THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS FAMILIAR WILD BIEDS BY W. SWAYS LAND Secontr Series WITH COLOURED PLATES CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED LONDON, PARIS <6 MELBOURNE ALL K1GHTS RESERVED . P R E F A C E. — •<>• — IN this second volume we continue our task of making known to general readers the appearance and habits of British Wild Birds. The cordial welcome extended to the first series is ample proof of the widespread interest felt in the subject ; and it is hoped that this volume, like its predecessors, may help many to recognise individually the appearance, habits, and song of some of our birds. Mr. Kearton, as in the preceding volume, adds to these particulars those needed by the egg-collector. CONTENTS. PAGE CARRION CKO\V . 1 SWALLOW . 5 SPAUROW HAWK 9 BLUE TIT 13 BLACK CAP 17 PARTRIDGE ....... 21 WILD DUCK 25 CUCKOO 29 PHEASANT 33 PIED WAGTAIL .... 37 HERON ,, WOODCOCK . ^~ SWIFT ^ 49 BLACK-HEADED GULL ... 53 COMMON SNIPE .... 57 CHIFF CHAFF 61 MARTIN 65 HEDGE SPARROAV 69 DIPPER, OR WATER OUZEL . 73 GARDEN WARBLER 77 viii CONTENTS. PAGE MISSEL THRUSH . . .81 SPOON-BILL .85 PTARMIGAN . .89 PEREGRINE FALCON 93 CURLEW 97 HOODED CROW 101 COOT 105 WATER RAIL 109 COMMON BUNTING 113 YELLOW HAMMER 117 GYR FALCON 121 JACK SNIPE 125 RED-BACKED SHRIKE 129 CHOUGH . . 133 FIELDFARE 137 PUFFIN 141 BY R. KEARTON. EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING . 145 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. THE CAEEION CKOW. Corvus corona. NUKE the majority of the feathered tribe, the Carrion Crow can hardly be deemed an attractive bird; its general habits, and particularly the food to which it is principally ad- dicted, being of a character scarcely calculated to inspire either sympathy or admiration. As its name suggests, the food of the bird is composed to a large extent of carrion, although the young of small quadrupeds, fresh-water mussels, and the eggs of pheasants, partridges, and poultry are at all times de- voured with avidity. In some parts of the Weald of Sussex, where ponds and brooks are plentiful, it has acquired among country people the local name of " crow-mussel." This bird may be generally described as a small edition of 2 THE CARRION CROW. the raven, its plumage, habits, and general characteristics being in all respects extremely similar. In captivity its thievish propensities also present a strong family likeness to the domesticated habits of the raven ; and, also like that bird, it acquires the art of re- peating words, and indulging in various imitative noises. The Carrion Crow frequents thickly-wooded districts, and builds its nest on some large branch of a tree close to the trunk, as shown in the illustration at the end. The nest is composed of sticks and twigs loosely put together, the inside being thickly and comfortably lined with wool, hair, and dried grass. The breeding season commences early ; and the eggs, from four to six in number, are of a pale bluish-green, undertinted with grey, spotted with ash colour and clove brown, and rather more than an inch in length. The Carrion Crow is by no means sociable in its habits ; it never breeds near the nests of other birds, not even of its own species, and is seldom seen except singly or in pairs j occasionally, however, small bands may be observed in severe weather, or engaged upon some unusually attrac- tive carcase. The bird evinces the most stubborn par- tiality for certain localities, and when once a pair have taken a fancy to some favoured spot, they resort to it with the most unfailing constancy. It matters but little how they may be assailed by gamekeepers, or tormented by school- boys ; nothing will induce them to abandon their haunts. Even when captured or destroyed, a second pair will speedily make their appearance, and exhibit a similar amount of pertinacity. As an instance of this peculiarity in the Carrion Crow, it may be mentioned that the writer in 1869 took five young ones from a nest in a clump of beech trees (a locality very seldom visited), near Stanmer FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 3 Park, Brighton. Carrion Crows had bred in the same spot for several previous years, and a pair were breeding there at the commencement of 1884. The Carrion Crow is of a very shy and wary disposi- tion, with a strong disinclination to be watched; indeed, a person might remain near its nest for hours (even when it contained the young birds) without catching a glimpse of either of the parents. It is highly probable, from its general resemblance to the rook, that the latter bird, is very frequently taken for it. The favourite feeding-places of the bird are the banks of canals, tidal rivers, large ponds, and, on the approach of winter, the sea-shore. In addition to what has been already enumerated, the Carrion Crow readily devours mussels, small crabs, marine insects, worms, dead fish, and when this not very tempting diet is difficult to obtain, grain and potatoes. In dealing with a mussel, the bird has been observed to ascend to a considerable height in the air with one in its claws, and, letting it fall on the beach, descend rapidly with closed pinions, and devour the con- tents of the fractured shell. As regards plumage, the Carrion Crow is of a uniform blue-black, with some greenish reflections ; the tail-feathers are broad, and the shape of the tail nearly square. The legs, toes, claws, and beak are black. The nostrils are covered with feathers directed forwards ; this is one of the distinctive features in which the bird differs from the rook. The irides are dark brown. The male is about eighteen and a half inches in length, the female being very similar, except that the upper plumage has not quite so metallic a lustre. Its note is a hoarse croak, closely re- sembling that of the raven. 4 THE CARRION CROW. The young birds have less lustrous plumage than the adults, especially on the upper surface of the body. The birds remain paired during the entire year j and some naturalists affirm that when once paired they remain so during life. According to Morris, many instances are recorded of this bird mating with the hooded crow ; but under what circumstances these unions took place cannot be ascertained. The progeny in these cases have been said to resemble, some one parent and some another. The Carrion Crow is found pretty generally throughout England, though not so numerously as formerly ; in Scot- land and the northern parts of Ireland, in Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Germany, France, and the southern parts of Europe, and also between the Black and Caspian Seas. sVv ALLoVv THE SWALLOW. Hirundo rustica. „ (lowest ica. WING undoubtedly to the par- tially domesticated habits of the Swallow, and the confidence it reposes in man, this pretty and graceful bird enjoys a greater immunity from ill-treatment or interference than is accorded to the majority of the feathered tribes. So thoroughly is the Swallow identified with our ideas of summer, that a picture of English summer life without a Swallow would be almost as incomplete as a winter scene without the traditional Robin Redbreast. The flight of the Swallow has always been the subject of admiration, every movement seeming to be the embodiment of vigour and grace ; and it is impossible for any one to watch the evolutions of the bird, as it skims along the surface of 6 THE SWALLOW. the river or lake, or occasionally dips for an instant into the water and rises to pursue its mazy wanderings in the air, without being astonished at the admirable ease of its movements, and the marvellous powers of endurance which nature has bestowed upon it. The Swallow migrates northward from the tropical parts of western Africa and Abyssinia (where large numbers are permanent residents), and arrives in Great Britain about the beginning of April. Its visit to this country usually extends to six months ; some few birds, old as well as the late-bred ones, however, occasionally remain until the winter months, but they invariably perish at the first approach of " winter and rough weather/'' Besides being a visitor to this country, the Swallow is found in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Lapland, the southern countries of Europe, Asia Minor, and Japan. During their migration Swallows have been repeatedly known to settle upon the rigging of vessels, apparently suffering from extreme exhaustion ; and after remaining a night to rest, renew their journey refreshed and invigo- rated. A very observable characteristic of the Swallow is the unfailing regularity with which it returns to its old haunts. It matters nothing in how intricate a locality it may have hatched and brought up its young, or how far from the sea-coast it may have to travel, or what vicissitudes may have happened to it in its protracted journey, the Swallow will be found to make its way, immediately on its arrival, to the familiar haunts and scenes of the previous summer. The food of the Swallow consists entirely of winged insects, small flies of various kinds, gnats, &c. These are captured as the bird flies with open mouth, the bristles with FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 7 which the gape is supplied, and the viscid saliva, assisting in the retention of the prey. This bird, like the Owl, rejects the undigested portions of its food in small pellets, called castings. Swallows commence building their nests in May; they usually select some unused place, such as an old chimney, or the corners of doors, or under the roof of a cart- shed or outhouse, where access is easy and uninterrupted. The nest is in shape somewhat similar to a flattened cup divided perpendicularly, and is made of clay, mud, and straw, lined with horsehair, feathers, and other soft ma- terials; the eggs number from four to six, and are of a delicate white colour spotted with purply red. The parents are unremitting in their attention to their brood, which they continually feed with the insects captured in their flights. Two broods are usually produced in the season ; and it is to the second brood that most of those birds belong which, as already stated, linger after the general migration, and perish from the cold weather and starvation. The Swallow seldom settles, although occasionally it alights on a roof or the withered branch of a tree ; but as the moment for migration approaches the birds congregate in vast numbers, and may be seen perched closely together on walls, telegraph-wires, the summits of high buildings, and even on the ground and sea-shore. On these occasions the younger birds may be distinguished by their frequently taking short wheeling flights, whilst their parents, as if aware of the journey before them, continue to rest steadily on their perches. The length of the Swallow is about eight and a half inches ; the beak is black ; the gape wide ; irides hazel ; 8 TEE SWALLOW. forehead chestnut ; head, neck, back, rump, and upper tail- coverts, steel blue ; tail very much forked ; chin and throat chestnut ; breast, belly, and under wing-coverts buffy white ; legs and toes slender and black ; claws black and sharp. In the female the plumage is not so fine as in the male, and the outside tail-feathers are not so long. The young Swallows are marked somewhat like the adult, but they are not so handsome, and do not get the long feathers that constitute the fork of . the tail until after they have left this country for a warmer climate. White and buff varieties of the Swallow are not un- common. The note is a low musical twittering, probably more soft and pleasing than casual observers are generally aware of. 1/3 NATURAL SIZE THE SPAEEOW HAWK . Accipiter nisus. HIS handsome and spirited bird is one of the commonest of the British Falconidae ; it is a most persistent and relentless destroyer of other birds, and undoubtedly makes more serious inroads into the ranks of the feathered tribes than any other raptorial species. It has been calculated that a Sparrow Hawk destroys on an average about three birds per day, and as this would give a total of over 2,000 birds annually for every pair of Sparrow Hawks, no further proof of their astonishing rapacity need be cited. Courage and audacity, com- bined with a silent and stealthy mode of approaching its prey, are the distinguishing characteristics of the Sparrow Hawk. Occa- sionally it may be seen boldly assailing another bird in the very presence of bystanders ; but more 22 10 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. commonly it may be observed stealing along under the cover of a hedge, and suddenly sweeping over it into the adjoining field, to pounce upon some unsuspecting victim with a force and suddenness that leaves but little chance for resistance or escape. A remarkable peculiarity connected with the bird, and noticed by numerous writers, is the fact of its being subject to fits of apparent cowardice ; upon such occasions it is literally mobbed by smaller birds, who follow it per- sistently, peck at it, and fill the air with notes of anger and alarm. The flight of the Sparrow Hawk is rapid and easy ; it seems to sweep along over hedge and ditch with little or no exertion, and often rises in the air for a few moments over some particular spot, and then gliding away for a short distance, it will again stop and repeat the action. Its food is captured both in the air and upon the ground, and the first blow is generally fatal, so unerring is its aim, and so great the force with which it darts upon its prey. It has, however, been known to hunt a bird for a consider- able time with great pertinacity, rising above and striking at it two or three times in succession, and upon some rare occasions failing altogether to secure its prey. The Sparrow Hawk commences her nest in April, and generally chooses some lofty, inaccessible spot ; sometimes, however, the old nest of a crow or magpie is used. The nest is flat and shallow, and not dissimilar to that of the ring-dove, although it is larger, and is composed mostly of twigs. The eggs number from four to six, and are in colour greyish-white tinged with blue, and irregularly marked with spots and blotches of dark brown. The young are hatched after an incubation of three THE SPARROW HAWK 11 weeks. The female when sitting is at first shy, but soon becomes more assiduous in her task. The male takes no part iii the hatching" ; but both birds are very attentive to the requirements of their brood. In the matter of food the Sparrow Hawk has a very wide range, and captures nearly all the smaller, and some of the larger, birds of the country — pigeons, partridges, chickens, ducklings, snipe, blackbirds, thrushes, larks, linnets, sparrows, lapwings, buntings, &c., being amongst its most ordinary prey. What has been said above respect- ing its food requirements, will sufficiently show the havoc which even one pair of birds may make in either a chicken- yard or game-preserve, and amply accounts for the rooted hostility of farmer and gamekeeper alike. Yet it may be doubted whether the farmer is not amply repaid for his chicken losses in the more ample destruction wrought amongst the smaller birds. Cultivated wooded districts are the favourite resorts of this bird ; but it also frequents open fields, and may be commonly met with in all parts of the country. The males and females separate in the winter, the latter still contenting themselves in woods and the neighbour- hood of the farmyard, and the former following the flocks of small birds which at this time of the year betake them- selves to the coast. A distinctive feature of this species of Hawk is the superior size of the female, and the bold- ness and ferocity of her disposition. The male bird is about twelve inches long ; the top of the head and upper part of the body and wings are of a dark brown colour, which assumes a greyish tint as the bird becomes older ; the under parts are reddish-brown marked with narrow bands of a darker hue; the legs and toes yellow, and claws 12 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. black. The eye is particularly piercing and defiant in its expression, the iris being of a beautiful yellow. The plumage of the female is somewhat different to that of the male ; the feathers on the back of the head are partly white ; the breast is also whiter and the markings larger ; the upper parts are somewhat browner. The Sparrow Hawk is common throughout Great Britain ; it is also found in many of the European coun- tries, in Asia Minor, China, Japan, and Africa. BLUE JIT THE BLUE TIT. Parus HE Blue Tit, or as it is com- monly called, the Tomtit, is | one of the most diminutive of the British birds. But no one who has amused himself by watching this merry little crea- ture in its unceasing movements in search of food would hesitate to describe it as a perfect type of perseverance and activity. Like the rest of the Titmice, this restless little bird spends a great deal of its time in trees, and displays the greatest dex- terity and nimbleness in cap- turing the various insects which are to be found there. Its method of procedure is extremely interesting, as it examines every portion of the branch on which it alights with the most minute scrutiny : above, below, and around it moves with a quick jerky motion, carefully peering into every possible place in 14 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. which an insect could conceal itself, and frequently going over the examined places a second time, as though deter- mined to avoid the least mis take or oversight. The number of obnoxious pests destroyed even in one day by a Blue Tit must be very considerable, and it is to be regretted that due importance is so seldom attached to this fact by gardeners and other individuals who wage war against it, merely regarding it as a nuisance and a depredator. The Blue Tit is deservedly noted for the elegant con- struction of its nest, which is usually placed in the hollow part of a tree, or a hole in a wall; but occasionally some very strange and eccentric places are selected, amongst which may be mentioned an old stone bottle, a pump, a letter-box, and in the clothes of a scarecrow. The nest is composed of the softest materials, such as grass, moss, &c., and skilfully lined with hair, AVOO!, and feathers, the latter largely predominating. Building commences in March or April ; the number of eggs are seven or eight, and some- times more ; they are of a pinky-white colour, more or less spotted at the larger end with rufous brown. The Blue Tit is very devoted to her nest, and at the time of hatching both birds become bold and clamorous, and have been known to fly at persons approaching their habitation. The female will sometimes permit herself to be taken rather than quit her nest, and will erect her feathers, utter a sort of hissing noise, and even peck fiercely at the hand of the intruder. This bird is very quarrelsome in its disposition, frequently assailing other birds, and even individuals of its own species. The flight is undulating and somewhat unsteady, and the note is discordant, especially when angry and alarmed, at which time it may almost be likened to a disagreeable shriek. THE SLUE TIT. 15 The Blue Tit prefers cultivated districts, and is to be seen wherever timber or hedgerows are found. At night it roosts in ivy, or the holes of walls, trees, or haystacks; under the eaves of thatched houses, or in any snug corner that can be discovered. Its food consists of chrysalides, caterpillars, spiders, moths, and other insects and their eggs. They are also fond of maize, and will frequent the feeding places of poultry or pheasants for the purpose of obtaining it. It is interesting to watch the way in which this little bird deals with maize : it takes one piece in its beak, flies to some neighbouring bough, and holding the corn firmly with its claws, pecks the " eye " out only, then Jetting the remainder fall to the ground, immediately pro- ceeds in search of another. In the autumn they may be observed in small parties visiting the gardens in the south of England in quest of insect food, and on these occasions they follow one another from place to place with the most amusing persistency. The length of this elegant little bird is about four and a half inches, and the plumage handsome and striking ; the bill is dusky ; forehead and cheeks white, the feathers forming a line round the crown of the head, which is of a clear blue ; behind this there is a circle of blue surrounding the head and joining in front, where it is nearly black ; from the beak through the eyes is a black line ; iris, dark brown ; back, yellowish-green ; quills, black with bluish edges, and wings, blue edged with white ; the under parts of the body are yellow, and the tail blue ; legs and toes are a leaden blue. The female is smaller than the male, has less blue on the head, and is less brightly coloured. The young resemble the female, but their colours are still duller and tinged with grey. The Blue Tit varies con- 16 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. siderably in size, the disparity in some cases being almost sufficient to suggest the existence of another species. It is common in all parts of Great Britain, and, with the exception of the extreme north, is met with throughout all the countries of Europe. It is also found in Japan and the Canary Islands. Like other Titmice, this bird is one of the most interesting inhabitants of even a small aviary, where its lively ways never fail to afford amusement. BLACKCAP (z/» f4/\TURAL SiZE) THE BLACKCAP. Sylvia Atricapilla — PENXANT. Motacilla ,, BEWICK. ROBABLY no familiar wild bird is more widely distributed than the Blackcap. Not only is it found in all the temperate parts of Europe, but also in the more inclement climates of Nor- way and Lapland ; whilst in such remote regions as Java, Japan, and the Cape of Good Hope it appears to be equally well known. In our own country the Blackcap seems to have a partiality for localities lying between Norfolk and Suffolk and Derbyshire and Wales, and ' along the south coast from Sussex to the Land's End. The Blackcap derives its name from the black hood, or cap, which covers the top of the head of the male bird, the cap in the female being usually of a choco- late-brown colour. The cheeks and nape of the neck are grey^ the back and wing-coverts ash 23 18 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. grey shaded with brown, the pinions and tail dark brown edged with grey, and the breast, throat, and belly light grey. The female is a trifle larger than her mate, and her plumage slightly tinged with brown, whilst the young birds do not assume the distinctive markings of their parents until after the first moult, which takes place about the end of July. The average length of the adult bird is about six inches. When the young birds are fully fledged they closely resemble the adult female ; the plumage on the top of the head is, however, a greyish- brown. The song of the Blackcap is extremely sweet, the notes being full, varied, and of surpassing richness. This charming songster is commonly known as the " mock nightingale/' probably from its custom of singing at night. Whilst singing, the throat is considerably distended, but it is not easy to obtain a close view, as the approach of an intruder is invariably resented, and the song suddenly concluded. Thick woods, copses, hedgerows, plantations, and orchards are the favourite haunts of this interesting bird, and in such spots the quiet wanderer may observe it actively searching for food, and ceaselessly flitting from branch to branch. It is, however, very shy and timid in its habits, and when disturbed, rapidly seeks the denser portions of its woody retreat. The food of the Blackcap principally consists of insects, caterpillars, and the berries of the ivy and elder, while strawberries, raspberries, currants, and green figs would seem to be especially palatable. Its partiality for elder and ivy berries is so strong that it may frequently be noticed picking them from the stalks whilst supporting itself in the air by fluttering its wings. THE BLACKCAP. 19 The Blackcap is rather an exclusive bird, seldom breeding near another pair. It selects a solitary spot for its nest, which it builds (about the end of May) either in a bramble or honeysuckle, or even amongst nettles or gooseberry bushes. The position of the nest varies from two to eight feet from the ground. It is thin and deep, and is composed of dried grass or fibrous roots, and occa- sionally a little hair, the outside being cemented with spiders' web and wool. The observer, in studying the habits of this interesting little bird during the construc- tion of its nest, must proceed with some little caution, as any familiarity or disturbance is strongly objected to, and the birds will immediately forsake their habitation and seek a fresh locality upon the slightest suspicion or annoy- ance. The eggs, as a rule, number four or five, and differ considerably in size and shape. The general colour is a dull greenish-white, mottled with light brown or grey, and a few spots of darker brown ; the eggs are also occasionally to be met with of a pretty pink or salmon colour. Both the male and female Blackcap are very assiduous in their attention to the nest during the breeding season, and are so devoted to their charge that during this period they seem to lose a great deal of their natural shyness, and will even suffer themselves to be captured by hand. The birds both share in the duties of hatching, the male not unfrequently singing as he sits, and at other times feeding his mate. A very noticeable trait in the character of the Blackcap is his strong partiality for the same locality ; the birds seldom change their haunts, but return for several succes- sive seasons to the same spot. In the order of their migratory arrival, the male birds 20 FA MI LI A E WIL D BIRDS. precede the females, their stay in this country extending- from early in April until September, although instances have been mentioned of their having been found in Novem- ber and December. The numbers in which they arrive are subject to considerable variation and uncertainty, some years the birds being plentiful, and upon other occasions comparatively scarce. The flight is short and rapid, and almost invariably single, it being a rare occurrence to see two on the wing simultaneously. Notwithstanding its timid and restless disposition, the Blackcap makes a very welcome addition to the aviary, where it speedily becomes tame, and sings with great power and freedom. \ PARTRIDGE SiZSff THE PAETEIDGE. Perdix cinerea — JENYNS. Tctrao perdix — LINNAEUS. ^SEPARABLY associated with the English autumn, eagerly sought after by the keen-eyed sportsman, and held in tender respect by the epicure and the gourmand, the " nut-brown Partridge " holds a prominent position amongst our British birds, rivalled by few, and probably surpassed by none. It is to be found plentifully throughout the whole of the British Isles. It is said to belong to Europe, but is com- paratively common in some parts of Asia and Africa. It can scarcely be called a mi- gratory bird, as in a large majority of cases it makes no effort to quit the country, differing altogether in this respect from its near ally, the quail. The habits of the Partridge are purely gregarious, and coveys, varying in number 22 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. from twelve to thirty, may commonly be met with in any of our cultivated districts. They are also frequently seen on the edges of moors, waste lands, and commons, amongst gorse and broom, and sometimes, but not often, in woods. In the morning the birds repair to the stubble, grass fields, and hedgeside, which at midday they quit for the shelter of turnip fields, clover, or potatoes, returning towards evening to their former feeding-grounds. They roost principally in the open, lying in a cluster with their heads outward. As they sometimes use the same sleeping- place for many nights in succession, farmers and game- preservers protect them from the net of the poacher by sticking bushes of thorns at intervals over the ground. Like many other birds, the Partridge is fond of dusting itself, and may occasionally be seen shaking and shuffling its feathers in the soft dust of the turnpike road. Long familiarity with the common surroundings of man has produced in the Partridge an indifference to passing objects almost amounting to contempt, and coveys may be seen quietly squatting in close proximity to pass- ing vehicles, even a railway train being apparently insuffi- cient to disturb their equanimity. Whether the Partridge suffers from any peculiarity in its organs of vision, or whether it is not quite as intelligent as some other birds, maybe considered open questions ; but numerous interesting circumstances have been noted which would seem to point to one of these theories. As cases in point, we may mention the frequent instances in which Partridges kill themselves by flying against telegraph wires, and the extraordinary fact that occasionally an entire covey will glide out over the sea and settle down on its surface, as THE PARTRIDGE. 23 though it were a grass field — a mistaken confidence which, of course, results in their speedy destruction. A well-known writer observes : — " The art of the Partridge is familiar to the sportsman, and excites admi- ration in all the lovers of nature. At the signal for silence and retreat, the infant young may be seen to run to the nearest cover, while the parent seems seized with sudden lameness and inability to fly ; or the male will flutter off to a distance, and then suddenly dropping as if dead return to the place he had left by some circuitous route. Sometimes the hen flutters along the ground with drooping wings in a direction opposite to that taken by the brood, and not until she has successfully misled the observer does she resume her power, and wing away to a greater distance ." The flight of the Partridge is very noisy, and rapid, consisting of several strokes of the wing in quick suc- cession, followed by a long skim, in which the wings are extended and motionless. They seldom rise to a greater height than is necessary to pass over hedges or other obstacles. The length of the Partridge is about twelve inches. The forehead and sides of the head are a light yellowish chestnut, edged with grey, the upper mandible a good deal curved ; chin and throat, a light yellow chestnut ; breast, bluish-grey, freckled with blackish-brown, and on its lower part a horseshoe-shaped mark of brownish-red on a white ground ; sides barred with chestnut, and back banded with dots of brownish-black, and lines of brownish-yellow and grey; the wings are short and rounded; and the tail short and much hidden by the coverts. In the female the plumage is very similar, the patch on the breast being 24 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. smaller, and the bands of chestnut and other markings being broader. They pair about February. The male birds are ex- tremely pugnacious, and quarrel incessantly during the breeding season, these disputes being remarkable for the fury and pertinacity displayed by the combatants. The nest of the Partridge, which is merely a few straws in a hollow scratched in the earth, is usually built in ploughed or clover fields, and frequently at the bottom of hedgerows. The eggs, from ten to sixteen in number, are of a pale greenish-brown yellow, and the young birds make their appearance about the middle or end of July. The male bird watches the nest during incubation, but the hen alone sits on the eggs. The food of the Partridge consists of grain, beans, seeds, worms, caterpillars, beetles, and other insects, and in times of scarcity turniptops, young clover, and probably any tender leaves. The young are at first exclusively fed on insects, ants (and their eggs) being consumed in great quantities. \ ^ VviLo THE WILD DUCK. boschas. HIS very handsome bird, the ancestor of most of our varie- ties of domestic ducks, may be said to be common to all parts of the continent of Eu- rope. It is found as far east as Japan, and as far west as the United States ; in fact, it may fairly be considered in- digenous to the larger part of the northern hemisphere. If the accounts of some of our earlier naturalists can be relied upon, the Wild Duck was formerly much more nume- rous in our own country than at the present time, the large numbers exhibited every winter in our shops and markets being obtained from the vast flocks that visit us from high north- ern latitudes, while but com- paratively few pairs remain with us through the summer months. 24 26 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. Enormous numbers of Wild Ducks are taken every year in the fen countries by means of tunnel-nets, decoy- ponds, and dogs trained for the purpose. Indeed, so profitable an undertaking is this that Pennant records an instance where, in only one season, thirty-one thousand two hundred ducks, including Teals and Widgeons, were sold in London as the proceeds of ten Lincolnshire decoys. The Wild Duck breeds early in the season, and the birds probably remain paired through the whole of the year. The nest is generally placed upon the ground, and is built of grass, lined with down and intermixed with down and feathers ; sometimes a spot close to the edge of a lake or river is selected for breeding purposes, and at other times the birds choose a locality entirely removed from the water. As regards its young, the Wild Duck exhibits great attention and anxiety; and if they are in any way threatened with danger, the parent becomes extremely excited, and resorts to numerous manoeuvres to secure the safety of the family. The young birds, which are known as " Flappers," are supposed to select their mates before the completion of the first year. The eggs are of a greenish -white colour, and rather more than two inches in length, and sometimes number fourteen or fifteen. The Drake leaves his mate directly she commences to hatch her eggs, and then undergoes, in common with many other male birds of the Duck family, one of the strangest transformations known to naturalists. The plumage of the Drake is, up to this time, ex- THE WILD DUCK. 27 ceedingly handsome. The bill is yellowish-green; the irides hazel ; the head and upper part of the neck a rich glossy green, with a ring of white ; the lower part of the neck arid the back a grayish chestnut-brown; the rump and upper tail-coverts bluish-black ; the middle tail-feathers velvet-black, and curled upwards; front and sides of the neck rich dark chestnut ; breast, belly, vent, grayish-white ; under tail-coverts velvet-black; legs, orange-yellow. As already mentioned, a wonderful change takes place in the appearance of the Drake at the time of breeding. First, the back and breast change colour, then the curled feathers are lost, the splendid plumage of the head and neck becomes dull and gray, and about the first week in July all the handsome markings have disappeared, and the bird has assumed the dull brown colour of the female. This extraordinary change, however, lasts only for a couple of months, and by the first week in October the Drake has discarded his sad-coloured garb, and once more appears in all the beauty of his original plumage. The flight of the Wild Duck is strong and rapid ; the birds generally fly in a long irregular slanting line, with their necks fully extended. When only short journeys are performed, they commonly follow the course of water or low wet grounds, flying in a confused mass near the ground. Broad reedy sheets of water, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, ditches, and watery districts generally, are the favourite resorts of the bird ; but a considerable number of Wild Ducks may always be found upon the sea-coast during winter, and especially when severe frosts have closed up their favourite resorts. The food of the Wild Duck is principally made up of grain, worms, slugs, small fish, land and water insects, 28 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. and occasionally the leaves of various plants. They feed during the principal part of the day in large flocks, but as evening approaches they set up a loud clamorous gabbling, the females being by far the noisiest. They then take wing in separate parties, and return in a similar way soon after dawn the following morning. CUCKOO Vs NATURAL SIZE I THE CUCKOO. Cuculus canorus. „ hepaticm. LTHOUGH certainly inferior to a large number of our feathered friends as regards plumage, the Cuckoo nevertheless occu- pies quite an unique position amongst the birds of our native land. The voice of the Cuckoo, that " marvellous monotone " so closely resembling the human voice, has from time immemorial been inseparably associated with the advent of spring and the birth-time of flowers. It is universally hailed with delight, and callous indeed must be the individual who hears the Cuckoo in the budding spring- tide with- out feeling some emotions of genuine gratification. This remarkable bird be- longs to a genus, the Cuculidse, only one species of which is a native of Great Britain. A few belong to Europe, but the 30 FAMILIAR WILL BIRDS. greater number are found in Asia., and in the northern and southern parts of Africa. The stay of the Cuckoo in this country is very brief; it usually arrives about the beginning of April, and de- parts either in July or August, very few remaining until September. Almost every locality in the country has its poetical reference to the visit of the Cuckoo, of which the following is perhaps the commonest : — " In April, come he will, In May, he sings all day, In June, he change his tune, In July, away he fly." One of the most distinctive peculiarities of the Cuckoo is its manner of propagating its species. It makes no nest for itself, but deposits its eggs in the nest of some smaller bird, and leaves the duties of hatching and feeding its young entirely to the care of foster-parents. The Cuckoo usually selects for this purpose the nests of the Robin, Hedge-accentor, Chiffchaff, Reed, and Grasshopper warblers, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Bunting, or Whitethroat, and always displays considerable sagacity in choosing the time most appropriate for hatching. The egg of the Cuckoo is about the size of that of a skylark, and is generally either of a pale reddish-grey or greenish- grey colour. Only one is deposited in a nest, the size of the bird being altogether out of proportion to the egg which it produces. In cases where two have been found together, the difference in size and colour would generally seem to show that they had been deposited by different birds. As soon as the young Cuckoo is hatched it endeavours to eject its companions and obtain sole possession of the nest. So entirely do the foster-parents of the young Cuckoo THE CUCKOO. 31 devote themselves to its support, that they pay no further attention to their own ejected brood, but, allowing them to lie and starve on the ground where they have been thrown by the intruder, they take the most assiduous care of their strange charge, and will even follow it into confinement and feed it. This is all the more remarkable because the Cuckoo, probably owing to its resemblance to the hawk, is fre- quently mobbed by all the smaller birds in its vicinity. Why a bird so bold and fierce in its disposition should be so shiftless and remiss in the discharge of parental duties, and so deficient in the almost universal characteristic of philoprogenitiveness, is a question that has often been asked, but will probably never be satisfactorily answered. The plumage of the male Cuckoo is of a dark ash colour on the back ; the breast is of a lighter shade, aod the feathers below the breast are a dull white barred with black ; the tail-feathers are similar, but are all tipped with white. The bill is slightly curved, red on the inside, and in the case of young birds always open. The length of the male is about fourteen inches ; the female is a little smaller, but with the exception of being somewhat darker in plumage differs very slightly from the male. The young birds have the whole of the upper part of the body barred alternately with reddish brown and clove brown, and when ready to leave the nest the tail is very short and the feathers tipped with white. The song " Cuckoo " is nearly always uttered whilst the bird is flying, or immediately after settling; and this circumstance may possibly explain the fact that the Cuckoo is silent in captivity. In addition to this cry the 32 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. birds have another note, a soft " Cule, cule," and another note indicating- anger. The flight of the Cuckoo is straightforward and steady ; it is a bold, fierce bird, very restless in confinement, where it soon breaks and disfigures the feathers of the tail and wings. Its food, when young, varies and depends entirely upon the diet of its foster- parents, all of which are partly insectivorous ; but the adult birds feed upon flies, beetles, grasshoppers, snails, and caterpillars, exhibiting a strong partiality for the last* named. ph E/\SA (J THE PHEASANT. Phasianus colchicus. 1RHAPS, with the solitary ex- ception of the peacock, the male Pheasant may safely be described as the handsomest of our British birds, the richness of its colours and the extreme brilliancy of its plumage having always attracted attention and occasioned well- deserved admiration. It be- longs to the Rasorial, or Galli- naceous birds, and is so popular both for purposes of sport and as an article of food, that it is very strictly preserved, and bred and reared with considerable care and attention. Indeed, it might almost be considered as belonging to our domestic birds, were it not for its natural timidity, which seems to prevent that entire confidence and ab- sence of fear so common to other birds of the Gallinaceous order. The Pheasant has a history of very long standing. Its introduction into this country took place certainly before 25 34 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. the end of the thirteenth century, as we read that in the time of Edward I. a pheasant was valued in the then currency of the country at fourpence ; after making due allowances for the alteration in the value of money, it is clear that the bird has steadfastly kept its position in the scale of public appreciation. The Pheasant is found in all parts of England, but although large numbers are artificially bred and fed with fowls at the gamekeeper's door, they never quite lose their wild habits, and immediately retreat to their covers at the approach of a dog or any strange and objectionable objects. Wood and water are indispensable to the welfare of Pheasants; they seek the shelter of woods with thick brushwood closely grown, and love to feed on the green- sward of adjoining meadows, but generally close enough to secure a hasty and uninterrupted retreat in case of alarm or disturbance. At other times they exhibit a strong partiality for some island in a lake or large pond, that may be overgrown with rushes, reeds, or osiers. Hedgerows and the borders of plantations are also favourite haunts, but they very seldom venture into open and unprotected localities. The food of the Pheasant consists of cereal grain, seeds, green leaves, insects, especially ants, beech-mast, acorns, blackberries, sloes, hips and haws, and the roots of the golden buttercup. These birds are exceedingly troublesome in the neighbourhood of gardens, and when they can effect an entrance, feed freely on vegetables, seeds, and roots. The young are principally fed upon ants' eggs and insects, until they are fully capable of providing for THE PHEASANT. 35 themselves. The males and females are not associated during- a great part of the year, bub in the spring the male bird chooses his mates, generally about six or eight in number. During a part of the breeding season the males roost near to the females, and exhibit considerable watch- fulness and spirit in defence of their consorts, but when the eggs are laid, the males seem to become quite indifferent, and leave the entire charge of the broods to the females. The nest is made on the ground, and is composed of leaves or dried stalks ; it is sometimes placed in the long grass or clover of a field, and occasionally in woods and plantations. The eggs vary in number from six to ten, and frequently more ; indeed, so many eggs have been found in a nest, that the supposition is commonly held that sometimes more than one Pheasant lays in the same nest. Pheasants have been also known to lay their eggs in the nest of the partridge. The colour of the eggs is an uniform olive-brown, minutely dotted all over ; in some instances, however, they are greyish- white, tinged with green. The hen Pheasant attends very closely to the require- ments of her brood, and bestows on them her constant care and protection until the moulting season. The young Pheasant is very subject to a disease called the gapes, and this affection is at times exceedingly destructive, especially to birds in confinement. In its flight the Pheasant is laboured and heavy; it expands the tail, flaps the wings rapidly, and scuds or sails along for some distance before alighting on the ground. When disturbed in thick woods, the bird rises for some few yards with considerable violence and velocity, and then slowly flies away, as already mentioned. The general 36 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. movements of the bird are nimble ; it runs quickly, and carries the wings slightly drooped and the tail somewhat elevated. The crow of the male bird is a short loud cackle, and the note of the female a shrill piping whistle. The male crows at all parts of the day, and when alarmed by any sudden or unexpected noise, its cry is incessant, and so loud that its locality is invariably betrayed. Like many other of the Gallinaceous birds, the Pheasant frequently breeds with birds of a different species. Hybrids with the common fowl are very common in the neighbourhood of preserves, especially where the smaller and lighter breeds of fowls are kept. These hybrids are some- times larger than either parent, and generally very wild. Crosses with the beautiful Chinese varieties of pheasant are fertile, and traces of these foreign strains are now occasionally to be found in preserves. PIED W/\GJ/\IL ( |/2 r^TbRyiVL SIZE) THE PIED WAGTAIL. Motacilla YarreUil. ,, Alba. E Water Wagtail, or, as it is commonly called, the t( Dish- washer/' is the commonest, and therefore the best known, of the British Wagtails. It is a smart, active little bird, frequenting the sides of nearly every pool, pond, or brook in the country. In such localities it may be met with at all times of the day, either nimbly running over the stones, mud, and aquatic vege- tation, or taking short upward flights in pursuit of insects. The Wagtail derives its name from the constant habit of ele- vating its tail with a quick jerky motion, as though desirous of keeping the plumage clean and dry. It runs very quickly, and flies with an alternate rising and falling in the air. This pe- culiar flight is one of its most observable characteristics, and the bird may readily be dis- tinguished by it from almost all others. 38 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. Although so closely associated with water, the Wagtail is unable to swim, but the ease and confidence with which it moves over the floating leaves of water-plants render this accomplishment quite superfluous. Besides its partiality for the water-side, this little bird may fre- quently be seen on lawns, in meadows, farm-yards, roadways, and fields where ploughing is being carried on ; indeed, this last is a very favourite resort, and the Wagtail may be commonly noticed following closely on the heels of the ploughman, and searching for food amongst the newly- turned furrows with great activity and perseverance. In the selection of localities for building their nests, these birds are somewhat erratic, and do not appear to have any particular partiality ; sometimes they build in the stonework of some old bridge or in the hollow of a tree, whilst the sides of railway cuttings, the banks of streams, low mud or stone walls, and faggot stacks are very fre- quently made use of. The nest is built of stems of grass, leaves, small roots, and moss, and is lined with wool, hair, feathers, or any convenient soft substance. The eggs are five or six in number, of a long oval form, light grey or greyish-blue in colour, and spotted all over writh grey and brown ; they vary very much in size and colour, and some are spotted thickly at the larger end, the spots being in the shape of a belt. There are frequently two broods in the year ; the time of hatching is about a fortnight, and both parents are assiduously attentive to the young birds. The female is especially solicitous for the well-being of her offspring, rarely leaving them except for a very short time, and never going very far away from her charge. The food of the Wagtail consists principally of insects, THE PIED WAGTAIL. 39 which,, as already stated, it pursues in the air as well as on the ground or water. The note, which is frequently repeated, especially when the bird is alarmed, is a sharp " cheep," but it occa- sionally varies this note with a pleasant little modulation, which is almost protracted enough to be considered a song. The length of the Wagtail is about seven-and-a-half inches, and the plumage is of a striking character ; the bill is deep black ; iris dusky black, with a narrow white space over it ; forehead and side of head white ; back of head deep black ; neck in front white, with a semicircular band of black running up towards the bill; nape deep black; back black, and greyish towards the middle; wings greyish-black, margined with white; tail very long and rounded at the end, the middle feathers being black and the outer ones white, banded with black ; legs slender, toes and claws deep black. The female has a general resem- blance to the male, but the markings are not so distinctly denned; the crescent on the fore-part of the neck is smaller, and in the summer it is tinged with grey. The breast is greyish-white; there is more grey in the back, and the two middle feathers of the tail are brownish-black. After moulting, the plumage of both sexes undergoes an alteration, and the birds appear of a more greyish colour. The black feathers gradually disappear from the throat of both sexes, and the dorsal plumage becomes much lighter. In the young birds the bill is of a dusky tinge, with the edges yellowish. Over the forehead there is a thin light grey or yellowish streak. There is a dusky line on each side of the throat which forms a curve in front ; the breast is marked with grey and yellowish-brown, and the crescent-shaped mark is not very clearly seen. After 40 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. the autumnal moult, however, the plumage is considerably more distinct, and the various markings become more perceptible. The Wagtail is a native of Great Britain,, and is also largely found in Norway and Sweden. It is partly migra- tory, and journeys southward in the autumn, returning from the Continent early in the spring, at which time of year it may be found in the most northernly parts of Scotland. THE HEBON. Ardea cincreu. HIS handsome and striking bird may be regarded as an apt example of the vicissi- tudes connected with popu- larity. Time was when in merry England the Heron was royal game, a prized and well cared-for bird j the sport it afforded in falconry was esteemed by knights and ladies ; it was honoured equally at the table with the swan and the peacock, and protected by stringent laws and heavy penalties. Times and customs are, however, perpetually changing, and the Heron now, although not actually rare, is at any rate quite out of public favour and interest, and may be regarded as solitary, re- tired, and uncared-for. The bird belongs to a very numerous tribe, which is almost universally spread 26 42 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. over the globe. It bears a strong affinity to the crane and the stork, but differs from them in one or two particulars : it is smaller, the beak is longer, and the middle claw of each foot is serrated, for the better seizing and securing of the slippery prey upon which it principally feeds ; and it is also noticeable for the handsome crest and plumes which adorn its head and neck. The Heron commits great devastation in ponds and shallow waters, where, as well as in marshy places and the banks of lakes and rivers, it spends most of its time. Fish and their fry, frogs, toads, snakes, field-mice, shrews, snails, slugs, worms, and all sorts of insects, are the usual articles of its diet ; but it has been occasionally known to transfix a water-rat with its powerful beak, and bear it away in triumph. One distinguishing characteristic of the Heron is the expansive properties of the gullet, which enables the bird to carry home to its young a much larger supply of food than it could manage in the beak alone. This interesting bird secures its prey by wading into the water, and watching patiently and motionless for some hapless fish. Still as a statue, with its long, graceful neck sunk between its shoulders, and its keen eye fixed upon the water, it rests until the proper moment arrives, when it darts down like lightning on the unsuspecting wanderer ; and rarely indeed is the blow unsuccessful. It is said that a single Heron has been known to destroy up- wards of fifty small roach and dace in one day, so that its capabilities as a fisher may be considered thoroughly estab- lished. The Heron is remarkably light in proportion to its size, as it very rarely exceeds three- and-a-half pounds in weight, although its length is over three feet, and its THE HERON. 43 breadth, with wings extended, about five feet. The bill is strong, straight, and pointed,, about six inches long ; the upper mandible is of a yellowish horn colour, the under one yellow ; irides yellow ; head and cheeks greyish-white ; the elongated feathers forming the plume dark slate-blue ; upper surface of the body and wings French grey ; wing- primaries black, and tail slate-grey; the neck is white, and varied with dark bluish-grey, forming long spots ; the under part of the body is greyish- white, marked with black; and the legs and toes are greenish-yellow; claws brown. The females closely resemble the males in plumage, but the plume is shorter, and the markings are not so distinct or bright. The young birds have no plumal feathers until their third year, and the plumage generally is tinged with ash colour and brown. The eye of the Heron is very bright, and has a bold, piercing expression . In the breeding season, which usually commences in March, these birds congregate together in large numbers, and, like rooks, build in colonies. The tops of tall trees, such as the oak and fir, are most commonly selected; but occasionally they make use of precipitous rocks near the coast. The nest, which is of very large proportions, is built of sticks, and lined with dried grass and wool. Four or five eggs is the average number. They are of a sea- green colour, and a little more than a couple of inches in length. Both the parents are very attentive to the requirements of their progeny. The latter make a peculiar noise, some- thing between a croak and a hiss, when they are being fed, and are very noisy and clamorous towards the approach of evening. They quit their nests for an hour or two in the daytime about the end of May or beginning of June, and 44 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. may be seen perched on the branches contiguous to their domiciles. They seem far less able to take care of them- selves than the majority of birds of the same age, and are fed by their parents until the end of August. Like most birds of prey, the Heron suffers alternately from a scarcity and a superfluity of food, sometimes being gorged to repletion, but more commonly hungry in ap- pearance and lean in condition. In flight the long legs are stretched straight out behind, and the neck curled back between the shoulders. The character of the flight is heavy and flagging. Some- times, however, the bird soars to a considerable height, and whilst on the wing utters a harsh, discordant cry. One of the largest and most interesting heronries in England is at Parham, in Sussex. Yarrell gives a list of about thirty existing heronries in England ; but it is much to be feared that they, in common with many other curiosi- ties of natural history, are rapidly decreasing in number and importance. V/OODCOC^ (/3 fJ/VTUR/lL SIZE ) THE WOODCOCK. Scolopax rusticola. HIS comparatively common bird is a species of the Grallatores or Wading birds, and belongs to the sub- family of the ScolopacinaB or Snipes. Owing to its shy and retiring habits, and the fact that it seeks its food by night, the Woodcock is by no means so familiarly known as the great majority of the feathered tribes ; and in all probability there are but few persons, with the exception of sportsmen, who have seen a Woodcock, save when exposed for sale at the poulterer's, or preserved in the cases of a museum. It is one of our winter migratory birds, usually ar- riving on our coasts in Oc- tober and leaving again in March, although the young are constantly found in different parts of England, and 46 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. in many districts of Scotland during the summer months, the Weald of Sussex being one locality worthy of especial notice as furnishing instances every year of their breeding in this country. This bird is to be found in Norway, Lapland,, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Italy, and less commonly in Germany, Switzerland, and France. In certain parts of Asia and Africa it is also met with, and according to Morris, in the Madeira Isles it is " a perennial resident." In its migratory flight the Woodcock generally first visits the east of Scotland and north of England,, and the bird is supposed to complete its passage from the shores of the Baltic to our own coasts between sunset and sunrise, and during a north-east wind. The flight during migration has been spoken of as being at a considerable altitude. The numbers in which it arrives vary very considerably. As with many other birds, the sexes separate during, or shortly previous to, migration, the females preceding the males in the selection of their winter quarters. When the weather is mild, the Woodcock often resorts to the open moors or bleak hill-sides ; but immediately the temperature becomes lower, and frost and snow make their appearance, it seeks warmer situations, and betakes itself to woods, copses, and plantations. In choosing these retreats, it evinces a strong partiality for springs, running brooks, low marshy hollows, and spots where furze and thick undergrowths are plentiful. The principal food of the Woodcock consists of the earthworms that usually abound in moist grounds ; and the places where the birds have been engaged during the night in searching for food may easily be detected by the num- berless perforations left in the soft earth by their long bills. TEE WOODCOCK. 47 Few birds are more eagerly sought for by the sports- man than the Woodcock, and probably still fewer boast of a higher reputation as a table delicacy. As already stated, these birds feed at night, and almost invariably follow the same route from their cover to their feeding places. In- deed, such is their regularity in this respect, that they used formerly to be commonly taken in nets suspended across these runs, or " cock-roads/' and also in horsehair nooses set in similar localities. Tho nest is usually found in dry, warm situations in woods, amongst dead grass and leaves, no care or effort towards concealment being apparent. It is composed of dead leaves, especially fern, loosely put together, and with- out lining. Three or four eggs are laid, of a yellowish- white colour, about one-and-a-half inches in length, the longer end being marked with ash-grey and reddish-yellow brown. The mother exhibits great attachment for her brood. The average length of the Woodcock is about fourteen- and-a-half inches; the beak is three inches long, pale reddish-brown at the base, and dark brown at the point ; the eyes are large and convex, and have a somewhat strange and staring expression ; irides dark brown. The plumage is handsome, and is composed of three shades of brown, and as every feather on the upper surface of the body contains the three shades, the back presents a beautifully variegated appearance ; the cheeks are pale wood-brown with darker spots, and there is a prominent streak of dark brown from the beak to the eye ; the wings are reddish-brown, with open oval rings of dark brown, and the under-feathers of the tail black, tipped with white ; all the other under-parts are wood-brown, with darker coloured bars ; the legs and toes are brown, and the claws black. 48 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. The female is larger than the male, and the plumage in the upper part of the body is more black, and the lower parts more red ; but in both sexes the markings grow fainter as the birds increase in age. Woodcocks are voracious feeders, and are frequently found to be covered with fat when shot. They differ con- siderably in weight, young birds sometimes not weighing more than seven ounces, whilst adult birds commonly attain to fourteen and fifteen ounces. The flight is rapid at all times. y.// S\VlfT THE SWIFT. Hirundo Apus — BEWICK. Oypselus Apus— JENYNS. HIS interesting bird, whose mar- vellous powers of flight and shrill peculiar note are so well known, is usually included by naturalists in the family Hir- undince or Swallows, of which it is made to form a special sub- family; but some authorities consider that it is more closely allied to the Humming-birds and Goatsuckers. It differs from the Swallow and the Martin in one very marked and important particular, viz., the construction of the foot ; all four of the toes are turned to the front, an arrangement which, despite its apparent inconvenience, materi- ally assists the bird in climbing into the narrow and contracted apertures which it selects for its nesting-places. It resembles the Swallow in its migratory habits, but it 27 50 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. leaves this country for the continent at a much earlier date. The Swift arrives in Great Britain in May, and the greater number remain until August,, some staying even later than this; their arrival, as well as their departure, is sudden and simultaneous, and the birds, a few days previous to the latter, indulge in loud and continuous screaming. As already intimated, the powers of flight possessed by this bird are indeed remarkable ; sometimes it may be seen at a great height in the air, wheeling in large and ever- varying circles, at other times closer to the ground, dashing around the angles of buildings or the trunks of trees with an ease and rapidity of movement that is truly interesting to watch, and which certainly proves that its powers of vision must be quite as highly developed as is its capa- bility for rapid and sustained locomotion. Swifts, in com- mon with all the Hirundina, subsist entirely upon small winged insects, and previous to rain they may be noticed pursuing their prey at a very small distance from the ground in the most indefatigable manner, and incessantly uttering a shrill screaming cry. On these occasions they have been even known to enter shops and dwelling-houses. Their cry is so shrill and unmusical that the birds are commonly known by the name of " squeakers/' The nesting-places of the Swift are usually in the holes of church-steeples, or high towers, or the eaves of tall buildings, or crevices in the sides of cliffs. The nest is very carelessly constructed, and is scarcely worthy of the name, being composed of the dust and debris that the birds can scrape together in the apertures which they select ; they are, however, always ready to utilise the remains of any old nest that may have been constructed previously THE SWIFT. 51 by other birds. The eggs are usually two or three in number, perfectly white, and somewhat large in proportion to the size of the bird; the shape of the egg is a long oval. Swifts travel great distances in search of food, and may frequently be seen many miles from their nesting- places, in considerable numbers, and especially before thunderstorms ; at other times they would appear to remain close to their homes for several days together. The brood is hatched about the end of June or beginning of July, and the parents are extremely attentive to the wants of their progeny. As soon as the young birds are able to support themselves firmly on the wing, the whole family commonly leave the country at once. Swifts breed but once in the year, unless the first brood is destroyed ; and the male has been known to desert his mate and migrate during a second incubation. They exhibit a strong partiality to their old haunts, returning again and again to their first habitation. In connection with this interesting characteristic, Dr. Jenner relates that on one occasion he captured and marked twelve Swifts at a farm- house in the neighbourhood of Berkeley, Gloucestershire ; and on examining their nesting-places for three following years, some of the marked birds were found upon each examination, which, considering the vast distances tra- velled over during migration, is indeed a most wonderful circumstance. The length of the Swift is about seven inches ; the beak is black; the mandibles very short, and the gape wide; the head, back, body, wings, and tail, are of an uniform blackish -brown, with the exception of a small patch of greyish- white under the chin. The tail is long 52 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. and forked ; and the legs, toes, and claws are very short and black. In the young birds the chin is white, and the head and back have some feathers tipped with dirty white. The Swift rejects the undigested portions of its food in small pellets, in a manner exactly similar to the Swallow. These birds do not perch either upon the ground or upon trees. At the time of migration they are now and then found to have entered the window of some room for the purpose of roosting, but seldom more than single birds. This graceful and interesting bird is distributed during its visiting season over all parts of Great Britain. It is also met with in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Lap- land, and is common in all the southern parts of Europe, although, judging from the observations of some natural- ists, it is not so numerous now as in former years. -••*««,. el/xck (/* [J/Mbf^AL SIZE ) THE BLACK-HEADED GULL. Larus ridibundus — PENNANT. mim HIS interesting and attractive bird, in addition to its ordi- nary appellation, is also known by the names of the Red-legged Gull and Laugh- ing Gull, and is found in large numbers on nearly all the low marshy coasts of England. Its note is a hoarse sort of cry or cackle, which, when rapidly repeated, bears some sort of resemblance to a laugh, hence the name last enumerated. It belongs to the genus Larus, a marine web-footed species distri - buted pretty generally over all portions of the globe. The Black-headed Gull may be easily distinguished from the rest of the Gull family by its size, and the very plainly-marked hood of dark-coloured feathers which 54 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. covers the head in summer ; it is common to all parts of our coasts during the colder months of the year, but as soon as the spring- advances it resorts to the flat marshy places for the purpose of hatching its young, the birds returning to the same localities year after year with un- deviating regularity. Certain parts of Kent and Essex near the mouth of the Thames are particularly noted for these Gulls, and another remarkable breeding-place is Scoulton Mere, in Norfolk. At this last-mentioned spot there is a large boggy island where these birds resort in large numbers, and of it it is said that they have bred there regularly for upwards of 300 years. The Black-headed Gulls begin to congregate in February and March ; the eggs are laid in May ; these are usually three in number, but vary very much in size and colour. The general length is two inches ; they are of a yellowish- greeny brown, with spots of two shades of dark brown. So much do the eggs vary, however, that they are not unfrequently found much smaller than the dimensions above quoted, of a pale blue colour, and without spots of any kind. The nests are built entirely of the tops of sedge or reeds ; they are loosely put together, and are made in the rushes and coarse grass of the marshes. If the first eggs are interfered with the bird will lay a second, and even a third lot, but the eggs that are subsequently produced are generally much smaller than the first. As soon as the young birds are hatched they creep about the reeds until they can fly, and if alarmed take to the water at once. The parents exhibit great solicitude for their progeny, and endeavour by their screams and THE BLACK-HEADED GULL. 55 menacing actions to frighten intruders away from their retreat. The birds, both old and young, remain about the neighbouring fields and meadows until their departure for the sea-shore, and when that takes place they do not return until the succeeding spring. Like all Gulls, the Black-headed Gull is a capital swimmer, and it is very interesting to watch them on the sea just raising themselves high enough to escape a broken wave, and then settling on the water as before. When in search of food they follow one another with some regularity. The food of the Black-headed Gull consists of small fishes, insects, worms and grubs. Of the latter they consume large quantities ; they are frequently seen where ploughing is going on, and exhibit as much partiality for a newly- turned furrow as is shown by the rook or any inland bird; but at other times their tastes are much coarser, and they may be seen quarrelling and screaming on the water over some unsavoury morsel that may possi- bly have found its way from some drain or sewer. Ac- cording to Yarrell, the eggs of these birds (which are sold in large quantities for culinary purposes) resemble in flavour the egg of the duck, but are of inferior quality. The adult plumage of the Black-headed Gull is de- cidedly out of the common ; the beak, legs, and feet are a bright vermilion ; the eyelids orange, and the hides hazel ; the head and upper part of the neck and throat dark brown, darkest when first assumed, and gradually growing lighter as the autumn approaches ; the back and sides of the neck pure white ; back, French grey ; wings grey, margined with black ; tail white, and the whole of the under part of the body pure white. The length of the bird is about 56 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. sixteen inches. The dark hood which distinguishes this bird is assumed in the spring, and the change in colour is effected rapidly. The young birds have the head marked with greyish-brown, the tail is white, with a broad bar of black at the end, and the beak, legs, and feet are a yellowish-brown. In winter the plumage of the bird is subject to considerable alteration. In the adult Black- headed Gull the head is only slightly marked with a dusky patch by the ear coverts ; the back and wings are a beautiful French grey, and the neck, breast, and all the under part of the body are pure white; feet, legs, and bill are red. The Black-headed Gull is found plentifully in the Hebrides, and in Orkney and Shetland ; they also breed in Sweden, Russia, and Siberia, and are very abundant in Holland. They visit the French coasts in winter, and have been seen in Switzerland, Genoa, Italy, and Germany. The flight, like most of the Gull tribe, is easy, strong, and buoyant. fj/iTbR/vL SIZE i THE COMMON SNIPE. Scolopax yalllnago. HIS well-known bird, so dear to the sportsman, and so highly appreciated by the epicure and the invalid, be- longs to the Grallatorial, or Wading birds, and is found pretty generally throughout Great Britain. It has a preference for marshy and fenny districts, and breeds in the northern and southern counties of England, Ireland, Scotland and its islands. So large a number of Snipes are, however, seen in this country every winter, that it is quite clear they cannot be bred here, and probably visit us from Scandinavia, to remain with us during the winter months. The Snipe is fond of wet meadows, brooks, ditches, and boggy or marshy places, where it finds profitable occu- pation in piercing the soft soil with its long and sensitive bill in pursuit of food. During very cold weather the Snipe is gregarious, but does not long remain in one spot; it frequently shifts its feeding-places, so that a 58 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. sportsman who may have excellent sport one day, may, on the day following, find the locality entirely deserted. When undisturbed the Snipe moves slowly and easily, carrying the head erect, and occasionally moving the tail. When alarmed, the bird invariably squats until the danger has passed, or takes wing at once, never running, as is the habit of the other members of the sandpiper tribe. W7hen wounded, it has a curious habit of jumping or fluttering up from the ground. When it takes flight its movements, for the first thirty or forty yards, are tortuous and rapid in the extreme, and then it commonly soars to a very considerable height, or flies straight off to some distant feeding- place. Another peculiarity connected with this bird is the strange humming noise it produces with its wings, and this is more noticeable when it is endeavour- ing to divert attention from its nest, or when choosing a mate. This noise is generally attributed to a peculiar move- ment of the wings, and has been likened to the bleating jof a goat ; indeed, in some parts of France the Snipe is known as " Chevre volant." As the spring advances the Snipe gradually perfects his summer plumage, and towards the end of March, or the beginning of 'April, selects a spot for a nest, and endeavours, by repeated calls, to obtain a mate. These calls, or pipings, are always uttered during flight, and are accompanied by the humming noises already referred to. At the time of nesting, and until after the young are hatched, the male bird continually soars to a great height, and utters its piping cries even when it has passed beyond human observation. The nest is usually placed in long grass by the sides THE SNIPE. 59 of small locks, ponds, or amongst heather; sometimes under the stump of an old alder or willow. In Norway and Sweden the bird breeds commonly in the morasses of the mountainous districts, and in the mossy bogs of the more cultivated parts. The nest, which is made with little or no trouble, is composed of leaves and stalks, and is placed on the ground. The eggs are generally four in number, rather large in proportion to the size of the bird, and sharply pointed at the smaller end. They are of an olive- white colour, spotted at the larger end with rusty brown. The young Snipes make their appearance about the beginning or middle of July, and both parents are much attached to their brood. The young grow rapidly, and soon learn to run freely. Snipes feed principally upon worms, aquatic insects, and the minute seeds of various water-plants. Like that of all the Scolopacina?, the bill is extremely sensitive ; it is perforated, and capable of some degree of expansion. Owing, however, to the delicate structure and organisation of the bill, the Snipe, in severe weather, suffers great hardships and privations, and rapidly becomes emaciated and poor. The plumage of the Snipe is rich and beautifully marked. The beak is dark brown at the end, and pale reddish-brown at the base. Irides, dark brown. A dark brown streak runs from the beak to the eye, and over this streak is another streak of pale brown, which goes over the eye and ear-coverts. The upper part of the head is dark brown, with a pale streak in the centre. The back is dark brown, slightly spotted with pale brown, and there are four plainly-marked lines along the upper part of the body of dark brown feathers, margined with rich buff. 60 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. The wing-coverts are spotted with pale brown, on a ground of dull black, and tipped with white; the primaries are dull black, the secondaries being dull black, tipped with white. Upper tail-coverts barred with pale brown and dusky black ; the tail-feathers are dull black with reddish- brown margins, the end of the feathers having an oval chestnut patch. The vent, belly, and breast are white, sides and flanks greyish- white, barred with dusky black ; chin, brownish-white ; under tail-coverts pale yellowish- brown, with greyish-black bars ; legs and toes, greenish- brown. The length of the snipe is about ten and a-half inches, beak two and three-quarter inches ; but the birds vary considerably in size and weight. The female resembles the male in plumage, but is a trifle larger. OHIFF- CHAFF (% fJ/VTljRAL SIZE) THE CHIFF CHAFF. Sylvia rufa. „ hippolnis. HE Chiff Chaff is, with the exception of the wheat- ear, pied wagtail, and meadow pipit, the earliest of our summer visitors, arriving in this country sometimes in March, and remaining until October ; indeed, of all our small warblers, it is the first to come and the last to P-O. o It is a pretty active little bird, smaller than the willow wren, and very closely allied to another species which has appa- rently been quite over- looked by naturalists. It also bears a certain re- semblance to the willow wren, and is no doubt fre- quently mistaken for it. The Chiff Chaff de- rives its name from the 62 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. fancied resemblance of its notes to the words ' ' Chiff Chaff/' which are uttered with a quick, clear enunciation ; the song is sweet and not unmelodious, and when alarmed the bird has a note of displeasure which sounds something like the word " whoo-id " or " whoo-it." Woods, hedgerows, plantations, gardens, and the reeds and bushes that skirt or overhang streams and ponds are the favourite haunts of the Chiff Chaff, and in such places it may be seen flitting quickly from tree to tree, or rapidly moving along the branches or reeds with a peculiar jerky motion of the body, which cannot very well be mistaken. It may, however, be met with in gardens near the coast in the autumn, but only for a day or two previous to migra- tion. The food of this bird comprises caterpillars, aphides, moths, flies, and other insects, which are frequently captured during flight. Chiff Chaffs are much addicted to certain localities, and in the spring-time keep pretty much to the same haunts. The nest is made of various materials, and seems to depend a great deal upon the character of the place in which it is built. It is to be found in low banks, in bushes about a foot from the ground, in the stump of some old mossy tree, or even amongst the long grass found near furzes or bramble. It is built of moss, the skeletons of dead leaves, grasses, hay -stalks, and very often the bark of the birch tree, and may be lined with wool, feathers, and hair. It is skilfully arched, or domed, about half-way over, and left open at the side. Six or seven eggs are laid in May ; they are rounded at the larger and pointed at the smaller end. The colour is a pinky- white ground with dots and spots of a blackish- THE CHIFF CHAFF. 63 purple ; the spots are closer together at the thicker end, and frequently take the shape of a belt ; the shell is par- ticularly thin, and not much polished in texture. The young birds make their appearance about the middle of June. The Chiff Chaff is decidedly of a bold and quarrelsome disposition, and readily attacks other birds that may come too near its haunts, the size of its antagonist not being considered of much importance. This bird is a visitor to most of the European countries. In England it is found throughout Sussex, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Derbyshire, and Worcestershire; it is also met with in Westmoreland, Durham, and Cornwall. In Devon- shire it is very common, and it is met with in Scotland (more especially in the Lothians) and in Wales and Ireland. The numbers of Chiff Chaffs that annually visit this country vary considerably ; sometimes they come in com- paratively large numbers : whilst on other occasions they would appear to be few and far between. Migration is invariably performed at night. The length of the bird is about four and a-half inches ; the bill is dark-brown, the edges at the base being a pale, yellowish-red, beset with bristles. Over the eye there is a pale, yellowish-brown mark, and between the eye and the bill the space is greyish ; a narrow circle of the same colour also surrounds the eyes. The iris is dusky; the head, crown, back of neck, and nape are greenish-ash colour or brownish-olive ; the chin, throat, and breast, pale, dull, yellowish-white, the yellow being chiefly in indistinct streaks ; the back is greenish-ash colour, the edges of the feathers being paler than the remainder. The under-surface of the wings is grey; greater and lesser wing-coverts are a greenish-ash colour, which gets duller 64 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. in the summer ; the under wing-coverts are a pale yellow. The tail is rather long, the feathers are blackish-grey, bordered with olive-green, the side feathers have whitish edges, and are a little longer than those in the middle ; beneath it is grey, and the under coverts are pale dull- brown, tinged with yellow. Legs and toes are dark blackish-brown, soles light-yellowish, and claws a little lighter. The female resembles the male so closely as to be almost, if not quite, undistinguishable from it. The young are greenish-brown above, and a dull yellowish- white on the breast ; the green and yellow tints are somewhat brighter than in the adult birds, and the bill, legs, and toes are paler in colour. M/k R T I fj THE MABTIK Hirundo urbica. MEMBER of the great Swal- low family, the Martin, or, as it is more generally called, the House Martin, in many respects resembles this bird very closely. It is mi- gratory in its habits, and reaches this country some two or three days after the arrival of the Swallow. Al- though both birds leave the African continent simul- taneously, the superior wing- power of the last-mentioned enables it to perform the journey with greater rapidity. The House Martin reposes unlimited confidence in man, and usually builds its nest under the eaves of houses, or in the angles of windows, and commonly in the centre of towns. They generally choose only one particular house, and 29 66 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. if that one is repainted whilst they are away they will not desert it. Always the birds which live to come back to this country go straight to their last year's nesting-place to breed. Many Martins remain in the country every year and perish from cold and want of food. Not only young ones die, but many old ones do not seem to think of the winter or that there will be no insects for them to feed on. The nest is a remarkable structure, being made of soft clay, or mud, laid on in layers day by day, and each layer allowed to dry before the next one is added. When getting the clay for the nest they generally alight on the dry ground about a yard or two from the place where they intend to get it, and always get it where it is already wet. They pick it up with their beaks and fly straight to their nest, which takes some time to build ; and in some places they have to go upwards of a mile for suit- able materials. It is somewhat curious to observe the extreme stickiness and tenacity of the earthy mixture used by these birds, and various solutions have been offered on the subject, the generally-received opinion being that the adhesive qualities are augmented by the saliva of the bird it- self. White quotes an instance of a Martin building its nest " against the glass of a window/'' where it stuck firmly with no other support. The nest is hemispheric in shape, with an aperture at the top in front or side ; during the time of its construction the birds may be continually observed in the roadways busily collecting the soft muddy earth from any damp places they can find. The inside of the nest is lined with hay. The eggs number four or five ; they are smooth and THE MARTIN. 67 white, and about three-quarters of an inch in length. Incubation occupies about a fortnight; when hatched the young birds are most assiduously fed by their parents, and the quantity of flies and other winged insects captured by the old birds during this period is indeed marvellous. At first the parents enter the nest to feed their offspring, but very shortly the young family learn to expect the return of their guardians with food, and may be seen protruding their little heads through the aperture of the nest in the most unmistakably eager and expectant manner. At such times the Martin clings to the rough surface of the nest, supporting its body with its claws while distributing nourishment to the hungry inmates. The Martin usually rears two broods in the season, the hen commencing to lay again as soon as the first brood are fledged and able to provide for themselves. The length of the Martin is five inches and a quarter. The beak is very short and black ; irides, brown ; the top of the head, ear-coverts, back of the neck, wing- coverts, and back are of a rich glossy bluish-black ; rump and upper tail-coverts white. The tail is forked, and the feathers, like those of the wing, are dull black ; the wings reach to the end of the forked feathers of the tail. The chin and all the under surface of the body is white ; the legs and toes are small and covered with short, fine, downy- white feathers ; claws are of a greyish colour, curved and sharp. The sexes resemble each other, but the females and the young birds are not so pure in colour, and the white of the chin and throat are of a dirty greyish-white. Oc- casionally white varieties are met with. Like all the members of the Hirundince, the Martin subsists exclusively upon insects, which it procures whilst 68 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. flying. It is most indefatigable in its pursuit of food, and when rain has driven the flies, &c., on which it feeds to the shelter of eaves, or the inequalities of walls, the Martin may be observed fluttering along the outsides of windows, or beneath the sills or eaves, and picking off the sheltering insects with great industry and perseverance. In addition to being found in Great Britain, these attractive birds are regular visitors to Lapland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Siberia, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, besides some few other localities. SIZE) THE HEDGE-SPAKKOW. Accentor modularis. HIS little bird is also known by the names of Dunnock, Shufflewingj Hedge-accentor, and Hedge-warbler. It is of quiet, unobtrusive habits, and its plumage is equally unpretending and common- place. It is one of the most common of our feathered residents, and is found in all parts of Great Britain, and at all times and seasons. The Hedge-sparrow is not gregarious, being seldom seen more than two or three to- gether, and then generally hopping quickly from perch to perch after each other. It exhibits strong partiality for localities; indeed it seldom ventures to any great dis- tance from the hedgerows, gardens or orchards in which it rears its young. The ex- 70 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. ception to this " stay-at-home " tendency is when a young cuckoo has taken surreptitious possession of its affections, and then its love for its own offspring seems to be entirely lost, and other habits equally changed. In cold weather the Hedge-sparrow will patronise the neighbourhood of dwelling-houses and farm-yards, and may be seen on roads, gutters, and sinks diligently searching for food. The food consists for the most part of insects and their larva, grubs, worms, chrysalides, seeds, and various grains. The song of this little bird is very sweet, and is generally delivered when the bird is sitting on the top- most branch of a hedge or small bush. It is very tame or bold, and will seldom cease until it has finished, no matter how close you may go to it in reason ; and its pretty little ' ' cheep, cheep " may be heard alike in the spring, in the summer sunshine, and when the winter's snow has considerably diminished the vocal efforts of more pre- tentious songsters. Although generally of a mild and peaceable disposition, instances have occasionally presented themselves in which very severe combats have taken place between these birds. A hawthorn hedge is the favourite nesting-place of the Hedge-sparrow, though it does build in other places, such as furze bushes and low shrubs, or holes in walls, wood- stacks and ivy. The nest is made of straw, dead twigs, and dried grass, and is lined with moss, hair, grass, and wool. The birds commence building early in the spring, frequently, indeed, before the leaves of the hedgerows have begun to show themselves. Early in April four or five eggs are laid of a very pretty greenish-blue colour, with a noticeably smooth and glossy-looking surface. About THE HEDGE-SPARROW. 71 eleven days are occupied in incubation. Two or three broods are commonly reared in the year, and the young ones (always providing that no cuckoo interferes) are almost exclusively fed upon an insect diet. When search- ing for food, the Hedge-sparrow has a peculiar way of raising and moving the wings, and the name of " Shuffle- wing " has obviously been acquired from this habit. It has also a quick flirty movement of the tail. The flight is low, straight, and tolerably quick, but it seldom indulges in any very extended journeys ; at times, however, birds may be seen, two or three following each other at a con- siderable height, flying round and round, and then dropping suddenly in some thicket. It is very fond of dusting itself in the roadways, and is partial to a bath. This familiar little bird inhabits all the more temperate parts of Europe, and is found as far north as Norway and Sweden, although it does not spend its winter in these countries, but leaves for the warmer climates of France and Italy. The length of the Hedge-sparrow is about five inches and a-half, or a little more. The bill is dark brown, lighter at the base, the corners of the mouth being of a dull yellow. Iris, dark blackish-brown, with a reddish tint ; head and crown, dark bluish-grey, streaked with brown; nape, grey, streaked with brown ; sides of the neck dark bluish- grey, streaked with brown ; chin, throat, upper part of breast, dark bluish-grey ; lower part of breast, lighter ; sides, pale yellowish-brown ; back, brown ; centres of the feathers, reddish, and the outsides, yellowish-brown ; greater and lesser wing-coverts are yellowish-brown; middle ones tipped with white ; under wing-coverts, brown bordered with white. The tail is slightly forked, 72 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. rather curved downwards, and has the side feathers a little bent outwards. The leg's and toes are of a dark orangy- brown ; the claws are black, and the hind one is con- siderably the largest. The female is a trifle smaller . than the male, but re- sembles the male in her plumage, except that it is duller, the spots are larger, and the lower part of the back is more olive-coloured; but the sexes are very difficult to dis- tinguish. O Varieties of the Hedge-sparrow are occasionally met with pure white, and some in which the markings exhibit considerable variations. As already hinted, this bird is very frequently selected by the Cuckoo as a foster-parent for its young. SIZE ) THE DIPPER, OE WATER OUZEL. Cinclus aquations. HOST lovers of nature who have quietly followed for any dis- tance the course of one of our mountain streams must have heard the lively "chit, chit" of the Dipper, and seen them hopping1 from stone to stone, often in the centre of the stream, showing their white breasts and jerking their short spread tails, to fly off when dis- turbed, straight and rapidly, close to the water's edge. For this shy and retiring bird is pretty generally found in our country, in those districts l| in which rapid streams and rivers form a part of the geo- graphical characteristics. In warm weather the bird prefers the higher portions of water- courses, but when the cold is very severe, it follows the courses of rivers and brooks 30 74 FAMILIAR WILD BIHDS. into the plains and valleys below. It is very commonly found in Devonshire, in the streams that rise in Dartmoor, where the picturesque combination of water and boulder is exactly suited to its tastes and habits. It is also called the Dipper, from its continually dipping int6 the water in search of food, which consists almost exclusively of aquatic insects, especially beetles and their larvae. One very remarkable accomplishment is possessed by this bird, viz., the power of walking along the bed of the streams and rivers it frequents. To accomplish this end, the toes of the bird are long and flexible, and admirably adapted for clinging to the stones and inequali- ties of the bottom. It is purely a river bird, and is altogether more at home in the water than when com- pelled to move about upon the ground ; indeed, the young ones are generally accomplished divers before they are fully fledged. The nest of the Dipper is placed either in some cleft of a rock or under the projecting portion of a large stone, and always close to the stream. It is a well- made structure of moss and grass; wide, deep, and domed, with the aperture in front, and built of moss and dried grass, with a good lining of leaves ; the nests of these birds, which are generally cleverly concealed, depend, as regards shape and size, a good deal upon the character of the place in which they are located. This is strictly imitated, so that even when the parent bird has been seen to leave the nest, it is very difficult to distinguish it, as it is built with the same kind of materials as surround it on all sides. The eggs are oval in shape, white in colour, and generally number from four to six ; they are laid in April. THE DIPPER. 75 The Dipper is partial to certain localities, and frequents the same spots year after year with considerable constancy. The flight is strong-, straight, and quick, the movement of the wings being of a very regular character. Its song is a sweet quick note, retained throughout the whole of the year, and is uttered both during flight and also when the bird is perched on some stone or stump. The Dipper is of a very quarrelsome disposition, and it is rare, except in the breeding season, to see more than one at the same place. Each bird appears to have its own feeding-ground, and should another come upon it, the occupier will keep chasing the intruder until he is obliged to leave. The genus Cinclus to which the Dipper belongs is a sub-family of the Thrushes. It is found in Russia, Siberia, Scandinavia, and generally among the Alpine streams, in Germany and the north of Spain. The length of the male Dipper is seven inches and three-quarters. The bill is bluish-black, tinged at the edges with brown ; iris pale brown, with a ring of black in the centre, the margins of the eyelids white; head, crown, back of neck, dark brown ; chin, throat, and upper part of breast, pure white; lower part chesnut, assuming a deep grey towards the tail ; the sides deep grey : the back very dark grey, each feather being broadly edged with black. The wings are brownish-black, tinged with grey. The tail is short, even, and of a brownish-black on the upper part, and deep grey slightly tipped with pale brown underneath. The legs and toes are bluish-grey, shaded with brown, claws, dusky. The female resembles the male in plumage, but the head, crown, neck, and nape are a lighter brown, and the chestnut of the breast is of a duller rust colour. 70 FAMILIAR WILL The plumage of the young birds does not fully re- semble that of the adult until after the second moult, the prominent differences being that in the young the head, crown, back of the neck,, and nape are dull greyish-brown; the chin is white, throat and upper part of breast, pale buff, tipped with blackish-brown, below and on the sides grey, mixed with cream-colour, with darker lines ; back dull greyish-brown, margined with brownish-black. The tail is brownish-black, tipped with brownish- white ; under-tail- coverts dull grey, mixed with cream -colour. The legs and toes are bluish-grey, tinged with brown, paler in front, the claws brown, margined with white. THE GARDEN WARBLER. Sylvia 7/ortcnsiti. — LATHAM. HIS active little visitor to our gardens and orchards may be regarded quite as a typical bird of its tribe. It belongs to the Sylviada, whose principal dis- tinguishing feature is the bill, which is of moderate length, slender make, and tapers from a broad base to the extremity ; it is slightly curved, and the nostrils at the base are placed in a membraneous groove, having the openings uncovered. The Garden Warbler is a songster of no common merit, its notes being rich, full, varied, and melodious ; and the song is not unfrequently sustained for nearly half-an-hour at a time. Perhaps the Garden Warbler is scarcely so accomplished a vo- calist as the Blackcap, but on the other hand some of its notes are superior, and quite 78 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. equal in depth and sweetness to those of the Nightingale or the Blackbird. The Garden Warbler, although not so shy as some birds, is yet very unobtrusive and retiring in its habits, and seems quite happy and contented if allowed to pursue its course unnoticed and unmolested ; frequently its sweetest song is poured forth from the branches of some bush, or the shadier recesses of some thickly-grown hedge. The food of this bird is composed to a large extent of caterpillars, insects and their larvae, and chrysalides; but when the season is sufficiently advanced the garden warbler betrays a most noticeable partiality for a more luscious diet, and feeds freely upon currants, raspberries, and the berries of the elder, barberry, ivy, and green figs. It is, indeed, called in some places the Fig Bird. The actions of the bird are quick and continuous ; it moves about the branches of a tree or bush with rapidity and grace, and when on the ground advances quickly by a series of vigorous hops. It is averse to being very closely watched, and if it notices an observer, its song is suspended at once, or its repast is left unfinished, and the bird seeks the shelter of the nearest cover. The flight is short and rapid. The nest of the Garden Warbler is generally built of grasses or straws, sometimes mixed with moss, and lined with wool, horsehair, or the finer fibres of plants ; usually it is placed a few feet from the ground in the branches of a thorn or other bush, but at other times the nest may be found in coarse grasses, and the herbage of taller wild plants. Frequently the nest is built in close proximity to some grotto or garden tool-shed. The eggs number four or five, and are of a dull THE GARDEX WARBLER. 79 yellowish-grey colour, blotched and blotted with markings of dark purplish-brown. The Garden Warbler is migratory, arriving in this country about the beginning of May, and taking its de- parture in August or September, though sometimes specimens are taken later. It is found pretty generally throughout Europe. In our own country it is rarely seen in Cornwall, and in Derbyshire it is sparingly distributed, but in most of the other counties it is a tolerably well- known bird. In Ireland it is extremely rare. Like the Blackcap and Nightingale, on their arrival in this country the birds fly straight to their last year's nesting-place, the males preceding the females by about a week ; and it is at this time that their song is heard to perfection. On their return-migration they generally stay for a few days in any garden where they can find any soft-skinned fruit. We have many times seen more than a dozen in a small garden, feeding on the currants or raspberries, which they swallow whole. When disturbed they fly off individually, but generally only to the next bush or some neighbouring trees. At this time of year they are very tame, and will come within a few yards, and it is almost impossible to keep them from the fruit, of which they consume a great deal. The length of this pretty little songster is about six inches. The bill is dusky-brown, the base and edges of the lower mandible light brown, the inside of the mouth being a reddish-pink ; the iris is dark brown, with a small whitish mark over and in front of the eye ; the head is pale brown on the sides ; the crown, nape, and back of the neck is a light greyish-brown, with a faint olive tinge ; the chin and throat are yellowish- white ; the lower part of the 80 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. throat, and upper part of the breast and sides are tinged with reddish-brown ; the remainder yellowish-white. The wings are broad and rather pointed, primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries are light dusky brown, margined with olive ; greater and lesser under wing-coverts of a fine buff yellow ; tail is straight and dusky brown ; under tail- coverts are pale greyish-brown with white margins; toes and claws greyish-brown. The female is very much like the male in plumage and size, but is lighter on the upper parts, while the lower parts are more uniformly greyish- brown. The young birds generally resemble their parents, but the space about the eye is greyish- white, the breast has more of a yellow tinge, and the back is of a richer yellowish-brown. MISSEL THE MISSEL THRUSH. Turdus viacivorus. JLentla viscivorti. ERHAPS more commonly known as the Storm-thrush, Storm - cock, or Holm- thrush, this handsome song- ster is met with in all parts of England. In the south of Scotland it is frequently seen, but towards the higher parts of that country it is rarer, and in the extreme north it is not known. It is common in Ireland, and also in most European countries, with the excep- tion of Holland, where it is very seldom met with. The Missel Thrush is the largest of the British spe- cies, and is a bold, hand- some bird, quarrelsome and pugnacious amongst other birds, and by no means pacific towards its own kindred and tribe. 31 82 FAMILIAR WILD BIEDS. In cold weather the birds assemble in flocks of various dimensions, some containing not more than from twelve to twenty or thirty birds, and others as many as sixty or seventy. They are good eating, and when the frost and snow is protracted enough to interfere with ordinary agricultural pursuits, such flocks are eagerly sought after by rustic gunners and embryo sportsmen. When congregated in the manner above mentioned, the birds fly in a loose irregular body, and when they alight, disperse at once over the ground, and commence running and hopping about in search of food with great nimbleness and activity. Considerable wariness is displayed by them at all times, but when feeding together in large numbers one or more of the party are usually on the look-out for danger, and if it should approach too closely, a warning note is uttered, and the entire flock seek safety in flight. The ordinary note of the Missel Thrush is a harsh, un- pleasant scream frequently repeated, and this is generally uttered when the bird is angry, alarmed, or engaged in some altercation. The song, although sweet, is not of a very first-class description, being monotonous, but it is loud, and well sustained for three or four minutes at a time, and is heard when the rough blasts have effectually silenced the vocal efforts of every other feathered warbler of the grove. Perched on the topmost and swaying branch of some tall tree, the Missel Thrush sings in the most dauntless and defiant manner, and, as a well-known writer happily expresses it, though te other birds retire with bated breath to the shelter of the grove or the humble hedge, he braves the tempest out, and sings his song with JEolus- himself." THE MISSEL THRUSH. S3 In the spring1 the Missel Thrush discontinues his gre- garious habits, and after choosing a mate, becomes less distrustful, and frequents woods, gardens, and orchards. The food of the bird comprises the berries of the mountain ash, service tree, yew, juniper, holly, ivy, hips and haws, grain, seeds of various kinds, caterpillars, beetles and other insects, worms, slugs, and snails. The ancients had an erroneous idea that this bird was a sort of foster-parent to the mistletoe, which they imagined would not vegetate unless the berries had first passed through its body. The nest is somewhat loosely made of twigs, small sticks, hay, straw, grasses, leaves, wool, and moss ; it is compacted by a free use of mud mixed with fibrous roots and grass, and lined with finer grasses and moss. It is placed generally in the forks of trees, and the eggs, four to five in number, are laid in April : they are of a greenish or reddish-white, and spotted irregularly with reddish- brown or purple ; they vary much in size and colour. The male Missel Thrush ceases to sing at the com- mencement of hatching, and does not repeat his song until the next spring, unless he should lose his mate or his nest, when his vocal efforts are renewed. The length of the male is eleven inches and a-half. The bill is dark brown; the upper mandible yellow at its base, from which a cream-coloured streak goes over the eye ; iris dark brown. Head on the side yellowish-white ; on the crown, neck, nape, greyish olive-brown ; chin, throat and breast, pale yellowish-white, each feather tipped with black ; the throat faintly so ; the spots on the upper part are triangular; on the middle and sides oblong black, greyish olive-brown, lighter on the lower part. Under- neath, the wings are grey, but the upper parts are deep 84 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. greyish-brown with a lighter edge, the greater and lesser under wing-coverts are greyish-white, very plainly per- ceptible during flighit ; the tail is rather long and slightly rounded, greyish-brown, faintly edged with yellowish- brown ; under coverts are grey ; legs and toes pale reddish-brown ; claws brownish-black. The plumage towards the end of the summer becomes worn and faded ; the moulting is completed by the end -of October. The female is quite as large as the male, but paler in colour. The young differ from the adults in plumage; the chin is white, and the head and crown is pale brown, with u white spot in each feather ; the back is also of a pale brown, with a grevish-yellowr mark in each feather; the wings are brown, with the feathers edged with pale buff. Oc- casionally white and pied varieties are met with. '/6 r^TUpAL SIZE) THE SPOONBILL. flat aha leiicorodia. T one time this handsome and somewhat singular - looking' bird was far more frequently met with in this country than it is at the present day. The continual increase in agricul- tural pursuits, and the neces- ! sary draining and reclamation of fenny and marshy land, has materially contracted the ex- tent and number of its haunts, and consequently the Spoon- bill, like the Bittern and one or two other interesting birds, is gradually, but surely, be- coming scarce. According to some of the older writers on birds, the Spoonbill used to breed regu- larly and in considerable num- bers in England, notably at the herneries at Claxton and Rudham; but circumstances have changed considerably since those days, and now, at 86 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. any rate in most localities,, if even a rumour is heard of a Spoonbill having been seen, the enthusiasm of every one accustomed to a gun is instantly aroused, and it must be in- deed a lucky bird that succeeds in quitting the neighbour- hood alive. Despite its rarity,, this bird has been seen at different times, either singly or in small flocks, in most of the counties of Great Britain, although, as already intimated* these instances are few and far between, and in no one locality can its presence be counted on with certainty. It is said to be plentiful in some parts of Europe, especially Holland, Hungary, Italy, and the south of France, from which places those that are usually seen hanging up in Leadenhall and other large markets are no doubt generally imported. In its flight the Spoonbill is slow and steady ; the wings have a regular movement, and the neck and legs are extended to their full length ; when standing, the neck usually takes the form of a double curve, like a letter S. The food consists of different items, including aquatic insects, tadpoles, shrimps, worms, small fish, and leeches ; they usually feed by daylight. The bird is said to feed when standing in several inches of water, and to collect its food principally by ploughing the water about in the soft mud or sand with its spade- like bill, keeping it open until it comes across some dainty morsel, when it closes the mandibles before taking them out of the water. But those who have seen a duck feed need no very laboured explanation, which only seems to be required because most of the tall wading birds are fishers, and hence possess the pointed bill of the heron; whereas the Spoonbill, like the duck, is a general aquatic and mud feeder. THE SPOONBILL. 87 As may be imagined by the sort of food it takes, the Spoonbill resorts to marshes, ditches, damp low-lying grounds, fens, muddy tidal rivers, and pools left by the receding tide on the sea-shore. It is said to make a peculiar rattling noise with its bill. It is a retired, un- obtrusive bird in its wild state, and generally seen flying at a very considerable height, but when captive becomes tame, feeding freely, and soon showing signs of attach- ment, especially if taken when young. It is a great attraction in Regent's Park and near other ornamental waters. The nest is commonly built either in a tree, or else on the ground amongst reeds and rushes ; it is roughly put together, and consists of sticks, dried roots, and coarse grass. Generally, if the locality permits, several nests are to be found close together ; the eggs are about two-and-a* half inches in length ; they vary in number from two to four, some entirely white, and others white, spotted with light brownish-red. The length of the Spoonbill is about thirty-one or thirty-two inches ; the bill, which is its peculiar charac- teristic, is black, marked with lead colour and yellow at the point : it is about nine inches long, strong, and flattened out at the extremity into the shape of a spoon, from which circumstance, of course, the name is derived ; the skin of the chin and part of the throat is naked and yellow, the irides red. With the exception of a band of buff-coloured feathers at the bottom of the neck, and a narrow stripe of the same up the sides of the neck, the whole of the plumage is white ; on the back of the head the feathers are lengthened, and form a distinct plume. The legs, toes, and claws are black, and the toes are connected a little 88 FAMILIAR WILD BIR.DS. distance up by a membrane. Like the heron, the legs are long and stout. There is but little difference in the appearance of the sexes ; the female, however, does not attain the size of the male so early in life, and the plume is smaller, but the plumage, with this exception, no way differs from that of the male bird. The young birds have no plume at all, and the beak is smaller, lighter, and less firm in its texture. The Spoonbill is migratory in its habits, its principal summer residence being the northern parts of Europe ; the winter it usually spends in the warmer climate of the south, the sea coasts and salt marshes of Italy being, according to Yarrell, very favourite winter resorts. The flesh of this interesting bird is said to be capital eating, and by no means rank or fishy in flavour. SIZt j THE PTABMIGAN. Tetras lagopus. Lagopns vulgar is. ERHAPS the most remark- able, this interesting bird is also the smallest of the British grouse. It belongs to rather a large sub-family, that of the Tetraonidae, whose dis~ tinguishing character- istic is a naked band, frequently of a red co- lour, in the place of an eyebrow. The Ptarmigan may be cited as. a forcible ex- ample of the marvel- lous way in which Nature provides for the security and protection of her dependents. In the summer the bird's plu- mage is of a grey and mottled appearance, and is closely assimilated to the bleak rocks and 32 90 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. herbage amongst which it lives ; but in winter, as soon as the ground is covered with snow, nearly the whole of the bird becomes white, and so exactly resembles the frozen ground that the keenest eyes and greatest experience are frequently at a loss to detect its presence. The marvellous resemblance here spoken of may be indeed considered almost the only defence against aggres- sion which the bird possesses, as it exhibits none of the caution and wariness shown by other members of the Grouse family. Pennant even says that the Ptarmigan is "a very silly bird, so tame as to bear driving like poultry." In Great Britain the Ptarmigan is only found on the highest ranges of hills, in North and Central Scotland, and in the Hebrides and Orkneys ; but it is a resident in most of the high mountainous districts of Northern Europe. It is also to be met with in Savoy, Switzerland, and Spain. It never leaves the neighbourhood of these bleak localities, although in unusually severe weather the birds may venture somewhat lower, and take temporary refuge in the clefts and ravines of some lonely and sheltered glen. This is, however, an exceptional occurrence, for severe, weather seems to affect Ptarmigans in so very slight a degree, that they may be seen sitting and pluming them- selves in the snow, quite indifferent to the sleet or blast that surrounds them. When disturbed, the Ptarmigan squats on the ground and remains .motionless, but if too closely approached, it rises with a hoarse call, somewhat resembling a croak, and being joined by its companions, the entire company fly away in a loose irregular body, usually to some neighbour- ing eminence. Like the partridge and many other birds, it feigns THE PTARMIGAN. 91 disablement when its young are in danger, but the latter very quickly learn to conceal themselves among the grey rocks and stones, which so closely resemble the colour of their feathers. The Ptarmigan pairs early in the spring, and the eggs are laid in June and hatched in about three weeks. The male takes no part in the rearing of the brood, but the female evinces the greatest attachment for her young. The nest is composed of a small quantity of heather or grass, placed in a hollow or on the bare ground. The eggs vary in number from seven to twelve, and are of a yellowish- white, sparingly blotched with dark brown ; they are about one inch and a-half in length and of an oval shape. The male leaves his mate after the young are hatched, and rejoins his family at a subsequent period, when a number of other families congregate and remain together. The food of the Ptarmigan is for the greatest part Alpine berries, seeds, and the tender shoots of plants and heather, but the young are largely fed upon insects. The note of this bird varies considerably, sometimes being quite low, and not dissimilar to that of the Missel Thrush, whilst at other times it is loud, prolonged, and hoarse ; the call is heard both in flight and when the bird is on the ground. In winter the male Ptarmigan has the beak, the lore, and a small angular patch behind the eye black; the irides yellowish-brown ; over the eye is a naked red skin. Almost all the plumage is pure white ; the four upper tail feathers white, the others black, tipped with white ; the legs and toes (which are thickly feathered, excepting the soles) are white, and the claws black. From May to November the throat is white, but 92 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. the neck is mottled with blackish and speckled grey feathers, a few berns; marked with bars of black and * O yellow ; the breast, back, and upper tail-feathers speckled grey, the under ones black ; the wings, under surface of the body, and legs white. The length of the male is about fifteen inches. The female is smaller, and, like the male, is white in winter, but lacks the black feathers before and behind the eye. By the end of April the female has assumed as much mixture of feather barred with black and yellow as the male has of grey. The length of the female is fourteen and a-half inches. The young birds when first hatched are covered with down of a light yellow colour, and when fledged are very similar in appearance to the young of the Red Grouse. Like the adult birds, however, they assume the white plumage in winter. '/» rl/VTllf\Al SIZE ) THE PEKEGKINE-FALCON. Falco peregrinus. Falco communis. HIS notable-looking Falcon possesses, so to speak, a double interest for all lovers of English birds. It was highly appreciated by our an- cestors, at least by those who loved the sport of falconry, for its extreme docility, splendid powers of flight, and the daring spirit it exhibited in the chase; and it is to be equally admired, apart from its historic associations, for its symmetrical pro- portions, handsome plumage, and generally striking ap- I pearance. Like all the Fal- conidtf, the Peregrine-falcon is marvellously rapid in all its serial movements ; it spends a great deal of its time on the wing, and sweeps over wood and plain, valley and hill, with an ease and 94 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. buoyancy that never fails to excite interest and admiration. When in pursuit o£ its prey, the Peregrine-falcon is re- lentless and undaunted, following- it even into the presence of man himself, and only abandoning the chase with the greatest reluctance. It has been frequently seen following some unfortunate bird that has sought to escape by soaring, until pursuer and pursued have both completely disappeared from sight in the regions of the upper air. Indeed, so absorbed does this bird become when following its victim, and so great is the terror and confusion it inspires, that occasionally both the Falcon and the fugitive are dashed against some tree, rock, or other obstacle, un- noticed in their excitement by either. When flying, this bird does not so often " sail " as some of the other members of the family, but uses the wings very quickly, beating the air with them in a manner something resembling the action of the wild pigeon. In securing its feathered prey, the Peregrine-falcon seldom clutches it in its talons, but strikes it to the earth with great violence, rising after the blow is delivered a little in the air, and wheeling round to carry off the quarry, which in most cases is hopelessly injured or killed outright. Its food consists of partridges, plovers, grouse, pigeons, curlews, ducks, lerevets, rabbits, rats, and indeed almost any similar-sized > bird or quadruped. It has often been known to visit the farm-yards and take away young chickens. The nest, when not built upon some lofty tree, is commonly placed on a projection or in a crevice of a crag or cliff j it is made of sticks and roots, sometimes inter- mingled with seaweed, and lined with wool or hair. The eggs number from two to five : they are of a well-rounded THE PEREGRINE-FALCON. 95 shape, and in colour a reddish-russet, patched, marbled, and streaked with darker shades. The birds show a particular partiality to some places. There has been a pair of Pere- grine-falcons breeding at Beachy Head, Sussex, every year since 1840. though nearly every year the young ones have been taken, and several seasons the old birds have been shot. The cry is a loud, harsh cackle, repeated several times, not unlike that of the Kestrel. The parents are more fierce and courageous during the breeding season than at any other period, defending their domestic possessions with great intrepidity and spirit. The young birds are expelled from the nest as soon as they are competent to provide for their own requirements, and it is generally believed that the old birds remain near the same haunts for some considerable time after the young birds have left. The Peregrine-falcon is to be met with in nearly all the European countries, but more particularly in those where rocky coasts and glens are frequent, in most parts of North America, and it is stated to be an occasional visitor to such southerly regions as the Cape of Good Hope. In Great Britain it has been seen in all parts at various times, but perhaps as often in the county of Sussex as anywhere. Instances are recorded of Falcons being shot near Petworth, Lewes, Chichester, Arundel, Shoreham, Brighton, Seaford, Pevensey, and Rye. The bird varies considerably in size and in plumage, although the mark on the sides of the throat is said to be invariable. It is usually about eighteen to twenty inches long (the female, like all the Falcons, being the larger). The iris is dark hazel-brown ; bristly feathers at the basse 96 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. of the bill ; head greyish- or bluish-black ; neck white in front, divided from the bluish- black of the back part by a dark streak from the bill ; breast creamy-white, mottled and streaked with dark spots ; sides ash-grey, lined and barred with brown ; back bluish slate-colour, and barred with greyish-black. The wings, which are very long and pointed, are ash-brown, faintly barred; under wing-coverts whitish and barred. The tail is slightly rounded, bluish-grey or bluish -black, and barred with dark brown. Legs are dull yellow, feathered half- way down, and scaled ; toes scaled and dull yellow ; claws blackish, sharp and strong. The female is more brownish than the male, and the bars are less distinct. The young- birds when first hatched are covered with white down, and not nearly so handsome as the adults until after the second moult. SIZE.) THE CUELEW. Nunienius arquatus. — PENNANT. Scolopax arquata. ATHER a singular-looking bird is the Curlew, or, as it is com- monly called in Scotland, the Whaup, or Whaap; being possessed of very long legs and an unusually long curved bill. It belongs to the Grallatorial, or Wading family, and is well known on nearly every part of the British coasts. Its fa- vourite resorts are the seashore, where the ebb-tide uncovers ; large surfaces of sandy flats, and it is also frequently seen on the muddy banks of tidal rivers. When feeding on the seashore, the Curlew feeds upon small Crustacea, marine insects, \ and the worms that abound in such places ; but as soon as the flat portions of the shore are covered by the advancing tide, the birds immediately change their feeding places for the 98 FAMILIAR WILD BIKVS. fields and open country that may be found in the immediate vicinity. When any large area is gradually submerged by the advancing waters, the Curlews move a little more inland, and recommence feeding until again forced by the tide to make a further retreat, and this process is repeated until their feeding place is entirely covered. When flying to their customary resorts, these birds generally proceed in a direct line, and often in the shape of a wedge. Should the first flock be alarmed at any noise or unusual occurrence, a loud cry is uttered by the whole party simultaneously, and the cry is taken up by any flocks that may be succeeding, and the direction is immediately changed. The young birds are in some parts of the country shot for the table, but the flavour is inferior ; they are by no means easy to approach closely, being cautious and wary in the extreme, but they can be allured by imitating their whistling cry. One of the notes of the bird sounds something like ' ' Corloo/' and the name " Curlew " has no doubt been bestowed on it in consequence. The whistling of the bird is very shrill, and can be heard at a great dis- tance : indeed, this peculiarity has not escaped the notice of our poets. Sir Walter Scott, for instance, in " The Lady of the Lake," writes: "Wild as the scream of the Curlew " , and other authors have occasionally alluded to it. The Curlew commences nesting about the beginning of April ; at this season of the year it leaves the sea-coast for its various breeding grounds. Curlews breed in some of the large bogs of Ireland, in Sutherland, Northumberland, in Shropshire, on the higher grounds of Cornwall, and also on Dartmoor and Exmoor. They also commonly visit THE CURLEW. 99 Orkney, Shetland, and probably most of the Scottish isles, for the purpose of nesting and rearing their young. The Curlew does not bestow very much care or trouble in the construction of its nest, contenting itself with a few dried leaves or grass hastily laid together, and generally placing it amongst long grass or rushes. Open spaces, where heath is found, or marshy districts are its favourite localities. Four eggs are usually laid ; they are two-and-a-half inches in length, of an olive-green colour, blotched and spotted with dark green and brown. A peculiarity in connection with the eggs may be mentioned, viz., that they are shaped very much like a pear, and are always arranged in the nest with the small ends pointing to each other. The young birds do not appear to be able to fly for some long- time after they are hatched, although they use their legs almost at once ; but on the approach of danger they immediately squat and remain motionless until the danger has passed. The Curlew swims easily, but seldom takes to the water unless under compulsion or when wounded. The plumage is very similar in both sexes, but in point of size the female has the advantage, the disparity in some cases being very noticeable. The head of the Curlew is dark brown, lighter towards the base of the bill, which is brown, and measures seven- and-a-half inches from its extremity to the eye ; the legs and toes are pale bluish-grey, vent and lower tail-coverts white ; breast nearly white, and spotted with dark brown ; upper part of breast pale brown, with streaks of darker brown ; chin white ; the irides are dark brown ; head and 100 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. neck pale brown ; upper part of back brownish-black, the feathers having pale brown edges ; the lower part of back, the rump, and upper tail-coverts are white; the tail is barred with dark brown and dull white ; the smaller wing- coverts are blackish-brown, with white edges ; the greater wing-coverts and primary quill feathers are black, the remaining portion of the wing blackish-brown, and barred on the edges with light and dark brown. HOODED '/s H/alJUAi- SIZE) THE HOODED CEOW. Corvus comix. „ cinerea. VARIETY of names have been bestowed upon this bird in dif- ferent localities ; indeed, it can boast of as lengthened a list of appellations as most individuals of the feathered tribes. Hoody, Dun Crow, Bunting1 Crow, Grey Crow, Royston Crow, and Greyback may be enume- rated as amongst its aliases, without by any means exhaust- ing the list. The bird is partially migra- tory, entirely so as regards certain parts of our own coun- try, where it is seen in the southern counties only in the winter and spring, and gene- rally between the months of October and April. The Hooded Crow exhibits a considerable resemblance to the Carrion Crow in many of its habits, but it confines itself more strictly to the sea- 102 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. shore or the banks of tidal rivers, and is seldom to he found in localities that are devoid of these features. It is gregarious when in search of food, and may then he seen in parties of almost any number; pairs, however, breed separately. The Hooded Crow is not a dainty feeder, and although its name is not so unpleasantly suggestive as that of the Carrion Crow, there is probably but little to choose between them in the matter of diet. When vegetable matter is taken as food, it is when animal substances are not forth- coming, and this part of its regimen must therefore -be accounted more as a necessity than a virtue. Cockles, mussels, and small Crustacea, dead fish, and some of the smaller quadrupeds and birds, especially when wounded or sickly, are amongst the favourite morsels of this almost omnivorous bird : indeed, its powers of mischief in respect to the poultry-yard during breeding time are so exceedingly well developed, that as late as the year 1835 the different local authorities of Shetland and Orkney were in the habit of paying twopence for each crow killed in their districts. The keepers in Scotland trap a great number during the breeding season. Worms and grain also go to fill up the bill of fare, especially maize in winter, when it is thrown down by the gamekeeper for the pheasants. The Crows also feed a great deal in summer upon the eggs of waterfowl, or any others they can find. Their young are fed partially on young or small birds. The practice of carrying shell-fish up to some considerable height in the air, and then dropping them on the rocks underneath in order to get at the inside, has been as fre- quently observed in this bird as in the Carrion Crow. THE HOODED CROW. 103 The Hooded Crow builds either in trees, or in rocks and cliffs, and, like other members of the Corvidse, they com- mence nesting- early. The nest is built of roots, sticks, and straw, and is lined with wool and hair ; the eggs number four or five, sometimes six ; they are nearly two inches long, of a light greenish grounding1, mottled all over with dark greenish-brown. The voice of the Hooded Crow is not so hoarse as the Carrion Crow's, and it has at times a sharp harsh note. They are very wary birds, and it is seldom a shot can be got at them; if there are several together, there are generally one or two left perched upon a tree or eminence to act as sentinels, and give the alarm should danger approach. The beak of this bird is pointed and strong : it is two inches in length and of a shining black, the lower half covered with stiff projecting feathers, which quite cover the nostrils ; the head, cheeks, throat, and front of neck are shining bluish-black; the wings and tails similar; the nape of the neck, back, rump, and all the under surface of the body of a dark slaty-grey, the shafts of the feathers being darker. The legs, toes, and claws, which are stout and strong, are all shining black. The length is about twenty inches; the females are said to be a little smaller than the males, but resemble them in plumage, excepting that the grey portions are tinged with brown. Several well-authenticated instances of this bird mating with the Carrion Crow are recorded. The Hooded Crow, besides being an annual visitor to the southern parts of this country, is met with very com- monly in Ireland, where it is said to be indigenous ; it is well known in almost all parts of North Britain and the 104 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. Scottish islands, and breeds in large numbers on the Faroe Isles. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Russia, and Siberia are also mentioned as countries in which it is a constant visitor. COOT (•A HAT'JHV- 3iZE THE COOT 34 HIS interesting bird forms a connecting link between the wading and web-footed tribes, and is distinguishable from ; every other species by the pecn- i liar formation of the membranes ! of the toes, which, instead of being connected, are composed of flat scalloped-shaped lobes, the inner toe having two, the middle three, and the outer four. The hinder toe has no lobes, but a single continuous membrane extending its whole length. Another remarkable characteristic^ is the smooth naked patch on the forehead, w hich i s £u]tejyjiijpjn ml gi VPS tHe bird a strange and con- spicuous appearance! "As bald as~a Coot " is a~form of expres- sion which has been proverbial almost from time immemorial, and the bird is quite as com- 106 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. monly known by the name of " The Bald Coot " as by any other appellation. This bird is found in almost all parts of the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. In our own country it is most frequently met with in Yorkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, Essex, Dorset, Hants, and Cornwall. It is a sum- mer visitor in Scotland, and is a constant resident in Ireland. The Coot is partly a migratory bird ; many visit our country during the winter months, and these usually seek the warmer climate of the southern parts. The spring mi- gration is commenced in March and the autumn one in October, the journeys being performed at night. The flight of the Coot during migration is irregular, and when the weather is changeable, its cry, which resembles a harsh " krewy" may be very easily distinguished. Although the Coot is properly at home on the water, it moves about with considerable activity upon terra Jirma, and will ascend a tree with a celerity scarcely to be expected in a bird of such decided aquatic habits. It walks steadily, and swims and dives with ease and grace ; after diving, it usually reappears at some considerable distance from the place of its first submersion. In flying, the Coot is strong, and for some short space after leaving the water it makes a noisy splashing with its feet on the surface ; when fairly on the wing, its flight is not dissimilar to that of the Heron, the legs being stretched straight out behind it. The claws, which are strong, are sharply hooked, and when attacked at close quarters, the Coot has the character of making very free use of them for purposes of self-defence. The nest is large and inelegant in appearance ; it is usually built amongst reeds and rushes, and made of flags THE COOT. 107 and broken reeds, the thinner portions being towards the inside ; the width is about eighteen inches, and the interior nearly flat. Sometimes the nest is so fastened to the sur- rounding osiers or rushes that it rises or falls according to the height of the water, but the bird carries out the process of incubation quite undisturbed by any alterations in the position of her nest. Should a boat approach the nest of a Coot, the bird endeavours to conceal her eggs by covering them with reeds, and so quickly and cleverly is this done, that a casual observer might easily pass by, considering the nest empty. The eggs vary in number from six to ten, sometimes even twelve and fifteen. The young make their appearance about May, and are at first covered with a thick dark down ; and quaint, funny- looking little creatures they are. They very soon leave the nest, but return at night for shelter if the weather is boisterous or unseasonable. Both birds evince great soli- citude for their offspring, the female especially showing great affection, and frequently sheltering them under her wings. The food of the Coot is principally aquatic insects, small fish, grass, grain, and the leaves and buds of water- plants. Large ponds, sluggish rivers, lakes, and fens are the principal resorts of the bird ; it is partial to open waters, and to the shores of tidal rivers where large ex- panses of mud flats are left by the receding tides, but it does not much frequent reedy and overgrown localities, except at the periods of breeding. The male bird is fifteen or sixteen inches long ; the female a little smaller, but the plumage is similar. The bill is dull white, with a tinge of red in spring; over the base is a white unfeathered patch, which offers a strong 108 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. contrast to the black plumage of the rest. The iris is red, and there is a small streak of white under the eye ; head, nape, and back black ; chin, throat and breast deep ash grey, tinged with a bluish tint. The wings are black, with a white line on the bend, and the secondary feathers are tipped with white, forming a narrow line across the wing. The legs, which are placed very far back, are, as well as the toes, of a greyish-ash colour, and above the knee is an orange band. The young have the head and breast a reddish-brown, the rest of the down is dingy black. Occasionally Coots have been found partly white, and others entirely so. THE WATER BAIL. Rallies aqunticits. LTHOUGH by no means a rare bird, being purely aquatic in its habits, the Water Kail is com- paratively seldom seen even in its native haunts by any but the most patient and wary of naturalists. For it is ex- tremely timid and shy, being- so averse to being watched, and the localities in which it moves about so thickly covered with aquatic herbage, that a momentary glimpse is about the extent of the obser- vation generally obtained. Wonderfully sharp - sighted and acute in its powers of hearing, the Water Rail seeks its food close to the long grass or rushes of ponds, streams, ditches, or slow-run- ning rivers ; it very seldom ventures far from this friendly shelter, and the slightest noise 110 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. or unwary movement of the observer is detected by the bird, which instantly disappears amongst the neighbouring cover. The nest of the Water Rail is not often found ; it is built of reeds,, sedge-grass, and flags, and generally concealed amongst the thick vegetation that grows close to the water-side, though sometimes it may be placed in an osier-bed. Five or six eggs are laid; they are a little larger than those of a blackbird, or about one inch and a third in length : they are of a creamy-white colour, speckled with small spots of ash grey and reddish-brown. The Water Rail feeds upon aquatic insects, worms, water snails, and various seeds. The plumage of the Water Rail is not very brilliant ; the beak is red and one-and-three-quarter inches long; iris, hazel ; the upper surface of the body generally is an olive-brown ; each feather being nearly black in the centre, with broad margins ; tail feathers are dusky, with olive- brown margins, the cheek, chin, sides, and front of neck are of a leaden grey colour ; the tail being rather short ; the sides and flanks are dark slate-grey, barred with white ; vent buff colour ; the under tail-coverts, which are very noticeable when the bird is walking, are a dull white. The entire length of the bird is very nearly twelve inches. In the female the beak is a little smaller, and the colour is not so bright, but the generality of the plumage resembles that of the male. The young birds are not banded or barred on the thighs and flanks ; the feathers and breast are edged with pale brown, which form transverse bars, and the plumage is not so dark as in the adult. The legs and toes are of a pale reddish or greyish-brown, the joints having a blueish tinge. THE WATER RAIL. Ill The Water Rail is, to some extent at any rate, a migratory bird, and although in our own country the greater portion remain all the year, yet it is known to be a summer visitor in some countries, where its existence would be impossible during the winter. In Europe the bird is said to be abundant in Holland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, and occasionally, in the summer, in Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands. In Ireland it is commonly met with, and is stated to be resident there. In England the bird is more or less distributed throughout the country, but it is more numerous in the " fen country " than in any other parts. The bird usually migrates by night, and appears attracted by the lights of towns, as several are caught every spring and autumn (usually in the early morning) in the streets and small gardens of most of the towns on the South Coast. The voice of the Water Bail is a discordant croak, uttered usually in tho evening. It much resembles the note of the Land Rail. When suddenly surprised, or forced by some per- sistent dog to take refuge in flight, it proceeds in rather a laboured style; it flies slowly, the legs hang loosely down, the bird seems unwilling or unable to surmount any high obstacle, and gladly drops down into the first place likely to afford security and con- cealment. The shape of the body enables it to run quickly and noiselessly through the flags and rushes of its resorts, and it also swims with ease and confidence. The Water Rail has the same peculiar habit of jerking or flirting up the tail when walking that is so noticeable in the inoor hen and other members of the family. When exhausted 112 FAMILIAR WILD 111RLS. or wounded, the Water Rail will frequently try to conceal itself in a hole by the water's brink, or will lie close and motionless under the bank until its pursuer either finds it, or, as very frequently happens, is compelled to abandon the search . According to some authorities this bird is an acquisi- tion to the table, and the eggs are said to be of very delicate flavour. 7 THE COMMON BUNTING. Emberiza miliaria. 35 HE Bunting belongs to a very interesting group of the Pas- serine birds, one of the principal characteristics of the family being the bill, which is very strong and conical, the upper mandible having a strong knob on the palate, commonly called a tooth, and the sides of the mandibles bending inwards. The bird is about seven-and-a- half inches in length, and of a somewhat thick, bulky appear- ance. The plumage of the Bunting is varied and pleasing. The iris is dark brown; over the eye is a faint mark of pale yellowish -grey, which is con- tinued in a curve down the cheek ; the head, crown, and back of the neck are a light yellowish- brown, inclining to olive, and the centre of each feather is streaked with dark 1H FAMILIAR WILD £IRUS. brown ; in front the feathers are tipped with a triangular spot of brownish-black, the spots being larger and darker on each side, where they form a line. The chin, throat and breast are dull white in summer, and in winter a yellowish-brown, marked with streaks or elongated spots of dark brown, which are much lengthened farther down the body. Close to the throat the spots of dark brown are much smaller and closer together than on the breast. The back is a pale yellowish-brown, with streaks of darker brown, and in the autumn it becomes more olive in colour. The wing-coverts are dark brown, broadly edged with a lighter brown. The tail is slightly forked, rather long, and dark brown, the edges of the feathers being lighter ; the under tail-coverts are pale yellowish-brown • legs are pale yellowish or reddish-brown ; toes dull yellow; claws deep brown. The female closely resembles the male, but the young birds are lighter than their parents, and the dark markings on the breast and throat are more lengthened. This bird is tolerably common in most parts of Great Britain, but is found in certain localities in much greater numbers than in others. It is also known as the Bunting Lark, Clodbird, and Corn Bunting, the latter name being given to it from the strong partiality it evinces for this particular sort of food. As may be easily imagined, the Bunting is not a favourite bird with English farmers, who attribute to it — let us hope un justly ^an amount of dishonesty and mischief in the matter of corn-ricks that is certainly very derogatory to its character ; and it is commonly said of the bird that it seems to consider that all collections of grain have been expressly stored for its own especial comfort and private requirements. THE COMJfOX JiVXTIXG. 115 The flight of the Bunting is strong, but is somewhat laboured, and not particularly rapid ; it consists of a series of undulating movements, and is accompanied with a whirring1 sound. When on the ground, it moves quickly by hopping ; at night it roosts either on the ground in stubble, or on low hedgerows or bushes. Its note is uttered both when the bird is flying and when it is perched, and resembles the word " chuck " or " chit." This is repeated several times in a harsh, nnmelodious key, and can be heard for some considerable distance. The bird is of an extremely quarrelsome disposition. The Bunting generally commences its nest about the end of April ; it is built either on the ground, in the middle of a field, or on a bank, or in coarse herbage close to the bottom of a hedge, and occasionally in a bush. The nest is composed of small fibrous roots, dried grass, or hay, and neatly lined with fine moss, wool, and hair. About four eggs is the usual number laid, and these are of a blunt oval shape, and of a whitish colour, tinged with greyish- red, sometimes pale purple, and irregularly spotted and blotched with marks of dark purplish-brown. In some instances the ground of the egg is almost white, but they vary considerably in colour, shape, and size. In the spring and summer these birds are seen usually singly or in pairs, but in the cold weather they congre- gate not only with numbers of their own species, but also with various birds whose size, habits, and food correspond generally with their own. The food of the Bunting consists of corn and other grain, seeds, insects, and grubs. It is generally in excel- lent condition, and is considered very good eating. Fields, particularly stubble, the enclosures of farms^ where ricks 116 FAMILIAR WILT) B1SDS. are numerous, and cultivated districts generally, are its favourite resorts, but it may be frequently observed " dusting " in the roadway, in the manner of sparrows and larks. It is also fond of washing itself. As already stated, it is tolerably well distributed through Great Britain, but is most numerously found in Sussex, Yorkshire, Shrop- shire, Cornwall, Norfolk, Suffolk, Lancashire, Cumber- land, and Durham. THE YELLOW-HAMMER. Einleriza cltrliicUa. LENTIFULLY distributed throughout nearly every part of Great Britain, the Yellow- Hammer is one of the com- monest and best known of our familiar wild birds ; indeed, in the summer months almost every hedgerow or patch of furze and gorse may be relied upon to furnish a haunt for this handsome little bird. Like many other species of our feathered friends, the Yellow-Hammer rejoices in a variety of local names, and is variously known as the Yellow Bunting, Yellow Yow- ley, Goldie, Yeldrock, Yoit, and other titles too numerous to mention. The Yellow- Hammer is found plentifully on the Euro- pean continent, especially in the more central parts, the 118 FAMILIAR WILD PJI1DS. extreme north and south being1 apparently not so congenial to its taste. These birds are of sociable habits (although their inter- course is perpetually interrupted by quarrels), and in winter they associate in flocks with other small birds, such as greenfinches, chaffinches &c., which frequent farm-yards and stubble fields in search of food. The Yellow-Hammer often roosts on the ground, at any rate in the summer, severe weather only compelling it to take shelter in bushes, hedgerows, and similarly pro- tected localities. About the middle of April the flocks disperse, and the Yellow-Hammer seeks a mate and turns its attention to family duties. Generally the nest is placed' near the ground on a bank, and frequently in a tuft of coarse grass or herbage. It is built of moss, fine fibrous roots, and small twigs, and neatly lined with horse-hair. Four or five eggs are laid, of a pale purplish-white colour, streaked, spotted and blotched with dark reddish-brown ; occa- sionally the eggs may be found of a more reddish tint, with dark brown streaks and blotches ; they also vary considera- bly in size. The young make their appearance about the beginning of June, and are most carefully attended to by their parents, the male bird being especially noticeable for the assiduity and anxiety he evinces for the comfort of his mate and progeny. The food principally consists of grain, seeds of various sorts, and insects ; the latter it feeds its young almost entirely upon. The first-mentioned item being its favourite diet, it is naturally not regarded by farmers with any great degree of complacency or friendliness. THE YELLOW- HAMMER. 119 The flight of the Yellow-Hammer is rapid, strong, and undulating ; the bird seems to alight unexpectedly, and may be noticed to display the tail, at such times, with a quick jerky movement. The Yellow-Hammer has a somewhat peculiar way of leaping when feeding on terra fir ma y the bird's breast at the time being close, or very nearly so, to the ground; when perched, the attitude is " listless, the tail being de- flected for some time." The note is one of the first heard in the spring, and is often to be detected as early as February ; it consists of two or three chirps, which sound like " Chit-chit " followed by a prolonged and harsh " chirr-r-r/' In Sussex the Yellow- Hammer's song is popularly supposed to resemble the words " Bit o' bread and no chee-e-e-se." The song is usually uttered when the bird is on the top of some hedge or the spray of a bush. Should a flock be disturbed, the entire party take refuge in some neighbouring trees or bushes, where a loud twittering is set up, which is joined in more or less by all the members of the party. If left to themselves, the birds will shortly leave the trees in ones and twos, and reassemble in a flock as before. The Yellow-Hammer varies in plumage to a considerable extent, some birds being much more yellow than others, while the red of the breast and lower part of the back ris more or less deep in some than in others. The bill is of a bluish horn-colour, the upper part tinged with brown ; the iris is dark brown, and about the base of the bill there are short bristles. On the crown and sides the head is bright yellow, with a few streaks of dusky black and olive, fre- quently forming a line on each side from "the forehead over 120 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. the eye to the back of the head. Chin, throat, and breast bright yellow, with streaks at the sides of reddish-brown and olive. The back is bright reddish-brown, with tinges of yellowish-green ; the lower part is a reddish -brown. The tail is slightly forked, of a dusky black colour, with some, white markings on the outside feathers, which are very perceptible in flight. Legs, toes, and claws are a light yellowish-brown, with a reddish tinge. As a rule, the female is altogether duller in colour than her mate, and the tail is lighter, and has a smaller propor- tion of white on the outside feathers. When first fledged, the young bird is of a dull yellowish- brown, the brighter portions of the plumage not being attained until the bird is fully grown. I '/s rt/\Tlii^L SIZE } THE GYE FALCON. Falco gyrfalco. — LINXJEUS. HE Gyr Falcon, or Jer Falcon, stands at the head of the Fal- conidaa, and is one of the hand- somest and boldest of our British birds; indeed, the family to which it belongs may be safely described as the most fully developed in strength, daring, symmetry, and powers of flight of all the feathered tribes. We learn that in the palmy days of English falconry this bird was imported from Norway for the purposes of sport ; and great care, patience, and attention were bestowed on its training. But these times have long since passed away; the bird itself, as far as this country is concerned, is growing rarer and more difficult to obtain, and seems to be yielding to that gradual extinction which has long since overtaken the sport with which it 36 122 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. was once associated. Some attempts have very lately bean made to revive the sport of falconry upon Salis- bury Plain ; but the modern spirit is too strongly against all such proceedings to hold out much prospect of success. In Great Britain the Gyr Falcon is found in the north of Scotland and in the Shetland and Orkney islands. Specimens are occasionally found further south, and a very fine specimen was shot near Brighton in 1884; but its principal haunts are in the wild, rocky parts of Ice- land, Greenland, Lapland, Russia, Sweden, and Siberia, and also in the parallel portions of America and Northern Asia. The flight of this bird is remarkable for its rapidity, and the apparent ease with which it is sustained. When pursuing its prey, it rises high in the air above its victim, and then suddenly swoops down upon it with unerring aim and force. Should, however, the first attack be un- successful, the bird passes on, rises again in the air, and again repeats the swoop. The food of the Gyr Falcon is invariably captured alive, and consists of the smaller animals and larger birds. It is a very unscrupulous feeder ; and amongst the most common articles of its diet may be mentioned rabbits, young hares, grouse, partridges, ptarmigan, curlews, whimbrels, ducks, plovers, and numerous other land and water birds. Some high inaccessible cliff or crevice in a rock, either on the sea-coast or near some inland lake, is the spot usually selected as a nesting place. The nest is built of sticks and roots, and lined with wool, moss, or seaweed. Two or three eggs are generally laid: they are of a light yellowish- THE GYR FALCON. 123 brown, dotted with rusty red, and occasional patches of the same colour ; sometimes they are dull white, and are mottled all over with pale reddish-brown. During incubation, and until the young1 birds are capable of taking1 care of themselves, the parents are par- ticularly fierce, and exhibit great intrepidity in defending their home and progeny from intruders. During the period that the young are dependent upon thuir parents, the old birds are ceaseless in their search for food, and the number of victims secured at such a time by a pair of these active hunters is stated to be well-nigh incredible. Like other birds of the same order, the female is larger than the male, and fiercer and more fearless than her mate. The length of the male Gyr Falcon is about twenty-two or twenty-four inches. The beak is short, but strong and much hooked; the head, crown, and neck are pure white, or white with a few brownish-black spots or streaks ; the nape, chin, and breast white, or slightly spotted or lined, like the head and neck; back more or less spotted and mottled with blackish-brown. The wings are long and powerful, reaching to within four inches from the end of the tail, and are similarly marked to the back, the under coverts being pure white. The tail is long and rounded at the end ; in some specimens it is pure white, and in others barred with blackish-brown; the tail-coverts are white. The legs are bright yellow (bluish-grey in the young bird), and are short, stout, and feathered half-way down, the re- mainder, as well as the toes, are covered with scales; the claws are black and powerful, the hinder one being larger than the others. The plumage of the female has a general resemblance 124 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. to the male, but the markings on the breast and sides are broader. In young birds all the upper parts are of a brown ash colour, the feathers being edged with white ; a dark streak runs down each side of the throat from the corners of the beak ; the under parts are brown, gradually becom- ing white, with large brown spots ; the tail is barred with light brown. When the Gyr Falcon attains its full age, the whole plumage is white, or nearly so. The young birds soon after they are hatched are covered with down of a dirty white colour, which does not come off, but their feathers grow through it. Although the places before enumerated are the ordinary resorts of this handsome bird, it has been shot in various parts of Great Britain and Ireland, but these instances are rare in the extreme. THE JACK SNIPE. Scolopax gallinula. A.SILY distinguished from the Common Snipe by its being much smaller, and also by the plumage being richer and showing more varied reflec- tions, the Jack Snipe is a very handsome little bird. The beak is about one-and-a-half inch long, and the whole length of the bird nearly 'eight-inches-and a-half . The irides are dark brown ; from the eye to the base of the beak is a dark brown streak, and over the eye and ear-coverts a broad line of pale brown. The top of the head and the part above the beak is a rich dark brown ; back of the neck ^^g. greyish-brown, varied with dusky brown marks ; the back is a rich dark brown, and darker markings, with two plainly- marked 'streaks of light brown or buffy yellow, 126 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS extending to the tail ; on each side of these lines are two smaller ones on the wing1. O The primary quill feathers are dusky black, secondaries the same, ending in a white point ; tertiaries are brownish- black, spotted and streaked with rich reddish-brown ; tail short ; the upper tail-coverts are brown ; tail greyish- black. Cheeks, chin, and neck greyish-brown, spotted with a darker shade ; breast and lower parts white ; the legs and toes are dark greenish-brown, and the claws black. The females are not so bright in the plumage as the males, and in the winter the birds are more ash-grey in the reddish-brown parts. The young birds lack the bril- liant green and purple reflections so noticeable in the adults. The Jack Snipe frequents damp, boggy grounds, es- pecially where tufts of coarse grass abound ; and when not feeding.it generally conceals itself amongst the rank herbage and rushes common to moist localities. This bird is remarkable for the reluctance it exhibits to leave the ground, and will almost suffer itself to be trodden upon before it takes to flight. Not even the firing of a gun will disturb it, although but a few yards off; and a bird has been known to be taken by the captor throwing a hat over it as it was about to rise. When compelled to rise into the air, it usually proceeds in a vacillating way, flying but a short distance and then dropping again to the ground. The birds do not congregate in small parties, as the Common Snipe occasionally does, but are generally found singly, though sometimes a pair or more are found within a few yards of each other. It shows a great partiality for certain spots, and can be found in exactly the same place year after year with almost undeviating regu- THE JACK SNIPE. 127 larity. It makes no cry when disturbed. The French speak of the bird as the " Deaf Snipe/' in allusion to the very little notice or attention it bestows upon persons approaching its haunts. The Jack Snipe may be designated as a purely winter visitor ; it arrives usually about September or October, and remains until the following- March or April. It is thus of more pronounced winter habits, arriving later and departing earlier than the Common Snipe; but we once found one as late as the 2 1st of the latter month on the South Downs, amongst some heather and far away from any water; it is very unusual to find them in such places, and no doubt the bird was on its migration northward. The nest is commonly built in the vegetation of damp marshy places ; the eggs are about four in number, of a yellowish-olive colour, spotted at the larger end with dark and light brown, and rather more than one inch in length. The young birds run soon after they are hatched, and are covered with a very pretty brown down, edged with a lighter colour, which gives them a spotted appearance. The food of the Jack Snipe consists of small water insects, the larva? common to wet, boggy places, and the seeds of some water plants. Russia, Siberia, and the Baltic countries are the more proper home of the Jack Snipe; in Russia and the more western parts of Siberia it is found in immense numbers, breeding in the northern parts of Europe during the summer, and departing in winter for somewhat more temperate climes. It appears also to be pretty widely distributed throughout Northern India. In the winter it is found as far south in Europe as Italy and 128 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. France, but does not seek actually warm climates. In Great Britain it is tolerably well distributed, and may be found during the cold season of the year in almost every county from the North of Scotland to the Land's End. SIZE) THE KED-BACKED SHEIKE. Lanitis colluris. ARIOUSLY known indifferent localities as the " Cheeter/' " Flusher/^ (( Butcher -bird/' " Jack Baker/' and "Whiskey John/' this bird is the com- monest and best known of the British Shrikes. The principal characteristics of the family to which the Shrike belongs may be briefly described as follows. The bill is of moderate length, broad at the base and hooked at the tip ; there is a notch or indentation in the mandibles ; the nostrils are situated laterally, and are surrounded with bristles, which are found at the base of the bill as well; the wings are elongated, and the tail is long and rounded at the end. The Bed-backed Shrike is one of our migratory birds, coming to us from the south, 37 130 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. and remaining with us from May until September or October. It is more frequently met with in the southern counties of England than in the north. Sussex, Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Kent, and Dorsetshire may be mentioned as localities where the bird is perhaps seen in the greatest abundance. Although nowhere a common bird, it is met with in Wales, but very rarely in Scotland or Ireland. The name " Butcher-bird/ ; by which the Red-backed Shrike is generally known, is certainly not a very enticing title, but the peculiar habits which have given rise to the appellation undoubtedly justify the selection, the bird literally converting the top of some hedgerow or thorn-bush which it frequents, into a sort of shambles, im- paling beetles and other small specimens of animated nature upon which it feeds, upon the sharp thorns. This remarkable habit of the Red-backed Shrike has given rise to considerable difference of opinion amongst natura- lists as to the motive which induces the bird to act in so strange and unusual a way. Many have thought that it was merely a considerate way which the male had in providing an easy supply of food for his mate during the period of incubation, whilst others aver that the idea of providing against any unlooked-for failure in the provision market must be the secret of the bird's behaviour. Our own opinion is that it is merely one of those freaks or eccentricities which we so commonly find in connection with birds, and which, like the pilfering propensity of the Pie family, and the love of mischief in others, cannot be traced to, or connected with, any actual necessity or advantage. The Red-backed Shrike is a somewhat indiscriminate feeder, beetles of various sorts being most highly prized, THE REV-HACKED SHE IKE. 131 but in the absence of these, it feeds upon grasshoppers, drag-on -flies, lizards, small birds, and mice. The principal haunts of the Shrike are tall hedgerows, thorn-bushes, and coppices; it is also partial to quarries, and deserted chalk-pits, and may frequently be seen perched on some rail, post, gate, or prominent bough of a tree, and as often as anywhere on the telegraph wires of a railway. From these points of vantage it keeps a good look-out for anything- likely to afford a meal, and may be noticed occasionally darting- off upon some unlucky victim, which it either devours or im- pales, and again resumes its watchful position. It is a mistake to suppose that the prey is always impaled before being- eaten. The Red-backed Shrike builds rather a large nest, which may very easily be discovered, as it is commonly placed in some bush or hedg-e without any attempt at concealment. The nest is made of dried grass, twigs, or roots, moss and wool, and lined with some finer roots and stalks. Five or six eggs are laid, of a pale reddish-white spotted with different shades of brownish-red. In most cases there is a well-defined band of spots around the larger end. The eggs of this bird vary considerably in appearance, some being quite greyish in tint and others pinkish and greenish -white. The length of the male bird is about seven-and-a-half inches ; the bill, which is hooked at the end and notched, is of a bright black colour, and a black stripe runs from the end to the nape of the neck. The forehead is black ; head, bluish-grey ; chin, whitish ; throat, white ; breast, a pale yellowish-pink ; back, bluish-grey on the lower part and reddish-brown on the upper. The tail is long and extends beyond the wings ; there are two black feathers in the centre, all the rest are white at the base and tipped with 132 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. white; the upper tail-coverts are bluish-grey, lower tail- coverts, white ; legs are long and slender, and, like the toes and claws, are black. The female differs considerably in plumage from her mate, and is by no means of so striking an appearance, being of a rusty brown colour on the upper part of the body and greyish- white underneath. The young birds bear a general resemblance to the female, and do not gain the above adult plumage until the second moult, which takes place about the following January. c H o u G H (/4 rJ^TUH^L SIZ THE CHOUGH. Corvus graculus. Fregilus ,, •:.£•• HE Chough, or, as it is more commonly called, the Cornish Chough, is quite a traditional bird, and is alluded to by some very celebrated writers both in poetry and prose. Shakespeare speaks of it in a description of the cliff of Dover; and the fine old glee commencing, " The Chough and Crow to roost are gone/' must be thoroughly familiar to every one. These interesting birds were at one time far more frequently met with than they are in the present day, and it is to be regretted that in many localities once noted for their presence they are now either totally unknown, or seen but at increasing intervals. The Chough rejoices in a variety of names, and is variously spoken 134 FAMILIAR WILL BIRDS. of as the Red -legged Crow, Killigrew, Hermit Crow, Cliff Daw, Gesner's Wood Crow, and other titles too numerous to particularise. The Chough, although ranked amongst the Corvidse, is not a true crow, but seems to be a sort of connecting link between the Crow and the Pastors. It is distinguished from the crow family by the form of the beak, which is longer than the head, and is arched and pointed. Its flight is something like that of the rook, but more rapid, and its movements when on the ground are more lively and graceful. The note is shrill, but not unpleasant, and may be said to resemble the words " creea, creea"; sometimes it utters a quick chattering noise like a starling. Amongst the places where the Chough is occasionally seen, and where at one time it was comparatively common, may be mentioned Cornwall, Devonshire, the Isle of Man, Galloway, St. Abb's Head, the Wiltshire Downs, Pem- brokeshire, Flintshire, the Isle of Anglesea, and many parts of the Irish coast. Cornwall was formerly very noted for these birds, as one of their best known names (Cornish Chough) clearly indicates. The Chough is partial to the sea-shore and the banks of large tidal rivers, near their junction with the sea. Like the Jackdaw, these birds have a strong liking for isolated buildings, and when not breeding in the cliffs., they usually select some old church tower or ruined castle for their breeding places. Their food is principally made up of insects, grubs, small Crustacea, grains, berries, and occasionally carrion ; freshly-ploughed land is also fre- quently visited for the worms and beetles that may be obtained there. In feeding on small insects, the food is THE CHOUGH. 135 swallowed entire, but when a large beetle or cockchafer is secured the bird holds it in the feet, and pecks at it until it is devoured. The Chough is of'tener seen on the sea-shore than anywhere else, where it frequents the highest cliffs and rocks, walking over them with great ease and confidence, its toes and claws being admirably adapted for this purpose. The disposition of the Chough is rather a curious combination: it is extremely inquisitive and thievish, yet very wary, cautious, and shy. Judging from the accounts of those persons who have kept and watched them, their strong inquisitiveness and instinctive caution are in a perpetual state of opposition, the undecided actions of the birds being consequently at times almost ludicrous. As already hinted, old towers, church steeples, and the holes in cliffs are the spots generally selected by the Chough in which to build its nest. It is composed of sticks, and lined with wool and hair. The eggs are foui or five in number, of a pale yellowish-white colour, spotted with ash grey and light brown, and about one-and-a-half inch in length. The parents are very watchful in guard- ing their nest from intruders. The length of the Chough is sixteen or seventeen inches ; it is of an uniform black colour, with a glossy bluish tinge ; the iris has two circles, the inner one red, the outer blue ; the beak is of a brilliant red, yellow in the inside, and about two inches long ; the wings reach nearly to the end of the tail, and have a more shining lustre than the rest of the plumage. In both sexes the legs are red, and the claws black and strongly hooked. The Chough is said to be found in France, Spain, Switzerland, and Crete, and may be met with in Egypt 136 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. and some parts of Asia. It is not known, or at least not common, in Northern Europe. A pair of these birds has been exhibited for two years at the Crystal Palace Bird Show, and on both occasions taken prizes. On inquiry of their respective owners, we were informed that they are the most knowing and interest- ing birds that can be kept in confinement, but require a large cage, as they are of a restless disposition and will otherwise break their tails and wings. FIELDFARE SIZE THE FIELDFARE. Tnrdus pilaris. O suggestive of hard weather and the earlier expeditions of the amateur gunner is the appearance in our fields of the Fieldfare that, as a writer re- marks, the very mention of its name conjures up reminiscences of " frost in the air, and snow upon the ground." And there are but few persons who have ever been fond of the gun who cannot recall their experience in connection with this bird, espe- cially in the days when want of opportunity and means for- bade the pursuit of nobler game. The Fieldfare arrives in this country later than any other of our winter visitors, usually about the middle of October or the beginning of November. It is found in all parts .of England, Scotland, Ireland, 138 IAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. and Wales, and generally arrives on our shores with an easterly or north-easterly wind. In Poland, Prussia, and Austria the Fieldfare is said to remain throughout the entire year. In France, Switzer- land, and the south of Europe, the bird is purely a winter visitor. The flocks remain in our country until the end of April, although they are occasionally found so late as May. The Fieldfare is gregarious in its habits ; it generally associates in parties of some one or two score, and several of these parties may commonly be found sufficiently near each other as to merit the description of a large flock. Some- times they assemble in very large numbers indeed, and now and then an isolated bird or two may be seen feeding with other members of the thrush tribe. These birds are naturally of a wary, cautious disposition, generally frequenting the cultivated districts, and usually feeding in some open place, where an unobserved approach is extremely difficult. As the cold increases in severity they become much tamer, and visit gardens and lawns in search of food. The food of the Fieldfare consists of various substances, chief amongst which may be enumerated small snails, beetles, grubs, worms, seeds, and such berries as those of the mountain ash, hawthorn, holly, and ivy. The flight is not very rapid, and consists of a series of gentle undulations, the wings being rapidly flapped about a dozen times, and then rested. The birds usually wheel round in the air for a little time before coming to the ground, utter- ing a harsh cry whilst so doing. When the bird settles on the ground, its movements are extremely characteristic : the tail is a little depressed, the wings droop a little, and the THE FIELDFARE. 189 head is held well up ; then the bird gives a short series of rapid hops, picks up a seed or grub, pauses for a moment, and then hops on rapidly again. When feeding in this way, the birds always move in one direction, not running about promiscuously, as is com- monly the case ; and when one or two of the party may have fallen a little in the rear, they take a short flight, and rejoin the main body of their comrades. When alarmed, they do not instantly rise, but remain motionless for an instant, then uttering a screaming note, like the words " chack, chack, chack/-' they all take refuge in flight, or seek the shelter of some tall trees that may be conveniently near. The song of the Fieldfare is heard as early as the com- mencement of March. It is soft and pleasing, and, in addition to this song, they often indulge in a harsh, un- musical chatter. In nesting operations the Fieldfare is a sociable bird, building in colonies, and, according to some authorities, " as many as two hundred nests have been found within a small circuit of the forest."" As in the case of rooks and some other birds, they return season after season to breed in the same locality. The nest is built of dried grass, twigs, and sticks, cemented with clay, and lined with fine fibres and grass, and generally in pine or fir trees at various heights from the ground. The eggs vary in number from three to six, and are of a pale bluish-green colour, with spots of dark reddish -brown. The plumage of the Fieldfare is handsome and well marked. The iris is dark brown ; the bill is orange inside, with bristles at the base, and dark brown at the tip ; be- 140 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. tween the bill and the eye there is a black mark, which passes under it, and a dark line passes backwards in the shape of a semicircle. Over the eye is a streak of grey or buff. The crown is ash grey, the feathers having a dusky streak in the centre; front and sides of neck are light yellowish-red, with triangular marks of brownish-black; chin and throat pale yellowish-orange, streaked with black; breast is light yellowish-red, spotted with triangular marks of blackish-brown ; the sides are paler and the spots are larger. The back on the upper part is a dark chestnut, shaded in the lower portion into bluish-grey, which is very conspicuous in flight. The wings are brownish, and the under coverts are white. Tail is a deep greyish -black, long, and the feathers even ; upper tail-coverts ash grey ; under tail-coverts white; legs and toes dusky brown; claws blackish-brown. The female resembles the male. The bird is variously known as the Fieldfare, Feet, Feltfare, Blue-back, Blue-tail, and Blue-felt. p U F F I fJ )/3 fJ /VT U p A, L SIZE. THE PUFFIN. Fratercula aretica. |HE Puffin, or, as it is sometimes called, the Sea Parrot and Coulterneb, is certainly one of the most singular-looking birds that visit the sea-coast of Great Britain; and it may safely be affirmed that its dis- position, habits, and general characteristics are quite as re- markable as its appearance. The bill, which is perhaps the most striking peculiarity, is shorter than the head : its height is greater than its length; both mandibles are curved towards the point, and provided with sharp cutting edges ; it is much compressed, and furrowed on the sides in such a manner as almost to suggest the idea that it is covered with a loose sheath ; the basal ridge is yellow, then there is a space of bluishrgrey:,. 142 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. and then three grooves and four ridges of orange ; the skin at the gape is naked and yellow ; the iris is grey ; the ear-coverts are dirty white, and so are the cheeks and chin ; while the forehead, crown, back of head, the collar round the neck, the wings, back, and tail are black. The under parts of the body are entirely white. The legs and toes are orange colour, the latter being webbed; the claws are curved, and the wings small, and tail short. When standing, the Puffin rests upon the whole of the leg and foot from the heel down- wards, and this arrangement naturally produces, when the bird is walking, a waddling sort of gait, which is ungraceful in the extreme. The length of the Puffin is about twelve inches, and there is no apparent difference in the appearance of the different sexes. This bird is gregarious and migratory. It arrives on our coasts generally about the beginning of April, and remains with us until the end of August or early in September, congregating in enormous numbers, or colonies, in many well-known localities. It is purely a sea-bird, and is therefore to be found principally on cliffs and high rocks, or upon the flat grassy table-land found frequently upon their summits. The localities most commonly visited by Puffins are the Isle of Man, the coast of Anglesey, the Scilly Islands, some parts of the Isle of Wight, the Fern Islands, Puffin Island in the Firth of Forth, and many of the Scottish isles. The process of nest-building is not an occupation upon which the Puffin spends either time or trouble, as it generally breeds in a burrow (excavated by itself or purloined from a rabbit) , or else the egg is deposited in a crevice on the perpendicular front of a cliff. The burrow THE PUFFIN. 143 o$ the rabbit is very frequently used as a domicile by this bird, whose powerful beak and aggressive disposition speedily enable it to dispossess the lawful owner of his retreat. Only one egg is laid : it is of a white colour, but soon becomes dirty and discoloured from contact with the bare earth on which it rests, the parent birds making not the least attempt to increase the comfort of their habitation. In places where there are no rabbits to eject, the Puffin, according to some writers, will dig a hole in the earth, and the birds become so absorbed in their occupation that they take no notice of intruders, and will at times allow themselves to be captured rather than discontinue their labours. These burrows are usually about three feet in depth ; they frequently run in a curving direction, and at times are provided with two entrances. The young Puffins are, when first hatched, covered with a long dark down, and at that time they are very peculiar-looking ; this down does not come off, but the feathers grow through it. Like other birds of the same family, they are generally very fat. The Puffin feeds upon small fish, Crustacea, and marine insects. The flight, considering its wings, is rapid, and both in swimming and diving its capabilities are thoroughly well developed. Though fond of the open sea this bird must, to speak fairly, be called a " fair-weather sailor " only, as directly the weather becomes wet and stormy it beats a retreat to terra firma, and sits and dozes about on the rocks in large numbers, and in the most apathetic manner imaginable. Indeed, so dull and insensible to danger are these birds at such times, that almost any number may be taken by merely dropping horsehair nooses over them. It is stated 144 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. that large .quantities are taken in this way in some of the Scottish islands, where a remunerative price is obtained for their feathers. The Puffin is well known in various parts of Scandinavia, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and other northern latitudes, and is met with on some parts of the coasts of Holland and Prance. This bird is seldom seen off the Sussex coast, but after a heavy southerly gale specimens are often washed ashore. EGGS. Carrion Crow. 2. Swallow. 3. Sparrow-Hawk. 4. Blue Tit. 5. Blackcap. 6. Partridge. 7. Wild Duck. 8. Cuckoo. 9. Pheasant. EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. BY R. KEARTON. 39 THE CARRION CROW. N an average this bird lays four or five eggs of a grey-green colour, blotched and spotted with a smoky brown. In some in- stances, like those of the Rook, they are found quite blue, minus spots. The nest is situated at the tops of trees in woods or plantations, and is composed of sticks like those of most birds, using the larger for the outside, the smaller for the inside, which is plastered with mud, clay or cow - dung, lined with wool, horse and cow-hair. THE SWALLOW. I HAVE observed that the Swal- low's favourite nesting-place is amongst the rafters of cow-barns, stables, and out-houses of a simi- lar nature. Nests may be found , ' 146 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. even in old chimneys, but it is my opinion that they only locate themselves in such a smoky atmosphere when no better place is procurable ; they have also been found amongst the brickwork of disused limekilns. The nest is O composed of clay or mud mixed with straw, hay, and rushes, lined with soft light feathers, usually gathered whilst the bird is on the wing. When a boy, I have amused myself for hours flying feathers for the dexterous Swallows and Martins to carry off to their nests, and have always observed that if the Swallow let a feather fall from her nest whilst building it, and did not catch it before reaching the ground, she allowed it to remain there, often to betray the locality of her eggs. The Swallow does not exhibit the same amount of care over the formation of her nest as the Common Martin or Sand Martin, and leaves it open at the top. She lays four or five eggs, white, which are unlike those of the other species of tbe family, inasmuch as they are speckled with brown, which generally forms a belt round the larger end of the egg. THE SPARROW-HAWK. THE Sparrow-Hawk lays from four to six eggs of a bluish- white, spotted more numerously at the larger end with red-brown blotches. It will often utilise the disused nest of the Magpie or Crow, and, like most birds that prey upon others, breeds later. Occasionally, the birds form rude structures of their own, but as a rule prefer plundering, and like all such immoral characters, have in consequence lost a great deal of their own original skill. EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 147 THE BLUE TIT. BLUE TITS lay from seven to nine eggs, of a white under- ground, spotted with red-brown all over, but more nume- rously at the larger end. Their nests are composed of moss, feathers, and hair, and will generally be found in holes in trees or walls. THE BLACKCAP. THE Blackcap locates her nest amongst nettles and brambles, generally near the ground, but not resting upon it. It is a very slovenly bird, as far as the structure of its nest goes, which is composed of fibrous roots and the stems of cleavers. It lays four or five eggs of a whitish underground, blotched and spotted, with two shades of brown or pale delicate pink, with dark red spots and blotches. THE PARTRIDGE. FROM ten to twenty eggs are laid by the Partridge, of a pale yellow-brown, without any spots. There has been some diversity of opinion as to the time of hatching, some holding that the third week of June is the time, whilst others say the middle of the following month ; but I think that the locality in which the bird is found has something to do with this difference of time. She does not make any nest worth speaking about, merely scratch- ing and trampling the grass, weeds, &c., down. Her nest is situated on the ground in standing grass, cornfields, among brackens, weeds, &c., mostly in arable districts. 148 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. She sits very closely, indeed so closely that I have known her head cut clean off as she sat on her nest in a field of grass which was being mown. THE WILD DUCK. THE nest of the Wild Duck is composed of grass, inter- mixed and lined with down, and is generally situated on the ground near the margin of rivers or lakes, to enable the mother to lead her progeny to the water immediately they are hatched. However, there are numerous exceptions to the usual site of her nest, as it is occasionally found occupying deserted Crows' nests, or built on pollard willows, and has even been found in such an exceptionally odd situation as a church tower, from whence she managed to convey her young in safety. These elevated nesting- places have given rise to much variance of opinion amongst naturalists as to how the parent bird carries her progeny to the water ; some contending that she conveys them in her feet, others, in her beak, &c. This habit of the bird, however, is quite familiar to the Laplanders, who prepare wooden cylinders, which they stop at each end, leaving a hole in the side, and elevate on poles, to entice the duck, which does not hesitate to avail itself of such convenient accommodation; thus the wily Lap- lander is enriched with a good store of eggs for breakfast. The Hawk-Owl often takes a fancy to the situation, and appropriates it for nidification purposes, paying dearly for his intrusion when the owner of the cylinder comes round to collect his dues. The eggs of the Wild Duck number from eight to fifteen, of a greenish-white colour, smooth on the surface. EGGS. i. Pted Wagtail. 2. Heron. 3- Woodcock. 4 Swift. 5- Black-headed Gull. 6. Snipe. 7. Chm-Chaff. 8. Martin. 9- Hedge Sparrow. EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 149 THE CUCKOO. THE Cuckoo seems to think he was born to do nothing else but tell and re-tell " His name to all the hills ; " for he neither makes a nest nor troubles to rear his young, but leaves them to the tender mercies of unpaid nurses, being partial to the Wagtail, Hedge-sparrow, and Meadow Pipit, who are so affectionate that they have been known to follow and feed the young Cuckoo in a cage. Only one egg is found in a nest, which is of a reddish-grey, with a darker belt formed of numerous confluent spots at the thick end of the egg, but they are very variable. THE PHEASANT. PHEASANTS lay from eight to thirteen eggs of a pale olive- green or brown, without spots. Their nests are composed chiefly of the dried grass where it is situated, which is on the ground amongst weeds, coarse grass, or scrub, in the outskirts of woods. It has, however, been found occupying a Squirrel's drey in a Scotch fir, where she hatched her young, but did not rear them, as from some cause or other they died in the nest. This bird is polygamous. THE PIED WAGTAIL. THE nest of this bird is situated in holes in stone walls, bridges, crevices of rocks, quarries, &c. I remember on 150 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. one occasion finding- one in the stump of a rotten tree which had broken off about eleven feet from the ground ; they are also found in pollard willows. The nest is chiefly composed of moss, small fine grass, fibrous roots, wool, horse and cow-hair. The eggs number from four to six, and are of a grey colour, speckled with light umber-brown. THE HERON. THE Heron lays four or five eggs of a pale blue, with a tinge of green. Her nest is composed of a very liberal collection of sticks, and is lined in the interior with wool, and occasionally rags. It is situated on the tops of high trees. Like the Rooks, Herons build in societies, which are called heronries. THE WOODCOCK. THE Woodcock lays four eggs of a yellow-white colour, blotched with pale chestnut-brown. Her nest is generally found amongst the underwood at the foot of a tree, where she does not appear to try to avoid its being seen, but scratches a slight hollow, lining it with dead leaves and the withered fronds of the bracken. She is not an habitual nester in this country, although her nest is occasionally found, but it is exceptional, and I think accidental. Like the Partridge, Grouse, &c., the young leave the nest as soon as hatched, and are most carefully looked after by the parent bird. EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING 151 THE SWIFT. THE Swift is the garret-lodger of nature, for she builds her nest in the very highest crevices and holes in steeples, towers, chimneys, rocks, and occasionally, like the Martin, under the eaves of inhabited houses. Her nest is com- posed of hay, straw, and feathers, in somewhat sparse quantities, which she appears to solder or cement to the stone and to each other with a glutinous substance elabo- rated by glands peculiar to certain birds of this genus. She lays two or three white unspotted eggs of a rather long oval shape. THE BLACK-HEADED GULL. THIS bird generally lays three eggs, four being occa- sionally found, of a pale olive-green or pale umber-brown, blotched with black-brown or dark grey ; however, they are very variable in ground colour, sometimes being of a bluish- white, unspotted. The nest is loosely built of the tops of sedges, reeds, or rushes, and is placed about a foot or more above the surface of the water or swamp. She is fond of low marshy districts, such as Norfolk, Kent, Essex, and some parts of Lincolnshire, and I have frequently found her round the edges of high mountain tarns in the Pennine range. THE SNIPE. THE Snipe generally lays four eggs, rather large for her size, of a grey colour, tinged with yellow or olive-green., and blotched with umber or rusty brown, of two shades, 152 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. more thickly towards the larger end. The eggs are sharply pointed, and invariably placed with the small ends together in the middle. Her nest is placed in a slight depression in the earth, which she lines with withered grass, rushes, or dried heather. It is situated in long grass, rushes, or amongst heather, near to tarns, swamps, bogs, and other places suitable to the habitat of the bird. THE CHIFF-CHAFF. THIS bird lays five, six, or seven eggs of white ground, dotted with brown or blackish-purple spots, predominating at the larger end ; the shell is very delicate, and must be carefully handled. Her nest is built of dead grass, the skeletons of leaves, thin pieces of bark and moss, lined profusely inside with wool, feathers, and hair. It is situated amongst furzes, brambles, in hedge-banks near the ground, occasionally amongst long grass on the ground, and is spherical in shape, with an opening at the side. THE MARTIN. THE Martin seems particularly fond of attaching her nest to the habitations of man. I have counted eighteen nests in as many feet under the eaves of one house. She builds under eaves, angles of windows, arches of bridges, throughs of cow-barns, rocks, sea-cliffs, &c. Her nest is composed of clay and mud, particularly that found on roads covered with limestone, as it possesses great adhesive qualities EGGS. i. Dipper. 2. Gamen Warbler. 3. Missel Thrush. 4. Spoonbill. 5. Ptarmigan. 6. Peregrine Falcon. 7. Curlew. 8. Hooded Crow. 9. Coot. EGGS AXD EGG-COLLECTING. 153 when dry. If the weather is dull it takes her some time to build her nest, but if it is dry and fine she runs it up quickly, working most dexterously at it early in the morn- ing. She lines it internally with straw, hay, and feathers, and returns to the same nesting-place year after year, some- times to find her cosy little nest occupied by sparrows. She lays four or five eggs, white, the yolk giving them a slight pinky tinge, unspotted. THE HEDGE-SPARROW. THE Hedge-sparrow's favourite nesting-place is in haw- thorn hedges, the nest is also found in furze -bushes, low shrubs, laurels, &c., and is composed of straw, dried grass, moss, and wool, lined with hair. The eggs are four or five in number, of a beautiful greenish-blue. THE DIPPER. THE Dipper, or Water Ouzel as it is called in some dis- tricts, builds her nest in such splendid harmony with its surroundings that it is very difficult to find. It is gene- rally placed near to some waterfall, and very often behind it, so that the bird has to fly through the water on entering and leaving her nest, It is also found in caves, underneath the arches of bridges, and I have even found one in a tree. The exterior is composed of aquatic mosses, and the interior beautifully lined with dry leaves. Dippers' nests are 40 154 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. generally of large size, almost globular in form, with, a central hole for the entrance and exit of the bird. She lays from four to six eggs, the average being five, of a delicate semi-transparent white, unspotted. THE GARDEN WARBLER. THE Garden Warbler's nest is located a few feet from the ground, in the branches of a thorn or bramble-bush, and coarse grasses, which are densely matted. It is made of straws, dried grass, fibrous roots, wool, and horse-hair, and is rather loose and slovenly. Her eggs number four or five, of a pale yellowish stone-grey, blotched and spotted with ash-grey and purplish-brown. THE MISSEL THRUSH. THIS bird, known in many parts of the country as the Misseltoe Thrush, builds her nest in trees, resting it on a branch close to the trunk, or where the trunk ends abruptly in two or three strong branches. It is composed of dried grass and moss, with a liberal mixture of wool, which helps it to adhere to the bark of the tree, and is lined internally with fine soft grass. Her eggs number from four to six, the last number being rather rare, of a pale green, speckled with brown, of two shades ; however, the colours are sub- ject to variation. She commences to breed very early in the season, like the Common Thrush, and has been known -to -lay twice in the same nest, which strengthens my opinion that the bird does often rear two broods in one EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING, 155 season, from the time I have known her to occupy the same nest. THE SPOONBILL. THE Spoonbill lays from two to four eggs, which vary in colour, some being entirely white, whilst others are spotted with a light brownish-red. The nest is situated in trees, or amongst the reeds and rushes on the ground, the bird seeming, like the Heron, partial to society. If the nature of the position will permit, several nests are situated close together, and are composed of sticks, coarse grass, and dried roots carelessly thrown together. THE PTARMIGAN. THIS bird lays from six to fifteen eggs of a pale red, brown or white, blotched with two shades of darker brown. Her nest is situated on the ground, on the bleak stony mountain-tops of the mainland of Scotland and the sur- rounding islands. It is merely a cavity scratched in the ground, in which the hen lays her eggs. THE PEREGRINE FALCON. THIS noble bird builds her nest of sticks, and places it amongst rugged cliffs, chiefly round the coast. She lays three or four eggs of a red-brown colour, with darker blotches and clouds. 156 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. THE CURLEW. OF slight construction, the nest of this bird is situated on moorland, heath, and marsh tracts of land; a few leaves or other dry materials,, carelessly brought together among long grass,, heather,, or in a tuft of rushes, is all that appears. The eggs are four in number, pear-shaped, and generally placed with the smaller ends together, of an olive-green colour, blotched and spotted with darker green and dark brown. THE HOODED CROW. HOODED CROWS lay four or five eggs of a grey-green, blotched and spotted with smoky brown. Their nests are built of sticks, heather, and wool, and are situated amongst rocks and sea-cliffs in Scotland, occasionally in trees, and are very similar to those of the Carrion Crow. THE COOT. THE Coot lays from seven to ten eggs of a grey colour, tinged with green, spotted and speckled with brown ; the spots are less numerous but darker than the speckles. Her nest is situated in marshes and ponds, and is composed of decaying sedges-, reeds, flags, and rushes, and though of clumsy appearance is very strong. It is built on willows that grow amongst the water, on tufts of rushes, and more commonly among reeds. It has been known to be dis- lodged from its position by a flood, and swept ashore EGGS. i. Water Rail. 2. Common Bunting. 3. Yellow Hammer. 4. Gyr-Falcon. 5. Jack Snipe. 6. Red-backed Shrike. 7. Chough. 8. Fieldfare. 9. Puffin. EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 157 whilst the bird was incubating without any apparent in- convenience to her. THE WATER RAIL. As might be expected, the nest of this bird is composed of sedges and flags, in somewhat considerable quantities, and is situated under thick cover in osier-beds and swamps in which alders grow, more especially in the southern counties of England. The hen lays from six to nine eggs of a creamy-white, with a few small reddish spots and dots. THE COMMON BUNTING. THE Common Bunting lays from four to six eggs of a grey colour, tinged with red-brown, purple-brown, and ash- coloured spots or streaks. Her nest is built of straw and coarse hay outside, lined in the interior with fibrous roots, and sometimes with horse-hair. It is situated amongst coarse grass near to or on the ground. THE YELLOW-HAMMER. THIS beautiful bird lays from three to six eggs of a dingy white tinged with purple, streaked and veined with purple- brown, the streak or vein generally terminating in a spot of the same colour. Her nest is situated on or near the ground, sheltered by overhanging grass, and is composed of dried or decayed leaves of grass round the exterior, followed 158 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. by a layer of finer grass, and the interior lined with horse- hair. THE JACK SNIPE. ACCORDING to some of the very best authorities on British ornithology, the Jack Snipe does not breed in these islands although an occasional nest is said to have been found. The bird is only a winter migrant, and breeds in the neighbourhood of St. Petersburg. The eggs are four in number, of a yellowish olive colour, spotted with two shades of brown, especially on the larger end. THE GYR FALCON. THE Gyr Falcon does not build in the British Isles, or with extreme rarity, but breeds in Iceland, Greenland, and the northern districts of Europe and America. The nest is composed of sticks, sea-weed, and mosses, and is situated in lofty precipices. The eggs are two in number, mottled nearly all over with pale reddish-brown on a dull white ground. They are larger than those of the Pere- grine Falcon, but very similar in shape and colour, as well as in the mode in which the colour is disposed over the surface. THE FIELDFARE. A FIELDFARE'S nest has never, within my personal know- ledge, been found in the British Isles, the birds breeding in the more northern parts of Europe, such as Norway and EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 159 Sweden, in large numbers. They build their nests near to the trunks of spruce trees, employing such materials as sticks and coarse grass, and weeds gathered wet, intermixed with clay, and lined internally with long grass. The eggs number from three to six, somewhat resembling those of the Blackbird or Ring Ouzel. THE EED-BACKED SHRIKE. THE Red-backed Shrike lays five or six eggs of a pink- white or cream-colour, with brown spots predominating at the larger end. Her nest is composed of wool, moss, bents of grass, and hair, and is situated in furze-bushes, whitethorn hedges, &c. THE CHOUGH. THIS bird builds her nest in sea -cliffs, in caves, old ruins, &c., near the sea. It is composed of sticks, lined with a liberal application of wool and hair. Her eggs number five or six of a dirty white colour, spotted and blotched chiefly at the larger end with raw sienna-brown and ash colour. THE PUFFIN. PUFFINS only lay one egg, of a grey colour with a dingy tinge ; the nest is minus materials, so the egg is placed on the bare earth at the extremity of a burrow or fissure in a sea cliff. The bird very often adopts a rabbit-burrow if 160 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. it is situated in the immediate neighbourhood of the sea and seems to take great care that her nest shall not be reached by the highest tide. Her nest is found in the Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Isle of Anglesea, &c. She cannot be induced to leave her nest except by force, sitting very closely, and determinedly defending it with her singularly constructed and formidable beak, with which she bites most severely. A SELECTED LIST OF CASSELL & COMPANY'S PUBLICATIONS. 6G-I0.06 Selections from Cassell COMPANY, Limited, Lttdgate Hill, London, Paris d: Melbourne. 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED BIOLOGY LIBRARY TEL. NO. 642-2532 This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. Lyyjigjgp^jippfl - LD21A-6w-7,'75 General Library ( S 7 5 2 5 L. ) University of Cali f orni a Berkeley U.C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES CQ2E13EDS8