head, lively appearance, and habit of flying frequently
by day, is perhaps better known under the designation of
Short-eared Owl. It resembles much in general aspect the
Long-eared Owl of the preceding plate, but differs very
essentially from that species in habits, locality, &c.

This bird is found here at all seasons, but its numbers are
believed to be considerably increased in autumn and winter
by visiters that retire to this country from more northern
latitudes. Unlike the last described species, this bird does
not seek the shelter of woods or copses, but prefers open
country, fields, and moors, in which it searches for food often
by day in gloomy weather. Its place of nidification is
chosen on the ground, among heath, long grass, or rushes:
in such places the young birds have been found seated on
the ground, having left the nest before they were able to fly.
They also breed upon downs near the sea-coast; the young
have been frequently seen on our eastern coast in such
situations, and they are said to breed in great numbers on the
coast of Holland.

It is remarked by M. Boié that this species follows the
migrations of the Lemmings, wherever these destructive ani-
mals establish themselves. In the countries of the North the

118 STRIGIDE.

Hawk Owl is found in considerable numbers: in all these
countries it is a bird of passage.

The Hawk Owl is nearly as widely dispersed as the long-
eared species. In Europe it is everywhere known, and also
in North and South America, and in Asia. In the north
of Europe these birds are common in low, marshy places,
and consequently abound in the low parts of the north of
Germany and in Holland. In these countries damp fields,
meadows, and swamps are much frequented by them.
During the day they sit on the ground, among willow bushes,
thistles, nettles, or other tall plants, or among reeds and
high grass. Jn autumn they have been found in the fur-
rows of ploughed lands, or concealed in potato-fields, or
among cabbages. ‘They seldom perch in a tree, or even
bush. ‘Their call is an agreeable sounding note, resembling
kiou, kiou, seldom uttered, but soft and pleasing. The food
of this species is chiefly mice and insects, small birds, &c.

The tufts upon the head are not very conspicuous, and are
chiefly erected, according to Montagu, when the bird is in
a quiescent state, or asleep; on being disturbed or roused,
it raises the other feathers of the head, so as nearly to con-
ceal the aurated tufts. ‘These tufts consist of only three or
four feathers, the longest of which measures less than an
inch: they are placed much nearer together than those of
other horned owls. The entire length of the Hawk Owl is
fourteen or fifteen inches, and in expanse from wing to wing
it measures forty-four to forty-six inches; the tail-feathers
are six inches long, and the wings, when closed, reach con-
siderably beyond their tips. In weight it is about eleven
ounces. ‘The beak and cere are black, and the former mea-
sures an inch and a quarter in the arc. The tarsus mea-
sures two inches.

The feathers of the upper plumage are chiefly dusky,

HAWK OWL. 119

bordered with light ferruginous; the quill-feathers are yel-
lowish salmon colour, and becoming greyish near the tips ;
marked with dark narrow bars: the second feather of the
wing is the longest, and several of them are strongly serrated
on the outer edge. The tail-feathers are marked with
dusky bars upon a ground of pale ochre; the legs are
feathered down to the claws with downy feathers of a
light buff colour. The eyes, which are yellow, are encircled
with radiating feathers of a deep black passing into white:
the wreath which borders the face is composed of feathers
striped with orange and black; near the orifice of the ears
the black predominates: the feathers of the tufts are dusky
on the outer webs and yellowish white on the inner. The
under plumage is rufous, each feather marked down the shaft
with a dusky stripe.

‘ > (ie ] aa if
a aL: TOR How! oath: ORT ere

SCOPS-EARED OWL. 121

RAPTORES. STRIGIDE.

PLATE XXIV.

SCOPS-EARED OWL.
Scors Atprovanpl. (fay.)

Tue Scops-eared Owl is known all over Europe, with
the exception of the most northern parts; and in many parts
of America, Asia, and Africa, where the climate is temperate
orwarm. In France and Italy they are very abundant and
well-known, and frequently inhabit gardens and plantations
in the vicinity of villages and towns. In such places they sit
sheltered in a hole in a tree, or among the thick leafing,
asleep the whole day, and come out in the evening to feed.
In the south of Germany, and in the mountain forests of
Austria and Switzerland they are known to breed, and the
place chosen is usually a hole in a tree, or in a rock: the
young birds are fed with beetles and other insects: when
taken from the nest they are easily tamed, and will eat meat,
either raw or dressed, potatoes, &c.

In a wild state their food consists of small birds, frogs, or
mice, which they tear in pieces; and of insects, such as
grasshoppers, cockchafers, moths, &c. ‘Their flight is soft
and wavering, but tolerably quick.

This beautiful little Owl is very rare in England, and very
few instances of its appearance here have been recorded ; it
is only known as a summer visiter, and is supposed to leave
even the warmer countries of Italy and France as winter
approaches, and retire still further south.

122 STRIGIDE.

This is one of the smallest of the Owls found in this
country, measuring only about eight inches in length, and in
expanse twenty and a half inches; the tail measures nearly
five inches, and the wings reach a little beyond it when
closed. ‘The beak is strong, and measures three-fourths of
an inch, and is dusky with a black tip. The iris is fine
yellow, paler in the young than in the adult.

The legs are small and delicate, and closely feathered :
the toes are unfeathered, and covered with scales; the tarsus
measures one inch two lines, the middle toe and claw one
inch one line, the hinder toe and claw three-fourths of an
inch.

The tufts on the head of this little Owl are short and in-
distinct, and sometimes laid down upon the head ; in dead
specimens they are hardly distinguishable.

The whole of the upper plumage is composed of dusky
rufous brown and grey, the brown predominates on the upper
parts; the ground colours of the under plumage are ochre
yellow and grey, with square dusky spots in the centre of
some of the feathers, and largest on the breast; these are
crossed by narrow waving lines; the quills are transversely
barred with yellowish white and brown.

The egg numbered 24 belongs to this species; they are

usually three or four in number.

eau

a

YELLOW OWL. 123

\
RAPTORES. STRIGIDA.

PLATE XXV.
YELLOW OWL.
STRIX FLAMMEA (Linn.)

Tuts well-known species is the most beautiful of all the
European Owls. Its face, which is surrounded by a most
perfect frame of peculiarly-shaped feathers, is in the form
of a heart, which, however, retains that form only as long
as the bird is alive, as it becomes completely circular when
the bird is dead. Its feathering is particularly soft, and most
beautifully pencilled towards the tips of the feathers on the
upper parts, with black on a white ground. The legs and
toes are of a peculiar appearance, the wings are long, and
the tail short and narrow; the first quill feather is much
serrated, the third and fourth quills are the longest. The
outer part of the ear is particularly large, and the frontal
ear muscle forms a perfect covering or flap.

The Yellow Owl measures from fourteen and a half to
fifteen inches in length, and thirty-nine inches in expanse ;
the tail is five inches long, and the wings extend an inch
and a half beyond it when closed. The beak is somewhat
lengthened and beautifully hooked towards the tip, measuring
one inch and an eighth in length, and is white horn colour
approaching to flesh red; the nostrils oval. The eyes are
placed very deep, and are not so enormously large as in
some owls, the iris is dark brown, and the pupil bluish black.
The legs are thin, closely covered to the ancle with most

K

124 STRIGIDZ.

silky feathers, becoming naked towards the feet, where the
flesh red shows through the dirty hairs that sprinkle them ;
the appearance resembles most of all the odious legs of a
hairy spider. The dusky claws are thin and much pointed,
the middle claw has a comb-like ridge on the mner side.
The tarsus measures two inches and a half, the middle toe
and claw one inch and a quarter in length, the hinder
one inch.

The ground colour of the upper plumage of this owl is
sienna yellow, the tips of the feathers beautifully pencilled
with dark purple. The feathers of the disk or face are white,
the eyes are surrounded by a rust-coloured halo which extends
downwards to the beak. The small stiff feathers which form
the frame are rufous and dark brown. ‘The throat and all the
under parts are white tinged with ochreous yellow, sparingly
spotted with dark brown drop-shaped spots near the tips
of the feathers. The top of the head, nape, shoulders, and the
whole back are blushed over as it were with pale ash grey,
which appearance is caused by the tips of the yellow feathers
being pencilled with that colour. The shoulder-feathers and
wing-coverts are beautifully ornamented with one or more
pearl-like white spots, bordered with black, and appearing
like beads strung together. The larger quills are buff yellow
on the outer webs, paler on the inner, and terminating in
broad white edges; these are barred with black and white
freckled spaces. The tail is yellow, tipped with white, and
spotted and barred with black. The soft feathering on the
legs is faint rust-colour or white; the under wing-coverts
pale rufous yellow, spotted with dark brown; the quills on
the inner surface are ycllowish white; towards the extremity
the dark bars show faintly through.

The male and female are in outward appearance very much
alike, the latter is more plump and darker coloured. Young
birds are paler in colour, the lower parts being less tinged
with yellow. Some varieties of this bird have been recorded,
the most remarkable are one which was pied yellow and

YELLOW OWL. 125

white; and another of which the ground colour was perfectly
white, and the pencillings on the upper plumage very indis-
tinetly defined in the palest possible colouring.

The Yellow Owl is known in all the temperate regions
of the globe; it hardly extends northward in Europe so far
as the southern parts of Sweden, but is well known in the
south of Asia, Africa, and America, and very numerous in
Tartary. In consequence of its residing generally near the
habitations of man, it is every where a bird of familiar appear-
ance; it does not frequent mountains or forests, but inhabits
the vicinity of villages and farms, and is even met with in
large towns, where it hides in towers, church steeples, holes
im walls, crevices, &c.: barns and pigeon houses are much
frequented by them; old ruins it is most fond of, where
it sits all day in a sleeping attitude. Sometimes it also hides
in a hole in a tree, or in the shelter afforded by an evergreen.

In very cold weather a numler have sometimes been found
sitting close together for the purpose of keeping each other
warm ; and it appears as if the male and female constantly
associate together throughcut the year.

The appearance of this owl, in consequence of its three-
cornered or heart-shaped face, is very singular, and bears
much resemblance to a monkey. When asleep the face is
much lengthened, and the dark brown spots descending from
the eyes give it a very ludicrous expression. During the
day the eyes are only opened in the form of a narrow slit;
at night they are wide open and peering about; the face is
then also more rounded. In confinement this bird is very
easily tamed when taken young, or brought up from the nest.

The flight of these birds is soft and without the least
noise, slow, wavering, and often near the ground. As soon
as it begins to be dark they commence their search for food,
and carry on the chase, if moon-light, until the morning;
during this time they frequent fields and meadows and copse-
wood in search of mice, rats, moles, small birds, and coleop-
terous insects. These birds are said to collect and hoard up

Kk 2

26 STRIGIDA.

food and carry it to their place of resort, as if in store against
dark nights or unfavourable weather.

Many of this species live in a state of half domestication
in barns, stables, malting-houses, &c. where they receive
careful protection from the owners in return for their invalu-
able services in destroying mice and other vermin.

The following fact, which came under our own observation
some years ago, shows the little fear that these birds enter-
tain for men. One of these species which inhabited some
fir trees in a cottage garden, became so tame that it would
enter the door or window of the cottage as soon as the family
sat down to supper and partake of the meal, either sitting
upon the back of a chair or venturing on the table; and it
was sometimes seen for hours before the time watching anx-
iously for the entrance of the expected feast. This exhibiuion —
was seen regularly every night, until some unfortunate sports-
man put an end to its life.

The Yellow Owl is in its actions one of the most grotesque
of its tribe. When a newly-caught one is put into a cage,
it sits quite upright in a corner, crowding itself against the
wall or wirework, with its long, thin, white, harlequin legs
pressed together; sometimes, as in a paroxism of fear, it will
fall flat down upon its side and remain as if dead, then slowly
raising its head it peers stupidly about, or starting up flies
at the object of its fear, with its feet thrust forward and its
sharp claws extended. All its actions appear rather those
of a puppet governed by the hand of an unseen operator,
than the result of its own volition. One individual that we
had for a considerable time used every morning, on our
entering the room where it was kept, to perform an extra-
ordinary evolution, as if intended for a polite and respectable
salutation ; this commenced by slowly spreading its ample
and beautifnl wings, then lowering its puffy head, and at
the same time throwing it forward, it complacently moved
it from side to side for some minutes.

When taken full grown, they are sometimes very stubborn

YELLOW OWL. 127

and refuse all food, pass the day moping in a corner, and the
night in vaulting about the place of confinement in ineffectual
attempts to escape; these stratagems have, however, the
desired effect, the unfortunate captive excites pity, and is
eventually set at liberty. The living subject from which
the plate was taken was the polite bird above mentioned.

The young of owls are proverbially hideous creatures, and
we think (parent though we be) that the eagle, in the delicious
fable of Lafontaine,* deserves to be freely pardoned for not
recognizing as the children of his friend, which had been
described to him as

** Mignons
Beaux, bienfaits, et jolis, sur tous leurs compagnons.”

which he afterwards met with, and with such exquisite
deliberation proceeded to demolish for his evening meal. We
may conclude they belong to the species under present con-
sideration, for various reasons, especially the locality assigned
them by the fabulist (and there is much truth in fables) who
thus proceeds to the fatal catastrophe :-—

“Un beau sor qu’il étoit en pature,
Notre aigle apercut, d’aventure,
Dans les coins d’une roche dure,
Ou dans les trous d’une masure,
(Je ne sais pas lequel des deux)
De petits monstres fort hideux,
Rechignés, un air triste, une voix de Mégére
Ces enfants ne sont pas, dit l’aigle, a notre ami ;

Croquons-les.”’

But we must intreat the forgiveness of our readers for
thus interrupting the truth of our history by such fabulous
digressions.

The egg No, 25 in the plate belongs to the Yellow Owl.

* L’aigle et le Hibou.

128 STRIGIDZ.

RAPTORES. STRIGID.E£.

PLATE XXVI.
TAWNY OWL.

ULULA STRIDULA.

Tue Tawny Owl is about sixteen or seventeen inches in
length, and from thirty-nine to forty inches in expanse ; its
tail measures between seven and eight inches in length, and
the wings when closed reach nearly to the end of it. The
feathering of this bird is very loose and puffy ; the head and
neck are thick, almost equal in size to the body ; its face is
large and nearly round ; the eyes are particularly large; the
exterior opening of the ears is of moderate dimensions, oval
in form, and barely half as high as the cranium. The first
quill-feathers are serrated on their outer edges, and the fourth
and fifth are the longest in the wing.

The beak of the Tawny Owl is proportionately large, much
hooked, measuring from an inch and a half to an inch and
five-cighths in the are from the forehead to the tip, and not
toothed ; it is pale horn colour: the cere which covers the
rounded nostrils is greenish. Its eyes are very dark brown,
the pupil blue black, having an opaque appearance; the
eye-lids are dingy flesh-coloured; in the young, reddish grey.

The legs are rather short, and almost entirely covered with
woolly feathers ; the soles of the feet are naked, and rough
or warty in substance, and dirty yellow in colour; the claws
are tolerably large, pointed, but not much bent, horn coloured,
with black tips. The tarsus measures two inches in length,

TAWNY OWL. 129

the middle toe including the claw not quite two inches, the
hinder toe and claw a little more than one inch.

In the adult male the brisiling feathers of the face are
greyish white, intermixed with black near the beak, and
sparingly dashed with grey, particularly about the ears. The
frame which surrounds the face consists of small rounded
feathers, which are black in the centre, edged, spotted, and
barred with white and rufous; about the ears and below the
beak the brown prevails, as does the grey about the eyes. The
forehead aud top of the head are dark brown tinged with rufous ;
the neck and back feathers are dark brown in the centre
bordered with brownish grey, and spotted with dusky and
tinged with rufous. The wing-coverts are almost like the
back, with more spots of dark brown, in the shape of waving
lines: the large are sparingly spotted with white; the shoulder
feathers are grey, spotted, streaked, and speckled with dusky,
the outer sides marked with pear-shaped irregular white spots
bordered with black ; and when the feathers are a little dis-
placed, these markings form so many interrupted lines. The
quills are barred with dusky on a ground of rusty yellow ;
the secondary quill feathers are marked in the same manner,
but the bars are narrower and more confused; the tail
feathers are a pale grey, speckled and dusked with dark
brown, the tips white; these feathers are also barred, but
the bars are frequently only perceptible on the inner webs.
The under wing-coverts are white barred with pale brown;
the underparts of the tail and quill feathers the same but paler.
The feathers of the neck and breast are dirty white, marked
with rust-coloured brown in the middle, with a dusky streak
down the shafts, which terminates in zig-zag lines or spots.
On the lower part of the breast these dusky markings form
frequently indistinct crosses ; the belly and under tail coverts
are white, with brown shaft streaks; the covering of the
legs yellowish white, speckled with brown.

The principal distinction in the colouring of these owls
consists in the ground cdlour, as the markings are nearly all

+ J

130 STRIGIDA.

alike ; they may vary in different specimens from being more
numerous -to less so, paler or more distinct, but they retain
the same character and expression. The young females of
the Tawny Owl have a peculiar appearance, in consequence
of the tinge of rufous with which they seem to be dyed.
Their face partakes of the same colouring, except about the
region of the beak, which is beset with mixed black and white
bristling feathers. This rufous colour extends over all the
upper parts, and the dusky markings are more distinct. On
the lower part of the breast the shaft streaks are more sim-
plified, and only now and then branch out on the sides into
cross bars. There are hardly any bars to be seen on the tail,
and those of the wings are narrower than in adult birds.

By comparing a number of specimens it may be seen that
the fox-coloured birds are young females ; the reddish brown,
young males; the reddish grey, old females; and the pale
grey, adult males.

The Tawny Owl is plentiful all over Europe, the north
of Asia, and probably in North America; wherever there are
trees and forests: whether the country is flat or hilly is
indifferent. During the summer months these birds remain
in the thickest parts of the woods; in autumn and spring
they frequent copse and young plantations ; and in the winter
large orchards about villages.

While the leaves remain on the trees they perch on the
branches among the thickest foliage during the day-time,
which they pass usually in sleep; during the winter season
they hide themselves in holes of trees or rocks, or in old
buildings.

It is difficult to imagine how the owl can have become
associated with the idea of wisdom, and dedicated to the
goddess of that attribute, unless in mockery, or to show how
short a step there is between the sublime and the ridiculous.

The feathering of this Owl stands generally at right angles
from the body; its thick head seems to be only stuck on
the shoulders, as it turns it from side to side with so much

TAWNY OWL. 131

facility, and sometimes sits with the beak resting on the back,
its large eyes winking slowly. When this bird takes flight
it flies slowly and heavily, beating the air lazily with its blunt
and arched wings; in the dark, or at moonlight it is a little
quicker in its movements. This Owl hoots, and has fright-
ened the superstitious of many nations with its call.

The Tawny Owl feeds chiefly on mice of all descriptions,
and also on moles, frogs, beetles, and other large insects ;
young hares and rabbits are occasionally taken by it; small
birds which it can surprise at rest it eagerly consumes : all
these it seeks by twilight or during moonlight nights, for
which purpose its entirely noiseless flight is of great service.

Early in the spring these birds begin their pairing call
(which sounds like a satirical laugh) and commence their
preparations for breeding, for which purpose they choose a
hole in a tree, in which they collect moss and feathers; but
these materials are scarcely sufficiently arranged to bear the
designation of a nest. The female deposits from three to
five eggs, and the young are hatched in about three weeks ;
they are blind for some days, and. their red eyelids have
the appearance of being inflamed, particularly in contrast
with the grey coloured down with which they are clothed.
The appearance of these birds while nestlings, and before
the growth of the feathers, is very extraordinary ; the whole
bird is covered with pale grey woolly down, and resembles
nothing so much as a pair of Shetland worsted stockings,
rolled up, such as might have belonged to Tam O’Shanter ;
and, except when the bright round eyes are opened, it is
impossible to suppose the object to belong to the animate
creation.

This Owl soon becomes tame in confinement; one which
we reared from the nest quite domesticated itself in the family.
It inhabited un out-building in which various household
affairs were transacted by the servants, to one of whom it
was evidently attached; andas the building was much covered
with ivy, which obscured the light, it would sit in the day-

132 STRIGIDA.

time and watch her operations with all the familiarity of a
favourite cat; no restraint was put upon its liberty, yet it
seldom strayed beyond the residence to which it had attached
itself.

This bird amused us frequently by an exhibition which
at last cost the poor creature its life. It was fond of washing
itself in a tub of water which usually stood in the place where
the bird was kept; and the dreadful sight baffles all descrip-
tion, when this wretch sat on the edge of the tub dripping
wet, with its feathers all sticking close to its sides: the only
thing imaginable that we can compare the object to, for to
call it a creature in that state would be mockery, is the black
remains of a burnt paper candle-lighter, surmounted by two
glaring eyes. This pastime ended tragically ; the poor owl
having once by mistake plunged into a tub of food prepared
for the pigs; and ended his career in consequence of the
vessel being deeper than his usual bath.

The superstitious belief that owls are harbingers of death
is too prevalent among the uneducated, and too generilly
known to need more than a passing observation ; but I cannot
forbear to relate a circumstance respecting this subject which
occurred under my own observation. My father’s gardener
had an ailing wife; and one Sunday morning my father, on
passing near the cottage where the family resided, was much
concerned to see the man and his two sons in deep mourning,
and concluding that the invalid wife was dead, felt rather
shocked and pained that he should not have been sooner
made acquainted with the loss sustained by the afflicted
family, and consequently approached in haste to offer his
condolance. He was presently undeceived by the husband,
who assured him that his wife was as well as usual, but that
he nevertheless anticipated her approaching death, which
would undoubtedly take place within a few days (I believe
nine was the period fixed) as a brown owl had passed over
their cottage, and had since been heard nightly to hoot in
the very close in which the cottage stood. He explained,

TAWNY OWL. 133

that as the family had been under the necessity of purchasing
each a new suit of clothes to make a respectable Sunday
appearance, they thought it most advisable to provide them-
selves at once with mourning, in order to avoid the double
expense of purchasing again.

Whether from the baneful influence of the poor owl, or
from the impression made upon the woman’s own mind by
the ominous circumstance, and by being so unanimously con-
signed. to her grave while yet alive, I will not decide, but
within a very short time after this circumstance she really
did terminate her mortal career.

The egg No. <6 belongs to this species.

134 STRIGIDA.

RAPTORES. STRIGID.

PLATE XXVIT.
SNOWY OWL.
Strix NycrTea. (Linn.)

Tuis Owl is particularly distinguished from all its con-
geners by its small head and face, in proportion to the size
of the body. The fact of its being a diurnal feeder may be
discerned in its slender make, and greater agility, and it
differs in some other respects from the night-flying owls ;
its feathering is firmer, the wings are narrower and more
pointed, and there is no serrated border on the edge of the
quill-feathers : of the usual disk of the face hardly any trace
is to be found.

This large and handsome bird, which is the next in point
of size after the Eagle-Owl, belongs to the more northern
regions of Europe, Asia, and America; is well known and
plentiful in Greenland, in Hudson’s Bay, and in the islands
of the Arctic Sea. Although the Snowy Owl is able to bear
the severest cold, it migrates towards the south during the
winter season. In America, for instance, it occurs as far
south as Pensilvania, and in Asia is found in Astrachan. In
Hudson’s Bay, the north of Siberia, and in Kamschatka they
are very common, and by no means rare in the north of
Russia, Lapland, and the north of Sweden. To the southern
parts of these countries, and to Poland, Prussia, and the
north of Germany they only travel during winter; and al-
though of uncommon occurrence they have been captured in

SNOWY OWL. 135

the heart of Germany, and also been seen in Switzerland.
In the northern parts of Asia and America they are not
unfrequently met with near the habitations of men. Moun-
tainous and wooded country seems to suit their choice best ;
but in North America they are not uncommon among barren
and perpendicular rocks. ,

It is said that the Snowy Owl is very shy; and such may
be the case with a single wandering bird, when out of its
latitude with us ; but many instances have been recorded of
these birds accompanying a sportsman during a whole day
when out shooting, and of their seizing upon and consuming
before his eyes the game which he has brought down with
his gun; and even when a shot is fired, they come to the
well-known sound in order to obtain food in an easy manner.

The cry of this bird has been compared to the grunting
of pigs, or the lamentations of a person in great danger.

In their actions they are as agile as the Hawks; and in
their flight bear more resemblance to them than to the owls
in general. Their flight is quick and powerful; and they
sometimes continue the chase in search of food all day long,
even in hot summer weather ; as although they can bear the
severest cold, they do not mind a tolerable degree of heat.

They are said not to live long in confinement, although
we can refer our readers to the beautiful specimens in the
Zoological Gardens, which we have known there for some
years, alive, and in good condition.

The food of the Snowy Owl is hares, rabbits, and other
animals, and every kind of bird, as wood grouse, partridges, &c.
In the northern climates they consume a great quantity of
ptarmigans. When on the look out for their prey, they fly
near the ground, and strike the object of their pursuit with
the feet, throwing themselves upon it in a slanting direction :
the smaller mamalia are thus caught when running. If unable
to obtain living food, these birds will feed on carrion.

The Snowy Owls build their nests according to report on
rocks, or on the bare ground. They usually breed in high

136 STRIGIDA.

northern latitudes: the female deposits three or four white
eggs. In the north, where they cannot breed very early, the
young do not fly before September. Some nests of these birds
are said to have been found on the eastern shores of the
Baltic: one of them was placed on the ground near a bush,
and was composed chiefly of holly branches.

The Snowy Owl rarely makes its appearance in our lati-
tudes ; several individuals have, however, been met with in
the Orkney and Shetland Islands, some in the northern parts
of England, and a few stragglers have been found as far south
as Noriolk. They have usually been observed in this country
in open and exposed places, such as the moors of Northum-
berland, or on rabbit warrens on the sea coast.

At present we have been nnable to obtain a specimen of
the egg of this species; but trust we shall have the oppor-
tunity of representing it in some future number of the work.

The length of the Snowy Owl is above two feet, expanse
five feet, length of the wing from carpus to tip seventeen to
eighteen inches; the tail, which is wedge-shaped, measures
ten inches ; and the wings when at rest cover two-thirds of
its length. The beak is black, powerful, and beautifully
arched, and measures one inch and seven-eighths in the outer
circle, from the forehead to the tip. The nostrils, which are
placed in the thin black-coloured cere, large and round, and
the iris of the eyes bright orange yellow. The legs are so
completely and thickly covered with feathers, as to have the
appearance of wool, and the large black claws are the only
part visible, the soles of the feet even being entirely hidden
by the feathering. The tarsus measures two inches and a
quar‘er in length, the middie toe and claw three inches, and
the hinder with the claw two inches: the claw of the inner
toe is the largest. Of the beak there is only a small part
visible among the bristling white feathers by which the face
is entirely covered.

In very old birds the plumage is white as snow without
any spots. Mature birds of less age are spotted with dusky

SNOWY OWL. 137

on the wings and back part of the head, back, shoulders,
and breast; the latter frequently representing waved bars.
Younger birds are generally marked and spotted as follows :—
The face, throat, upper part of the breast, and woolly feather-
ing of the legs are white; the top of the head and back part
of the neck are marked with small round dusky spots, which
become larger towards the back, but decrease in number on
the rump ; on the shoulders and wing-coveris the spots are
numerous, and crescent shaped ; those on the breast and side
feathers are narrow, transverse, and of a lighter colour; the
quill-feathers are marked with large dusky spots, and the tail-
feathers, with the exception of the cuter, which are quite
white, have one half-moon shaped spot near the tips, and
some dusky round spots near their roots,

Der ree Suc

In consequence of the omission, for the present, of the
egos of the Canada and of the Snowy Owls, we have taken
the opportunity of representing, in its natural size, the beak
of one of the Raptorial order of birds of prey, which we hope
will be considered a desirable addition to the work. The
subject chosen is the beak of the Golden Eagle ; on similar
occasions, the beaks, feet, or other parts of various birds, illus-
trative of the subject of the work, will be in like manner sub-
joined.

The No. 2 affixed to the present head agrees with the
number assigned to the Golden Eagle in its own plate.

MOT. I. Fi

140 STRIGID®.

RAPTORES. STRIGIDA.

PLATE XXVIII.
CANADA OWL.
Srrix Nuisoria.

Turis Owl is about the size of the Short-eared Owl; the
head and face are, however, smaller, the wings shorter and
more pointed, the tail much longer, and the beak more
like those of the hawks. In point of form it bears much
resemblance to the harriers.

In the size of various specimens there exists a considerable
difference, without reference to its age or sex. In length
this Owl measures from sixteen to seventeen and a half
inches, in width from thirty-one to thirty-two inches; the
tail is seven and a half inches long, of which half is covered
by the wings, and it is so much rounded that the middle
feathers exceed the outer by two inches in length.

The beak is thick and beautifully arched, the upper
mandible measures one inch in the are, the lower is some-
what compressed at the edge, with a slight indentation near
the tip. The eyes are not so large as those of other Owls ;
the iris is sulphur-yellow.

The legs, as well as the upper part of the toes, are fully
feathered, the tarsus an inch and a quarter long, the middle
toe and claw one inch and three quarters, the hinder the
same, but the claw alone occupies ten lines. The soles of
the feet are dirty yellow; the long, finely-arched, dusky

CANADA OWL. 14]

claws are thin and pointed, and the one on the middle
toe has a sharp cutting edge on the inner side.

This bird resembles, in general appearance, the diurnal
birds of prey, but its legs are of the usual shape of the
night Owls.

The plain colouring of brown and white is very pleasingly
distributed in this Owl, and much more regularly than is
the case in others of its tribe. The region of the beak
and the face are covered with yellowish-white feathers, inter-
mixed with fine black bristles, which latter are particularly
close about the sides of the beak and the corners of the
eyes. The frame which surrounds the face of Owls in
general is very imperfect in the present species; about the
ears is an indication of it in the shape of a black crescent ;
the throat is white; the breast, sides, belly, and under
tail-coverts are also white, crossed with narrow dusky lines,
as in the sparrow-hawk. The tarsi and thighs are of a
yellowish-white, with pale dusky cross lines, the upper sur-
face of the toes also feathered with the same. The head
is dusky, each feather marked with a round white spot in
such a manner that the dusky retains the upper hand; the
white predominates about the nape and the hinder part
of the neck. The back, rump, and shoulders are brown ;
the scapulars are white in the outer webs; the wing-coverts
are brown, with a few white spots; the quill-feathers are
dark brown, barred with yellowish-white ; the first quill-
feather is slightly serrated ; the tail-feathers are brown,
with eight or nine white bars, and white tips.

The male and female are much alike, the latter is rather
the larger. In the young the colours are less pure than
in the adult.

The Canada Owl belongs to the northern regions of the
globe. In Europe it is found in Sweden and Lapland, but

is rare in Denmark; in Asiatic Russia it is more common.

Te,

142 STRIGIDE.

In North America, particularly in Canada and about Hud-
son’s Bay, it is of very frequent occurrence. In the central
parts of the continent of Europe it appears at uncertain
intervals, being some years quite unknown, and at other
times, for several years in succession, sufficiently plentiful
to be considered common.

The appearance of this bird in England is confined to
a single specimen captured alive on board a vessel off the
western coast; when taken it was apparently exhausted with
fatigue. :

This Owl is a bird of the woods, but frequents copses and
swampy woods in preference to forests of larger extent.
When on the wing, these birds make themselves conspi-
cuous by moving in circuitous rounds from tree to tree.
When in pursuit of their prey they fly slowly, and are
sometimes seen to mount to a considerable height, even
in bright sunshine. The chief periods that they pass in
their chase for food are, during morning and evening, but
soon after sunset they retire to the woods. Sometimes they
have been observed to roost on the ground in marshy locali-
ties, in the manner of the harriers. On account of the
transverse lines on the under parts of the body, as well as
their hawk-like flight when on the wing, they have been
called Sparrow-hawk Owls ; they are, nevertheless, readily
detected as Owls by their thicker head.

Mice, rats, and other small mammalia, constitute their
usual food, as well as small birds; and they are said to feed
on ptarmigans in the winter season.

They are bold birds, and accompany sportsmen, in the
more northern regions, to share their game. They bear
the loss of liberty easily and become very tame. Their
voice is pleasant and soft, resembling that of the kestril,
and their call is often repeated in quick succession.

Of the breeding of these birds very little is known; they
are said to lay two white eggs.

pect thy
fig ete
Pyery..

he Sar ty 1

LITTLE OWL. 143

RAPTORES. STRIGID.

PLATE XXIX.
LITTLE OWL.
Nocrua PAssErRina.

Turis handsome little bird is the smallest of the British
Owls, and in confinement very amusing and interesting.
It is generally considered to be a rare species in Britain,
although its habits may be the means of keeping it from
the view of men. From its smail size, and habits of con-
cealment, it may generally be overlooked by sportsmen
who go in pursuit of birds during the daytime; and game-
keepers or poachers who are on the look-out for birds at
night, are not likely to fire at so small and unpromising
an object. Linneus had quite overlooked this bird, which
speaks greatly in favour of our supposition, as that greatest
of all naturalists generally noticed whatever came before
him, and although rare in this country, why should he
not have met with it in other countries where it is said
to be plentiful? ‘The habits of this bird differ in many
respects from those of other Owls. Its flight is quite dis-
tinct from others of its congeners, and resembles in its jerking
manner that of the woodpecker and chaffinch. During the
night its flight is rapid and strong, and frequently directed
towards the light, in consequence of which it now and then
darts at a lighted window, to the great disturbance and
alarm of the inmates.

In its nocturnal flight, it frequently utters its varied

144 STRIGIDE.

cries, which sound something like kew, kew, or kewitt ;
when perched, it articulates pooh, pooh; and during the
breeding season its call sounds something like a long drawn
cooweeck. These varied sounds are still more modulated
by the action of the air, if uttered when on the wing, and
also in consequence of their being frequently mixed up
together.

With exception of the highest northern latitude, this
Owl is frequently found all over Europe; and in America,
from New York to Hudson’s Bay, but the central parts
and south of Europe seem to be its favourite climate. In
Holland it is common, and not rare in Switzerland; and
all over the German states it is well-known. It seems to
prefer the neighbourhood of men, provided it can avoid the
immediate contact, as it inhabits towers and roofs of churches,
which are seldom visited; vaults, tombs, holes, and crevices
in fortresses, barns, and holes left in brick-work of any kind
by the workmen for the purpose of fixing scaffoldings.
Besides these hiding-places, it resides in young plantations
in the vicinity of fields, or rocky country, where it can
shelter during the daytime in a crevice of a rock or a
high bank. It is also fond of hiding among the close
branches in the top of a pollard tree,—any place, in fact,
where the rays of the sun do not shine on it, and where
it is hidden from the human eye; in such places it sits
asleep during the day, but if disturbed flies off immediately.

Wherever these birds are found, they are either alone,
at most in pairs, but never in companies. Their food
consists of mice, beetles, and small birds, which they are
said to lay up im store for any emergency; bats also become
their prey. Small birds, as sparrows and larks, are surprised
when they are at roost; half-a-dozen mice are said to be
consumed by one at a meal.

This Little Owl has many enemies; the hawks pursue

LITTLE OWL. 145

it on account of its small size; the weazel destroys its eggs,
and if it ventures out of its hiding-place during the day,
it is pursued and tormented by the rook, the magpie, or
the jay.

During the breeding season, these Owls make a continual
disturbance ; they fly about, chatter, and call out even
during the day. They nestle in their usual hiding-places,
in a lonely tree or a large osier bed; they construct no
nest, but deposit their four or five white eggs in a hollow,
and the young are hatched after fourteen or fifteen days’
incubation ; they are clothed with white down spotted with
brown. ‘The food of the young ones consists of the same
articles as that of the parent birds, and they are easily
tamed when taken and brought up from the nest.

In consequence of the shortness of the wings and_ tail
of these birds, they are almost the shape of a ball, especially
when they ruffle their feathers. They measure from ten
‘to ten inches and a quarter in length, and twenty-one to
twenty-two inches in expanse; the tail is about three inches
long, and straight at the extremity, and the wings when
at rest extend three-fourths of an inch beyond it. The
beak is very much hooked, and measures three quarters of
an inch in length, in colour pale yellow; the cere is dirty
yellow, in some specimens greenish, and covers the round
nostrils in the form of tubes.

The changeable colour of the iris of this bird adds greatly
to its beauty; in the course of a few minutes it varies from
orange to silvery-white, passing rapidly through the various
intermediate gradations of pearl-colour, sulphur, lemon-yellow,
and bright gold. When several of these birds are in a
cage together, these changes appear most curious and sin-
gular from the effect of contrast.

The appearance of the legs in this species is weak, the
tarsi being closely covered with short feathers; the toes -

146 STRIGIDE.

are only sparingly clothed with hair-like feathering, which
allows the greyish yellow of the skin to show through to
such an extent that, unless closely inspected, they seem
quite naked; the soles of the feet are covered with small
yellow warts. The tarsus measures nearly an inch and a
half in length, the middle toe without the claw three-fourths
of an inch, the claw itself nearly half an inch, and the hinder
toe, including the claw, three quarters of an inch.

The hairy feathering of the face above and below the
eyes is white, intermixed with yellow; the temples dusky
with brownish-white, and surrounding the beak it is in-
termixed with black bristling feathers. The indistinct frame
which only surrounds the face as far as the ears, is white,
spotted irregularly with brown; the top of the head and
back of the neck are greyish brown with oval white spots,
tinged with pale rufous, and larger on the back than on
the top of the head. The feathers of the shoulders, back,
rump, and the wing coverts, are greyish brown, with a
roundish white spot in the centre of each feather, which
spot is divided in the middle by the dusky shaft; as these
spots are not on the tips of the feathers, they are only seen
in part unless ruffled, when they show very plainly.

The tail-feathers are like those of the back, but more
brown than grey, with white tips, and five or six rufous-white
spots on their edges, which form bars on the central feathers ;
the quill-feathers are darker greyish brown than the back,
with the same square-shaped spots as the tail-feathers, the
inner webs are whiter. The breast and belly are white,
faintly tinged with rufous, and irregularly spotted or dashed
with brown; these spots are larger, and consequently closer
together on the upper part of the breast than lower down ;
‘the vent is yellowish-white without spots, as also the
thighs and tarsi, the latter more tinged with rufous. The

under wing coverts are white, with a few brown spots ;

LITTLE OWL. 14:7

the under wing and tail feathers are marked faintly with
the bars which shine through from above.

The female is a little larger than the male, which is,
in fact, the greatest distinction in outward appearance be-
tween the sexes; the fainter markings and colouring depend
more upon age and season than sex, and the colours are much
more pure after the autumnal moult than at any other time,
and the white markings more deeply tinged with rufous ;
the spots on the back and shoulders being frequently bor-
dered with rufous. Young birds resemble the adult birds
of the autumn, the white spots are larger, and the bars on
the tail are more distinct.

The egg marked 29 belongs to this bird.

148 STRIGIDE.

RAPTORES. STRIGIDE.

PLATE XXX.
TENGMALM’S OWL.
Noctua Trenemaumi. (Selby.)

Tue adult Tengmalm’s Owl has frequently been taken
for the Little Owl of the preceding plate, in consequence
of the resemblance in their colouring; but, if compared
together, the more slender form of the present, and the
longer wing and tail feathers, as well as the woolly feet
of Tengmalm’s Owl, show the difference at a single glance.
The present species measures more in length and expanse,
but its body is actually smaller than that of the Little
Owl. Its length is from ten to ten and a half inches, and
its expanse twenty-three; the rounded tail is four inches
long, and the wing-feathers reach to within one inch of the
extremity when closed. The feathers of the wings are
broader and softer than those of the Little Owl; the third
quill is the longest, and the two outer ones are serrated.
The outer ear-covering is so very large that, when turned
over, half the eyeball may be seen within the head.

The beak is pale yellow, much hooked, and measures
one inch in the arc; the cere, as well as the sides of the
beak, are in some specimens dashed with black; the iris
is lemon-yellow. The legs and feet are covered with downy
feathers, and the sharp black claws project out without the
toes appearing, although the yellow soles of the feet may
be perceived; on raising the feathering there may be seen

TENGMALM’S OWL. 149

a large scale over the root of the claws. The tarsus measures
nearly an inch and a quarter, the middle toe the same in-
“cluding its long claw, the claw alone in the are being almost
seven lines; the hinder toe and claw is about three quarters
of an inch long.

The feathering of the face is white, streaked about the
cheeks and over the eyes with dusky, and is between the
beak and eyes very long; close before the latter is a black
patch ; the feathers of the ring which forms the border of the
face are white with brown tips. The whole of the upper
feathering of this bird is fallow-brown, the top of the head
closely speckled with small oval white spots; the back
of the neck, the back and shoulders are also spotted with
white, the spots being largest and most conspicuous on the
shoulders. The wing-coverts are fallow-brown, the lesser
without spots, the larger sparingly spotted on the edges
of the outer webs with white ; the quill-feathers are also
fallow-brown, with round corresponding spots on the edges
ef both webs; the secondary quills have a few spots, and
the tertials have more markings which assume rather a square
form. The coverts under the wings are white, spotted spar-
ingly with brown. The tail is also fallow-brown, marked
with four or five roundish corresponding white spots. The
breast and belly are white, spotted and streaked with reddish-
brown. On the whole of the under parts the white pre-
dominates, the feathers being only tipped with brown; the
covering of the legs and feet, and the long feathers of the
vent, are white, the former a little tinged with yellow.

It is difficult to know the female from the male unless
compared together, when the following distinctions may be
observed ;—the white of the face is dirty, the black spot
before the eye smaller and paler, the lower part of the
body more strongly spotted, and the brown of the upper
parts more decided than in the male.

150 STRIGIDE.

The young birds, before their first moult, differ very much
from the adult, and might very easily be taken for different
species; they are in every respect smaller than the parent
birds, measuring only nine inches in length; the legs are
covered with a more feathery substance, in consequence of
those feathers being short. The beak is yellowish-grey, the
iris yellow, the hair, and bristle-like feathers of the face
black and dusky, with white roots; the frame around the
face but very indistinctly coffee-coloured, a little spotted with
white over the eyes; the whole bird is coffee-coloured, some-
what paler below than above; the belly and feet whitish,
intermixed with brown, and the dirty-white vent-feathers
tipped with brown. On the quills and tail-feathers are a
few small, round, and three-cornered white spots which form,
on the closed wings and tail, four cross bars. The first
quill-feather is serrated; the soles of the feet yellowish-grey.
The feathering of this Owl is particularly soft and loose,
and it erects the feathers of the face occasionally to a
considerable extent.

The temper of this bird is milder than that of the Little
Owl, although he resembles it in outward appearance so much.
All day long it sits on a branch, or in a hole of a tree,
asleep, and does not move on the approach of man, but looks
at him with half-closed eyes, and only squeezes itself closer
against the tree on which it perches. When in confinement,
Tengmalm’s Owl is easily tamed, even when taken in the
adult state. It assumes very amusing positions when caged,
and erects the feathers of its face in such a manner as almost
to form blunt ears, which it certainly does not possess in
reality. Its flight is lighter and softer than that of the
Little Owl, in consequence of the longer and broader wings,
and bears most resemblance to that of the Scops-eared Owl.

The notes which the Owl at present under consideration
utters are, a repeated call of kew, kew, followed by an equally

TENGMALM'S OWL. 151

repeated cook ; and during the breeding season a pleasing
piping call of cuk, cuk, which is kept up for several minutes
at a time.

These Owls are said to breed in a hole ina tree, and to
construct no manner of nest. ‘The egg numbered 30 belongs
to this species.

Whether its great resemblance to the last-mentioned Owl,
or some other reason can be given for the unfrequent capture
or notice of this bird, is difficult to say ; but, although it has
been obtained in almost every part of Europe, the collectors
find it difficult to procure specimens for naturalists.

The Tengmalm’s Owl is never met with in buildings of
any kind, but frequents either thick pine forests, among the
low foliage, or perches in an old stem of a tree, or in a hole
in a tree ; also, in extensive orchards, pollard trees and juniper
trees are a favourite hiding-place with it, as well as with other
Owls. Its food consists chiefly in mice of all sorts, small
birds, and insects, which are obtained during the night season
only, and before sunrise these birds return again to their
hiding-places: they eat but little at a time, and never swal-
low their prey whole.

5
4

-—

ai vegan

©9

ROLLER. 15

INSESSORES.
FISSTROSTRES. MEROPID LE.

PLATE XXXI.

ROLLER.

Coracras Garruta. (Linn.)

Tus beautiful bird, an accidental wanderer to this coun-
try, may be readily distinguished from all other British birds
by its splendid colouring, which bespeaks it to be of tropical
origin.

The Roller is met with from the southern parts of Norway
to the frontiers of Senegal. Throughout Europe this bird
is of migratory habits. It is seldom seen in Britain, but
visits the south of Europe very frequently, on its passage to
Africa, where it passes the winter.

In its habits the Roller is very shy, and, unless an op-
portunity is offered for an observer to keep out of sight, it
is very difficult to obtain a close view of it. In the morning,
it may sometimes be seen in the country where this species
abounds basking in the early rays of the sun, but its restless
habits do not allow it long to remain stationary in one spot.
Its favourite haunt is among trees, where it is continually
moving from branch to branch and from tree to tree, perch-
ing chiefly on the bare projecting ends of the dead branches :
it is not often seen on the ground, and its movements when
it does alight are awkward and embarrassed, and its mode of
progression is rather by hopping than by walking. The
flight of the Roller is quick and exceedingly buoyant,

VOL. I. M

154 MEROPID.

resembling that of the pigeon. When flying, he flaps his
wings very hurriedly, and tumbles frequently over and over.
The temper of these birds is very turbulent and quarrelsome ;
they bite and fight with those of their own species, although
they are in the habit of living very amicably with other
birds, except the birds of prey. Their battles are carried to
such an extent that they frequently fall to the ground toge-
ther hanging by their beaks, and become in this state the prey
of foxes, dogs, &c.; and in these angry contests they often
pull bunches of feathers out of each other’s heads, so that a
specimen when obtained has frequently the head partly divested
of feathers, or young feathers in the quills are seen about it,
which can only be attributed to this cause, as these birds
do not moult during the time they remain in our climate.
Although they are so pugnacious and quarrelsome, they are
usually observed to breed in society, one single pair being
rarely seen alone at that period. When these birds arrive
at their summer breeding-place, the males commence their
vociferous and noisy quarrels, which continue until their
mates are chosen, and they begin to be employed in the
cares of incubation. The localities usually chosen for this
purpose are the outskirts of woods of birch intermixed with
oaks or pine trees; they build their nest in a hole in a tree,
preferring shallow places, which they line with small fibres,
straw, feathers, and hair, on which the female deposits from
four to six very polished white eggs; these are incubated
by both male and female during three weeks, and the parent
birds sit so very close that they are frequently taken with
the greatest ease upon the nest. The young are fed by
the parents with insects and their larve. They are soon
able to leave the nest and follow the parent birds into the
fields, where they may be seen seated upon an elevation such
as a stone or naked branch, from which they dart at the
passing insects in the manner pursued by the flycatchers.

ROLLER. 155

The same pair return often again and again to the spot they
frequented the previous year, provided they have not been
disturbed ; they are particularly attached to their young.

These birds find very inveterate enemies in the buzzard
species: weazles destroy many a nest and brood of the
Roller.

Sandy and undulating countries are chiefly frequented by
this species; swampy and mountainous parts they avoid,
even during their migrations, if possible. They are summer
visitants with us, although of rare occurrence.

The Roller measures thirteen inches and a quarter in
length, and twenty-seven inches and three quarters in ex-
panse; the middle tail-feathers measure above five inches
in length, and are rounded at the tips; the outer feathers
are narrower at their extremities, and extend five to six lines
beyond the rest. The wings, when closed, cover two thirds
of the tail.

The head is thick, the beak rather large, and compressed
at the edges; from the forehead to the tip it measures
one inch and a quarter, and is of a dusky horn colour.
The nostrils are exposed, open, oval, and forming a slanting
aperture. The iris is dusky, surrounded with a rim of grey
or dusky-grey ; the rings and strong bristling beard-feathers
brown, and behind the eye is a three-cornered, naked, brown
patch, or skin. The inside of the beak and swallow, and
the tongue, are yellow; the latter is lancet-shaped, and
fringed at the tip with brown hairs. The legs are stout,
and feathered below the knee; the tarsi and upper surface
of the toes are covered with coarse scales, and reticulated
beneath. The tarsus measures one inch in length; the
middle toe, with the claw, one inch and a quarter, and the
weak: hind toes hardly one inch.

The forehead and chin are whitish, the head, neck, breast,
belly, thighs, of a fine bright greenish-blue, which colour,

M 2

156 MEROPID £.

like that of the kingfisher, varies according to the light from
blue to green. This colouring is lightest on the shafts of
the feathers of the neck and breast. The back and hinder
wing-coverts and shoulders are bright cinnamon-brown. The
lesser wing-coverts and rump feathers splendid violet-blue,
with a peculiar coppery tint. The coverts of the quill-fea-
thers, or the feathers of the thumb, are pale blue. The
narrow webs of the four first quill-feathers are black, tinged
with green; the four succeeding are pale-blue from the roots
to their middle, on the narrow webs, then violet, ending
in black, whitish on the broad webs, and terminating in
black ; the remaining quills somewhat darker. All have
dusky shafts, and all are, on the under parts, of a splendid
blue, except towards the roots, which are greenish. The
tail-feathers are, on the narrow webs towards the roots, fine
violet, and pale blueish-green towards the tips, and the same
all over the broad webs; the two middle feathers uniform
olive-brown ; the rest, with the exception of the outer ones,
have a large blue spot, and the outer feathers are tipped
with black ; they are also larger and more pointed than the
rest. The under part of the tail is dark-blue, and very pale
blueish-green towards the tip, with a black spot on each
side, which spots form the tips of the outer feathers.

Very old females resemble the males so much that they
can hardly be distinguished.

The colour of the young females is invariably duller; the
under parts are paler, and more inclining to green; the
brown on the back is paler and greyer, the violet colour
more dirty, and the blue under the wings is less dazzling ;
the tips of the quill-feathers are also more rusty-black,
edged with dirty-whitish-green, and the tail-feathers of
equal length.

The plumage of these birds does not obtain its full bril-
lianey before the third or fourth year in a wild state.

ROLLER. love

The young birds, after the first moult, are feathered as
follows: the eye is brownish-grey, the beak brown, black
towards the tip, and yellow on the corners of the gape ;
the legs pale yellow. The head, neck, breast, and belly,
are dirty brownish-grey, with paler tips to the feathers, which
reflect a weak olive-brown colour; the vent is whitish, tinged
with bluish green. ‘The back, shoulders, the hinder quills,
and the greater part of the hinder wing-coverts, rusty yellow-
ish-grey, in certain lights, tinged with olive and pale brown
edges to the feathers. On the bend of the wing there is
hardly any violet to be observed; the larger wing-coverts
dirty bluish-green, as also the roots of the secondary quills,
their extremities violet-black, with narrow dirty-white tips
and edges. This latter extends to the quills of the first
order, of which the first has a streak of bluish-green on the
outer sides ; the second has a brown streak towards the root,
and the last has the root bluish-green, which colour extends
over the wing-coverts. The somewhat irregular shaped tail
is of an olive greyish brown, with a bluish-green reflection
on the outer side. ‘The under parts of wings and tail as in
the adult, but less brilliant.

In the nest feathering these birds are very dull coloured ;
the head, neck, lower part of the back, and the whole of
the under parts, are tinged with a dirty pale greyish-green ;
the upper part of the back and shoulders greyish brown, with
an overpowering tinge of dirty green; wings and tail as in
the last described ; the iris grey, the legs pale brownish-
yellow.

Their moult takes place in the warmer countries towards
autumn, as they are most brilliant in the spring when they
return to Kurope.

The name of Garrules is very properly bestowed upon
these birds, as they make a continued chattering which most
resembles that of the magpie. heir call is harsh and shmill,

158 MEROPID.

sounding like rakker, rakker ! which is repeated in quick
succession, and when they are at high words together, they
utter with it another note, something like wrah, wrah! a
plaintive call of crea! is their call note. During the time
of incubation, the male mounts to some height in the air,
provided the weather is fine, and repeats his varied calls ;
he then throws himself quickly down, tumbling over and
over, and resumes his station on a dead branch.

Mature birds, when taken, never become tame, or long
outlive their freedom; but if taken from the nest, they
may be brought up, provided they can be supplied continu-
ally with fresh liver, which is found to be the most di-
gestible food for them. They may be brought up also
upon insects, worms, small minced meat, &c., and they
soon learn to feed themselves, and, by degrees, will live
on lark’s food. ‘They become accustomed to their keeper,
but to strangers they remain wild and shy.

The food of the Roller consists of insects, such as beetles, -

grasshoppers, &c., also the larvee of insects, worms, and small
frogs. These birds eject the hard wing-coverts and legs of
beetles and other insects, in the same manner as the birds
of prey. ‘They are said never to drink.

The egg No. 31 belongs to the Roller.

ra)

BEE-EATER. 159

INSESSORES,
FISSTROSTRES. MEROPIDLL.

PLATE XXIII.
BEE-EATER.

Merors AptasTeR. (Lenn.)

Tue Bee-EATER has, in several instances, been taken in this
country, according to the testimony of several authors, but
it appears only during its migration as an occasional visitor
from the warmer climates of the old world, where this species
chiefly resides. Whenever one of these birds has been ob-
tained in England, it has been observed to be in company
with others of its species, and such little flocks have possibly
been driven out of their course by contrary winds, or have
deviated from it in pursuit of a swarm of insects, which,
like a will-o’-the-whisp, has led them astray. As these birds
associate in society, like the swallow tribe, and take their
food upon the wing, our supposition of the manner in which
they stray to this country is more than probable. England
appears to be their most northern limit, and cannot be con-
sidered as of a suitable temperature for them, since the
climate cannot possibly be mistaken for a warm one.

The beauty of the feathering of this bird must be acknow-
ledged to surpass all others in the list of British birds. The
colours of the mature bird are vivid and rich, and disposed
as follows :—the forehead is white, beyond which is a band
of emerald green, extending from eye to eye. A black band

160 MEROPID.

runs from the beak, through the eye, to the back of the ear-
coverts, and from thence it continues in the form of a gorget
round the lower part of the throat, where it divides the
golden yellow that covers the throat, cheeks, and swallow,
from the emerald green of the breast. The top of the head
and nape are of a rich chesnut-brown, extending over the
wing-coverts, and half way down the back, but in a lighter
tint.

The lower part of the back is golden-yellow, the upper
tail-coverts are blueish-green, tinged with a gold cast, the
lesser wing-coverts are olive-green, the larger rufous, or
cinamon-coloured, here and there tinged with green; the
secondary quill-feathers are cimnamon-brown, with black tips ;
the primary quill-feathers are greenish-blue, with black tips,
and brown edges on the inner webs; the shafts of all the
quills are black and strong; the edge, or carpus-feathers,
of the wing, and the small under-coverts, pale rufous. The
tail-feathers are blueish-green, tinged with yellow, the long
tips of the two middle feathers and shafts are black; on
the under surface the tail is pale grey, the shaft whitish.
The iris is carmine-red, and the legs and feet are pale red-
dish-brown ; the claws are dusky.

The young males are more dull in colour, the chesnut-tint
paler; the black band about the throat greenish, and the
middle tail-feathers extend but little beyond the rest; the
iris is rose-red.

The adult females have the colours more intermixed and
confused, they are duller in tint, and the central tail-feathers
are two lines shorter than in the male.

The full grown Bee-eater measures, from the tip of the
beak to the extremity of the middle tail-feathers, ten inches
and a half, and the expanse is above eighteen inches; the
length of the wing, from the carpal joint to the tip, is full

BEE-EATER. 161

six inches, and the wings, when closed, reach to within one
fourth of its length. The quill-feathers are very narrow and
pointed, and have very strong and stiff shafts; the first quill-
feather is exceedingly small, the second is the longest in the
wing.

The tail feathers are twelve in number, and of equal length,
except the two central ones, which extend in adult birds one
inch beyond the rest. The beak is very hard in texture,
an inch and a half in length, and perfectly black; it is five
lines in height at the base, and five and a half lines wide;
it is gently curved, sharp-pointed, and rather compressed ;
the upper mandible has a strong blunt ridge, and is a trifle
larger than the under-one, the edges of both very little in-
dented and fitting very close ; the inside is also black, and
strengthened with three ridges extending from the base to
the tip. Nostrils, which are small, are placed close to the
forehead; they are round, and partly covered with stiff bristling
feathers; behind the eye is a small naked brown patch.
The legs and feet are very short, and naked for nearly half
an inch below the knee; they are finely scaled behind, and
very strongly in front. The upper surface of the toes is
scutellated. ‘The small hind toe is very broad at the sole,
the three front toes are connected together, in the manner
of the kingfishers; the tarsus measures from six to seven
limes, the middle toe ten lines, including the claw, which
is four lines, the outer eight and a half, and the hinder
SIX.

The localities most frequented by the Bee-eater are the
precipitous banks of rivers among which they breed ; they also
resort to vineyards and valleys that are full of flowering plants,
as in such places their favourite food abounds. In the warm
parts of Asia and Africa these birds are very common, and
are to be seen skimming about in thousands. Many parts

162 MEROPIDE.

of Kurope are also frequented by them, although not in so
great abundance. They are found in France, Switzerland,
and Germany in small numbers; in Italy, Sicily, and Spain
they are more frequent, and also in Turkey and the Grecian
Archipelago. These countries are their summer residence,
and in winter they retire further to the south, and seek refuge
in the warmer climates of Africa.

The Bee-eater is entirely insectivorous ; its food consists
of the bee and wasp tribes, of beetles, grasshoppers, gnats,
&e. In Italy these birds are esteemed good eating, and
are caught and sold in the markets as an article of
food.

The rarity of the Bee-eater in this country renders it but
little known, except as a cabinet specimen, but even in this
state the beauty of its plumage is very considerable, how
much more splendid must be its appearance in a natural
state, when the rays of the sun shine upon its brilliant
plumage? Where they are indigenous, these beautiful birds
are to be seen flying about the whole day as numerous as the
swallows in our own country, pursuing the chase for food,
which they also, in common with their tribe, take upon the
wing. In their manner of breeding, these birds resemble
the sand-martins, and for this purpose choose similar situa-
tions, namely, sandy banks by the river side. They asso-
ciate together in great numbers at this season, and form
their excavations so close together in the bank chosen for
this purpose, that it has the appearance of a honey-comb.
These perforations are effected by means of their arched
beaks and hand-like feet, with which they scoop out circu-
lar passages, from three to six feet in depth, of sufficient
size to admit their body, along which their short legs enable
them to run with facility. At the end of this passage, a
larger excavation is made, somewhat resembling an oven.
In this dormitory, a slight nest is arranged of moss and other

BEE-EATER. 163

soft materials, on which, in the month of May, the female
deposits five or six white eggs.

Their note, which they utter on the wing, is loud, and
sounds like the syllables grillgririririll ! and also sistcrewee !
according to the testimony of an old and learned author.

4 FP
Ge hater iad!

ve ay

SWALLOW. 165

INSESSORES.
FISSIROSTRES. HIRUNDINID ££.

PLATE XXXIII.
SWALLOW.

Hirunpo rustica. (Linn.)

Barzy in April, if the weather is warm, and the wind
favourable, a few swallows begin to make their appearance,
the precursors of the multitudes that annually repair to these
shores from their winter sojourn in warmer latitudes.

The first appearance of these interesting birds is always
hailed with pleasure by all who love the pleasant sounds and
sights of nature, for they bring with them thoughts of
summer.

Although arriving in large flights upon our coasts, they
afterwards disperse and penetrate by degrees further into
the country ; a few alone at first are seen among us, coursing
in their never-ending chase for food; by degrees their num-
bers thicken, until the air is again peopled by this interest-
ing race.

The Swallow always makes friends among us; its useful
and harmless life and social habits attract our notice, and
its familiar approaches to our dwellings make it looked upon
as half domesticated ; it lives among us, yet independent,
requiring of us nothing but quiet possession of its accustomed
nook or chimney. The Swallow is almost as much respected
and cherished as the redbreast himself, and shares, with that
favoured bird, exemption even from the persecution of village

166 HIRUNDINIDE.

boys, who, apt enough to throw the ready stone at every
other of the feathered tribe, pause and desist in favour of
the Swallow. This favourable prejudice is also in some
degree extended to the house-martin ; we remember to have
had some difficulty in obtaining specimens of the eggs of
this latter species in consequence of the prevailing opinion
that it was ill-luck to take them.

About a month after their arrival in this country, Swallows
may be seen gathering from the edges of pools and streams
the materials of which to form their nests. These consist
of little clods of loamy earth, with which their cup-shaped
nest is constructed, intermixed with straws or grasses, and
warinly lined with feathers. The situation chosen for the
nest varies greatly ; with us it is most commonly placed in
a chimney, a little way down the shaft, as the warmth of
such a locality is agreeable to them. Sometimes it is con-
structed in a cleft of a rock, or beneath the arch of a bridge,
or in any similar situation of equal shelter and convenience.
Four or five is the usual number of their eggs; they are white,
speckled with dark-brown, grey, and rufous, mostly resem-
bling the one represented in our plate (fig. 3). The young
birds, as soon as fledged, may be seen sitting in a row
upon the edge of their chimney, waiting to receive their
food from their parents. Even after they can fly this pa-
rental care is still continued, and the young are often seen
receiving food from the parent birds as they pass upon the
wing.

These indefatigable birds appear to take no rest, and to
require none, and probably remain the greater portion of our
summer days upon the wing, alighting only now and then
upon some elevated spot, such as a roof or chimney, and
almost instantly resuming their accustomed flight.

How much a summer-scene is enlivened by the swallow!
although he adds little to the vozce of nature, and therefore

SWALLOW. 167

gladdens our oral sense less than the unseen little warblers
that, hidden within the covert of a neighbouring bush, pour
out their liquid melody on the ear; yet these delight the
eye by their ever-glancing flight, passing and repassing us
with noiseless wing ; sometimes dipping their glossy wings
into the stream, or sweeping an insect from its surface, then,
shooting past us quicker than the eye can follow, they turn
and wheel as if delighting to evade our eager sight.

We always miss these active little birds, and feel, when
they have departed from us, an autumn scene is blank and
cold without them.

The rich and glossy colouring that distinguishes the Swal-
low from the cther species of British hzrundinida, is seldom to
be perceived unless the bird is taken in the hand, or the spec-
tator be so favourably placed upon a bridge or cliff that he
can look down upon it as it skims beneath him ; then, if the
sun shines upon its glossy plumage, the vivid violet reflec-
tions upon the feathers of the back and scapulars may be
plainly seen.

When the time for their annual autumnal migrations
arrives, these birds collect in large companies of many hun-
dreds, in anticipation of their approaching journey. We
have known them for many years to collect in this manner
on a particular house during several successive mornings,
twittering and chirping as if arranging their course, ascer-
taining their geographical position, or settling the particulars
of their journey; after a few days thus spent, they have
suddenly departed.

The house so long selected for the place of rendezvous
by the Swallows of this district, is situated on the southern
outskirts of the town, and about nine miles from the nearest
sea-coast, the coast of Suffolk. Whether these birds take
their flight direct-from this spot for their winter quarters in
warmer latitudes, or whether they pursue their tour by easy

168 HIRUNDINIDE.

journeys towards the southern coast, we have no means of
ascertaining ; but in all probability the former is the case,
as the great power of wing possessed by this species would
enable them, without fatigue, to reach beyond the limits of
the island long before the setting of the sun.

In their pursuit of insects the Swallow may frequently
be seen flying along the ceiling or roof of large buildings,
such as churches, &c.; or along walls and palings for the
purpose of rousing up any winged insects that may be at
rest upon them, which they are then able to capture. In
heavy weather, or previously to rain, when the air is chilled,
Swallows may be seen to abandon the upper strata of air,
and to fly near the ground, as at such times the insects that
constitute their food do not ascend; a continuance of wet
weather is also hurtful and sometimes fatal to them. At
such times they are compelled to resort, in search of food,
to the shelter afforded by avenues of trees or overhanging
cliffs, or they are seen to pursue their prey low along the
surface of the water, where it is sheltered from the inclemency
of the weather by the river’s bank.

The Chimney Swallow measures about eight inches and
three quarters in length, from the tip of the beak to the
extremity of the tail, and fourteen inches in width from
wing to wing. ‘The wing from the carpus to the tip is five
inches long, the larger quill-feathers are particularly strong,
and the shafts are powerful and arched, the secondaries are
very short with slanting tips. The tail is much forked, the
middle feathers measure one inch and seven-eighths, the
outer frame four inches and three quarters to five inches
in length ; the wings when at rest reach to about the middle
of the tail. The beak is small, three eighths of an inch
long, slightly curved at the tip, and pointed, and four lines
in breadth at the base, and one line and a half high; the
gape extends to beneath the eyes, and is more than half

SWALLOW. 169

an inch in width; the nostrils are small and oval-shaped. The
colour of the beak is black, the tongue and inside of the
mouth flesh-coloured, and the iris is dark chesnut. The
small slender legs and feet are entirely bare of feathers, their
upper surface covered with small scales, and the claws are
weak, thin, and pointed ; the legs are reddish grey, the claws
almost black, and the soles of the feet grey; the tarsus is
five and a half lines long, the middle toe and claw seven and
a half lines, and the hinder toe and claw five lines. The
forehead and throat are reddish-brown; the space between
the beak and eye and the region of the eyes are black. The
head, cheeks, and neck, as far as the breast, the back,
shoulders, and lesser wing coverts, are deep black, with blue
and violet reflections. ‘The wing and tail-feathers black, with
bronze reflections and pale brown edges, particularly towards
the tips of the feathers. The middle tail-feathers are en-
tirely black, the others have a round white spot on their
inner web towards the tips; these spots increase in length as
they approach the outer feathers, and form a bar of white
when the tail is spread out, but when closed they are not
perceptible. The breast, belly, and all the under parts to
the tail are white, more or less tinged with rufous, which
colour is strongest on the under wing-coverts, and terminates
on the edge of the wing in a border of black, brown, and
white. The wing and tail-feathers are dull black on the
under surface; the white spots on the tail-feathers shine
through and appear like a band or chain of spots. All the
feathers of the back which reflect the blue tint are black
only on their tips and white towards the root, and it is in
consequence of this that the bird seems to have white spots
all over its body when the feathers are ruffled or displaced.
There is very little difference in the plumage between the
male and female ; but, when compared together, the female
appears the smallest on account of her shorter tail-feathers,

VOL. I. N

170 HIRUNDINID#.

the red-brown on the forehead does not extend so far, the
black about the front of the neck is not so broad, and the
rufous on the under parts much lighter.

On the return of the Swallows to us, in the spring of the
year, the feathering is quite perfect, in consequence of their
having moulted in warmer climates during the months of
January and February.

The young birds, which are sparingly covered with a grey
down in the nest, soon obtain the feathering of the adult,
but they are entirely without the reflected colours, and the
feathers lie less close. ‘The upper parts are dull black with
bronze-green reflections ; the red-brown on the forehead and
throat are much paler and dirty-coloured. The outer tail-
feathers are considerably shorter and frequently differ as
much as an inch anda half: the corners of the mouth are
dull yellow, the iris brown, the legs reddish black, the soles
of the feet grey.

The lower figure in our plate represents the adult bird,
the upper figure the young.

Some remarkable varieties have been found of the Swallow,
such as pied black and white ; perfectly white, which are the
most rare: yellow or dirty white, which have an indication
of red brown on the head and chin; a silver grey one has
been seen, with the same red on the head and throat ; and
cream-coloured varieties have also been met with.

Sry ice

MARTIN. gc

INSESSORES.
FISSTROSTRES. HIRUNDINIDZE,

PLATE XXXIV.
MARTIN.
Hrrunpo urpica. (Linn.)

Tue principal distinguishing marks of this bird are as
follow: —the whole of the upper parts are glossy black
beneath, and on the rump perfectly white; the legs and
toes feathered all the way down, and white. These parti-
culars are sufficient at the most hurried glance to decide
its proper name.

The Martin is smaller than the swallow, owing, in a great
measure, to its shorter tail; its head is bigger than that
of the former. In length, this bird measures five inches,
and twelve inches in expanse ; the length of the outer feathers
of the tail is two inches and five-eighths, the middle feathers
do not exceed one inch and three quarters. The wings,
when at rest, reach almost to the extremity of the tail,
and measure, from carpus to tip, four inches seven lines.
The beak is three lines from the forehead to the tip, and
broader at the base than long, one line and a half in height,
blunt at the tip, and a little arched on the upper mandible ;
black inside and out, with the exception of the wide swallow,
which is pale yellowish-red at the back; the nostrils are
small and round, and are placed very near the base; the
iris is dark-brown. The legs are short and weak, flesh-
coloured, and covered with small white feathers, as well

N 2

172 HIRUNDINIDE.

as the upper surface of the toes; the soles of the feet are
also flesh-coloured, the claws have dusky tips, are long and
very sharp, but not much hooked. The tarsi measure five
lines and a half, the middle toe, including the claw, seven
lines, and the hinder toe and claw, four lines and a half;
the outer and middle toes are connected up to the first joint.

The hollow regions of the eyes, and the space between
them and the beak, are velvet black; the top of the head,
nape, back, shoulders, and the upper tail-coverts are deep
black, with steel blue reflections. ‘The wings and tail dull-
black, with bronze-green-coloured reflections on the smaller
feathers, and the three latter short quill-feathers have gene-
rally a narrow white edge near the tip; the edge of the
wing is dusky and white, scolloped or scaled, the under
wing-coverts brownish-grey, or pale-grey. The rump and
all the under parts are white, although some few specimens
have grey shafts to the under tail-coverts, or two black
spots on the tips of the feathers. ‘The under parts of the
wings and tail are glossy blackish-grey, and the shafts of
the larger feathers greyish-white.

There is hardly any difference in the outward appearance
of the sexes; in some instances the male is a little larger
than the female, his feathers are more glossy on the upper
parts, and the white on all the under parts is more pure ;
but these differences are so very little that the question
cannot be decided but by dissection.

The young Martins of the first summer much resemble
the adult birds, but the upper feathering is paler, the gloss
on the head is wanting, the tertials are distinctly bordered
with white, the chin and throat, the rump and under parts
are also frequently tinged with red, or spotted with grey;
the lower part of the beak is dirty flesh-coloured, the corners
of the mouth and eyelids, yellow, and the feet are very
thinly feathered with down.

MARTIN. 173

The young male and female are perfectly alike.

Varieties of this species are not uncommon ; the white
are the most beautiful, with red or amber-coloured iris ;
some are pied, with white wings and tail, or white heads.
The variety in which all the black is dirty or brownish white,
and the remainder, as usual, pure white, is very hand-
some, but must not be mistaken for the bird of the same
name (H. U, pallida) of Latham and Bechstein, which
differs in many respects.

The Martin is distributed over all the countries inhabited
by the swallow, and goes further north even than that species.
During the summer this bird frequents our country, arriving
as soon as the spring is sufficiently advanced, towards the end
of April or beginning of May, and generally after the swal-
lows have made their appearance. A few forerunners are,
by chance, seen earlier, but the great flocks do not generally
come before the month of May. Their departure com-
mences usually in September, and takes place a few days
before that of the swallows; they fly, it is said, by night,
and travel in flocks at a great height. ‘These birds are re-
marked to congregate in large numbers together some days
before they take their departure ; and, after settling on some
raised object early in the morning, and basking in the sun,
they start off repeatedly as if by a given signal, and return
again and again with great clamouring ; it almost seems as
if they practise their mode of travelling, and train them-
selves for their journey. During these manceuvres, they
mount quickly to a great height, and the same minute de-
scend again with such velocity that the noise occasioned
by their wings may be heard very plainly. It has been said
that Martins prefer towns to country places, but we cannot
agree in that supposition, as there must be more insects in
the sweet air of the country than in smoky towns.

The flight of the Martin is not so quick as that of the

L74 HIRUNDINID&.

swallow. When a bird of prey approaches the swallows
and Martins flock together, but, as soon as the danger is
past, the species separate again.

During the breeding time Martins frequently quarrel,
and the victor either drives his antagonist out of the nest,
for the possession of which the dispute has arisen, or he
pulls him out of it by the head, in which act they mostly
fall together to the ground.

Martins are seldom seen te perch upon the ground, the
construction of their feet is more adapted for holding fast,
or when in a vertical position, in constructing their nests, &c.

The call-notes of the Martins are various, but hardly
possible to be described in words or letters; skirr, sreeb, stre,
&e. are among them: the young birds call the word brid
while in the nest but very faintly, and the song with which
the male bird tries to amuse his wife while in the nest is a
never-ending chattering, by no means pleasing. The social
disposition of the Martin is very remarkable; they seem to
entertain no fear for man: in proof of which the following
fact was communicated to us by a friend. A pair of Martins
chose for their breeding-place a sheltered corner in a pro-
jecting window shade, such as are seen in Venetian pictures ;
here their plastered nest was built, and their young, four
in number, reared, regardless of any interruption from the
inhabitants of the room, although they were within the reach
of them, and constantly within their sight. The young
birds, when strong enough to leave the nest, sat upon
the bar within the frame until tempted by the parent birds
to fly. In the course of the autumn the shade or frame,
being a moveable one, was taken down as usual, and carefully
laid away, in order that the nest might be preserved. On the
following spring the shade, still containing the nest, was re-
placed above the window, in the hope that the Martins might

return and resume possession of it. They did return, and

MARTIN. Las,

paid it several visits, but, for reasons known only to them-
selves, they finally abandoned it.

We have often observed that Martins appear very whim-
sical in their choice of a nesting-place, beginning and aban-
doning sometimes many nests before a site is determined
upon. This occurred on our own house during the past
summer: many nests were commenced, and the little builders
were seen from time to time bringing materials gathered from
the borders of the Thames, plastering a layer with their little
beaks, which they use in the manner of a builder’s trowel ;
many were thus commenced, but not one carried to its com-
pletion, and all were at last forsaken. They had met with no
molestation, as, on the contrary, we were anxious to protect
them, and we could only conclude that the situation being
much exposed both to sun and wind, the materials had dried
too quickly to insure their tenacity : some fragments that fell
from them on the window frame seemed to favour that
opinion, as they crumbled to the touch; these fragments
contained angular pieces of flint, but did not appear to
have been cemented together by a saliva, as is usually sup-
posed.

The size of the nest of the Martin is about six inches
in diameter from side to side in the interior; the thickness
of the wall of the construction is about half an inch on the
sides, and about an inch at the bottom; the inner surface
is smooth, but the outside knotted in consequence of
the rough lumps of clay retaining their original form: the
only lining these nurseries obtain is a few feathers to cover
the bottom. The nest, when ready, not only serves the
pair for the bed-room, but the birds continue to inhabit it
during the whole breeding season. The female sits twelve
or thirteen days upon her eggs, which are from four to
six in number. During that time the male supplies her

176 HIRUNDINID&.

with food, except in wet weather, when the scarcity of the
supply drives her out also for her own preservation. While
the young birds are small, the parents both continue to pass
the night in the nest.

The egg No. 34, belongs to this species.

is
nism a\ tel
ON
bis eS BMS

te

.
te,
ae
x
cs

SAND-MARTIN. Lis

INSESSORES.
FISSIROSTRES. TURUNDINID.

PLATE XXXV.
SAND-MARTIN.

Hirunpo riparia. (Linn.)

Tue Sanp-Marrtin is the smallest of the species that visit
our country. Its entire length is from five and a quarter
to five and a half inches, and its expanse twelve inches.
Its wing measures four inches and a half in length; its
first primary quill-feathers are rounded, and the succeeding
ones pointed towards their extremities, the secondaries are
notched, the tertials rounded. The tail is two inches one
eighth in length, and the fork is half an inch in depth:
the wings, when closed, reach beyond the extremity of the tail.

The beak is small, short, weak, and broad at the base,
like the rest of its family, three lines in length and the
same in width across the forehead, and one line in height ;
the nostrils are very small, the iris very dark chesnut, the
beak black. The naked feet are small and tender, the
claws middling in size, finely arched, extremely pointed,
grooved beneath, and close above the hinder toe is a bunch
of short and stiff grey feathers. The legs and feet are
broadly scaled, their colour is a reddish-black, varying to
yellowish-grey on the tarsi. The tarsus measures five lines,
the middle toe six lines, including the claw, which is two
and a half lines, the hinder toe five lines, of which the claw
occupies one half.

178 HIRUNDINIDE.

The feathering of the Sand-Martin is dull and incon-
spicuous, the upper parts being mouse-colour, the wings and
tail darker, the under parts snow white.

The more particular distribution of the colours is as
follows:—the top of the head, back, shoulders, rump,
temples, cheeks, sides of the breast and thighs, mouse-co-
loured; the sides of the throat the darkest, the forehead
and rump the palest, the feathers of the first frequently
with white edges; the throat, swallow, a patch on the
sides of the neck, the breast, belly, and under tail-coverts
pure white; on the chest, a pale grey band, and close be-
neath, a few grey spots; the feathers of the wings and tail
are darker than the rest; the under parts of the wing deep
mouse-colour ; the wing and tail-feathers beneath are lighter
than on the upper parts, and the shafts of the feathers
are white.

The male and female are exactly alike in colouring,
the female somewhat smaller. As these birds also moult
during their absence from us in warmer climates, their
plumage is the most perfect on their return here in the
spring, and the whole of the feathering has the appear-
ance of silk. During the summer the gloss becomes worn
off, as well as the white edges of the feathers, and the
general colour is paler and less pure.

The young Sand-Martins of the year, when they depart
from us, differ in many respects from the adult; the grey
is somewhat darker, approaching to dusky; on the head,
back, and wing-coverts, the feathers are edged with dull
rust-yellow, which is not unfrequently divided from the
ground colour by a darker band; the tertials have the same
borderings but broader ; the throat is dashed with brown and
rufous, very frequently spotted with grey. The legs are
paler than in the adult, and without the little tufts above
the hind toes. Varieties are seldom met with among the
Sand-Martins, although they have occurred.

SAND-MARTIN. 179

The Sand-Martin seems to frequent every country where
the swallow and house-martin are known, and is also to
be met with in North America: to give particular locali-
ties would, therefore, be an unnecessary repetition. They
are delicate birds, and visit us only in the middle of summer,
arriving in May, and departing in August or September.
They are particularly attached to the neighbourhood of
water, and are more partial to it than the foregoing, al-
though we can mention several places where the Sand-
Martin abounds where there is very little water. Sand-
banks are their most frequented haunts, whether by the
waterside or by the roadside.

The food of the Sand-Martin consists in flying insects
of different sorts, chiefly such as undergo their changes
in the water or in swampy places. Ephemera, gnats and
their larvee seem to be their chief food, and it appears
to be in pursuit of the latter that they are seen, not
unfrequently, to dip their heads into the water. They may
be seen flying incessantly about for food, and, on account
of their quick digestion, amply fulfil their duty of de-
stroying the surplus of the smaller flying insects.

The places chosen by the Sand-Martins for breeding are
the banks of rivers, cliffs by the road-side, sand-pits, &c.,
and they generally dig holes in the sand not far apart
from each other, and may be said to belong to the sociable
class of birds. When they have chosen the spot for the
purpose above-named, they begin to excavate their holes
in a horizontal direction, but sloping a little upwards, as
they proceed; the opening is from two to two inches and
a half wide, but becomes more roomy at the further end,
for the accommodation of the nest and young family, and
we have known some to be excavated nearly four feet deep
into the bank.

How these little birds can possibly perform such hard

180 HIRURDINIDE.

labour in the short space of two or three days is most
wonderful, and, considering their small beaks and tender
feet, it can hardly be thought possible.

The nest is composed of hay and wool, feathers, &c.,
and is very warm and soft; the female deposits from five
to six eggs, and hatches them after twelve or thirteen days’
incubation ; these eggs are extremely thin in the shell, trans-
parent and tender; in fact, the least touch is sufficient to
break them, and the yolk can plainly be scen through
the shell. Both parents provide for their young until they
can follow them in their vocation, which is very early ac-
complished, namely, in about fourteen days, but at night
the whole family return home and sleep together.

In the month of August they begin their departure, and
may be seen frequenting the water side in large numbers.
These birds have only one brood in the summer, in which
they differ from the preceding species, and they return
occasionally to the same hole to breed ; or, should the cliff
in which it was formed have fallen away, they select another

place as near to it as possible.

eaten

SWIFT. 1sl

INSESSORES.
FISSTROSTRES. HIRUNDINIDA.

PLATE XXXVI.
SWIFT.

CypseLus murarivus. (Mthi.)

THe Swirt inhabits the greater part of Europe, from north
to south, Asia, Africa as far as the Cape, and is not un-
common in North America. The most northern latitudes
are not frequented by this bird. With us it is a summer
visitant, arriving in May and departing in August. In
performing their migrations their flight is generally very
high, and they travel in companies; they arrive as it were
al in one night for their summer sojourn, and depart as
suddenly in autumn; but a careful observer may detect their
restless behaviour some days before they depart, and their
chattering may also be heard louder when going to roost.
During the winter the Swifts reside in very warm climates,
but never in a hiding-place in Britain or the like unfriendly
atmosphere, nor remain in any part of Kurope.

The favourite haunts of the Swifts are towns, where there
are lofty buildings, old fortresses or castles, church-steeples,
&c. ; and where such buildings or lofty trees do not exist, the
number of Swifts is comparatively limited. or instance, in
the unmediate neighbourhood of Windsor Castle and Hampton
Court Palace these birds abound to a-much greater degree
than in many other parts of the river Thames. Swifts pur-

sue their insect food very frequently for hours over the

182 HIRUNDINID£.

surface of the water even after dark When satisfied, they
return to their hiding-places in a hole in a rock or tree, or
in the brickwork of an elevated building. Early in the morn-
ing they are again on the wing in pursuit of their daily
food. ‘The character of this bird is very restless, wild,
and quarrelsome, as may be heard at night by their con-
tinual disputes in the air. At the breeding season also they
always contest for the nest or hole, attack each other furi-
ously, and sometimes fall together to the ground. These
birds are, at the same time, hardly ever found nestling in
a solitary place, but always, where others of its species breed,
in neighbouring holes.

The power of flight in this species is very considerable,
and greatly exceeds that of the swallow. They are all day
incessantly on the wing, and fly at a wonderful speed ; their
appearance is very conspicuous, in consequence of their broad
heads, long hinder parts, and wonderfully long and pointed
wings, which almost form a semicircle when expanded. Their
flight is also very beautiful, as they seem to sail on the air,
with hardly any flapping of the wings, and thus wheeling
in large circles, mounting higher and higher, so as to become
lost to the eye. When they fly low, they flap their wings
in quick succession, and with vibrating motion. It is hardly
credible that after so much and continued exertion, so little
sleep or rest can suffice the Swift, as it actually enjoys,
but it is nevertheless the fact.

Strong as the Swifts seem in point of exertion, they are
unable to endure cold or wet weather, which, if it lasts for
some days, soon after the arrival of these birds, they become
weak, and actually fall to the ground and die.

Its legs are neither fit for perching nor walking; the first
is consequently reduced to an uncomfortable leaning, and
the second a miserable crawl, which he only exhibits in his
high and lofty lodgings; but for the purpose of hang-

SWIFT. 183

ing or clambering on perpendicular rocks or walls, &c., his
short feet and four front or forward directed toes and hooked
nails are exquisitely adapted ; they enable him not only to
remain in such a position for a length of time but even
to sleep thus.

The call-note of the Swift is of two syllables, which can
better be imagined than described, when we compare it with
the filing or sharpening of a saw.

In consequence of the impossibility of this bird ever being
able to enjoy a perch in a cage, it is very unlikely to become
long an inhabitant of one. 5

The food of the Swift consists in all sorts of flies, beetles,
butterflies, &c. &c., which he takes on the wing, and of which
he consumes great numbers.

The undigested remains of the food which he swallows,
are ejected by him in long pellets.

The breeding-places chosen by the Swifts are, as aforesaid,
holes in lofty buildings, trees, rocks, &c., and these are
furnished by both the male and female with straw, hay,
threads, rags, dead leaves, feathers, &c., which the wind
carries in the air, and which have been caught by them
and carried to their home; these different materials are
placed together and glued as it were with their sticky saliva,
giving them an appearance as if snails had crawled over them,
and covered them with their slime. It is hardly correct to
give this irregular heap the name of a nest, as tle surface
is scarcely large enough to prevent the eggs from rolling
off, and the young cannot find in it any warmth or softness.
The female deposits two or three eggs, of the form and
colour represented in our plate, No. 36, on which she sits
for sixteen or seventeen days, during which time the male
supplies her with food. The young remain long in the
nest until quite fledged, and able to provide for themselves.

These birds often appear highly excited, probably before

184 HIRUNDINIDE.

some atmospheric change, and, at such times, fly about with
tumultuous and passionate eagerness, repeating their pecu-
liar note. It appears probable that all the swallow tribe
pair for life, as we may judge by their returning annually
to the nest of former years, but the Swifts seem peculiarly
attached to one another and are constantly seen to fly
in couples. They are very irregular im their appearance,
being some years seen in considerable numbers, and
again become so scarce in the same locality, that hardly
two pairs are seen together on the wing. More or less fa-
vourable seasons are probably the cause of these variations,
especially, as before said, considering their great susceptibility
of every atmospheric change. ‘The entire length of the
Swift is eight inches six lines, the wing from the carpus
to the tip eight inches; the. expanse from wing to wing,
fifteen. The beak, from the tip to the gape, seven-eighths
of an inch, and six-eighths from corner to corner of the
mouth. Feet of four toes, all directed forward, the in-
nermost, which is the smallest, reversible ; the claws ivory-
black, strong, and very sharp, the two middle ones three
lines and a quarter in length. Tarsi very strong, seven
lines in length, feathered on the upper surface, bare
beneath, with a whitish-mealy skin; toes covered with a
blackish skin, and two or three soft scales near the claws.
The second quill-feather the largest, the first a little longer
than the third; the chin pearl-white, marked down the
centre of the feathers with dusky; the rest of the upper
and under plumage, including the tail and tail-coverts sooty-
brown, with brilliant reflections of pale yellow, green, and
purple ; wings and wing-coverts sepia, tinged with purple ;
tail forked.

ne ta
Vie)

os

ALPINE SWIFT. 185

INSESSORES.
FISSTROSTRES. HIRUNDINID Ai.

PLATE XXXVILI.

ALPINE SWIFT.
Cypsetus ALPINUS.

We have the authority of naturalists of the present day
to include the Alpine Swift among British birds, as it has
been met with in three or four instances in this country ;
and our drawing, although not made from a British killed
specimen, is the representation of a very handsome bird that
was obligingly lent to us for the use of our work.

The winter retreat of the Alpine Swift is in the warmer
climates of the globe, particularly Africa ; during summer
it visits the south of Europe, frequenting chiefly elevated
parts, such as the rock of Gibraltar, the island of Malta, and
some spots on the coast of the Mediterranean; inland, the
southern Alps are its chief haunts during that period.
Switzerland, Savoy, and the Tyrol, are, it seems, the most
northern parts of Europe in which these birds are found
in numbers, although a few penetrate still further. Under
what circumstances the Alpine Swift has found its way to
our shores, where it can only be looked upon as a very
rare straggler, it is not difficult to imagine ; probably a con-
tinuance of unusually warm weather has induced them to
follow, as we have suggested in a former instance, a swarm
of insects that were carried by some current of air before
them.

VOL, I. o

186 HIRUNDINID £.

The food of the Alpine Swift consists of insects which
enliven the higher strata of our atmosphere, and which they
take upon the wing as long as daylight lasts; as evening
draws in they take a lower flight, in order to feed upon
beetles, moths, and other night-flying insects. Their long
and powerful wings not only help to sustain these birds with
the greatest ease in the air, but their peculiar construction
enables them to cut, as it were, through the currents of air
which they must most naturally meet with during their
flights, particularly among the chasms of rocks where the
gales are of the most formidable description.

When the atmosphere is moist and cold, and there are
no insects in the upper air sufficient for the support of these
birds, they may, under such circumstances, be seen skim-
ming in hurried flight over swamps, lakes, and ponds. Their
flight is exceedingly quick and boisterous, and in their nature
they are restless and turbulent, and very unsociable, except
with their own families. It is very remarkable, that al-
though these creatures are all day on the wing, their untiring
energy should enable them to keep up their gambols until
late at night, when they may be heard quarrelling together,
and rushing through the valleys and along the streets of
towns in pursuit of one another, for hours after it is dark ;
yet so little rest appears to suffice these birds, that among
the earliest risers this Swift is usually the first. It seems
as if the construction of the Swift is such as to enable it
to float on the air in the same manner as the fish supports
itself in the water.

The Alpine Swifts are seldom seen to alight upon the
ground, and when they do so, the construction of their legs
and feet not being adapted for walking and perching, they
shuffle along and look very awkward, and the great length
of their wings renders it very difficult for them to rise again.
But when desiring to retain themselves in a hanging position,

ALPINE SWIFT. 187

against a wall or perpendicular rock, they exhibit great faci-
lity in preserving their equilibrium. By means of their
strong claws, they cling firmly on; and their tails serve them
as a rudder or a rest, wherewith they balance themselves so as
to be enabled to move the upper part of their body in any
direction they may require. The position of the bird repre-
sented in our plate has been chosen for the purpose of eluci-
dation.

In constructing their nests the Alpine Swifts make use of
their power of clinging in the manner described, in order to
place their nests in situations inaccessible to interruption. They
choose for their breeding-places. cracks and fissures in rocks,
and holes in walls of lofty construction ; and soon after their
arrival in Europe either resort to an old habitation of their
own, or select a new one, and begin to prepare the nest,
which is composed of dried grass, straw, dead leaves, wool,
and feathers, all heaped on one another without order or
arrangement ; and the whole is said to be glued together
by means of saliva from the bird’s mouth, which dries very
fast, and gives it the appearance of having been varnished.

Towards the end of May, the female lays two or three
singularly-shaped eggs, much resembling those of the Common
Swift, but larger, which are hatched after fourteen days
incubation. ‘The young, when able to fly, follow the parent
birds, but continue for some time to receive food from them
on the wing Towards the end of August, young and old
take their departure together, and disappear generally all
in one night. Where these birds are plentiful they are
caught for the table, their flesh being considered very ex-
cellent.

Their call-note is skree, skree! and resembles that of
the Common Swift, but is more musical, and almost as strong
as the cry of the kestril.

The measurements of the Alpine Swift are as follows:

One

188 HIRUNDINIDE.

length, from the beak to the end of the tail, about eight
inches and a half; and from the beak to the extremity of
the wings ten inches. Wing, from the carpus to the tip,
eight inches and seven-eighths. The beak measures four
lines from the forehead to the tip, and full ten lines from
the tip to the gape.

The entire plumage of this bird is dusky, with exception
of the chin, throat, and belly ; the dusky band which crosses
the breast is rather deeper in colour than the rest of the
plumage, and the forehead and top of the head are tinged
with grey. The whole feathering of the bird is of a very
silky texture. The beak is black ; the iris dusky.

In this species, as in the Common Swift, the principal
length of the wing consists in the prolongation of the primary
quill-feathers, which, together with the extreme shortness of
the secondary and tertial feathers, gives that peculiarity of
appearance which enables the most superficial observer to
distinguish the Swift from all other birds when on the wing.

The outline head, fig. 37, is that of the Alpine Swift.

Figs. 36, represent the head of the Common Swift (c.
murarius) in two points of view, all are of the natural size.

un ny

Ne

Uc
eben

eae

7G whiter
pe eee

NIGHTJAR. 189

INSESSORES.
FISSIROSTRES. CAPRIMULGID 4.

PLATE XXXVIII.
NIGHTJAR.

CarrRimu.taus Europeus.

Among the collection of live specimens of British birds
that we have kept for the purpose of becoming more ac-
quainted with their peculiar habits, we have several times
attempted to rear this species with varied success: one pair
of these beautiful birds we brought up from the nest; we
kept them until they were full-grown, and in their full
feathermg; but when the cold weather set in, the kitchen
fireside and a covering of flannel were not enough for them
to thrive, the second and third frosty night putting an end
to their existence.

Raw meat chopped very fine was their food, but they
did not help themselves, and would not have lived so long
if we had not paid great attention to their regular meals
night and morning. During the whole day they sat or
rather lay in a corner of their cage like an inanimate thing,
although their splendid large eyes were wide open. The
nestlings were brought by a lad upon whose testimony we
could rely, who said they had been found on the ground
among long grass, moss, and fern. Besides having had these
birds alive in confinement, we had very frequently the plea-
sure of watching them in the open air in a wild state, in
the uninclosed part of Claremont, among the different sorts

190 CAPRIMULGID2.

of trees that grow in patches in that locality, consisting of
oak, birch, and fir trees, scattered over heathy ground. We
frequently went towards dusk in the months of June and
July to enjoy the sight of their gambols and the music
of their monotonous tune.

Their flight is more like that of a moth than of a bird,
noiseless, except when they betray themselves by beating
their wings together twice at a time and snapping with their
beaks ; the males have also a peculiar call-note, which they
utter when perched in a tree. This whizzing call, which
can only be described in the words arerrrrrr, errrrrr !
and which is kept up for several minutes at a time, is by
no means a guide by which their situation can be known,
as they are enabled to modulate it at pleasure, and the
nearer one comes to them, the further off the sound some-
times seems to be; they damp its utterance, by which
method they deceive an unaccustomed ear very easily. Im-
mediately before starting off from where they are perched,
they stop their note short, and a moment after are on
the wing, uttering the word deck, deck! apparently scared
away.

We were listening one evening to the various calls uttered
by these birds in a place replete with echoes, and were
agreeably surprised to hear these sounds repeated by them
at different distances; we imagined at first that the several
calls proceeded from as many different birds, until the perfect
regularity of the repetitions led us to detect the cause.

When in pursuit of their prey, which chiefly consists in
moths and other nocturnal insects, we have seen them fly
round and round a bush as a moth does round the flame
of a candle, or like the swallows in sweeping rounds
high and low, and falling over in the manner of tumbler

pigeons, or rolling in the air like a ship at sea, or a kite

NIGHTJAR. 191

in a changing wind. It is beautiful, indeed, to watch these
birds, and easy to approach them very nearly, as they seem
to take hardly any notice of an observer; and where they
have a brood, the pair will fly so close, that the wind pro-
duced by the movement of their wings may be plainly felt.

The noiseless flight of owls is generally attributed, not
only to the softness of their plumage, but to the serrated
edges of the outer quill-feathers ; the same observation may
apply to the Nightjar, whose feathers are equally soft, and
on being closely examined, show, on the first quill-feather,
the same property in a slight degree.

About the middle of May these birds are paired, and
without building a nest, the female deposits her two eggs,
like the one represented in our plate, No. 38, on the bare
ground by the side of an old stem or bush; heathy, dry,
sandy, and hilly ground, and spots covered with fern, are
the places the most likely to harbour the Nightjar.

Young birds, before they have any feathers about them,
are covered with dark grey down on the upper parts, and
pale on the under. Their first appearance is very extra-
ordinary.

The use this bird is of to the cultivator of the soil is very
considerable, in consequence of their destroying immense
numbers of insects of the larger kind, such as cockchafers
and large moths, the caterpillars of which are very injurious
to forest and fruit-trees. The Nightjar belongs also to
the dainties, provided one is able to take them about the
time that these birds are on the move for their winter
quarters ; they are as fat as the land-rail and quail at that
period.

The geographical range of the bird under present con-
sideration is very extensive, being found in Kurope, Asia,
and Africa. In Europe it is found as far north as Norway,

192 CAPRIMULGIDE.

during the transient summer of that climate, and is well
known in all the middle and southern parts; in Africa,
it is equally common, and in Asia as far as the Kast Indies.

The constitution of this bird is very delicate, being unable
to bear the cold or wet

The common specific name of Europzeus indicates that
it is the only one of its kind that is found in Europe, but
there are several species that resemble it much, differing,
however, very considerably in size and other respects, to
be found in other parts of the globe. The bird that visits
us during the summer months, retires to warmer climates
for the winter, and takes its departure towards the end of
September.

The entire length of the Nightjar is ten inches; from the
carpus to the end of the wing seven inches and a quarter ;
the tail measures five inches and a half; the beak, to the
feathers on the forehead, four lines, and to the gape an inch
and a quarter; the upper mandible has an emargination or
tooth on each side of the hooked tip. The nostrils are of
a peculiar construction, consisting in tubes, similar in appear-
ance to the nasal tubes of the petre] tribe; these, in the
Nightjar, are fleshy, and capable of expansion and contraction.
The vibrisse, or bristles that fringe the upper mandible, are
inserted deeply beneath the skin, and, being furnished with
strong muscles, are capable of being moved forwards or side-
ways, and are supposed to assist in the capture or retension
of their prey: these bristles are eight or nine in number,
very strong at the root, and drawn gradually to an extremely
fine point ; in substance, they resemble whalebone.

An outline of the skeleton head of this bird is subjoined,
to show the number and position of the vibrissee ; it is repre-
sented of the natural size (see fig. 38).

The legs and toes are small in proportion to the size of
the bird ; the tarsus measures nine lines, is feathered on the

NIGHTJAR. 193

_ front or upper side, and naked behind, showing the reticu-
Jated skin. The middle toe measures nine lines, and is
connected with the outer and inner ones by webs reaching
as far as the first joint; the outer and inner toes measure
five lines; the hinder, which is reversible, not more than
three. The nail of the middle toe, which is much longer
than the rest, is furnished on the inner edge with a beautiful
little comb, of the use of which various opinions have been
given; we incline to the supposition that it is applied to
the purpose of dressing the before-mentioned vibrisse, as
it appears from its structure more calculated for the service
of the toilet than as a means of capturing or retaining their
a

The plumage of the Nightjar is remarkably soft and
silky, but the shafts of all the feathers, especially those
of the wing and tail, are strong and firm. The tail, consist-
ing of ten feathers, is nearly even at the end, and the feathers
measure five and a half inches. The principal colours of
the plumage are ochre, orange, brown, and grey, beautifully
pencilled upon rich dark brown. The feathers of the head,
nape, back, and scapulars are marked down the shafts of
the feathers with a stripe of deep velvet black. ‘The eyes
are encircled with hairy feathers, mottled with orange and
black; the same colours prevail upon the chin and throat,
and extend backwards round the neck, forming a kind of
collar. Along the lower mandible a white stripe passes to
the back of the ear-coverts, and there is a white spot on
each side of the throat.

The male is principally distinguished from the female in
colouring by white spots, which occupy an inch of the tip
of the two outer feathers of the tail, and a small portion
of the inner web of the three first quill-feathers of the wing.
In both sexes the under plumage is barred with orange,
brown, and dusky transverse lines. The large and beautiful

194 CAPRIMULGIDE.

eyes are very dark in colour, and the eyelids black. The
tip of the beak is dark horn-colour ; the inside of the mouth
pale flesh-red. The feet are yellowish-brown.

The skeleton head, figure 38, is that of the Nightjar, and
is represented the size of nature. The egg of this species
is figured No. 38.

Dery
Ws a

oe

hd i sr
PU Ne
Ai fisc
4

of

if

25;
Raa
ASG:

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3)
Ry

KINGFISHER. 195

INSESSORES.
FISSTROSTRES. HALCYONIDL.

PLATE XXXIX.
KINGFISHER.

ALCEDO IsPrDA. (Lznn.)

Tue figure of this beautiful bird was taken from a living
specimen that we had for some time in confinement, which
was accustomed to feed itself with minnows and other small
fish from a stone jar that stood on the table, and this feat
was repeated many times in the day.

The Kingfisher surpasses all other British birds in the
brilliancy and changeableness of its colouring, which varies
with every change cf position, from the most brilliant tor-
quoise-blue to the warmest green in the lighter parts of its
plumage, and in the darker reflecting copper and gold. In
our plate we have chosen the blue appearance, as the most
beantiful, and the one most frequently to be seen in its
living state when on the wing, as it shoots across the ob-
server’s path like a bnght stream of phosphoric light. In
its green livery it is seldom seen in a wild state, unless when
the light of the sun is reflected strongly from it, on account
of its assimilation with the surrounding herbage. When
dead, and preserved for a cabinet, its plumage has a dull
blueish or muddy-green appearance, and the brilliant tints
of life have vanished. In colouring this bird from the
life, both in this and in the quarto edition, we have drawn
upon ourselves the imputation of over-colourmg our plate,

196 HALCYONIDE.

but we believe that a careful comparison of it with a living
bird would show that we have not overrated its splendour.

The Kingfisher is a well-known inhabitant of all the milder
climates of Europe, wherever there is fresh water abounding
with small fry, such as minnows, bleak, dace, small gudgeons,
&e. In England, this species is indigenous, and may be met
with at all times of the year, both in warm weather and dur-
ing the severest frosts. It appears attached to particular
localities, which it never deserts unless driven by want during
a severe winter to seek for the more open springs that are
usually to be found by the sea-side.

The Kingfisher is a solitary and unsociable bird, and will
not permit the approach of an intruder of its own species
within the haunts of its customary range or hunting-ground,
but chases any that invade its privacy until driven from the
spot ; it is only on such occasions, or during the pairing
season, that two of these birds can be seen flying together.

The favourite haunt of the Kingfisher is on the banks
of a river, lake, or running stream, which is supplied with
branches that overhang the water in such a manner as to
enable the bird to sit and wait in that position for its prey to
come within its sight and reach.

It is exceedingly interesting to watch the Kingfisher in the
act of taking its prey. When on the watch for food,
perched either on the branch of a tree, a stump, a post, or
railing by the water-side, it may be seen from time to time
plunging into the water, and almost instantaneously rising
again with its beak foremost, holding between its mandibles a
small fish, with which it returns to its former perch for the
purpose of consuming it. This it effects by swallowing the
fish entire with the head foremost, after having crushed and
pinched it to death. When this is achieved, the bird returns
again and again to the attack until satisfied.

We have also frequently seen this bird stationary on the

)

KINGFISHER. 19%

wing, hovering over the water where there was a quantity of
small fish, and plunging into the stream in the manner be-
fore described. They skim along the surface of the water at
times chiefly towards the evening, which may be in search
of water-insects for their young family, as they do so more
during the summer months than at any other time.

About the middle of May the Kingfisher begins to seek
a mate; as soon as his choice is made, the birds begin to
dig a hole in a sand-bank about two inches in diameter, and
sufficiently deep to prevent a man’s arm reaching to the
extremity ; near the end of this excavation the female de-
posits five or six eggs. The young birds are fed with insects
and half digested fish until they are strong enough to share
the fare of the family.

The Kingfisher, when flying along the surface of the
water, may frequently be heard to utter a shrill piping call,
which, although louder, much resembles that of the summer
snipe.

The entire length of this bird is seven inches; the wing,
from the carpus to the tip, measures three inches; the tail
one inch and three quarters ; the beak is an inch and a half
long from the forehead to the tip, and two inches from the
tip to the gape. The tarsus measures three lines, the middle
toe and claw nine lines, the inner and_ hinder toes alike four
and a half lines; the claws are much arched and very sharp.
The feet are formed for grasping like the human hand.
The eyes, which are large for the size of the bird, are oval
as well as the pupil, and directed forward doubtlessly for the
purpose of aiding the bird to discern its food in the liquid
element.

The forehead, top of the head, nape, tippet, and wing,
coverts are rich reflecting greenish blue, which colour is
continued on the outer webs of the quill-feathers, seconda-
ries, and scapulars; from the base of the under mandible

198 HALCYONIDE.

the same colour is continued along the sides of the neck.
The tip of each of the feathers upon the head and wing-
coverts has a metallic blue spot on the extremity of the
shaft, which adds to the splendour of the feathering.

The chin and throat are pure white, and a band of the
same colour extends backwards from the ear towards the
nape of the neck. Between the upper mandible and the
eye is a rich chestnut spot, continued below the eye as far as
the ear; this chestnut band is interrupted by a small white
spot before the eye, and a line of small close-set bristles,
round from the nostril below the eyelid as far as the lore
behind the eye. The corner of the mouth on the under
mandible is bright red lead, and the short broad tongue is
of the same colour. The breast and all the under parts,
including the under tail-coverts, are orange chestnut. The
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are perfect mineral blue,
which changes colour according to the light. The tail
feathers are Prussian-blue with dusky shafts. The shafts
and all the inner webs of the quill-feathers being dusky with
paler edges, give rise to the supposition of their having cop-
per or gold tints reflected.

The outlines figured 39, represent the head and foot of
the Kingfisher in the natural size. The egg No. 39, also
belongs to this species.

DENTIROSTRES. 199

ORDER. INSESSORES.
DENTIROSTRES.

THE members of this division of the Insessores, or perching
birds, are distinguished by an emargination of one or both
mandibles, near the tip of the bill, answering to the tooth
or festoon, that is to be observed, more or less, among the
different divisions of the Raptores: this emargination,
although in few sufficiently developed as to serve the purpose
of tearing in pieces their prey, enables them to hold it with
firmness and security. This is more distinctly prominent
in the Zantade than in any other families of the tribe, and
the habits of the shrikes, and the food sought by them,
bear, consequently, more analogy to those of the Raptorial
order.

The bill, in some of the Dentirostres, is lengthened, so
as to defend the face from being injured by the struggles
of their prey; in others, where the bill is short and broad,
stiff bristles or hairs answer -equally the purpose of defence.
Five natural families are included in this tribe, as spoken of
by Selby, to whom we are indebted for the substance of
the above remarks, as well as for the generic characters men-
tioned below, under the names of T'odide or Muscicapide,
Laniade, Merulide, Sylviada, and Ampelide. The food of
this tribe is various; that of the two first consisting almost
exclusively of insects and animal matter; that of the two
next comprises insects, fruits, and berries ; while in the Am-
pelide, which are, with the exception of one species, in-
habitants of the New World, vegetable productions form
the chief nutriment. |

VOL. I. P

200 DENTIROSTRES.

In the first of these families the bill is broad, emarginated,
and depressed at the base, which is beset with projecting
bristles; the legs are short and weak, the feet calculated
for perching. Their food consists of insects. Of the various
forms contained in this family, we only possess representa-
tives of a single group, the Musctcapa of authors, of which
the following are generic characters :—

‘¢ Bill rather short, sub-triangular, depressed at the base,
strong, and compressed towards the tip, which is deflected,
and with both mandibles emarginated. Base of the bill
beset with long stiff bristles. Nostrils basal, oval, and
lateral, partly concealed by the feathers at the base of the
bill. Feet having the tarsus as Jong as, or rather longer
than the middle toe; toes, three before and one behind,
the side ones of equal length, the outer one joined at its
base to the middle toe. Wings, having the first quill very
short, the second shorter than the third and fourth, which
are the longest in each wing.” —SELBy.

INSESSORES.
DENTIROSTRES. MUSCICA PID.

PLATE XL.
SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER.

Muscicara Grisona. (Linn.)

Or the Muscicapide two species only are at present
recognized as visiting Britain, the Spotted Fly-catcher and
the Pied. Some few other species of the same genus visit

SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER. 201

other parts of Europe during summer only, and retire to
warmer regions for their winter retreat. They are entirely
confined to the Old World; other divisions of the Dentz-
rostres filling their place in the new.

The Spotted Fly-catcher is readily distinguished from
other little birds by its peculiar manners, and, when once
pointed out, cannot be again mistaken. It sits, when on
the watch for food, in the outer spray of a tree, or more
commonly on a wall, or on the top of the palings of a park,
and every now and then descends from its station upon
a passing insect, and then regains its former place ; if fol-
lowed, it flits along before its pursuer, alighting again and
again on the wall or palings a little way in advance of him,
and often admitting of a very near approach.

It is one of the least shy of our summer birds, and builds
commonly in gardens, in situations similar to those chosen
by the redbreast, and on the walls of houses where fruit-trees,
or other climbing shrubs, are trained, placing its mossy nest
in an angle formed by the branches.

Fly-catchers are said to rear but one brood in the year,
which is very probably the truth, as their arrival in England
is later than that of most summer migrants; but we have
known an instance, where the first nest and eggs had been
taken away, of a second and a third being placed in the
same locality, where a brick had been displaced in an old
wall. They are believed, also, to return to the same spot
for incubation year after year, provided the locality is a
permanent one, such as the place just mentioned. ‘The
Spotted Fly-catcher, although the most silent of our summer
visitors, is not one of the least interesting. It makes its
appearance in England the middle or latter part of May,
and young broods are fledged about the middle of the
succeeding month. Three young Fly-catchers were brought
us, which had been taken from a nest in an adjoining gar-

p 2

a

202 DENTIROSTRES.

den; we placed them in a large cage, in which were several
other little birds of different species ; their entrance was
immediately hailed with great delight by a robin, who, with
many lively attitudes and gestures, uttered frequently his
note of surprise crackrrrack ! The little Fly-catchers, which
were still in the plumage of young nestlings, namely, mottled
with grey, white, and brown, and tail-less, mounted them-
selves on one of the uppermost perches, where they sat
quietly side by side.

After they had been some time in the cage, a sudden
stir was observed among them, and a bird hastily entered
the window near which the cage was placed, alighted upon
it, and as hastily retreated. In the course of a few minutes
this was repeated, and it proved to be one of the parent
birds, whose affection had traced the little ones to their
place of imprisonment, and who was now supplying them with
food. We were highly delighted at this circumstance, as
it promised a supply of proper food for the nestlings, such
as we could not ourselves have provided. We had now only
to take the precaution of having the window constantly
open during the day to admit the visits of this interesting
little creature, who continued, day after day, to supply the
young ones with food, notwithstanding the interruptions
that might be supposed to be caused by a large family
passing continually in and out, as the cage stood in the
drawing-room.

Apparently, the task of feeding the nestlings was performed
by one alone, probably the female, as only one bird entered
the room, while her mate, who accompanied her constantly
in her flight, always waited for her outside the window,
either upon the roof of the house or on a neighbouring
tree. ‘The young ones usually appeared aware of the ap-
proach of the parent, and were on the alert, and eager to
receive the expected food, some seconds before the appear-

SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER. 203

ance of the bird, although we could perceive no sound that
acquainted us of her approach.

As before-mentioned, the little nestlings sat upon an
upper perch, but were not always near enough to the wires
of the cage to be within reach of the parent when she
appeared with food, which circumstance afforded an oppor-
tunity for a display of sagacity on the part of the robin
before-mentioned, which we could not have credited if we
had not seen it.

This little creature, who had for some time been an in-
habitant of the cage, where he lived in perfect harmony
with all his associates, had from the first shown great interest
in the little Fly-catchers, and now, perceiving that the
nestlings could not reach the offered food, but sat with
their wings fluttering, and their mouths open, anxious to
obtain it, flew to the wires, received the insects from the
mother bird, and put them into the open mouths of the
nestlings. This curious action was witnessed by ourselves
and several friends, and occurred not once only, but was
repeated every succeeding day, as often as his services were
required; he seemed as watchful for the return of the
parent Fly-catcher as the little ones themselves, and always
ready to act the part of carrier when necessary, but when
he saw that his assistance was not wanted he quietly looked
on.

The food brought by the Fly-catcher consisted generally, as
far as we could judge, of honey-bees, living, struggling bees ;
sometimes two or three were brought at once, and transferred,
still alive and struggling, to the mouths of the little ones, by
whom they were eagerly swallowed. On two or three occa-
sions the robin was observed, on receiving the bee from the
F'ly-catcher, to pause with it in his beak, as if in a fit of ab-
sence, and then to swallow it himself, but, to his honour be it
spoken, this was not observed to take place more than two

204 DENTIROSTRES.

or three times, whereas, his transferrence of the insect from
the parent to the little ones was witnessed hundreds of
times.

The young Fly-catchers were never seen to make any at-
tempt at feeding themselves, nor did the robin give them any
of his own food, namely, the German paste or worms, with
which the cage was constantly supplied; neither do we re-
member that the little birds were ever seen to drink from the
water fountain. They usually remained upon a perch, side by
side, and at night nestled close together, with the robin
beside them. |

For above six weeks the parent Fly-catchers continued to
attend the little ones, from four or five o’clock in the morn-
ing, at which time the window was purposely opened, until
nearly dark in the evening ; and the redbreast also remained
unremitting in his attention to them, until the accidental
death of one of the little brood induced us to give the two
others their liberty, fearing that, if we kept them longer they
would not become sufficiently able to provide for them-
selves before the period of their migration, and so be left to
perish.

It is a question of some curiosity, whether the bees with
which this little family was fed were really honey-bees, as they
appeared to be, and we afterwards regretted that we had not
ascertained the fact, by intercepting one of them and exa-
mining it ; that they were alive and entire there is no doubt,
and that they were swallowed also in that state is certain.
Our belief that they were really honey-bees is strengthened
by the animosity of cottagers towards this little bird, which
has universally the credit of visiting their bee stalls and pur-
loining the bees from the door of the hive. Another corro-
borating circumstance in favour of their being honey-bees is,
that Fly-catchers abound in places where lime-trees are nume-

rous, which trees are much visited by those insects, as we have

SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER. 205

observed, in some of the most wooded parts of Surrey, where
the lime-tree and the Fly-catcher are equally abundant. In
Surrey, also, the name of Bee-bird is commonly applied to
this species.

The nest of the Spotted Flycatcher is far less remarkable
for neatness of form and skilfulness of structure than those of
many small birds, and must yield the precedence in these re-
spects to the nests of the finches, the warblers, and even of
the larks and pipits. In materials it most resembles the nest
of the redbreast, although it is neither composed of so great
a quantity of materials, nor are they so well put together.
Green and grey moss, roots, straws, and dry grass, spider cots,
ete., are the component parts, and so slightly arranged that the
nest can hardly be removed from its resting-place without
losmg its form. ‘The nest now before us, besides all the
the materials mentioned, contains a few horse-hairs within,
and without is interwoven with portions of the holly leaf, in a
skeleton state.

The eggs of the Spotted Fly-catcher are usually five in
number, mottled with reddish spots on a pale green ground ;
in some specimens the larger end is blotched with reddish
grey. Some eggs of the Fly-catcher resemble greatly those of
the redbreast, but are mostly smaller in size, and the markings
are less regularly disposed.

Young F ly-catchers, before they leave the nest, are on the
upper plumage greyish-brown, mottled with yellowish-white
spots ; beneath whitish, and their broad beaks are very conspi-
cuous. When further advanced in plumage, that is, after
their autumnal moult, there is but little difference between
them and the adult, as may be seen in our plate, in which
the upper bird represents the adult, and the lower the young
of the year, sketched in September. The young birds leave
the nest before they are well able to fly, and may be seen
sitting side by side upon a branch, receiving food from their

206 DENTIROSTRES.

parents: we have seen a little family thus attended until dusk
in the evening.

This species is said to be commonly met with all over
England; we are disposed to think they chiefly abound in
the more wooded parts, as their nests have been very often
brought to us, when residing in a country of that description ;
but we have met with them far less frequently in situations
where agriculture had deprived the surface of the earth of its
more natural appearance of wood and heath, or where the na-
ture of the country was barren and unsheltered. This is, per-
haps, the cause of the Spotted Fly-catcher being more rare in
Scotland than in Ireland. According to Temminck, this
species is found in Sweden, and in Russia, in the temperate
parts; it is also widely-diffused over other parts of Kurope,
as well as Africa.

In adult plumage the garb of the Spotted Fly-catcher is very
simple and plain. The whole upper parts are hair-brown, in-
clining to grey; the quill and tail-feathers rather darker, as
well as the tertials ; these latter bordered with lighter brown.
On the crown of the head the feathers have a dark brown spot
along the shaft; the throat and centre of the belly are blu-
ish-white ; the flanks and under coverts of the wings tinged
with yellowish-brown ; the sides of the neck, breast, and
flanks are streaked with hair-brown; the legs are short, and
the feet small, and in colour bluish-black.

The young birds of the year differ little from the adult,
except in the edges of the tertial feathers, which are rufous-
brown, and spots of a similar colour occupy the tips of the
larger wing-coverts. The beak is dusky, the base of the
under mandible yellowish-brown, the inside and corners of
the mouth yellow; the iris dusky.

The entire length of this bird is rather less than six inches ;
the wing measures three inches and a quarter; the tarsus
seven lines, the middle toe and claw about as much.

SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER. 207

There is no difference of plumage between the male and
female, and the moult is said to take place but once in the
year.

In form, the Spotted F'ly-catcher is slender, and in its
flight very light and buoyant.

The outline (fig. 40), represents the beak of the Spotted
Fly-catcher of the natural size.

The egg No. 40 belongs to this species.

208 DENTIROSTRES.

INSESSORES.
DENTIROSTRES. MUSCICAPIDE.

PLATE XLI.

PIED FLY-CATCHER.
MuscicaPa LUCTUOSA.

Tue Prep Fry-catcuer, called also the Coldfinch, by
Bewick and Selby, is an occasional visitant in Britain in the
summer months, and in winter returns to its warmer quarters,
in Italy, and along the borders of the Mediterranean, where
it is very abundant from October until March. The suppo-
sition that the Pied Fly-catcher was a permanent visitor here,
but only very rarely met with, is unfounded. Bewick gives,
as usual, a very correct and beautiful representation of the
male bird, and it is to be regretted that he has not also
figured the female of this species, since the descriptions given
of it by different ornithologists do not agree in every respect.
We figure, in our plate, the male bird in adult summer
plumage, and above it a female of the same age.

This Fly-catcher moults twice a year, which causes some
difference in the colours of its plumage; and, as there are
other species which bear much resemblance to it, care should
be taken to consider the season when a specimen is obtained,
although the measurement of the wings will at any period
decide the question; the wings of our Pied Fly-catcher
being shorter, by half an inch, than those of the M. albz-
collis, a species nearly allied, and equally abundant on the

Continent.

PIED FLY-CATCHER. 209

We consider it not improbable that the M. albicollis will,
sooner or later, be met with in Britain, as, according to
Temminck, that species is the most common in France.
The present distinction given may enable our fellow coun-
trymen to judge, at a glance, to which any specimen belongs.
When the wings of the M. Luctuosa, or Pied Fly-catcher,
are closed, they cover about one-third of the tail; but in
the M. albicollis the wings, when closed, cover two-thirds
of it.

The entire length of the Pied Fly-catcher is five inches
and a half, and about nine inches and a half in expanse.
The beak measures four lines and a half, is broad at the
base, and slightly arched towards the tip; the nostrils are
round, open, and covered with bristling feathers; and the
corners of the mouth are fringed with strong black bristles.
The iris is dusky, or dark-brown. The legs are slender and
black in old birds, in young ones brownish slate-coloured.
The tarsus measures eight lines, the middle toe, including
the nail, seven lines and a half; the hinder toe and claw
five and a half.

The adult male, in spring plumage, is as follows :—On the
forehead are two connected round white spots, and all the
under parts, from the chin to the under tail-coverts inclu-
sive, are pure white; the top of the head, cheeks, back,
shoulders, and upper tail-coverts are jet black; the nape of
the neck, and rump, greyish-black ; the lesser wing-coverts
and primary quill-feathers are dusky; the latter quill-fea-
thers, as also the secondaries, have a little white towards
their roots, which are nevertheless entirely covered by the
wing-coverts. On the first of the tertials this white extends
further, and the three latter are entirely white, with a black
spot on their tips, which is only partially on the inner webs.
Directly above these feathers, namely, the tertials, the larger
wing-coverts, have one web of their tips white, which, toge-

210 DENTIROSTRES.

ther with the before-mentioned, forms a large white space
or spot on the wing. The tail is black; the outer tail-
feathers have white outer webs, which colour extends over
the inner web towards the root of the feather, but becomes
lost on the outer edge before it reaches the tip of the
feather.

The young male has the spot on the forehead smaller ;
the wings have less white, but the tail more, as the second
and third side-feathers have a white edge to the basal half of
the feathers ; the upper plumage is slate-coloured.

In the month of July these birds begin to moult, and by
the end of August they wear their perfect autumn plumage.
If specimens are obtained during the moult, the black feathers
and the new grey ones are prettily intermixed.

The adult male, in autumn or winter feathering, has the
wings and tail as in spring, but all the upper plumage is
slate-coloured instead of black ; all the under parts are white,
but tinged with yellowish-brown on the sides; the forehead
is dull white, and the cheeks dark ash-brown, spotted with
white.

The second moult takes place during their absence in
warmer climes, late in the spring. This does not extend to the
quill-feathers and tail. Sometimes specimens that arrive in
May have not fully completed their moult, and the greater
number hardly wear their perfect spring plumage, or, as it
is termed, their bridal garments, one month before they begin
to moult again. Thus, the differences occasioned by age and
sex in this species have given rise to them any varying de-
scriptions of different ornithologists.

The plumage of the adult female in spring resembles
much that of the young male, and can only be distinguished
by having less white on the wings. The brownish ash-colour
of the upper plumage is always somewhat paler or browner,
and the under parts dirty white, and tinged on the throat

PIED FLY-CATCHER. 211

and upper part of the breast with brownish-yellow. When
they attain old age their plumage darkens more on the upper
parts, and the forehead becomes dirty white.

The young birds of the year are principally known by their
smaller size, and their plumage is of the following description.
The base of the beak and soles of the feet are reddish-ash ;
throat, and fore-part of the neck, yellowish-white ; from the
lower corner of the beak descends a faded greyish or dusky
streak along the sides of the neck. ‘The middle of the
breast, the belly, and under tail-coverts, are white ; the chest
dirty yellowish, and the sides tinged with yellowish-grey ;
the thighs are spotted with grey; the cheeks and forehead
are dirty pale brown; all the upper parts brownish-ash,
strongly tinged with brown on the top of the head, shoulders,
and back; the lesser wing-coverts are like the back, the
larger dusky, edged with brownish-ash, and dull white tips ;
the tertials are of the same colouring, but without white tips ;
the three last are edged with dull white, and have a spot of
the same near the root; the tail, including the latter upper
coverts, black, dusky on the sides ; the outer feather white on
the outer web, and the same extending to the root for half
its length on the inner web; the second feather has a white
edge for half its length from the root, and the third fre-
quently an indication of white in the same place.

The young female birds vary very little from the young
males; they are less clean on the under parts, browner on
the upper, and have still less white on the wings.

The young birds of the year, before the first moult, re-
semble the young of the spotted Fly-catcher very much ; but
their smaller size, and other markings of the tail-feathers dis-
tinguish them plainly. They are brownish ash-coloured on
the upper parts, sprinkled ali over with dirty white drop-
shaped spots; the breast spotted with brown; wings and
tail as already described ; the iris brownish-ash, but the

219 DENTIROSTRES.

colour of the legs lighter, like those of the autumnal moult.
Between the male and female there is no distinction at this
period.

The Pied Fly-catcher is found over most parts of Europe,
and is consequently a well-known species, although it is most
abundant in the more southern parts, as Greece, Italy, the
south of France, etc.; more to the north, they are found
only during the summer months, that period when the winged
insects that constitute their food are abundant. The arrival
of the males is generally found to precede that of the females
by a few days, in countries where they are regular summer
visitants.

The favourite haunt of this bird is woodland, in the neigh-
bourhood of lakes and rivers, the chief localities where insects
abound. During very hot and dry weather they resort to
the tops of large trees, where they find insects swarming,
and, unlike the preceding species, occasionally take them
from off the leaves.

In spring and autumn they descend to smaller trees and
shrubs, but are very rarely seen upon the ground. The Pied
Fly-catcher is a scarce bird in England, and its appearance
is chiefly confined to the counties of Cumberland and West-
moreland, and, according to Selby, the West Riding of York-
shire ; in other parts it is rarely seen. It appears probable,
that the few that visit England are but stragglers from the
outskirts of the flights that annually migrate to and from
the north of Europe.

The Pied Fly-catcher builds in holes in large trees,
particularly in the oak, the beech, and the aspen. The
nest is sometimes placed in the deserted hole of a titmouse
or woodpecker, which is not wider than is sufficient to allow
their bodies to pass through; where the holes exceed this
measure these birds are said to close them up with clay to
the size required ; and the height chosen is never less than

PIED FLY-CATCHER. 913

six feet from the ground. Sometimes a nest is found placed
on a broad branch close to the stem, or on broken stumps
of trees; and, in such cases, they are not unsightly, nor
carelessly put together, being built of moss and roots on
the outside, and lined with feathers, wool, and hair. When
the nest is placed in a hole, the construction is very in-
ferior. The female deposits five or six bluish-green eggs.
Incubation does not commence before June, and the young
birds are hatched in about fourteen days, during which time
the male often relieves the female in her task.
The egg No. 41 belongs to this species.

Q14 DENTIROSTRES.

INSESSORES.
DENTIROSTRES. LANIAD &E.

PLATE XLII.

ASH-COLOURED SHRIKE.
Lanivs Excusitor. (Linn.)

Tue Butcher-birds are by some authors ranged imme-
diately after the birds of prey, with which some of their
qualities ally them; by others, they are located among
the insect-devouring tribes; others again, place them at the
head of that section. It is an intricate and difficult question
to determine which position is the most natural and proper,
and one, besides, that would, if ascertained, hardly repay
the labour of investigation.

Five species are recognized as belonging to Europe, of
which three are periodical visitors with us; many others
are found in other parts of the world, and all are distin-
guished by the courage and ferocity they exhibit in the
capture and destruction of their prey, which is effected, not
like the Raptores, by means of their claws, but by their
beak. Small birds, reptiles, and insects, form their food ;
and their habit of hanging up on a thorn their prey when
taken, and then dissecting and tearing it in pieces, is
supposed to be the origin of their generic name.

The Laniade are connected with the tribes with which
we find them arranged by Temminck, Selby, and other
authors, by their agreeable song, by their insect food, by
their manner of flight, and the kind of country they frequent.

ASH-COLOURED SHRIKE. Qs

They build their nests in woods and thickets ; their flight
is irregular, and their tails incessantly in motion.

The plumage of the adult male differs from that of the
female, and the moult in most of the species takes place
but once in the year. Like the thrush, which resorts con-
tinually to the same sacrificial stone on which to immolate
the devoted snail, the Shrike is said to return again and
again to the same thorny bush for the purpose of trans-
fixing his selected prey.

In the genus Lanius the bill is strong, straight at the
base, compressed at the sides, the point strongly hooked
and toothed ; base of the bill beset with strong hairs, di-
rected forwards, partly covering the nostrils, which are basal,
lateral, oval, and partly closed. The third and fourth fea-
thers are the longest in the wing.

The Ash-coloured Shrike is the largest of its class that
visits our country; it measures full ten inches in length from
the tip of the beak to the extremity of the tail, and fifteen
inches in expanse; its wings are very short in proportion
to its tail, and, when closed, cover only one third of it. The
beak measures in the arc three-fourths of an inch, and is black
in colour; the iris is dusky; the tarsus measures one inch
and a quarter, and the middle toe one inch, including the
claw, the hinder three-fourths of an inch; the soles of the
feet are greyish, and the base of the upper and under man-
dibles bluish in the summer.

The throat, neck, breast, belly, and vent, are white. From
the beak, through the eyes, runs a black band towards the
ears, over which is one of pure white, from the forehead
backwards, which becomes lost in the ash-colour of the head
and nape. The forehead is dirty-white; the crown of the
head, neck, back, and rump, are ash-coloured, the tail-coverts
a little paler; this is also the case with the shoulder-feathers.
The lesser and primary wing-coverts are black, the latter

VOL. I. Q

216 DENTIROSTRES.

tipped with white ; the primary quill-feathers are black towards
the tip, with the basal half white ; the secondaries only white
at the root, and black in the remaining part ; the tertials are
black, with white tips. The two middle tail-feathers are
black, with a purple gloss, the three next with white tips and
roots ; the two outer feathers on each side entirely white. The
female has all the colouring duller, particularly the breast,
which is marked with pale, ash-coloured undulating bars ; the
white tips on the wing-coverts and tertials are not so pure ;
and it may here be remarked, that the white tips of the wing-
feathers chiefly wear off before the autumnal moult. The
very old female nearly resembles the adult male. ‘The young
birds are much like the female, but the forehead, back, and
shoulders, are tinged with yellowish-brown, and bear, also,
indications of waving lines, which are, however, closer toge-
ther on the breast and sides than in the adult female. All
the tips of the feathers are yellowish, and there is less white
on the roots of the tail-feathers : the white on the tail is also
less. ‘The beak is grey with a black tip, and the corners of
the mouth white; the iris brownish-ash.

Very old birds have, in some specimens, an appearance of
bars upon the black feathers of the tail, particularly when
those feathers are new. A variety has been described whose
feathers were entirely white, tinged with rich yellow. The
moult of these birds takes place in autumn.

The Ash-coloured Shrike is an occasional winter visitant
with us, and known in most parts of Europe and North
America, with exception of the most northern parts. This
Shrike is usually observed to visit us in spring or in autumn.
We have seen a pair of these birds late in the autumn of
1857, in the neighbourhood of Ember Court, in Surrey,
where they remained for at least three weeks, showing them-
selves either on the ground in a meadow, or on the top
of a tall oak or elm-tree. It was not possible to get within

ASH-COLOURED SHRIKE. Q17

shot of these birds, although every attempt was made that we
could devise. In the autumn of 1840 we again saw one of
this species near Pains Hill in the same county, in a birch-
tree by the road-side. From the momentary observations we
could make, it seemed to be very restless, and not long in one
position. The beautiful grey of the upper plumage in this
species is well set off by the black wings and tail, and the
black band through the eye, by which they are rendered very
conspicuous objects, and their spread tail, when on the ground,
looks exceedingly majestic.

This bird is the most daring of its size, and it is said that
he does not even allow one of the eagle tribe to fly by his
roosting-place without pursuing him with cries and menaces.
During the breeding time he will not permit a rook or crow
to approach his nest. When on the wing, this Shrike does
not fly rapidly, although with very quick motion of the wings,
and proceeds in the same manner as the chaffinches. The
call of this bird sounds like the words shack, shack! and
truewee, is one of its spring notes. It is also said to sing
very pleasingly a sort of warbling song.

This bird also utters a cry of distress, to induce some other
bird from curiosity to come within its reach, for the purpose
of catching it.

The Ash-coloured Shrike is easily tamed, even when taken
in an adult state, and may be taught to catch small birds.
When caged, they must be placed alone, or they would infal-
libly devour their neighbours.

The food of the Ash-coloured Shrike consists of beetles,
grasshoppers, small frogs, birds, and mice, the latter of which
constitute almost entirely its winter food.

Although he consumes many a small bird, they seem to
be very little afraid of him; where the Shrike is more plen-
tiful than with us, he has been seen among a flock of sparrows
basking in the sun, and it seemed as if the sparrows had no

Q 2

218 DENTIROSTRES.

consciousness of his usual habit of putting an end to them.
The mode of taking his prey is generally when perched or
on the ground, when he takes hold of them both with his
beak and claws: he takes them also on the wing. To show
the courage of this bird it need only be stated, that he pounces
upon thrushes, and takes even partridges when they are
wounded or weak. When he has mastered his prey he
does not stand upon it, but thrusts it between two stones,
or in some narrow place, or fastens it on a thorn in a bush
for the purpose of consuming it. During his. migration he
may be seen perched on a lump of earth in a field, or hover-
ing in the air and descending quickly when he sees his prey
in a promising position.

In the summer the food of this species consists principally of
beetles and frogs, which has been proved by their disgorged
pellets ; while in the winter they principally eject feathers
and mouse-hair. When they carry a mouse or bird of any
size a certain distance, they exchange their load from the
beak to the claws and back again, for the purpose of resting
these members alternately, until they have reached their
favourite bush.

The places most frequented by the Ash-coloured Shrike
for the purpose of breeding are woods near pasture land. The
nest is either placed in a tree of some height or in a branch
of a wild fruit-tree, or in a tall maythorn bush, and appears
very skilfully put together. The materials chosen are hay,
stalks, twigs, heath, ground and tree-moss, and the whole is
lined with wool and hair. The five, six, or seven eggs are
hatched in about fifteen days.

The young birds have the first feathering greenish on the back.

The egg No. 42 belongs to the Ash-coloured Shrike.

The outlined head (fig. 42) is of this species, of the natu-

ral size.

Hany
aii)!

SI]

ple his
AAW ee caaa oD

RED-BACKED SHRIKE. - 219

INSESSORES.
DENTIROSTRES. LANIADE.

PLATE XLII.

RED-BACKED SHRIKE.
LANIUS COLLURIO.

THE most prominent characters of the Red-backed Shrike,
which it shares in common with its family, have been already
described under the foregoing article, namely, its rapacity,
and its cruel mode of feeding on wounded or half-killed prey.

Thus far we speak of its well known faults. It is also just
to mention, as redeeming good qualities, the affection that
exists between the male and female of this species, and their
great attachment to their young. Of the former we had an
opportunity of witnessing an instance, which we think on this
account deserves noticing. In the month of June 1837, a
male Red-backed Shrike was caught in a garden by a cat ;
the gardener, who saw the circumstance, succeeded in rescuing
it from the animal the very moment it happened, in time to
save its life. It was put into a cage and placed in a sit-
ting-room in the house close by. There were several persons
‘in the room at the time; but notwithstanding their moving
about, the female, its companion, came in at the window,
settled on the cage, and was secured by one of the party,
without attempting to fly away ; they were subsequently both
placed in the same cage.

Respecting their attachment to their young, we have fre-
quently remarked that the female will hardly fly from the

220 LANIADA.

nest when she has eggs ; and if disturbed after the young are
hatched, both parents remain either in the bush that contains
the nest or on a neighbouring tree until the danger is past,
and, to draw off attention from the spot, they keep moving in
opposite directions, uttering all the while their alarm-cry.
We have seen them help the young ones out of the nest
for the purpose of hiding them in the thicket beneath, and
the moment they have reached the ground not another chirp
is heard from the nestlings, which have apparently received a
signal to be quiet, although the parent birds, perched in a
tree at a little distance, keep up a continual clamour.

This species is of frequent occurrence in the well-wooded
districts of some of our southern counties, where it has often
come under our observation, and where we have obtained
many nests. In some parts of Surrey the eggs are so com-
mon as to be found strung among other ordinary eggs, in the
possession of every little village urchin. Among the nests that
we have met with we have observed much difference in size, not
only externally, where they are naturally more or Jess bulky,
according to the locality in which they are placed, but in the
interior formation, so as to induce a belief that the larger
nests might be those of the Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor).
The eggs also vary very considerably, both in size and co-
lour: in some the surface is dull and chalky, others possess
considerable polish, but those from the same nest usually
resemble one another tolerably in all these particulars. One
set in our possession has the ground colour greenish-white,
with a zone of large blotches round the centre, varying from
ash-grey to umber-brown, and minutely spotted over the rest
of the surface with bistre. Another set has the ground colour
flesh-red, the zone of large spots greyish-blue, and the rest of
the surface sprinkled with dark red-brown. 'The one figured
in the plate is a specimen of remarkable beauty, in which the
spots are entirely confined to the zone or wreath. Another

RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 2} 22) |

nest, taken in Surrey, contains four eggs, whiter than usual in
the ground colour, and much larger in size, all measuring
above an inch in length; these we are disposed to think are
very probably the eggs of the Grey Shrike; but the fact of
their remaining in England to breed is not yet ascertained,
uthough it is very possible, as they are known to do so in
almost all the central parts of Europe.

All the eggs of the Shrikes, whatever may be their colour,
retain, however, a peculiar character in their markings, and
cannot be mistaken for any other family.

The nest of the Shrike is a very well built structure,
composed, externally, of green moss, roots, and dry grasses ;
next to these is an inner frame, or basket-work, of stout
grass-stalks, interwoven with wool, and the lining, in all
our specimens, is entirely composed of fine fibrous roots ;
we do not find the lining of hair-that is usually attributed
to them. The nest, when complete, is both deep and
capacious, as well as firm and thick, and the upper edge,
or border, projects a little over the inside of the nest. The
nest now before us is bound round the edges with one of
the long trailing branches of a species of potentilla, that
grows in great abundance on some parts of the shingly
borders of the Thames. The nest is usually placed in a
hedge, or thorn bush; but concealment does not appear to
be particularly sought for.

The food of the Red-backed Shrike consists of frogs,
lizards, mice, and small birds; also large insects, such as
grasshoppers, beetles, and dragon-flies, These last-men-
tioned insects sometimes afford considerable sport, and sell
their lives dearly, their peculiar flight affording great pro-
tection from their more powerful enemies. We once wit-
nessed a very prolonged chase, of which one of these insects
was the object, and, in all probability, it ultimately escaped
from its pursuer. Passing, one day early in September,

QQ LANIADE.

along a piece of water, we observed a large dragon-fly flitting
over it, of the kind commonly called a horse-stinger, and
about four inches in length. While watching the sudden turns
and beautiful evolutions of the insect, we saw a kingfisher
in pursuit of it, and lost sight of both among the tall reeds.
After having walked for some time about an adjoining field,
we returned by the same way, and found the kingfisher still
flying over the rushes in pursuit of the dragon-fly. The
kingfisher’s mode of attack was by darting in a straight line
at the insect, which seemed to escape by turning quickly
aside.

The Red-backed Shrike is well known all over Europe, in
North America, and Africa; in our climate it is a summer
visitor, retiring to warmer countries during winter. The
chosen locality is underwood, particularly where thorn bushes,
and larch and birch trees abound; among trees of larger size
it is seldom found.

The manners of the Red-backed Shrike are much like
those of the former species, and, in addition, they flourish
their outspread tail to the right and left when excited, which
appears as if they swung it in a circle. They sing very
frequently ; their note is pleasing, and they are often heard
to imitate the notes of other birds. Their food, which has
already been described, consists chiefly of insects of all kinds,
which they watch for perched on a dead branch of a bush;
and as soon as they perceive any they fly after them, and
return again and again to their station. The present species
is by far more cruel than the Grey Shrike or Wood-Shrike ;
they not only consume young birds, but also old ones, which
they obtain in divers manners. We have an instance of a
male bird, dragging young pipits out of their nest. Their
habit of fastening their prey on a thorn is well known ;
also, that they are not satisfied to destroy what they want im-
mediately, but stock their larder for bad weather, which is

RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 293

the reason why several unfortunate victims may be some-
times found in this cruel situation on the divers thorns of
the same bush; if birds, their brains have mostly been
consumed.

The moult of this species takes place late in the autumn,
after the birds have left us, and they return in their new
feathers.

The entire length of the Red-backed Shrike is seven
inches; the wing, from carpus to tip, three inches and a
half; the tail measures rather more than three inches, and
extends an inch and a half beyond the tips of the folded
wings. The legs are long and slender; the tarsus mea-
sures nearly an inch; the feet are small; the beak is very
strong and thick, hooked, and notched near the point.

The male, female, and young of this species differ con-
siderably in their plumage. The adult male has the beak
and legs black, and a black band crosses the forehead above
the beak, and extends above and below the eye towards
the nape. The rest of the head, the nape, and tippet, are
fine blue-grey; the lower part of the back, and upper
coyerts of the tail, the same. The larger and lesser wing-
coverts are rufous, and the same colour extends across the
back ; the rest of the wing is dusky, with a border of rufous
on the tertial feathers. The throat and sides of the neck
are white; the breast and all the under-parts pale yellowish-
pink ; the two central feathers of the tail are entirely black ;
all the other feathers are white at the base, and black to-
ward the end of the feather, the black portion decreasing
on each feather, so that the outer feather on each side retains
but a single dark spot; all these are tipped with white.
The eyelids are black, and the iris of the eye reddish-
brown.

The female is ferruginous-brown on the upper parts, tinged

on the nape and rump with ash-grey ; under parts greyish-

QQA. LANIAD.

white ; the feathers bordered with a dusky semicircular line.
The young of the year nearly resemble the female, but some
of the feathers on the rump have a narrow dark border.

The females and young resemble the young of the Wood-
Shrike, which, however, may be distinguished from them by
the white spot on the wing, which the present species never
shows, and which, in all stages, exists in the Wood-Shrike.

Very old females nearly resemble the male in plumage.

ate
ne in ,
hess *
sale One

~

WOOD-SHRIKE. QO

INSESSORES. ‘
DENTIROSTRES. LANIAD.

PLATE XLIV.

W OOD-SHRIKE.
LANIUS RUFUS.

Tuts beautiful species of Shrike is very rarely seen in
Engiand, and has not many years been included among
British accidental visitants. We have once, only, had the
pleasure of seeing it alive in a wild state; this we met with
in the richly-wooded part of Surrey, between Hatchland,
the estate of Holme Sumner, Esq., and Guildford. The
red colour on the upper plumage first attracted our notice
to the bird, which sat within four or five yards of us on
a thin branch of an oak, where it remained for nearly a
quarter of an hour, and allowed us to have a full and
distinct view of it; it did not appear at all alarmed at our
near approach, but took very little notice of us. Its attitude
and general appearance we have represented in our plate.

The Wood-Shrike is found in most parts of Europe,
from Sweden southward, and inhabits Africa, where it ap-
pears to be more generally known than elsewhere. We
rather suspect that the vicinity of certain trees in any given
district may attract this bird, and we are strengthened in
this supposition by the Wood-Shrike being said to construct
its nest in the branch of an oak, and to form it of tree
moss, such as abounds on oaks, namely, the crisp white
moss and the soft bright green; besides, the bird seen by

226 LANIADE.

us was in such a locality, where young oaks constitute the
greater part of the surrounding trees: the place was also
sheltered and hilly.

The Wood-Shrike breeds in temperatures similar to our
own, and may, perhaps, frequently visit this country, although
the anxiety of landholders to preserve game excludes the
general naturalist from seeking them where they are most
likely to resort, namely, pheasant preserves and young planta-
tions, which are not visited during the breeding-season, ex-
cept by the keepers.

The nest consists of fibrous roots and twigs, intermixed
with tree moss and dry grasses, and is lined with wool, fea-
thers, and hair; the eggs found in them are generally five
or six, in shape and colour like the one represented in our
plate, No. 44. Both parents incubate them, and the young
are hatched in a fortnight. The young birds are reared with
beetles and other insects.

The food of the adult consists chiefly of the larger insects,
and sometimes young birds; they take their food either
from the ground or on the wing, as soon as they perceive
it from their watching-place. Worms, grubs, and other
larvee of insects are also sought by them.

The character of the Wood-Shrike is not very amiable
as regards his neighbours, whom he pursues with cries and
menaces; the smaller birds stand in awe of him, and the
larger, among which are reckoned pigeons, magpies, etc.,
are pursued and tormented by him.

His song is pleasing, and, in common with other branches
of his family, he imifates the songs and call-notes of other
birds very exactly.

The Wood-Shrike measures eight inches in length, and
thirteen in expanse; the wings, from carpus to tip, three
inches and three quarters; the beak is six lines from fore-
head to tip, fringed at the base with stiff hairs, and possesses

WOOD-SHRIKE. SOUT

a prominent tooth near the tip. ‘The tarsus is eleven lines
in length.

The general appearance of this species differs much from
that of the other Shrikes; the plumage of the adult male
is as follows: the beak is bluish horn-colour at the tip,
and flesh-coloured at the base, the legs slate-coloured, the
iris pale-chestnut. The feathers round the base of the bill
are white, as are all the under parts, and the scapulars of
the wing; the rest of the wing is dusky, with the excep-
tion of the bases of the larger quill-feathers, which are pure
white, forming a spot that at all ages distinguishes this
species; the greater coverts are also narrowly tipped with
white ; the lower part of the back and rump are ash-grey.
The top of the head, nape, and upper part of the tippet,
are bright-chestnut. ‘The forehead, lore, and ear-coverts,
are black, which colour extends to the shoulders in a broad
line, and covers the back; tail dusky, some of the outer
feathers tipped and bordered with white. On the breast
and belly the white is beautifully tinged with pink.

The female is reddish-brown on the upper part of the
body; the under parts all soiled-white, all the feathers trans-
versely rayed with brown. ‘The young birds of the year have
the iris greyish yellow.

228 MERULIDE

INSESSORES.
DENTIROSTRES. MERULID AE.

PLATE XLV.

DIPPER

CINCLUS AQUATICUS.

“ The bird
Is here, the solitary bird, that makes
The rock his sole companion. Leafy vale,
Green bower, and hedgerow fair, and garden rich
With bud and bloom, delight him not ;—he bends
No spray, nor roams the wilderness of boughs,
Where love and song detain a million wings
Through all the summer morn—the summer eve :—
He has no fellowship with waving woods,—
He joins not in their merry minstrelsy,—
But flits from ledge to ledge, and through the day
Sings to the Highland waterfall, that speaks
To him in strains he loves, and lists
For ever.”’*

In these lines the favourite locality and the retired habits
of the Dipper are well delineated, and in such scenes it is
most frequently met with; there its large mossy nest is con-
structed, among the fissures of the rocks, or sheltered by
a ledge, and usually overhanging a mountain-stream, in whose
waters its food is procured. By Selby, who is well acquainted
through personal observation with this species, it is compared
in its motions and manners to the wren, which it resembles

* From the Saturday Magazine, of Dec. 11, 1841, where they appeared under
the name of ‘* Carrington.”

ieooale

DIPPER. Q29

in its habit of erecting its tail, in its song, its early breeding,
and the appearance, form, and materials of its nest.

This species is a constant resident in Britain, locally
distributed in accordance with its peculiar habits, and chang-
ing its quarters as the changes of the seasons may require.
says Selby, ‘it leaves
the smaller mountain rivulets, then becoming frequently

0)

‘* During the severity of winter,’

choked with ice and snow, and resorts to the larger streams
which remain open, and afford a plentiful supply of food.”

Scotland, Wales, and the north of England are the parts
of Britain the most frequented by this species; it is not,
however, entirely confined to these, it has occasionally been
met with in quiet places in the southern counties of Eng-
land. We have ourselves seen it by the side of the Mole,
midway between Cobham and Esher bridge. This bird
sat perched upon a lump of dried clay, close by the water
side, where we observed it for some minutes; it was mo-
tionless, and in the hope of meeting with it again in this
place, where we were not before aware of its being found, we
were careful not to disturb it, and consequently did not
see it fly. The locality was the best possible for this species,
the bank steep and broken, well covered with dark foliage,
and very lonely, as it belongs to the preserves of Claremont.

The nest of the Dipper, according to Montagu, is very
large, with only a small opening in the side for ingress and
egress. It is composed externally of moss, usually selected,
for the purpose of concealment, from the immediate vicinity
of the spot, in order to assimilate it with the locality chosen.
One described by Montagu, was so well concealed in this
manner that the existence of the nest was only detected by
the old bird flying in with a fish in its bill. In this nest the
young were incapable of flight, although nearly full-feathered,
and, on being disturbed, fluttered out, and dropping into the
water, instantly vanished, but in a little time made their ap-
pearance some distance down the stream.

230 MERULID#.

The eggs of this species are about the size of those of the
song-thrush, pure white in colour, and in number varying from
four to six.

The food of the Dipper consists chiefly of the spawn of
fish, and small fry, water insects, and their larve.

The pied and well-marked colours of this bird, although
plain, render it a conspicuous object. The upper part of
the head and neck are umber-brown ; the chin, sides of the
face, and breast, pure white; a circle of white feathers sur-
rounds the eye; on the belly, below the white breast, is a
band of dark reddish brown ; all the rest of the plumage is
greyish-black ; the feathers on the back, scapulars, and upper
tail-coverts are bordered with a fringe of a different texture
from the centre of the feather, so that in different lights. the
fringe appears sometimes darker and sometimes lighter than
the feather itself. The beak is black; the iris hazel; the
legs greyish-dusky.

The female nearly resembles the male, but the brown
colour of the head is darker, and the white breast net so
pure in tint. In young birds the head and neck are grey,
and the division between the white and brown on the under
parts imperfect.

The entire length of the Dipper is seven inches and a
half.

The egg No. 45 belongs to this species.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

London :
Printed by S. & J. Bentley, Wilson, and Fley,
Bangor House, Shoe Lane.

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