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5.  Merlin.  6  Ke«treh 


BRITISH 
BIRDS'  EGGS  AND   NESTS, 


POPULARLY  DESCRIBED. 


Bt 


EEV.  J.  C.  ATKINSON, 
«* 

WAXES  AND  TALKS,"  "  PLAT  IIOUES  AND  HALF  HOLIIMTS* 
"SKETCHES  IX  NATUEAL  HISTOEY." 


1 1  LU  ST  11  A  1  E  D     BY     W.    S.     C  0  L  E  M  A  N . 


LONDON 

GEORGE  HOUTLEDGE  AND  SONS, 

TUB   BROADWAY,    LTJDGATE. 
NKVvT   YORK:    416   BROOME  STREET. 


LlBRAtt 


ATKINSON    S 

JBIRDS'  EGGS  AND  NESTS. 

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CAMDBK  FL.ESS  LO.NDOK. 


PREFACE. 


THE  object  proposed  in  this  volume  is,  in  the  first  place,  to  present 
our  young  readers  with  a  complete  and  systematic  list  of  our 
British  Birds : — the  word  British  being  taken  to  mean  such  as, 
being  truly  wild  birds,  either  inhabit  Britain  throughout  the  year, 
visit  Britain  statedly  for  longer  or  shorter  periods  of  each  year, 
or  have  been  proved  to  reach  the  shores  of  Britain  two  or  three 
times  or  oftener,  under  the  pressure  of  any  incidental  circumstances 
whatever. 

In  the  next  place,  the  attempt  has  been  made  to  distinguish  at 
once  between  the  rare  or  casual  visitors,  and  such  as  are  really 
denizens  of  the  Land,  whether  for  a  few  weeks  or  months  annually, 
or  by  unbroken  habitation. 

But  the  principal  object  and  intention  of  the  book  is  to  present 
accurate  and  trustworthy  accounts  of  the  Nests  and  Nesting-sites, 
the  Eggs,  and  any  ascertained  nesting  or  breeding-season  pecu- 
liarities of  every  undoubtedly  British-breeding  species.  And  the 
author's  difficulty  has  often  been  out  of  the  large  mass  of  available 
materials  at  his  command,  acquired  by  personal  observation  or 
from  the  reading  and  notes  of  many  years,  to  select  what  might 
be  instructive,  interesting  or  amusing,  without  burdening  the 
book  with  unnecessary  details,  or  encroaching  too  much  on  the 
allotted  space. 

The  principle  adopted  in  the  illustrations  has  been  to  omit  all 
representations  of  eggs  either  white  or  nearly  white  in  colour,  in 
order  to  husband  space  for  the  admission  of  a  greater  number  of 
those  characterised  by  varied  colours  and  markings.  On  the  same 
ground,  although  it  was  earnestly  desired  by  the  artist  to  give  more 


M85659 


V)  PREFACE, 

than  one  representation  of  some  of  the  very  marked  variations 
occurring  in  the  eggs  of  several  species,  he  has  been  compelled  to 
content  himself  with  selecting  and  figuring  the  most  typical  or 
normal  forms  in  all  such  cases.  All  the  illustrations  given  have  been 
carefully  drawn  from  unquestionable  specimens,  and  Mr.  Coleman 
desires  to  acknowledge  in  this  place  the  assistance,  which  in  this 
matter,  has  been  afforded  him  by  that  excellent  and  accurate 
practical  naturalist,  Mr.  E.  Bond. 

An  Appendix  is  subjoined,  in  which  a  notice  will  be  found  of 
the  habits  of  nidification,  the  nests  and  eggs  of  several  birds, 
which  though  regular  inhabitants  of  Britain  or  some  part  of  it, 
for  a  given  portion  of  each  year,  still  retire  to  foreign  and  distant 
localities  for  the  purposes  of  nest-making  and  rearing  their 
young. 

The  author  has  only  to  observe,  in  conclusion,  that  he  has 
scarcely  thought  it  necessary  in  the  majority  of  instances  to  notice 
the  common  and  well  recognised  fact  that  the  particular  species 
under  notice,  in  common  with  many  or  most  of  our  common 
British  Birds,  rears  two  broods,  or  even  more,  in  the  course  of 
the  summer.  Neither  has  he  thought  it  requisite  to  attempt  to 
defines,  the  average  season  for  the  commencement  of  nidification 
in  the  case  of  this  or  that  species,  as  they  came  successively 
under  review . 


ISlil. 


INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTERS,. 


CHAPTEE  I. 


THE  object  with  which  this  book  is  written  is  that  it  may  be 
interesting  and  useful  to  young  eg^-collectors.  It  is  not  easy  to 
make  a  book,  which  is  to  be  devoted  to  sucli  details  as  the  length 
and  breadth  and  shades  and  markings  of  some  two  or  three 
hundred  different  eggs,  either  interesting,  or  even  barely  read- 
able. But  there  is  no  necessity  that  a  book  of  British  birds' 
nests  and  eggs  should  be  devoted  to  merely  such  details  as 
those.  For  my  own  part,  1  do  not  find  it  easy  altogether  to 
dissociate  the  eggs  laid  from  the  bird  which  lays  them  ;  and 
when  I  see  a  oeautiful  nest,  1  can  hardly  help  being  led  to 
think  something  about  the  builder,  its  means,  objects,  powers, 
instincts  and  intelligence.  And  1  don't  see  why  a  book  about 
nests  and  eggs  should  not  follow  the  direction  given  by  those 
same  objects  to  my  thoughts,  and  the  thoughts  of  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  other  men  besides  me,  and  I  am  sure  too  of 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  boys  and  girls  as  well.  I  am  as  sure 
as  if  I  could  see  into  the  minds  of  many  and  many  a  young 
nest-hunter,  that  when  he  finds  one  day  the  wonderfully  neat  and 
beautiful  Chaffinch's  or  Goldfinch's"  or  Crested-wren's  nest, 
and  the  next,  lights  upon  some  littering  Jackdaw's  nest^  or 
inartistic,  careless-seeming  Jay's  or  Ringdove's,  that  the  wide, 
wonderful  contrast  and  difference  sets  him  thinking — What  is 
the  reason  of  this  strange  dissimilarity  ?  Is  one  of  these  birds 
really  less  clever  than  the  other  ?  Did  God  make  one  of  them 
a  careless,  disorderly,  unthrifty  bird,  while  the  other  He  made 
sucn  a  wonderfully  neat  and  dexterous  and  contriving  one  ? 

And  I  am  equally  sure  that  a  little  measure  of  observation 
and  thought  will  be  enough  to  show  the  young  mqmrei  not 
only  that  the  Great  Maker  of  Birds  and  Giver  of  their  instincts 

B 


2  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS   AND  NESTS. 

and  understandings  and  capacities  lias  not  left  some  of  His 
creatures  imperfect  in  some  of  their  qualifications  and  endow- 
ments, but  that  the  very  contrasts  and  unlikenesses  which  first 
set  him  on  questioning  at  all,  all  teach  one  great  lesson  and 
illustrate  one  great  truth, — namely  this,  "  0  Lord,  how  manifold 
are  Thy  works  !  In  wisdom  hast  Thou  made  them  all." 

Perhaps  an  Egg-book  might  be  so  written  as  to  help  such 
thought  and  obseryation  PS  is  here  supposed,  and  now  and  then 
besides  to  suggest-  ^explanations  or  lead  to  investigation  or 
communicate  a  Icncwiedge  of  facts  such  as  to  illustrate  and 
IT  air  e  dear,  and  evep  entertaining  or  amusing,  the  every  day 
/ncideiit»s  jand  facts  ft'hich  'fall  commonly  enough  beneath  the 
notice  o£  the  ra<Sd4rafc4lV  ^top-eyed  and  observant  nest-hunter. 

The  difficulty  of  making  such  a  book  useful  to  the  systematic 
collector  of  eggs,  however  young,  is  not  nearly  as  great  as  that 
of  making  it  interesting  to  the  many,  who,  though  not  inspired 
with  the  ambition  of  owning  a  real  grand  cabinet,  and  of 
arranging  its  manifold  drawers  with  neatly  ordered  and  ticketed 
egg-cards,  are  yet  sensible  of  a  real  pleasure  and  enjoyment  in 
noticing  the  nests  and  eggs  of  their  numerous  "feathered 
friends,"  an<J  identifying  such  as  may  chance  to  be  less  familiarly 
known  than  the  majority  of  those  met  with  under  ordinary 
circumstances.  Eaithful  description  and  accurate  representation 
are  clearly  within  our  reach,  and  such  description  and  representa- 
tion are  sufficient  in  nineteen  cases  out  of  twenty  for  the  purposes 
of  identification  in  all  instances  of  usual  occurrence. 

The  cases  in  which  identification  is  difficult  are  of  two  or 
three  kinds.  Sometimes  the  difficulty  arises  from  the  near 
resemblance  of  the  eggs  laid  by  different  allied  species,  sometimes 
from  the  wide  discrepancies  in  the  markings  and  especially  in 
the  shadings  or  tints  of  eggs  laid  by  ,the  same  species  ;  but  much 
more  frequently  from  the  doubtful  eggs  being  met  with  apart 
from  the  containing  nests,  or  from  want  of  proper  or  sufficiently 
accurate  observation  of  the  nests  at  the  moment  of  discovery. 
The  young  egg-fancier  should  always  recollect  that  the  fashion 
and  materials  and  site  of  the  nest  taken  in  connection  with  the 
eggs  will  almost  always,  with  the  aid  of  a  tolerably  accurate 
ana  well  illustrated  Book  of  Eggs,  enable  him  to  decide  without 
hesitation  as  to  the  real  owner  of  the  nests  and  eggs  in  question ; 
while  there  are  very  many  eggs,  such  as  the  Common  Wren's, 
those  of  one  or  more  of  the  Tom-tits,  the  Lesser  Willow-wren 
&c.,  of  which  specimens  may  )>e  found  so  nearly  resembling  one 
another  in  shade  and  size  and  spots,  that  it  requires  a  very  nice 
and  experienced  eye  to  jjlloi  the  several  eggs  to  their  certain 
origin.  In  such  a  case  as  this,  recourse  must  be  had  to  some 
kind  and  experienced  Oologisf. 


INTRODUCTORY   CHAPTERS.  3 

A  few  words  on  another  subject.  The  author  has  been  gravely 
taken  to  task  by  some  of  his  conscientious  friends,  for  delineat- 
ing in  one  or  two  of  his  former  books  the  pleasures  and  excite- 
ments of  egg-hunting,  or  the  satisfaction  of  trying  to  form  a 
methodical  collection.  He  has  been  more  than  once  asked — Do 
you  really  mean  to  encourage  boys  in  robbing  birds'  nests  ?  Can 
you  defend  such  a  practice  Irom  the  charge  of  cruelty  ? 

If  I  thought  there  was  any  real  or  necessary  connection 
between  a  love  of  e^g-hunting — yes,  and  egg-collecting,  too, — 
and  cruelty,  I  would  not  say  another  word  for  it  or  about  it. 
But  I  am  sure  that  the  real  lover  of  birds  and  their  nests  and 
eggs  is  not  the  bov  who  is  chargeable  with  those  torn  and  ruined 
nests — "  destroyed  "  as  they  may  well  be  styled — which  grieve  one 
as  he  walks  along  the  lanes  and  hedge  sides.  If  the  nest  is  taken, 
or  rudely  and  roughly  handled,  or  the  eggs  all  plundered,  there  is 
cruelty :  for  in  the  one  case,  the  poor  parent-birds  are  warned  by 
their  instinct,  if  not  their  intelligence,  to  forsake  their  treasured 
charge ;  in  the  other,  they  suffer  from  pitiless  robbery  of  what 
they  most  love.  But  if  the  parent  bird  be  not  rudely  and 
repeatedly  driven  from  her  nest, — if  the  nest  be  not  pulled  out 
of  shape,  or  the  containing  bushes  or  environing  shelter  be  not 
wilfully  or  carelessly  disturbed — if  two  or  three  eggs  are  still 
left  for  her  to  incubate,  there  is,  so  far  as  human  observation 
can  reach,  no  pain,  or  concern,  or  uneasiness,  to  the  little  owners 
from  the  abstraction  of  one  egg  or  more,  and,  therefore,  of  course, 
no  cruelty  in  the  abstraction.  The  legitimate  pursuit  of  sport  in 
the  stubbles  and  turnip  fields,  or  on  the  open  moor,  does  not 
differ  more  widely  from  the  cruel  proceedings  of  the  cold-blooded, 
hard-hearted  slaughterer  of  his  dozens  of  Rock-birds  (many  of  which 
are  always  left  to  die  lingeringly  and  miserably),  than  the  object 
or  manner  of  action  of  the  true  lover  of  birds  and  their  ways 
and  nests  and  eggs,  from  the  ruthless  destruction  of  every  nest 
and  its  contents  which  may  happen  to  be  met  with  by  some  young 
loutish  country  savage. 

Again,  a  few  words  more,  and  this  time  about  classification. 
I  should  like,  if  such  a  course  were  profitable,  or  even  practi- 
cable, to  make  just  such  a  classification  as  an  active,  sharp-eyed, 
observant,  persevering  nest-hunter  would,  as  it  were,  find  ready- 
made  for  him,  by  the  results  of  his  rambles  and  investigations 
and  discoveries  ;  that  is  to  say,  to  group  the  birds  and  their  eggs 
according  to  their  frequent  occurrence,  their  comparative,  but 
still  not  positive,  infrequency,  or  their  downright  rarity.  By 
this  means,  and  the  subdivisions  which  would  be  suggested  by 
an  enumeration  of  the  most  usual  sites  of  the  several  nests,  an 
interesting,  and  at  least  partially  instructive  as  well  as  good, 
•ystem  of  classification  would  be  devised.  Bui  I  am  afraid  such 

B  9 


4  BRITISH  BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS   AKD   XESTS 

a  system  would  not  have  much  to  recommend  it,  besides  its  novelty 
and  interest  and  practical  hints  "  where  to  look  for  this  bird's 
nest  or  the  other's;  and  how  to  look  so  as  to  find."  One  great 
disadvantage  would  be  that  such  classification,  so  called,  would 
have  the  effect  of  breaking  up  groups  which  nature  has  put- 
together.  There  is,  generally  speaking,  what  may  be  called  a 
greaf  family -likeness  between  the  eggs  of  the  various  species  of 
any  given  genus,  or  kind  of  birds.  Take  the  Buntings,  foi 
instance :  any  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  common  Yellow- ham- 
mer's egg  would  at  once  guess  at  the  eggs  of  either  of  the  other 
species  as  belonging  to  a  Bunting ;  and  the  same  of  the  Titmice, 
Linnets,  Thrushes,  Crows,  and  so  on  without  end. 

So  that  although  it  may  seem  at  first  sight  that  scientific 
classification  is  hard  and  troublesome  and  half  unnecessary,  and 
may  often  proir.pt  the  question  in  the  boy-collector's  mind,  Why 
wouldn't  it  do  just  as  well  to  write  down  the  English  names  on 
the  cards  and  in  my  catalogue,  and  arrange  them  all  my  own  way? 
still  it  should  be  remembered  that  such  classification  after  all  is 
far  from  arbitrary,  and  on  the  contrary,  and  as  far  as  it  is  really 
g(  od,  only  follows  out  the  teachings  or  guidings  of  nature.  And 
this  quite  independently  of  the  trouble  which  is  saved  by  it  to 
any  one  who  wishes  to  consult  books  of  reference,  and  still  more 
to  examine  large  and  well-arranged  collections  of  eggs,  whether 
for  his  own  direct  instruction,  or  merely  in  search  of  interesting 
pastime.  If  a  boy  only  knows  that  a  Reed-sparrow  is  called  a 
K<  ed-sparrow  or  a  Black-headed  Bunting,  and  he  wanted  to  find 
the  Heed-sparrow's  eggs  in  a  well-stocked  collection,  he  might 
be  half-an-hour  before  he  lit  upon  what  he  wanted  ;  but  if  he 
knew  that  the  generic  name  of  the  Bunting  was  Enibf'riza,  and  the 
specific  name  of  the  Reed-sparrow,  Scheeniclmi,  he  would  be  able  to 
pitch  upon  his  quarry  in  half-a-minute.  Besides  all  which,  no  one 
was  ever  the  woise  for  learning  habits  of  orderly  and  systematic 
ananoement,  even  though  he  had  to  pay  the  price  of  doing  a  little 
puzzling  head-achy  work,  and  had  to  bother  himself  with  a  good 
many  ugly-looking,  ill-sounding,  jaw-cracking  words,  such  as 
Coccothraustes,  Troglodytes,  Platyrhynca,  Phalacrocorax,  and 
the  like. 

It  is  proposed  in  this  little  book  to  adopt  a  classification  which 
semis  to  meet  with  very  geneial  acceptance  or  acquiescence,  and 
nrii  cipally  for  that  reason; — that,  namely,  which  was  employed 
njr  the  late  Mr.  Vanell.  This  classification  depends  on  the  system 
which  divides  all  bird^  whatever  into  five  great  classes,  viz: — 

1.   Rapt  ores Pi  cy -catchers. 

II.   Ittsexxores Perchers. 

III.  Ruxores Serai chers. 

IV.  Grallatores    ....     Waders. 
V.  Natatores  Swimmers, 


INTRODUCTORY    CHAPTERS.  5 

Each  of  these  classes,  or  "  Orders/'5  as  they  are  technically 
called,  is  again  divided  either  into  distinct  Families,  or  (at,  least 
in  some  cases)  into  Sub-classes,  or  Groups  ;  these  Groups  being 
then  further  subdivided  into  Families  Again,  these  Families  are 
made  up  of  more  or  fewer  genera,  and  each  genus  of  more  or 
fewer  xpecies.  These  species,  so  many  of  them  as  compose  any 
particular  genus,  all  diit'er  from  one  another  more  or  less,  but 
vet  have  a  strong  general  resemblance,  or  (what  may  familiarly 
oe  called)  strong  family  likeness  to  each  other. 

The  general  scheme  or,  as  I  may  almost  call  it,  the  skeleton  of 
our  classification  will  therefore  stand  thus : — 

ORDER  I.— RAPTORES. 

FAMILY  I.  Vulturida*      .     .     u     Vulture-kind. 

II.  Falconida    ....     Falcon- kind. 
III.  Strigida       ....     Owl-kind. 

II.— INSESSORES. 

GROUP   1. — DENTIROSTRES    (TOOTH-BILLED). 

FAMILY         I.  Lamada     ....  Butcher-bird-kind. 

II.  Muscicapida   .     .     .  Flycatcher-kind. 

III.  Merulida   ....  Thrush-kind. 

IV. -A/MMfot      .     .     .  Wood  bird-kind. 

V.  Paridae      ....  Titmouse-kind. 

VI.  AmpelidtB  ....  Wax  wing-kind. 

VIL.  Mutacillida    .     .     .  Wagtail-kind. 

VIII.  Anthidae     .     .     .     .  Antlms-kind. 

*  Vulturidce,  Falconidce,  and  the  other  similar  names  of  families  are, 
most  of  them,  Latin  words,  with  Greek  forms  or  terminations.  The  true  or 
real  mean  iig  of  any  one  of  them  would  be,  that  the  birds  in  the  family  so 
narned  are  the  children,  or  descendants,  of  the  bird  or  birds  whose  name  is 
used — thus,  Vulturidx,  sons  of  a  Vulture  or  Vultures — which,  of  course,  is 
nonsense,  as  the  words  are  applied.  What  is  meant  by  the  use  of  the  words 
in  question  is  that  the  birds  grouped  together  in  any  one  Family,  all  riarti- 
cipate  in  some  likeness  of  kind — are, so  to  speak,"  connections"  ot  each  other, 
•r  that  there  is  a  sort  of  kin-ship  among  them.  This  I  have  ;ried  to  convey 
in  the  annexed  translation.  It  ought  to  be  observed  also  that  the  Bird 
whose  name  is  given  to  the  entire  family  is  selected  for  such  purpose  as 
possessing  the  characteristic  qualities  or  peculiarities  of  the  family  in  ques- 
tion, or,  at  least,  most  of  th-m  in  the  strongest  and  most  marked  degree. 

t  SylviadfB  I  have  translated  Wood-bird-kind,  because  Sylvia  means 
something  connected  with  wood,  if  it  means  anything.  Sylvia  is  taken,  in 
Bifd-noraen  latnre,  to  denote  a  Warbler?  and  ir  may  be  said,  thai  most  of 
t}v>se  birds  whicn  come  under  this  division  are  Warblers  in  some  sense,  and 
are,  in  some  degree  or  other,  of  sylvan  habits ;  at  least  if  we  give  to  the 
word  syiv  in  some  latitude  of  meaning. 


BRITISH   BIRDS,   THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 


GROUP   2. — CONIROSTKES    (CONE-BILLED). 

FAMILY      I.  Alaudidx  ....  Lark-kind. 

II.  Emberizidse    .     .     .  Bunting-kind. 

III.  Fringillidx     .     .     .  Finch-kind. 

IV.  Sturnidx    ....  Starling-kind. 
V.  Corvidx      ....  Crow-kind. 

GROUP   3. — SCANSORES    (CLIMBERS). 

FAMILY      I.  Picidx  ....  Woodpecker-kind. 
II.  Certhiadx  .     .     .  Creeper-kind. 


III.  Cuculidse 


Cuckoo -kind. 


GROUP   4. — FISSIROSTRES    (CLEFT-BILLED). 

FAMILY      I.  Meropidae,  .     .  .  Bee-eater-kind. 

II.  Halcyonidse.      .  .  Kingfisher-kind. 

III.  Hirundinidx    .  .  Swallow-kind. 

IV.  Caprimulgidx  .  .  Goatsucker-kind. 

III.    RASORES. 

FAMILY      I.  Columbidx  .  .  .  Dove-kind. 

II.  Phasianidss,  .  .  Pheasant-kind. 

III.  Tetmonidds,  .  .  Grouse-kind. 

IV.  StruthionidiK  .  .  Ostrich-kind. 

IV.    GRALLATOKES. 


FAMILY       I.  Charadriidx 
II.  Gruidas 

III.  Ardeidx 

IV.  Scolopocidm 
V.  Eallidx      . 

VI.  Lobipedidx 


.  Plover-kind. 
.  Crane-kind. 
.  Heron-kind. 
.  Woodcock-kind. 
.  Rail-kind. 
.  Lobed-foot-kind. 


V.    NATATORES, 

FAMILY       1.  Anatidse    .     .     .  Duck-kind. 
II.  Colymbidx 


III.  Alcadx 

IV.  Pelecanidx 
V.  Laridse  . 


.  Diver-kind. 
.  Auk -kind. 
.  Pelican-kind. 
.  Gull-kind. 


Such  being  the  skeleton  of  our  classification,  the  details  neces- 
sary for  the  completion  of  the  entire  system  or  frame  will  be 
most  conveniently  given  as  we  proceed  to  notice  in  detail  the 
various  Orders,  their  component  Families  and  subordinate  mem- 
bers. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Any  one  who  is  conversant  with  Yarrell's  admirable  "  British 
Birds,"  will  most  likely  have  noticed  that  that  author  gives 
in  almost  every  case  very  precise  measurements  of  the  eggs 
of  each  particular  species  of  Bird  described.  And  it  might,  at 
first  sight,  seem  to  be  so  necessary  to  give  such  measurements 
that  one  would  very  likely  feel  half  inclined  to  pronounce  a  Book 
of  Birds*  Eggs  very  imperfect,  which  omitted  all  notice  of 
dimensions.  But  the  fact  is,  such  measurements  are,  in  so  very 
many  different  instances,  altogether  fallacious  and  likely  to 
mislead.  Thus  Mr.  Yarrell's  measurements  of  the  Blackbird's 
egg  are,  "  the  length  one  inch,  two  lines ;  the  breadth  ten  lines." 
That  is  no  doubt  a  good  average  or  approximate  measurement, 
but  I  have  Blackbirds'  eggs  betore  me  which  vary  between  half 
a  line,  or  ^  of  an  inch,  less,  and  a  line,  or  TV  of  an  inch,  more 
in  length,  and  between  half  a  line,  more  or  less,  in  breadth.  Again, 
I  have  two  Starlings'  eggs  on  my  table,  both  taken  from  the  same 
Pigeon-cote,  in  Essex ;  one  of  which  is  139^  inch  long  by  %%  inch 
broad ;  the  other  13%  inch  long,  and  f£  inch  broad;  while  to  the 
eye  the  latter  is  not  much  more  than  half  as  lame  as  the 
former.  Moreover,  Mr.  Yarrell's  measurements  for  this  bird's 
eggs  are  precisely  the  same  as  for  those  of  the  Blackbird,  and  not 
only  not  tallying  with  those  of  either  of  my  eggs,  but  not  even 
presenting  a  near  approach  to  the  medium  dimensions. 

Great  numbers  ol  similar  instances  might  be  adduced,  and 
in  connection  with  the  very  commonest  birds.  Even  eggs  from 
the  same  nest  may  continually  be  met  with,  presenting  great 
disparity  in  bulk ;  one  in  the  number  being  frequently  so  small 
in  comparison  with,  the  others  as  to  set  one  invariably  thinking 
it  must  have  been  the  last  laid,  and  that  a  partial  failure  of 
egg-producing  power  in  the  mother-bird  must  be  the  explanation 
or  the  phenomenon. 

It  seems  scarcely  open  to  question  that  the  physical  condition 
of  the  parent-bird  must  exercise  a  great  influence  over  its  egg- 
producing  capacity.  Its  powers  may  be  impaired  by  age,  by  the 
past  effects  of  injury  or  sickness,  by  a  partial  failure  of  some 
necessary  element  of  food,  by  undue  pressure  on  the  egg-pro- 
ducing organs,  such  as  must  occur  by  the  loss  of  one  or 
more  early  layings.  Indeed  all  these  causes  are  well-known  to 
interfere  with  the  reproductive  energies  of  animals  at  large,  and 
it  is  a  thoroughly  ascertained  fact  that  both  the  first  and  the  last 
act  most  strongly  in  the  case  of  many  Birds.  The  comparative 
size  of  Birds'  eggs,  therefore,  seems  to  me  a  matter  to  which 


8  BRITISH   BIRDS,   THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

it  is  unnecessary,  if  not  inexpedient,  to  direct  the  young  collector's 
attention;  in  any  other  way,  at  least,  than  as  to  a  matter  of 
curious  observation  and  contrast.  As  a  means  of  identification  it 
fails  completely,  and  is  only  adverted  to  here  for  the  purpose  of 
obviating  a  portion  of  the  perplexity  which  may  often  occur  in 
practice  to  the  youthful  egg-fancier  from  the  difference  in  size 
between  different  specimens  of  what  are  in  reality  eggs  of  the 
same  species  of  birds,  but  seem  to  him,  from  their  discrepancy 
of  dimensions  not  possibly  so. 

Again,  the  colour  and  markings  of  many  different  species  of 
eggs  are  found  to  admit  of  great  variation.  The  most  familiar 
and  striking  instance  is  in  the  case  of  the  Guillemot:  but  one 
more  within  the  reac  h  of  every  nest-hunter  is  presented  by  the 
eggs  of  the  Blackbird.  Sometimes  the  spots  on  them  are  very 
minute  and  multitudinous ;  almost  confluent  from  their  number 
and  minuteness ;  sometimes  large  and  well  defined  and  permitting 
the  ground-shade  of  the  shell  to  be  very  apparent ;  sometimes 
reddish  in  colour,  closely  approaching  the  shade  of  those  on  the 
Ring-ousel's  egg,  and  sometimes  brown  in  hue,  with  no  reddish 
tinge  at  all ;  and  sometimes  they  disappear  altogether,  or  very 
nearly,  and  leave  the  egg  with  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  little- 
spotted  Thrush's  egg.  *  To  such  an  extent  is  this  the  case,  that 
a  year  or  two  since  I  was  misled  into  assuming  that  four  eggs 
which  I  found  in  a  nest  with  all  the  characters  of  a  Blackbirds 
nest,  must  most  certainly  from  their  colour  and  markings,  be  as- 
signed to  a  Thrush  original  and  not  to  a  Blackbird.  Other  familiar 
instances  of  the  same  kind  may  be  noticed  as  met  with  in 
the  eggs  of  the  House-sparrow,  the  Tree-pipit,  the  Sky-lark, 
the  Yellow-hammer,  one  or  more  of  the  Hawks,  &c. 

In  the  fabric  and  materials  of  nests,  again,  as  constructed  by 
birds  of  the  same  species,  much  dissimilarity,  under  peculiar 
circumstances,  will  be  found  to  prevail.  But  really  not  more 
than  might  have  been  looked  for  beforehand,  if  it  were  not  that, 
in  our  usual  way  of  thinking  about  birds  and  other  animals, 
we  lay  so  muc]  stress  upon  Instinct,  and  do  not  so  much  as 
admit  to  our  notice  the  possibility  that,  many  of  their  actions 
may  be  prompted  by  a  measure  of  intelligence,  and  not  simply 
an  unconsidering,  unreasoning  influence,  which  we  term  their 
Instinctive  endowment.  No"  doubt  Instinct  teaches  them  both 
to  build  and  how  to  build  their  nests,  and  what  materials  are  the 
most  suitable,  and  the  sites  that  are  most  eligible.  But  it  is 
scarcely  Instinct  which  sets  the  Eagle  and  the  Crow,  when  their 
abode  is  in  a  place  that  does  not  furnish  the  sticks  they  commonly 
or  instinctively  use  for  building  their  nests,  to  adopt  instead  of 

*  Yarrell,  i.  204.    Hewitson,  i.  63, 


INTRODUCTORY    CHAPTERS.  9 

sticks  the  sea-weed  stems  which  their  home  does  produce.  And 
so  too  of  the  House-Sparrow,  which  builds  a  huge  domed  or  well 
covered-in  nest,  if  it  selects  a  tree  or  ivy  for  its  site,  but  only 
lines  the  bottom  of  the  hole  in  thatch,  or  a  wall,  with  abundant 
feathers  or  hair  or  straw.  The  Wren,  again,  which  usually 
builds  its  nest  so  that  it  may  easily  be  removed  entire  and  com- 
pact, may  be  found  to  avail  itself  of  such  a  site  for  its  nest, 
that  it  may  be  built  on  the  principle  of  application — like  the 
Martin's  to  the  wall  beneath  the  eaves — so  that,  when  taken  from 
its  site,  it  shall  appear  to  have  had  a  segment  completely  cut  out 
or  sliced  off  from  it. 

The  adaptation  of  materials  to  site  also,  so  as  to  secure  a 
greater  degree  of  concealment  by  making  the  intrusive  structure 
assimilate  in  external  fabric  and  hue  to  the  surrounding  objects, 
is  well  worthy  of  noticing  attention,  as  supplying  not  only  fresh 
sources  of  seeming  unlikeness  in  nests  of  the  same  species  of 
birds,  but  also  fresh  ins!  ances  of  the  little  feathered  architect's 
wonderful  adaptive  intelligence. 

The  question, — Why  are  Birds'  Eggs,  in  so  many  cases,  so  vari- 
ously and  beautifully  ornamented?  Wfhy  are  their  hues  and 
markings  made  so  attractive  to  look  at  ?  has  often  been  asked, 
and  two  or  three  different  answers  or  modes  of  answer  have  been 
suggested.  I  have  seen  the  idea  started  that  the  design  of  such 
various  colouring  and  marking  is  intended  to  facilitate  conceal- 
ment, by  the  adaptation  of  the  general  hue  of  the  egg  to  that  of 
the  recipient  or  supporting  substances.  The  theory  is  at  least 
original  and  amusing ;  but  unfortunately  less  happy  than  when 
applied  to  the  plumage  of  the  birds  themselves  which  lay  the 
eggs.  It  is  no  easy  thing  to  detect  a  Partridire  as  she  sits, 
lifeless-seeming,  amid  other  objects  not  more  still  than  herself, 
and  presenting  no  great  contrast  in  colour  to  her  feathers :  but 
there  is  no  difficulty  in  seeing  her  eggs  as  they  lie  in  the  nest. 
And  so  well  aware  is  she  of  the  fact,  that  she  always  covers  her 
eggs  with  some  convenient  and  suitable  material — last  year's  oak 
leaves,  for  example — when  leaving  her  nest  deliberately,  or  not 
under  the  impulses  of  alarm.  The  Hedge-sparrow's  eggs  again, 
or  any  other  blue  egg,  how  can  they  be  supposed  to  become  less 
conspicuous  by  their  colour  when  reposing  in  some  earth-brown 
or  hay-coloured  nest-cup  ? 

If  it  had  been  said  that  the  Golden  Plover's  eggs,  the  Peewit's, 
the  Snipe's,  the  Norfolk  Plover's — not  to  name  many  others  of 
which  the  same  might  be  alleged — were  of  such  general  hue, 
so  shaded  and  so  marked  as  to  oe  anything  but  conspicuous,  as 
to  be  indeed  well  calculated  to  escape  any  but  a  most  scrutinising 
notice,  in  the  apologies  for  nests  which  usually  contain  them, 
the  entire  truth  of  the  remark  would  have  appealed  to  every 


10  BE1TISH  BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS   AND  NESTS. 

nest-finder's  experience  and  assent :  but  it  will  not  do  so  in  any 
other  form. 

It  is  impossible  to  lay  down  any  rule  for  the  colours  of  eggs 
in  connection  with  the  places,  or  nature  of  the  places,  in  which 
they  are  laid.  White  eggs  are  not  laid  in  nests  built  in  dark 
holes  as  a  rule — indeed,  very  much  the  contrary ;  witness  the 
Dove's  eggs,  and  so  many  of  those  of  the  Duck  tribe ;  nor  are 
dark-coloured  eggs  invariably  found  to  be  laid  where  exposed 
to  the  greatest  amount  of  broad  daylight.  There  seems  to  be 
no  rule  in  the  matter. 

Again,  another  answer  to  the  question  just  noticed  is,  Eggs 
were  made  so  beautiful,  and  so  various  in  their  beauty,  to  gratify 
and  gladden  man's  eye.  I  don't  dispute  the  fact  that  the  beautiful 
shape,  and  the  beautiful  tints,  and  the  beautiful  markings  do 

f  ratify  and  gladden  the  human  eye  and  human  heart  too.  I 
now  they  do,  and  in  thousands  of  cases,  and  with  a  great,  pure 
pleasure.  But  that  is  a  very  different  thing  from  saying  that  God 
made  them  so  for  no  other  reason,  or  even  for  that  purpose  as 
a  principal  reason.  How  many  thousands  of  eggs,  for  ten  that 
are  seen  by  man,  escape  all  human  notice  whatever !  How 
many  millions  upon  millions  in  the  old-world  times  before  there 
were  men  to  see  them,  must  have  had  their  fair  colours,  and 
delicate  symmetry,  and  harmonious  intermingling  of  hues,  for 
no  purpose  whatever  according  to  this  view  !  No,  no.  Nature 
should  not  be  read  so.  God  made  the  Beasts  of  the  Field,  and 
the  Birds  of  the  Air,  and  the  Fishes  of  the  Sea,  and  the  Insects, 
and  the  Shells,  and  the  Trees,  and  Herbs,  and  Flowers,  all,  as  a 
rule,  wonderfully,  gloriously,  harmoniously  beautiful,  because  He 
is  a  God  of  order,  and  beauty,  and  harmony;  because  it  would 
have  been  inconsistent  with  His  own  Being,  with  the  necessary 
purposes  of  such  a  Being,  with  the  declared  objects  of  such  a 
Being  in  Creation,  not  to  have  made  all  "  very  good  ;3'  and  the 
same  reason  which  accounts  for  the  beauty  of  the  myriad  flowers 
"  born  to  blush  unseen,33  for  that  of  the  innumerable  shells  and 
insects  of  past  days  and  the  present  day,  for  that  of  the  glorious 
birds  of  Tropic  lands,  is  all  that  we  want  in  the  way  ot  expla- 
nation of  the  symmetry  and  beauty  of  the  Bird's  Egg — God  made 
it  as  well  as  all  other  things  "very  good.33 

Something  more  to  the  point  for  the  practical  egg-hunter,  and 
even  although  he  may  be  not  very  juvenile,  is  to  recommend  the 
practice  of  jotting  down  notes  of  any  peculiarity  of  either  nest 
or  eggs  or  behaviour  of  parent  birds,  in  any  supposable  case 
a  little  unusual  Such  notes  are  always  interesting,  and  very  often 
useful  at  some  long  subsequent  period ;  useful  in  themselves,  and 
useful  too  as  commenting  on  or  else  illustrated  by,  the  similar 
memoranda  of  other  observers.  Besides,  what  is  put  down  upon 


INTRODUCTORY    CHAPTERS.  11 

paper  while  the  incident  is  still  fresh,  and  the  memory  of  it  not 
interfered  with  by  other  and  newer  matters  of  strong-  interest,  the 
record  is  sure  to  be  accurate ;  while  mere  recollection  at  a  later 
date  is  about  sure  to  be  insufficient  or  untrustworthy. 

Perhaps  the  boy-collector  too  may  not  think  a  few  sentences 
about  blowing  and  drying  and  mounting  his  egg-treasures  either 
tiresome  or  unnecessary.  As  a  rule,  let  the  egg  intended  to  be 
kept  be  blown  and  dried  as  soon  as  possible.  There  are  several 
reasons  for  this  piece  of  advice.  The  light  shells  travel  more 
safely  than  the  full  egg;  the  egg-shells  do  not  suffer  detriment 
from  lying  overlooked  with  their  contents  rotting  within,  as  often 
happens  with  the  collector  of  un-careful  and  un-precise  habits ; 
they  are  put  into  a  state  of  comparative  readiness  for  prompt 
and  complete  preparation  and  arrangement ;  and  though  last  not 
least,  a  good,  useful  methodical  habit  is  encouraged  in  the  col- 
lector himself. 

There  are  several  ways  of  blowing  an  egg  and  going  through 
the  preparatory  stages  of  fitting  it  to  take  its  place  in  a  collection. 
There  are  also  instruments  for  extracting  the  contents  of  the 
shell  so  as  to  obviate  the  necessity  of  making  more  than  one  hole. 
I  don't  think  they  are  likely  to  be  of  much  use  to  a  mere  boy.  I 
am  sure  they  would  be  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and  I  don't  think 
that  the  end  gained  would  repay  the  trouble  and  care  expended. 
I  have  always  found  a  small  hole,  only  just  large  enough  to  admit 
the  passage  of  sufficient  air  to  expel  the  contents,  made  very  care- 
fully and  neatly  at  the  small  end,  and  a  larger  one  about  half-way 
between  the  great  end  and  the  line  of  greatest  diameter,  which  need 
not  be  more  than  a  line  in  breadth  for  the  very  largest  eggs  (if  not 
"  hard-sat,35)  quite  sufficient  for  my  purpose,  and  not  objectionable 
on  the  score  of  disfiguring  the  shell ;  for  by  mounting  the  egg 
with  the  larger  or  vent  hole,  downwards — the  smaller  hole  being 
practically  invisible  in  a  great  number  of  instances,  at  least  until 
looked  for — it  appears  to  be  altogether  entire  and  perfect. 

Any  tolerably  strong  pin  will  do  for  the  purpose  with  small 
eggs.  Eor  the  larger  and  harder  shells  something  more  efficient 
will  be  required.  A  hard  steel  instrument  fashioned  like  a  "  glo- 
ver's needle" — that  is  with  the  penetrating  end  furnished  with 
three  edges  all  lost  in  the  point — is  as  good  as  any  thing  that 
could  be  devised,  and  by  having  two  or  three  of  different  sizes, 
every  case  of  necessity  would  be  provided  for.  The  sharp-pointed 
pen-blade  may  be  employed,  but  great  care  is  necessary  lest, 
when  tiie  perforation  is  just  effected,  the  Instrument  slip  a  little 
further  in  than  was  intended,  and  an  ugly  fragment  of  shell  be 
wrenched  out. 

"When  the  egg  is  thoroughly  blown,  it  is  advisable  to  draw  up 
a  little  clean  water  into  it  by  the  process  of  immersing  the  vent- 


]2  BRITISH    BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

hole  and  sucking  or  drawing  in  the  air  from  the  shell  with  the 
mouth  through  the  other — just  reversing  the  late  process  of 
"  blowing"  in  short.  The  shell,  when  half-full,  should  be  well 
shaken,  and  the  water  then  expelled  as  the  legitimate  contents 
had  been:  a  very  gentle  puif  will  suffice  for  this.  Repeat  the 
process  two  or  three  times,  or  until  the  water  comes  out  as  clear 
as  it  went  in ;  then  dry  the  egg  as  well  as  you  can  by  blowing 
through  it  at  intervals,  after  it  has  been  so  held  that,  the  moisture 
on  the  inside  may  all  trickle  down  towards  the  vent-hole;  after 
which  it  may  be  set  up  for  some  hours  in  an  airy,  but  not 
sunny,  place  to  dry  thoroughly.  Some  collectors  varnish  their 
eg^s.  A  little  of  the  white  of  the  egg  itself  is  all-sufficient, 
and  that  should  not  be  applied  unless  the  egg  is  perfectly  clean, 
which  is  by  no  means  the  case  with  the  eggs  of  many  ground- 
building  birds  when  taken  from  the  nest.  I  have  taken  Dab- 
chicks'  eggs  also  so  completely  muddied  all  over,  that  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  get  them  clean.  One,  met  with  on  one  of  the 
Essex  marshes  a  year  or  two  since,  which  was  the  only  one  yet 
laid  and  apparently  not  a  day  old,  was  so  engrained  with  dirt  or 
mud  that  it  defied  all  efforts  to  restore  it  to  its  pristine 
whiteness.  In  the  case  of  an  originally  white  egg,  such  efforts 
will  /lot  do  much  harm ;  in  the  case  of  an  egg  strongly  marked 
with  deep  colours,  it  is  a  different  matter.  The  efforts  to  remove 
the  clay  or  dirt  imparted  by  the  feet  of  the  parent  bird  may 
succeed  in  removing  the  stains  in  queition,  but  may  also  very 
likely  remove  some  of  the  tints  or  stronger  colouring  too.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  the  deeper  colours  of  many  eggs  are 
not  "  fast,"  at  all  events  when  1  hey  have  not  been  long  laid, 
and  that  attempts  at  cleansing  more  vigorous  than  judicious  may 
easily  produce  an  undesired  result. 

If  the  vent  hole  is  necessarily  made  large,  there  is  no  objection 
to  placing  a  piece  of  thin  or  gauze  paper,  wetted  with  the  varnish 
or  white  of  the  egg,  so  as  to  cover  the  entire  orilice,  and  so 
exclude  dust  or  other  intrusive  substances.  As  to  mounting  the 
eggs,  and  labelling  for  insertion  in  the  collection,  much  depends 
on  taste.  An  ordinary  "  printer's"  card  is  as  good  for  the 
purpose  as  anything,  and  a  little  very  strong  gum- water  is  the 
•only  other  requisite.  A  little  attention  to  placing  the  eggs  sym- 
metrically ana  neatly,  and  the  use  of  a  few  gun-wads  or  half- 
pence or  small  wooden  wedges,  to  retain  the  eggs,  when  accu- 
rately set  in  their  true  position,  until  the  gum  lias  had  time  to 
harden,  are  matters  which  will  almost  surelv  .suggest  themselves 
to  any  youthful  egg-fancier  who  is  only  tolerably  given  to  admire 
the  "  simplex  munditiis. "  As  for  labels,  they  may  either  be 
neatly  written,  or  procured  at  a  very  light  cost,  printed  on  purpose 
for  such  application. 


BRITISH   BIRDS, 
THEIR  EGGS  AND  NESTS. 


£N  the  following  passes  I  shall  endeavour,  as  far  as  my  subject 
will  permit,  to  avoid  mere  dry  and  uninteresting  detail.  It  is,  of 
course,  quite  inconsistent  with  the  nature  of  the  book  to  omit 
matter-of-fact  descriptions  altogether,  or  even  in  any  very  great 
degree ;  but  an  effort  will  be  made  to  relieve  the  whole  from 
wearing  the  appearance  of  a  catalogue  in  disguise,  and  to  give  it 
as  much  of  a  life-like  practical  character  as  possible.  How  many 
incidents  in  a  school-hoy's  life  are  connected,  in  his  memory, 
with  some  nesting  expedition,  some  recollection  of,  perhaps,  an 
accidental  discovery  of  a  nest  and  eggs  he  had  never  seen  before, 
or  possibly  wished  and  tried  to  find,  but  always  wished  and 
tried  in  vain.  Such  experiences  are  always  pleasant  and  interesting 
in  their  detail  to  the  real  lover  of  birds  and  their  belongings ; 
and  often  almost  as  much  so  when  detailed  by  others  as  when 
reproduced  in  his  own  recollections  of  former  days,  and  their 
hopes,  and  plans,  and  successes,  and  disappointments,  each  often 
renewed,  or  often  repeated  under  some  varying  form  Why, 
then,  should  not  such  matters  stand  here  and  there  in  these 
pages  ? 

Our  plan,  therefore,  will  be  to  omit  all  special  notice  of  the 
nests  and  eggs  of  so-called  "  British  Birds,"  whose  only  claim  to 
the  designation  lies  in  their  having  been  met  with  once  or  twice 
or  even  some  half-dozen  times  in  the  British  Isles  :  to  omit  it, 
that  is,  in  the  body  of  the  book,  and  to  give  such  reference  or 
description  of  at  least  the  more  interesting  species  and  their  eggs, 
as  space  may  allow,  in  an  Appendix.  Accounts  will  be,  however, 
given  of  the  habits  of  nidification  and  the  eg<*s  of  all  unques- 
tionably British  birds,  even  although  their  breeaing  habitat  be  in 
another  country,  or  most  rarely  and  exceptionally  within  the  com- 
pass of  the  British  seas ;  such  birds,  for  instance,  as  the  Field- 


14  BRITISH   BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

fare,  the  Redvpvng,  the  Snow-Bunting,  and  others,  besides  several 
of  the  Anatidx.    We  begin,  therefore,  with  our  first  Order,  the— 

RAPTOKES. 
FAMILY  I.—  VULTUEID^E. 

Two  members  of  this  family,  classed  by  some  naturalists  as 
belonging  to  the  same  genus,  by  others  as  species  of  two  different 
genera,  have  been  met  with  in  Britain;  out  I  believe  one  of 
them,  the  first-named  below,  only  once,  the  other  only  twice  or 
three  times.  They  are  only  mentioned  here  as  showing  the 
justification  there  is  for  claiming  the  family  of  Vulturidst  as 
being  in  anywise  exemplified  in  oirds  belonging  to  the  British 
Isles. 

1.  GRIFFON  VULTURE—  (Vultur  Fulvus}. 

2.  EGYPTIAN  VULTURE—  (Neophron  Percnoplerus]. 

FAMILY  II.— 


There  are  several  species  belonging  to  this  family  of  suffi- 
ciently common  occurrence  even  still  in  these  days  of  game- 
preservers,  game-keepers,  and  vermin-killers. 

Time  was,  and  not  so  long  since  either,  when  many  even  of 
those  most  rare  now,  were  familiarly  met  with  in  almost  all  parts 
of  the  country  ;  and  Eagles  and  the  Kite  and  several  of  the  larger 
and  more  conspicuous  Falcon  and  Hawks  were  not  yet  become 
so  much  like  Black  Swans,  as  they  are  now  in  so  many  English 
and  even  Scottish  counties. 

These  birds  differ,  with  a  marked  distinction,  from  those  belong- 
ing to  the  Vulture-kind  ;  and  as  much  in  habits  and  food  and 
power  of  wing  as  in  appearance,  formation,  bill,  and  claws,  and 
other  matters,  such  as  the  scientific  naturalist  notices  for  the 
purpose  of  enabling  himself  and  others  to  distinguish  between 
Family  and  family,  genus  and  genus,  species  and  species. 

Thus  the  Vulture's  food  is  usually  carrion  ;  the  fiesh  of  animals 
killed  by  other  agency  than  their  own,  and  in  numberless  in- 
stances in  a  state  of  putridity  more  or  less  complete. 

The  food  of  the  Falcon  tribe  generally  consists  of  the  flesh  of 
creatures  taken  and  killed  by  themselves.  I  say  generally  ;  —  not 
invariably.  The  Eagles  in  a  state  of  nature  do  not  disdain  to 
gorge  themselves  on  the  flesh  of  a  dead  sheep  for  instance, 
although  they  have  had  no  hand  —  or  rather  beak  and  claw  —  in  the 
death.  Still  the  rule  is,  and  admitting  L.ot  many  exceptions  when 
the  whole  family  is  considered,  that  the  Falconidae  hunt  for,  or 
surprise,  and  slay  their  prey  for  themselves.  And  very  intent  on 


GOLDEN   EAGLE.  15 

this  business  are  they  oftentimes,  when  engaged  in  discussing  the 
meal  their  craft  or  still  vigilance,  or  fierce  impetuous  speed  and 
dash  has  secured  for  them.  Often,  too,  not  a  little  sleepy  and 
heavy  are  they  after  having  been  lucky  enough  to  secure  a  large 
prey,  and  greedy  enough  to  stuff  themselves  full  with  it. 

the  bird  which  stands  at  the  head  of  the  family  and  alike 
deserves  and  does  credit  to  his  rank  is  the 

3.  GOLDEN  EAGLE— (Aquila   chrysaetos). 

It  seems  almost  too  tame  to  talk  of  an  "  Eagle's  nest,"  and  we 
seem  almost  to  feel  as  if  different  words  might  well  be  applied  to 
the  nursery-structure  of  the  King  of  Birds,  and  that  of  the  tiny 
Tom-tit  or  the  Wren.  So  independently  of  the  nice,  simple, 
old  meaning  of  the  word  eyry  *  which  makes  it  so  suitable  as 
applied  to  the  egg-home  of  the  grand  kingly  birds,  called  Eagles, 
we  feel  a  sort  of  satisfaction  in  limiting  the  use  of  the  word  eyry 
to  the  Eagle's  nest  alone. 

No  easy  matter  is  it  always  to  cultivate  a  visiting  acquaint- 
ance with  an  Eagle.  His  home  is  not  in  a  place  easy  of  access 
co  any  but  himself,  or  those,  like  himself,  up-borne  on  wings , 
On  rock  platforms,  not  too  scanty  in  size,  in  mountainous 
districts,  and  guarded  by  rugged,  stern,  precipitous  rock-walls, 
utterly  forbidding,  in  almost  every  case,  access  by  human 
members  from  below,  and  not  often  to  be  safely  reached  from 
above,  the  great  pile  which  forms  the  nest  is  usually  built. 
Sometimes,  but  very  rarely  by  comparison,  it  may  be  found  on 
some  large,  possibly  shattered  forest-trunk  amid  some  wild, 
seldom-approached  scene  of  loneliness  or  desolation.  It  is  four  to 
five  feet  in  diameter,  made  of  sticks  of  no  mean  size  and  length, 
sometimes  lined  with  softer  materials,  sometimes  not ;  the  new  or 
more  recently  constructed  nest  placed  upon  those  of  last  year  and 
other  preceding  years ;  and  would  require  a  willing  and  able 
labourer  to  clear  it  thoroughly  away,  and  no  slight  touch  of  the 
quality  of  the  gate-bearing  Jewish  hero  in  the  juvenile  nest- 
seeker  who  might  aspire  to  carry  off  such  a  trophy  of  his  nesting 
exploits.  The  site  chosen  for  the  nest-pile  too  is  almost  invari- 
ably one  which  commands  a  wide,  unhindered  look-out ;  partly, 
it  is  likely,  under  the  influence  of  the  strong  instinct  of  vigilance 
in  self-preservation,  partly  also  for  the  advantages  offered  b^ 
such  a  dwelling-place  towards  the  detection  of  a  distant  prey. 

The  number  of   eggu   deposited   is  usually  two,    sometimes 

*  Probably  from  Saxon  Eghe  (g  sounded  like  y)  an  egg.  The  modern 
English  form  of  the  word  would  be  "Eggery"  therefore;  the  old  English 
form  Eyry,  or  ^Syrie.  Chaucor  (about  1400)  wrote  ey  for  egg. 


]<>  IIIUTISH    BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS    AND    NESTS. 

three.     They  are  commonly  of  a  dull  whitish  ground,  mottlcc 
or  marbled  nearly  or  quite  all  over  with  a  sort  of  rusty  hue. 

The  young  ones,  while  yet  too  young  to  leave  the  nest,  are 
amply  catered  for  by  their  parents.  Lists  are  sometimes  given 
of  the  spoils,  feathered  and  four-footed,  fo'ind  in  what  may  be 
styled  the  Eagles'  larder — Black  Game,  Moor  Game,  Partridges, 
Hares,  Rabbifs,  Lambs,  young  Roes,  and  so  on,  to  an  amount  that 
would  seem  hardly  credible  to  one  not  conversant  with  the  Eagle's 
power  of  vision  and  mighty  sweep  of  wing.  Indeed  there  is  a 
story  told  of  a  man  in  Ireland  who  got  a  fair  provision  for  his 
family  in  a  season  of  scarcity  by  no  other  effort  than  was  requisite 
in  plundering  an  Eagle's  nest  of  the  food  brought  in  by  the 
parent  birds  tor  their  young.  He  is  said  also  to  have  prolonged 
the  season  of  supply  by  preventing  the  young  ones  from  flying, 
by  clipping  their  wings  as  the  feathers  grew.  Instances  have 
been  known  where  the  prey  seized  was  human.  Professor 
"Wilson  tells  a  touching  story,  in  a  touching  way,  of  an  incident 
of  the  kind,  in  which  the  infant  \vas  seized  as  it  lay  and  slept 
where  its  mother  had  placed  it,  while  herself  busy  not  far  off  in 
the  harvest  field,  ana  carried  off  by  the  strong  bird  to  its 
eyry.  The  poor  mother,  frantic  with  her  loss,  blind  to  every- 
thing but  the  thought  and  effort  for  the  recovery  of  her  babe, 
safely  scaled  the  precipice,  high  up  on  which  the  nest  was 
placed ;  though  no  man,  however  skilful  and  expert  as  a 
cragsman,  had  ever  dared  attempt  the  ascent ;  found  her  babe 
alive  and  unhurt  and  smiling  in  her  face,  descended  again — a 
more  perilous  feat  still — in  safety,  and  once  more  on  level 
ground  at  the  foot,  swooned  helplessly  away.  The  Eagles  did 
not  attack  her  in  reality,  though  their  fierce  menaces  made  the 
spectators  tremble.  Our  boy  readers  if  ever  they  found  an 
eagle's  nest  might  well  need  the  protection  of  a  good  strong 
cudgel,  fearlessly  and  skilfully  wielded,  before  they  succeeded  in 
possessing  themselves  of  one  of  its  eggs. — Fig.  1,  plate  I. 

4.  WHITE-TAILED  EAGLE.— (Halweius  albicilla). 

Called  also  Erne,  Cinereous  Eagle,  Sea  Eagle.  This  species — 
a  member  of  another  genux,  however — like  the  last,  breeds  amid 
high,  almost  inaccessible  rocks,  in  the  mountainous  solitudes  of 
Scotland,  and  some  of  the  northernmost  British  Islands.  The 
•aest  resembles  the  Golden  Eagle's,  but  is  often  more  cushioned — 
3ne  can  hardly  say  lined,  when  there  is  scarcely  any  cavity  or 
depresLsion  to  receive  the  eggs — more  cushioned  with  soft  material 
such  as  heather  or  sea-weed.  This  Eagle  seldom  lays  more  than 
*>wo  eggs,  which  in  ground-colour  are  like  the  Golden  Eagle's,  but 
.out  often  noticeably  marked  with  red. 


OSPRE1. 

The  White-tailed  Eagle  is  much  more  frequently  seen  South  oi 
the  Border  than  the  Golden  Eagle  In  fact,  a  year  rarely  passes 
without  some  record  of  the  occurrence  of  this  fine  bird  in  more 
than  one  county  of  England,  and  those  by  no  means  always  the 
most  northerly.  On  the  rabbit  warrens  of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk 
they  are  frequently  met  with,  and  it  not  seldom  happens  that 
two  are  seen  together — perhaps  the  young  from  the  same  nest 
driven  forth  by  their  stern  parents  to  seek  their  own  living 
in  the  wide  world. 

The  male  Eagle  of  this  species  is  known,  like  the  male  of  many 
other  kinds  of  birds,  to  take  his  turn  with  his  mate  in  incubating 
their  eggs.  It  would  seem  difficult  for  the  observer  to  be  mistaken 
in  this  fact ;  for  the  male  bird,  as  is  the  case  in  the  other  families  of 
the  Ealconida3  generally,  is  very  distinctly  smaller  than  the  female 
— to  the  actual  extent  indeed  of  not  much  less  than  one-third  of 
the  entire  size. 

5.  SPOTTED  EAGLE— (Aquila  noevia), 
Met  with  in  Britain,  once  or  twice  only. 

We  come  next  to  a  Raptorial  Bird,  whose  food  is  procured 
mainly  from  the  water, — namely,  the 

6.  OSPREY— (Pandit  haliwtu*). 

The  Osprey,  or  Fishing  Hawk,  or  Mullet  Hawk,  or  Eagle 
Fisher,  *  builds  its  nest  sometimes  on  a  tree,  sometimes  on  some 
part  of  an  ancient  and  deserted  building  —always  on  the  highest 
part,  a  turret  or  chimney  for  instance — and  sometimes  on  a  rock 
or  precipitous  scar.  But  a  very  favourite  and  almost  charac- 
teristic site — speaking  of  the  bird  only  as  a  British  nird — is  on 
some  lone  insular  rock  in  a  wild  mountain  loch  in  Scotland. 
I  extract  a  very  striking  description  from  "  St.  John's  Tour  in 
Sutherland  :  "  "  The  nest,  was  placed  in  a  most  curious  situation. 
About,  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  shore,  there  rose 
from  the  deep  water  a  solitary  rock,  about  ten  feet  high,  shaped 
like  a  broken  sugar-loaf  or  truncated  Cone  On  the  summit  of 
this  was  the  nest,  a  pi  I*1  of  sticks  of  very  jjreat  depth,  evidently 
the  accumulation  of  many  breeding  seasons,  as  the  Osprey  returns 
year  after  year  to  the  same  nest.  How  this  heap  of  sticks  with- 
stood the  winter  gales  without  being  blown  at  once  into  tat 
water  puzzled  me.  *  *  *  The  female  Osprey  allowed  our 
ooat  to  approach  within  two  hundred  yards  or  so,  and  then 
leaving  her  nest,  sailed  upwards  with  a  circling  flight,  till  sliQ 
joined  her  mate  high  above  us. 

Having  reached  the  rock,  and  with  some  difficulty  ascendsd 

*  A  translation  of  the  Gaelic  n&mo  of  the  HT& 


18  Burns H  BIRDS    EGGS  ASD  NESTS. 

to  the  nest,  our  disappointment  may  be  imagined  when  we 
found  it  empty.  From  the  old  bird  having  remained  on  so 
long,  we  had  made  sure  of  finding  eggs  in  it.  The  nest  itself, 
however,  was  interesting  to  me,  perched  as  it  was  on  the  very 
summit  of  the  rock,  and  composed  ot  large  sticks,  *  every  one 
of  which  must  have  been  a  heavy  burden  for  a  bird  of  the  size 
of  the  Osprey. 

In  the  centre  of  the  pile  of  sticks  was  a  cup-shaped  hollow, 
the  size  of  a  boy's  cap,  lined  with  moss  and  dead  grass,  and 
apparently  quite  ready  to  receive  eggs."  "In  another  nest," 
says  the  same  author,  elsewhere,  "we  found  two  beautiful 
eggs,  of  a  roundish  shape  :  the  colour  white,  with  numerous 
spots  and  marks  of  a  fine  rich  red  brown." — Fie/.  2,  plate  I. 

The  Osprey  is  met  with  from  time  to  time  in  almost  all  parts 
of  the  kingdom,  but  more  especially  along  the  east  coast ;  but 
*.t  is  known  to  breed  nowhere  in  England  now.  In  America, 
/t  is  met  with  in  considerable  numbers,  forming  as  it  were  a 
large  colony,  during  the  breeding  season;  of  course.,  in  the 
vicinity  of  some  ample  and  convenient  fishing  station. 

We  come  next  to  the  Falcons,  distinguished  from  the  rost  of  tho 
Hawks,  by,  among  other  things,  their  long  and  pointed  wings, 
and  their  vehement  and  rapid  flight  and  dash  in  pursuing  and 
seizing  their  quarry,  First  we  notice  the 

7.     GYR  FALCON.— (Falco  Grssiilctndicus}. 
Also  called  Jer  Falcon  and  Greenland  Falcon. 

8.     ICELAND  FALCON.— (Falco  hlandicu*). 

Neither  of  these  birds  breed  in  Britain,  and  they  are  only  occa- 
sional and  somewhat  rare  visitants.  Whatever  notice  can  be 
afforded  to  them,  will  be  met  with  in  the  Appendix. 

9.     PEREGRINE  FALCON.     (Falco  perey  rums), 

There  was  a  time  at  which  this  bird  was  abundant  enough  in 
our  island.  It  still  breeds  in  many  parts  of  both  England  and 
Scotland,  though  much  more  commonly  in  the  latter  country. 
But  in  the  feudal  times  there  would  have  been  no  difficulty  to 
the  young  egg-collector — if  such  beings  existed  then — in  meeting 
with  the  nest  of  the  Peregrine,  in  districts  suitable  to  their 
breeding  habits  and  requirements.  Although  some  consideration, 
it  is  true,  might  have  been  advisable  previously  to  appropriating 
the  contents  of  the  said  nest  for  cabinet  purposes.  The  right  - 
hand  of  the  fortunate  collector  would  have  been  the  penalty  in 

*  Sonic  of  the  sticks— or  raiLer  branches- -employed,  arc  sniJ  to  bo  1$ 
inch  in  diameter. 


HOBBY.  19 

those  days  of  strict  game  laws.  So  stringent,  indeed,  were  the 
provisions  for  preserving  the  Peregrine,  that  the  customary 
breeding  haunt  of  a  pair  was  placed  under  the  especial  care  of 
the  occupiers  of  the  land  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  they 
were  made  responsible,  by  the  terms  of  their  tenure,  for  the  safe 
keeping  of  the  noble  birds  and  their  offspring.  One  such  site  is 
in  Goathland,  on  the  line  of  the  Pickering  and  Whitby  Railway, 
audit  is  an  interesting  fact  in  the  nesting  habits  of  the  Peregrine, 
that  until  within  a  recent  period,  fand  it  is  believed  at  the  present 
time  also).  Killing-nab  Scar  has  always  been  a  site  of  that 
Falcon's  nidiiication.  Many  of  its  breeding  places,  perhaps  like 
others  in  the  interior,  known  time  out  of  mind  by  some  name 
derived  from  the  circumstance  of  their  being  thus  appropriated, 
such  as  Falcon-scar,  Hawk-scar,  Eagle-cliif,  are  among  the  tallest 
and  least  accessible,  rocks  of  the  sea  coast.  The  nest  itself  is 
placed  on  some  projection,  possibly  within  some  fissure,  and  is 
made  of  sticks,  or  seaweed  from  the  coast,  and  is  lined  with  some 
hair  on  which,  for  the  hollow  is  not  deep,  the  eggs  repose.  These 
are  from  two  to  four  in  number,  often  vary  a  ^ood  deal  in  size 
(probably  according  to  the  age  of  die  laying  biro),  and  not  less  in 
the  markings  and  mottlings  which  pervade  the  entire  surface. 
A  reference  to  the  engraving  will  give  a  better  idea  of  the  colour 
and  appearance  of  this  beautiful  egg,  than  any  description 
Indeed,  description  of  many — of  most — eggs  fails  altogether  in 
conveying  an  adequate  idea  of  what  they  aie  like. 

These  birds  were  so  much  prized  in  the  middle  ages  on  account 
of  their  fitness  for  the  highly-esteemed  pursuit  of  Falconry; 
and  their  power  of  wing  and  magnificent  flight  ar.e  in  themselves 
matters  of  great  interest,  quite  independently  of  the  excitement 
of  the  chase.  The  female,  from  her  much  greater  size  and 
strength,  was  emphatically  "  the  Ealcon;"  the  male,  called  the 
Tercel,  or  Tiercel,  being  more  frequently  flown  at  much  smaller 
game,  as  Partridges.  A  Falcon-night — although  the  science  is 
BO  longer  cultivated  at  Didlington,  in  Norfolk,  as  it  was  a  few 
years  since  by  the  late  owner  of  the  estate — may  still,  however, 
be  seen,  from  time  to  time,  by  the  fortunately-placed  observer, 
both  Hawk  and  quarry  being  feroe  naturd.  Some  luckless  Gull, 
or  Guillemot,  or  Hock-dove,  is  selected  by  the  strong  freebooter, 
and  carried  off  from  amid  the  passing  multitudes  with  a  fierce, 
rushing  dash ;  and  if  there  are  young  to  be  sustained,  the  onset 
and  sweep  may  possibly  be  seen  once  and  again. — Fig.  3,  plate  I. 

10.  HOBBY— (Falco  subbuteo.) 

This  beautiful  and  active  little  Hawk — a  sort  of  "  miniature 
Peregrine,"  Mr.  YarreD  calk  it — is  not  a  permanent  inhabitant 

08 


20  BRITISH  BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS  AND  NESTS. 

of  our  country.  Visiting  our  shores  in  April,  it  leaves  us  again 
before  winter.  It  usually  selects  a  high  tree  to  nest  in,  very 
often  appropriating  the  old  year's  or  deserted  nest  of  some  other 
bird — Hawk,  or  Magpie,  or  Crow — to  be  its  bridal  home.  It  lays 
two  or  three  (very  rarely  four)  eggs,  beautiful,  as  all  the  Falcons' 
eggs  are,  and  leaving  no  doubt  as  to  their  Falcon  original  to 
any  one  who  is  able  to  tell  even  "a  Hawk  from  a  Heronsheugh." 
They  are  of  a  nearly  uniform  pale  dull  red  in  ground-colour, 
thickly  spotted  and  mottled  with  shades  of  deeper  red.  Larks 
and  other  small  birds  are  taken — often  after  lengthened  chases — 
but,  besides  its  feathered  prey,  the  Hobby  doubtless  destroys 
large  numbers  of  beetles  and  other  insects  of  any  considerable 
size. — Fig.  4,  plate  I. 

11.  RED-FOOTED  FALCON— (Falcorufipes). 

Also  Orange-legged  Hobby,  Red-legged  Falcon.  Only  a  rare 
visitant,  and  very  little  known  about  either  its  nest  or  eggs. 

12.  MERLIN— (Fako  asalon). 

Also  Stone-falcon,  Blue  Hawk.  This  beautiful  bird  makes  itf 
nest,  in  moor-land  districts  at  least,  almost  invariably  on  the 
ground ;  though  it  is  rather  a  piece  of  flattery  to  say  that  it 
makes  a  nest  at  all.  A  little  hollow  in  the  ground,  and  that 
usually  not  too  conspicuous  by  the  absence  of  ling  in  its  vici- 
nity, with  scarcely  any  lining,  receives  the  eggs,  three  to  five  in 
number,  and  characterised  by  the  reddish  hue  and  spottings  which 
seem  to  garnish  the  eggs  of  almost  all  the  true  Falcons.  The 
nest  is  said  to  be  sometimes  built  in  a  tree,  and  then,  from  Mr. 
Doubleday's  account,  seems  to  be  made  of  sticks,  and  lined  with 
wool.  The  Merlin,  or  Blue  Hawk  as  he  is  usually  called  here, 
is  not  a  rare  bird  on  our  North  Riding  moors ;  and  a  very  bold 
and  active  Hawk  it  is. — Fig.  5,  plate  I. 

33.  KESTREL— (Falco  tinnunculus). 

Also  Windhover,  Creshawk,  Hoverhawk,  Stannel  or  Stannel- 
hawk ; — query,  Stand-gale,  as  Montagu  writes  one  of  its  provin- 
cial names  Stone-gall.  Windhover  certainly  suggests  the  meaning 
of  Stand-gale,  and  that  word  would  be  easily  shortened  into 
Stannel. 

Who  has  not  heard  the  sharp,  ringing,  half -laugh  ing  cry  of 
the  Kestrel  ?  What  nest-hunter  has  not  often  been  warned  by 
that  well-known  sound,  as  he  came  near  some  scarp  of  rocks, 
wood-beset,  vvell  qualified  to  furnish  some  ledge  or  crevice  to 
hold  the  loosely-compacted  structure  of  sticks  and  wool  which 
does  duty  for  this  dainty-looking  Hawk's  nest  ?  Ye?  ,  and  have 


GOSHAWK.  21 

not  more  than  one  or  two  of  us  taken  the  young,  and  reared 
them  to  be  our  pets,  and  taken  no  little  pleasure  in  their  beauty 
and  personal  pride  and  preening  cares  ?  Often,  too,  in  a  tree 
may  the  nest  oe  found,  and  not  seldom  will  it  prove  to  be  not 
built  by  the  Kestrels  themselves,  but  found — perhaps  as  many 
other  things  are  often  said  to  be  that  certainly  were  never  "  lost 
before  they  were  "  found  " — ready-made  to  their  wants  by  some 
luckless  Crow  or  Magpie.  And  what  nesting  school-boy  too 
does  not  know  the  four  or  five  eggs — one  of  them  often  so  much 
less  than  the  rest — which  are  to  be  found  in  the  nest  ?  Some- 
times red  all  over,  closely  spotted  with  deeper  red ;  sometimes 
blotched  rather  than  spotted,  and  with  large  blotches;  some- 
times with  a  lighter  ground-colour,  but  always  tinged  with  red, 
though  otherwise  not  so  unlike  the  Sparrow-hawk's  as  not  to 
remind  one  of  that  bird's  eggs.  I  like  to  see,  and  I  like  to  hear 
the  Kestrel,  though  it  is  no  dainty  song  he  sings.  I  like  to  see 
him  fly  so  steadily,  statelily  along,  and  then  pause,  and  hover — 
his  wings  this  moment  moving  rapidly,  then  as  he  sails  off, 
seeming  to  be  as  moveless  as  his  body — and  next  he  rounds  too  so 
oeautifully,  and,  after  a  moment's  balancing,  drops  to  the  ground 
with  swift,  but  so  evenly  regulated  an  impulse,  and  securing  his 
mouse,  sails  off  to  feed  his  expectant  young  ones.  Mice  seem 
to  form  a  favourite,  if  not  staple,  article  of  their  food  ;  but  they 
are  not  exclusive  in  their  diet.  An  occasional  small  bird,  hosts 
of  coleoptera  or  beetle-kind,  cock-chafers  in  their  season,  grubs, 
and  even  worms,  are  known  to  be  readily  eaten  by  them.  As 
intimated  above,  the  species  is  everywhere  familiar,  and  is  alike 
too  beautiful  and  too  useful  to  be  so  wantonly  killed  as  it  too 
often  is. — Fig,  6,  plate  I. 

14.  GOSHAWK— (Astur  palumbarius). 

We  do  not  often  see  the  Goshawk  in  any  part  of  the  kingdom, 
and  very  rarely  indeed,  except  in  some  parts  of  Scotland  and  in 
Orkney.  It,  like  the  Peregrine,  was  in  mach  request  for  the 
sport  of  Hawking :  only,  as  its  manner  of  flight  was  different 
from  that  of  the  Falcon,  it  was  used  for  the  pursuit  of  different 
species  of  game  from  the  latter.  Probably  this  really  originated, 
in  the  impulses  of  the  Goshawk's  own  instinct,  which  leads  it  to 
attack  Hares  and  Rabbits,  or  birds  which,  like  the  Partridge  and 
Grouse,  never  voluntarily  fly  at  any  great  height  above  the  level 
of  the  ground.  One  curious  habit  of  this  bird  is  that  of  waiting 
patiently  until  some  bird,  which  it  has  driven  to  covert,  leaves 
its  shelter,  when  the  pursuit — after  a  pause  of  perhaps  several 
hours — is  immediately  resumed,  and  probably  carried  to  its  pur- 
posed result.  Most  of  the  other  Hawks,  when  baffled  in  the  way 
noticed,  very  speedily  relinquish  all  apparent  thought  or  reco/- 


22  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

leoHr/M  of  the  escaped  creature,  and  proceed  to  seek  for  a  fresh 
quarry.  It  builds  its  nest  on  some  high  tree;  only  the  tree 
selected  is  never  found  in  the  inner  and  deep  parts  of  the  wood 
and  forest.  Like  many  other  birds,  both  predatory  and  other,  it 
will  often  return  to  the  same  nest,  adding  whatever  repairs  may 
be  required,  for  several  successive  years.  It  lays  three  or  fcmr 
eggs,  of  a  pale  faint  blue,  quite  untinged  with  any  other  colour. 


15.  SPARROW-HAWK--r^^>e^r  Nisns.J 

Sometimes  called  Pigeon-hawk.  Another  short-winged  hawk, 
as  the  last  named  also  was,  but  vastly  more  common  and  familiarly 
known.  Some  of  the  Falcons  already  named  may  be  fitly  called 
bold,  or  fearless  ;  the  Sparrow-hawk  may  be  pronounced  audaci- 
ous, or  impudent.  If  you  hear  some  careful,  Martha-like 
housewife  of  a  hen  skirling  and  fussing,  in  dire  alarm,  her 
terrified  chicks,  the  while,  seeking  any  possible  shelter,  you  may 
be  almost  certain  that  the  gliding  form  you  caught  a  glance  of 
rounding  the  corner  of  the  barn  and  making  a  rapid,  but  by  no 
means  noisy  stoop,  among  the  young  poultry  of  various  kinds  in 
lively  attendance  on  their  mothers,  —  you  may  be  tolerably  sure 
that"  the  intruder  was  a  Sparrow-hawk,  and  that  some  hapless 
Dove  or  Chicken  has  lost  the  number  of  his  mess.  Not  that  he 
does  not  like  wild  game  as  well  as  tame  poultry.  Mr.  Selby 
mentions  one  nest,  containing  live  young  ones,  in  or  close  to 
which  were  found  a  Peewit,  two  Blackbirds,  a  Thrush,  and  two 
Green-finclMiS,  all  fresh,  and  half  plucked.  The  Sparrow-hawk  is 
believed  seldom  to  give  itself  the  trouble  of  building  a  nest  for 
itself.  Some  old  or  deserted  nest  of  the  Crow  or  Magpie, 
particularly  the  former,  and  whether  in  a  fork  of  the  tree  or 
high  among  its  top,  usually  serves  its  turn  ;  and  in  this,  very 
slightly  repaired  if  at  all,  the  mother  bird  lays  four  or  five 
eggs,  of  a  pale  blueish  white,  abundantly  and  most  variably 
blotched  with  dark  red  brown.  In  some  few  eggs  this  darker 
colour  is  more  sparingly  bestowed;  but  they  are  not  frequent, 
and,  usually,  the  red  is  more  or  less  confluent  about  some  part  of 
the  egg  —  either  •  end  or  the  middle  —  more  rarely  dispersed  in 
very  distinct  spots.  —  Fig  73  plate  I. 


16.  KITR—CMilvus  vufyaris). 

Glead,   Glade,   Gled,  Fork-tailed    Kite    or  Glead,   Puttock, 

Crotchet-tailed  Puttock. 

One  very  rarely  sees  a  Kite  now-adays  in  our  customary 
Held  ramblings  and  observings;  though,  to  be  sure,  some  one 
did  wrifo  word  not  long  since  to  the  "  Zoologist/'  that  he  had 
seen  one  sailing  overhead  as  he  walked  the  streets  of  London. 


COMMON   BUZZARD.  23 

Perhaps  any  but  rather  resolute  nest-hunters  might  say,  if  they 
knew  the  reception  sometimes  accorded  by  a  Kite  to  a  would- 
be  plunderer  of  its  nest,  "Well,  the  loss  is  not  without  its 
compensation."  For  the  Kite  lights  fiercely  for  its  eggs  or 
young;  and  has  been  known  to  inflict  damage  of  both  dress  and 
person  on  a  boy  attempting  to  plunder  its  nest.  It  is  a  noble- 
looking  bird,  but  not  distinguished,  as  the  Falcons  are,  for 
any  very  remarkable  degree  of  boldness  or  courage.  A  fussy 
old  hen  has  been  known  to  frighten  one  from  his  purposed  foray 
on  her  chickens,  and  he  used  of  old  to  be  chased  (for  sport,  of 
course)  by  a  species  of  Falcon  "  to  the  manner "  trained.  The 
nest,  usually  found  high-up  in  a  high  tree  in  thick  wood  or 
forest,  is  made  of  sticks  and  lined  with  any  softer  material  found 
handy,  and  contains  two  or  three  eggs  or  a  dirty  white  colour, 
with 'a  few  spots  or  blotchings  of  dull  red.  They  cater  liberally 
enough  for  their  young ;  no  less  than  twenty-two  Moles  having 
been  found  in  one  nest. — Fig.  1,  plate  II, 

17.  SWALLOW-TAILED  Kl^—(Nauckrusfurcatus). 
Very  rarely  seen  indeed. 

18.  COMMON  BLTZZARD-(#^o  vulgans). 

Puttock.  I  well  remember  as  a  schoolboy  in  Essex,  some 
thirty  odd  years  ago,  that  the  nests  of  the  Puttock,  as  the 
Buzzard  was  invariably  called  in  that  district,  were  more  fre- 
quently found  by  us  than  those  of  any  other  wood-building 
Hawk ;  and  many  a  hatch  of  young  Puttocks  it  fell  to  my  lot  to 
see  brought  within  the  old  school-gates.  Whether  the  Buzzard  is 
equally  abundant  there  now  I  cannot  tell.  It  seems  to  rne  that 
not  only  Hawks,  but  very  many  of  the  smaller  birds  as  well, 
are  much  less  numerous  now  than  in  the  days  of  my  boyhood ; 
and  I  have  heard  other  nest-lovers  make  the  same  remark. 

In  rocky  countries  the  Buzzard  sometimes  builds  her  nest  on 
precipices,  or  steep  banks ;  but  generally,  in  our  own  country, 
some  fork  in  a  tree  supplies  either  the  site  for  the  intended  nest, 
or  possibly  the  nest  itself;  for,  like  several  other  of  the  Hawks 
already  noticed,  the  Buzzard  seems  to  think  there  is  a  deal  of 
sound  sense  in  the  saying,  "  Foolish  birds  build  fine  nests  for 
wise  Hawks  to  live  in  them,"  and  acts  accordingly.  The  eggs 
are  from  two  to  four  in  number,  of  considerable  size,  and  some 
of  them  approaching  very  nearly  in  general  look  and  colour  to 
the  Kite's  egg.  It  just  as  frequently  seems  to  wait  until  its  prey 
comes  to  it,  as  trouble  itself  to  go  far  in  search  of  it.  It  is 
rather  a  sluggard  and  a  coward  to  have  so  much  the  air  of  a  fine- 
looking  bird  about  it. — Figr.  2,  plate  II. 


24  BRITISH  BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

19.  ROUGH-LEGGED  BUZZARD— (Bnteo  Jctf/opus). 

Not  to  say  a  rare  bird,  but  still,  by  no  means  a  common  bird 
in  any  division  of  the  kingdom.  - 

20.  HONEY  BUZZARD— (Pernis  apivorus). 

This  never  was  an  abundant  species  in  this  country,  and 
instances  of  its  nesting  with  us  are  very  rare.  I  well  remember, 
however,  when  White's  "  Natural  History  of  Selborne "  first 
fell  into  my  boyish  hands,  how  his  history  of  the  lucky  bird's- 
nesting  boy,  who  climbed  the  "  tall,  slender  Birch-tree,"  "  on  the 
steep  and  dizzy  situation,  near  the  middle  of  Selborne  Hanger," 
and  brought  down  the  only  egg  in  the  nest,  and  that  "  lia:d  set," 
impressed  itself  on  my  attention  and  memory.  The  nest  was  a 
shallow  one,  composed  of  sticks,  and  lined  with  dead  leaves 
ot  the  beech.  The  number  of  e(ags — an  illustration  of  which  is 
given — seldom  exceeds  two. — Fig.  3,  platelll 

21.  MARSH  HARRIER— (Circus  rufus). 

Moor  Buzzard,  Bald  Buzzard,  Marsh  Hawk,  Harpy,  White- 
headed  Harpy,  Puttock,  Duck-Hawk. — One  would  hardly  expect 
to  find  that  a  bird,  with  such  a  string  of  aliases  to  its  name, 
could  enjoy  a  very  wholesome  reputation.  However,  he's  no 
worse  than  his  fellows  of  the  Hawk  family,  and  not  so  bad  as 
some  of  them.  P'obably  the  name  of  Harrier  given  to  tins  and 
one  or  two  of  the  Hawks  next  named,  is  derived  from  their 
method  of  beating  or  quartering  the  ground,  when  in  search 
of  prey,  putting  one  in  mind  of  the  evolutions  of  the  hound 
similarly  engaged.  The  Marsh  Harrier  or  Moor  Buzzard  (or 
Bald  Buzzard,  as  1  used  to  hear  it  called  in  Essex)  builds  its  nest 
of  flags  or  rushes — sometimes  sticks  or  twigs — on  the  ground, 
amid  the  grass  at  the  bottom  of  a  furze  or  other  bush;  occa- 
sionally low  in  the  bush  itself;  and  again,  in  a  tuft  of  reeds  or 
rushes  sufficient  to  serve  the  purposes  of  concealment.  In  it 
it  deposits  three  or  four  eggs,  white,  or  with  only  a  tinge  of 
milk  blue  about  them.  It  feeds  itself  and  its  young  with 
young  water-birds,  if  it  can  meet  with  them — and  its  name 
suggests  the  idea  that  young  water-birds  may  be  met  with 
where  itself  is  found — or  young  rabbits  or  birds;  a  few  mice  and 
small  rats  doubtless  not  coming  in  as  altogether  unworthy  of 
notice  to  such  hungry  customers  as  four  young  "  Harpies." 

22.  HEN-HARRIER—  (Circus  cyaneus). 

I  don't  give  a  list  of  country  or  local  names  here,  as  usual, 
because  I  wish  to  draw  my  reader's  attention  to  the  fact,  that 


ASH-COLOUJIED   HAKR1EB.  23 

the  different  names  applied  to  the  same  species  of  Hawk,  are,  in 

several  cases,  partly  attributable  to  the  differences  in  size,  and 
especially  in  plumage,  dependant  on  sex  and  age  in  the  cases  in 
question.  This  is  quite  the  case  with  the  Harriers  generally, 
and  particularly  with  the  bird  now  under  notice.  There  is  a 
remarkable  difference  in  colour  between  the  male  and  female 
when  adult,  and  a  likeness  when  the  former  is  immature  and  the 
latter  an  old  bird.  Thus,  the  old  male  is  mainly  blue,  the 
female  brown ;  so  he  is  called  the  Blue  Hawk  often,  or  Dove 
Hawk,  and  she  the  Ringtail.  Like  those  of  the  Marsh  Harrier, 
the  eggs  of  the  Hen  Harrier  are  white,  and  are  placed  in  a  nest 
of  small  sticks  and  long,  coarse  grasses  built  upon  the  ground, 
four  er  five  in  number,  and  not  often  varying  from  the  uniform 
tint  of  the  ground-colour  by  the  addition  of  a  few  reddish- 
coloured  spots  or  speckles.  Its  distinctive  English  name — 
#£#-Harrier,  seems  to  be  due  to  the  fact,  that,  like  the  sick  and 
repentant  old  Fox.,  it  appears  often  to  consider  "  a  chicken  might 
suit  me  too,"  and  acts  accordingly.  But,  from  its  habits  of 
regularly  working  over  stubbles  and  other  haunts  of  the 
Partridge  and  other  like  birds,  there  is  little  doubt  that  it 
varies  its  diet  with  a  little  game  occasionally. 

23.  ASH-COLOURED  HARRIER— (Circus  cineraceus). 

This  bird,  for  which  Yarrell  proposed  the  name  Moutagn's 
Harrier,  is  by  no  means  of  frequent  occurrence  in  this  conntry, 
and  is  scarcely  likely  to  be  met  with  by  many  of  our  young 
readers.  The  nest,  like  those  of  the  other  two  species  of  Circus 
just  named,  is  usually  on  the  ground,  often  not  far  from  gorse  or 
whin-bushes ;  and  the  eggs,  four  or  five  in  number,  are  like 
those  of  its  congeners  in  general  colour  and  appearance.  With 
this  bird  our  list  of  Falconidse  closes. 

FAMILY  II.— STEIQIDJ2. 

When  I  was  a  boy  I  remember — only  those  goings-back  to 
school  were  a  sad  hindrance — trying  or  helping  to  make  a  collec- 
tion, not  of  Birds3  eggs  exactly,  but  of  Bird's  '  merry-thoughts,3 
Did  our  young  readers  ever  see  such  a  collection,  or  think  of 
it  ?  Perhaps  the  answer  will  be  "  No  ; — and  if  we  had,  what 
would  it  have  to  do  with  a  book  about  Birds'  eggs  ?  "  1  will  try 
and  show  that  I  have  a  purpose  in  mentioning  Birds'  merry 
thoughts,  and  thac  it  may  have  something  to  do  witk  such  a 
book  as  this,  and  its  subject. 

We  have  already  agreed  that  classification  is  a  useful  and 
necessary  thing ;  that  nature  herself  leads  us  to  it,  and  shows  us 
how  to  fashion  and  contrive  it ;  nay,  that  the  very  eggs  of  bird 


20  BKITISII    P>IJM)S,    THEIR    EGGS    AND    NESTS. 

are,  speaking  generally,  such  in  their  shape  and  markings  as  often 
to  suggest  the  formation  of  a  group  out  of  such  and  such 
different  species  producing  them.  But  the  merry-thoughts  and 
the  bones  they  are  immediately  connected  with,  the  keel-like 
breast  bone  and  the  side  and  wing  bones,*  will  be  found  to  do 
the  same  thing,  with  respect  to  the  collection  of  three  or  four 
(or  more)  such  groups  of  birds,  as  I  have  just  called  them,  into 
what  is  termed  a  Family.  Thus,  if  our  readers  could  get  the 
opportunity  of  looking  at  the  merry  thoughts  and  breast-bones 
ot  half-a-dozen  different  Hawks,  they  would  find,  with  a  degree 
of  variation  according  to  the  various  species  selected,  a  very 
obvious  and  striking  correspondence  or  resemblance.  The 
breast-bone,  in  every  case,  would  show  great  depth  of  keel  and 
strength  of  substance;  and  the  merry-thoughts  would  be  seen  to 
be  firm  and  strong,  and  of  great  or  considerable  substance. 
Next,  if  the  corresponding  bones  of  about  the  same  number  of 
birds  of  the  Owl-kind  (Stric/idm),  were  taken  and  compared  with 
those  of  the  Ealcon-kind  just  spoken  about,  while  the  mutual 
resemblance  of  the  Owl-kind  bones  was  seen  to  be  quite  as  great 
and  obvious  as  in  the  case  of  the  Hawks ;  the  difference  between 
the  said  bones  of  the  Owls  and  those  of  the  Hawks  would  be 
altogether  strange  and  half  startling,  from  its  greatness  and 
sudaenness.  The  deep  keel  and  the  strong  substance  of  the 
breast-bone  in  the  Hawk  has  given  place  to  a  shallow  keel  and 
weak  walls  in  the  Owl,  while  the  curved,  strong,  broad,  solid 
merry-thought  has  become  a  fork  with  thin,  straight,  weak, 
yielding  slu'^KS.  So  great  and  plain  is  the  difference  that  any 
sharp  intelligent  boy  could  almost  directly  pick  out  for  himself 
all  the  Hawk  bones,  and  all  the  Owl  bones,  and  put  them  in 
their  several  groups.  And  if  he  did,  I  think  he  would  say  to 
himself,  and  most  likely  to  some  other  person,  as  soon  as  he  "met 
with  one  likely  to  be  able  to  answer  him,  What  does  this 
difference  in  these  bones  of  these  birds  of  different  families 
mean  ? — In  plain  words,  it  means  difference  in  powers  of  flight. 
Any  of  our  school-boy  readers  who  wanted  to  prise  his  strong 
school-box  open,  because  he  had  lost  ids  key,  would  not  taKe 
his  pen-knife  for  the  purpose,  because  he  would  think  it  foolisn 
to  use  so  weak  an  instrument  for  so  strong  an  effort.  A  great 
strong  chissel  would  be  much  more  likely  to  serve  his  purpose. 
And  so  is  the  work  of  God's  hand.  If  a  long,  strong  wing  has 
,',o  be  moved  rapidly,  and  even  vehemently,  the  motion,  like  all 
animal  motion,  must  be  given  by  muscles.  But  the  muscles 
must  be  fixed  to  what  they  are  intended  to  move,  or  they  cannot- 
net  on  it ;  and  they  must  be  fixed  at  some  other  point  also,  of 

*  I  don't  give  the  scientific  names  of  these  bones,  for  obvious  reasons. 


MEANS   OF   FLIGHT   IN   THE   OWLS.  27 

they  would  waste  their  power  on  nothing,  instead  of  imparting 
motion.  And,  of  course,  the  stronger  they  are,  the  stronger 
must  what  they  are  fixed  to  be,  and  the  larger  also  to  admit  of 
more  and  more  strength.  Well,  the  muscles  that  move  the 
bird's  wing  are  affixed  at  their  other  extremities  to  its  breast- 
bone and  merry-thought,  and  hence  the  size  and  strength  of  these 
bones  in  the  Falcon  kind  with  their  vigorous,  impetuous  flight 
and  sweep  of  wing;  and  the  comparative  insignificance^  and 
weakness  of  the  same  parts  in  the  slow-flying,  noiseless  winged 
Owlet.  If  our  young  friends  are  disposed  to  add,  in  their 
collection  of  birds'  eggs,  the  so-called  merry-thought  of  each 
separate  bird  to  the  eggs  laid  by  that  bird,  they  will  be  apt  to 
learn  an  interesting  and  instructive  lesson  in  elementary 
anatomy.  And  such  a  collection  may  be  made  to  a  great  extent 
without  much  trouble,  by  almost  every  one  who  has  the  ordinary 
facilities  of  a  residence  in  the  country  at  his  command. 

Having  said  so  much  to  show  how  even  the  most  simple  and 

obvious  and  familiar  differences  in  the  bone  structure  of  birds 

suggests,  or,  if  not,  confirms  the  principle  of  classification   of 

birds,  and  therefore  of  their  eggs,  let  us  now  go  on  to  notice 

aur  quaint  ('  feathered  friends,"  the  Owls,   and  especially  our 

more  familiar  acquaintance  among  them.     There  are  other  things 

belonging  to  the  Owl  family,  which  our  sharp  young  friend  just 

named  would  have  just  as  little  trouble  in  picking  out  from  a 

heap  of  similar  objects,  as  in  the  case  of  the  bones.     I  mean 

the  eggs.    The  same  character,  however  much  they  vary  in  size — 

and  they  do  vary  vastly  in  size — is  common  to  every  one  of  the  eggs. 

They  are  all  white  ;  they  are  all  very  slightly  oval,  or  very  nearly 

round,  and  you  cannot  tell  which  is  meant  to  be  the  big  end,  and 

which  the  little.     Of  course,  this  being  the  case,  it  would  be  of 

very  little  use  to  take  up  the  small  space  available  for  illustration 

in  this  book,  with  representations  of  Owls'  eggs  ;  and  for  the  same 

reason,  as  little  as  possible  will  be  said  in  the  way  of  description. 

Any  Owl's  eggs  which  are  likely  to  come  under  the  notice  of  the 

school-boy  nest-hunter  will  tell  himagooddeal  about  their  origin,  by 

their  size  and  the  place  they  are  found  in ;  and  the  best  picture  and 

description  possible  would  not  be  able  to  teach  him  half  as  much. 

Just  as  the  bones,  noticed  a  page  or  two  back,  would  be  found 

to  show  that  there  was  a  sort  of  approach  to  something  like  a 

noticeable  connection   between  the  Harriers  and  the  Owls,  so 

the  eggs  of  the  former  seem  to  hint  at  something  of  the  same 

kind.     The  merry -thought  and  breast  bone  of  the  Harriers  are 

vastly  less  strong  and  solid  than  those  of  the  true  Falcons;  and 

so  to  speak  intermediate  in  such  respects  between   these   and 

those  of  the  truest  Owl,  while  the  eggs  are  colourless  or    nearly 

so,  and  so  approach  again  to  the  Owl  type. 


28  BRITISH   rflKDS,    THEIR    J1GGS   AND   NESTS. 

24.  EAGLE  OWL  —  (Bubo  maximus.) 

This  noble  bird,  the  first  on  our  list  of  British  Owls,  is  so 
occasionally  and  irregularly  seen  in  Britain,  that  it  can  scarcely 
claim  lengthened  notice  at  our  hands. 

25    SCOPSEARED  OWL.— (Scops  Aldrovandi). 
Almost,  or  rather  certainly,  more  rare  than  the  preceding. 

20.  LONG-EARED  OWL.—  (Otus  vulgaris}. 

Met  with,  though  not  very  abundantly,  in  most  parts  of 
England.  Its  ha  ait  during  the  day  time  is  in  ivy  bushes,  or 
other  retreats  affording  security  from  the  access  of  much  light. 
Its  nest  is  most  frequently  an  appropriated  old  nest  of  the  Crow 
or  Magpie;  perhaps  even  what  was  once  the  breeding- home  of  the 
squirrel;  and  in  it  are  laid  four  or  live  eggs  1JJ  inch  long,  by 
1^  inch  broad.  It  seeks  its  prey  after  sunset ;  and  as  birds  of 
various  kinds  are  known  to  form  part  of  its  food,  it  seems  almost 
certain  that  they  must  be  taken  as  they  sit  at  roost.  What  sad 
•jug-a-boos  Horned  Owls  must  be  made  to  offending  juveniles  in 
attle-bird  nurseries. 

27.  SHORT-EARED  OWL— (Otus  brachyotus). 

Woodcock  Owl,  Short-horned  Howiet,  Mousehawk,  Hawk 
Owl.  It  breeds  with  us,  but  not  very  commonly,  and  many 
seem  to  come  over  in  the  autumn,  and  they  are  then  frequently 
seen  in  a  stubble,  or  otherwise  roused  by  the  sportsman.  Its 
nest  is  sometimes  on  the  ground,  and  perhaps  even  in  a  rabbit- 
burrow.  The  eggs  are  three  in  number,  and  scarcely  differ  the 
least  in  size  from  those  of  the  bird  last  named.  Young  Grouse 
and  other  birds  breeding  about  the  moors  are  abundantly  sup- 
plied by  the  parent  Owls  to  their  young  when  the  nest  chances 
to  have  been  made  in  such  a  locality,  and  the  old  ones  are  very 
jealous  of  seeing  their  progeny  too  nearly  approached  anil 
expose  themselves  almost  as  fearlessly -on  such  occasions  as 
either  Partridge  or  Grouse.  Tiieir  local  name  of  Hawk-owl  is 
derived  from  the  circumstance  that  they  pursue  their  prey — 
regularly  "  hawking"  for  it — during  the  day  time 

28.  BARN  OWL— (Strix  flammed). 

White  Owl,  Yellow  Owl,  Screech  Owl,  Gilly  Howiet,  Howiet, 
Madge  Howiet,  Church  Owl,  Hissing  Owl.  This  common  and 
useful  bird  breeds  by  preference  in  some  building  or  part  of  one ; 
a  church  tower,  dove-cot,  ruined  mansion,  or  castle,  and  the  like. 


BARN    OWL.  2'J 

My  most  familiar  boy-acquaintance,  however,  was  with  the 
nesting  place  and  habits  of  a  pair  which  nested  for  many 
consecutive  years  in  a  slight  hollow  in  the  crown  of  a  large 
pollard  Elm  tree  in  my  father's  church-yard  in  Essex.  There 
were  usually  three  or  four  young  ones  year  by  year,  often  with 
perceptible  differences  of  growth  among  them.  Indeed  it  is 
well  known  that  this  Owl  and  the  last  named,  and  probably 
others  as  well,  lay  their  eggs  in  instalments,  as  it  were,  ami 
when  the  first  batch  of  two  is  about  hatching  or  nearly  so, 
other  two  are  deposited  in  addition,  and  thus  hatched  in  their 
turn  almost  as  much  by  their  brother  and  sister  as  by  their 
mother.  Quainter,  graver,  odder,  stranger,  more  irresistibly 
comic  creatures  than  these  young  Owls  1  never  saw ;  and  the 
hissing  and  snoring,  and  peering  looks  at  the  spectator,  and 
strange  antic  contortions  I  heard  and  saw,  baffle  all  attempts 
at  description.  The  entertainment,  for  such  it  was  most  truly, 
usually  began  some  little  time  before  sunset,  about  which  time 
the  old  birds  might  be  seen  commencing  their  labours  of 
purveying  food  for  Masters  and  Misses  Howlet.  At  intervals  of 
from  seven  to  ten  minutes  one  or  other  of  them  came  to  the  nest 
with  a  prey,  and  I  could  always  tell  by  the  sounds  and  gest- 
ures of  the  young  Owls  when  the  old  one  was  approaching.  How 
they  knew  I  could  not  tell ;  it  was  not  by  sight,  and  I  could 
hear  no  sound  myself;  but  know  they  did  most  certainly.  Mice, 
slugs,  sometimes  a  large  insect  apparently,  or  a  small  bird,  very 
rarely  a  Mole,  or  Hat  of  no  large  dimensions,  were  brought  in 
continuous  succession,  and  in  the  claw,  not  with  the  bill.  When 
the  animal  was  of  small  dimensions,  the  old  Owl  flitted  off  again 
with  scarcely  any  pause  at  the  nest.  If  a  large  one,  it  seemed 
by  the  time  which  elapsed,  and  the  sounds  which  became 
audible — most  vehement  snorings  and  hissings — that  partition 
had  to  be  made,  and  that  the  said  partition  was  a  matter  of 
the  greatest  interest  to  the  parties  concerned.  I  cannot  affirm 
positively  that  the  old  Owls  prosecuted  their  most  successful 
hunting  all  through  the  night ;  but  I  believe  they  did,  and  I 
have  seen  them  still  at  work  in  the  morning  long  after  sun-rise, 
once  as  late  as  between  °ight  and  nine  in  the  morning  in  the 
height  of  summer.  A.3  the  inmates  of  a  dove-cot,  they  are  on 
very  excellent  terms  with  the  proper  dwellers  therein,  although 
from  the  known  habits  of  other  Owls  the  human  owners  of  the 
dove-cot  are  apt  to  assume,  most  groundlessly  and  unjustly,  that 
they  are  sure  to  destroy  the  young  Pigeons.  I  don't  believe, 
however,  that  if  all  the  rejected  pellets  of  bones,  fur,  feathers, 
&c.,  from  all  the  Barn  Owls  in  the  kingdom  could  be  examined, 
that  any  trace  of  pigeon,  old  or  young,  would  be  discovered;  and 
that  farmer  is  a  foolish  farmer  who  either  de$trovs  a  Barn 


SO  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND    NESTS. 

Owl  himself  or  suffers  any  one  else,  whom  he  could  prevent,  to 
destroy  one.  They  are  perfectly  harmless,  exceedingly  useful, 
and  strangely  interesting  to  the  observer.  I  may  add  that  since  I 
jegan  to  write  these  lines,  I  am  told  that  the  self-same  tree  is 
still  occupied  by  a  pair  of  the  self-same  Owls,  and  has  continued 
to  be  from  the  days  of  my  boyish  recollections — a  period  of 
more  than  thirty  years.  The  young  of  this  and  the  next  species 
are  very  bold,  resolute  little  creatures,  if  taken  when  rather 
more  than  half-grown.  They  will  throw  themselves  on  their 
backs,  and  defend  themselves  pertinaciously  with  bill  and  claw 
against  any  foe,  or  supposed  foe,  human  or  other.  The  Barn 
Owl  has  been  known  to  take  fish  by  plunging  upon  it  in  the 
water.  The  eggs  are  about  1-|  inch  long,  by  1J  broad. 

29.  TAWNY  QWI*-(Syrnium  stridtda}. 

Brown  Owl,  Wood  Owl,  Hoot  Owl,  Ivy  Owl,  Jenny  Howlet. 
This  is  the  bird  whose  well-known  and,  as  1  think,  musical 
note  is  so  often  heard  at  night  in  wooded  countries,  in  the 
genuine  "tu-whit-to-who-o-o-o,"  or  "hoot."  The  last-named, 
or  Barn  Owl,  is  the  Screech  Owl  proper,  though  not,  in  my 
experience,  very  much  addicted  to  indulge  in  her  unpleasant 
song.  I  very  seldom  used  to  hear  a  downright  good  screech  in 
those  old  days.  The  Brown  Owl  makes  its  nest — at  least,  lays 
its  eggs — in  some  hollow  tree,  usually  in  a  wood  or  near  one. 
Some  times  a  few  feathers  or  a  little  moss  may  receive  the  eggs, 
often  only  the  decayed  wood.  I  have  heard  of  the  nest  of  this 
bird  in  other  positions;  e.g.,  in  a  deserted  Crow's  nest,  or 
a  hole  in  a  rocky  bank.  But  the  hollow  tree  is  the  rule.  The 
eggs  are  three  or  four  in  number,  and  larger  than  the  Barn 
Owls,  being  about  !•}•§  inch  long,  by  1J  inch  broad.  The  old  birds 
have  two  or  three  notes  besides  the  hoot;  one  being  a  short,  rather 
sharp  cluck,  often  repeated.  The  young  ones,  after  they  fly, 
depend  a  good  deal  on  their  parents'  exertions  for  food,  which 
consists  of  young  Rabbits,  Hares,  now  and  then  birds  of  sorts, 
Rats,  Mice,  &c.  I  once  saw  a  young  Brown  Owl,  apparently 
waiting  for  its  food  to  be  brought,  and  sjtting  very  still  on  the 
topmost  bough  of  a  tall  tree,  almost  knocked  off  his  perch  by 
the  whizzing  flight  of  a  Wild  Duck.  The  Owl  ducked  iiis  head, 
or  I  thought  the  Duck  would  have  actually  struck  him,  sc  ncai 
was  the  encounter. 

30.  SNOWY  OWL— (Sumiauydu) 
.i  beautiful  bird,  of  very  rare  occurrence. 

31.  HAWK  QWIs—(Surniafuucrea) 
Canada  Owl — More  rare  than  the  last. 


SPOTTED   FLY-CATCHER. 

32.  LITTLE  OTfL— (Noctua  passeriw). 
Little  Night  Owl>  Sparrow  Owl — A  very  occasional  visitant 

33.  TENGMALM'S  OWL—(iVoctua  Tenr/malmi). 
Like  the  last. 
We  arrive  now  at  our  second  Order, 

INSESSORES, 
The  first  GROUP  in  which  is — 

DENTIROSTRES. 
FAMILY  I.—LANIAD^E. 

34.  GREAT  GREY  SHRIKE— (Lamus  excubitor). 
Greater  Butcher  Bird,  Ash-coloured  Shrike,  Cinereous  Shrike, 

Grey  Shrike — This  bird  is  an  occasional  visitor  only,  and  has  very 
rarely  been  seen  in  the  breeding  season.  No  authentic  instance 
of  its  nesting  with  us  is  known. 

35.  RED-BACKED  SHRIKE— (Lamus  collurio). 
Lesser   Butcher  Bird,  Elusher,  Murdering-pie,    Jack  Baker, 

&c. — The  male  of  this  species  is  a  beautiful  bird,  with  his  bright 
chesnut  back  and  lively  air.  They  spend  only  a  part  of  the  yeat 
with  us,  but  that  part  involves  the  period  of  nesting.  The 
liest  is  usually  rather  high  up  in  a  strong,  thick  bush,  large-sized 
for  the  bird,  cup-shaped,  and  made  of  coarse  withered  herbage 
externally,  with  rather  finer  materials  within,  and  lined  with 
hair  or  some  such  substance.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in 
number,  varying  much  in  colour  and  marks.  The  ground-shade 
varies,  and  so  do  the  markings  ;  the  latter,  however,  being  usually 
found  thicker  and  darker  in  a  zone  or  band  encircling  some  part 
of  the  egg.  Description  is  quite  inadequate  to  convey  any  idea 
of  these  variations.  The  bird  deserves  its  name,  for  it 
"  slaughters  "  small  birds,  as  well  as  other  animals,  and  hangs 
up  the  carcases  in  regular  shambles.  It  is  wonderful  how  the 
frogs,  beetles,  caterpillars,  cock-chafers,  birds,  &c.,  which  form 
its  food,  are  fixed  so  very  firmly  and  tenaciously  upon  the  strong 
thorny  point.  —Figs.  4,  5,  plate  II. 

36.  WOODCHAT  SHRIKE-  ( La,i in*  ritf**). 
Only  an  occasional  visitant. 

II.-MUSCICAPID^E. 

37.  SPOTTED  ELYCATCHER—  (Musdcapa  grisola). 

Beam-bird,  Bee-bird,  Rafter -bird,  Post-bird,  Wall-bird,  Cherry 

chopper,  Cherry-sucker,  Cobweb-bird.     Many  of  these  names  aiv 


32  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS  AND    NESTS. 

taken  from  the  familiar  site  of  its  nest,  or  from  some  of  its  habits 
in  taking  food.  It  will  return  to  the  same  post,  after  a  short 
excursion  to  seize  an  insect,  ten  or  a  dozen  times  in  succession  : 
and  it  will  build  its  nest  on  a  wall,  on  the  end  of  a  rafter  or 
beam,  on  a  rake-head,  in  a  trained  wall-tree — in  fact,  in  almost 
every  conceivable  place.  The  nest  varies  in  material  and  struc- 
ture, almost  as  much  as  in  its  site.  Moss,  old  and  new,  bents, 
straws,  twigs,  hairs,  feathers,  all  are  used.  It  is  an  amusing 
little  bird,  and  pays  many  feeding  visits  to  its  young,  as  is  the 
case  with  all  insect-feeding  birds.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in 
number,  of  dull  white,  tinged  with  blue,  and  spotted  with  faint 
red.  It  only  visits  us  to  breed  here.  Fig*  6,  plate  II. 

38.  PIED  FLYCATCHER— (Muscicapa  atricapilla.) 

Goldfinch. — A  rare  bird  in  some  localities,  and  not  an  abundant 
one  in  any.  The  nest  is  loosely  made  of  small  roots,  bents,  grass, 
moss,  hair,  or  some  such  material,  in  a  hole,  usually  in  pollard 
trees,  or  such  as  have  decayed  from  natural  causes,  but  some- 
times also  in  a  hole  in  a  wall  or  other  building.  In  it  may  be 
found  four  to  eight  eggs  of  a  uniform  light  blue  colour.  £ig.  7, 

IIL-MEKlJLlDjE. 

39.  COMMON  DIPPER— (Cinclas  ar/vaticus.) 

Water-ouzel,  Brook-ouzel,  Water-crow,  Water-piet,  Bessy- 
ducker  — I  may  as  well  own  that  I  am  a  little  bit,  "  fond  "  about 
the  Dipper.  I  dearly  love  to  sec  him  and  hear  him  in  my  ram- 
bles by  our  mountain  becks.  So  lively,  cheery,  and  jolly,  even 
in  the  cold  winter  day,  when  the  mere  look  o!  the  chilly,  shivering 
stream  makes  one  feel  goose-skinny.  Then;  he,  sits  at  the  water 
edge,  and  sings  like  a  Robin  a  little  tipsy,  and  ihen  in  he  tum- 
bles, in  a  rollicking  sort  of  way,  as  you  become  a  little  too 
inquisitive,  and  emerging  a  few  yards  further  down,  takes  wing, 
and  darts  off  with  his  Kingfisher-like  flight.  One  nest  some 
lads  belonging  to  my  family  found  here,  was  a  feather-bed  sort  of 
structure  of  moss  and  a  few  feathers,  filling  up  a  six-inch  square 
hole  in  the  masonry  of  a  bridge  in  which  one  of  the  scaffold- 
rafters  of  the  workmen  had  been  inserted,  there  being  a  small, 
round  hole  left  in  the  exposed  side  for  exit  and  ingress.  Others 
may  bo  seen  in  cavities  in  a  rock  by  the  water-side  ;  and  one  I 
heard  of,  if  my  memory  is  correct,  in  Berwickshire,  was  built 
amid  the  stone-work  of  a  water-lead  for  conducting  the  \va.ste 
water  away  from  a  mill,  and  in  such  a  position  that  the  \va  er  in 
its  fall  projected  itself  beyond  the  nest,  and  formed  a  kind  of  arch 
above  it.  'The  old  birds  in  going  into  or  leaving  their  nest  had 
actually  to  pass  in  either  from  the  side  or  through  tho  interstices 


COMMON   THRUSH.  33 

of  the  small  cascade.  The  eggs  are  five  or  six  in  number,  and  per- 
fectly, purely  white.  A  sad  enemy  to  fish  spawn  I  fear  my  little 
white-breasted  friend  is.  I  never  yet  cared  to  shoot  one,  I  love 
them  so  well.  But  when  there  are  half-a-dozen  small  but  very 
hungry  Dipper-mouths  to  be  fed,  I  fear  much  consumption  of 
fishes'  food,  as  well  as  fishes'  eggs,  takes  place.  It  is  able  to 
walk,  though  with  much  effort,  under  water,  as  well  as  dive  and 
swim  ;  and  I  have  often  seen  them,  on  coming  to  the  surface  in 
a  quiet  pool,  remain  perfectly  quiescent  and  floating  for  several 
seconds. — Fig.8,  plate  II. 

40.  MISSEL  THRUSH— (Turdus  viscivorus). 

Misseltoe  Thrush,  Missel-bird,  Stormcock,  Screech  Thrush, 
Holm  Thrush,  Holm  Screech. — A  handsome  bird  and  an  early 
builder.  The  Missel  Thrush  seems  to  lay  aside  some  of  its  wildness 
in  the  breeding  season,  and  draws  near  the  dwellings  of  men.  Its 
nest  may  continually  be  found  in  a  garden  or  orchard  close  to  a 
house,  and  in  the  thick  fork  of  an  apple  or  other  fruit  tree,  often 
ouly  a  few  feet  from  the  ground  Woe  be  to  the  cat  who  comes 
near  the  nest !  Such  a  storm  of  violent  abuse  and  loud-tongued 
birds'  Billingsgate  as  is  poured  on  her  devoted  head !  Nor  does  the 
human  intruder  escape  quite  without  a  telling  of  it,  or  what  my 
Yorkshire  friends  term  "  a  calling."  If  a  Missel  Thrush  is  very 
angry  with  you,  be  sure  his  nest  is  not  far  off.  It  is  a  large 
structure,  of  much  such  materials  and  design  as  the  Blackbird's, 
but  often  bound  round  and  round  with  long  rushes  or  roots,  or 
other  material  sufficiently  lengthy  and  pliable.  The  eggs,  four  or 
five  in  general,  often  vary  much  in  colouring  and  marks  ;  but  are 
in  general  of  a  whitish  ground-colour,  lightly  tinged  with  green 
(or  perhaps  faint  red),  and  well  spotted  with  red-brown. — Fig.  9, 
plate 

41.  WHITE'S  THRUSH— (Turdus  Whitei). 
Only  a  very  rare  visitant. 

42.  FIELDFARE— (Turdus  pilar  is). 

Felfit,  Felty-fare,  Blue-back,  Jack-bird. — A  very  common 
winter  visitor,  and  staying  sometimes  as  late  as  10th  May.  But 
they  do  not  breed  with  us ;  and  as  space  is  not  too  abundant,  any 
notice  which  can  be  afforded  of  this  bird's  nesting  habits  must 
be  put  in  the  Appendix  if  found  possible. 

43.  COMMON  THRUSB— (Turdus  musicus). 
Song  Thrush,  Throstle,  Mavis. — Every  one  knows  this  sweet 
songster,  and  could  point  out  its  pet  stone  with  its  little  accu- 
mulation of  shattered  snail  shells  which,  when  whole,  had  been 

D 


84  BRITISH   BIRDS,   THEIB,  EGGS  AND   NESTS. 

brought  there  by  the  knowing  Thrush  and  hammered  against  the 
well-fixed  anvil  until  they  gave  way.  Every  body  knows  his 
persevering  song,  begun  at  day-dawn  in  early  February,  and  per- 
severed in  for  months  of  the  spring  and  early  summer.  Every 
one  knows  its  trim,  neatly-plastered  nest,  with  its  warm,  solid 
coating  of  grass  and  bents  and  roots  and  such  like  materials. 
And  every  body  too,  knows  the  four  or  five  fair  blue  eggs  with 
their  tidy  black  spots,  which  now  and  then,  however,  can  hardly 
be  seen  at  all.  Every  body  also  knows  how  fussy  the  old  mother 
Thrush  is  the  day  her  brood  quit  their  nest ;  and  how,  if  you 
catch  one  of  her  awkward,  ill-flying,  soon-tired  squad  of  young 
ones,  she  will  follow  you  with  much  objurgation  and  no  little 
plaintive  entreaty  that  "a  great  fellow  like  you,  who  ought  to  be 
ashamed  of  yourself  for  frightening  a  poor  little  fluttering  crea- 
ture like  that,  will  put  it  clown  again  s  oon,  and  not  hurt  it,  and 
be  a  dear,  good  man, — now  do,  won't  you !  " — Fig.  10,  plate  II. 

42.  REDWING.— (Turdus  iliacus). 

Like  the  Eieldfare,  frequent  in  winter ;  but  breeds  in  another 
country. 

43.  BLACKBIRD.— (Turdus  merula). 

Black  Ouzel,  Amzel,  Ouzel,  also  pronounced  sometimes  in  North 
Yorkshire,  so  as  to  sound  like  Ussel  or  Oossel.  Merle  in  Shaks- 
peare.  The  Blackbird's  tawny  bill  and  sable  plumage  and  sweet 
mellow  song — would  one  like  it  as  well  if  he  were  as  lavish  of 
it  as  the  Thrush  ?  Who  does  not  welcome  and  love  him  ?  And 
to  a  very  youthful  nest-hunter  what  a  deserving  bird  the  Black- 
bird is.  Making  his  nest  usually  in  such  places  and  so  that 
detection  is  not  at  all  a  matter  of  course,  and  yet  not  altogether 
beyond  the  discernment  of  inexperienced  eyes.  The  discovery 
of  our  first  Blackbird's  nest  is  always  felt  to  be  a  sort  of 
achievement,  and  one  to  be  spoken  of  with  reasonable  self- 
approbation  too.  In  the  hedge,  at  the  bottom  of  the  hedge,  on 
the  stump,  behind  the  stump,  below  the  stump,  an  excresence  on 
the  side  of  the  ragged  old  tree,  in  a  w^ll  tree,  in  an  evergreen 
or  other  thick  bush — how  often  have  we  found  the  nest  in  these 
and  such  like  places.  Once  we  lound  one  which  we  set  down 
as  made  by  the  imtidiest  Blackbird  that  ever  lived.  It  was  in  a 
thorn  hedge  thick  and  high,  and  a  great  rough  structure.  But 
a  IOCK  of  wool,  a  big  one,  had  been  unmanageable  and  had 
caught  on  the  thorns,  and  the  feathered  architect  could  do 
nothing  with  it,  and  there  it  hung  out  of  the  nest-wall  a  thick 
tangle,  inches  long,  and  making  the  nest  as  conspicuous  as  if 
a  flag  had  been  stuck  just  above  it.  How  the  eggs  vary  in 
sliade,  markings,  size,  &c.,  I  have  already  noticed  at  a  former 


HBDGE-SPAILROTf. 

page,  and  I  am  fearful  of  absorbing  too  much  of  my  space 
adding  more. — Fig.  11,  plate  II. 

44.  RING  OUZEL.— (Turdns  torquatus). 

Ring  Thrush,  Moor  Blackbird,  Mountain  Blackbird,  Tor  Ouzel, 
Rock  Ouzel,  Ring  Blackbird.  A  bold  abusive  freebooter  in  our 
gardens  in  North  Yorkshire,  and  other  similar  localities.  He's  a 
beautiful  bird,  and  a  wary,  except  when  seduced  by  strawberries 
and  red  currants.  His  wild  and  not  unmusical  note,  though  it 
might  sound  harsh  in  a  trim  garden  in  Kent  or  Essex,  and  to  an 
ear  not  attuned  to  moorland  sounds,  is  always  as  welcome  to  me  as 
the  gentler  twitter  of  the  Swallow.  I  like  to  hear  his  attempts 
at  song,  reminding  the  listener  of  the  Missel-bird's  early  spring 
music.  And  I  like  to  hear  his  wilder,  grating  call-note,  which  is 
the  usual  warning  the  ornithologist  has  that  the  Moor  Blackbird 
has  returned  for  the  season.  His  nest  is  very  like  the  Blackbird's 
in  design  and  general  structure.  An  inner  lining  of  bents  and 
fine  ling,  a  wall  of  clay,  and  an  outer  husk  of  moss,  ling,  and 
such  like  moorland  matters.  It  is  not  strongly  or  compactly 
formed,  and  makes  a  great  litter  if  kept  a  day  or  two  and 
subject  to  be  handled  or  moved,  however  carefully.  It  is  always 
built  on,  or  near  the  ground,  on  the  wild  moor;  and  I  once  trod 
the  feathers  out  of  the  wing  of  a  sitting  hen,  on  whom  and  her 
nest  I  nearly  trod  in  leaping  a  gully.  The  eggs  are  usually  four 
or  five  in  number,  and  remind  you  of  the  Blackbird's  eggs  in 
their  general  appearance ;  but  the  blotchings  or  marking*  are 
redder,  and  often  much  larger  or  more  pronounced  than  in  the 
case  of  the  Blackbird.  Their  eggs,  too,  vary  generally  in  size, 
even  in  the  same  nest.  Out  of  the  contents  of  two  nests  I  had 
brought  to  me  a  year  or  two  since,  no  two  seemed  to  agree 
exactly  in  dimensions. — Fig.  12,  plate  II. 

45.  GOLDEN   ORIOLE.— (Orwlus  galbula}. 
Only  an  unaccustomed  summer  visitor. 
IV.   SYLVIADJB. 

46.  ALPINE  ACCENTOR,— (Accentor  alpinus). 
Met  with  two  or  three  times  in  Britain. 

47.  HEDGE-SPARROW.— (Accentor  modularis). 
Hedge-warbler,    Shuffle-wing,   Duimock,    Hem^ie. — I   cannot 

call  it  Hedge-accentor,  with  all  my  respect  for  jVIr.  Yarrell.  It 
was  Hedge-sparrow  in  my  childhood  and  youth,  and  Hedge- 
sparrow  to  me  it  will  be  called  to  the  end' of  the  chapter.  J 
could  no  more  wantonly  kill  a  Hedge-sparrow,  in  my  sparrow- 
1h;m  -a  "Hobin  :  nnd  now.  whon  I  hear  his  low.  sweet 


56  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

pipe,  and  see  his  wings  quivered  as  he  hops  on  the  ground  01 
from  spray  to  spray  not  knowing  I  am  noticing  him,  he  seems  as 
dear  to  me  as  ever.  The  mossy  nest,  with  its  intermixture  of  tine 
roots  and  hairs,  may  be  found  weeks  before  leaves  are  thought  of, 
on  the  bank-side  or  low  in  the  hed^e,  and  little  concealed ;  and 
the  four  or  five  beautiful  blue  eggs  in  it  become  familiar  to  evei'y 
nest-seeker  among  his  very  earliest  acquisitions. — Fig.  13, plate  IL 

48.  ROBIN.— (Erythaca  rubecula). 

Redbreast,  Robin  Redbreast,  Ruddock,  Robinet,  Bob-robim 
I  remember  throwing  a  stone  at  a  Robin  when  a  very  little  boy, 
and  to  my  consternation  and  utter  grief,  no  less  than  to  my  sur- 
prise, killing  it.  I  "felt  bad"  about  it — as  our  American  friends 
say — and  thought  I  was  as  wicked  as  the  Sparrow  of  bow-and- 
arrow  memory.  It  seems  to  be,  or  to  have  been,  a  common  feel- 
ing among  boys,  and  is  embodied  in  the  old  lines  : — 

"  The  Robin  and  the  Wren 
Are  God's  Cook  and  Hen." 

How  beautiful  the  Robin's  eggs  are  when  just  laid  ;  and  how  they 
lose  their  peculiar  pinky  lovelii  ess  from  being  blown.  A  hundred 
different  places,  too,  the  little  biid  selects  for  the  site  of  its  nest; 
often  being  such  moreover,  as  to  illustrate  their  confiding  fear 
'essness,  as  much  as  the  result  in  them  of  the  pressure  of  winter 
cold  and  hunger.  In  the  tilt  of  a  wagon;  in  a  steam-boat;  in  a 
room  of  the  cottage  ;  near  a  blacksmith's  forge  ;  in  the  constantly- 
used  garden-shed,  as  well  as  in  the  ivy  or  evergreen  bush ;  or  on 
the  bank,  or  in  the  hedge ;  or  in  a  hole  in  the  old  ruin  or  bank 
or  house-wall  :  all  places  seem  to  suit  it  alike.  The  eggs  are 
five  or  six,  sometimes  seven ;  and  the  shell  is  white,  more  or 
less  freckled  with  light  red. — fig.  14,  plate  IL 

49.  BLUE-THROATED   WARBLER.— (Phanicura    Suecica}. 
Blue-throated  Robin,  Blue-throated  Redstart,  Blue-bieast.— - 
Only  of  very  rare  occurrence. 

50.  REDSTART.— (Phcenkum  ruticUla} 
Firetail,  Eiretiirt,  Brantail,  Redtail.  The  male  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  our  small  birds,  and  I  wish  I  could  think  it  as 
abun  hint  w  th  us  as  it  used  to  be  The  nest  is  loosely  con- 
structed of  moss,  with  a  few  small  straws  or  bents  sometimos, 
and  hair  and  feathers  inside,  and  almost  invariably  is  placed  in 
a  hole,  it  may  be  in  a  hollowish  tree,  or  a  wall,  or  even  in  a  bank ; 
and  here,  where  dry-stone  walls  abound,  its  choice  of  nesting- 
places  is  inexhaustible.  Very  watchful  are  the  old  birds  over  the 
eggs,  and  ve*-y  fussy  and  noisy  when  the  eggs  have  yielded  their 
living  contents,  and  yet  very  careful  too.  J  knew*  there  was  a 
cest  the  year  before  last  not  far  from  my  garden  gatej  but  it  was 


WHEAT-EAE.  3f 

act  till  I  hid  myself  most  carefully  and  patiently  behind  the 
door,  that  1  made  myself  master  of  the  vigilant  little  sentinel's 
secret.  It  lays  four  or  five,  and,  occasionally,  six  eggs,  of  a  pale 
uniform  blue  colour,  perhaps  tinned  with  a  faint  green  shade.  They 
are  almost  as  pretty  as  the  Hedge-sparrow's. — Fig.  15,  plate  II. 

51.  BLACK  REDSTART.— (Phanicura   fitnys). 

Tithys,  Red  start,  Black  Red-tail. — It  has  been  met  with  in 
Britain  perhaps  half-a-dozen  times,  or  rather  more. 

51.  STONE-CHAT.— (Saxicola  rubicola). 

Stone-chatter,  Stone-clink,  Stone-smick,  Stone-chack,  Stone- 
smith,  Moor-titling,  Chickstone,  Black-cap. — A  very  common 
bird  in  many  districts,  and  from  his  habits  much  more  familiarly 
and  commonly  known  and  noticed  than  other  birds  equally 
or  even  more  abundant,  but  of  less  obtrusive  or  quieter  habits. 
Flitting  about  from  bush  to  bush,  and  seating  himself  pertly  on  the 
top  spray,  there  he  sits  and  "  chats  "  or  "  clinks  "  till  the  pas- 
senger comes  too  near,  and  then  off  he  flies  again,  to  perch  again 
a  few  yards  further  and  repeat  the  same  performance.  The  nest, 
sometimes  very  neat  and  well-constructed,  of  moss  and  benty 
grass,  and  lined  with  hair,  feathers,  fine  grass-stalks,  &c.,  is  often 
quite  on  the  ground  and  with  no  bush  near ;  sometimes  at  the 
foot  of  alow  bush,  or  in  the  bush  itself,  but  very  near  the  ground. 
The  eg^s  are  five  or  six,  of  a  pale  blue  ground,  very  sparingly 
.freckled  with  dull  reddish  brown,  and  chiefly  near  the  large  end. 
The  nest  is  often  hard  to  find,  and  especially  when  built  among 
longish  herbage,  or  in  or  near  a  whin-bush.— Fig.  16,  plate  11. 

53.  WHIN-CHAT.— (Saxicola   rubefra). 

Grass-chat,  Furze-chat. — Many  of  the  birds  last-named  pass 
the  winter  in  England  ;  but  only  a  few  of  the  Whin-chats.  This 
is  never  so  abundant  a  species  as  the  last,  and  though  with  some 
similar  habits  it  has  no  urgent  inclination  to  force  us  to  notice  it 
by  the  incessant  repetition  of  its  note.  The  nest  strongly  resein 
bles  that  of  the  Stone-chat.  It  is  also  usually  placed  on  the 
ground,  and  is  fully  as  hard  to  find  as  that  bird's.  The  eggs,  five 
or  six  of  them,  are  of  a  uniform  blueish  green,  very  slightly 
speckled  or  marked  with  dull-red. — Fig.  17,  plate  II. 

54.  WHEAT-EAR,— (Saxicola  cenanthe). 

Fallow-chat,  White-rump,  White-tail,  Fallow-smick,  Fallow- 
finch,  Chacker,  Chackbird,  Clodhopper,  with  some  other  quainter 
names  still,  which  I  have  noted  down,  and  yet  another  or  two 
common  to  the  VV heat-ear  and  Stone-chat,  such  as  Stone-chacker. 
A  common  bird  enough  here,  and  with  some  of  the  more  obrioun 


58  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THFIR    EGGS 


the  Stone-chat.  It  perches  on  the  stone  walls  as  one 
xfoproaches  it,  and  flirts  its  tail  and  chacks,  and  then  diviner  below 
the  wall  on  the  far  side,  re-appears  again  ten  or  twelve  yards  lower, 
and  acts  as  before  ;  and  so  on  for  a  hundred  yards  or  more.  The 
stone  walls  in  our  district,  and  the  large  heaps  of  stones,  removed 
in  reclaiming  parts  of  the  moor  and  Hung  promiscuously  together 
any  where  to  be  out  of  the  way,  afford  them  capital  breeding 
-;]*ices.  In  other  countries  old  walls,  or  holes  in  the  sides  of  pits 
'or  excavations,  serve  their  purpose.  The  nest  is  not  very  artistic 
or  well-finished,  and  formed  of  many  different  materials,  bents, 
feathers,  dry  roots,  fur,  in  short  any  waste  matters  which  may 
have  come  in  the  way  of  the  builders.  The  Eggs  are  five  or  six 
in  number,  and  of  a  pale-blue  colour  not  so  dark  as  those  of  the 
Hedge-sparrow.  It  is  said  that  people  accustomed  to  the  habits 
of  the  Wheat-ear  are  able  to  find  its  nest  without  difficulty, 
from  the  occurrence  of  certain  noticeable  signs  in  its  neigh- 
bourhood. —  Fig.  1,  plate  III. 

55.   GRASSHOPPER    WARBLER.—  (Salicaria  locustella). 

A  summer  visitor,  of  shy  and  retired  habits,  and  very  vigilant. 
/ts  note,  very  shrill  and  constantly  repeated,  reminding  one  of 
the  Cricket  or  Grasshopper's  note,  gains  it  its  name.  The 
nest  is  hard  to  find,  and  unless  the  bird  be  very  closely 
watched,  it  may  baffle  a  good  observer.  It  is  placed  in  spots 
matted  and  overhung  with  growth  of  grass  or  other  herbage  and 
bushes  ;  is  cup-shaped,  made  of  coarse  dry  grass,  with  liner 
within;  and  contains  sometimes  as  many  as  seven  eggs,  of  a 
pale  pinky  -white  colour,  freckled  with  spots  of  a  darker  shade 
of  red.—  Fig.  2,  plate  III. 

56.  SEDGE  WARBLER.—  (Sahcana  phragmitis). 
This  everlasting  little  songster  is  more  common  than  the  bird 
ast  named,  and  almost  every  boy  knows  its  peculiar  chiding  note. 
Many  a  lad,  too,  knows  that  by  shying  a  stone  in  near  its  haunt, 
its  notes  may  be  elicited  almost  any  hour  in  the  night  or  day. 
I  think  I  have  heard  it  singing  on  all  through  the  night,  and 
notwithstanding  the  absence  of  any  pretence  at  daylight.  Its 
nest  is  usually  placed  near  the  ground,  in  the  vicinity  of  more  or 
less  water,  and  is  supported,  as  well  as  concealed,  by  the  coarse 
herbage.  Made  of  coarse  grass  stalks  externally,  and  lined  with 
finer  ones  and  hair,  sometimes  with  a  foundation  of  moss,  five 
or  six  eggs  are  deposited  in  its  cup-shaped  hollow,  of  a  pale  brown 
oolour,  a  little  mottled  with  darker  brown.  —  Fig.  3,  plate  II  L 

57.  SAYI'S  WARBLER.—  (Salicaria  Luscinoides). 
Not  of  sufficiently  common  occurrence  to  demand  notice  here. 


BLACKCAP.  39 


58.  REED  WARBLER.— (Salicaria  aruridinacea) . 

Heed  Wren,  Night  Warbler.  Almost  as  zealous  a  songster  as 
the  Sedge  Warbler.  There  are  few  hours  in  the  twenty-four 
when  its  voice  may  not  be  heard  about  its  accustomed  haunts ; 
namely,  willow  and  reed  beds,  and  particularly  the  latter.  The 
nest  is,  perhaps,  the  deepest  made  by  any  English  bird,  and 
quite  a  long  inverted  cone  in  shape.  It  is  affixed  to  or  rather 
built  so  as  to  include  three  or  four  reeds,  or  more.  So  that, 
however  the  wind  blows,  it  is  quite  fast,  while  its  great  depth 
prevents  the  eggs  falling  out,  even  if  the  reeds  be  blown  almost 
level.  The  bird  has  been,  seen  still  sitting  when  the  violent 
gusts  forced  the  nest  down  almost  to  the  water  level.  The  nest 
is  made  of  long  grass  and  the  seed-stalks  of  the  reed,  and  lined 
.  with  wool  or  the  like.  Four  or  five  eggs  of  a  greenish  white 
colour,  marked  in  spots  and  dashes  of  green  and  pale  brown, 
are  usually  laid. — fig.  4,  plate  III. 

59.  NIGHTINGALE.— (Philomela  Luscinia). 

This  sweetest  of  the  English  warblers  has  but  a  limited  range. 
In  Essex,  Suffolk  and  Cambridgeshire,  I  used  to  hear  it  abun- 
dantly ;  but  of  late  years,  as  a  resident  in  Yorkshire,  its  note 
has  become  strange  in  my  ears.  Shy  and  vigilant  in  its  habits, 
it  does  not  willingly  expose  itself  to  observation,  and  its  haunts 
are  so  thick  that  discovery  of  its  nest  is  not  always  easy.  It 
seems  often  an  untidy  structure,  but  according  to  my  observation 
not  usually  built  on  the  ground,  as  Mr.  Yarrell  states.  I  have 
found  it  in  a  thick  thorn  hedge  or  bush,  and  in  shrubs  in  the 
garden;  made  of  twigs,  straw,  grass,  and  especially  old  oak- 
leaves,  and  with  only  a  jagged  margin.  The  eggs,  four  and 
sometimes  five  of  them,  are  of  "  an  uniform  olive-brown  colour," 
and  from  the  time  they  are  laid,  the  bird  only  sings  occasionally. 
After  they  are  hatched,  never. — Fig.  5,  plate  III. 

60.  BLACKCAP.— (Curmca  atricapilla). 

Blackcap  Warbler.  This  bird,  with  several  others,  has  a  local 
o:  country  name  in  common,  derivable,  I  believe,  from  the 
structure  of  the  nest.  I  mean  Hay-jack  or  Hay-chat ;  but  it  is, 
I  think,  much  less  frequently  distinguished  by  that  name  than 
the  three  birds  next  to  be  mentioned.  The  country  boy's  name 
for  one  of  these  nests  must  always  be  distrusted,  as  is  the  case 
also  with  his  designation  of  other  common,  but  much  more 
dissimilar  birds.  Thus,  not  to  mention  other  instances,  the 
Blackcap  proper,  the  Greater  Tom-tit  and  the  Stone-chat  are 
all  called  Blackcap. — The  Blackcap  warbler  comes  to  us  in  spring, 


•iO  BRITISH    BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

and  builds  in  our  gardens  and  shrubberies  as  frequently  as  in 
wilder  resorts,  but  always  in  places  where  there  is  thick  foliage 
and  plentiful  means  of  concealment.  It  is  a  very  shy  bird  and 
very  unwilling  to  be  gazed  at.  If  it  sees  you  watching  it,  you 
soon  lose  sight  of  it  as  it  hops  and  twists  from  spray  to  spray 
into  the  inner  and  shadiest  recesses  of  its  haunt.  Its  nest,  too, 
is  studiously  concealed,  and  Mr.  Yarrell  says  it  will  leave  two  or 
three  just  commenced  nests  in  succession,  on  light  grounds  of 
suspicion  that  it  has  been  noticed  in  its  labours.  The  nest  is  a 
benty,  and  saving  for  the  ties  of  wool  or  cobweb,  a  slightly 
compacted  edifice,  lined  with  hair  and  fine  fibres,  and  contains 
four  or  five  eggs  of  varying  colour  and  mottlings — white,  greenish 
or  tinged  with  a  peculiar  shade  of  faint  red,  being  the  ground- 
colour, with  markings  of  a  reddish  brown. — Fig.  6,  plate 

61.  GARDEN  WARBLER—  (Curruca  hortensis). 
Pettychapa,  Greater  Pettychaps.  Inferior  to  the  Blackcap  in 
song,  as  the  Blackcap  is  inferior  to  the  Nightingale,  only  not  at 
so  great  a  distance.  Still  it  is  a  sweet  songster.  It  comes  to  us 
to  breed,  and  frequents  thick  hedges  and  the  covert  afforded  by 
our  shrubberies  and  pleasure-plantings  in  gardens.  Tie  nest, 
like  the  Blackcap's  in  materials  and  detail,  of  dry  grass-stalks  or 
bents  loosely  twined  but  bound  together  with  wool,  #c.,  and 
lined  with  hair  and  fibrous  roots,  may  be  found  among  rank 
growth  of  various  herbage,  or  in  a  bush,  or  in  a  row  of  rodded 
peas.  The  usual  four  or  five  eggs  are  of  muddled- white,  staiaed  and 
spotted  with  greenish  brown,  lighter  or  darker. — Fig.  7,  pfate  III. 

62.  WHITE-THROAT— (Curruca  cinered). 
Nettle-creeper. — Another  pleasant  singer,  but  with  occasional 
harsher  notes  and  a  chiding  one,  not  unlike  the  Sedgebird's:  when 
uneasy  or  irritated.  This  is  the  usual  Haychat  of  the  country 
lads,  and  fully  as  often  called  the  Nettle-creeper;  the  former 
name  being  due  to  the  fabric  of  its  nest,  the  latter  to  its  habrts 
of  twining  in  and  out  of  the  leaves  and  coarse  herbage  which 
abound  among  its  haunts.  Little  description  of  the  nest  is  needed, 
except  that  it  seems  slighter,  and  is  thinner  at  the  sides  than 
those  last  named,  but  still  it  is  not  less  compact.  The  eggs  vary 
a  good  deal  in  appearance,  but  there  is  still  such  a  family  likeness 
among  them  that  they  are  easily  recognizable  by  most  egg- 
fanciers.  Green,  in  different  shades,  is  the  predominating  colour. 
—Fig.  8,  plate  III. 

63.  LESSER  WHITE-THROAT—  (Curruca  sylvielld]. 
Not  so  common  a  bird  nearly,  as  the  last,  and  rising  higher  in 
the  bushes  and  shrubberies  it  frequents  than  it.    It  sings  low  and 


DARTTORD    WARBLER.  4l 

pleasantly  when  you  are  near  enough  to  hear  it,  and  very  inces- 
santly, but  its  more  frequently  heard  notes  are  rather  harsh.  The 
nest,  found  among  low  bushes  and  brambles,  is  like  the  White- 
throat's,  and  the  four  or  five  eggs  laid  in  it  are  white,  speckled, 
most  at  the  large  end,  with  ash  or  light  brown. — Fig.  9,  plate  HI 

64.  WOOD  WARBLER— (Sylvia  sibilatrix}. 
Wood  Wren,  Yellow  Wren. — This  bird  was  long  confounded 
with  the  Willow  Wren  to  be  named  next.  It  comes  to  us  for 
the  summer,  the  males  (as  is  the  case  with  so  many  of  the 
Warblers),  coming  first  by  several  days.  It  is  abundant  enough 
in  some  well-wooded  parts  of  the  kingdom,  and  its  song  is  only 
called  such  by  courtesy.  It  builds  a  domed  nest ;  that  is  one 
covered  in  above,  and  with  a  side  entrance ;  on  the  ground  amid 
grass  or  weeds.  It  is  made  of  grass,  dead  leaves,  moss,  and 
lined  with  hair  and  soft  grass.  The  eggs  are  six  in  number, 
white,  and  very  much  speckled  and  spotted  with  dark  red- 
purple. — Fig.  10,  plate  III. 

65.  WILLOW  WREN— (Sylvia  trochilus). 
Willow  Warbler,  Yellow  Wren,  Scotch  Wren,  Hay -bird,  Huck- 
muck,  Ground  Wren. — A  well  known  little  bird  to  the  observant. 
It  sings  "  a  soft  and  pleasing  "  song,  and  is  a  lively  little  fellow, 
in  incessant  motion.  Very  restless  and  uneasy  too,  when  vou  are 
near  its  nest,  and  particularly  if  the  young  are  hatched!.  The 
nest  is  domed,  externally  like  the  one  last  named,  but  always 
lined  with  feathers,  which  the  last  never  is.  It  is  built  on  a  bank 
or  bankside,  among  grass  or  other  herbage,  and  contains  five  to 
seven  eggs,  white,  with  many  small  speckles  of  red  not  very  dark. 
There  is  an  instance  on  record,  in  which  this  bird  did  not  leave 
its  nest  though  it  had  been  bodily  removed  from  its  site  on 
the  ground,  and  even  before  any  eggs  were  laid  or  the  nest 
itself  completed — one  of  the  most  remarkable  cases  of  the  kind 
known. — Fig.  11,  plate  III. 

66.  CHIFFCHAEF— (Sylvia  hippolais). 
Lesser  Pettychaps,  Least  Willow  Wren. — An  "early  bird" 
this  is  in  coming  to  us  in  spring  time,  and  able  and  willing  enough 
to  take  its  substitute  for  the  "  worm."  The  two  syllables  of  its 
name,  differently  accented,  form  its  song.  Its  nest  is  like  that  of 
the  Willow  Wren,  with  the  addition  of  a  few  dead  leaves  outside 
and  abundance  of  feathers  inside,  and  is  also  placed  on  (or  very 
near)  the  ground  on  a  hedgebank.  The  Chiffchaff  lays  six  eggs, 
white,  with  specks  of  daik  purplish-red. — Fia.  12,  plate  III. 

67.  DARTFORD  WARBLER—  (Melizophilus provincialis). 
A  bird  which  is  scarcely  known  except  on  some  of  the  furze- 
growing  commons  of  the   South,  especially  Kent    and  Surrey. 


42  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

The  nest  is  of  dry  grass-stalks,  loosely  put  together  and  tied 
with  wool  and  sparingly  lined  with  other  fine  and  dry  vegetable 
substances.  "The  eggs/3  we  read  in  Yarrell,  "are  somewhat 
similar  to  those  of  the  Whitethroat,  but  rather  less ;  and  like 
them,  are  tinged  with  green.  They  are  speckled  all  over  with 
olive-brown  and  cinereous  on  a  greenish  white  ground ;  the 
markings  becoming  more  dense  and  forming  a  zone  at  the  large 
end."— Fig.  13,  plate  III. 

68.  GOLD-CRESTED  REGULUS— (Regulus  cristatus). 

Gold-crest,  Gold-crested  Wren,  Golden-crested  Warbler,  Gold- 
crowned  Kinglet. — One  of  the  smallest  of  our  native  birds  and 
possessing  a  "  soft  and  pleasing  song."  Its  nest — one  of  the 
/ery  most  beautiful  of  all  our  English  nests — is  built  beLow  the 
branch  of  a  spruce  fir-tree  and  near  the  end  of  the  bough,  being  sus- 
pended to  two  or  more  of  the  spreading  side-boughs.  These  are 
often  woven  in  with  the  moss  and  wool  of  the  nest,  and  then 
there  is  a  lining  of  feathers;  spiders'  webs  too  are  used  to 
compact  the  structure.  Seven  or  eight  eggs  are  laid,  which  vary 
remarkably,  in  different  nests,  in  both  ground-shade  and  mark- 
ings. Some  remind  one  of  the  usual  Robin's  egg  in  both,  though 
the  spots  are  much  finer.  Others  are  pale  white,  with  yellowish- 
brown  (rather  than  red)  speckles, — Fig.  14,  plate  III. 

69.  EIRE-CRESTED  REGULUS.— (Regulus  igmcapillus). 

Much  less  common  than  the' last,  though  very  likely  often  con- 
founded with  it  from  its  great  general  resemblance.  Its  nest  is 
like  its  gold-crowned  relation's,  and  the  eggs  seem  to  resemble 
the  variety  first  described  in  the  above  notice  of  that  bird. 

V.  PARIDJE. 
70.  GREAT    TITMOUSE.— (Pants  major). 

Great  Tit,  Oxeye,  Blackcap,  Great  Bl^ckheaded  Tomtit,  Pick- 
cheese. — It  might  also  be  called,  and  I  believe  is  in  one  district,  the 
Saw-sharpener,  for  its  note  certainly  puts  one  in  mind  of  that 
agreeable  musical  operation.  The  Tomtits  are  familiar  to  all  of  us, 
and  "  impudent"  is  one  of  the  epithets  we  most  usually  apply  to 
the  whole  tribe.  Most  of  them  breed  in  some  hollow  place  or  hole. 
The  nest  of  the  Great  Tit  is  formed  of  moss,  with  a  feather  lining, 
and  is  sometimes  placed  in  a  hole  in  a  wall ;  sometimes  in  some 
appropriate  recess  in  a  hollow  tree.  Like  the  other  Tits,  it  lays 
many  eggs,  occasionally  from  six  to  nine.  They  are  white,  of 
fair  size,  and  well  spotted  as  well  as  speckled  with  a  decided 
shade  of  red.  There  is  an  easily  recognised  resemblance  between 
the  eggs  of  all  the  Tomtit  family. — Fig.  15,  plate  III. 


COLE  TITMOUSE.  43 

71.  BLUE  TITMOUSE.— (Paras  cceruleus). 

Tomtit,  Blue  Tomtit,  Nun,  Blue-cap,  Blue-bonnet,  Billy-biter, 
Hickwall,  Blue  Mope.  One  of  the  most  impudent  of  an  impu- 
dent lot.  A  pair  had  built  their  nest  in  a  crevice  between  the 
lintel  and  stonework  of  my  coach-house,  and  my  children  from 
their  nursery  window  observed  it.  Eor  their  amusement  I  got 
a  ladder  and  looked  in.  The  bold  little  matron  could  not  be 
induced  to  leave  the  hole,  but  spit  and  hissed  like  a  regular 
vixen,  and  tried  to  make  herself  as  big  as  two  by  ruffling  up  her 
feathers,  so  as  to  frighten  the  owners  of  the  ugly  faces,  as  she 
would  think,  she  saw  at  her  door.  Often,  too,  have  I  been 
bitten  sharply  by  one  I  had  laid  hold  of.  Almost  any  hole  in  any 
object  will  do  for  the  nest-site.  Even  a  bottle,  a  wooden  box,  a 
pump-barrel,  a  queer-shaped  cavity  in  an  old  tree  only  big  enough 
to  admit  such  a  small  creature,  all  are  made  available.  The  nest 
is  voluminous,  of  moss,  hair,  and  feathers ;  and  the  eggs  are  almost 
endless.  From  six  up  to  twelve  or  thirteen  is  of  common  occur- 
rence. Mr.  Hewitson  mentions  one  case  of  eighteen  eggs !  They 
are  white,  and  spotted  with  pale  red.  The  journeys  of  the  old 
birds  to  and  from  the  nest  when  supplying  their  large  family 
with  food  are  literally  innumerable ;  and  the  number  of  small 
caterpillars,  grubs,  plant-lice,  and  the  like,  destroyed  by  these 
indefatigable  caterers,  must  be  simply  astonishing.  I  think  the 
pair  just  now  referred  to  made  at  least  one  visit  to  the  nest  ever? 
two  minutes  throughout  the  day.  The  climbing,  clinging  habit;, 
of  this  and  other  Tomtits  are  very  amusing;  and  in  former  days 
I  made  them  dance  on  the  slack-rope  for  my  amusement  and  my 
friends'.  I  strung  a  nut  or  two  on  a  piece  of  strong  thread,  and 
tied  ths  two  extremities  to  a  tree  and  a  nail  in  a  wall  near  the 
window,  respectively.  This  plan  gave  me  many  lengthened 
opportunities  for  watching  their  ways.  I  have  also  seen  them  strip- 
ping off  the  loose  bark  from  pine-planks  and  picking  out  the  fine 
fat  grubs  which  eat  their  way  between  the  wood  and  the  bark. — 
Eiff.  ^plate  III. 

72.  CHESTED  TITMOUSE.— (P0nw  crtstatwi). 
As  rare  with  us  as  the  last  two  Tits  are  common. 
73.  COLE  TITMOUSE.— (Parus  ater). 

Coiemouse,  Coal-head. — A  hardy  little  bird,  of  no  rare  occur- 
rence in  any  part  of  the  kingdom.  Incessantly  active  and  fre- 
quently associating  with  other  small  birds  it  prosecutes  a  restless 
search  for  the  small  insects  and  seeds  which  form  its  food.  Its 
nest,  of  moss  and  wool  and  hair  is  placed  in  a  hole  in  a  tree, 
sometimes  very  near  the  ground ;  sometimes  even  in  a  hole  in  the 


44  BRITISH    BIRDS,    THEIK   EGGS   AND    NESTS. 

ground  which  has  been  made  by  some  small  quadruped.  Like 

the  other  Tits,  if  necessary  it  will  enlarge  a  hole  in  a  tree  which 

it  finds  already  such  as  nearly  to  suit  its  requirements.  Six  to 
eight  eggs  are  laid,  white,  and  spotted  with  faint  red. 

74.  MARSH  TITMOUSE.— (Parus  palustris}. 

Coalhead,  Black-cap,  Willow-biter. — A  plentiful  species  in 
places  ;  but  as  its  narrte  intimates,  with  a  preference  for  districts' 
with  the  peculiar  low  growth  of  bush  and  willow  found  in  km 
fenny  countries.  It  makes  its  nest  in  old  willows  and  the  low 
stunted  trunks  of  pollard  trees,  and  will  labour  hard  to  make  a 
nearly  suitable  hole  quite  serviceable.  It  is  said  to  carry  the 
chips  it  makes  quite  away  to  some  distance.  The  nest  is  better 
built  than  those  of  the  Tits  hitherto  named,  of  moss  and  wool ; 
and  the  number  of  eggs  varies  from  five  or  six  to  eight  or  even 
ten.  They  are  of  the  usual  Tom-tit  type,  white,  spotted  with  red. 

75.  LONG-TAILED  TITMOUSE.— (Parus  candatus.) 
Long-tailed  Mag,  Mum-ruffin,  Bottle-tit,  Bottle-torn,  Long- 
tailed  Capon,  Long-tail  Pie,  Caper  Long-tail,  Oven-builder, 
Poke-pudding,  Mufflin,  &c.,  &c.  The  beautiful,  even  wonderful 
nest  of  this  little  bird  must  be  well-known  to  almost  all  nest- 
fanci'TS  —oval,  of  great  size  compared  with  the  tiny  architect ; 
built,  too,  entirely  by  the  female,  wondrously  compacted  with 
moss  and  wool,  and  "sparkling  with  lichens"  affixed  to  the 
outside,  it  affords  access  by  one  hole  only,  on  the  upper  part  of 
one  side,  to  the  inside  most  warmly  lined  with  feathers.  So 
thoroughly  is  it  secured  to  the  sticks  which  support  it,  that  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  obtain  an  entire  one  without  cutting  the 
sticks  for  removal  also.  The  eggs  are  often  ten  in  number,  and 
sometimes  one  or  two  more,  white,  and  very  slightly  specked 
with  red,  if  at  all.  What  the  little  bird  does  with  her  long  tail 
when  sitting,  is  a  marvel.  The  young,  when  able  to  fly,  keep 
much  together  and  with  their  parents-;  and  often,  when  at  rest, 
sit  very  close  together  on  one  branch,  so  as  to  present  a  doubtful 
looking  feathery  lump  to  the  observer's  eye. — Fig.  17,  plate  III. 

76.  BEARDED  TITMOUSE.— (Parus  biarmicus). 

The  male  of  this  species  is,  indeed,  a  beautiful  bird.  They  are 
met  with  in  sufficient  abundance  in  many  districts  in  England, 
e.g.y  about  the  Norfolk  Broads,  the  Meres  in  adjacent  counties, 
as  well  as  in  Surrey  and  Middlesex.  Until  lately,  from  the 
fenny  nature  of  the  soil  of  their  habitat,  they  have  been  less 
observed  than  any  other  birds ;  but  now  their  habits  are  much 
better  known.  Their  nest  is  often  made  of  various  finer  sedges 


GREY-HEADED  WAGTAIL.  45 

and  the  dead  flag-like  leaves  of  the  reed  with  a  little  grass,  and 
lined  with  the  seed-down  of  the  reed.  Sometimes  almost  on  the 
ground,  sometimes  raised  a  little  above  it  in  a  tuft  of  grass  or 
reeds,  on  the  margin  of  a  ditch  or  other  water,  it  contains  four 
to  six  eggs,  not  so  large  as  those  of  the  Greater  Titmouse,  and  of 
usual  Titmouse  colour  and  markings. — Fig.  18,  plate  III. 

VI.  AMPELID^E. 
77.  BOHEMIAN  WAXWING.— (Bombycilla  garrula). 

Waxen  Chatterer,  Chatterer,  Bohemian  Chatterer. — Less  rare 
as  a  visitor,  than  some  other  British  Birds  ;  but  still  only  a  visitor. 

VH.  MOTACILLID.E. 
78.  PIED  WAGTAIL.— (Motacilla  alba}. 

White  Wagtail,  Black  and  White  Wagtail,  Dishwasher,  Wash- 
tail,  Nanny  Washtail. — I  think  we,  ail  of  us,  know  this  familiar 
and  very  graceful  bird,  and  like  to  see  its  active  run  and  short 
flight  taken  for  the  purpose  of  capturing  an  insect.  We  have 
often  been  amused,  too,  at  seeing  perhaps  a  whole  family  of  young 
ones  running  among  the  legs  of  the  cows  near  the  water,  and 
taking  a  fly  now  from  the  belly  or  flank  of  the  great  animal,  and 
then  from  its  leg  or  the  ground.  The  nest  is  made  of  grass,  bents, 
dead  roots,  moss,  and  is  sometimes  found  in  a  hole  in  the  rude 
wall  of  an  old  shed  or  the  side  of  a  haulm  wall  or  pile  of  furze, 
or  in  a  hole  in  a  bank ;  sometimes  on  the  outside  of  a  heap  of 
sticks,  or  in  thatch,  or  upon  the  end  of  a  haystack,  and  other 
analogous  places.  Four  or  five  eggs  are  customarily  found  in  it, 
white,  and  speckled  with  cinereous  spots  and  lines,  being  often 
such  as  to  resemble  one  variety  of  the  varying  eggs  of  the  House- 
sparrow. — Fig.  19,  plate  III. 

79.  GREY  WAGTAIL.— (Motacilla  boarula). 

Less  plentiful  than  the  Pied  Wagtail,  equally  elegant  and 
more  beautiful,  this  little  bird  resembles  the  other  in  its  ways 
and  habits.  Its  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground  at  no  great 
distance  from  water,  which  has  many  attractions  for  it,  as  well  as 
for  the  common  "  Nanny  Wash-tail."  The  materials  and  general 
structure  are,  in  the  main,  the  same  as  in  the  last  case ;  feathers 
and  wool  being  introduced  as  a  lining.  There  are  often  five  or 
six  eggs  in  it,  of  a  faint  white  ground-colour,  mottled  and 
streaked  with  very  light  brown,  a  few  streaks  being  sometimes  of 
a  darker  tint.— Fig.  20,  plate  III. 

80.  GREY-HEADED  WAGTAIL.— (Motacilla    neglecta). 
Met  witH  less  than  half-a-dozen  times  in  all  in  Britain. 


46  BRITISH  BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS   A.KD  NESTS. 

81.  RAY'S  WAGTAIL.—  (Motacillaflava). 

Yellow  Wagtail,  Cow-bird.  —  A  summer  visitor,  and,  of  course, 
making  its  nest  with  us.  It  builds  on  the  ground,  in  cornfields 
or  fallows  ;  sometimes  on  a  stump  of  a  tree  level  with  the 
ground,  or  on  a  bank  of  earth  overhanging  water,  or  in  a  hole  in  a 
wall  in  the  same  vicinity.  The  said  nest  is  made  of  moss,  roots, 
dry  grass,  and  lined  with  the  same,  only  finer,  and  a  little  hair. 
Four  to  six  eggs  are  laid,  which  Mr.  Yarrell  says,  "  are  not  un- 
like those  of  the  Sedge-warbler,  only  rather  larger  ;  whitish  in 
colour,  mottled  nearly  all  over  with  yellow-brown  and  ash- 
brown." 


VIII.— 
82.  TREE  PIPIT.—  (Antlms  arboreus). 

Pipit  Lark,  Field  Titling,  Field  Lark,  Tree  Lark,  Grasshopper 
Lark.  No  long  time  elapses  after  the  spring  arrival  of  the  Tree 
Pipit  before  he  makes  his  presence  observable  by  indulging  in 
his  peculiar  mode  of  recommending  his  song,  not  unpleasant  in 
itself,  to  our  notice.  Seated  on  the  topmost  twig  of  a  tree  or 
high  bush  he  sings  awhile,  and  then  up  he  goes  with  fluttering 
wing,  singing  all  the  while,  and  also  while  descending  from  his 
greatest  height  on  outstretched  wing  to  the  twig  he  started 
from.  The  nest  is  always  on  the  ground,  and  not  far  from  a 
hedge,  or  under  a  low  bush,  and  is  found  also  in  woods  or 
nurseries  not  far  from  the  edge  of  a  drive  or  glade,  It  is  made 
of  moss  and  fibres  and  grass,  lined  with  finer  grass  and  a  little 
hair.  The  eggs  vary  inconceivably  in  tint  and  marks,  and 
entirely  baffle  description.  Some  are  purple-red,  others  yellowish- 
white  in  ground,  clouded  and  spotted  almost  all  over  with  different 
shades  of  greyish  brown.  —  Fig.  22,  23,  plate  III. 

83.  MEADOW  PIPIT.—  (Antfas  pratensis). 

Titlark,  Pipit  Lark,  Meadow  Titling,  Moor  Tit  or  Titling, 
lleather-lintie,  Moss-cheeper,  Lingbird,^Meadow  Lark.  A  very 
common  bird  here,  both  in  the  enclosed  lands  and  especially  on 
the  moors.  It  is  amusing  to  observe  how  they  sometimes  wind 
their  way  among  the  ling,  instead  of  flying  from  the  place  at 
which  they  have  alighted.  Its  nest  is  always  on  the  ground, 
sometimes  in  the  middle  of  a  grass  or  corn-field,  sometimes 
nearer  the  hedge,  but  always  so  placed  as  to  be  very  well  if  not 
very  closely  concealed.  6ne  I  found  accidentally  on  the  moor 
was  in  the  side  of  a  cavity  left  by  the  extraction  of  a  huge 
surface  block  of  stone,  in  a  kind  of  small  hollow  or  recess,  and 
coir,  plot  oly  covered  in  by  earth  and  ling.  In  addition  (o  its  five 


SKY  LARK.  47 

proper  eggs,  this  nest  contained  a  Cuckoo's  egg.  The  nest  is 
made  of  brents,  lined  with  the  same  arid  some  hairs.  The  eggs 
are  from  four  to  six,  and  vary  in  colour.  Mr.  Yarrell's  descrip- 
tion is,  "  of  a  reddish  brown  colour,  mottled  over  with  darker 
brown.3'  The  red  is  hardly  discoverable,  if  at  all,  in  some 
I  have,  and  I  should  have  said  "dusky  brown." — Fig.%1, plate  III. 

84.  ROCK  PIPIT.— (Anthus  petrosm). 

Dusky  Lark,  Rock  Lark,  Field  Lark,  Sea  Titling,  Sea  Lintie. 
This  bird,  it  seems,  was  lon^  confounded  with  the  two  last.  It 
is  seldom  met  with  far  inland,  and  is  not  always  found  near 
rocks,  notwithstanding  its  name.  It  is  a  ground-builder,  and 
where  there  are  rocks  handy,  the  nest  is  very  likely  to  be  on 
their  ledges,  if  only  a  little  grass  or  the  like  grows  there.  It  is 
composed  of  various  dry  grasses,  and  contains  four  or  five  eggs 
of  a  greenish  cast,  and  mottled  with  dusky  brown  or  dark 
cinereous  markings. 

85.  RICHARD'S  PIPIT.— (Anthus  Eicardi). 
Only  an  occasional  visitor  to  our  shores. 


2.    CONIROSTRES. 
FAMILY  I.— ALAUDIDJE. 

86.  SHORE  LARK.— (Alauda  alpestris). 
Only  a  very  few  of  these  birds  have  been  nfet  with  in  Britain 
87.  SKY  LARK.— (Alauda  arvensis). 

Lark,  Field  Lark,  Lavrock.  Very  few  words  of  description 
are  requisite  in  the  case  of  this  everywhere  familiar  and  favourite 
songster.  Tip  in  the  sky,  and  soaring  still,  he  pours  out  his 

oyous  strains,  suggesting  to  us  much  more  forcibly  than  any 
other  bird  does  in  its  song  the  thought  that  it  is  offering  praise 
and  thanks  to  Him  who  made  and  preserves  the  fowl  that  fly  in 

;he  air,  as  well  as  all  other  creatures.     So  that  the  thought  in 

he  old  German  Hymn, — 

"  Hark !  Hark !  the  Lark  at  Heaven's  gate  sings," 

seems  not  fanciful  to  us,  but  solemn  truth.  Once  last  summer  1 
was  speaking  the  solemn  words,  "  dust  to  dust,  ashes  to  ashes," 
over  a  dead  parishioner,  followed  as  they  so  soon  are  by  the  telling 
of  our  "  sure  and  certain  hope  of  a  joyful  resurrection,"  when  a 
Sky  Lark,  right  over  our  heads,  broke  out  into  his  sweet,  simple, 
.hankful,  hopeful,  joyous  melody,  and  by  it  spoke  to  more  sad 


48  BRITISH   BIRDS,   THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

hearts  than  one  in  that  silent  company.  Up,  up,  to  the  sky  was 
his  pathway,  and  the  song  and  the  soaring  both  said  that  a  "joyful 
resurrection"  was  no  "  cunningly  devised  fable." 

The  Sky  Lark's  nest  is  always  on  the  ground,  often  near  the 
edgtj  of  a  furrow,  sometimes  near  a  little  grassy  unevenness  ol 
the  surface,  sometimes  even,  cunningly  concealed  in  a  dry  grassy 
grip  by  the  side  of  a  field  at  the  foot  of  a  low  hedge-bank,  ft 
is  but  a  slight  amd  inartificial  structure,  of  bents  lined  with  finer 
grasses  and  a  few  fibrous  roots.  The  eggs,  which  I  never  knew 
to  exceed  five  in  number,  vary  as  much  in  general  colour  and 
markings  as  the  Tree  Pipit's  and  quite  baffle  verbal  description. 
I  found  three  in  a  nest  two  years  ago,  altogether  dusky  in  general 
hue  and  so  dark  that  I  can  hardly  use  the  word  brown  in  describ- 
ing the  shade;  while  generally  " dark  grey"  and  "ash  brown" 
wm  succeed  in  conveying  an  idea  of  the  mottlings  characterising 
the  egg.  Besides  which,  by  no  means  a  small  proportion  of  a 
large  collection  of  Sky  Lark's  eggs  will  always  be  found  to  show 
a  prevailing  tinge  of  green  in  the  surface  colouring.  The  Lark 
is  a  very  faithful  mother,  and  will  not  easily  be  induced  to  leave 
her  nest ;  and  even  when  the  nest  has  become  quite  untenable 
longer,  from  any  cause,  the  parent  birds  have  been  known  to 
move  both  eggs  and  young  to  a  safer  place,  by  grasping  them 
with  the  long  prehensile  claws  of  their  feet. — Fig.  24,  plate  III. 

88.  WOOD  LAKE,— (Alaudaarborea). 
The  Sky  Lark  is  seen  everywhere;  on  the  moors  here  in 
small  parties,  on  the  Saltings  in  Essex  and  other  southern 
counties,  incur  meadows  and  corn-fields  all  over  the  kingdom. 
The  Wood  Lark,  on  the  other  hand,  is  strictly  local,  though 
sufficiently  abundant  where  it  does  occur.  I  knew,  in  one  case, 
where  a  shot  was  fired  at  a  lot  of  Larks  in  the  snow,  that  out 
of  five  or  six  which  were  killed  all  but  one  proved  to  be  Wood 
Larks.  So  local  is  it,  that  though  I  have  been  a  resident  in 
Essex,  Suffolk,  Cambridgeshire,  Herefordshire,  Berwickshire,  and 
Yorkshire,  as  well  as  a  visitor  in  other  counties,  I  have  never 
lived  among  or  near  its  haunts,  saving  only  in  the  western-most 
county  named.  The  nest  is  formed  on  the  ground,  usually  well 
concealed  by  grass  or  a  neighbouring  scrubby  bush,  is  composed 
of  dry  grass  and  moss,  and  lined  with  fibres  and  a  few  hairs.  The 
eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  of  a  lighter  ground-colour  (but 
scarcely  less  in  size)  than  those  of  the  Sky  Lark,  vary  very  little 
comparatively  in  their  general  appearance,  and  often  in  addition 
to  the  ash  brown  or  greenish  hue  of  the  superficial  frecklings 
and  mottlings,  are  marked  by  the  presence  of  a  few  wine-red 
blotches.  The  young  are  much  sought  for  to  keep  in  cages,  as 
ihey  soon  begin  to  sing  very  freely.  The  song  of  the  Wood 


BLACK-HEADED   BUNTING.  49 

Lark  in  a  state  of  nature  is  one  of  the  sweetest,  in  some  respects, 
with  which  I  am  acquainted.—^  25,  plate  III. 

89.  SHORT-TOED  LA  xK— (Alauda  brwhydartyla). 
A  bird  much  resembling  the  Wood  Lark  in  appearance,  but  d 
very  casual  occurrence. 

II.— EMBEEIZIDJE. 

90.  LAPLAND  BUNTING— (Plectrophanes  Lapponica). 
Has  been  met  with  in  Britain,  but  on  a  very  few  occasions. 

91.  SNOW  BUNTING—  (Plectrophanes  nivalis). 

Tawny  Bunting,  Mountain  Bunting,  Snow-flake  or  fleck. — Only 
a  winter  visitor  in  this  country,  though  often  coming  in  not  very 
scanty  numbers.  I  have  frequently  seen  them  on  our  North 
Yorkshire  moors,  and  have  heard  of  them  as  seen  in  flocks  of 
large  dimensions.  One  informant  told  me  he  had  seen  as  many 
as  two  hundred  together.  It  breeds  in  countries  very  far  to  the 
North,  and,  like  other  indigenes  of  the  North,  is  subject  to  con- 
siderable variations  in  colour  according  to  season.  So  much  so, 
that  the  bird  which  used  to  be  called  Tawny  Bunting  in  its 
summer  plumage,  was  re-christened  by  the  name  of  Snow  Bunting, 
to  suit  its  winter  dress,  while  the  young  bird  was  called  by  the 
name  of  Mountain  Bunting. 

92.  COMMON  BUNTING— (Emberiza  miliaria). 

Bunting,  Corn  Bunting,  Ebb. — The  name  of  this  bird  shows 
that  it  is  not  by  any  means  rare  in  perhaps  most  of  our  country 
districts.  It  often  utters  its  not  very  musical  cry  seated  on  a 
tall  spray  in  a  hedge,  and  sometimes  while  flying  along.  The 
nesf  is  always  made  very  near  the  ground,  if  not  actually  on  it, 
usually  among  stunted  bushes  or  coarse  herbage.  It  is  made  of 
roots,  bents  or  coarser  materials  yet,  and  lined  with  hair.  The 
Bunting  lays  four  or  five  eggs,  of  a  kind  of  stained-white  ground, 
suggesting  the  idea  that  a  vinous-red  stain  has  been  imperfectly 
washed  off,  and  blotched  and  streaked  and  speckled,  in  the 
characteristic  Bunting  style,  with  shades  of  purplish  brown, 
some  of  them  rather  dark  Though  called  Corn  Bunting,  it  may 
be  found  where  corn-tields  are  not  abundant.  I  once  met  with  a 
nest  at  the  foot  of  St.  Abb's  Head. — Fig.  1,  plate  IV. 

93.  BLACK-HEADED  BUNTING— (Emberiza  schaniclus). 

Reed  Sparrow,  Reed  Bunting,  Water  Sparrow,  Mountain  Spar- 
row, Black-bonnet. — Not  a  rare  bird  anywhere  in  England,  I 
believe,  where  water  is  not  rare  ;  and  very  conspicuous  from  the 


50  BRITISH  JJIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

lark  head  and  bright  plumage  of  the  male.  On  the  Essex 
aiarshes  it  is  common  enough,  and  so  it  is  in  the  marshy  or  ill- 
drained  meadows  of  other  counties.  Mr.  Yarrell  says  the  "  nest 
is  generally  placed  on  the  gromd,  among  coarse  long  grass  or 
rushes,  at  the  foot  of  a  thorn,  or  on  the  side  of  a  canal  bank.3* 
The  last  I  found  was  among,  and  supported  by,  the  sedges 
growing  at  the  side  of  a  marsh-ditch  in  Essex,  and  not  less  than 
ten  or  twelve  inches  from  the  bank — a  site  which  I  believe  is  not 
an  unusual  one.  It  is  made  of  grasses,  fragments  of  rushes, 
stalks  of  different  plants,  and  lined  sometimes  with  reed-down, 
or  finer  grasses  and  a  little  moss.  I  dislodged  the  male  bird 
from  the  nest  just  named,  and  the  eggs  were  perfectly  warm  to 
the  touch.  They  would  have  been  hatched  in  a  few  days.  It  was 
thus  proved  that  the  male  Reed-bunting  takes  his  share  in 
sitting,  and  the  position  of  the  nest  among  green  and  growing 
sedges  adds  one  more  fact  to  what  is  known  of  its  nidification. 
The  eggs  are  four  or  five  in  number,  of  a  pale  reddish-brown 
colour,  streaked  and  spotted  with  dark  brown  of  a  rich  purple 
shade.—  Eig.  2,  plate  IV. 

94.  YELLOW  HAMMER—  (Em beriza  citrinella). 

Yellow  Bunting,  Yellow  Yowley,  Gold-spink,  Yellow  Yeldring, 
fellow  Yoldring,  or  Yeorling,  Yeldrock,  Yellow  Yite,  Yoit,  &c.— 
I  used  to  hear  in  Berwickshire,  that 

"  The  Brock,  the  Toad,  and  the  Yellow  Yeorling, 
Get  a  drap  o'  the  Deil's  bluid  ilka  May  morning." 

1  wonder  what  they  all  do  with  it,  and  how  the  plentiful  bleeding 
affects  the  patient.  Eor  there  is  certainly  no  lack  of  Yellow- 
Hammers  all  over  the  country ;  and  if  one  looks  at  the  long 
strings  of  blown  birds'  eggs  festooned  at  cottage  doors,  or  hung 
over  the  cottage  or  farm-house  mantel-piece,  the  trophies  of  some 
young  nest-taking  hopeful  dwelling  there,  after  the  Blackbirds' 
and  Thrushes'  eggs,  the  most  abuuianb  are  almost  always  those 
of  the  Yellow-Hammer.  We  all  know  his  rich  plumage  and 
somewhat  plaintive  song,  which,  in  my  school-boy  days,  used  to 
be  Englished  into  "  A  very,  very  little  bit  of  bread  and  n-o-o 
c-h-e-e-e-s-e ! "  It  does  not  spare  materials  when  engaged  in 
building  its  nest.  Dead  grass,  small  sticks  and  moss,  a  few 
feathers  and  plentiful  hair  to  form  the  lining,  are  ready  enough 
in  our  fields  for  its  use,  and  the  structure  compacted  with  them 
is  placed  usually  in  a  low,  thick  bush  on  a  hedge-bank,  well  con- 
cealed, and  but  little  raised  above  the  soil.  Sometimes  I  have 
found  it  in  a  rough  grass-field,  am  d  tufts  of  rushes  and  other 
such-like  growth.  Sometimes  even  in  a  wall-tree,  as  in  my  own 
garden  last  year  or  in  an  erergreen  shrub,  also  in  my  garden  a 


CHAFFINCH.  51 

year  or  two  since.  But  the  hedge  side  is  the  rule.  The  eggs, 
three  to  five  in  number,  and  often  very  round  in  shape,  vary 
considerably  in  individual  cases,  but  never  so  much  as  to  leave 
the  accustomed  eye  in  a  moment's  doubt  as  to  what  bird  the  egg 
belongs  to.  Of  a  white  ground-colour,  scarcely  tinged  at  all 
with  vinous  red,  or  perhaps  much  suffused,  all  of  them  are 
streaked  and  veined  and  spotted  with  dark  brown  with  a  shade 
of  red  in  it.  They  are  beautiful  eggs  to  my  eye. — Fig.  3,  plate  IF. 

95.  GIRL  BUNTING— (Emberiza  drlns). 

French  Yellow-Hammer,  Black-throated  Yellow-Hammer. — 
A  bird  long  overlooked  by  our  native  ornithologists,  and  perhaps 
more  frequently  occurring  than  is  even  yet  suspected,  Still  it 
is  by  no  means  a  very  common  bird, — though  identified  as  oc- 
curring in,  perhaps,  most  of  the  southern  counties.  The  Rev. 
Orpen  Morris,  from  whose  work  on  British  Birds  and  Eggs  I 
have  taken  the  two  proT~iicial  names  given  above,  says,  "  the 
nest  is  placed  in  furze  or  low  bushes,  and  is  usually  made  of 
dry  stalks  of  grass  and  a  little  moss,  lined  with  hair  and  small 
roots.  Some  are  wholly  without  moss  or  hair  .  .  .  the 
small  roots  constituting  the  lining.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five 
in  number,  of  a  dull,  bluish  white,  streaked  and  speckled  witli 
dark  brown.  They  vary  mucT\  in  colour  and  markings." — *Fiy.  4, 
plate  IV. 

96.  ORTOLAN  BUNTING— (Emberiza  hortulana). 
Ortolan,  Green-headed  Bunting. — Merely  an  occasional  visitor 
nesting  in  Denmark,  Sweden,  Norway,  and  Lapland. 

Ill— FEIJSTGMLLIDJE. 
97.  CHAFFINCH-—  (Fringilla  Calebs}. 
Spink,  Pink,  Twink,  Skelly,  Shelly,  Shell-apple,  Scobby,  Shilfa, 
Buckfinch,  Horsefinch,  Copperfinch,  Whitefinch,  Beechfinch,  Wet- 
bird. — One  of  our  most  beautiful  birds  is  the  male  of  this  species — 
one  of  quite  the  most  beautiful  of  our  English  nests  is  its  nest. 
It  would  be  a  shame  if  he,  with  his  gay  dress  and  handsome 
appearance,  were  the  bachelor  he  is  called  in  his  Latin  name.  It 
is,  however,  only  at  one  period  of  the  year  that  the  sexes  in  the 
Chaffinch  tribe  (as  in  many  other  kincLs  of  birds)  separate.  The 
song  of  the  Chaffinch,  though  not  of  great  compass  or  variety,  is 
very  cheery  and  sweet,  and  very  different  from  his  melancholy 
sound  of  "  Weet,  weet,"  which  many  country  people  take  as  a 
prognostication  of  rain ; — whence  his  local  name  of  "Wet-bird.  The 
nest,  always  in  a  tree-fork  or  bush  or  hedge,  always  firmly  and 
securely  built  in,  always  contrived  and  fashioned  with  a  wonderful 
ompactuess,  neatness  and  beauty,  is  formed  of  mosses,  with 


52  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

various-shaded  lichens  on  the  surface,  and  lined  with  wool  and 
hair  and  feathers,  the  last  two  being  the  finishing  substances.  I 
never  knew  more  than  five  eggs  to  be  laid,  oftener  four,  of  a 
peculiar  winey-red  dun,  spotted  and  streaked  —  and  most  near  the 
large  end  —  with  a  rich,  dark  Sienna  brown.  The  eggs  in  their 
comeliness  befit  the  nest,  and  the  nest  is  worthy  of  the  bird.  The 
female  is,  however,  the  principal,  if  not  the  sole,  architect  and 
builder.  —  Fig.  5,  plate  IV. 

98.  MOUNTAIN  FINCH-(*>%i/&  montifringilld). 

Brambling,  Mountain  Finch,  Bramble  Finch,  Lulean  Finch.  — 
Only  a  winter  visitor  to  our  shores,  but  still  pretty  generally 
diffused  throughout  the  kingdom  at  that  season,  though  never 
perhaps,  strictly  speaking,  any  thing  like  a  common  bird  any 
where. 


99.  TREE  SPARROW—  (P<m*/-  montanus). 

Mountain  Sparrow.  —  This  species  has  undoubtedly  been  long 
and  continually  confounded  with  the  Common  or  House  Sparrow  . 
And  even  yet  it  has  not  been  satisfactorily  proved  to  have  occurred 
in  much  more  than  half  a  dozen  counties  in  England.  Further 
observation  may  do  more  yet  in  identifying  the  Tree  Sparrow  and 
defining  its  localities.  It  nests  in  holes  in  pollard  or  other  trees, 
or  in  thatch,  in  company  with  other  Sparrows  of  the  common 
species,  but  in  this  case  always  in  holes  entered  from  the  outside, 
not  from  the  inside  of  the  roof  of  the  building.  Sometimes  it  has 
been  ascertained  to  breed  in  nests  made  within  deserted  nests  of  a 
Magpie,  or  some  such  bird.  The  nest,  like  that  of  the  Common 
Sparrow,  is  formed  of  dry  grass  or  nay,  or  fine  straw,  and  abun- 
dantly lined  with  feathers  of  all  sorts.  The  eggs,  four  or  five  in 
general,  are  distinctly  less  than  those  of  the  House  Sparrow,  and 
with  more  decided  brown  in  the  markings  on  the  ground-colour 
of  soiled  white.  —  Fig.  6,  plate 

100.  HOUSE  SPARROW—  (Passer  Domesticns). 
Sparrow,  Common  Sparrow.  —  He  may  well  be  called  the 
Common  Sparrow,  for  we  find  him  alike  in  the  town  and  the 
country,  in  the  field  and  in  the  garden,  by  the  road-side  hovel  or 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  great  mansion.  And  whether  he  be 
sooty  and  black  with  the  smoke  of  mid-London,  or  with  his  colours 
pure  and  unsmirked  and  bright  as  in  the  clear  breezy  village,  he 
is  still  always  the  same  pert,  impudent  creature,  whose  name  has 
passed  almost  into  a  proverb  for  bold  familiarity.  Ubiquitous  as 
he  is  by  habit  and  system,  his  nest  is  found  in  sites  almost  as 
various  and  as  numerous  as  the  places  of  his  residence,  under 
the  tiles  or  eaves  of  buildings,  in  the  thatch-edges  of  a  barn,  h 


HA.WFINCH.  53 

holes  in  the  interior  of  a  thatch-roof,  in  water-pipes  and  receivers 
for  eaves-gutters,  in  holes  in  walls  or  old  buildings,  in  ivy  clothing 
either  a  wall  or  a  tree,  in  fir  trees,  in  wall-trees,  especially  if 
large  and  high,  below  Rooks'  nests,  in  deserted  nests  of  large 
birds, — frequent  in  all  these  sites,  it  seems  difficult  to  say  where  it 
may  not  be  found.  Often,  too,  it  becomes  a  mass  of  straw  and 
dry  grass  and  lavish  feather-lining,  big  enough  to  fill  a  man's  hat 
of  large  size.  The  eggs  are  very  various  in  the  intensity  of 
surface  markings.  They  are  white,  speckled  and  spotted  and 
streaked  with  ash  colour  and  dusky  brown,  some  so  slightly  as  to 
be  pale  grey,  others  so  profusely  as  to  be  very  dark  "  pepper  and 
salt."  They  vary  in  number  from  four  to  six.  Whenever  the  nest 
is  built  in  a  situation  naturally  open  at  top,  it  is  domed  over  by 
the  little  constructor. — Fig.  7,  plate  IV. 

101.  GREENFINCH— (Coccothraustes  Chloris). 

Green  Grosbeak,  Green  Linnet,  Green  Bird.  A  sufficiently 
common  species,  and  often  seen  in  winter,  in  stubbles  which  afforci 
a  sufficiency  of  the  seed-constituents  of  its  food,  in  large  flocks. 
Neither  does  it  yield  an  insignificant  portion  of  the  egg  spoils  of 
the  country-boy.  The  nest  is  usually  built  in  a  hedge,  and  it 
dearly  loves  a  thick  massive  thorn  hedge  for  the  purpose.  In  one 
such,  bordering  an  orchard  in  Essex,  ot  perhaps  seventy  or  eighty 
yards  long,  I  found  one  day  a  dozen  or  more  of  Greenfinches' 
nests,  almost  all  with  eggs  in.  It  is,  however,  not  seldom  to  be 
met  with  in  an  evergreen  or  other  bush  in  the  garden  ;  sometimes 
in  a  fir  tree,  raid  again  in  a  fruit  or  ornamental  tree.  The 
materials  employed  are  roots,  moss,  grass,  with  a  lining  of  the 
same,  only  finer,  and  plentiful  hair.  I  have  often  noticed  the 
presence  of  a  kind  of  scrubby  scales  about  the  interior  of  one  of  their 
nests.  The  eggs  are  four,  five,  or  six  in  number,  and  vary  much 
in  size  and  but  little  in  general  appearance.  They  are  white, 
suffused  with  a  bluish  tinge,  and  with  reddish  or  purple  spots  and 
streaks,  intermingled  with  some  of  a  darker  shade. — Fig.  8,  plate 
IF. 

102.  HAWFINCH.— (Coccothraustes  vulgaris). 

Common  Grosbeak,  Haw  Grosbeak. — A  bird  which  seems  to 
occur  but  sparingly  in  our  island,  and  for  long,  supposed  to  be 
merely  a  winter  visitor.  It  is  not  uncommon  about  Epping  Forest, 
and  has  been  found  nearer  London,  and  in  many  of  the  Southern 
counties.  Mr.  Doubleday  has  given  the  best  account  of  its  habits 
generally,  as  well  as  of  its  nest  and  eggs.  It  seems  to  have  no 
peculiar  situation  for  its  nest  preferred  to  all  others,  but  builds 
indiscriminately  in  trees  or  bushes,  and  at  various  heights  from 
the  ground.  The  nest  is  said  to  be  made  of  twigs,  ' '  with  fibrous 
roots  and  grey  lichens  laid  flat  on  them;"  the  whole  structure 


-5i  BRITISH  BIRDS,   THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

oeing  such  as  to  remind  one  of  the  Ring-dove's  flat  platform  of  a 
nest.  The  eggs  "  vary  from  four  to  six,  and  are  of  a  pale  olive- 
green,  spotted  with  black,  and  streaked  with  dusky  grey."  Mr. 
Doubleday  adds,  that  some  are  much  less  marked  than  others. 
A  few,  indeed,  with  no  marks  at  all  on  the  green  ground-colour. 
—Fig.  9,  plate  IV. 

103.  GOLDFINCH.— (Carduelis  elegans). 
Thistle- finch,  Gold-spink,  Grey  Kate,  or  Pate  (the  young), 
Proud  Tailor,  Goldie,  King  Harry  Red-cap. — This  beautiful  little 
bird  is,  I  fear,  one  of  those  which  are  much  less  common  in 
many  districts  than  used  to  be  the  case  in  my  younger  days.  It 
is  much  sought  after  for  keeping  in  cages,  and  is  caught  for  that 
purpose  in  numbers  by  the  professional  bird-catchers.  It  builds 
a  beautifully  neat  and  pretty  nest ;  sometimes  in  a  bush  or  ever- 
green, often  in  the  fork  of  an  apple  or  other  fruit-tree,  and  more 
rarely  in  a  hedge.  It  is  formed  of  moss,  fir-needles,  green  bents, 
wool,  thistle-down,  willow-down,  feathers,  hairs,  &c.,  according 
to  the  choice  afforded  by  the  locality  of  the  nest.  The  eggs  are 
four  or  five  in  number,  are  bluish  white  or  pale  grey,  spotted 
with  greyish  purple  and  red  brown,  and  sometimes  a  little 
streaked  with  the  same. — Fig.  10,  plate  IF. 

104.  SISKIN.— (Carduelis  spinus). 

Abberdevine. — Only  a  winter  visitor  ;  and  though  not  very  un- 
common at  that  season  in  many  parts  of  Britain,  yet  it  has  been 
known  to  nest  with  us  so  very  rarely  that  it  seems  scarcely 
requisite  to  give  any  account  of  either  nest  or  eggs  in  this  place. 

105.  COMMON  LINNET.— (Linota  cannabina). 
Linnet,  Grey  Linnet,  Red  Linnet,  Brown  Linnet,  Whin 
Linnet,  Linnet  Finch,  Red-headed  Finch,  Greater  Redpole, 
Rose  Linnet,  Lint-white,  Lintie. — No  wonder  school-boys  and 
country  boys  had,  and  have,  three  or  four  different  names  for  this 
one  bird  (according  to  the  differences  of  plumage  due  to  age,  sex, 
or  season),  when  even  naturalists  made  two  species  of  it.  The 
male  in  his  full  plumage,  with  red  poll  and  rose  breast  and 
bright  brown  plumage,  is  a  handsome  bird,  and,  compared  with 
the  female  or  the  young,  a  very  "fine  bird"  indeed.  It  is  com- 
mon enough  in  most  districts,  and  pretty  sure  to  be  met  with 
where  there  is  much  furze.  The  nest  is  frequently  to  be  found 
in  the  midst  of  thick  furze  covers ;  but  like  Mr.  Hewitson,  I 
have  found  it  commonly  in  thickish  thorn-hedges,  and  very  often 
in  small  and  single  furze  bushes.  It  is  made  of  small  twigs  and 
bents  and  moss,  and  often  lined  with  a  copious  cushion  of  wool 
merely;  at  other  times,  with  some  hair  and  vegetable  down. 
The  eggs  vary  greatly  in  sizes  as  well  as  in  colour  and  markings, 


BULLFINCH.  55 

but  usually  they  are  of  a  pale  bluish-white  ground,  speckled  witn 
red  of  different  shades,  Drown  to  purple.  They  are  four,  five, 
and  sometimes  six  in  number. — Fig.  11,  plate  IV. 

106.  MEALY  REDPOLE.— (Linota  canescens). 

Only  a  winter  visitor  to  this  country,  and  in  varying  numbers  in 
different  years.  Many  were  obtained  in  one  or  two  of  the  counties 
adjoining  the  Metropolis  some  years  since;  but  no  instance,  1 
believe,  is  known  of  its  remaining  with  us  to  breed. 

107.  LESSER  REDPOLE.—  (Linota  linaria). 

Common  Redpole,  Lesser  Red-headed  Finch,  Rose  Linnet. 
— This  is  a  winter  visitor  to  the  southern  counties  of  England ; 
but  remains  all  the  year  round  in  Scotland  and  some  parts  of 
north  England.  The  nest  seems  to  be  built  in  some  situation 
not  too  high  above  the  ground ;  for  instance,  in  a  bush  or  stunted 
tree ;  and  is  made  of  moss  and  bents,  and  like  some  of  those  of  the 
Common  Linnet,  with  willow-down  and  the  like.  There  are  usually 
four  or  five  eggs  deposited  in  it,  their  colour  "  pale  bluish-green, 
spotted  with  orange-brown,  and  principally  at  the  larger  end." 
The  ground -colour  seems  to  vary  to  greenish-grey,  and  the  spots 
to  become  more  of  a  reddish  tinge. — Fig.  12,  plate  IV. 

108.  MOUNTAIN  LINNET.—  (Linota  montium). 

Twite,  Twite  Einch,  Heather  Lintie. — A  bird  seldom,  if  ever, 
seen  much  south  of  the  Humber.  It  is  known  to  breed  in  York- 
shire and  the  northern  English  counties  as  well  as  in  Scotland, 
the  Hebrides,  &c.  As  its  name  leads  one  to  infer,  it  is  usually 
found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  hill  or  fell.  The  nest  is  built  on 
the  ground,  among  the  short  benty  grass  of  the  hill-side  or  the 
dwarfling  of  similar  localities,  or  even  among  longer  heather,  and 
is  made  of  the  materials  afforded  by  such  herbage  and  moss,  and 
lined  with  fibrous  roots,  wool  and  hair.  The  eggs  vary  from 
four  to  six  in  number,  are  almost  white  with  the  faintest  blue  or 
green  tinge,  spotted  with  red,  brown  or  dark  purple,  with  some- 
times a  few  streaks  of  a  lighter  red  tinge. — Jig  13,  plate  IV. 

109.  BULLFINCH.— (Pyrrhula  mlgaris). 

Olph,  Alp,  Hoop,  Red  Hoop,  Nope. — One  of  our  really  hand- 
some birds,  and  as  familiar  to  many  of  us  as  other  and  even  com- 
moner birds,  by  his  frequent  occupancy  of  a  cage.  "Piping 
Bullfinches"  are  not  very  unusual  even  in  this  country.  The  Bull- 
finch is  also  one  of  those  birds  who  have  long  been  laid  under  pro- 
scription, for  the  mischief  lie  is  assumed  to  do  to  the  buds  of  fruit 
trees.  Like  as  rewards  used  to  be  customarily  paid  in  hosts  ol 


56  BRITISH    BIRDS,    THEIR   .LOG"-   A>T    NESTS. 

places  out  of  the  Parish  funds  for  the  heads  of  Sparrows,  Tomtits, 
&c.,  so  has  it  been  on  a  Lsse-  scale  with  our  present  birds,  and 
1  cannot  help  thinking  equally  unjustly.  No  doubt  the  "  Olph" 
eominits  sad  a;  parent  havock  on  the  blossom-buds;  but  1  sus- 
pect the  blossom-buds  damaged  by  him  (as  it  seems)  would 
never  have  come  to  anytt  ing  if  no  Bullfinch  had  ever  been 
near  them.  There  was  a  grub  in  each  of  ttu  m,  and  that  grub 
would  have  destroyed  the  bud  quite  as  effectually,  if  not 
quite  as  summarily,  as  the  bird  which  extracted  it  from  what 
was  alike  its  hiding-place  and  scene  of  active  ravage  and  con- 
sumption. Unlike  the  Ring  Dove  and  Missel  Thrush,  and  a  few 
other  birds,  which  are  usually  very  wild  and  shy  but  at  breeding 
time  lay  aside  their  wildness  and  distrust,  and  come  to  the  close 
neighbourhood  of  human  habitations  to  nest,  the  Bullfinch,  in 
spring,  leaves  our  gardens  and  orchards  and  resorts  to  the  woods 
and  wilds.  The  nest  is  made  of  twigs  and  roots  and  moss, 
rather  loosely  constructed,  and  lined  with  wool  and  hair,  and  is 
most  commonly  placed  in  a  good  thick  bush  oi  considerable  height 
and  size;  sometimes  on  a  fir  or  other  tree.  The  hen-bird  lays 
four  or  five  eggs  of  a  pale  greenish  blue,  streaked  and  spotted 
with  purple-red,  chiefly  at  the  larger  end. — Fig.  \±, plate  IF. 

110.  PINE  GROSBEAK.— (Pyrrhula  enucleator\ 
Pine  Bullfinch,  Common  Hawfinch. — Only  a  very  rare  visitor 
in  our  islands. 

111.  COMMON  CROSSBILL— (Loxia  curvirottra). 
This  is  a  bird  which  deserves  a  little  notice  at  our  hands  on 
two  or  three  g  v-unds.  In  its  plumage  it  varies  more,  according 
to  sex  or  age,  than  perhaps  any  other  English  bird  in  a  state  of 
nature.  It  is  indeed  subject  to  almost  startling  dissimilarity. 
The  peculiar  shape  and  action  of  the  bill  is  also  noteworthy,  and 
the  strength  of  the  muscles  which  move  the  mandibles  may  be 
judged  of  by  the  powerful  effect  produced  in  starting  the  scales 
of  the  strongest  fir-cones.  Again,  it  has  been  repeatedly  met 
with  in  this  country  in  large  numbers  ;  and  not  only  so,  6ut  at 
such  seasons  as  to  render  it  almost  positive  that  it  must  have 
nested  or  be  nesting  here :  nay  even  females  which  were  ob- 
tained showed,  by  the  state  of  their  plumage,  that  they  must 
have  been  so  engaged  :  and  yet  until  recently,  no  authentic 
observation  has  been  recorded  of  the  actual  occurrence  of  its  nest 
and  eggs.  It  is  now  believed  to  breed  in  the  very  earliest  spring 
or  indeed  in  winter,  which  may  account  for  the  obscurity  hitherto 
attending  its  nesting  habits.  The  nest  is  made  of  twigs  below, 
with  grassy  rents  upon  such  foundation,  bound  together  witb 
wool  and  lined  with  hair.  The  eggs  seem  to  varv  much  ir. 
colour,  showing  a  sensible  degree  of  resemblance  to  those  of  the 


IIOSE-COLOUKED   VASTOR.  57 

Greenfinch,  but  with  a  generally  warmer  tint,  and  spots  of  a 
much  u.ure  decided  or  dark  red  shade. — Fig.  ID,  plate  IF. 

112.  PARROT  CROSSBILL—  (Loxiapityopsittacus). 
It  has  occurred  in  a  few  instances,  but  is  much  too  rare  to  be 
noticed  by  us  at  length  ;  and  indeed  the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
bird  nex.t  named. 

112.  WHITE- WINGED  CROSSBILL— (Loxiafakirostra). 

IV.— STUENID.E. 

113.  STARLING—  (Sturnus  vulgaris). 

Common  Starling,  Stare,  Sheep-stare,  Solitary  Thrush,  Brown 
Starling. — The  two  last  of  these  names  used  to  be  applied 
to  the  young  of  the  Starling.  Few  cases  of  more  brilliant 
plumage  are  met  with  in  our  English  birds  than  in  the  instance  of 
the  male  of  the  common  Starling.  The  metallic  glow  and  play 
of  colours  in  the  feathers  of  his  head,  neck  and  back  is  very 
beautiful.  It  is  a  very  abundant  bird,  and  it  is  supposed  by  some 
that  there  are  some  peculiarities  in  its  breeding  habits.  I 
mean  that  I  have  heard  it.  asserted  that  the  male  is  a  polygamist, 
or  rather  perhaps  a  bigamist.  I  never  saw  any  thing  within  my  own 
scope  of  observation  which  led  me  to  suspect  it,  but  rather  to 
hold  the  received  belief  that  the  Starling  pairs  exactl^  as  most 
other  birds  do.  They  are  exceedingly  pertinacious  in  adhering  to 
their  choice  of  a  place  for  nesting  in.  I  knew  one  case  in  which 
from  the  inconvenient  nature  of  the  nest-site  selected,  one  of 
the  birds  was  shot.  In  a  very  short  space  the  survivor  had  paired 
again,  and  the  gun  again  dissolved  the  union.  The  whole  process 
was  repeated  five  or  six  times,  and  the  Starlings  bred  at  last  in  the 
place  chosen  by  the  original  ^air.  The  nest  is  found  in  a  great 
variety  of  situations, — m  the  bowl  of  a  water  pipe  from  the  eaves 
of  a  house,  in  a  dove  cot,  in  holes  in  trees,  below  the  nests  in  a 
rookery,  in  holes  in  old  buildings  or  more  recent  masonry,  between 
the  slates  and  underdrawing  of  a  roof,  in  holes  in  steep  high  rocks, 
in  chimneys  of  houses,  and  the  like.  It  is  made,  without  stint  01 
materials,  of  straw,  roots,  grass,  and  a  plentiful  lining  of  feathers 
The  eggs,  four  to  six  Li  number,  vary  strangely  in  size  but  not 
in  colour,  which  is  of  a  uniform  pale  blue.  In  some  districts 
where  the  Starling  abounds,  they  collect  in  huge  flocks,  the  young 
with  ftie  parents,  and  may  be  seen  when  on  the  wing  like  a  cloud 
from  a  great  distance. — Fig.  I,  plate  F. 

115.  ROSE-COLOURED  PASTOR—  (Pastor  roseus). 
Rose-coloured  Ouzel  or  Starling. — Merely  an  accidental  visitor 
to  our  shores. 


58  BRITISH   BIBDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 


v.— 

116,  CHOUGH—  (Fregilus  gracnlus). 

Cornish  Chough,  Red-legged  Crow,  Cornish  Daw,  Cornwall 
Kae,  Market-jew  Crow,  Chauk  Daw,  Hermit  Crow,  Cliff  Daw, 
&c.  —  A  bird  which  occurs  more  sparingly  than  it  used  to  do.  Its 
abiding  and  building  place  is  among  the  steep  rocks  which  line  so 
many  parts  of  the  British  coasts.  In  the  Isle  of  Wight,  in  Man> 
on  the.  Cornish  shores,  at  Flamborou^h,  in  Berwickshire  near  St. 
Abb's  Head,  it  is  still  (or  was  tifl  lately)  known  to  breed. 
"This  bird,"  says  Mr.  Yarrell,  "makes  a  nest  of  sticks  lined  with 
wool  and  hair,  in  the  cavities  of  high  cliffs,  or  in  old  castles,  or 
church  towers  near  the  sea  ;  laying  four  or  five  eggs  of  a  yellowish 
white  colour,  spotted  with  ash-grey  and  light  brown."  —  Fig.  2, 
plate  V 

117.  RAYEN—  (Corns  corax]. 

Corbie,  Corbie  Crow,  Great  Corbie  Crow.  —  I  dare  say  the 
acquaintance  of  many  of  us  with  this  fine  bird  is  limited  to  an 
introduction  to  some  tame  or  pet  Haven.  In  this  district,  where, 
I  believe,  these  birds  abounded  half  a  century  since  —  the  rocky 
cliffs  of  our  moorland  solitudes  being  so  well  suited  to  their 
habits,  —  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  seen  or  heard  one  for  the  last 
two  or  three  years.  Persecuted  by  the  gamekeeper,  sought  after 
for  domestication,  or  their  eggs  taken  for  sale  to  the  collector,  they 
are  becoming  very  rare  in  many  a  part  of  the  country  where  not  long 
since  they  were  frequently  seen.  They  build  sometimes  on  old  ruins 
or  craggy  precipices,  but  oftener  in  a  tree,  piling  nest  after  nest  in 
successive  years  upon  the  same  bough,  whence  the  chosen  tree 
soon  comes  to  be  called  the  "  Raven-tree."  One  such  accumulation 
of  nests  1  knew,  as  a  boy,  in  Essex,  and  after  a  stiff  climb  succeeded 
iii  reaching  it.  I  did  it  in  jeopardy  however,  for  the  Ravens  were 
very  bold,  and  every  moment  1  expected  they  would  assail  me,  in 
spite  of  the  short  bludgeon  I  had  suspended  to  my  wrist.  The 
appearance  below  the  nest  of  the  farmer  in  whose  fields  the  Raven- 
tree  grew,  decided  the  question  —  perhaps  he  frightened  the  Ravens 
as  well  as  threatened  me  ;  perhaps  they  knew  he  came  as  their 
protector  —  anyhow  I  did  not  get  my  egg,  although  I  had  actually 
had  it  in  my  hand.  The  nest  is  a  great  pile  of  sticks,  lined  with  wool 
and  roots  and  felts  of  hair,  and  often  has  four  or  five  eggs  laid  in 
it,  of  a  light  green  ground-shade,  blotched  and  spotted  with  browns 
of  varying  depth  of  colour,  but  some  of  them  very  dark.  —  Fig.  3, 
plate  V. 

118.  CROW—  (Corms  corone). 

Carrion  Crow,  Corbie  Crow,  Flesh  Crow,  Gor  Crow,  Midden 
Crow,  Black  Crow,  Black-neb,  Hoody.  Another  bird  not  nearly 


ROOK.  59 

so  common  as  it  used  to  be,  even  within  my  own  recollection — 
and  no  wonder ;  for  he  is  a  strong,  fierce  bird  (Mr.  Waterton 
calls  him  his  "  Warrior  bird"),  and  a  young  and  weakly  lamb,  a 
young  Hare  or  Rabbit,  a  wounded  or  frightened  Partridge  has  little 
or  no  cbance  with  him.  1  knew  a  case  a  year  or  two  since  of  a 
Crow  attacking  a  Partridge  and  driving  it  to  cover  in  a  hedge; 
where  it  lay  so  terrified  and  exhausted  as  to  suffer  itself  to  be 
picked  up  by  a  spectator.  I  knew  another  instance  years  ago  in 
which  the  Crow  attacked  a  young  Rabbit.  The  old  doe  came  to 
the  assistance  of  her  young  one,  and  the  battle  was  well  con- 
tested, but  the  Crow  was  the  victor,  and  carried  off  the  spoil. 
Paired  once,  these  birds,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Raven,  are  paired 
for  good.  The  nest  is  placed  in  a  main  fork  of  a  large  tree,  and  is 
made  of  sticks  and  twigs  with  abundant  cushioning  of  wool  and 
hair.  It  is  believed  not  to  build  a  new  nest  every  year.  It  lays 
four  or  five  eggs,  varying  much  in  the  depth  of  the  tint  of  the 
greenish  ground-colour,  and  generally  well  mottled  and  blotched 
and  spotted  with  greenish  ash  colour  and  bright  brown.  The 
parents  seem  to  expel  their  young  from  the  immediate  precints 
of  their  own  abode  very  soon  after  they  are  able  to  provide  for 
themselves  ;  as  is  the  case  with  the  Raven  also. — Fig.  4,  plate  V 

119.  HOODED  CROW—  (Coma  comix). 
Royston  Crow,  Dun  Crow,  Norway  Crow,  Kentish  Crow, 
Grey  Crow,  Grey-backed  Crow,  Bunting  Crow,  Scare  Crow, 
Hoodie. — Even  a  fiercer  and  more  mischievous  bird  than  the 
Carrion  Crow.  It  has  been  very  seldom  known  to  breed  in 
England,  though  coming  in  great  abundance  from  its  more 
northern  haunts  before  the  access  of  winter.  In  north  and  west 
Scotland,  the  Hebrides  and  Orkneys  it  breeds  in  large  numbers, 
and  rewards  for  its  destruction  have  been  customarily  paid  to 
within  a  recent  period,  if  indeed  they  have  altogether  ceased  yet. 
They  place  their  nests  among  rocks,  in  the  rifts  or  on  ledges. 
These  are  built  of  ling,  sticks,  roots,  stalks  of  plants,  seaweed ; 
and  lined  with  wool  and  hair.  There  are  usually  four  or  five 
eggs,  not  differing  very  materially  in  colouring  from  those  of  the 
Common  Crow. — Fig.  5,  plate  V. 

120.  ROOK—  (Corvusfrugilegus}. 

Crow. — Everyone  must  be  acquainted  with  the  Rook,  and  its 
nesting  manners  and  habits.  Even  the  dwellers  in  great  cities 
have  sometimes  had  this  bird  domiciled  among  them  for  the 
breeding  season,  and  many  places  in  London  are  signalized  by  the 
presence  of  a  Rook's  nest,  or  several,  in  very  unlikely  situations. 
In  the  country  some  of  ihe  most  familiar  sights  and  sounds  are 
those  afforded  by  the  Rookery,  or  by  the  huge  assemblages  of 


60  BRITISH   BIRDS,   THEIR  4GGS   AND   NESTS. 

Rooks  about    the  fields  or  winging  their  morning  or  evening 
flight  in  quest  of  food,  or  in  return  to  their  domiciles.     Most  of 
us  too  have  heard  of  Rook  courts  of  justice,  and  the  sentences 
awarded  against  the  wrongful  spoilers  of  a  neighbour's  nest,  as  well 
as  the  battles  to  resist  such  an  invasion.   It  is  certainly  a  remark- 
able instinct,  which,  to  so  great  a  degree,  forbids  birds  building 
in  communities  to  plunder  the  building  materials  placed  on  the 
adjoining   bough   or   ledge,  and  no   wonder   that   Instinct   has 
providea  a  remedy  for  what  must  be  looked  upon,  when  it  occurs 
to  any  extent,  as  a  somewhat  unnatural   offence.     The    Rook 
resorts  to  the  same  nest  year  after  year,  merely  making  such 
repairs  as  a  year's  wear  and  tear  from  wind  and  rain  and  accident 
have  rendered  necessary.     When  the  nest  is  ready,  four  or  five 
eggs  are  deposited,  of  a  greenish  ground  colour  more  or  less 
intense  in  snade,  plentifully  mottled  and  blotched  with  darker 
nnd   varying   shades   of  brownish  green.      Many   of  the   eggs 
strongly  resemble  those    of   the  Crow,  while  others  are  much 
more  like  those  of  the  Jackdaw.     As  in  the  case  of  the  Bullfinch 
the  Rook  is  often  blamed  for  doing  mischief  which  was  really 
done  by  the  creature  which  formed  the  real  object  of  search  to 
the  supposed  offender.     The  wireworm  and    tne  grub    of   the 
cockchafer  do  infinite  damage  in  grass  or  cornfields  by  eating  off 
the  roots  of  the  plants  in  question.     The  Rook  pulls  up  these 
ruined   plants   ana   eats   the  offending  larva.      The   farmer   or 
superficial  observer  only  sees  the  dead  grass  or  corn  plant,  and 
foolishly  accuses  the  Rook,  and  persecutes  him,  though  in  reality 
a  friend  and  benefactor,  to  the  death.   Not  but  what  the  Rook  does 
mischief  at  times ;  for  I  have  often  seen  newly  sown  corn-fields 
black  with  them,  and  have  been  continually  a  witness  to  the 
very  extensive  damage  done  to  the  potato  crop  just  when  the 
young  tubers  were  in  most  active  growth  and  most  susceptible  of 
harm.     Still,  a  few  precautions  will  suffice  to  protect  both  corn- 
field and  potato-crop  during  the  brief  space  while  protection  is 
necessary,  and  the  balance  of  good  done  is  so  greatly  on  the 
predominating  side,   that   the  Rook  may  well  continue   to   be 
protected.     Rook  shooting  has  charms  for  many.     For  myself  I 
seem  to  see  cruelty  so  conspicuous  about  the  whole  process,  that 
I  cannot  conceive  in  what  the  pleasure  consists. — Fig.  6,  plate  V. 

121.  JACKDAW—  (Corms  monedula). 
Daw,  Kae,  Jack. — The  chattering  Jackdaw  is  as  familiar  as  a 
"Household  word"  to  us,  and  when  one  visits  an  extensive  colony 
of  Jackdaws  in  the  nesting  season,  he  is  apt  to  be  enabled  to  form  a 
good  estimate  of  the  amount  of  chatter  a  few  score  Jackdaws  can 
contribute.  They  breed  in  many  places  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood of  my  residence  in  very  considerable  numbers,  in  the  holes 


JAY.  61 

and  crevices  which  abound  among  craggy  rocks  and  precipices 
that  rise  high  above  steep  wooded  banks.  Besides,  they  build 
in  ruinous  buildings,  hi  church  towers  or  pigeon-houses,  in  little- 
used  chimneys,  in  holes  in  modern  masonary,  even  in  deserted 
thambers.  I'he  pile  of  materials  amassed  is  simply  wonderful, 
and  really  they  are  SOUK  Hmes  so  laid  together  as  if  intended  to  serve 
no  other  purpose  but  to  lengthen  out  the  nest-pile  for  a  builder's 
amusement.  Sticks  and  wool  are  the  substances  usually  employed, 
and  the  eggs  laid  vary,  as  to  number,  between  three  and  six. 
They  are  of  a  pale  bluish-white,  well  spotted  with  ash  colour, 
light  brown  and  dark  brown. — F4g.  7,  plate  V. 

122.  MAGPIE—  (Pica  caudata). 

Pyet,  Pianet,  Madge,  Mag. — A  very  wary,  crafty,  shy  bird  the 
wild  Magpie  is.  A  very  bold,  impudent,  thievish  rascal  the 
domesticated  Mag  as  certainly  proves  himself.  Shy  and  wary  as 
these  birds  are  in  a  state  of  nature,  no  bird  whatever  seems  to  affect 
concealment  less  in  the  fashion  and  structure  and  position  of  its 
nest.  Placed  high  up  among  the  smaller  branches  of  a  talHsh 
tree,  or  perhaps  in  the  upper  part  of  a  strong,  thick,  high  bush  in 
a  hedge  or  standing  lonely  in  a  field  or  park,  nothing  can  well  be 
more  conspicuous  than  the  massy  Magpie's  nest,  with  its  large 
though  light  dome  of  thorny  sticks  and  twigs.  I  used  to  Be 
assured  as  a  school  boy  that  there  were  two  sorts  or  varieties  of 
Magpies,  distinguished  by  the  comparative  length  of  their  tails 
and  the  site  of  their  nests : — the  alleged  short-tailed  one  was  called 
the  Bush  Magpie ;  the  other  the  Tree  Magpie.  It  is  almost  idle 
to  say  no  such  variety  or  distinction  really  exists.  The  materials 
of  the  nest  are  chiefly  sticks,  plastered  with  earth  inside,  and  lined 
with  roots  and  hair.  There  are  often  as  many  as  six  or  seven 
eggs  laid  in  it,  pale  bluish-white  in  colour,  spotted  all  over,  and 
abundantly  so  in  general,  with  grey  and  greenish  brown  of  more 
than  one  snade. — Fig.  8,  plate  V. 

123.  JAY —  (  Garrulus  glandarius) . 

Jay-pie,  Jay-piet. — The  Jay's  peculiar  screeching  note  is 
perhaps  more  familiar  to  many  ears  than  the  bird  itself  to  the 
eyes  corresponding  to  the  said  ears.  It  is  a  shy  bird,  seldom 
seen  far  from  its  haunts  in  woods  and  copses,  though  when  seen, 
it  is  noticeable  enough  from  a  certain  peculiarity  in  its  flight,  due 
to  a  sort  of  fluttering  use  or  motion  of  its  wings.  It  is  easily 
domesticated,  and  becomes  a  tame  and  amusing  pet.  The  nest  is 
very  often  extremely  rude  and  inartificial,  almost  as  much  so  as  the 
Ring  Dove's.  It  is  placed  in  the  upper  part  of  a  lofty  bush  in  a 
wood,  or  on  some  one  of  the  lateral  branches  of  a  tree  where  the 
height  from  the  ground  is  considerable ;  is  made  of  sticks,  and 


62  3UITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS    AND    NESTS. 

lined  with  roots ;  the  cavity  containing  the  eggs  often  seeming  tc 
be  not  very  considerable.  Now  and  then  a  nest  is  met  with 
carefully  and  strongly  compacted,  and  sufficiently  cup-shaped 
The  Jay  lays  five  or  six  e^gs  of  a  faint  shade  of  dusky  green  foi 
ground-colour,  closely  and  thickly  freckled  all  over  with  lighi 
brown. — Fig  9,  plate  V. 

124.  NUT-CRACKER— (Nutifraga  caryocatactes). 
A  bird  which  has  probably  been  met  with  less  than  half-a-score 
times  in  all  in  this  country. 


GROUP   III.—  SCANS011ES. 

FAMILY  L—  picnm 

1:25.  GREAT  BLACK  WOODPECKER—  (Pious  martins). 
Too  rare  a  visitant  to  demand  special  notice  in  our  pages. 

126.  GREEN  WOODPECKER—  (Picns  viridis}. 
Wood-spite,  Rain-fowl,  Rain-bird,  Hew-hole,  Yaffle,  Whet-ile, 


written  Eaqual  in  the  form  Ecle.  I  have  no  idea  of  the  origin 
or  etymology  of  either  form,  but  I  have  given  these  names  gene- 
rally in  the  thought  that  they  may  be  helpful  to  some,  and 
interesting  to  other  young  egg-collectors.  The  Green  Wood- 
pecker is  the  most  common,  and  much  the  best  known  of  all  our 
English  Woodpeckers.  Besides  being  a  very  handsome  bird,  its 
organization  (as  is  indeed  the  case  with  all  the  tribe)  is  so  beau- 
tifully adapted  to  its  mode  of  life,  as  to  merit  a  brief  notice  at 
our  hands.  Its  strong  prehensile  feet  and  claws,  two  toes  being 
directed  forward  and  two  backwards,  fit  it  not  only  for  moving 
in  all  directions,  and  with  wonderful  readiness  and  ease  in  any 
direction  whatever,  about  the  trunk  or  limbs  of  a  tree,  but  also 
for  grasping  the  surface  with  great  tenacity  when  necessity  arises 
for  applying  its  strong  bill  to  penetrating  or  dislodging  either 
bark  or  portions  of  the  wood  itself.  When  thus  occupied,  the 
tail  comes  into  use,  and  the  bones  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the 
skeleton  are  so  formed  as  to  enable  the  stiff,  pointed  tail-feathers 
to  be  applied  to  the  tree  in  such  a  way  as  to  strengthen  the  pur- 
chase. already  obtained  by  the  firm  foot-hold.  Add  to  all  this  the 
"ength  of  the  tongue,  its  great  extensibility,  specially  provided 
for  by  a  peculiar  arrangement  of  muscles,  together  with  the 
structure  of  the  tongue  itself  —  remarkable  for  its  sharp,  horny 
tip  and  barb-like  bristles  on  either  side  near  the  point  —  and  we 
have  one  of  Nature's  most  beautiful  accommodations  of  means  to 
the  intended  end  which  can  well  be  offered  to  our  admiring  notice. 


LESSER-SPOTTED   WOODPECKER.  (J3 

Tlie  undulating  flight  and  laugh-like  cry  of  the  Green  Wood- 
pecker used  to  be  more  common  than  they  seem  to  be  now,  and 
the  great  multiplicity  of  provincial  names  seems  to  show  that 
once  it  must  have  been  an  exceedingly  common  bird.  I  have 
rarely  seen  or  heard  it  here :  and  no  wonder.  For  where  once 
there  were  miles  of  forest,  now  we  have  scarcely  100  acres  of 
Vood  in  the  whole  district.  This  Woodpecker's  cry  is  loudly 
and  frequently  uttered  before  impending  rain  ;  whence  one  of  its 
common  or  by-names.  It  breeds  in  holes  in  trees,  which  it  often 
excavates  in  part  or  enlarges  to  suit  its  wants.  It  makes  no 
nest,  but  deposits  its  eggs,  four  to  seven  in  number,  and  per- 
fectly white,  on  a  bed  of  the  soft  decayed  wood  of  the  tree.  The 
eggs  average  rather  over  1^-inchin  length,  by  about  f-inch  broad. 
No  illustration  being  possible  in  our  space  of  purely  white  eggs, 
I  think  it  better  to  append  their  measurements, 

127.  GREAT  SPOTTED  WOODPECKER—  (Picus  major}. 
Pied  Wood  pecker,   French-pie,  Wood-pie,   Whitwall,   Great 

Black  and  White  Woodpecker,  Wood-nacker. — A  not  very 
uncommon  bird  in  some  localities,  and  very  rare  in  others  now- 
a-days.  It  is  less  likely,  too,  to  betray  its  presence  by  its  note 
than  the  Green  Woodpecker,  and  is  so  shy  and  so  capable  of 
concealing  itself  or  keeping  the  trunk  of  a  tree  always  between 
itself  and  any  prying  observer,  that  doubtless  it  is  deemed  to  be 
more  rare  than  it  really  is.  It  seems  to  prefer  the  vicinity  of 
woods,  but  may  be  seen  occasionally  where  woods  do  not  abound, 
and  sometimes  even  it  resorts  to  places  where  abundance  of  old 
posts  or  decaying  tree-trunks  lead  it  to  expect  a  plentiful  repast. 
It  breeds  in  holes  in  trees,  making  no  nest,  and  laying  its  four 
or  five  eggs  on  just  such  a  bed  as  its  green  namesake.  The 
female  is  very  averse  to  leaving  her  eggs,  and  shows  almost  as 
much  pertinacity  as  a  Tomtit  in  abiding  by  them.  They  are 
1  inch  long  by  f -inch  broad. 

128.  LESSER  SPOTTED  WOODPECKER—  (Picus  minor}. 
Barred  Woodpecker,  Hick-wall,  Little  Black  and  White  Wood- 
pecker, Crank-bird. — A  pretty  little  bird,  very  shy,  very  active, 
very  able  to  keep  itself  out  of  sight,  and  so,  hardly  noticed  by 
one  in  a  hundred  of  those  whom  Miss  Edgeworth  would  class  as 
more  or  less  nearly  connected  with  the  widely-spread  family  of 
No-eyes.     It  is  said  to  prefer  large  woods  of  Beech  ;  and  like 
the  other  Woodpeckers,  makes  no  nest,  but  places  its  eggs  in  a 
hollow  tree,  accessible  by  only  a  small  hole,  the  means  of  access 
being  often  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  eggs  laid  below. 
The  eggs  of  this  little  bird  are  four  or  five  in  number,  Durely 
white,  though  seeming  to  be  suffused  with  a  delicate  pink  line 


64  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS   AKD   NESTS. 

before  they  are  blown,  which  arises  from  the  transparency  of  the 
shell.  They  are  about  J-inch  long  by  rather  more  than  J-inch 
broad. 

129.  WRYNECK— (Yunx  torqmlla). 

Cuckoo's-mate,  Emmet-hunter,  Snake-bird,  Long-tongue. — A 
dear  little  bird  is  the  Wryneck,  with  his  cheery  spring-announcing 
cry.  We  willingly  pardon  its  want  of  melody  for  its  associations. 
The  marvellous  rapidity  with  which  its  tongue  is  darted  out  and 
retracted,  enabling  it  by  the  aid  of  the  glutinous  secretion  with 
which  its  end  is  furnished  to  secure  an  Ant  at  every  action,  is 
highly  interesting  as  illustrating  another  of  the  wonderful  and 
beautiful  adaptations  provided  by  the  Divine  Artificer  of  all. 
The  Wryneck  makes  scarcely  any  nest  (if  any),  but  lays  its  eggs 
on  the  fragments  of  decayed  wood  which  line  a  hole  in  a  tree. 
They  are  from  six  to  ten  in  number,  and  white  and  glossy,  and 
about  the  same  size  as  those  of  the  Barred  Wood-pecker.  The 
old  bird  is  singularly  unwilling  to  leave  her  eggs  under  any 
intrusion,  and  tries  by  such  means  as  hissing  sharply,  elevating 
her  crest  and  contorting  her  neck  to  intimidate  or  deter  the 
intruder. 

II.— CEETHIAD^E. 
130.  CHEEPER—  (Certhia  familiaris). 

Tree-creeper,  Tree-climber. — A  shy,  gentle-seeming  little  bird, 
shunning  observation,  and,  with  the  rest  of  its  neighbours  in  our 
catalogue,  possessing  a  singular  facility  of  quietly  and  rapidly 
shifting  its  place  on  the  trunk  or  limb  of  a  tree,  so  as  always  to 
interpose  an  efficient  screen  between  its  own  minute  body  and 
the  eye  of  any  passer-by.  Its  claws,  sharp  and  long  and  curved, 
aided  by  its  long  and  pointed  tail- feathers,  are  its  chief  machinery 
in  these  facile  motions.  It  builds  its  nest,  generally  speaking,  in 
a  hole  in  a  tree,  with  only  a  very  minute  aperture.  Sometimes, 
though  I  think  rarely,  the  nest  is  outside  the  tree,  but  screened 
from  observation  by  some  casual  dislodgement  of  the  bark,  or  in 
some  similar  way.  It  is  made  of  dry  grass,  small  twigs,  shreds 
of  moss,  with  a  lining  of  feathers,  ft  is  very  hard  to  distinguish 
between  the  eggs  of  the  Creeper,  which  number  from  six  to  nine, 
and  those  of  the  Blue  Tit-mouse  and  the  Willow-wren,  not  to 
mention  one  or  two  other  small  birds.  The  illustration  will  give 
a  better  idea  of  the  egg  than  many  lines  of  description. — Fig.  16, 
plate  IV. 

131.  WREN. —troglodytes  vulgans}. 

Jenny  Wren,  Kitty  Wren,  Titty  Wren,  Cutty  Wren.— A  kind 
of  natural  pet  with  every  one.  I  scarcely  ever  remember  to 
have  spoken  of  the  Wren,  or  heard  others  speak  of  it,  without  some 
gentle,  loving  epithet  applied  to  its  name.  The  provincial  ruunes 


NUT-HATCH.  65 

quoted  are  instances  of  what  I  mean,  and  how  often  the  words 
"poor,"  "little/'  "tiny,"  and  even  "dear,"  are  joined  to  the 
prefixes  of  Jenny,  or  Kitty,  or  Titty.  Its  little  song,  its  seeming 
incapacity  to  bear  the  rude  buffets  of  storm  and  cold,  its  quiet 
peculiar  movements,  all  tend  to  commend  it  to  our  kindly  notice. 
And  then  the  beautiful  nest  it  makes — such  a  great  pile  for  such 
a  tiny  builder — and  so  compact  and  warm  and  wonderfully 
concealed  by  the  use  of  the  nicest  adaptations  of  materials  ancl 
design  to  the  site  selected, — this  makes  us  almost  respectfully 
admire,  in  addition  to  our  love.  I  have  found  it  on  the  moss- 
covered  bank,  on  the  moss-covered  trunk  of  a  tree,  in  thatch,  in 
a  haulm  wall;  but  wherever  it  is  found,  the  adjacent  substances 
are  made  to  help  the  concealment.  One  would  think  that  when 
strength  and  ability,  seemingly  so  inadequate,  had  been  so 
heavily  tasked  as  is  implied  in  the  construction  of  such  a  nest, 
the  little  birds  would  not  be  likely  to  leave  it,  especially  with  the 
building  of  another  in  immediate  prospect.  But  I  have  not 
found  it  so  in  practice.  A  very  trifling  enlargement  of  the 
single  orifice,  or  straining  of  the  fabric,  in  the  effort  to  send  the 
finger  to  the  bottom  of  the  nest,  is  quite  sufficient  to  cause  the 
nest  to  be  deserted;  especially  if  the  Wrens  owning  it  have 
once  or  more  been  disturbed  when  in  it,  or  very  near  it.  When  the 
young  ones  are  hatched,  the  case  is  altered.  The  eggs  are  often 
from  six  to  nine  or  ten  in  number,  and  I  have  heard  of  even 
more.  They  are  white,  with  almost  always  a  few  pale  red  spots 
about  them.  The  male  is  said  to  feed  the  female  during  the 
period  of  closest  incubation.  Many  other  birds  certainly  have 
the  same  habit,  even  when  the  mate  has  left  the  nest  just  to 
stretch  her  wings,  as  it  were.  I  have  seen  the  Common  Linnet 
do  this.— Fig.  17,  plate  IV. 

132.  HOOPOE.— (Upupa  epops.) 

A  casual  visitor  only,  but  still  not  so  rare  that  specimens  are 
not  obtained  almost  every  year.  In  fact,  the  whole  appearance 
of  the  bird  is  so  verjr  striking,  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  such  a 
visitor  shoujd  pass  without  notice.  It  breeds  in  several  European 
countries. 

133.  NUT-HATCH.— (Sitta  Europcea) 

Nut -jobber,  Wood-cracker. — A  very  beautiful  bird  to  my  eye, 
with  his  bright  slate-coloured  back,  and  orange  breast,  and  black 
bill ;  and  a  very  great  pet  in  former  days.  I  had  a  pair  which 
had  never  known  a  day  of  constraint,  but  which,  by  patient 
feeding  and  care  to  make  them  fearless  of  me,  became  so  tame 
as  almost  to  take  food  from  my  hand ;  to  take  it  readily  when  I 
jerked  it  a  foot  or  two  into  the  air.  And  they  would  always 
conic  to  my  signal  for  them — a  few  blows  on  the  tree  at  which 


66  BRITISH  BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS  AND  NESTS. 

I  fed  them.  But  they  never  suffered  their  young  to  come  to  the 
feast  I  provided,  and  always  absented  themselves  for  about  a 
month  at  the  breeding  time.  The  nest  is,  I  believe,  always  made 
in  the  hole  of  a  tree,  and  if  the  aperture  to  the  hollow  is  too 
large,  the  bird  is  apt  to  lessen  it  by  the  application  of  a 
sort  of  mud  -plaster  to  some  portions  of  the  edge.  The  nest  is 
rather  a  contrast  to  that  of  the  little  Wren  just  named,  being 
little  more  than  a  loose  heap  of  moss,  small  twigs,  and  chips  of 
bark  and  wood.  The  eggs  are  five  or  six  and  sometimes,  it  is  said, 
seven  in  number,  white,  with  some  pale-red  spots.  Many  of 
them  are  very  like  the  Larger  Titmouse's. — Fig.  18,  plate  IV. 

III.— CUCULID^E. 

134.  CUCKOO.— (Cuculus   canorus.) 

Gowk. — Have  you  heard  the  Cuckoo  yet  ?  How  often  that 
question  is  asked  by  one's  friends  or  neighbours  in  the  country. 
Hearing  the  first  Cuckoo  and  seeing  the  first  Swallow  are 
always  events  to  true  lovers  of  country  scenes  and  objects  and 
sounds.  But  what  a  strange  instinct  it  is  which  forbids  our 
Cuckoo  to  build  a  nest,  and  instructs  it  to  lay  its  egg — at  least 
to  place  it — in  some  other  bird's  nest,  and  that  bird  usually  not 
one-fifth  its  own  size  !  A  Blackbird's  nest  is  sometimes  selected 
to  receive  the  deposit,  but  very  rarely  compared  with  the  Hedge 
Sparrow's,  the  Lark's,  the  Meadow  Pipit's,  the  Water  Wagtail's, 
or  the  Chaffinch's.  How  many  eggs  are  laid  by  a  single  Cuckoo 
in  a  season,  is,  I  think,  not  ascertained.  It  is,  however,  a  very 
rare  circumstance  to  find  more  than  one  Cuckoo's  egg  in  any 
given  nest,  and  then  open  to  great  doubt  if  both  were  placed 
there  by  the  same  Cuckoo.  It  is  a  matter  of  dispute  how  the 
egg  is  actually  deposited  in  the  nest  selected ;  whether  "laid" 
in,  or  placed  in — after  being  dropped  on  the  ground  suppose — 
by  the  bill  or  claws.  I  found  one  in  the  Meadow  Pipit's  nest 
mentioned  above  (p.  47),  where  the  position  and  site  of  the 
nest  were  such  as  to  leave  no  doubt  whatever  in  my  mind  that 
the  egg  could  not  possibly  have  been  ' ( laid"  in  the  nest ;  and 
almost  certainly  inserted  by  aid  of  the  beak.  How  the  Cuckoo 
found  such  a  nest  at  all,  was  a  marvel  to  me.  The  eggs  are 
very  small  for  the  size  of  the  bird  which  produces  them,  and 
strongly  resemble  some  of  the  darker  and  more  closely  freckled 
specimens  of  the  House  Sparrow's  egg,  but  are  rather  larger 
in  size ;  while  Mr.  Doubleday  says  some  of  them  resemble  those 
of  the  Pied  Wagtail.— Fir/.  19,  plate  IV. 

135.  YELLOW-BILLED   CUCKOO.— (&HW/«M  Americans). 
A  rare  yisitor  only. 


SWALLOW.  ($7 

GROUP  IV.—  FISSIROSTRES. 
FAMILY    L—  MEEOPID^E. 

136.  ROLLER.  —  (Coracias  garruld). 
Garrulous  Roller.  —  Very  rarely  met  with  in  England. 

137.  BEE-EATER.—  (Merops  apiaster). 
An  African  bird,  which  strays  occasionally  so  far  to  the  north 
as  to  reach  Britain,  and  be  claimed  as  a  British  Bird. 

II.—  HALCYONIDJE. 

138.  KING-FISHER.—  (Alcedo  ispida). 
Beyond  doubt,  as  far  as  exceeding  brilliancy  of  plumage'  goes, 
the  most  beautiful  of  our  indigenous  birds.  I  have  never  seen  it 
in  any  part  of  the  kingdom  a  numerous  bird,  though  in  my  fish- 
ing and  other  excursions  in  Suffolk,  Essex,  Norfolk,  and  Here- 
fordshire, I  used  to  see  many  pairs  ;  each,  however,  domiciled  at 
some  distance  from  its  nearest  neighbours.  In  the  district  of 
North  Yorkshire  I  am  best  acquainted  with  I  have  never  seen  it. 
Its  straight,  arrow-like,  speeding  flight  is  sure  to  be  remembered, 
when  once  seen,  and  so  is  the  odour  inseparable  from  its  nest- 
hole  or  other  stated  haunt.  A  hole,  sloping  upwards,  in  the 
bank  of  the  water  it  most  frequents,  whether  pond,  stream, 
marsh-ditch,  or  large  river,  is  usually  chosen  to  receive  the  nest, 
which  is  often  a  foot  and  a  half,  or  two  feet  from  the  entrance  ; 
but  sometimes  the  bird  has  been  known  to  resort  to  a  hole  at 
some  distance  from  any  water.  The  nest,  so  called,  seems  to  be 
constituted  of  small  fish-bones,  ejected  from  the  King-fisher's 
stomach,  and  the  dry  soil  of  the  hole,  while  the  eggs  deposited  in 
it  are  five  or  six  in  number,  very  round  in  form,  beautifully  white 
when  blown,  and  though,  from  the  thinness  of  the  shell,  seeming 
to  have  a  pink  hue  before  the  removal  of  the  yolk. 


III.— 

139.  SWALLOW.—  (Hirundo  rustica). 
Common  Swallow,  House  Swallow,  Chimney  Swallow,  Barn 
Swallow.  —  One  of  the  most  welcome  of  all  our  spring  visitors  ; 
and  so  frequently  coming  back,  the  self-same  pair  of  birds  appa- 
rently, to  the  self-same  nest  that  they  seem  to  be  almost  like, 
members  of  the  family  returning  from  a  temporary  absence.  Th  : 
common  name,  Chimnev  Swallow,  is,  however,  rather  a  misno- 
mer. No  doubt  they  build  in  chimneys  freely  and  frequently,  bu  :; 
in  many  districts  the  chimney  is  quite  untenantedby  any  swallows 
while  the  open  roofs  of  sheds  and  barns,  the  under  side  of  bridgou 
sufficiently  flat  and  uneven  to  afford  the  necessary  support, 


68  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS    AND   NESTS. 

disused  shafts  of  mines,  and  the  like,  and  even  parts  of  unused 
rooms,  or  articles  of  furniture  in  such  rooms,  are  resorted  to. 
These  nests  are  very  considerably  different  from  those  of  the 
Martin  (to  be  noticed  next),  inasmuch  as  they  are  always  com- 
pletely open  above,  being  so  built  that  there  is  a  sensible  space 
between  the  greater  portion  of  the  edge  of  the  plaster-work  of 
the  nest,  and  the  roof  or  other  surface  above ;  while  in  the  case  of 
the  Martin's  nest,  it  is  always  built  so  as  to  be  closed  above  by 
the  eaves  or  other  ledge  to  which  it  is  affixed,  requiring  a  gap  or 
lip — so  to  speak — to  be  left  in  the  wall  to  afford  ingress  and 
egress  to  the  owners.  The  nest,  in  either  case,  is  built  with  many 
pellets  of  soft  tenacious  earth,  wrought  into  form  with  bits  of 
straw  or  grass,  and  afterwards  lined  with  feathers.  It  is  observable 
that  no  more  work  at  the  nest  is  done  in  a  day  than  will  readily 
harden  enough  to  bear  the  requisite  additions  of  materials  above, 
when  the  time  comes  for  making  them.  There  are  usually  four, 
five,  or  six  eggs  laid;  white,  speckled  and  spotted  with  deep 
red,  and  a  lighter  duller  shade, — Fig.  20,  plate  IV. 

140.  MARTIN.— (Hirundo  urbicd). 

Martlet,  Martin  Swallow,  House  Martin,  Window  Martin, 
Eaves  Swallow,  Window  Swallow. — This  familiar  little  bird, 
whose  cheeping  note  in  the  nests  above  our  chamber  windows  is 
one  of  the  sounds  we  should  sorely  miss,  frequents  the  dwellings 
of  men  quite  as  much  as,  I  think  more  than,  the  Swallow.  Every 
one  knows  where  to  look  for  the  Martin's  nest,  and  many  a  house 
can  we  all  call  to  mind  which  seems,  from  some  peculiarity  in  its 
site  or  external  fashion,  to  be  particularly  affected  by  these  birds 
— and  certainly,  in  most  cases,  the  inmates  of  the  house  take 
much  care  to  save  their  confiding  feathered  friends  from  disturb- 
ance. In  many  places,  however,  the  Martin  forms  large  nesting 
colonies,  which  take  possession  of  a  series  of  overhanging  ledges 
on  some  steep  rocky  face,  and  there  build  their  nests  in  great 
numbers.  In  Berwickshire,  on  the  banks  of  the  Whiteadder,  I 
knew  of  such  a  colony,  and  others  elsewhere  :  the  principal  ones, 
however,  being  on  the  rock-bound  coast  between  St.  Abb's  Head 
and  Burnmouth.  Hundreds  of  these  birds  nested  in  several 
different  places  upon  those  lofty  precipices.  No  description  of 
the  nest  itself — beyond  what  was  said  in  the  notice  of  the  Swal- 
low— seems  requisite.  The  number  of  eggs,  which  are  perfectly 
white,  seems  seldom  to  exceed  six. 

141.  SAND  MARTIN— (Hirnndo  nparia). 
Bank  Martin,  Pit  Martin,  Sand  Swallow,  Bank  Swallow,  River 
Swallow. — This  delicate  little  visitor  comes  to  us  in  the  spring, 
often  very  early,  from  Africa,  as  do  also  the  two  others  of  the 


ALPINE   SWIFT.  59 

genus  just  named.  Where  it  does  occur — and  it  is  generally 
diffused — it  is  often  seen  in  very  large  numbers.  A  Ballast  Pit  at 
Eingringhoe,  in  Essex,  is  occupied  by  the  most  numerous  colony 
I  am  acquainted  with;  and  a  site  afforded  by  the  surface  beds  of 
sand  and  soil  above  a  steep  scarp  of  rock  on  Tweed-bank,  nearly 
opposite  Norham  Castle,  used  to  accommodate  another  colony. 
Some  of  the  holes  are  bored  to  a  very  great  depth.  I  have  enlarged 
the  orifice  of  many  till  it  would  admit  my  whole  shoulder,  and  have 
then  been  unable  to  reach  the  termination  of  the  gallery.  Others 
are  much  shorter,  and  admitting  of  more  easy  access  to  the  nest. 
The  female  will,  notwithstanding  the  noise  and  violence  attending 
the  enlargement  of  the  aperture  of  her  nest-hole,  sit  resolutely 
on,  and  allow  herself  to  be  taken  in  the  hand  with  scarcely  a 
struggle  or  sign  of  resistance — even  of  life,  sometimes.  One  I 
took  thus  a  year  or  two  since  lay  in  my  open  hand  for  a  minute  or 
more,  and  then  at  last  flew  only  leisurely  away.  A  little  loose, 
soft  straw,  with  some  feathers,  serves  to  receive  the  eggs,  which 
are  four  to  six  in  number,  often  much  elongated  in  shape,  of  the 
most  delicate  white,  and  beautifully  pink  from  the  thinness  of  the 
shell  before  they  are  blown. 

142.  PURPLE  MARTIN— (Hirundo  purpure*}. 
American  Purple  Martin. — Only  a  very  casual  visitor. 

143.  SWIET—  (Cypselus  apus). 

Deviling,  Black  Martin,  Screech,  Screech  Martin,  Shriek  Owl, 
Screamer,  Squeaker,  Skeer  or  Skir-devil,  Cran. — I  should  think  no 
one  who  has  once  seen  this  bird  on  the  wing,  and  noticed  its  rapid, 
peculiar,  powerful,  long-winged,  whirling  flight,  or  heard  its  remark- 
able  scream,  would  ever  be  likely  to  mistake  when  he  saw  it  again.  It 
is  most  frequently  seen  at  no  great  distance  from  some  old  tower 
of  castle  or  church,  or  such  like  building,  although  at  times  it 
seems  to  range  far  in  search  of  food.  It  makes  its  nest  of  pieces 
of  soft  straw,  bents  or  grass  or  hay  and  feathers,  and  usually  in 
holes  in  the  buildings  aforesaid,  or  between  the  tiles  and  under- 
roof  of  houses  ;  and  the  nest  once  made  is  supposed  to  be  used 
for  many  years  in  succession  by  the  same  pair  of  birds.  It  some- 
times seems  as  if  it  had  been  cemented  together  in  some  way. 
The  Swift  often  lays  only  two  eggs,  but  has  been  known  to  pro- 
duce three,  and  even  four.  They  are  quite  white,  and  rather  arge 
for  the  size  of  the  bird. 

144.  ALPINE  SWIET—  (Cypselus  Alpinus). 
White-bellied  Swift. — A  bird  which  is  known  to  have  visited  us 
en  some  half  dozen  occasions  or  so. 


70  BRITISH  BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS  AND  NESTS. 

IV.— CAPRIMULGIDJE. 

145.  NIGHT-JAR.— (Caprimulgus  Europseus). 
Night  Hawk,  Goat-sucker,  Dor  Hawk,  Fern  Owl,  Night  Crow, 
Jar  Owl,  Churn  Owl,  Wheel-bird,  Eve-churr,  Night-churr,  Pue» 
keridge. — Ear  more  familiar  to  many  of  the  comparatively  few 
among  country-dwellers  who  notice  such  matters,  is  the  Night- 
jar by  sound  than  by  sight.  Coming  from  its  retirement  out 
very  little  and  very  reluctantly  by  day,  and  only  pursuing  its 
prey  towards  and  during  twilight,  it  is  not  by  any  means  an 
obtrusive  bird;  as  little  so,  indeed,  as  any  one  of  the  Owls.  Eut 
its  loud  churring  or  jarring  note,  as  it  wheels  round  a  tree  or 
clump  o£  trees,  is  often  enough  heard  by  many  a  one  to  whom  its 
form  and  size  and  plumage  are  nearly  or  utterly  strange.  It  is, 
perhaps,  most  frequently  met  with  where  patches  of  furze  and 
fern  on  open  commons,  not  too  far  from  the  neighbourhood  of 
plantations,  occur.  The  Night-jar  can  hardly  be  said  to  make  a 
nest ;  but  lays  two  eggs  in  any  slight  natural  depression  of  the 
ground  which  she  can  find  sufficiently  near  a  bush  or  clump  of 
whins  to  be  at  least  partly  concealed  by  it.  The  eggs  are  very 
oval  in  shape,  and  very  beautifully  mottled  and  clouded  and 
veined  with  varying  tints  of  blueish  lead-colour  and  brown,  on  a 
whitish  ground. — Fig.  1 ,  plate  VI. 

III.— RASORES. 
FAMILY  I.— COLUMBINE. 

146.  RING-DOYE.— (Columba palumbus). 
Wood  Pigeon,  Ring  Pigeon,  Cushat,  Cushie  Doo,  Queest. — 
This,  the  first  bird  in  the  new  Order  of  Rasores,  is  tolerably  we]! 
known  to  every  one  the  least  acquainted  with  ordinary  country 
scenes  and  objects.  A  fine,  handsome  bird,  met  with  every- 
where throughout  the  country,  and,  in  many  parts  of  it,  seen  in 
very  large  flocks  in  the  winter  time ;  sure  to  attract  attention, 
also,  as  we  walk  through  the  wood,  by  the  loud  ringing  clap  of 
his  wings  as  he  takes  flight.;  and  'all  this  independently  of  his 
plaintive  murmur  in  the  breeding  season,  sounding  very  sweet 
and  mellow  as  heard  from  a  little  distance — the  Wood-Pigeon, 
or  Queest,  or  Cushat,  as  he  is  named  in  different  districts,  is  as 
prominent  among  wild  birds  as  the  parson  of  the  parish  among 
his  parishioners.  The  young  birds  are  frequently  taken  from  the 
nest  and  reared  by  hand ;  and  the  bold,  fearless,  confiding  fami 
liarity  of  such  pets,  considering  their  extreme  native  shyness  and 
wildness,  is  remarkable.  The  Ring  Dove  makes  its  rude  plat- 
form nest  of  sticks,  with  a  cushion  of  roots  to  receive  the  eggs, 
in  bushes  standing  singly  or  in  hedges  or  woods,  in  pollard  trees, 


ROCK-DOVE.  71 

M  holly  or  other  thick  trees,  in  evergreens  in  gardens,  and  the 
like ;  and  nothing  is  more  common  than  to  see  the  parent  birds 
frequenting  the  garden  and  close  vicinity  of  a  country-house, 
almost  as  tamely  as  if  they  were  a  pair  of  common  or  house 
Pigeons.  The  eggs  seem  to  be  invariably  very  oval  in  shape,  and 
purely  white.  They  are  1|  inch  long,  by  i  inch  broad. 

147.  STOCK-DOVE.— (Columba  anas). 
Stock  Pigeon,  Wood  Pigeon,  Wood  Dove. — This  Dove  is  not 
only,  generally  speaking,  much  less  abundant  throughout  the  coun- 
try than  the  Ring-dove,  but  very  often,  it  would  seem,  confounded 
with  it  by  casual  observers,  who  only  notice  the  several  birds 
from  a  distance,  or  on  the  wing.  They  frequent  the  same  roost- 
ing-places,  and  often  feed  in  the  same  field,  though  probably  on 
different  species  of  food.  I  have  shot  birds  of  both  species  at 
the  same  discharge  of  the  £un,  and  have  notieed  the  different 
matters  which  had  supplied  their  meals  of  the  day, — Holly- 
berries,  in  the  case  of  the  Ring-dove ;  wild  mustard-seed,  in  the 
other.  The  Stock-dove  is,  however,  immediately  and  easily  dis- 
tinguishable from  the  Ring-dove,  by  its  lesser  size,  a  slight  diffe- 
rence in  colour,  and  the  entire  absence  of  the  "  ring  "  of  white 
feathers  on  the  neck.  Its  nest  is  placed  sometimes  on  pollard 
trees,  sometimes  in  open  holes  or  hollows  in  old  trees ;  and  very 
commonly,  in  some  districts,  either  on  the  ground  below  thick 
furze-bushes,  or  in  deserted  rabbit-burrows,  two  or  three  feet 
distant  from  the  entrance.  The  nest  is  very  slight,  consisting 
merely  of  a  few  twigs  or  roots.  The  eggs  are  two  in  number, 
pure  white,  about  or  rather  exceeding  1-g-  inch  in  length,  by 
li  inch  in  breadth. 

ROCK-DOVE— (Columba  lima). 

Wild  Pigeon,  Rock  Pigeon,  Wild  Dove,  Doo,  Rockier.— This 
Pigeon  has  usually,  until  not  long  since,  been  confused  with  the 
Stock  Dove.  But  their  plumage  is  unlike,  their  voice  unlike,  and 
especially  their  habits  and  living  and  breeding  haunts  unlike.  It 
is  ^believed,  with  some  certainty,  that  the  Rock  Dove  is  the  real 
origin  of  the  Domestic  Pigeon,  and  certainly  any  one  who  has 
seen  the  large  flight  of  Domestic  Pigeons  turned  wild,  which 
frequent  the  caverns  in  the  rock-bound  coast  near  St.  Abb's  Head 
and  similar  localities,  living  with,  flying  with,  feeding  with,  and 
nesting  with  the  undoubted  wild  Rockier,  can  entertain  but  very 
small  doubts  on  the  subject.  The  Rock  Dove  makes  a  loose  nest 
of  twigs  and  plant  stems  and  dry  grass ;  very  often  far  back!  in 
holes  and  crevices  of  the  rock ;  and  lays  two  white  eggs,  with  a 
much  better  defined  "  big  end"  and  "  little  end"  than  in  the  case 
of  the  two  Pigeons  last  named. 


72  BRITISH  BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS  AND  NESTS. 

149.  TURTLE  DOVE— (Columba  turtnr.) 
Turtle,  Common  Turtle,  Ring-necked  Turtle,  Wrekin  Dove. — 
Only  a  summer  visitor  and  not  a  regular  inhabitant,  like  its  three 
predecessors.  It  is  long  since,  living  where  I  do,  I  have  heard  its 
sweet,  plaintive  note.  No  one  but  one  who  loves  birds  and  their 
ways  can  tell  how  real  a  deprivation  it  is  to  live  for  ^cars  out  of 
sound  of  the  sweet  and  familiar  voices  of  such  as  are  only  local, 
the  Nightingale  for  instance,  the  Turtle,  and  many  others.  The 
male  ^Hrtle  Dove  is  a  very  handsome  bird,  but  much  shier  and 
more  retiring  at  breeding-time  than  the  Ring  Dove.  The  nest  is 
a  slight  platform  of  sticks,  easily  permitting  the  sky^  to  be  seen 
through  it  from  below,  and  usually  placed  high  up  in  a  holly,  a 
thick  bush  in  a  wood,  in  the  branches  of  a  fir,  or  the  lesser  fork  of 
some  limb  of  an  oak  or  other  forest  tree.  As  with  the  other 
Doves,  the  eggs  are  two  in  number,  quite  white,  about  l£  inch 
long,  by  |  broad. 

150.  PASSENGER  PIGEON— (Ectopistes  migratorius). 

Every  bird-loving  boy,  beyond  doubt,  has  heard  of  this  Pigeon, 
and  the  inconceivable  vastness  of  the  flocks  in  which  they  pass 
from  one  distant  district  to  another  in  America.  Here  it  is  only 
a  casual  visitor,  and  can  lawfully  lay  claim  to  none  of  our  limited 
space. 

II.— PHASIANIDJE. 
151.  PHEASANT— (Phasianm  Colchicus). 

I  dare  say  "  a  good  few"  of  our  readers  if  they  were  asked, 
"  Do  you  know  the  Pheasant  ?"  might  answer,  "  Yes,  very  well. 
We  had  some  for  dinner,  such  and  such  a  day."  And  I  have  no 
doubt  the  acquaintance  was  satisfactory  enough — at  least  to  one 
of  the  parties.  The  Pheasant  does  not  pair,  and  on  the  preserved 
estates  in  Norfolk  and  Cambridgeshire  I  have  frequently  seen  in 
the  spring  large  groups  of  Cock  Pheasants  collected  and  con- 
sorting together  without  the  intermixture  of  a  single  hen.  In  a 
vast  many  places  now  an  artificial  system  of  Pheasant-breeding 
is  adopted,  three  or  four  hens  with  one  male  being  turned  into  a 
large  pled  "  apartment,"  well  netted  in,  the  whole  establishment 
comprising  many  such  apartments.  Each  hen  lays  double  or 
treble  the  number  of  eggs  she  would  if  suffered  to  run  wild,  and 
these  are  collected  daily  and  placed  under  hens  ready  to  sit  as  soon 
as  a  sufficient  number  is  got  together.  In  this  way  twice  or 
three  times  the  number  of  young  ones  is  secured  from  one  hen  as 
compared  with  her  own  greatest  success  in  bringing  off  a  brood 
in  the  woods.  In  her  wild  state,  the  Pheasant  makes  scarcely 
any  nest,  on  the  ground,  and  lays  ten  or  twelve  eggs,  of  a  uniform 
pale  olive-brown  shade.  Not  only  are  cases  in  which  two  Pheasants 


BLACK  GROUSE.  73 

lay  in  the  same  nest  of  by  no  means  unfrequent  occurrence,  but 
others  even,  in  which  Pheasants'  eggs  have  been  found  in  Par- 
tridges' nests.  Many  instances  are  on  record  of  the  Pheasant 
inter-breeding  with  other  birds,  such  as  the  Guinea  Fowl,  the 
Black  Grouse,  and  the  Common  Fowl.  The  cross  last  named  is 
by  no  means  uncommon,  and  a  remarkably  fine  male  specimen  of 
the  produce  of  a  Cock  Pheasant  and  Speckled  Hamburg  Hen 
occurred  here  (one  of  four  birds  which  were  hatched)  a  few  years 
since.  The  Pheasant's  tail  and  head  and  general  shape  as  well  as 
fashion  of  feathers  (with  access  of  size)  were  united  to  the  shades 
and  markings  of  the  plumage  of  the  mother.  The  bird  in  question 
was  so  inveterate  in  his  visits  to  the  neighbouring  farm-yard  in 
order  to  challenge  the  Cocks  who  dwelt  there,  and  so  sure  to  kill 
them  outright,  or  maim  or  maul  them  so  severely  that  they  had  to 
be  killed,  that  it  became  necessarv  to  put  him  out  of  the  way 
himself,  and  his  present  memorial  is  his  remarkably  well-stuffed 
skin.— Fig.  2,  plate  VI. 

III.— TETOAONIDJS. 
152.  CAPERCAILLIE— (Tetrao  urogallus). 
Cock  of  the  Woods,  Wood  Grouse,  Cock  of  the  Mountain, 
Great  Grouse,  Capercailzie,  Capercally. — An  indigenous  inhabi- 
tant of  this  country,  but  one  which  had  become,  or  was  becoming, 
extinct,  a  few  years  ago.  Now  it  is  becoming  comparatively 
abundant  again  on  the  estates  of  several  large  and  noble  owners, 
principally  in  Scotland.  It  is  indeed  a  very  noble  bird,  and  well 
worthy  the  care  and  attention  and  expense  which  have  been 
devoted  to  the  attempt  to  re-establish  it.  The  female  makes  her 
nest  on  the  ground,  and  lays  from  six  to  ten  or  twelve  eggs. 
These  are  of  a  pale  reddish-yellow  brown,  spotted  all  over  with 
two  shades  of  darker  orange  brown. — Fig.  3,  plate  Vi. 

153.  BLACK  GROUSE— (Tetrao  tetrix). 
Black  Cock,  Black  Game,  Heath  Cock,  Heath  Poult,  and  the 
female,  Grey  Hen,  sometimes  Brown  Hen. — Still  found  in  some 
districts  out  of  the  north  of  England,  where  wild  and  hilly  forest 
still  remains,  but  of  much  more  frequent  occurrence  in  more 
northerly  localities.  In  fact,  the  gradual  and  very  complete 
demolition  of  the  last  remains  of  what  were  once  very  extensive 
forests  has  completely  banished  the  Black  Grouse  from  places 
where  it  used  to  be  common  within  the  memory  of  living  men. 
It  is  a  very  handsome  bird,  and  like  the  Capercailly  and 
the  Pheasant,  does  not  pair.  The  hen  makes  a  very  slight  nest 
on  the  ground,  and  lays  in  it  seven  to  nine  or  ten  eggs,  of  a  some- 
what less  warm  ground-shade  than  those  last  named,  but  with 
larger  and  brighter-coloured  spots  and  blotches. — Fig. 


BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS  AND   NESTS. 

154.  RED  GROUSE— (Lagopus  Scoticus.) 

Red  Ptarmigan,  Red  Game,  Moor  Game,  Muir-fowl,  Moor- 
bird. — A  beautiful  bird  indeed,  and  peculiar  to  the  British 
Islands.  The  Grouse  moors,  however,  are  mainly  confined  to 
the  northern  counties  of  England  and  Scotland.  In  the  district 
in  which  this  is  written  the  Grouse  may  be  truly  said  to  abound, 
and  I  hear  them  continually  from  my  garden  or  open  window/* 
These  birds  do  pair,  and  pair  very  early  indeed  moreover.  I 
have  frequently  seen  them  in  pairs  before  the  season  for  killing 
them,  which  expires  on  December  10,  is  fully  out.  If  the  weather 
becomes  severe  this  union  often  seems  to  be  annulled ;  but  I  don't 
think  it  is  in  reality.  In  the  earlier  spring,  when  the  pairing  is 
becoming  general,  many  fierce  battles  among  the  males  may  be 
seen  going  on,  and  very  resolute  and  lengthened  and  circuitous 
flights  of  one  in  pursuit  of  another  occur.  The  nest  is  very 
slight,  of  ling  and  bents  chiefly,  and  usually  well  concealed  in  a 
tuft  of  heather.  Erom  six  or  seven  up  to  twelve  or  fifteen  eggs 
are  said  to  be  laid,  but  I  should  sav  that  the  highest  average, 
judging  from  the  number  of  young  birds  in  a  brood,  very  rarely 
much  exceeds  eight  or  nine.  The  eggs  are  very  beautiful  and 
richly  coloured,  but  vary  exceedingly  in  both  ground-colour  and 
markings,  even  those  found  in  the  same  nest.  Some  are  of  a 
yellowish  shade,  and  others  of  a  blood-stain  red,  mottled  and 
blotched  with  rich  umber  brown,  and  the  paler  ones  with  shades 
of  light-brown. — Fig.  5,  plate  VI. 

155.  PTARMIGAN— (Lagopus  vulgaru}. 

White  Grouse,  Rock  Grouse,  White  Game — Only  found  now 
among  the  rocky  tops  of  the  highest  hills  and  mountains  in  the 
centre  and  north  of  Scotland.  It  is  the  smallest  species  of 
Grouse  in  Britain,  and  its  plumage  varies  greatly  with  the  season, 
becoming  nearly  pure  white  in  winter.  It  lays  seven  to  ten  eggs, 
frequently  on  the  bare  stones.  They  are  of  a  yellowish  ground- 
colour, blotched  and  spotted  (slightly  so  as  compared  with  the 
eggs  of  the  Red  Grouse)  with  rich  dark  brown. 

156.  COMMON  PARTRIDGE—  (Perdix  cinerea). 
Much  too  familiar  a  bird  by  appearance,  voice  and  flavour  to 
require  any  very  lengthened  notice  from  us.  The  Partridge 
pairs  pretty  early — by  the  end  of  January,  often — and  once  paired 
they  never  separate  again  throughout  the  season.  At  pairing 
time  the  cocks  fight  fiercely,  and  I  have  sometimes  seen,  and 
even  in  my  garden  here,  three  or  four  engaged  in  the  conflict, 

*  For  a  detailed  series  of  observations  on  the  habits,  &c.,  of  the  Grouse 
sec  "  Sketches  in  Natural  History,"  Routledge  &  Co. 


QUAIL.  75 

with  another,  probably  the  female  "apple  of  discord,"  sitting 
quietly  by  the  while.  I  have  seen  the  male,  too,  in  the  evening, 
when  summoning  his  newly-married  wife,  stand  on  the  top  of  one 
of  our  stone  walls  and  call  repeatedly.  The  nest  is  made  on  the 
ground  in  a  field  of  grass  or  com,  or  on  a  dry  hedge  bank,  or  at 
the  foot  of  a  wall  among  the  long  grass,  and  consists  of  little  but 
a  slight  depression  in  the  ground,  with  a  few  dead  leaves  and 
bents.  The  number  of  eggs  varies  between  eight  or  ten  and 
twenty.  But  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  two  Partridges  to  lay 
in  the  same  nest,  and  an  instance  came  to  my  knowledge  two  or 
three  years  since,  in  which  a  Red-legged  Partridge  had  laid 
several  eggs  in  a  Common  Partridge's  nest.  When  two  birds 
lav  together  thus,  the  covey  sometimes  amounts  to  thirty  or 
thirty-five  birds.  I  knew  one  instance  of  forty,  about  three 
years  since.  The  male  Partridge  is  known  to  help  his  mate  when 
the  hatch  is  drawing  on,  by  sitting  at  her  side  ana  covering  some 
of  the  eggs.  When  there  are  two  layings  in  the  same  nest,  it  is 
an  interesting  question  whether  the  two  hens  sit  together,  or  the 
original  owner  of  the  nest  is  simply  assisted  by  her  mate.  The 
young  birds  are  able  to  run  and  "  fend  for  themselves"  almost  as 
soon  as  they  are  hatched.  The  eggs  are  of  a  uniform  pale  olive- 
brown  hue. — Fig.  6,  plate  VI. 

157.  RED-LEGGED  PARTRIDGE— (Perdix  rufa). 
Erench  Partridge,  Guernsey  Partridge. — A  much  more  striking 
bird  in  appearance  than  the  Common  Partridge,  and  said  also  to 
be  a  powerful  enemy  to  it.  Certainly,  in  districts  where  it  has 
been  encouraged  and  preserved,  it  seems  to  have  prevailed  to 
the  comparative  exclusion  of  the  indigenous  species.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  first  introduced  about  the  time  of  Charles  II. 
For  long  it  seems  to  have  increased  and  spread  but  very  slowly, 
but  now  there  are  many  districts  of  the  south  where  it  is  exceed- 
ingly abundant.  These  birds  form  a  slight  nest  of  dry  bents  and 
leaves  upon  the  ground,  amid  some  growing  crop  of  grass  or 
corn.  Instances,  nowever,  have  been  asserted  in  which  the  nest 
'was  a  good  deal  elevated  above  the  ground,  as  on  the  top  of  a 
stack.  The  eggs,  very  hard-shelled,  are  from  ten  to  fifteen  or 
sixteen  in  number,  of  a  cream  colour,  well  spotted  with  small 
speckles  of  reddish  or  cinnamon  brown. — Fig.  7,  plate  FL 

158.  QUAIL— (Coturnix  vulgaris}. 

The  quail  is  believed,  in  some  rare  instances,  to  stay  with  us 
all  the  year,  but  is  usually  only  a  summer  visitant,  not  coming  in 
any  great  numbers.  In  some  countries  its  migratory  hosts  are 
so  great  that  one  hundred  thousand  are  said  to  have  been  taken 
in  a  day.  In  its  appearance,  the  quail  strongly  reminds  one  of 


76  BRITISH   B1KDS,   THEIR  EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

the  Partridge,  and  suggests  the  idea  that  itself  is  only  a  diminu- 
tive bird  of  that  species.  They  do  not,  however,  pair,  and  their 
nests  are  met  with  in  many  parts  of  the  kingdom.  Two  years 
since  it  was  believed  that  at  least  two  broods  were  reared  on 
certain  lands  in  Moorsholm,  in  North  Yorkshire.  A  small 
depression  in  the  ground  is  made,  or  found,  and  loosely  lined 
with  bits  of  grass  and  dry  stalks.  Seven  to  ten,  or  possibly  yet 
more  eggs,  are  laid,  presenting  much  variety  of  appearance,  but 
usually  of  a  faint  cream-coloured  ground,  mottled  and  clouded  in 
some  cases  with  red  brown,  and  in  others  spotted  with  dark 
brown  spots,  some  of  considerable  size.  —  Fig.  S,  plate  VI. 


IV.— 

159.  GREAT  BUSTARD—  (Otis  tardd]. 

This  noble  bird,  once  abundant  enough  on  our  wide  plains  and 
wolds  in  England,  is  now,  I  fear,  almost  extinct  among  us,  as  so 
far  as  I  am  aware  no  very  recent*capture  of  it  has  been  an- 
nounced. It  used,  before  the  gun  became  so  common  and  so 
fatal  to  birds  of  much  interest  to  the  ornithologist  or  others,  to 
be  customarily  pursued  with  greyhounds.  These  birds  do  not 
pair,  and  their  nest  is  said  to  be  a  mere  natural  saucer-shaped 
hole  in  the  bare  ground.  The  eggs  are  seldom  more  than  two, 
or  at  most  three,  in  number,  and  are  of  an  olive-green  ground, 
blotched  and  spotted  with  two  or  three  shades  of  brown,  lighter 
and  darker. 

160.  LITTLE  BUSTARD—  (Otis  tetrax). 

Only  a  casual,  and  not  a  summer  visitor. 


IV.— GRALLATORES. 

FAMILY  I.— CHAEADEIID^:. 

161.  CREAM-COLOURED  COURSER— (Gursonus 


A  very  rare  bird  indeed. 

162.  GREAT  PLOVER— ((#fe^^  crepitans). 

Stone  Curlew,  Norfolk  Plover,  Whistling  Plover,  Stone 
Plover,  Thick-knee. — The  Stone  Curlew  is  a  summer  visitor,  and 
strictly  a  local  one.  The  Nightingale,  for  instance,  is  very  much 
more  extensively  diffused  than  the  bird  just  named.  It  is  found 
abundantly  enough  on  the  wide  sandy  plains  of  Norfolk,  and  I 
used  to  hear  it  very  commonly  in  the  fields  a  few  miles  to  the 
north-west  of  Bury  St.  Edmunds.  Besides  the  counties  just 
named,  it  is  met  with  in  parts  of  Essex  and  Kent,  in  Hampshire 
and  Cambridgeshire,  and  two  or  three  others.  Its  peculiar  shrill 

*  Since  this  was  written  one  instance  has  occurred. 


GOLDEN   PLOVER.  77 

cry  or  whistle,  once  heard,  is  not  likely  to  be  forgotten.  The 
female  lays  two  eggs  on  the  bare  ground,  among  white-coated 
flints  and  stones.  An  idea  of  their  ground-colour  may  be  given 
by  the  mention  of  what  the  painters  call  stone-colour,  in  pale 
shades,  and  this  is  streaked  and  spotted,  or  marbled,  with  dark 
brown. — tfig.  I,  plate  VII. 

162.*  PRATINCOLE—  (Glareola  torquata). 
Collared  Pratincole,  Austrian  Pratincole. — A  bird  of  sufficiently 
rare  occurrence  in  this  country,  and  remarkable  as  having  caused 
some  degree  of  perplexity  and  dispute  among  naturalists  as  to 
the  position  it  should  occupy  in  the  general  system  or  classifica- 
tion of  the  Bird-family.  Mr.  Yarrell  (in  whose  first  edition  it 
appears  at  the  head  of  the  Rail-family)  says — "  The  Pratincole 
has  been  arranged  by  some  authors  with  the  Swallows,  by  others 
near  the  Rails  ;  bat  I  believe,  with  Mr.  Selby,  that  it  ought  to  be 
included  in  the  family  of  the  Plovers ;  and  had  I  known  its 
Plover-like  habits  and  eggs  sooner,  I  should  have  arranged  it 
between  Cursorius  and  Charadrius."  To  this  Mr.  Hewitson 
adds — "  Besides  the  similarity  of  their  habits,  the  fact  of  this 
species  laying  four  eggs  is  a  further  link  to  connect  it  with  the 
Charadriidse."  It  is,  however,  much  too  rare — besides  being 
known  not  to  breed  in  Britain — to  have  any  claim  on  our  limited 
space  for  description  of  its  nest  or  eggs. 

163.  GOLDEN  TWYESL—tffaradnwpluvialis). 
Yellow  Plover,  Green  Plover,  Whistling  Plover. — It  has  some- 
times been  an  object  to  me  to  obtain  specimens  of  this  bird  in 
its  breeding-plumage,  and  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  imagine  a 
stronger  contrast  than  that  presented  by  the  male  in  his  May 
dress  and  six  or  eight  months  later.  All  the  glossy  black  of 
neck  and  breast  has  entirely  disappeared  long  before  the  latter 
period.  I  have  occasionally  seen  a  single  pair  or  two,  very  early 
m  the  year,  separating  themselves  from  the  great  flock  of  some 
scores ;  and  in  the  female  of  one  such  pair  which  I  shot  some  few 
years  since  (the  next  shot  killing  five  put  of  a  very  large  flock  at 
no  great  distance),  1  found  an  egg  quite  ready  for  extrusion,  and 
which  from  the  depth  of  its  colouring,  would  probably  have  been 
laid  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  at  most.  The  hen-bird  makes 
a  very  slight  nest,  and  lays  just  four  eggs  in  it,  seldom  either 
more  or  less.  They  are  of  a  large  size  for  the  bird,  of  a  fair 
stone-colour,  well  blotched  and  spotted  with  very  dark  or  blac  kish- 
brown.  After  sitting  eight  or  ten  days  the  bird  becomes  very 
reluctant  to  leave  her  nest,  and  will  suffer  herself  to  be  almost 
trodden  on  rather.  The  young  ones,  awkward-looking  mottled 
yellow  and  brown  puff-balls  on  stilts,  run  fast  and  well  soon  after 
they  are  hatched,  and  do  not  speedily  acquire  the  use  of  those 


78  BRITISH  BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND   XESTS. 

wings  which,  after  a  time,  are  to  be  so  strong  and  swift.  Verj 
jealous  too  are  the  parents  as  long;  as  their  young  are  only 
runners,  and  very  plaintive  is  their  incessant  piping  if  you  or 
your  dog  approach  too  near  their  place  of  concealment. — Pig.  2, 
plate  VII. 

164.  DOTTEREL— (Charadrius  morinellus). 
Dottrel  or  Dotterel  Plover,  Foolish  Dottrel. — This  is  a  sum- 
mer visitor  to  our  country,  and  in  many  localities  where  it 
used  to  be  abundant,  or  at  least  common,  it  is  now  rare  or 
almost  unknown.  This  is  the  case  on  parts  at  least  of  the  York- 
shire Wolds,  as  well  as  in  the  Lake  district.  They  are  sought 
after  by  the  Ply-fisher  and  by  the  Ornithologist  and  by  the 
Epicure,  and  from  their  exceedingly  simple  and  unsuspicious 
habits  they  fall  easy  victims  before  the  fowling-piece  of  modern 
days.  The  female  makes  no  nest,  but  lays  her  customary  three 
eggs  in  a  slight  cavity  on  the  ground  near  high  mountain  tops, 
where  some  tall-growing  moss  or  other  mountain  herbage  facili- 
tates concealment.  The  eggs  are  of  an  olivaceous  hue,  spotted 
plentifully  with  very  dark  brown  or  brownish-black. 

165.  RINGED  PLOYER—  (Charadrius  Maticula). 

Ringed  or  Ring  Dottrel. — A  very  pretty  shore-bird,  of  inter- 
esting habits,  and  not  infrequent,  especially  in  winter,  on  many 
parts  of  the  British  coast.  In  quiet  parts,  where  large  expanses 
of  sand  or  shingle,  or  even  mud,  are  left  by  the  receding  tide, 
it  may  be  seen  in  numbers.  It  seems  to  make  no  nest : — the  eggs 
are  laid  on  the  sand,  and  often  at  a  very  considerable  distance 
from  the  sea ;  as,  for  instance,  on  the  warrens  in  Norfolk  and 
Suffolk.  They  are  four  in  number,  very  large  in  proportion  to 
the  size  of  the  bird,  possessing  the  peculiar  pointed  shape  of 
the  eggs  of  the  entire  class  of  birds  we  are  now  among,  and  of 
a  warm  cream-colour,  spotted  and  streaked  with  black.  The 
parent  birds  try  hard  to  lead  the  casual  intruder  away  from  the 
vicinity  of  their  young. — Fig.  3,  plate  VII. 

166.  KENTISH  PLOVER— (Charadrius  Cantianus). 

Seldom  obtained  very  far  from  the  southern  coasts  of  England, 
and  not  appearing  to  be  a  very  plentiful  bird  even  there.  In 
habits,  it  strongly  resembles  the  Ring  Plover  just  named.  The 
female  makes  no  nest,  but  lays  her  four  eggs  in  a  slight  hollow 
on  sand  or  shingle,  which  strongly  resemble  some  of  the  lighter- 
coloured  examples  of  the  eggs  of  the  last-named  species. — Fig.  4, 
VII. 

167,  LITTLE  RINGED  PLOYER— (Charadrius  minor). 

A  very  rare  P>ritish  Bird. 


TURNSTONE.  79 

168.  GREY  J?ItQVERr-(Sqvatarpla  cinerea). 
A  bird  which  has  never  been  ascertained  to  breed  in  England, 
although  specimens  in  the  dark-breasted  May  plumage  have  been 
seen  in  the  London  Markets,  and  observed  by  Mr.  Selby  in  the 
Fame  Islands,  in  June.  It  is  not  nncommon  as  a  winter  visitor, 
though  even  then  nothing  like  so  numerous  as  the  Golden  Plover 
in  its  winter  visits  to  districts  in  which  it  does  not  breed.  The 
eggs  are  said  to  be  in  colour  "  oil  green,  spotted  with  different 
shades  of  umber  brown ;  the  spots,  crowded  and  confluent  round 
the  obtuse  end." 

169.  LAPWING— (Vanellus  cristatus). 
Pewit  or  Peewit,  Te-wit;  Teu-iit,  Green  Plover,  Bastard 
i  lover,  Green  Lapwing,  Crested  Lapwing. — Another  of  those 
birds  which  are  familiar  to  almost  everyone  who  is  not  a  mere 
casual  visitor  to  the  country,  or  quite  deaf  and  blind  to  its 
commonest  sounds  and  sights.  It  is  a  very  universally  diffused 
bird,  even  in  those  districts  where  it  does  not  statedly  breed.  It 
nests  not  only  on  commons  and  heaths  and  the  wide  moor,  but  in 
the  fields  and  inclosures;  and  round  my  present  residence  I  have 
many  yearly  evidences  that  there  are  half-a-dozen  nests  within 
the  limits  of  a  short  half-mile  which  intervenes  between  me  and 
the  moors.  The  female  constructs  scarcely  any  nest,  properly  so 
called,  but  makes  or  more  likely  avails  herself  of  a  ready-made 
slight  cavity  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  with  a  sufficiency  of 
some  kind  of  herbage  to  serve  as  covert.  The  female's  habits  in 
connection  with  the  nest  and  eggs  are  different  from  the  male's. 
She  slips  off  on  the  approach  of  a  visitor,  and  runs  very  silently 
and  quietly  away  to  some  distance  before  taking  wing ;  he  hastens 
up  on  rapid,  sounding,  whirling  wing,  and  cries  and  dashes  and 
wheels  above  and  around  the  cause  of  alarm  in  a  very  remarkable 
manner.  The  Peewit  lays  four  eggs,  of  large  size  and  acutely 
pointed  at  the  lesser  end,  and  like  so  many  others  of  the  class, 
often  arranged  so  as  to  occupy  the  least  possible  space,  by 
having  their  points  all  turned  inward.  They  are  of  a  darkish 
olive-aun  ground,  abundantly  blotched  and  spotted  with  brown 
and  black.  These  eggs  are  much  sought  after  as  delicacies  for 
the  table.  They  are  boiled  hard  and  served  cold,  and  when  the 
shell  is  removed  they  have  quite  a  jelly-like  appearance.  But 
very  few  of  the  eggs,  however,  sold  in  the  market  as  "  Plovers5- 
eggs,"  are  sometimes  recognised  by  the  oologist  as  having  been 
laid  by  the  Lapwing. — Fiy.  5,  plate  VII. 

170.  TURNSTONE— (Strepsilas  interpret). 
Hebridal  Sandpiper. — Found  on  many  parts  of  our  coast  either 


80  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND    NESTS. 

in  small  parties,  or  one  or  two  together,  from  September  all 
through  the  winter.  In  the  spring  it  leaves  us  to  go  to  the 
north  for  breeding  objects,  but  has  never  been  recognised  as 
nesting  within  the  limits  of  the  British  Islands.  We  cannot 
therefore  notice  its  nest  and  eggs  in  this  place. 

171.  SANDERLING—  (Calidris  arenaria). 
Common  Sanderling,  Sanderling  Plover.  —  Like  the  bird  last 
named,  a  by  no  means  unusual  visitant  to  most  parts  of  oitr 
coasts,  and  sometimes  met  with  also  at  the  edge  of  large  pieces 
of  fresh  water,  but  never  known  hitherto  to  have  bred  with  us. 
It  is  found  associating  most  commonly,  though  in  small  parties 
for  the  most  part,  with  the  Dunlin,  and  other  similar  shore- 
haunting  birds. 

172.  OYSTER-CATCHER—  (Hsematopm  ostralegus}. 
Pied  Oyster-catcher,  Shelder,  Sea-Pie,  Olive.  —  A  very  beautiful 
and  well-known  dweller  on  our  sea-coasts,  and  wonderfully  pro- 
vided by  nature,  too,  with  a  suitable  instrument  for  purveying  its 
destined  food.  The  bill  of  the  Oyster-catcher  is  one  of  those 
natural  objects  which  form  each  a  study  in  themselves.  Woe  be 
to  the  oyster  or  mussel,  however  powerful  its  mechanism  for 
closing  its  valves,  if  once  the  Oyster-catcher  has  found  means  to 
insert  that  natural  weapon  of  his.  Flattened  sideways,  and  hard 
and  strong  as  so  much  bone,  its  efficacy  is  so  ^reat  that  there  can 
be  scarcely  a  struggle  for  life  on  the  part  of  the  shell-fish.  It 
runs  well,  and  is  even  said  to  dive  and  swim  with  facility.  I 
never  saw  this,  though  I  have  had  them  under  mv  observation  for 
hours  together  in  former  days.  But  I  know  their  shrill,  rattling 
whistle,  and  their  short  uneasy  nights,  and  restless  paddlings  up 
and  down  upon  the  ooze,  when  I  have  been  among  their  haunts, 
well  —  and  many  a  nest  it  used  to  be  my  lot  to  discover  on  some 
parts  of  some  of  the  Essex  Saltings.  The  eggs,  usually  three  or 
four  in  number,  are  laid  on  the  bare  ground,  sometimes  in  slight 
holes  amid  the  Salting  herbage  above  high-water  mark;  or 
where  there  is  shingle,  in  some  cavity  among  its  higher  and 
coarser  layers.  They  are  cream-coloured,  of  varying  shades  of 
warmth,  and  blotched  and  spotted,  or  spotted  and  strongly 
streaked  with  very  dark  brown  and  some  few  touches  of  a  lighter 
hue.  —  Fig.  6,  plate  VII. 

ii.— 


173.  CRANE—  (Grus  cinerea). 

A  couple  of  centuries  since  it  is  not  improbable  the  Crane  may 
have  —  at  least,  occasionally  —  bred  in  this  country  ;  but  now  it  18 
become  a  very  rare  and  casual  visitor. 


SQUACCO  HERON.  81 

III.— AEDEID^E. 

174.  COMMON  HERON— (Ardea  cinerea). 

Hern,  Heronsliaw,  Heronseugh. — It  would  have  been  no  light 
matter  once  to  have  molested  a  Heron.  Those  birds  were  "  pre- 
served with  a  strictness  we  scarcely  can  imagine  even  in  these 
days  of  game-preserves.  They  were  the  peculiar  game  of  royal 
and  noble  personages.  Now,  however,  the  case  is  widely 
different,  and  probably  not  one  Heron  in  a  hundred  can  now  be 
met  with  as  compared  with  the  days  of  falconry.  It  is  a  strange 
odd  sight  to  see  a  Heron  balancing  himself  on  the  topmost  twig 
of  some  fir-tree,  and  succeeding  after  a  few  uneasy  motions  of 
body  and  wings  in  poising  himself.  The  Heron  sometimes  breeds 
on  precipitous  rocks,  but  much  more  commonly  on  trees, — 
generally  trees  of  large  size,  and  commonly  oaks  or  firs.  It  is 
not  a  solitary  builder,  but  like  the  Rook  forms  a  community,  and 
frequents  the  same  tree  or  clump  of  trees  through  successive 
years  for  many  generations.  Each  nest  is  of  large  size,  and  com- 
posed of  sticks  with  a  lining  of  wool.  Tour  or  five  eggs  are 
usually  deposited,  of  an  uniform  pale  green  colour.  A  few  nests 
are  said  to  have  been  met  wtih  on  the  ground. — Fig.  1,  plate  VIII. 

175.  PURPLE  HERON— (Ardea  purpurea). 

A  few  instances  only  of  the  occurrence  of  this  bird  in  Britain 
have  been  recorded, 

176.  GREAT  WHITE  HERON— (Ardea  alba). 
White  Heron,   Great  Egret. — A  rarer  and  more  accidental 
visitor  than  even  the  bird  last  named. 

177.  LITTLE  EGRET— (Ardea  garzetta). 

Egret,  Egret  Heron,  Little  Egret  Heron — There  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that  this  bird  may  once,  at  a  remote  period, 
have  been  sufficiently  common,  or  even  abundant  in  England. 
Now,  however,  it  is  of  exceedingly  rare  occurrence  anywhere 
within  the  British  seas. 

179.  BUFF-BACKED  HERON— (Ardea  russata). 
Red-billed  Heron,  Rufous-backed  Egret,  Little  White  Heron 
(the  young). — An  exceedingly  rare  bird,  with  perhaps  scanty 
claim  to  be  considered  British  at  all. 

180.  SQUACCO  HERON— (Ardea  ralloides). 

Buff-coloured  Egret. — A  bird  which  has   been  met  with  in 

several  of  the  counties  in  the  southern  half  of  England,  and  I 

believe  more  or  less  frequently  in  some  of  them.     Still  it  is  but 

a  visitor,  and,  comparatively  with  many  other  not  very  common 


BRITISH  BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS  AND  NESTS. 

birds,  a  rare  one ;  and,  as  certainly  not  breeding  in  our  island, 
possessing  no  claim  upon  us  for  lengthened  notice  here. 

181.  LITTLE  BITTERN— (Botaurus  minutus). 
It  would  seem  that  this  bird  is  to  be  looked  upon  rather  as  a 
summer  visitor  to  us  ;  and  Mr.  Yarrell  says  of  it,  "  Some,  if  not 
prevented,  would  probably  have  bred  in  this  country."  Still, 
although  the  grounds  for  this  opinion  seem  valid  and  conclusive, 
no  actual  instance  of  nidification  here  has  ever  been  ascertained. 

182.  COMMON  BITTERN— (Botaurus  stellaris). 
Mire  Drum.  Butter-bump,  Bog-bumper,  Bittour,  Bumpy-coss, 
Bull-of-the-Bog,  Bog-blutter,  Bog-jumper. — Clearances  and  drain- 
age, and  the  onward  strides  of  agriculture,  and  the  gun,  and  the 
pursuit  of  specimen-hunters  and  collectors  have  made  this  a  rare 
species  almost  everywhere.  It  was  common  enough  a  century  or 
two  since  ;  and  many  a  fertile  cornfield,  which  then  was  a  seem- 
ingly hopeless  marsh  and  bog,  has  resounded  far  and  wide 
with  the  deep,  booming,  bellowing  cry  of  the  Bittern.  Recorded 
instances  even  of  its  nesting  here  are  becoming  more  and  more 
rare  and  unusual,  and  ere  long  it  is  to  be  feared  this  beautifully 
plumaged  bird  will  be  among  the  things  that  "  have  been."  Its 
nest  is  composed  of  sticks,  reeds  and  iikt  matters,  built  on  the 
ground,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  wateA  it  frequents,  and  hid 
among  the  plentiful  water-growth  found  at  the  edges  of  shallow 
standing  waters.  The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in  number,  of  an 
uniform  olive-brown  colour. — Fig.  2,  plate  VIII, 

183.  AMERICAN   BITTERN—  (Botamus  lentiffinosus). 
A  bird  of  rare  and  most  accidental  occurrence  in  England. 

184.  NIGHT   HERON— (Nyctieorax  Gardeni.) 
Gardenian  Heron,,  Spotted  Heron,  Night  Raven. — This  bird 
claims   to  be  a  British  Bird,  inasmuch  as  upwards   of  a  dozen 
specimens  have  been  met  with  here.       But  it  does  not  breed 
with  us,  if  indeed  commonly  at  all  in  Europe. 

185.  WHITE   STORK— (Ciconia  alba). 

A  much  too  conspicuous  object  not  be  noticed  whenever  its 
visits  have  been  paid  to  our  shores.  Accordingly,  we  find  it  has 
long  been  known  as  a  visitor,  though  the  instances  of  its  occur- 
rence in  the  last  generation  or  two  are  noticeably  less  frequent 
than  in  former  days.  As  breeding  abundantly  in  Holland,  it 
would  be  strange  if  the  Stork  did  not  come  to  us  sometimes. 

186.  BLACK   STORK— (Ciconia  nir/ra'). 

The  Black  Stork  has  occurred  much  more  rarely  than  its" white 
eonjrer-.er. 


WHIMBBEL.  83 

187.  SPOON-BILL— (Platalea  leucorodia). 
A  bird  which  is  said  to  have  bred  in  former  days  in  our  country, 
but  which  has  certainly  become,  for  a  long  time  past,  a  mere 
visitor,  and  not  a  frequent  one. 

188.  GLOSSY  IBIS— (Ibisfalcinellus). 
This  visitor  has  been  met  with  in  late  years,  even  in  some 
small  numbers.  There  was  one  about  the  moors  in  this  district 
four  or  five  years  since,  which  I  saw  myself  and  heard  of  as  seen 
in  the  same  neighbourhood  by  others ;  and  about  the  same  time  I 
noticed  that  birds  of  the  same  species  had  been  observed  in 
several  other  parts  of  Yorkshire,  and  elsewhere.  Still  it  is  only  a 
visitor,  and  a  casual  one. 

iv.— scoLOPAcnm 

189.  CURLEW— (TV^^s  arquata). 
Whaup. — As  common  a  bird  as  almost  any  along:  the  whole  of  the 
British  coasts.  Sometimes  singly  and  sometimes  in  groups  of  eight 
or  ten,  it  may  be  seen  along  the  line  of  oozy  shores  or  the  sandy 
flats  which  are  laid  bare  by  the  receding  tide.  When  the  water  is 
sufficiently  high  to  cover  all  its  feeding  grounds,  it  betakes  itselt 
to  some  higher  ground  in  the  vicinity,  to  rest  during  fchose  hours 
of  inactivity  in  food-search.  When  removing  from  one  place,  or 
part  of  the  coast,  to  another,  it  usually  flies  in  long  lines,  which 
nowever  scarcely  maintain  the  same  degree  of  accuracy  as  in  the 
case  of  Wild-geese  or  other  line-flying  wild  fowl.  On  the  arrival 
of  spring  the  Curlews  leave  the  coast  and  retire  to  their  breeding 
haunts  in  the  hills  of  the  extreme  north  of  England,  the  highest 
moorlands  of  Scotland,  and  other  similar  places  in  more  northerly 
latitudes  yet.  Its  note  once  heard  is  sufficiently  noticeable  to  be 
easily  recognised  on  any  future  occasion.  It  makes  a  very  care- 
less or  rude  nest,  and  lays  four  eggs  which  vary  a  good  deal  in 
the  depth  of  the  ground-colour  and  the  amount  of  their  spots. 
It  is  pale  greenish  dun,  varying  to  olive-green,  and  spotted  with 
darker  shades  of  green  and  dark-brown. — Fig.  3,  plate  VIII. 

190.  WHIMBREL— (Numenim  phceopus). 
Whimbrel  Curlew,  Curlew  Jack,  Curlew  Knot,  Half  Curlew, 
Jack  Curlew,  Stone  Curlew,  Tang  Whaap. — No  wonder  it  has 
the  name  of  Half  Curlew,  for  it  does  most  strongly  resemble  a 
diminutive  Curlew  in  its  plumage,  shape,  fashion  of  bill,  haunts, 
and  many  of  its  habits.  It  is  seen,  in  no  great  numbers,  on  many 
of  our  coasts  in  winter ;  but  I  have  met  with  it  on  the  Essex 
Saltings  only  in  the  early  spring  and  previous  to  its  retirement 
to  the  north  to  breed.  It  is  difficult  to  assert  positively  that  it 
frequents  any  part  of  tho  main  British  Island  for  that  pur 


S4  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

but  it  is  known  to  nest  in  both  Orkney  and  Shetland.  The  nest 
is  said  by  Dr.  Fleming  to  be  placed  in  exposed  parts  of  a  moor. 
The  eggs  are  four  in  number,  and,  though  very  much  less  in  size, 
very  much  like  the  darker  varieties  of  the  Curlew's  eggs.  The 
Whimbrel  is  probably  a  fast  decreasing  species. 

191.  SPOTTED  RED-SHANK— (Totanusfuscus). 

Spotted  Snipe,  Dusky  Sand-piper,  Black-headed  Snipe,  Cour- 
land  Snipe. — A  bird  which  varies  mnch  in  plumage  according  to 
season,  being  almost  black  in  the  summer, — but  only  an  occa- 
sional visitor,  and  scarcely  anything  known  certainly  of  its  nest 
or  breeding  habits. 

192.  COMMON  RED-SHANK—  (Totanns  calidris). 

Redshank  Sandpiper,  Teuke,  Pool  Snipe,  Sand  Cock,  Red- 
legged  Horseman,  Red-legged  Sandpiper. — One  of  the  most 
familiar  of  all  our  birds  to  me  in  my  youth.  Many  long  days 
have  I  spent  amid  their  haunts  on  the  Essex  Saltings.  Their 
nests  are  very  slightly  constructed  of  a  few  bits  of  grass  amidst  a 
tuft  of  herbage,  or  in  a  small  hole  or  cavity  which  is  sheltered  by 
some  of  the  taller-growing  marine  plants.  The  eggs  are  usually 
four  in  number,  occasionally  but  two  or  three,  of  a  cream-colour 
(sometimes  dashed  with  a  somewhat  warmer  hue)  spotted  and 
speckled  with  dark  brown.  The  spots  are  less  and  more  nume- 
rous than  in  the  case  of  the  Peewit's  egg.  In  the  case  of  the 
last  nest  I  found,  about  two  years  since,  the  old  bird  suffered  me 
to  walk  within  a  yard  of  her  before  taking  flight.  When  the 
young  are  newly  hatched  the  parent  birds  betray  excessive  jea- 
lousy and  anxiety  at  the  approach  of  either  man  or  dog  to  their 
resort.  They  have  sometimes  come  and  settled  on  the  ground 
within  two  or  three  paces  of  me,  and,  at  others,  flown  so  directly 
towards  me,  as  to  suggest  the  possible  intention  of  attacking  me, 
piping  most  plaintively  and  incessantly  the  while.  This  conduct 
is  designated  by  the  term  "  mobbing/'  on  the  Essex  marshes. — 
Fig.  4,  plate  VIII. 

193.  GREEN  SAND-PIPER—  (Totanus  ochropus). 
It  is  supposed  that  a  few  of  these  birds  may  remain  with  us 
to  breed ;  but  far  the  greater  part  of  those  which  are  customa- 
rily seen  about  the  sides  of  our  smaller  streams  and  ditches  and 
canals,  are  known  to  return  far  to  the  north  to  produce  their 
eggs  and  voung.  I  believe  no  authenticated  instances  of  its 
nesting  with  us  are  known,  but  a  few  very  young  birds  have  been 
met  with  under  circumstances  which  seemed  to  leave  no  doubt 
that  they  must  have  been  hatched  in  the  neighbourhood.  The 
nest  is  said  to  be  placed  "  on  a  bank,  or  among  grass,  on  the  side 
of  a  stream,"  and  the  eggs,  four  in  number,  to  be  of  a  greenish 
ground-colour,  spotted  with  different  shades  of  brown,  light  and 
dark,  and  vnth  I>TOV. 


GREEN-SHANK,  81 

194.  WOOD  8AND-'PIP'ER.--(Tota.nit8fflarcola). 

This  Sandpiper  resembles  the  last  in  some  degree,  and  the 
two  Lave  been  sometimes  looked  upon  as  varieties  of  the  same 
species.  It  is  not  by  any  means  a  frequently  occurring  visitor, 
though  it  seems  to  be  admitted  that  it  is  more  than  probable  it 
sometimes  breeds  in  this  country.  Mr.  Hoy's  account  of  its 
habits  and  nesting  peculiarities,  as  observed  by  himself  in  Dutch 
Brabant,  is  quoted  at  length  by  both  Mr.  Yarrell  and  Mr.  Hew- 
itson.  He  says,  "  The  nest  is  generally  placed  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  water,  among  stunted  heath,  or  scrubby  plants  of  the 
Bog  Myrtle,  or  among  coarse  grass  and  rushes.  It  is  placed  in 
a  hollow,  and  formed  of  dry  grass  and  other  plants.  The  eggs 
are  four  in  number."  "  They  are  pointed  in  shape,  of  a  pale 
greenish  white,  spotted  and  speckled,  particularly  over  the  broad 
end,  with  dark  reddish  brown," 

195.  COMMON  SAND-PIPER—  (Totanushypoleuca). 

Summer  Snipe,  Willy  Wicket,  Sand  Lark. — A  pretty  little 
bird  enough,  and  seeming  to  be  pretty  extensively  diffused, 
though  not  a  numerous  species  any  where.  It  is  commonly  seen 
running  briskly  along  by  the  water  edge  of  streams  or  lakes,  or 
perhaps  flitting  along  as  disturbed  by  your  sudden  invasion  of  its 
haunt.  Unlike  the  Dipper,  which  may  constant  ly  be  seen  sitting 
quite  still  near  the  edge  of  the  stream,  the  Summer  Snipe  is 
always  in  motion.  It  makes  a  very  rude  nest  of  dry  grass  in 
some  hole  in  a  bank  not  far  from  water,  where  the  shelter  and 
concealment  of  sufficient  herbage  is  available,  and  lays  in  it  four 
eggs,  which  vary  often  in  colour  and  spots  but  are  usually  of  a 
yellowish-white,  witli  blotches  and  spots  of  deep  brown  or 
ordinary  brown.  The  eggs  are  sometimes  laid  on  the  bare 
ground  among  shingle  or  collections  of  small  pebbles. — Fig.  5, 
plate  Fill. 

196.  SPOTTED  SAND-PIPER—  (Totanus  macnlarius). 

A  visitor,  but  one  of  the  rarest  and  most  casual  of  all  our 
feathered  visitors. 

197.  GREEN-SHANK— (Totanus  glottis). 
Cinereous  Godwit,  Greenlegged  Horseman. — I  used  to  meet 
with  it  occasionally  in  the  early  autumn  on  the  Essex  Saltings, 
and  remember  thinking  I  had  got  a  prize  the  first  time  I  shot 
one,  and  noticed  its  slightly  upturned  bill.  It  is  only  rare  as  a 
species,  and  not  known  positively  to  breed  any  where  much  south 
of  the  Hebrides.  The  nest  is  said  to  be  like  that  of  the  Golden 
Plover  or  Lapwing,  consisting  only  of  a  few  blades  of  grass  or 
sprigs  of  ling,  placed  in  a  hollow  in  the  soil.  The  eggs — like  so 
very  many  of  those  characterised  by  the  pyriform  shape  peculiar 
to  the  Grallatores — are  placed  with  their  pointed  ends  together 


86  BRITISH  BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS  AND   NESTS. 

in  the  middle,  and  are  of  a  pale  yellowish-green  colour,  spotted 
all  over  irregularly  with  dark  brown  with  intermingled  blotches 
of  light  purplish-grey ;  the  spots  and  blotches  being  more  nume- 
rous at  the  larger  end. 

198.  AVOCET— (Recurvirostra  avocetta). 
Butterflip,  Scooper,  Yelper,  Cobbler's  Awl,  Crooked-bill,  Cob- 
bler's Awl  Duck. — Fast  verging  on  extinction.  In  Sir  Thomas 
Browne's  time  it  was  not  at  all  uncommon ;  but  of  late  years 
but  seldom  recorded  as  having  been  "  obtained,"  or  met  with. 
If  only  people  weren't  so  fond  of  "obtaining"  our  rare  birds. 
But  now-a-days,  when  every  third  person  has  a  gun,  the  appear- 
ance of  a  "rare  bird"  is  enough  to  set  half  a  village  off  in 
pursuit,  and  the  great  object  of  hundreds  throughout  the  country 
seems  just  to  be  to  destroy  the  casual  feathered  visitor,  however 
interesting  it  may  be  or  whatever  claims  it  might  seem  to  possess 
on  our  hospitality.  The  Avocet's  bill  and  plumage  are  enough  to 
point  it  out  for  slaughter,  and  so,  slaughtered  it  has  been. 
It  used  to  breed  in  Sussex  and  Norfolk.  "  The  nest  is  said  to 
be  a  small  hole  in  the  drier  parts  of  extensive  marshes.  The 
eggs  are  said  to  be  only  two  in  number,  of  a  clay-coloured 
brown,  spotted  and  speckled  with  black." 

199.  BLACK- WINGED    STILT— (Ilimantopns  melanopterus). 
Long-legged  Plover,  Long-Legs,  Long- Shanks,  Stilt  Plover. — 
Not  so  very  uncommon  as  a  visitor  ;  but  still,  strictly  speaking, 
only  accidental  in  its  appearance  here. 

200.  BLACK-TAILED  GODWIT— (Limosa  melanura}. 
Red  Godwit  Snipe,  Jadreka  Snipe,  Red  Godwit,  Yarwhelp, 
Yarwhip,  Shrieker. — Another  of  those  birds  which  two  or  three 
generations  back  were  exceedingly  more  abundant  than  now: 
proportionately  esteemed,  too,  as  an  article  of  delicate  fare  in  the 
days  of  its  frequency,  now  little  heard  of,  or  perhaps  thought  of. 
But  our  forefathers  thought  many  things  of  the  eatable  sort 
good,  which  their  descendants  of  1861  had  rather  not  sit  down 
to.  I  rather  think  my  young  readers  might  not  eat  Porpoise  or 
Heron  either,  with  any  great  relish,  not  to  speak  of  other  matters 
about  equally,  or  more  questionably,  "  good  eating."  Both  this 
species  ot  Godwit  and  the  one  to  be  mentioned  next  are  subject, 
like  the  Golden  Plover,  the  Gray  Plover,  the  Spotted  Redshank, 
and  many  others  yet  to  be  named,  to  very  great  and  striking 
changes  of  plumage  in  the  breeding  season.  At  all  times  they 
are  handsome  birds.  The  Black-Tailed  Godwit  is  believed  still  to 
breed,  however  rarely,  in  England — in  Norfolk  and  Cambridge- 
shire, in  fact.  The  nest  is  found  in  marshy  places,  made  of  dry 
grass  and  the  like,  and  more  or  less  concealed  by  the  coarse 
growths  peculiar  to  such  places.  The  eggs  vary  in  both  size  and 


WOOD-COCK.  87 

colours,  out  are  usually  of  a  greenish  olive-brown,  marbled  and 
blotched  with  darker  brown  ;  and,  as  usual  in  this  class  of  birds, 
are  generally  four  in  number. 

201.  BAR-TAILED  GODWIT— (Limosa  rufa). 
Common  Godwit,  Grey  Godwit,  Red  Godwit,  Godwit  Snipe, 
Red-breasted  Snipe. — Of  much  the  same  habits  as  the  last,  only 
not  remaining  in  this  country  to  breed,  and  consequently  occur- 
ring much  more  frequently  in  winter  than  in  spring,  and  not  at 
all  in  summer.  As  not  nesting  with  us,  no  space  can  be  conceded 
here  for  a  notice  of  its  eggs  and  nest. 

202.  RUFF— (Machetes  pugnax). 

Female,  Reeve. — Time  was,  and  not  so  very  long  ago  either, 
Then  one  fenman  could  take,  six  dozen  of  these  bircls  in  a  single 
day.  Now,  I  fear,  he  would  scarcely  get  that  number  in  an 
entire  season.  The  Ruff  is,  however,  still  known  to  breed 
annually  in  some  of  the  fens  of  Lincolnshire  and  Cambridgeshire. 
The  variety  of  plumage,  no  less  than  the  very  remarkable  ruff  or 
feathery  appendage  about  the  neck  of  the  male  in  the  breeding 
season,  is  quite  sufficient  to  make  this  a  very  conspicuous  bird 
among  our  truly  native  birds.  Scarcely  any  two  males  in  an 
assemblage  of  some  dozens  can,  in  some  cases,  be  picked  out  as 
possessing  exactly  the  same  plumage.  The  breeding  habits,  or 
some  of  them,  observed  in  this  bird  are  also  very  characteristic. 
His  Latin  name,  as  given  above,  simply  means  "pugnacious 
warrior,"  and  verily  he  is  as  thorough  a  lover  of  battle  as  any 
knight-errant  of  the  middle  ages,  or  fierce  Northern  sea-rover  of 
four  or  five  centuries  earlier.  They  do  not  pair,  and  therefore 
fight  for  the  possession  of  the  females,  and  they  have  spots, 
known  to  the  fenmen  by  the  name  of  Hills }  which  are  as  much 
the  scenes  of  universal  challenge  and  battle  as  ever  the  stated 
"lists"  of  the  old  days  of  tournament  or  playing  at  battle. 
This  habit  of  theirs  facilitates  the  process  of  capture  very 
materially,  and  by  means  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  net,  duly  arranged 
before  the  day  begins  to  dawn,  the  fowler  is  enabled  to  capture 
all,  or  almost  all,  who  have  been  attracted  by  their  peculiar 
instincts  to  the  vicinity  of  any  given  hill.  The  Reeves  lay  each 
her  four  eggs,  which  vary  in  colour  from  olive-green  to  a  yellow- 
ish stone  colour,  and  are  spotted  and  blotched  with  "liver 
colour"  and  rich  brown. 

203.  WOOD-COCK— (Seolopax  rnsticola). 
One  of  our  most  universally  recognised  "birds  of  passage," 
coming  to  us  sometimes  in  the  autumn  (always,  at  least,  begin- 
ning to  arrive  in  October),  and  leaving  us  again  in  the  spring ; 
still  no  season  passes,  there  is  reason  to  believe,  in  which  many 


88  BRITISH    BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

pairs  do  not  remain  to  breed,  and  that  too  in  many  different 
parts  of  the  kingdom.  It  was  an  object  to  me  some  twenty 
years  ago  to  obtain  eggs  of  the  Woodcock,  and  I  applied  to  a 
person  in  Norfolk,  who  had  not  any  difficulty  in  procuring  for 
me  eggs  from  the  gamekeeper  of  a  neighbouring  estate  out  of 
two  different  nests  which  had  been  deserted  by  their  owners. 
My  friend  added  the  information,  that  scarcely  a  year  passed  in 
which  one  nest  or  more  of  Woodcocks  was  not  known  of  on  the 
estate  in  question.  The  nest,  a  very  loose  one,  is  made  of  dead 
leaves  and  the  like,  Bracken  leaves  appearing  to  be  commonly 
used  for  the  purpose.  The  eggs  are  usually  about  four  in 
number,  and  want  the  peculiar  pointed  shape  common  1,0  almost 
all  the  other  birds  of  the  Order.  They  are  of  a  dirty  yellowish 
white,  a  good  deal  blotched  and  spotted  with  two  or  three  shades 
of  pale  brown  and  purplish-grey.  -The  old  bird  is  known  to 
transport  her  young,  if  occasion  demands,  from  one  place  to 
another.  She  has  been  seen  doing  so  repeatedly,  and  by  good 
observers,  generally  making  use  of  both  feet  for  the  purpose, 
sometimes  one  only ;  and,  it  is  said,  using  her  beak  sometimes  for 
the  same  purpose. — Fig.  1,  plate  IX. 

204.  GREAT  SNIPE— (Scolopax  major). 
Solitary  Snipe,  Double  Snipe.' — Often  taken,  no  doubt,  by 
many  a  sportsman  in  former  days  to  be  a  very  large  specimen  of 
the  Common  Snipe,  than  which  no  bird  with  which  I  am  well 
acquainted  seems  to  vary  more  in  size.  On  the  wing  it  does  not 
look  much  larger  than  the  Common  Snipe,  and  is  seldom  seen 
except  alone,  or  at  most  two  in  company.  It  breeds  in  high 
northern  localities,  and  never  with  us,  and  no  notice,  therefore, 
of  its  nesting  habits  is  permissible  in  this  place. 

205.  COMMON  SNIPE—  (Scolopax  galhnago). 
Whole  Snipe,  Snite,  Heather-Bleater. — Although  this  Snipe, 
like  the  Wood-Cock,  retires  to  northern  latitudes  to  breed,  yet 
there  are  few  districts  in  Britain  suitable  to  its  habits  in  which 
it  is  not  known  to  breed  in  greater  or  less  numbers.  And  it  is  a 
bird,  moreover,  which  is  quite  sure  to  make  it  very  distinctly 
known  that  it  has  a  nest  and  eggs  somewhere  near,  if  only  any 
human  visitor  appears  on  the  scene.  I  refer  to  the  very  peculiar 
note  or  sound  emitted  by  the  male,  always  while  he  is  on  the 
wing  high  in  the  air,  and  always  accompanied  with  a  very  remark- 
able action  of  his  wings  and  curving  descent  in  his  flight.  This 
sound  or  note — for  it  is  not  absolutely  certain,  I  think,  how  it  is 
produced — is  variously  called  humming,  bleating,  drumming, 
buzzing.  To  me,  the  first  time  I  heard  it,  and  before  I  knew  to 
what  origin  to  assign  it,  the  impression  produced  was  precisely 
that  of  a  large  Bee,  entangled  in  some  particular  place  and  unable 


BUFF-BREASTED   SAND-PI  PE-R.  89 

'o  extricate  itself;  and  I  remember  spending  some  minutes  in 
trying  to  discover  the  supposed  insect.  The  eggs  are  usually 
four,  placed  in  a  very  slight  and  inartificial  nest  on  the  groiind 
near  some  tuft  of  rushes  or  other  water-herbage,  They  are  of  a 
greenish-olive  hue,  blotched  and  spotted  with  two  or  tnree  shavtes 
of  brown,  the  deepest  being  very  dark.  The  old  ones  are  said  to 
be  very  jealous  and  careful  of  their  young.  Many  couple  are 
often  killed  on  the  moors  in  this  district  on  or  just  after  the  12th 
of  August. — Fig.  2,  plate  IX. 

206.  JACK  SNIPE— (Scolopax  gallinula). 
Judcock,  Half  Snipe. — A  little  bird,  very  often  seen  quite 
late  in  the  spring,  but  no  specimen  of  whose  egg  undoubtedly 
laid  in  Britain  has,  as  far  as  I  know,  ever  yet  been  produced.  It 
may  breed  here,  in  some  few  instances,  but  none  such  are  yet  ascer- 
tained. No  notice  of  its  eggs  can  consequently  be  inserted  here. 

207,  SABINE'S  SNIPE— (Scolopax  Sabini). 
A  very  few  instances  indeed  have  been  recorded  of  the  occur- 
rence of  this  bird  in  England. 

208.  BROWN  SNIPE—  (Macroramphm  gnseus). 

As  rare  a  bird  as  that  last  named,  or  nearly  so. 
209.  CURLEW  SAND-PIPER—  (Tringa  subarquata). 

This  little  bird,  which  serves  to  connect  the  true  Snipes  with 
the  sea-frequenting  Snipes  or  Sandpipers,  was  till  lately  con- 
sidered to  be  a  very  rare  and  occasional  visitor.  But  it  is  very 
likely  to  have  been  confused  with  the  Dunlin,  or  other  small 
shore-birds,  and  is  now  supposed  even  to  breed  occasionally  in 
our  country.  During  autumn  it  is  sometimes  seen  in  small 
groups  or  flocks.  "  M.  Temminck  says  this  bird  breeds  occa- 
sionally in  Holland,  and  that  the  eggs  are  yellowish-white, 
spotted  with  dark  brown." 

210.  KNOT.— (Tringa  Canutus). 

Camden  says  this  bird  derived  its  name  from  the  Danish  King 
Knut  or  Cnut,  (generally  written  Canute,  but  not  properly 
pronounced  so ;)  probably  because  he  was  very  fond  of  eating 
them.  A  very  poor  piece  of  etymology  I  should  almost  think. 
It  is  not  uncommonly  met  with  in  Autumn  on  several  parts  of 
our  coasts,  and  as  far  as  I  have  seen  is  by  no  means  difficult  to 
approach.  But  its  breeding-place  is  very  much  more  to  the 
north  than  any  portion  of  the  British  Islands  extends.  The 
male  in  his  nuptial  dress  is  a  very  much  gayer  gentleman  than 
after  his  annual  honeymoon  is  over. 

211.  BUFF-BREASTED  SAND-PIPER—  (Trmga  rufescens). 

Only  of  verv  casual  occurrence  here. 


90  BRITISH  BIRDS,   THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

212.  BROAD-BILLED  SAND-PIPER—  (Tringa  platyrhynca). 
Fully  as  rare  as  the  last. 

213.  LITTLE  STINT— (Tringa  Minuta). 
Not  to  be  described  altogether  as  a  rare  little  bird,  for  it 
seems  to  be  met  with  sometimes  in  Autumn  on  the  Southern  and 
Eastern  coasts  in  some  numbers,  and  even  in  flocks  of  twenty 
or  thirty  together.  They  are  often  seen  in  company  with  the 
Dunlin  or  other  small  shore-birds.  Very  little  is  known  about 
their  breeding  places  or  habits. 

214.  TEMMINCK'S  STINT— (Tringa  TemmincMi). 
Less  even  than  the  last  named  small  bird,  and  much  more 
rare ;  besides  which  it  frequents  fresh  waters  rather  than  the 
sea-shore.     No  very  great  number  of  them,  however,  has  been 
met  with  in  England. 

214*.  SCHINZ'S  SAND-PIPER—  (Tringa  Schinzii). 

A  very  rare  bird. 
215.  PECTORAL  SAND-PIPER— (Tringa  pectoralis). 

Another  rare  Sandpiper  ;  and,  like  the  last,  a  native  of  America. 
216.  DUNLIN— (Tringa  variabilis). 

Dunlin  Sandpiper,  Purre,  Churr,  Stint,  Oxbird,  Sea  Snipe, 
Least  Snipe,  Sea  Lark. — Perhaps  the  very  commonest  and  best 
known,  as  well  as  incomparably  the  most  abundant  of  all  our 
small  shore  birds,  and  yet  the  one  about  which  heaps  of  scientific 
mistakes  have  been  made.  The  male  has  a  conspicuous  wedding- 
dress,  which  he  duly  puts  on  in  the  Spring,  and  once  it  was  on 
he  was  christened  Tringa  Alpina,  the  Dunlin.  Then  in  the 
autumn  and  winter,  having  divested  himself  alike  of  his  summer 
dress  and  all  property  or  concern  in  wife  and  children,  he  was 
named  anew  Tringa  Cinclus,  the  Purre.  On  its  being  satisfactorily 
ascertained  that  the  only  real  difference  between  Dunlin  and 
Purre  was  that  of  a  few  feathers,  and  those  chiefly  on  the 
breast,  and  dependent  simply  on  Season,  the  new  name  at  th& 
head  of  this  notice  was  suggested  and  willingly  adopted  as 
altogether  a  fit  one.  The  Dunlin,  always  called  Oxbird  where 
my  boyhood  was  spent,  and  often  seen  there  in  flocks  of  not 
simply  hundreds,  but  thousands  and  many  thousands  in  the 
autumn  and  winter,  goes  to  the  far  north  to  breed,  though  some 
of  their  hosts  stay  iti  the  north  of  Scotland,  the  Hebrides, 
Orkneys  and  other  Islands  near.  Their  nests  are  placed  on  the 
ground,  among  long  grass  and  ling,  and  always  contain  four 
eggs.  Mr.  Hewitson  <?ay<? : — "  In  beauty  of  colouring  and  ele« 


LAND-JULIL.  91 

of  form  the  eggs  of  the  Dunlin  are  unrivalled.  The  ground- 
colour is  sometimes  of  a  clear  light  green,  richly  spotted  with 
light  brown;  sometimes  the  ground-colour  is  of  a  bluish-white." 
The  hen  will  suffer  herself  to  be  removed  from  her  nest  by  the 
hand  rather  than  leave  her  eggs. — Fig.  3,  plate  IX. 

217.  PURPLE  SAND-PIPER— (Tringa  maritima). 
Selninger  Sand-piper,  Black  Sand-piper. — Not  a  very  numerous 
species,  but  by  no  means  infrequent  on  the  British  coasts.  Very 
few,  however,  are  seen  except  in  winter  and  early  spring,  the  far 
greater  part  resorting  to  some  place  far  in  the  north  to  nest.  Still, 
it  seems  almost  certain  that  a  few  breed  wish  us  in  North  England 
and  Scotland.  It  lays  four  eggs  of  "a  yellowish-grey  colour, 
varied  with  small  irregular  spots  of  pale  brown,  thick  at  the 
obtuse  end,  rarer  at  the  other." 

V.— KALLID^!. 

218.  LAND-HAIL— (Ores  pratensis). 

Corn  Crake,  Meadow  Crake,  Dakerhen. — This  bird  is  found 
in  most  parts  of  the  kingdom,  though  for  the  most  part  in  no 
great  abundance  any  where,  in  the  earlier  months  of  the  autumn. 
In  most  of  the  northern  parts  it  breeds  annually,  but  I  do  not 
remember  ever  hearing  its  breeding  note  while  I  was  a  dweller 
in  the  district  embracing  what  are  usually  called  the  Eastern 
Counties.  Nor  yet  in  Herefordshire.  But  the  note  in  question 
has  been  sufficiently  familiar  to  me  for  the  last  twenty  years,  and 
here  in  North  Yorkshire  I  hear  it  on  all  sides  of  me,  at  all  hours, 
I  may  say,  of  day  and  night.  For  two  or  three  years  in  succes- 
sion a  pair  took  possession  of  a  small  plantation  of  young  fir  trees 
bordering  my  garden  lawn  on  the  north,  and  only  separated  from 
it  by  a  deep  ditch  with  a  run  of  water  at  the  bottom.  Long 
after  the  union  seemed  to  have  been  formed  the  peculiar  note  was 
kept  up,  and  I  used  to  see  both  birds  within  a  few  feet  of  each 
other  during  its  continuance.  Scarcely  a  day  passed  during  their 
sojourn  of  eight  or  ten  days  in  and  about  the  plantation  but 
excursions  were  taken  into  the  garden,  frequently  extending  to 
the  terrace  beneath  my  dining-room  window,  where  sundry  very 
inquiring  and  interested  glances — not  to  say  stares — were  ex- 
changed between  the  visitors  and  myself  and  divers  members  of 
my  family.  The  visitors  seemed  very  little  disturbed  at  our 
notice  as  long  as  we  remained  quite  still  and  silent,  but  any 
movement  on  our  part  led  to  immediate  retreat  on  the  Corn 
Crake's.  Its  movements  were  desultory  or  in  jerks,  so  to 
speak.  The  bird  would  run  ten  or  twelve  paces  in  an 
attitude  and  with  a  speed  which  left  one  in  doubt  for  a  moment 
whether  it  were  not  some  small  quadruped.  Then  it  would 


92  RRITISH    BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND   NESTS. 

skulk  amid  taller  herbage,  or  under  the  shrubs  of  a  raised  bed,  or 
beneath  a  rhododendron  bush.  A  minute  after  it  would  be  seen 
with  its  head  and  whole  body  erect,  and  the  neck  so  out-stretched 
that  if  the  bird  had  been  hung  up  by  its  head  it  could  not  have 
been  much  more  elongated.  This  was  the  invariable  position  or 
attitude  assumed  when  interchanging  looks  with  the  occupants  of 
the  window.  My  own  impression  was  that  these  journeys  or 
excursions  (which  I  knew  extended  into  the  grass-field  beyond  the 
garden,  and  into  a  field  over  the  road  at  the  back  of  the  plantation) 
were  simply  made  for  the  purpose  of  inspection,  and  with  a  view 
to  the  selection  of  a  place  for  nesting — and  that,  pending- this  in- 
teresting investigation,  the  fir  trees  and  herbage  beneath  afforded 
an  ample  covert.  As  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  the  place  actually 
selected  by  them  for  the  purpose  was  in  the  field — a  corn-field — 
just  beyond  that  which  lay  adjacent  to  the  garden.  The  Corn 
Crake  makes  a  loose  nest  of  dry  herbage  and  stalks  and  grass; 
and  I  think  almost  always  among  growing  herbage — grass, 
clover,  or  corn.  The  hen  lays  seven  or  eight  eggs,  some- 
times even  ten,  and  sits  very  close  upon  them.  They  are  whitish 
in  ground,  suffused  with  a  reddish  tinge,  and  spotted  and  speckled 
with  brownish-red  and  purplish-grey. — Fig.  4,  plate  IX. 

219.  SPOTTED  CRAKE— (Crex  porzana). 
A  summer  visitor,  as  the  Land  Rail  is,  to  our  shores.  It  is 
rare,  however,  compared  with  the  Land  Rail,  and  with  more 
predilection  for  the  vicinity  of  water.  Like  all  the  other  Rails  it 
conceals  itself  very  closely,  and  from  the  form  of  its  body  and 
power  of  leg  runs  with  great  speed  and  equal  facility,  even 
among  what  seems  to  be  and  is  very  thick  covert.  It  is  known 
to  breed  in  Norfolk  and  in  Cambridgeshire,  and  is  believed  to  do 
so  in  other  localities  as  well.  The  nest,  made  on  the  ground  in 
wet  marshes,  is  "formed  on  the  outside,"  says  Mr.  Yarrell, 
"  with  coarse  aquatic  plants,  lined  with  finer  materials  within." 
From  seven  to  ten  eggs  appears  to  be  the  number  laid,  and  they 
vary  very  much  in  their  ground-colour,  between  a  pale  brownish- 
dun  and  a  slightly  yellow-white,  the  spots  or  blotches  being  of  a 
reddish  brown  of  some  intensity. — Fig.  5,  plate  IX. 

220.  LITTLE  CRAKE— (Crex  pusilla). 
Olivaceous  Gallinule,  Little  Gallinule. — Strictly  speaking,  still 
a  rare  bird  in  this  country. 

221.  BAILLON'S  CRAKE— (£r*z;  Saillonii). 
More  rare  than  the  last,  and,  perhaps,  occasionally  confused 
with  it. 

222.  WATER  RAIL— (Rallus  aquations). 
Bilcock,  Skiddycock,  Runner,  Brook-runner,   Velvet-runner 


COOT.  93 

— One  of  the  very  shiest  of  our  British  birds,  and  thus  seeming 
to  be  much  more  rare  than  it  really  is.  I  have  seen  it  at  afl 
seasons  of  the  year,  though  it  is,  I  am  well  aware,  less  tolerant 
of  cold  than  many  other  of  our  winter-staying  birds.  Its  motions 
on  the  bank  of  a  stream,  when  suddenly  disturbed,  are  much 
more  like  those  of  a  Water  Rat  than  a  bird.  It  breeds  with  some 
degree  of  commonness  in  several  of  the  Southern  counties.  I 
obtained  two  nests  from  the  estate  in  Norfolk,  already  mentioned 
in  these  pages,  at  the  same  time  with  the  Woodcock's  eggs,  and 
was  informed  that  it  bred  regularly  there.  I  had  reason  also  to 
know  that  it  bred  at  Tolleshunt  D'Arcy,  in  Essex.  The  nest  is 
made  often  in  an  osier  ground  or  among  thick  water  plants,  and 
composed  of  different  kinds  of  aquatic  herbage.  The  eggs  are 
from  six  to  nine  or  ten  in  number,  and  seldom  quite  white  m  hue ; 
usually  they  are  much  more  like  pale  or  faded  specimens  of  the 
Land  Rail's  eggs,  the  spots  being  both  fewer  and  fainter. — Fig. 
6,  plate  IX. 

223.  MOOR  HEN—(Gallinula  cliloropus). 

Water  Hen,  Gallinule,  Moat  Hen,  Marsh  Hen. — Few  nest- 
hunters,  however  young,  but  know  the  nest  and  eggs  of  this  very 
common  bird.  I  have  in  many  cases  seen  it  almost^domesticated, 
and  constantly  taking  its  food  among  domestic  fowls,  and  some- 
times even  almost  from  the  hands  of  human  creatures.  Its  nest 
is  made  in  somewhat  various  places.  I  have  seen  it  amid  the 
sedges  growing  in  the  water  near  the  edge  of  a  marsh-ditch  or 
the  like,  on  dry  tussocky  tumps  near  a  sheet  of  water,  among 
the  herbage  and  willow  stubs  not  far  from  the  same  Mere,  built 
upon  masses  of  fallen  but  not  decayed  bulrushes  and  flags,  at 
the  edge  of  a  pond,  on  a  bough  projecting  several  feet  horizon- 
tally from  the  bank  over  and  resting  upon  (or  partly  in)  the 
water  of  a  running  stream,  nay,  even  in  a  branch  or  top  of  a 
thick  tree,  or  among  the  ivy  which  mantled  its  trunk  and 
wreathed  its  branches.  In  it  are  laid  six,  seven,  or  eight  eggs, 
of  a  reddish-white  colour,  sparingly  speckled  and  spotted  with 
reddish-brown.  The  egg;s  have  been  known  to  be  removed  by 
the  parent  birds  under  circumstances  of  peril  awaiting  them — 
from  a  flood  for  instance — and  hatched  in  some  new  locality. 
Instances  also  have  been  recorded  in  which  a  supplementary  nest 
has  been  constructed  by  the  female  parent  to  receive  a  part  of 
her  brood,  when  they  were  too  numerous  and  had  grown  too 
large  to  be  accommodated  by  their  original  nest-home  at  night. — 
Fig.  7,  plate  IX. 

VI.— LOBIPEDIDvE. 
224.— COOT— (Fulica  atra). 

Bald  Coot. — A  common  bird  enough  in  many  parts  of  the  king- 


94  BMTISH  BIRDS,    THEIil  EGGS   ANI>   NESTS. 

dom,  and,  in  former  days,  I  have  sometimes  seen  them  in  strag- 
gling flocks  of  several  hundreds  or  thousands  along  the  tide-way 
on  the  Essex  coasts.  With  its  white  oval  spot  on  the  forehead, 
and  perfectly  black  plumage,  it  is  a  sufficiently  noticeable  bird. 
It  seems  to  be  much  more  at  home  on  the  water  than  on  land ; 
but,  like  the  Moor  -Hen,  can  and  does  move  with  very  considerable 
ease  and  speed  on  the  latter.  The  Coot  makes  a  large  and  very 
strong  and  compact  nest,  making  or  finding  a  firm  foundation  for 
it  below  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  heaping  up  and  twisting  in 
dry  flags  and  bulrushes  and  pieces  of  reed,  until  some  of  the 
nests  are  sufficiently  firm  and  stable  to  support  a  considerable 
weight.  The  eggs  laid  are  usually  seven  or  eight,  and  up  to  ten; 
though  even  twelve  or  fourteen  have  been  mentioned  as  some- 
times found.  They  are  of  a  dingy  stone-colour,  speckled  and 
spotted  with  dark  brown. — Fig.  8,  plate  IX. 

225.  GREY  PHALAROPE—  (Phalaropus  lobatus). 
Red  Phalarope. — Supposed,  some  half-century  since,  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly rare  in  this  country,  but  now  known  to  visit  our  shores 
in  small  numbers,  perhaps  annually,  on  their  way  to  their  winter 
place  of  sojourning.  Like  the  Coot,  they  are  lobe-footed,  and 
very  capable  swimmers. 

226.  RED-NECKED  PHALAROPE.— (Phalaropushyperboreut). 
Red  Phalarope. — More  rare  than  the  last-named  in  England, 
though  occurring,  occasionally,   somewhat  more  abundantly  in 
some  of  the  northern  Scotch  Islands. 


V.— NATATORES. 
FAMILY  I.— ANATIDJE. 

227.  GREY-LEGGED  GOOSE— (Anserferus). 
Grey-lag  Goose,  Grey-Goose,  Wild-Goose. — It  is  not  pro- 
posed to  give  any  illustrations  whatever  of  the  eggs  of  the  Wild- 
fowl— the  Geese,  Swans,  Ducks,  and  Diving-Ducks — inasmuch 
as  they  are  not  only  of  large  size,  and  would  usurp  much  space 
to  the  absolute  exclusion  of  many  others  of  much  interest  and 
urgently  demanding  pictorial  illustration,  but,  also,  are  charac- 
terised by  so  much  sameness  or  general  uniformity  of  colour; — 
for  they  vary  only,  in  that  respect,  about  as  much  as  the  eggs  of 
the  common  Eowl  and  common  Duck  do.  A  very  large  propor- 
tion of  them,  moreover,  never  by  any  chance  breed  in  any  por- 
tion of  the  British  Islands,  but  resort  to  distant  and  very  northerly 
localities  for  that  purpose.  The  first  on  our  list,  the  Common 
Grey,  or  Wild  Goose,  is  an  instance  in  point.  It  is  believed  once 
to  have  been  a  regular  inhabitant,  and  to  have  bred  abundantly 


BKENT-GOOSE.  95 

in  the  fenny  districts  which  then  prevailed  over  many  parts  of 
the  kingdom,  not  at  all  near  or  connected  with  what  is  yet  called 
"  the  fen  country."  But  now  it  is  comparatively  a  rare  bird  at 
any  season  of  the  year,  and  nests  no  nearer  to  us  than  some  of 
the  isles  and  coasts  of  Scandinavia. 

228.  BEAN  GOOSE— (Anser  segetum}, 
Like  the  last,  and  in  common  with  the  Geese  next  to  be  men- 
tioned, indiscriminately  known  by  the  name  of  Wild  Goose. 
Unlike  the  last,  however,  it  is  ascertained  to  breed  in  small  num- 
bers on  some  of  the  large  lakes  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  and  in 
the  islands  of  Lewis  and  Harris.  Besides  which,  a  nesting  loca- 
lity of  this  species  in  Westmoreland  is  named.  The  nests,  in 
some  instances,  are  hid  in  very  tall  ling,  and  the  eggs  are  from 
five  to  seven  in  number.  In  size  they  are  a  little  under  3  J  inches 
long  by  2-|  broad. 

229.  PINK-FOOTED  GOOSE— (Anser  IracJiyrfyncus). 
A  smaller  bird  than  the  last,  but  otherwise  bearing  a  very 
strong  resemblance  to  it ;  so  much  so,  that  it  appears  more  than 
probable  it  has  often  been  assumed  to  be  a  young  or  small  speci- 
men of  the  former  species.  It  is,  however,  of  comparatively  rare 
occurrence  notwithstanding. 

230.  WHITE-FRONTED  GOOSE— (Anser  albifrons). 

Laughing  goose. — A  regular  winter  visitor,  and  not  in  any  very 
scantv  numbers.  One  of  my  very  worst  discomfitures  in  my  early 
sporting-days  took  place  in  connection  with  a  flock  of  these  birds. 
There  were  seven  or  eight  of  them  which  flew  deliberately  right 
on  towards  my  father  and  myself  till  they  were  within  twenty- 
five  yards  of  us,  and  then  they  doubled  up  into  a  confused 
clump,  and  I  was  already  counting  the  slain  when  my  gun  missed- 
fire.  My  father's  did  not,  and  gave  us  the  opportunity  of  identi- 
fying the  species.  It  breeds  in  Scotland  and  other  countries  far 
to  the  north. 

231.  BERNICLE  GOOSE— (Anser  leucopsis}. 
Another  winter  visitor ;  often  appearing  in  great  flocks,  but 
always  retiring  to  the  north  again  to  breed.     It  is  supposed  to 
frequent  the  shores  of  the  White  Sea  especially  for  such  purpose. 

232.  BPtENT  GOOSE— (Anser  brenta). 
Black  goose,  Ware  goose. — By  far  the  most  numerous  of  all 
the  geese  which  visit  our  shores  in  winter,  as  it  is  also  the  least. 
I  have  seen  it  in  inconceivable  numbers  on  the  Essex  coast  in 
hard  winters,  and  the  numbers  reported  to  have  been  killed  at 
one  discharge  of  a  heavy  punt  gun,  seem  simply  incredible.  IE 


96  B1UTISH   BIKDS,    THEIR   EGGS   AND   XEST3. 

the  very  hard  and  long-continued  winter  of  1837-38, 1  saw  the  ice 
which,  in  broken  fragments  of  four  or  five  feet  square  by  three 
or  four  inches  thick,  covered  the  whole  estuary  of  the  Blackwater 
at  Tollesbury  (a  space  of  very  considerable  width),  black  with 
them  during  highwater.  The  expression  made  use  of  by  one  of 
the  sea-faring  men  of  the  neighbourhood  was,  "  There  are  acres  of 
'em."  Still  of  all  there  vast  numbers  none  remain  to  breed,  and 
no  great  proportion  of  them  are  known  to  breed  in  Europe. 

233.  RED-BREASTED  GOOSE—  (Anser  rwficollis). 
A  very  rare  species,  and  one  of  which  but  little  is  known  as  to 
nistory  or  habits. 

234.  EGYPTIAN  GOOSE— (Anser  Vgyptiacus}. 
Equally  rare  and  more  exceptional  than  the  last ;  as  the  few 
that  nave  occurred  may  have  escaped  from  confinement. 

235.  SPUR-WINGED  GOOSE— (Anser  Gambensis). 

Gambo-goose. — An  accidental  visitor  indeed. 

236.  CANADA  GOOSE— (Anser  Canadensis). 

Cravat-goose. — Many  of  these  remarkably  fine  birds  are  kept  on 
ornamental  waters  in  many  different  parts  of  the  kingdom ;  and 
these  have  been  known  sometimes  (aided  by  a  storm,  perhaps, 
or  some  unusual  occurrence)  to  make  their  escape.  Many  of  the 
supposed  wild  birds  shot,  or  otherwise  taken,  have  been  accounted 
for  on  the  supposition  that  they  are  such  escaped  birds.  How- 
ever, it  would  seem  most  probable  that  considerable  flights  of 
really  wild  Cravat  ^eese  do  occasionally  visit  this  country,  and 
even  that  some  pair  or  two  of  them  may  occasionally  stay  to 
breed.  The  eggs  are  six  to  nine  in  number,  of  very  large  size, 
and  white. 

237.  HOOPER—  (Cy gnus  firm). 

Wild  swan,  Whistling  swan,  Elk. — Of  sufficiently  common  oc- 
currence on  the  British  coasts,  and  particularly  in  hard  winters. 
Few  birds  vary  much  more  in  size  and  weight  than  do  these.  A 
young  bird  of  the  year  may  weigh  only  twelve  or  thirteen  pounds  ; 
the  older  and  more  full-grown  specimens,  twenty  or  twenty-one. 
They  breed  very  far  to  the  north. 

238.  BEWICK'S  SWAN— (tygnus  Bewickii). 
A  smaller  bird  than  the  Hooper  and  of  very  much  rarer  occur- 
rence.    Still  it  is  an  ascertained  species,  and  visits  us  frequently, 
if  not  annually,  in  some  numbers. 

239.  MUTE  SWAN— (%«**  dor.) 
The    Common  tame  Swan  of  our  ornamental  waters.— Thej 


SHOVELLLEK.  97 

arc  found  wild  in  many,  if  not  all,  the  northern  countries  of 
Europe.  It  is  too  well  known  by  everyone  to  require  detailed 
notice  here. 

240.  POLISH  SWAN— (Cygnus  immutabilis). 
A  bird  of  very  rare  occurrence  in  a  wild  state,  and  deriving  its 
Latin  name  from  the  circumstance  that  its  plumage  undergoes  no 
change  in  colour  at  any  period  of  its  age.  It  is  always  white. 
The  cygnets  of  the  other  swans  are,  on  the  contrary,  grey  or 
dusky-coloured  for  a  lengthened  period,  and  only  become  white 
on  their  reaching  maturity. 

241.  RUDDY  SHIELDRAKE— (Tadorna  rutild). 

A  bird  of  exceedingly  rare  occurrence. 
242.  COMMON  SHIELDRAKE— (Tadorna  vulpanser). 

Burrow  Duck,  Skel  goose,  Bar  goose. — One  of  the  very  most 
beautiful  of  all  our  wild  fowl,  or  even  of  those  which  for  their 
beauty  are  selected  to  be  ornamental  accessions  to  the  waters  of 
the  park  or  pleasure-ground.  Its  plumage  is  so  beautiful  and 
clear  and  brilliant,  and  its  attitude  in  repose  so  graceful,  one 
cannot  but  admire  it  greatly.  It  breeds  not  uncommonly  on 
many  sandy  parts  of  our  coasts,  occupying  the  deep  rabbit-bur- 
rows, which  are  found  in  what  are  called  the  "  sand-hills,"  to 
place  its  nest  in.  The  nest  is  one  really,  made  of  bents  and  dry 
stalks  and  lined  or  cushioned  with  down  liberally  plucked  from 
the  bui  der's  own  breast.  The  number  of  eggs  laid  varies  between 
eight  or  nine  and  twelve  or  fourteen.  They  are  nearly  or  quite 
white,  about  2|  inches  long  by  nearly  2  in  breadth.  I  have 
known  instances  in  which  the  eggs  obtained  from  one  of  their 
nests  have  been  hatched  under  a  common  hen.  The  young 
seemed  to  accustom  themselves  to  their  life  of  restraint  tolerably 
well,  but  never  showed  any  disposition  to  pair  or  breed.  Pro- 
bably it  might  be  because  no  suitable  hole  for  a  nest  was  within 
their  reach.  The  male  of  this  species  is  known  to  assist  the 
female  in  the  labours  and  constraint  of  incubation. 

243.  SHOVELLER—  (Anas  clypeatd], 

Blue- winged  Shoveller,  Broad-bill. — The  first  in  the  list  of  the 
true  Ducks,  and  a  very  beautifully  plumaged  bird  indeed.  But 
gaily  feathered  as  he  is,  and  brilliant  as  is  a  part,  at  least,  of  the 
plumage  of  all  the  male  Ducks  during  a  certain  portion  of  the 
year,  yet  it  is  remarkable  that  they  all  undergo  a  change  in  this 
respect  about  the  breeding  time,  just  the  reverse  of  that  which 
takes  place  in  the  males  of  so  many  other  birds  at  the  same 
season.  They  become  more  brilliant,  or  their  colours  deeper  or 
richer  then : — the  male  ducks  duskier,  plainer  coloured,  more  like 

H 


98  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR  EGGS  AND   NESTft. 

the  female  in  her  more  unobtrusive  hues.  The  Shoveller's  bill  is 
very  remarkable,  and,  as  I  said  of  the  Oyster-catcher's,  a  study 
for  all  who  admire  the  works  of  God.  It  merits  our  notice  for 
its  adaptation  to  its  purposes  in  a  direction  just  opposite  to  that 
which  characterizes  the  bill  of  the  bird  just  named.  Dilated  at 
the  sides  so  as  almost  to  look  awkward,  it  is  furnished  with  a 
large  series  of  very  sensitive  laminae  or  plates,  such  that  the 
minute  objects  which  form  a  considerable  portion  of  the  bird's  food 
may  be  instantly  detected  by  the  sense  of  touch,  and  retained.  It 
used  to  breed  very  commonly  in  many  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
Norfolk  and  the  Een  districts  for  instance,  as  well  as  in  Romney 
Marsh  and  other  places  more  in  the  south  of  the  Island.  At 
present  it  has  become  comparatively  rare.  The  nest  is  made  of 
fine  grass,  and  the  eggs  are  eventually  enveloped  in  down  pro- 
cured from  the  bird's  own  breast.  The  eggs  may  be  from  eight 
to  twelve  in  number,  white,  tinged  with  a  greenish-dun  shade,  and 
about  2  inches  long  by  1-|  broad. 

244.  GAD  WALL—  (Anas  strepera). 

Hodge,  Grey  Duck. — A  Duck  which  occurs  in  no  very  great 
numbers  at  any  time ;  mostly  about  the  end  of  the  winter,  or  in 
spring ;  and  is  not  known  to  breed  commonly  in  any  part  of 
Europe. 

245.  PINTAIL  DUCK— (Anas  acuta). 
Cracker,  Winter  Duck. — An  early  visitor  to  our  shores  when 
winter  has  once  urged  the  wild  fowl  hosts  to  leave  their  northern 
nesting-places.     It  is  not,  however,  a  numerous  bird  with  us,  but 
abounds  in  many  of  the  northernmost  countries  of  Europe. 

246.  BIMACULATED  DUCK— (Anas  glocitans). 
Ilather  a  handsome  bird  in  plumage  and  markings,  but  one  of 
rare  occurrence,  and  of  which  or  its  habits  very  little  is  known. 

247.  WILD  DUCK— (^s  loschas). 

Mallard. — By  far  the  most  common  of*all  our  wild  fowl  among 
the  Ducks,  but  lessening,  year  by  year,  in  the  numbers  which 
visit  us.  Within  my  own  recollection  many  Decoys  on  the  Essex 
coast  were  wrought  constantly  and  successfully,,  which  for  many 
years  now  have  been  dismantled  and  unused.  I  well  remember, 
when  I  was  a  lad  of  ten  or  twelve,  being  at  a  house  in  Tolles- 
hunt  D'Arcy,  on  the  farm  belonging  to  which  was  an  active 
Decoy,  and  seeing  the  birds  which  hao.  been  taken  in  the  course 
of  one  morning.  The  numbers  were  so  great  that  many  of  the 
undermost  Ducks,  where  the  great  accumulation  had  taken  place 
at  the  end  of  the  "  pipe,"  had  died  of  pressure  and  suffocation, 
and  some  even  were  sensibly  flattened  by  the  superincumbent 


TEAL.  99 

weight  of  their  fellows.  The  multiplication  of  shooters  on  shore 
and  afloat  has  sensibly  tended  to  lessen  the  numbers  of  the  Wild 
Duck ;  while  drainage  on  a  large  scale  in  many  a  district  the 
country  through,  has  materially  lessened  the  number  o£  their 
haunts.  Still  a  very  considerable  number  remain  to  breed,  and 
a  Wild  Duck's  nest  in  many  parts  of  the  kingdom  is  no  rarity, 
The  nest  is  made  of  grass,  lined  and  interwoven  with  down.  It 
is  customarily  placed  on  dry  ground  on  the  margin  of  water, 
among  reeds  and  bulrushes,  or  the  like ;  but  may  often  be  found 
at  some  distance  from  water,  and  in  places  so  unlikely  for  the 
purpose  as  on  the  open  moor,  or  in  a  tree  top,  or  in  the  lofty 
deserted  nest  of  a  crow.  The  eggs  are  from  nine  to  twelve  in 
number,  sometimes  however  exceeding  the  latter  limit,  of  a 
greenish-white  colour,  and  about  2J  inches  long  by  1J  broad.  It 
is  long  before  the  young  Wild  Ducks  fly  well  enough  to  leave 
their  native  reed  beds,  or  similar  shelter,  and,  in  the  state  pre- 
ceding that  of  actual  power  to  fly  away,  they  are  called  Elappers; 
and  many  a  Mapper  hunt  have  I  taken  part  in  in  my  younger 
days. 

248.  GARGANEY—  (Anas  querquedula). 

Summer  Duck,  Summer  Teal,  Pied  Wiggon. — This  is  a  some- 
what rare  bird,  and  is  seen  sometimes  in  late  autumn,  but  more 
usually  in  the  spring.  It  has  been  known  to  breed  in  this 
country,  though  by  no  means  commonly  or  frequently.  It  is 
said  to  make  a  nest  among  reeds  of  dry  grass,  rushes  and  down, 
and  the  number  of  eggs  deposited  to  run  from  eight  or  nine  to 
twelve,  or  even  more.  They  are  of  a  distinct  but  pale  bull 
colour,  If  inch  long  by  1J  broad. 

249.  TEAL— (Anas  creccci). 

A  very  pretty  little  Duck,  and  the  least  of  all  our  winter 
visitors  of  that  species.  It  is  of  common  occurrence,  but  not 
met  with  in  any  great  numbers.  It  breeds  abundantly  in  Nor- 
way and  Sweden,  and  especially  in  Lapland,  whither  the  great 
bulk  of  our  winter  friends  retire  on  the  approach  of  the  northern 
sammer  still,  pairs  often  remain  throughout  the  summer  in 
various  parts  of  our  country  to  nest  and  rear  their  young. 
When  I  was  a  boy  I  heard  of  nests,  almost  annually,  on  some  of 
tlie  marshes  1  knew  most  familiarly.  The  Teal  builds  a  nest  of 
abundance  of  different  vegetable  substances,  varying  according 
to  the  locality  and  its  productions,  and  lines  it  with  down  and 
feathers,  the  concealment  afforded  by  the  neighbouring  herbage 
being  carefully  adopted.  Eight  to  ten  or  twelve  eggs  are  laid,  of 
a  buffy-white,  ]f  inch  long  by  rather  over  1-J  broad. 

M  2 


100  BRITISH  BIRDSj  TREIB,  EGGS    AND    NESTS. 

250.  WIGEON— (Anas  Penelope). 

Whewer,  Whim. — Mr.  Waterton  has  recorded  an  observation 
on  the  habits  of  this  Duck,  which  is  of  great  interest.  Whereas, 
all  the  birds  of  the  Duck-kind  which  we  have  hitherto  named  are 
night-feeders,  the  Wigeon  obtains  its  food  by  day,  "and  that 
food  is  grass/'  The  great  body  of  our  winter  visitors  of  this 
species  retire  to  the  north  to  breed  about  the  end  of  March,  or 
April ;  but  a  few  have  been  ascertained  to  remain  for  that  pur- 
pose in  north  Scotland.  A  nest,  found  on  Loch  Laighal  in 
Sutherlandshire,  was  placed  in  the  midst  of  a  clump  of  grass,  and 
was  made  of  decayed  rushes  and  reeds,  with  a  lining  of  its  own 
down.  The  eggs  were  smaller  than  those  of  the  Wild  duck,  and 
of  a  rich  cream-white  colour."  The  number  of  eggs  laid  varies 
between  five  and  eight  or  nine;  the  length,  2J  inches  by  1^ 
in  breadth. 

251.  AMERICAN  WIGEON— (Anas  Americana}. 
Of  entirely  rare  and  accidental  occurrence. 

252.  EIDER  DUCK— (Somatena  mallmwci). 

St.  Cuthbert's-duck. — We  have  now  arrived  at  another  section 
of  the  Duck  familv.  Those  hitherto  named  all  frequent  the 
fresh  waters,  and  chiefly  affect  those  that  are  of  no  great  extent 
or  depth.  These,  the  first  of  which  we  have  just  named,  fre- 
quent the  sea  or,  in  a  few  instances,  the  deepest  parts  of  large 
freshwater  lakes.  The  Eider  duck,  well-known  to  most  of  us  lay 
name,  to  some  of  us  by  sight,  breeds  in  some  marshes  on  the 
Fame  islands,  and  in  many  of  the  islands  on  the  coast  of  Scotland. 
The  nests  are  principally  composed,  on  a  foundation  of  sea-weed 
or  grass,  of  the  beautiful  light  elastic  down,  commonly  known  as 
Eider-down ;  and  if  the  first  is  plundered,  a  second,  and  even  a 
third  are  formed ;  but  the  down  decreases  in  quality  and  quantity 
in  each  successive  instance.  The  first  accumulation  is  so  large 
and  springy  as  quite  to  conceal  the  eggs  contained,  which  are 
usually  five  in  number,  and  are  of  a  light-green  colour,  about  three 
inches  long  by  two  wide.  The  lining  of  one  nest,  admitting  of 
easy  compression  by  the  hand,  is  described  by  Mr.  Hewitson  as 
capable,  when  fully  expanded,  of  filling  a  man's  hat. 

253.  KING  DUCK— (Somatena  spectabilis}. 

A  much  rarer  bird  than  the  last ;  indeed  occurring,  only  very 
casually.  It  has  been  known  to  breed  in  one  of  the  Orkney 
Islands,  while  Iceland,  Nova  Zembla,  Spitzergen,  and  like  locali- 
ties, are  the  great  breeding  haunts  of  the  species.  The  nests  are 
made  on  the  ground,  and  contain  five  eggs,  very  closely  resem- 
bling the  Eider-duck's,  except  in  size.  They  are  rather  less. 


TUFTED   DUCK.  101 


254.  STELLER'S   WESTERN   ttQfc-^Poty&tict*  .  Stelkti). 

Exceedingly  rare  in  Britain,  and  not  much  less  so,  it  seems,  in 
Europe  generally. 

255.  VELVET    SCOTER—  (Oidmia  fused). 

Velvet  duck.  —  A  winter  visitor,  and  rare  on  our  south  coasts. 
More  common  in  the  far  north  of  Britain. 

256.  COMMON    SCOTER—  (Oidmia  nigrd). 
Scoter,  Black  Scoter,  Black  Duck,  Black  Diver.—  This   dusky- 

coloured  Duck  is  seen  in  considerable  numbers  on  various  parts 
of  our  coasts  in  winter,  and  always  swimming  and  diving  in 
what  may  be  called  "  loose  order,3'  like  the  Coots  rather  than  any 
of  the  true  Ducks.  It  does  not,  however,  ever  stay  to  br^ecl 
with  us,  and  can  have  no  further  notice  here. 

257.  SURE   SCOTER—  (Oidemia  perspicillatd). 

A  bird  of  very  rare,  and,  perhaps  also  it  may  be  added,  very 
local  occurrence. 
258.  RED-CRESTED  WHISTLING  DUCK—  (FuUgula  rufind) 

Again  another  occasional  vistor. 

259.  POCHARD—  (^%^/rn^). 

Dunbird,  Red-headed  Wigeon,  Red-headed  Poker,  Duncur.  —  A 
winter  visitor,  and  in  very  considerable  numbers  in  districts 
where  the  presence  of  inland  waters  to  a  sufficient  extent  enables 
them  to  follow  out  their  natural  habits.  It  is  almost  impossible, 
from  their  great  quickness  and  skill  in  diving,  to  take  them  with 
the  other  (  '  Fowl  "  in  the  Decoy,  and  they  are  therefore  captured  by 
a  peculiar  arrangement  of  nets  affixed  to  poles  so  heavily  weighted 
at  one  end  as  on  being  liberated  to  elevate  the  net  in  such  a  way 
as  to  intercept  the  flight  of  the  birds,  as  soon  as  they  are  fairly  on 
wing.  The  Dunbird  does  not  now  breed  in  this  country. 
260.  FERRUGINOUS  DUCK—  (^%^/tf  nyrocd). 

Somewhat  resembling  the  Pochard  in  general  hue,  but  smaller, 
and  in  respect  of  the  numbers  in  which  it  has  been  met  with  in 
this  country,  comparatively  a  very  rare  visitor. 

261.  SCAUP  DUCK—  (.7^%^  marila). 

Spoon-bill  Duck.  —  A  winter  visitor,  and  not  an  unusual  one, 

although  its  numbers  are  never  such  as  to  commend  it  to  notice 

in  the  same  way  as  the  Wild  Duck,  the  Dunbird,  the  Wigeon,  and 

some  others.    It  breeds  commonly  in  Iceland,  but  never  in  Britain. 

262.  TUFTED  VVCK—tfuliffula  cristatd). 

Another  constant  winter  visitor,  and  as  well  or  better  known 
than  the  Scaup.  Like  the  Scaup  Duck  it  usually  prefers  oozy 
or  muddy  estuaries  and  t.lu'ir  customary  accompaniments.  But  I 


]02  BRITISH  BIRDS,    THElll  EGGS   AND    NESTf,. 

bare  net  with  ?.t  here  ID  the  narrow,  rapid  trout-stream  which 
runs  through  this  part  of  the  country,  and  at  a  distance  of  not 
less  than  nine  or  ten  miles  from  the  sea.    It  breeds  sparingly 
Holland  and  in  more  northerly  countries. 

263.  LONG-TAILED  DUCK— (Fidigula  glacialis). 
Another  bird  which,  like  the  two  last,   is   sufficiently  well- 
known  without  being  exceedingly  or  indeed  in  the  least  degree 
numerous.     It  is  in  fact  a  rather  rare  and  very  beautiful  Duck, 
and  is  remarkable  for  the  great  variations  of  plumage  to  which  it 
is  liable,  according  to  differences  of  age,  sex,  and  season.     It 
breeds  abundantly  in  Norway  and  Denmark,  and  much  more  so 
in  purely  Arctic  regions. 

264.  HARLEQUIN  DUCK— (7^%^  histrionica). 
Another  very  beautiful  bird,  and  most  peculiarly  marked.     So 

much  so  as  to  remind  its  sponsors,  as  it  appears,  of  the  artistic 
effects  produced  by  the  customary  pictorial  adornment  of  our 
facetious  friend  Harlequin's  face.  A  rarer  bird,  however,  than 
even  the  Long-tailed  Duck  last  named. 

265.  GOLDEN  EYE— (M>^  clanguld). 
Brown-headed  Duck,  Grey-headed  Duck,  Pied  Wigeon,  Golden- 
eyed  Wigeon,  Duck  or  Teal,  Morillon,  Rattlewings. — As  well 
known  and  as  common  as  perhaps  either  the  Scaup  or  the 
Tufted  Duck,  but  known  by  different  names  according  to  the 
state  of  plumage  depending  on  sex  and  age,  females  and  young 
birds  being  much  more  common  than  adult  males.  As  not  known 
to  breed  in  England  no  notice  of  nest  or  eggs  can  be  inserted 
here.  In  the  Appendix,  however,  a  very  interesting  notice  of  one 
of  its  habits  connected  with  its  breeding  time  will  be  inserted. 

266.  BUEFEL-HEADED  VUCK—(Fuliffula  albeola). 
A  visitor,  but  a  very  rare  one,  to  our  shores  in  winter. 

267.  SMEW—  (Mergus  albellus). 

White  Nun,  Red-headed  Smew  (for  young),  Smee,  Lough 
Diver,  White-headed  Goosander,  White  Merganser. — This  bird 
helps  us  from  the  group  of  sea-loving  Ducks  just  noticed  to  that 
of  the  Mergansers,  whose  diving  habits  and  powers  may  be  in- 
ferred from  their  names.  The  Smew  is  perhaps  quite  i  he  most 
common  of  the  entire  family;  but  they  are  very  wary  and.  difficult  to 
approach.  They  are  not  known  to  breed  in  any  part  of  the 
United  Kingdom. 

268.  HOODED  MERGANSER— (Mergus  cucullalus}. 
A  rare  and  accidental  visitor  to  this  country,  and  indeed  to  the 
European  continent. 


GREAT   CRESTED   GREBE.  103 

169.  BED-BREASTED  MERGANSER—  (Mergus  serrator). 

Red-breasted  Goosander. — This  handsome  bird  is  an  undoubted 
denizen  of  our  country  during  the  breeding  season,  but  in  no 
great  numbers  in  any  year  or  district.  It  breeds  in  Ireland,  on 
islands  in  several  of  the  Loughs;  also  in  the  Hebrides  and  other 
Scottish  islands.  The  nest  is  made  of  long  grass  or  moss,  small 
roots,  dry  water-herbage,  mixed  and  lined  with  the  bird's  own 
down,  doubtless  added  to  as  incubation  proceeds.  It  is  often 
placed  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  if  there  be  one  on  the  islet  selected. 
The  eggs  are  six  to  nine  in  number,  of  a  pale  buff  or  fawn- 
colour.  They  are  2J  inches  long  by  If  broad. 

270.  GOOSANDER.— (Mergus  merganser). 
Dun  Diver,  Sparling  Fowl,  Jacksaw,  Saw-bill. — A  few  of 
these  birds  also  remain  to  breed  in  Britain,  though  by  far  the 
most  retire  to  the  north  of  Europe  for  that  purpose.  Its  nests 
are  common  in  both  the  Orkney  Islands  and  the  Hebrides.  They 
are  large,  made  of  dry  grass  and  roots,  and  lined  with  the  down  of 
the  female,  and  placed  amid  bushes  or  stones,  or  in  some  cavity 
afforded  by  an  old  tree.  The  eggs  rarely  exceed  six  or  seven, 
not  varying  much  in  shade  from  those  last  described,  and  are  2^- 
inches  in  length,  by  nearly  If  in  breadth, 

II.— COLYMBUm 

271.  GREAT  CRESTED  GREBE.— (Podiceps  eristatus). 

Cargoose,  Loon,  Greater  Loon,  Tippet  grebe. — We  have  come 
now  to  the  Divers  properly  so  called,  and  the  family  of  Grebes 
to  be  noticed  first  are  to  be  looked  upon  as  principally,  but  not 
exclusively,  frequenting  the  fresh  water.  The  bird  now  under 
notice  remains  almost  all  the  year  on  the  large  sheets  of  water 
which  it  inhabits  in  Wales,  Shropshire,  Norfolk,  and  Lincolnshire. 
Like  the  rest  of  the  Grebes,  it  is  little  able  to  walk  and  not  much 
disposed  to  fly,  but  possessing  marvellous  capacity  and  power  of 
diving.  Its  nest  is  made  of  a  large  heap  of  half  rotten  water- 
weeds,  but  little  raised  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and 
always  soaked  with  wet.  On  this  likely-seeming  place  for  duly 
addling  every  egg  deposited,  three,  four  or  five  eggs  are  laid, 
which  arc  almost  white  when  newly  dropped,  but  soon  become  so 
stained  from  constant  contact  with  wet  and  decaying  vegetable 
substances  as  to  be  any  colour  rather  than  white.  They  are 
about  2^  inches  long,  by  1^  broad.  The  eggs,  in  the  absence  of 
the  parent  bird,  are  usually  found  covered  with  portions  of  some 
water  vegetable  ;  and  the  owner,  on  being  disturbed  on  her  nest, 
always  dives  away  from  it.  The  first  lessons  of  the  young  Loon 


104  BRITISH    BIRDS,    THEIR    EGGS    AND    NESTS. 

in  diving  are  taken  beneath  the  literal  "  shelter  of  their  mother's 
wing." 

272.  RED-CRESTED  GREBE.— (ZW^s  rubricollis). 
Not  so  common  as  the  Grebe  last  named,  and  more  frequently 
met  with  on  salt  water,  though  not  usually  far  from  some  estuary 
or  inland  arm  of  the  sea.     It  is  not  known  to  have  bred  in  this 
country. 

273.  SCLAVONIAN  GREBE— (Podiceps  comutus). 
Dusky   Grebe,   Horned   Grebe. — Rather   a  rare   bird  in  the 
summer,  and  not  common  at  any  period  of  the  year ;  nor  has  it 
ever  been  known  to  breed  with  us. 

274.  EARED  GREBE— (Podiceps  auritus). 

The  rarest  of  all  the  Grebes.  It  occurs  however  from  time  to 
time,  and  I  knew  of  one  instance  in  Essex  some  thirty  years  a^o 
in  which  one  of  these  birds  was  taken  from  a  Water  rat's  hole, 
into  which  it  had  been  seen  to  creep  for  shelter. 

275.  LITTLE  GREBE— (Podiceps  minor). 
Dabchick  or  Dobchick,  Didapper,  Small   Ducker,  Blackchin 

Grebe. — A  very  common  and  very  interesting  little  bird,  and  yet, 
in  spite  of  its  frequency  and  familiarity,  blessed  with  a  couple  of 
scientific  names,  originating  (as  in  the  case  of  the  Dunlin),  in 
differences  of  plumage,  depending  on  age  or  season.  It  is 
difficult  to  say  where  it  is  not  to  be  met  with  in  spring,  provided 
only  there  be  what  the  Americans  call  a  sufficient  "water- 
privilege,"  neither  too  shallow  nor  too  rapid,  for  its  requirements . 
As  expert  a  diver  as  any  of  those  hitherto  named,  it  seldom  resorts 
to  the  use  of  its  wings,  except  just  at  the  time  when  birds'  love- 
making  goes  on.  Then  the  male  (at  least)  may  be  seen  working 
his  short  wings  most  vigorously  and  rapidly,  uttering  his  rattling 
cry  as  he  circles  over  and  about  the  Mere  on  which  he  has 
"  squatted  "  for  the  season.  The  nest  is  a  heap  of  water  weeds 
only  just  flush  with  the  surface,  and  always  steeping  wet.  The 
eggs  are  four,  five  or  six  in  number,  perfectly  white  when  laid, 
but  soon  ceasing  to  be  clean-looking,  for  they  grow  more  dingy 
day  by  day,  until  on  some  waters  they  become  completely  mud- 
coloured,  on  others,  assume  a  hue  which  I  can  compare  to  nothing 
but  old  blood  stains  on  some  dirty  surface.  I  am  quite  convinced 
that  in  some  cases  at  least  this  discolouration  is  intentional  on  the 
part  of  the  parent  bird,  though  in  others  it  may  be  simply  due  to 
the  action  of  the  juices  of  fresh  or  decaying  vegetable  substances. 
I  never  yet,  though  I  have  seen  some  dozens  of  nests,  found  the 
eg§p  left  uncovered  by  the  owner,  save  only  in  one  instance,  in 
which  only  one  egg  had  been  laid.  The  weeds  used  as  a  covering 


COMMON    GUILLEMOT.  10£ 

were,  moreover,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  fresh,  and  'evidently 
procured  by  the  Dabchick  in  virtue  of  her  skill  in  diving.  The 
young  birds  swim  and  dive  almost  immediately  they  are  hatched, 
and  are  very  persevering  little  skulkers  if  disturbed  on  their 
breeding  waters. 

276.  GREAT  NORTHERN  DIVER—  (Colymbu*  glaciate). 
Greatest  Speckled  Diver,  Great  Doucker,Immer,Immer  Diver. — 

This  magnificent  bird — I  shot  one,  in  full  plumage,  several 
years  since,  which  weighed  nearly  thirteen  pounds — is  usually 
found  at  some  distance  from  the  coast,  except  during  that  part 
of  the  year  which  is  devoted  to  the  work  of  propagation. 
There  seems  good  reason  to  think  some  of  them  may  breed 
in  some  of  the  most  northerly  British  Islands,  but  no  authentic 
history  of  its  ever  having  been  known  to  do  so,  is,  I  believe, 
extant. 

277.  BLACK-THROATED  DIVER—  (Colymbus  arcticus). 
Lumme,  Northern  Doucker,  Speckled   Loon. — The  rarest  of 

the  three  Divers  known  in  our  seas.  It  is,  however,  described 
as  breeding  in  several  of  the  lakes  of  Sutherlandshire.  It 
makes  no  nest,  but  lays  its  two  eggs  on  the  bare  ground,  at 
no  great  distance  from  the  water-edge.  These  are  in  some 
instances  of  a  light  shade  of  chocolate-brown,  others  having 
more  of  an  olive-brown  tinge  about  them,  and  sparingly  spotted 
with  black. 

278.  RED-THROATED  DIYER— (Colymbm  septentdonali*). 

Rain  Goose,  Cobble,  Sprat-borer,  Spratoon,  Speckled  Diver. 
— The  commonest  and  the  smallest  of  the  Divers,  and  varying 
greatly  in  their  plumage,  according  to  age  and  season.  It  breeds 
on  the  Scottish  mainland,  in  Shetland,  in  the  Hebrides,  and  until 
lately  in  the  Orkneys.  The  eggs  are  said  to  be  always  deposited 
very  near  the  water's  edge.  They  are  two  in  number,  of  a  greenish 
brown  colour,  spotted  with  very  dark  brown  but,  as  Mr.  Yarrell 
states,  when  the  egg  has  been  long  sat  upon  the  brown  ground 
colour  is  apt  to  assume  a  chestnut,  or  dark  reddish-brown  tint. 

III.— ALCAD^E. 

279.  COMMON  GUILLEMOT— (Una  troile). 
Eoolish  Guillemot,  Willock,  Tinkershere,  Tarrock,  Scout,  Sea 
lien,  Murre,  Lavy. — The  first  on  the  list  of  our  Rockbirds,  as 
they  are  often  called.  It  is  remarkable  in  several  particulars 
connected  with  its  breeding  peculiarities.  It  makes  no  nest  and 
lays  but  one  egg,  but  that  an  egg  of  huge  dimensions  as  con- 
trasted with  the  size  of  the  bird  itself;  besides  which,  it  is  almost 


106  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS    AND    NESTS. 

impossible  out  of  a  collection  of  many  scores  to  pick  out  half  a 
dozen  that  are  precisely  alike,  either  in  ground-colour  or  general 
markings.  The  eggs  are  laid  on  the  ledges  of  rocky  precipices 
overhanging  the  sea,  on  various  parts  of  the  British  coasts.  I 
have  frequently  seen  the  Willocks  under  the  impulse  of  a  sudden 
alarm — for  instance,  the  firing  of  a  gun  in  the  close  vicinity  of 
their  egg-bestrown  ledges — fly  off  in  very  large  numbers  and 
with  every  symptom  of  precipitation.  But  no  egg  is  ever  dis- 
lodged ;  a  circumstance  which  some  nave  sought  to  account  for 
on  the  supposition  that  they  must  be  cemented  to  the  rock ! 
The  explanation  really  is,  it  would  seem,  that  the  shape  of  the 
eggs  is  such  that,  instead  of  rolling  off  ir  any  direction,  as  a 
baU  would  do  on  being  sufficiently  moved,  tney  simply  turn  round 
and  round  within  the  length  of  their  own  axis.  It  would  serve 
but  little  purpose  to  attempt  a  description  of  the  Guillemot's 
egg.  They  are  of  all  shades,  from  nearly  or  quite  white  to  a 
dark  green,  some  profusely  spotted  and  blotched  and  streaked 
with  dark  colours,  others  very  slightly  so  or  scarcely  at  all. 
Unfortunately  the  egg  is  so  large  that  but  two  illustrations  can  be 
given  in  the  limited  space  available  to  us. — Fig.  1,  2,  plate  X. 

280.  BKUNNICH'S  GUILLEMOT— (Una  Bmnnichii). 
Thick-billed   Guillemot. — Easily   distinguished  by   an    expe- 
rienced eye  from   the  last,  but  a  bird  of  which,  perhaps,  it  can 
scarcely  be  said  that  it  has  been  actually  ascertained  to  breed 
any  where  within  the  limits  of  the  British  Isles.     The  eggs  are 
described  as  varying  from  those  of  the  Common  Guillemot  in 
•  their  greater  roundness ;  they  are  less  long  in  proportion  to  their 
thickness  than  the  others,  but  seem  to  run  through  the  same 
endless  variations  of  ground-colour. 

281.  RINGED  GUILLEMOT—  (Una  lacrymans). 
Bridled  Guillemot. — There  has  been  some  doubt  whether  this 
bird  is  to  be  considered  a  distinct  species,  or  merely  a  variety 
of  the  Common  Guillemot.  It  is  now,  however,  generally  ad- 
mitted as  a  good  species.  It  occurs  in  company  with  the  other 
Guillemot  on  various  parts  of  our  coasts,  and  in  Wales  is  said 
to  be  equally  numerous  with  it.  The  eggs  are  distinguishable 
from  those  of  the  other  two  species  already  named,  but  still  ex- 
hibiting precisely  similar  characteristics. 

282.  BLACK  GUILLEMOT— (Una  GryUe]. 
Tyste,  Scraber,  Greenland  Dove,  Sea  Turtle. — Sensibly  less 
in  size  than  the  Common  Guillemot,  and  not  found  commonly 
on  our  more  southerly  coasts.  Shetland,  the  Orkneys  and 
Western  Isles  are  all  frequented  by  them,  and  their  quick 
ind  lively  motions  are  pleasant  enough  to  witness.  These  birds 


RAZOR-BILL.  10? 

lay  two  eggs  each  instead  of  one,  in  holes  or  crevices  of  pre- 
cipitous rocks,  and  at  some  distance  from  the  aperture ;  sometimes, 
where  no  such  nest-sites  are  available,  on  the  bare  ground, 
under  or  between  fragments  of  rock  or  large  stones.  They 
are  most  commonly  white  more  or  less  tinged  with  bkie,  speckled, 
spotted  and  blotched  or  marbled  with  chestnut  brown,  very  dark 
brown  and  a  kind  of  neutral  tint. — Fig.  3,  plate  X. 

283.  LITTLE  AUK—(Jf*ry«/«tf  melanolencos). 
I  have  rarely  seen  any  bird,  much  more  a  very  small  bird  like 
this,  whose  whole  air  and  deportment  conveyed  to  me  more  com- 
pletely the  idea  of  entire  independence.  Only  under  the  pressure 
of  severe  storms  or  long  continued  hard  weather  do  they  leave 
the  deep  sea  in  order  to  seek  the  comparative  shelter  of  some 
land-sheltered  bav  or  reach.  It  breeds  on  the  Faroe  Isles  and  in 
Iceland,  but  not  in  Britain. 

284.  PUFFIN— (Fratercula  arcticci). 

Sea  Parrot,  Coulterneb,  Tammy  Norie. — This  is,  one  may  safely 
say,  the  quaintest-looking  of  all  the  host  of  our  English  birds. 
The  young  Owl  is  grotesque  enough,  but  more  by  reason  of  its 
deliberate  solemn-seeming  and  yet  laughable  movements;  but 
the  Puffin,  with  its  upright  attitude  and  huge  ribbed  and  painted 
beak — reminding  one  somewhat  strongly  of  the  highly-coloured 
pasteboard  noses  of  preposterous  shape  and  dimensions  which 
decorate  the  windows  of  the  toy-shop — strikes  us  as  more  laugh- 
ably singular  yet.  They  breed  abundantly  about  many  of  our 
rocky  coasts  in  all  parts  of  the  kingdom,  depositing  their  one  egg 
— a  large  one,  again,  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  bird — some- 
times in  crannies  or  rifts  in  the  surface  of  the  cliff,  often  verjr  far 
back ;  at  other  times  in  rabbit-burrows  where  such  excavations 
are  to  be  met  with  sufficiently  near  the  coast  and  otherwise  suit- 
able to  the  wants  of  the  bird.  It  does  not  follow  that  because 
the  Puffin  occupies  the  hole,  that  the  rabbit  had  forsaken  it  or 
even  given  it  up  "  for  a  consideration."  On  the  contrary  the 
Puffin  is  quite  ready  and  equally  able  to  seize  on  and  continue  to 
occupy  the  desired  home  by  force  of  arms.  In  other  cases  they 
dig  their  own  holes,  and  often  excavate  them  to  the  depth  of  two 
or  three  feet.  The  eggs  are  nearly  white  before  they  become 
soiled — that  is  spotted  and  marbled  with  a  tinge  of  ash  colour. 

285.  RAZOR-BILL— (Alca  torda). 

Razor-bill  Auk,  Black-billed  Auk,  Murre,  Marrot. — It  may 
almost  be  said  that  wherever  the  Guillemot  is  met  with  the 
Razor-Bill  is  sure  not  to  be  far  distant.  They  have  their  habits, 
their  food,  their  haunts,  even  to  a  great  degree  their  general  ap- 


108  BllITISH    BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS    AND    NESTS. 

pearance,  in  common,  There  is,  however,  a  great  difference  both 
in  the  shape  and  size  and  also  in  the  colouring  of  the  single  egg 
laid  by  the  Razor-Bill,  from  that  of  the  Willock.  It  is  less  in  pio- 
portion,  less  elongated,  wants  the  infinite  diversity  of  colouring 
which  characterises  the  egg  of  the  latter,  the  ground-colour 
being  always  whitish  or  white  tinged  with  some  light  buffy  shade, 
and  the  spots  and  blotches,  which  are  sufficiently  abundant,  are 
some  of  a  reddish  or  chestnut  brown,  others  of  a  very  deep  rich 
brown. — Fig.  4,  plate  X, 

286.  GREAT  AUK— (Alca  impennis). 

Gair-Fowl. — Not  merely  an  exceedingly  rare  British  bird,  but 
it  is  to  be  feared,  extinct  as  a  British  species.  Where  it  is  yet  in 
existence  it  is  said  scarcely  ever  to  leave  the  water,  and  it  lays 
its  one  large  egg  almost  close  to  high-water  mark.  These  eggs 
are  white  in  ground,  or  sometimes  soiled  or  slightly  yellowish- 
white,  blotched  and  streaked,  most  at  the  larger  end,  with  black. 
They  somewhat  resemble  the  Guillemot's  egg  in  shape,  but  are 
rather  less  elongated.  The  value  of  these  eggs  is  almost 
fabulous,  sixty  guineas*  having  been  given  for  a  couple  of  them. 
I  have  to  thank  Mr.  Champley,  C.E.,  of  Scarborough,  for  most 
kindly  sending  me  an  engraving  of  a  Great  Auk's  egg  in  his 
possession,  as  well  as  for  offering  me  access  to  his  admirable  col- 
lection of  eg^s,  numbering  upwards  of  8000  specimens. 

IV.— PELECANID^E. 

287.  COMMON  CORMORANT—  (Phalacrocorax  carbo). 

Crested  Cormorant,  Corvorant,  Great  Black  Cormorant,  Cole 
Goose,  Skart. — Wherever  there  are  any  traces  of  a  rocky  coast 
about  our  island,  there  the  Cormorant  is  pretty  sure  to  be  found, 
so  that  he  may  very  well  be  described  as  a  common  bird.  Where 
the  rocky  coast  is  not  only  extensive,  but  not  liable  to  much 
disturbance  from  human  intrusion,  these  birds  abound,  and  may 
be  seen  in  numbers  and  observed  to  anyone's  heart's  content. 
They  build  their  nests,  which  are  of  ample  size,  with  sticks,  sea- 
weed and  coarse  herbage  of  any  obtainable  sort,  on  ledges  of  the 
precipices  ;  and  many  nests  are  usually  formed  in  the  near  neigh- 
bourhood of  each  other.  They  are  much  disposed  also  to  select 
as  the  situation  for  their  nests  a  rocky  islet  with  cliffy  sides,  and 
woe  to  the  nose  of  anyone  who  approaches  such  an  island-rock 
from  the  leeward  side.  What  from  the  nature  of  their  food  and 
the  abundance  of  their  excrement,  an  intolerably  fetid  odour 
always  prevails  about  their  breeding-place.  The  eggs  vary  in 
number  from  four  to  six,  and  are  almost  entirely  covered  over  with 
a  white  chalky  incrustation,  which,  however,  admits  of  easy 
removal  by  a  knife  or  similar  means,  leaving  a  shell  of  a  bluish- 
green  colour  apparent. 

*  Morris's  Nests  and  Eggs  of  British  Birds. 


SANDWICH-TERN.  109 

288.  SHAG.— (Phalacrocorax  cristatus). 

Green  Cormorant,  Crested  Cormorant,  Crested  Snag. — A 
smaller  bird  than  the  last,  but  easily  distinguishable  by  that  and  it  ^ 
prevailing  green  colour.  As  to  habits  and  haunts  the  differences 
are  not  great.  The  Shags  are  said  to  breed  lower  down  on  the 
rocks  than  the  Cormorant,  and  the  nests  are  principally  com- 
posed of  sea  weed  and  grasses.  The  eggs  are  three  to  five  in 
number,  and  covered  with  the  same  incrustation  as  those  of  the 
Cormorant,  and  equally  removable.  White  at  first,  they  soon 
become  as  soiled  and  stained  as  those  of  the  Grebes. 
289.  GANNET.-(/$Wtf£^s^). 

Solan  Goose. — Common  enough  in  certain  localities,  though 
the  localities  in  which  they  occur  vary  with  the  season.  When 
the  breeding  time  comes  round,  they  congregate  in  hosts  of 
many  thousands  at  some  half-dozen  different  stations,  particularly 
affected  by  them  on  different  parts  of  our  coasts.  During  the 
breeding  season  they  become  exceedingly  tame,  and  will  even 
suffer  themselves  to  be  touched.  They  make  their  nests  of  a 
large  mass  of  sea  weed  and  dry  grass,  on  rather  than  in  which  they 
lay  each  one  single  egg,  of  no  very  considerable  size.  This, 
when  first  laid,  is  white  or  bluish-white,  (the  colour  being  due 
to  an  incrustation  similar  to  that  of  the  Cormorant's  egg),  but 
soon  becomes  soiled  and  stained. 

v.— LAEnm 

290.  CASPIAN  TERN.— (Sterna  Caspia). 
The  first  member  of  the  last  Family  of  British  birds,  compris- 
ing many  birds  of  habits  and  peculiarities  as  widely  distinct,  when 
it  is  remembered  they  are  all  water-birds,  from  those  of  the  two 
Families  last  under  notice,  as  is  readily  conceivable.  The  Grebes, 
Divers,  Cormorants,  all  gifted  with  wonderful  powers  of  diving;  the 
Gulls  and  Terns  incapable  of  diving  an  inch :  the  latter,  buoyant  and 
sitting  as  lightly  on  the  water  as  a  cork ;  the  former  deep -sunken 
in  the  water,  and  seeming  to  require  almost  an  effort  to  support 
themselves  on  the  surface  at  all.  The  contrast  is  certainly 
sufficiently  striking,  without  taking  into  account  that  the  one 
group  has  immense  power  of  flight,  and  exercises  it ;  and  the 
others  seem  to  have  little  inclination  to  use  their  wings  at  all, 
more  than  is  absolutely  necessary.  The  handsome  and  large 
Tern,  specially  under  notice,  does  not  breed  in  this  country. 
but  is  known  to  inhabit  the  coast  of  some  parts  of  the  European 
continent,  at  no  great  distance  from  our  own  shores. 

291.— SAND-WICH  TERN.— (Sterna  Canti*<x?j. 
This  bird  has  been  noticed  as  breeding  in  several  -different 


110  BRITISH   BIRDS,    THEIR   EGGS    AND   NESTS. 

localities  on  our  southern  coasts,  and  it  is  known  to  frequent 
both  Coquet  Island  and  one  or  more  of  the  Fame  Islands  for 
the  same  purpose.  It  lays  three  or  four  eggs  in  a  hole,  or  rather 
cavity,  either  scratched  or  found  ready-made  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  plants  or  herbage  sufficient  to  afford  some  covert.  The 
colour  of  the  eggs  varies  from  yellowish  white  to  a  buffy  stone- 
colour,  and  they  are  thickly  spotted  with  neutral  tint,  chestnut 
and  deep  rich  brown.  There  is,  indeed,  considerable  variation 
in  the  colouring  of  the  eggs,  but  all  are  very  beautiful. — Fig.  1,  2, 
plate  XL 

292.  ROSEATE"  TERN.— (Sterna  Dougattii). 
This  bird  is  now  known  to  be  a  regular  but  not  abundant 
summer  visitor.  Unlike  many  of  onr  recognised  British  Birds, 
this  Tern  seems  rather  to  increase  in  numbers  than  to  diminish. 
They  associate  with  other  and  infinitely  more  common  species, 
and  closer  observation  only  has  distinguished  between  them  and 
their  eggs  and  those  of  their  more  numerous  associates.  The 
eggs  of  the  Roseate  Tern  are  two  or  three  in  number,  and  vary 
among  themselves  to  some  small  extent.  They  are  usually  of  a 
light  yellowish  stone-colour,  spotted  and  speckled  with  dark-grey 
and  dark-brown. 

293.  COMMON  TERN— (Sterna  hirundo). 

Sea  Swallow,  Tarney  or  Pictarney,  Tarrock.  Pirr,  Gull-teazer, 
&c. — Although  distinguished  by  the  epithet  of  Common,  this  Tern 
is  really  not  much  more  numerous,  and  in  that  sense  common, 
than  one  or  two  other  species  with  which  it  customarily  consorts. 
It  is  very  generally  diffused  however,  and  in  that  sense  is  common. 
It  usually  builds  on  the  ground  in  marshy  localities  near  large 
sheets  of  water,  or  on  islands  low  and  fiat  not  far  from  the  sea. 
Sometimes,  though  more  rarely,  it  builds  upon  low  rocks  or 
slightly  elevated  sand-banks.  They  lay  two  or  three  eggs,  and 
are  exceedingly  and  noisily  restless  and  uneasy  when  they,  or 
especially  their  young,  are  too  nearly  approached.  Their  eggs 
vary  a  good  deal,  but  most  of  them  are  of  a  medium  stone-colour, 
blotched  and  spotted  with  ash-grey  and  dark  red-brown.  The 
buoyancy  and  power  of  flight  exhibited  by  these  birds  is  very 
observable. — Fig.  3,  plate  XI. 

ARCTIC  TERN—  (Sterna  arcticd). 

This  Tern,  until  a  comparatively  recent  period,  was  confounded 
with  the  Common  Tern,  but  a  clear  specific  difference  was  pointed 
out  by  M.  Temminck,  and  it  is  now  acknowledged  that,  in  many 
of  the  more  northerly  localities  especially,  it  is  a  much  more 
numerous  species  than  the  Common  Tern.  It  breeds  plentifully 
in  Shetland,  Orkney  and  some  parts  of  the  Hebrides,  and  in  great 
numbers  on  Coquet  Island  and  one  or  more  of  the  Earnes.  Ifc 


LITTLE   GULL.  Ill 

lays  two  or  tnree  eggs,  which  are  exceedingly  like  jAose  of  the 
Common  Tern,  and  vary  in  the  same  proportion.  Some  have  a 
greenish  shade,  and  others  rather  a  pronounced  buff,  spotted  and 
blotched  as  in  the  case  of  those  of  the  last-named  species. — Fig.  4, 
plate  XI. 

295.  WHISKERED  TERN— (Sterna  leucopareia). 
Of  very  rare,  or  rather  accidental  occurrence. 

296.  GULL-BILLED  TERN— (Sterna  Anglica). 
Another  bird,  of  which  much  the  same  maybe  said  as  of  the  last, 

297.  LESSER  TERN— (Sterna  minuta). 

Lesser  Sea  Swallow,  Little  Tern. — A  pretty — almost  a  deli- 
cate— little  bird  and  not  infrequent  on  such  parts  of  our  coasts 
as  are  adapted  ro  its  habits.  It  seems  to  prefer  sand  or  shingle- 
banks  or  surfaces,  and  lays  its  two  or  three  eggs  in  any  small 
cavity  which  it  may  be  lucky  enough  to  find  in  the  selected  place. 
It  is  perfectly  surprising  in  many  cases  how  closely  the  eggs  laid 
resemble  the  stones  and  gravel  among  which  they  are  laid.  They 
are  palish  stone-colour,  speckled  and  spotted  with  ash-grey  and 
dark  brown. — Fig.  5,  plate  XI. 

298.  BLACK  TERN— (Sterna  nigrd). 

Blue  Darr. — These  birds  show  considerable  varieties  in  plumage, 
according  to  sex  and  age.  They  used  to  be  very  much  more 
numerous  than  they  now  are,  many  of  their  favourite  haunts 
having  been  drained  or  otherwise  broken  up.  Still  it  is  not 
uncommon,  even  yet,  in  some  parts  of  the  fenny  districts — 
although  other  Terns  build  in  the  close  vicinity  of  the  sea,  and  in 
dry  sites.  The  Black  Tern,  however,  selects  marshy  places  and 
often  builds  in  very  wet  spots,  making  a  nest  of  flags  and  grass. 
The  eggs  are  sometimes  four  in  number,  this  being  the  only  Tern 
which  lays  more  than  three.  They  vary  much  in  colour  and 
markings,  some  being  of  a  palish  green,  others  of  a  brownish 
yellow,  or  dull  buff,  but  all  spotted. and  blotched  with  deep  brown. 
Fig.  6,  plate  XI. 

299.  NODDY  TERN— (Sterna  stolida). 
A  bird  of  only  rare  and  casual  occurrence. 

300.  SABINE'S  G\JLL-(Larus  Sabini). 

This,  the  first  of  the  Gulls  which  falls  under  our  notice,  is  only 
a  rare  visitor. 

301.  LITTLE  GULL— (Laws  ninutus). 

Not  only  the  least  English  Gull,  but  the  least  of  all  the  Gulls, 
and  a  very  pretty  looking  little  bird.  It  is,  however,  only  a 
visitor,  though  known,  of  late  years,  as  putting  in  a  more  frequent 
appearance  than  had  been  before  noticed, 


lj.2  BRITISH   BIEDS,   THEIR   EGGS   AND    NESTS. 

502.  MASKED  GULL— (Lams  capistratns). 
A  very  rare  bird,  and  one  of  which  only  a  very  few  specimen^ 
generally  speaking,  have  been  hitherto  met  with. 

303.  BLACK-HEADED  GULL— (Lams  ridibundm). 

Brown-headed  Gull,  Red-legged  Gull,  Laughing  Gull,  Pewit 
Gull,  Black-cap,  Sea  Crow,  Hooded  Mew. — This  is  a  very  numer- 
ous, and  at  least  at  some  periods  of  the  year,  a  very  generally 
diffused  species.  At  the  breeding  time,  although  a  few  pairs  may 
be  met  with  in  an  infinite  number  of  localities,  the  great  bulk  ol 
the  species  seems  to  collect  at  a  few  chosen  places.  One  such 
place,  in  which  they  breed  in  thousands,  is  on  Scoulton  Mere, 
in  Norfolk;  another  at  Pallinsburn,  in  Northumberland;  and  a 
third,  in  Lincolnshire,  not  far  from  Brigg.  The  nests  are  mack: 
of  sedges,  grass  and  the  flowering  part  of  the  reed,  and  are  not. 
very  deeply  cup-shaped  The  bird  lays  three  eggs,  and  there  is  a 
very  great  degree  of  variation  between  them  in  respect  of  colour 
and  markings;  the  ground-colour  being  sometimes  of  a  light 
blue  or  yellow,  and  sometimes  green,  or  red,  or  brown.  Some, 
too,  are  thickly  covered  with  spots,  and  others  scarcely  marked 
with  a  single  speckle  or  spot.  In  more  than  one  of  their  great 
breeding-places  the  right  of  gathering  the  eggs  is  rented,  and 
sometimes  upwards  of  a  thousand  eggs  are  collected  in  a  single 
day.  When  the  first  laying  of  eggs  is  taken,  a  second  batch,  ai"! 
even  a  third  is  produced ;  but  in  each  successive  instance,  tLc 
eggs  become  less.  They  are  used  as  the  Pewit's  eggs  are,  and  also 
for  culinary  purposes,  being  sold  for  about  fivepence  a  score.-  - 
fig.  7,  plate  XI. 

304.  LAUGHING-GULL—  (Lams  atridlla). 

A  bird  of  exceedingly  rare,  or  rather  exceptional,  occurrence. 

305.  KITTIWAKE— (Lams  tridadylus). 
Tarrock,  Annet. — A  very   common  rock-breeding  Gull,  mc;t 

with  on  almost  all  parts  of  pur  coasts,  and  nesting  in  great  num- 
bers in  many  different  localities.  Flamborough  Head,  St.  Abb's 
Head,  the  Bass,  more  than  one  of  the  Fame  islands,  are  such 
places.  It  places  its  nest  of  sea-weed  high  up  on  the  face  of 
some  rocky  steep  on  a  narrow  ledge,  and  deposits  therein,  for  the 
most  part,  three  eggs.  These  differ  much  in  colour  and  in  the 
amount  and  position  of  the  spots ;  some  are  stone-coloured,  some 
tinged  with  an  olive  shade,  and  some  with  a  bluish  cast.  The 
spots  and  blotches  are  of  ash-grey  and  two  or  three  shades  of 
brown,  chestnut  to  umber. — Fig.\t  plate  XII. 

306.  IVORY-GULL— (Lams  eburneus). 
Snow-bird. — A  bird  of  very  rare  occurrence. 


HERRING    GULL.  113 

307.  COMMON-GULL— (Larus  cams). 
Winter  ^Mew,  Sea  Mew,  Sea  Mall  or  Maw,  Sea  Gall,  Sea  Cob, 
Cob. — This  Gull  is,  on  the  whole,  sufficiently  general  and  well- 
known  on  all  parts  of  our  coast  to  merit  the  prefix  of  Common, 
which  is  usually  applied  to  it.  For  though  it  is  essentially  a  sea- 
bird,  yet  during  some  weeks  in  the  spring,  it  may  frequently  be 
seen  in  the  new-ploughed  or  sowed  fields  at  some  miles'  distance 
from  the  salt-water.  Its  nest  may  sometimes  be  found  on  marshes 
or  low  flat  islands,  such  as  are  not  rare  in  some  of  our  southern 
estuaries,  while  in  other  districts  it  breeds  on  high  rocks.  In 
either  case,  the  nest  is  a  structure  of  considerable  size,  formed  of 
sea-weed  and  grass,  and  the  female  deposits  two  or  three  eggs  in 
it,  which  are  a  good  deal  varied  in  appearance  :  "  Some,"  says 
Mr.  Hewitson,  "with  a  ground-colour  of  light  blue,  or  straw- 
colour,  others  green  or  brown ;  some  a  good  deal  like  eggs  of  the 
Oyster-catcher,  others  covered  all  over  with  minute  spots."  Some, 
moreover,  are  sufficiently  well  blotched  and  spotted  with  ash- 
colour  and  dark-brown;  others  well  streaked  with  the  brown, 
but  with  only  a  few  spots  of  the  grey  colour. — Fig.  2,  plate  XII. 

308.  ICELAND  GULL—  (Larus  Islandicus). 

Lesser  White-winged  Gull. — A  bird  which  has  been  obtained 
in  this  country  from  time  to  time,  but  in  cases  of  no  great 
frequency. 

309.  LESSER  BLACK-BACKED  GULL— (Larus  fmcus). 

Yellow-legged  Gull. — This  Gull  is  seen  in  sufficient  numbers, 
and  all  the  year  round,  on  many  parts  of  the  British  coasts,  and 
in  the  south  as  well  as  the  north.  It  almost  exclusively  prefers 
localities  to  breed  in  which  are  characterised  by  the  presence  of 
rocky  cliffs,  but  yet  makes  a  nest  of  some  considerable  thickness 
— even  when  placed  on  the  grassy  summit  of  some  rocky  island— 
"  of  grass  loosely  bundled  together  in  large  pieces,  and  placed  in 
some  slight  depression  or  hollow  of  the  rock."  Its  nests  are 
intermingled,  in  several  places,  with  those  of  the  Herring  Gull,  in 
many  places  greatly  exceeding  those  of  the  latter,  in  others  as 
greatly  inferior,  in  number.  The  eggs  (two  or  three  in  number) 
vary  greatly  in  colouring, — from  a  warm  stone-colour,  through 
shades  of  brown,  to  pale  green  or  light  olive-green.  The  spots 
and  blotches  vary  too,  and  vary  greatly,  in  number,  size,  position 
and  intensity;  neutral- tint,  chestnut  brown,  and  dark  brown  being 
all  met  with,  and  sometimes  in  the  same  specimen. — Fig.  3, 
plate  XII. 

310.  HEKRING  GULL— (Larus  argentatus). 
A  very  numerous  species  in  many  different  parts  of  the  king- 
dom,  where  rocky  coasts  sufficiently  high  and  precipitous  are  met 


[14-  BRITISH   BIRDS,    TIIEIil    EGGS    AND    XESTfc. 

with.  I  have  seen  it  abundantly  at  Flamborough  Head  and  St. 
Abb's  Head,  and  in  smaller  numbers  on  many  parts  of  the  York- 
shire coast  north  of  Elamborough,  as  well  as  in  others  not  distant 
from  St.  Abb's.  It  usually  selects  for  the  site  of  its  nest  a  flat 
ledge  or  other  rock-surface  towards  the  upper  part  of  the  cliff ; 
but  will  sometimes  build  on  a  low  rock  or  grassy  islanfl.  The 
nest  is  like  that  of  the  last  species,  but  even  larger,  and  usually 
contains  three  eggs.  These  so  strongly  resemble  those  of  the 
Lesser  Black-back  as  to  make  it  very  difficult  to  distinguish 
between  the  one  and  the  other.  Mr.  Hewitson  says  the  only 
means  of  distinction  available  even  to  an  experienced  eye  seem  to 
depend  on  the  somewhat  greater  size  of  the  Herring  Gull's  egg, 
ana  the  larger  and  more  confluent  character  of  the  blotches  of 
surface  colour. — Fiy.  4,  plette  XII. 

311.  GREAT  BLACK-BACKED  GULL— (Lams  marinus). 
Black-back,  Cob,  Great  Black-and-white  Gull. — By  no  means 
a  numerous  species,  and  not  affecting  society  as  so  many  of  the 
other  Gulls  do.  It  breeds,  in  some  cases,  on  the  Marsh  or  Salting- 
spaces  met  with  so  abundantly  on  some  of  the  southern  and 
eastern  shores ;  but  more  commonly  on  rocky  parts  of  the  coast. 
Thus,  it  breeds  very  abundantly  on  the  Orkney  and  Shetland 
Islands.  The  nest  is  made  of  a  large  quantity  of  dry  grass 
simply  thrown  together.  The  eggs  are  three  in  number,  often 
bearing  a  great  resemblance  to  those  of  the  two  species  last 
named,  but  usually  distinguishable  by  the  larger  masses  of 
surface  colouring,  and  by  some  superiority  in  size.  The  Black- 
back's  eggs  are  much  esteemed  as  articles  of  food,  or  for  cooking 
purposes  generally.  The  yolk  is  very  deep  and  rich-coloured, 
and  the  white  colourless  or  transparent.  Each  female  will  lay 
three  sets  of  eggs ;  the  first  two  sets  being,  in  some  cases, 
customarily  taken,  and  the  last  left  for  her  to  hatch. 

312.  GLAUCOUS  GULL— (Larusglaucus). 
Large  White-winged  Gull,  Burgomaster. — A  Gull  equally  large 
with  the  last,  one  of  which,  shot  by  myself,  exceeded  six  feet 
from  the  tip  of  one  wing  to  that  of  the  other ,  but  one  of  merely 
casual  occurrence  as  a  British  bird. 

313.  COMMON  SKUA—  (Lestns  catarractes). 
Skua  Gull,  Brown  Gull,  Bonxie. — We  pass  here  into  a  some- 
what different  class  of  birds.  The  Skua  is  as  bold  and  insolent 
as  most  of  the  Gulls  are  timid  and  retiring.  In  many  instances 
these  birds  do  not  take  the  trouble  to  fish  for  themselves,  but, 
watching  the  fishing  operations  of  the  Gull,  seize  their ^  oppor- 
tunity of  assailing  a  successful  fisher,  and  compel  him  to  disgorge 
!:is  prey.  The  Common  Skua  has  only  a  very  limited  breeding- 


FULMAR    PETREL.  115 

range  in  Britain,  not  being  known  to  nest  out  of  Shetland,  and 
to  have  but  three  places  for  nidification  there.  So  resolute  and 
daring  are  they  when  they  have  young  to  defend,  they  do  not 
scruple  to  attack  the  eagle,  and  a  pair  have  been  known  to  beat 
the  strong,  proud  marauder  effectually  off.  The  Skua  makes  a 
large  nest  of  moor-growing  moss,  and  takes  some  pains  in  its 
construction.  It  is  placed  among  the  heath  and  moss  of  a  hilly 
island.  The  eggs  are  two  in.  number,  and  vary  much  in  colour  ; 
according  to  locality  it  would  almost  seem.  Some  are  dusky 
olive  brown,  others  with  a  much  greener  hue,  and  they  are 
blotched  with  darker  brown,  and  a  few  spots  of  rust  colour. 

314.  POMARINE  SKUA—  (Lettris  Pomarinus). 
Merely  a  casual  visitor,  although  more  frequently  noticed  of 
late  years  than  before  ornithology  became  so  favourite  a  study. 

315.  RICHARDSON'S  SKUA—  (Lestris  Richardsonii). 
Arctic  Gull,  Black-toed  Gull,  Arctic  Skua.  —  This  species  is  the 
most  numerous  of  all  those  which  visit  this  country.  It  breeds 
in  the  Hebrides,  in  the  Orkneys  and  in  Shetland,  ana  numerously 
enough  in  the  two  localities  last  named.  The  female  has  been 
observed  to  make  use  of  the  same  artifices  as  the  Partridge  and 
the  Grouse  to  decoy  an  intrusive  dog  or  man  away  from  its  nest 
or  young.  The  nest  is  built  of  moss  or  ling,  on  some  elevated 
knoll  amid  marshy  ground,  or  on  the  moor,  and  contains  two  eggs. 
These  are  of  a  greenish  olive  brown  colour,  spotted  with  dark 
brown.  This  Skua  not  only  restlessly  and  pitilessly  persecutes 
the  Kittiwake  and  other  Gulls  in  order  to  obtain  its  own  food  from 
them  at  second-hand,  but  also  makes  free  with  their  eggs  for  the 
same  purpose  in  a  very  marauder-like  fashion.  —  Fif/.  5,  plate  XII. 

316.  BUFFON'S  SKUA—  (Lestris  Bu/onii). 
Mr.  Yarrell  distinguishes  between  this  bird  and  the  true  L. 
Parasiticus,  and  consequently  adopts  the  scientific  name  I   have 
now  given.     This  Skua  can  only  be  considered  a  rare  and  acci- 
dental visitor. 


317.  FULMAR-  ^^^^L—(Procellaria  glacialis). 
Fulmar,  Northern  Fulmar.  —  The  Fulmar  breeds  in  incredible 
numbers  at  St.  Kilda,  but  is  rarely  met  with,  even  in  winter, 
about  the  southern  coasts  of  England.  Both  old  birds  and 
their  young  on  being  touched  eject  a  considerable  quantity  of 
clear  oil,  which,  however,  is  by  no  means  of  an  agreeable  odour  ; 
and  probably  from  this  cause  the  nest,  young  birds,  and  even  the 
rock  on  which  they  are  placed,  stink  almost  intolerably.  The 
nest  is  very  slight,  if  any,  and  the  bird  lays  her  single  white  egg 
in  little  excavations,  and  lightly  lined,  on  such  shelves  on  the  face 

T2 


116  BRITISH   BIRDS,   THEIR  EGGS    A.ND   NESTS. 

of  high  precipitous  rocks  as  are  surfaced  with  a  little  grass  or 
sward.  The  egg  varies  in  length  from  a  little  over  2£  inches  to 
3  inches. 

318.  GREATER  SHEARWATER—  (Puffinus  major). 
Cinerous  Shearwater,  Dusky  Shearwater. — A  bird  which  has 

not  been  very  frequently  recorded  as  met  with  on  the  British 
seas,  but  still  one  of  occasional  occurrence. 

319.  MANX  SHEARWATER— (Puffinm  Anglormi). 
Shearwater  Petrel,  Manx  Puffin. — This  is  a  regular  sea-faring 

little  bird,  and  perhaps  would  hardly  ever  care  to  come  to  land  if 
it  were  not  for  the  need  of  something  solid  for  its  eggs  to  repose 
upon.  It  usually  frequents  islands  well-washed  by  the  sea  and 
not  much  frequented  by  men.  It  used  to  be  very  abundant  on 
the  Calf  of  Man,  but  is  never  seen  there  now.  In  one  of  the 
Scilly  Islands  it  breeds  in  some  numbers  still,  and  on  St.  Kilda, 
the  Western  Isles,  Orkney  and  Shetland.  The  nest  is  made  deep 
down  in  a  hole  in  some  wild  and  half  inaccessible  part  of  the 
islands  frequented,  and  in  it  one  egg  of  exceeding  whiteness  is 
laid,  and  remarkable  for  the  fine  texture  of  the  shell  amd  the 
musky  scent  of  the  entire  egg.  It  is  about  2£  inches  long  by  1 J 
broad. 

320.  BULWER'S  PETREL— (TMassidroma  Sulwerii). 
A  Petrel  of  sufficiently  rare  occurrence. 

321.  WILSON'S  PETREL— (Thalassidroma  Wilsoni). 
Equally  rare  with  the  bird  last-named. 

322.  PORK-TAILED  PETREL— (Thalassidroma  Leachii\ 

Subject  to  the  same  remark  as  the  two  last. 

323.  STORM  PETREL— (Thalassidroma  procellaria). 

Mother  Carey's  Chicken. — This  is  said  to  be  the  smallest  web- 
footed  bird  known,  and  it  is  the  last  as  well  as  the  least.  It  never 
comes  to  the  shore  except  at  the  breeding-season,  and  only  seeks 
comparative  shelter  under  the  pressure  of  very  heavy  weather. 
It  breeds  in  the  Scilly  Islands,  some  of  the  islands  on  the  Irish 
coast,  and  abundantly  on  St.  Kilda,  the  Orkneys  and  Shetland. 
They  breed  in  holes  in  a  cliff,  or  under  large-sized  stones,  which, 
from  their  great  size  and  the  accumulation  of  boulders  and  large 
shingle  about  them,  afford  many  deep  recesses  well  suited  to  the 
wants  of  the  nesting  Petrel.  Like  the  Manx  Shearwater,  they 
are  by  no  means  silent  in  their  nest-holes,  but  make  themselves 
distinctly  audible  to  the  passenger  above.  They  lay  one  white 
egg,  a  little  exceeding  1  inch  long,  by  J  broad. 


APPENDIX. 


Our  object  in  adding  this  Appendix  is  simply  a  wish  to  make  the  boo\ 
more  complete  by  adding  notices,  more  or  less  detailed,  of  the  nests  and 
eggs  and  any  interesting  breeding-season  peculiarities  of  birds  recognized 
as  really  well  entitled  to  the  name  of  British  Birds,  but  not  happening  to 
remain  within  the  limits  of  Britain  to  breed.  The  first  bird  of  the  kind  is 
that  which,  in  our  complete  list,  is  numbered 

7.  GREENLAND  FALCON. 

The  equivalent  to  Mr.  Yarrell's  Gyr  Falcon. 

8.  ICELAND  FALCON. 

These  two  species  are  now,  I  believe,  looked  upon  as  established,  but  the 
differences  between  them  are  not  excessively  striking,  except  it  be  to  a  scien- 
tific naturalist.  Mr.  Hewitson  has  figured  an  egg  of  the  Iceland  Falcon, 
which  he  believes  may  have  lost  some  of  its  colour.  It  was  taken  from  a  nest 
made  with  sticks  and  roots,  lined  with  wool,  which  once  perhaps  was  the 
nest  of  a  Raven.  The  nest  in  question  was  in  a  cliff,  and  had  the  remains  of 
many  sorts  of  birds — Whimbrels,  Golden  Plovers,  Guillemots,  Ducks — strewed 
round  it.  The  egg  is  of  a  buffy  red  colour,  mottled  and  speckled— very  thickly 
in  places — with  deeper  red. 

30.  SNOWY  OWL. 

Sufficiently  often  met  with  in  North  Britain  (and  even  occurring  sometime! 
in  England)  to  merit  a  short  notice  here.  It  inhabits  Sweden,  Norway,  Lap- 
land and  the  greater  part  of  Northern  Europe.  These  birds  are  accustomed 
to  take  their  prey  by  daylight,  and  seem,  from  the  accounts  received,  to  be 
in  the  habit  of  "  bolting  "  their  food,  when  not  very  large,  whole.  It  makes 
its  nest  on  the  ground,  and  lays  in  it  three  or  four  white  eggs. 

34.  GREAT  GREY  SHRIKE. 

This  bird  is  met  with  in  Denmark  and  other  northern  countries  of  Western 
Europe,  and  also  in  Russia,  Germany  and  France,  It  is  said  to  frequent 
woods  and  forests,  and  to  build  upon  trees  at  some  distance  from  the 
ground,  as  well  as  in  thick  bushes  and  hedges.  The  nest  is  made  of  roots, 
moss,  wool  and  dry  stalks,  lined  with  dry  grass  and  root-fibres.  The  eggs 
are  four  to  seven  in  number,  and  though  they  vary  a  good  deal  in  colour, 
they  always  illustrate  the  peculiar  tendency  of  the  eggs  of  the  Shrikes  to 
show  a  sort  of  zone  or  girdle,  due  to  the  agglomeration  of  the  spots  about 
some  part  of  the  circumference.  They  are  yellowish  or  greyish  white,  and 
the  spots  of  grey  and  light  brown. 

42.  FIELDFARE. 

I  have  sometimes  seen  this  favourite  game-bird  of  the  school-boy  here  as 
early  as  the  latter  part  of  September,  and  I  have  frequently  noticed  them 
feeding  in  hundreds  on  the  holly  berries  which  abound  in  more  than  one 
part  of  this  district.  They  must  breed  very  late  in  the  year  from  the  late 
period  of  their  departure  hence,  and  the  distance  of  the  countries  to  which 
many  of  them  resort  for  that  purpose.  It  breeds  very  abundantly  in  Nor- 
way, and  also  in  Sweden,  Russia  and  Siberia,  not  to  mention  other  and  more 
southerly  countries  in  Europe.  Their  nests,  in  Norway,  are  usually  built 
against  the  trunk  of  the  spruce-fir,  and  at  very  variable  heights  from  the 
ground.  They  are  said  to  be  very  like  those  of  the  Ring  Ouzel,  except  that 
small  twigs  are  added  to  the  outside  structure.  The  eggs  are  from  three  to 


118  APPENDIX. 

five,  and  are  very  like  those  of  the  Ring  Ouzel,  but  with  somewhat  more  red 
about  them.  The  Fieldfare  seems  to  prefer  breeding  in  numerous  groups  or 
colonies,  two  or  three  hundred  nests  being  frequently  seen  within  a  rather 
limited  space. 

42.*  REDWING. 

This  winter  visitor  is  known  to  breed  occasionally,  but  yet  only  very  excep- 
tionally, in  this  country.  A  nest  was  brought  to  me  two  summers  since, 
which,  from  its  construction,  the  size  and  colouring  of  the  eggs,  and  espe- 
cially from  the  description  of  the  bird  which  my  informant  saw  leaving  the 
nest,  I  have  little  doubt  was  a  Redwing.  It  breeds  abundantly  in  Sweden, 
and  in  lesser  numbera  in  Norway,  .and  is  described  as  being  a  very  sweet 
singer,  as  heard  among  the  forest  solitudes  of  the  latter  country.  Its  nest  is 
very  similar  to  those  of  the  Blackbird,  Ring  Ouzel  and  Field  fare,  in  materials 
and  structure.  The  eggs  are  four  to  six  in  number,  and  very  similar,  allow- 
ing for  a  little  inferiority  in  size,  to  those  of  the  Fieldfare,  and  to  very  red 
specimens  of  the  Ring  Ouzel's. 

91.  SNOW  BUNTING. 

This  bird  resorts  in  the  breeding-season  to  the  "  Arctic  Regions  and  the 
Islands  of  the  Polar  Sea."  Mr.  Yarrell  says,  "the  nest  is  composed  of  dry 
grass,  neatly  lined  with  deers'  hair  and  a  few  feathers,  and  is  generally  fixed 
in  a  crevice  of  a  rock,  or  in  a  loose  pile  of  timner  or  stones.  The  eggs  are 
a  greenish  white,  with  a  circle  of  irregular  umber-brown  spots  round  the 
thick  end,  and  numerous  blotches  of  subdued  lavender  purple. 

98.  MOUNTAIN  FINCH. 

This  Finch  is  occasionally  met  with  in  sufficient  numbers  to  be  deserving 
of  a  short  notice  here.  It  seems  to  creed  in  Denmark,  Norway,  and  Lapland, 
and  it  is  at  least  possible  that  a  few  pairs  may,  from  time  to  time,  stay  to 
nest  with  us.  It  is  said  to  build  in  fir-trees,  though  from  Mr.  Hewitson's 
account,  the  nests  are  by  no  means  easy  to  find.  The  following  is  an  account 
of  a  nest  made  by  a  pair  in  an  aviary  at  Beccles  in  Suffolk  : — "  The  nest  was 
deep,  the  walls  thick,  a  large  quantity  of  materials  employed  for  the  founda- 
tion which  was  worked  among  the  stalks  of  the  ivy-leaves.  It  was  composed 
of  moss,  wool,  and  dry  grass ;  and  lined  with  hair."  The  general  appearance 
of  the  eggs  is  one  o'f  resemblance  to  those  of  the  Chaffinch ;  the  spots 
however,  seeming  to  be  fewer,  smaller  and  less  decided. 

104.  SISKIN. 

This  little  bird  Has  been  known  in  several  instances  to  breed  with  us  in 
its  natural  wild  condition,  but  its  nesting-home  is  in  Russia,  Germany  and 
north-western  Europe.  It  has  been  ascertained  to  build  in  furze  bushes, 
and  also  close  to  the  trunk  of  a  fir-tree,  where  a  projecting  bough  afforded 
support  for  the  structure.  The  nest  is  composed  of  similar  materials  to  the 
Chafllnchs',  and  the  eggs  present  a  good  deal  of  resemblance  to  those  of  the 
Goldfinch,  with  a  liHle  inferiority  in  size. 

170.  TURNSTONE. 

This  very  handsomely  plumaged  bird  inhabits  the  countries  bordering  on 
the  Baltic,  as  also  Greenland  and  other  localities  far  to  the  north.  Mr. 
Hevvitson  gives  a  most  interesting  account  of  his  discovery  of  its  nest  in 
Norway : — "  We  had  visited  numerous  islands  with  little  encouragement, 
and  were  about  to  land  upon  a  flat  rock,  when  our  attention  was  attracted 
by  the  singular  cry  of  a,  Turnstone.  We  remained  in  the  boat  a  short  time 
until  we  had  watched  it  behind  a  tuft  of  grass,  near  which  after  a  minute 
search,  we  succeeded  in  finding  the  nest.  It  was  placed  against  a  ledge  of 
the  rock,  and  consisted  of  nothing  more  than  the  dropping  leaves  of  the 
Jumper  bush,  under  a  creeping  branch  of  which  the  eggs,  four  in  number , 
were  snugly  concealed  and  sheltered."  Several  other  nests  were  also  found 
in  the  course  of  further  researches,  which,  however,  were  required  to  be  both 
close  and  systematic.  The  eggs  are  of  an  olive-green  colour,  spotted  and 
streaked  with  different  shades  of  red-brown,  and  "all  having  a  beautiful 
tint  of  purple  or  crimson,  seen  in  few  other  eggs." 


APPENDIX,  llo 

171.  SANDERLING. 

rt  breeds  in  Greenland,  Labrador  and  other  Arctic  countries.  It  makes 
its  nest  on  marshy  grounds,  of  grass,  and  lays  four  "  dusky- coloured  eggs. 
spotted  with  black."  But  little  seems  to  be  known  of  either  the  nidification 
or  the  eggs  of  this  species,  as  no  figure  is  given  by  either  Mr.  Hewitson  or 
in  the  Reverend  O.  Morris's  book. 

237.  HOOPER. 

Occasionally  met  with  during  the  breeding  season  in  Iceland,  and  more 
commonly  in  Lapland.  They  are  described  as  inhabiting  the  most  remote 
and  inaccessible  lakes  and  morasses  in  forest  districts.  The  nest  is  made  of 
any  coarse  water  herbage  which  is  suitable  and  at  the  same  time  accessible. 
It  is  large,  arid  raised  some  inches  above  the  surface  of  the  supporting  soil. 
The  eggs  are  believed  to  be  from  three  or  four  to  seven  in  number,  and  aro 
usually  of  a  pale  brownish  white  colour,  extending  to  about  4  inches  long  by 
2f  broad. 

245.  PINTAIL. 

This  Duck  breeds  in  Iceland,  and  commonly  in  Lapland  and  some  of  the 
districts  about  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia.  It  builds,  like  most  others  of  its  kind, 
among  the  thick  herbage  commonly  growing  near  the  edge  of  pieces  of  fresh 
water;  the  nest  being  made  of  the  same,  but  dry,  and  lined  with  down. 
The  eggs  are  six  to  eight  or  nine  in  number,  and  are  of  a  light  erreenish 
white  colour,  and  about  the  same  size  as  those  of  the  Wild  Duck  proper. 

255.  VELVET  SCOTER. 

This  Sea  Duck  is  found  in  Russia,  Norway,  the  Faroe  Islands,  and  also  in 
Iceland.  Mr.  Audubon's  account  of  its  nest  and  eggs  is  as  follows  :— "The 
nests  are  placed  within  a  few  feet  of  the  borders  of  small  lakes,  a  mile  or  two 
from  the  sea,  and  usually  under  the  low  boughs  of  the  bushes,  of  the  twigs 
of  which,  with  mosses  and  various  plants  matted  together,  they  are  formed. 
They  are  large  and  almost  flat,  several  inches  thick,  with  some  feathers  of 
the  female  but  no  down  under  the  eggs,  which  are  usually  six  in  number, 
2|  inches  in  length,  by  l£  i"  breadth,  of  an  uniform  pale  cream  colour, 
tinged  with  green." 

256.  COMMON  SCOTER. 

It  breeds,  but  not  very  numerously,  in  Iceland ;  but  is  seen  nesting  in  com- 
pany with  the  Velvet  Scoter,  in  Scandinavia,  rather  more  commonly.  It 
makes  a  nest  of  any  available  vegetable  substance,  such  as  grasses,  twigs, 
leaves,  dry  stalks ,  it  is  lined  with  down,  and  placed  under  the  partial  cover 
or  concealment  afforded  by  low  shrubs  or  other  plants.  The  eggs  are  six  or 
seven  to  ten  in  number,  of  a  pale  buff  colour  slightly  tinged  with  green,  2$ 
inches  long  by  If  broad.  After  the  eggs  are  laid,  the  males  assemble  in  large 
flocks  and  draw  towards  the  coast. 

259.  POCHARD. 

The  breeding-haunt  of  this  bird  seems  to  be  more  to  the  eastward  than 
the  majority  of  those  hitherto  named.  It  is  said  to  be  abundant  in  Russia 
and  in  the  north  of  Germany,  and  is  very  commonly  found  in  the  Fur-coun- 
tries in  America  during  the  breeding-season.  A  few  also  breed  on  the 
borders  of  the  Meres  in  Holland.  The  nest  is  similar  in  site  and  materials 
to  those  of  the  Wild  Duck  and  other  Ducks,  and  the  eggs  sometimes  reach 
the  number  of  twelve.  They  are  of  a  greenish  buff  colour,  2  inches  in 
length,  by  If  in  breadth.  The  Pochard  was  discovered,  several  years  since, 
as  breeding  ajaout  the  mere  at  Scarborough,  and  has  also  been  stated  to  nest 
occasionally  in  one  or  two  places  in  Norfolk. 

2G1.  SCAUP  DUCK. 

This  Duck  has  also  been  known  as  breeding  very  incidentally  in  this  coun- 
try, but  its  almost  unbroken  habit  is  to  return  to  such  countries  as  Iceland, 
the  swampy  lake-district  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  and  some  parts  of 
Norway,  for  nesting  purposes.  It  sometimes  makes  its  nest  in  what  may  bo 
almost  called  the  usual  site  for  the  nests  of  Ducks,  and  sometimes  upon  the 
stones  and  shingle  at  the  edge  of  sheets  of  fresh  water.  The  nest  is  very 


120  APPENDIX. 

thin  and  slightly  formed,  but  well  lined  with  down,  and  the  eggs  seem  to  be 
six,  seven,  or  eight  in  number,  They  are  of  a  pale  buff  colour,  and  sensibly 
less  in  size  than  those  of  the  Pochard  last  named. 

262.  TUFTED  DUCK. 

This  little  Duck  is  known  to  breed  near  the  head  of  the  Bothnian  Gulf,  as 
well  as  in  other  parts  of  Sweden,  and  in  Lapland  and  Russia.  A  few  pairs 
also  are  seen  nesting  in  Holland.  It  makes  a  very  slight  nest  of  grasses  and 
the  like.  The  eggs  are  seven  or  eight  to  ten  in  number,  very  similar  in 
shade  to  those  of  the  Scaup  Duck  last  mentioned,  but  much  less  in  size 
being  only  a  little  over  2  inches  long,  by  less  than  H  in  breadth. 

263.  LONG-TAILED  DUCK. 

It  is  known  to  breed  in  Iceland,  and  believed  to  do  so  in  Norway.  It 
makes  its  nest  among  low  brushwood  and  the  herbage  usual  at  or  near  the 
margin  of  fresh  water.  A  few  stems  of  grass  form  the  substructure,  on  which 
is  placed  a  plentiful  lining  of  down.  The  eggs  are  from  six  to  twelve  in 
luimber.  They  are  of  yellowish-white,  just  tinged  with  green,  and  nearly 
2$  inches  long  bv  H  in  breadth. 

265.  GOLDEN  EYE. 

This  Duck  seems  to  prefer  wooded  or  forest  districts  for  nesting  in.  It 
breeds  in  Lapland,  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  has  such  a  strong  liking  for  a 
hole  in  a  tree  to  nest  in,  that  if  suitable  boxes  with  an  adequate  entrance- 
hole  are  placed  on  the  trees  growing  on  the  banks  of  streams  or  lakes  fre- 
quented by  them,  their  eggs  are  sure  to  be  deposited  therein,  to  the  great 
profit  of  those  who  suspend  the  boxes.  Of  course  when  it  is  known  that  a  Duck 
hatches  its  young  in  a  hole  in  a  tree,  the  question  must  suggest  itself— as  i  & 
did  to  the  original  observer  in  the  case  of  the  Wild  Ducks'  nest  on  a  pollard, 
or  in  a  Fir-tree— How  can  the  young  Ducks  ever  be  got  down  safely,  and  still 
more,  finally  launched  on  their  proper  element  ?  An  observed  habit  of  the 
Golden  Eye  answers  this  question.  A  Lap  clergyman  saw  the  parent  bird 
conveying  its  young,  to  the  number  of  five  or  more,  but  one  at  a  time,  from 
the  nest  to  the  water,  and  he  was  at  last  able  to  "  make  out  that  the  youn  •„' 
bird  was  held  under  the  bill,  but  supported  by  the  neck  of  the  parent."  Th<: 
eggs  of  the  Golden  Eye  are  said  to  be  ten  or  twelve  or  even  more  in  numbt  r, 
and  of  a  brighter  colour  than  is  usual  with  the  eggs  of  the  Duck  tribe,  being 
of  a  rather  decided  green  colour. 

267.  SMEW. 

But  little  that  is  quite  authentic  seems  to  be  known  of  the  nesting  habii  s 
of  this  little  Duck ;  nor  is  it  certainly  ascertained  where  its  chief  numbers 
retire  to  breed.  The  eggs  are  said  to  be  eight  or  ten  in  number,  or  even 
more  than  that,  and  to  be  of  a  yellowish  white  colour. 

276.  GREAT  NORTHERN  DIVER. 

This  bird  breeds  on  the  Faroe  Islands,  and  on  some  of  the  lakes  in  Ice- 
land; as  also  on  some  of  the  islands  of  Finmark.  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland 
are  also  named  as  the  breeding  resort  of  many  of  these  Divers.  They  lay,  it 
is  supposed,  two  eggs  each,  though  in  some  observed  instances  only  one.was 
to  be  seen.  Mr.  Audubon  says  that  three  are  sometimes  laid.  They  are  of 
a  dark  olive-brown,  with  a  few  spots  of  dark  umber  brown,  and  are  of  con- 
siderable size. 

283.  LITTLE  AUK. 

This  little  wave-dweller  has  its  nesting  home  in  countries  far  more  to  tho 
North  than  ours.  It  abounds  on  some  parts  of  the  Greenland  shores,  and  it 
is  also  met  with,  but  much  more  sparingly,  in  Iceland.  It  makes  no  nest, 
but  lays  its  one  egg  on  the  ground  amongst  or  possibly  beneath  the  large 
rock-masses  which  encumber  the  shore  after  falling  from  the  overhanging 
cliffs  and  precipices.  The  parent  birds  are  exceedingly  averse  to  leave  their 
egg  when  incubation  has  commenced,  and  like  some  other  species  already 
mentioned  will  rather  suffer  themselves  to  be  removed  by  the  hand.  Tli . 
egg  is  white  lightly  tinged  with  blue,  a  little  spotted  and  veined  with  rust- 
colour. 


INDEX. 


Accentor,  Alpine,  35, 
Auk  Little,  107. 

Great,  108. 

Avocet,  86. 

Bee-Eater,  67. 
Blackbird,  34. 
Blackcap,  39. 
Bittern,  Little,  82. 

Common,  82. 

American,  82. 

Bullfinch,  55. 
Bunting,  Lapland,  49. 
Common,  49. 

Black-headed, 49 

Snow,  49. 

Cirl,  51. 

Ortolan,  51. 

.Mustard,  Great,  76. 

Little,  76. 

Buzzard,  Rough -leg- 
ged, 24. 

Honey,  24. 

Common,  23. 

CapercailHe,  78. 
Chaffinch,  51. 
Chiffchaff,  41. 
Chough,  58. 
Coot,  93. 

Cormorant,Common,  108. 
Courser,  Cream-colour- 
ed, 76. 
Crane,  80. 
Crake,  Spotted,  92. 
Little,  92. 

Baillon's,  92. 

Creeper,  64. 
Crossbill,  Common,  56. 

Parrot,  57. 

Whitewinged,  57. 

Crow,  68. 

Hooded,  59. 

Cuckoo,  66. 

Cuckoo,  Yellow-billed,  66. 

Curlew,  83. 

Dipper,  Common,  32. 
Dotterel,  78. 
Dove  Ring,  70. 

Stock,  71. 

Rock,  71. 

Turtle,  72. 

Dunlin,  90. 
Puck.  Pintail,  98. 


Duck.  Bimaculated,  98. 

Wild,  98. 

Eider,  100. 

King,  100. 

Steller's  Western,  101 

Red-crested  Whistl- 
ing, 101. 

Ferruginous,  101. 

Scaup,  101. 

Tufted,  101. 

Long-tailed,  102. 

Harlequin,  102 

Golden-Eye,  102. 

Buffel-headed,  102. 

Diver,   Great   North- 
ern, 105. 

Black-throated,  105. 

Red-throated,  105. 

Eagle,  Golden,  15. 

Spotted,  17. 

White-tailed,  16. 

Egret,  Little,  81. 

Falcoit,  Red-footed,  20. 

Gyr,  18. 

— Iceland,  18 

Peregrine,  18. 

Finch.  Mountain,  52. 
Flycatcher,  Spotted,  31. 

Pied,  32. 

Fieldfare,  33. 

Gadwall,  98. 
Gannet,  199. 
Garganey,  99. 
Godwit,  Black-tailed,  86. 

Bar-tailed,  87. 

Goldfinch,  54. 
Goosander,  108. 
Goose,  Grey-legged,  94. 

Bean,  95. 

Pink-footed,  95. 

-White-fronted,  95. 

-  Bernicle,  95. 

Brent,  95. 

R«d-breasted,  96. 

Egyptian,  96. 

Spur-winged,  96. 

Canada,  96. 

Grebe,  Great  Crested,  103. 

Red-crested,  104. 

Sclavonian,  104. 

Eared,  104. 

Little.  104. 


Greenfinch,  58. 
Greenshank,  85. 
Grosbeak,  Pine,  56. 
Grouse,  Black,  73. 

Red,  74. 

Guillemot,  Common,  105, 

Brunnich's,  10G. 

Ringed,  106. 

Black,  106. 

Gull,  Sabine's,  111. 

Little,  111. 

Masked,  112. 

Black-headed,  112. 

Laughing,  112. 

Ivory,  112. 

Common,  113. 

Iceland,  113. 

Lesser  Black-back 

ed,  114. 

Herring,  113. 

Great  Black-back- 

ed, 113. 
Glaucous,  114. 

Harrier,  Marsh,  21. 
Hen,  24. 

Ash-coloured,  25. 

Hawfinch,  25. 

Hawk,  Sparrow,  22. 

Gos,  21. 

Heron,  Common,  81. 

Purple,  81. 

Great  White,  81. 

Buff-backed,  81. 

Squacco,  81. 

Night,  82. 

Hobby,  19. 
Hooper,  96. 
Hoopoe,  65. 

Ibis,  Glossy,  83. 

Jackdaw,  60. 
Jay,  61. 

Kestrel,  20. 
Kite,  22. 

Swallow-tailed,  2.'i, 

Kittiwake,  112. 
Kingfisher,  67. 
Knot,  89. 

Lapwing,  79. 
Lark,  Shore,  47. 


•Sky,  47. 


122 


INDEX. 


Lark,  Wood,  4S. 

Short  toed  49 

Rail,  Water,  92. 
Raven,  58. 
Razor-Bill,  107. 

Redshank,  Spotted,  84. 

Snipe,  Great,  88. 
Common,  88 
Jick  8s1 

Linnet,  Common,  54. 

Magpie,  61. 
Martin,  68. 
Sand  63 

oa  jinc  B  0v. 

Red  pole,  M'ealy,  55?  " 

Teal,  99. 
Tern,  Caspian,  109. 

Redstart.  36. 
__....     .     Blick  37 

Merganser,  Hooded,  102. 

Redwing,  £4. 
Regulus,  Go  Id-crested,  42. 

Roseate,  110. 

Merlin,  20. 
Moor  Hen,  93. 

Nightingale,  39. 
Night-Jar,  70. 
Nutcracker,  62. 
Nuthatch,  65. 

Oriole,  Golden,  35. 
Ouzel,  Ring,  35. 
Osprey,  17. 
Owl,  Eagle,  28. 

Arctic,  llo. 

VYVii!»lrr»rf»H    111 

Robin,  36, 
Roller,  67. 
Rook,  59. 
Ruff,  87. 

Sandpiper,  Green,  84. 
Wood,  85. 

•        Gull  billed  111 

.  Lessor  111 

Black  111 

Noddv  111 

Thrush,  Missel*  38 
White's,  33. 

...  Spotted  85 

Titmouse,  Great,  42. 

R  1  1  1  r    AR 

Bull'  brc'istod  89 

11  Crrstod  4" 

Broad  billed  90 

•  Colo  43 

o    jps  .ar(,u,  .-o. 

Schinz'x  90. 
Pectoral  90 

_..     Marsh  4'1 

*lh     •            '     \  ~N 

Burn     9ft 

Piirnlp    Q1 

.L,    Ilk  ,      j      "' 

Tawny,  30. 
Snowy,  30. 
Hawk  30 

Sanderling,  80. 
Scoter,  Velvet,  101. 

Turnstone,  79. 
Vulture,  Griffon,  14. 

T  if  tlr>    11 

Surf  101 

Tengmalm's,  31. 
Oyster-catcher,  80. 

Partridge,  Common,  74. 

Shag,  109. 
Shearwater,  Greater,  116. 
Minx  116 

Wagtail,  Pied,  45. 

Shieldrake,  Ruddy,  97. 

Pastor,  Row-coloured,  57. 
Petrel,  Fulmar,  115. 

Shoveller,  97. 
Shrike,  Great  Grey,  31. 
-•  Rod  'backed  31 

Warbler,    Blue-throat- 
ed, 36. 

jjuiwLr  s,  ij-o. 

Wood  Chat  31 

Snrlir<»    '}^ 

Fork  tiili'd  116 

Siskin,  54. 
Skua,  Common,  114. 

_  Dart  ford  41 

"WT>r>rl    4-1 

Phalarope,  Grey,  94. 
•  Red-necked,  94. 
Pheasant,  72. 
Pigeon,  Passenger,  72. 
Pipit-Tree,  46. 

.  Sivi's  33 

"R'   b      d°  '  1's  IT" 

Reed  °9 

Buffon's  115 

Smew,  102. 
Sparrow,  Hedge,  35. 
Tree  52 

Wax  wing,  Bohemian,  45 
Wheat-ear,  37. 
Whimbrel,S3  . 
Whin-chat,  37. 
WMtethroat,  40. 

Prw>lr    AF 

Richard's,  47. 
Plover,  Great,  76. 
Golden,  77. 

Spoonbill,  83. 
Starling.  57. 
Stilt,  Black-winged,  86. 
Stint,  Little,  90. 

Wigeon,  100. 
American,  100. 
Woodpecker,        Great 
Black,  62. 
Green,  62. 

KonHaVi    7ft 

Little  Ringed,  78. 
Grey.  79. 
Poch.-ird,  101. 
Pratincole,  77. 
Ptarmigan,  7-4. 
Puffin,  107. 

Quail,  5 
Rail,  Land,  91. 

Stone-chat,  37. 
Stork,  White,  82. 

~Rli/»lr    ft4' 

Swallow,  67. 
Swan,  Bewick's,  96. 
Mute  96 

Lesser  Spotted,  63. 
Woodcock,  87. 
Wren,  64. 
Willow  41 

Swift,  69. 

Wryneck,  64. 
Yellovhammer,  60. 

Alpine,  69. 

PLATE  II. 


1.  Kite.        2.  Common  Buzzard.        3.  Honey  Buzzard.        4-5.  Butcher-bird.        6.  Spotted  Flycatcher. 
7.  Pied  Flycatcher.        8.  Dipper.        9.  Musel  Thrush.       10.  Song  Thrush.       11.  Blackbird.        12.  Ring  Ous 
13.  Hedge  Sparrow.        14.  Robin.        15.  Redstart.        16.  Stonechat        17.  Wbinchat. 


PLATE  III. 


I.  Wheatear.    2.  Grasshopper  Warbler.      .  Sedge  Warbler.    4.  Reed  Warbler.     5.  Nightingale.     6    Black  Cap. 

7.  Garden  Warbler.  8.  Whitethroat.  9.  Lesser  Whitethroat.  10.  Wood  Wren.  11.  Willow  Wren.  12.  Chiff  Chaff. 
13.  Dartford  Warbler.  14.  Gold-crest.  15.  Great  Tit.  16.  Blue  Tit.'  17.  Long-tail  Tit.  18.  Bearded  Tit. 
19.  Pied  Wagtail.  20.  Grey  Wagtail.  21.  Meadow  Pipit.  22-23.  Tree  Pipit.  24.  Skylark.  25.  Wood  Lark. 


PLATE  IV. 


1.    Common  Bunting.         2.  Black-headed  Bunting.        3    Yellow-hammer.        4.  Cirl  Buuting.        5.  Chaffinch. 

Redpole.         13.  Twite.         14.  Bullfinch.         15.  Crossbill.         16.  Creeper.         17.  Wren.         18.  Nuthatch 
19.  Cuckoo.  20.  Swallow. 


PLATE  V. 


1.  Starling.         3.  Chough.          3. 


PLATE  VI. 


1    Night-jar.        2.  Pheasant.        3.  Capercailzie.        4.  Black  Grouse.        5.  Red  Grou»e.        6.  Partridge. 
7.  Red-legged  Partrilge.  8.  Quail. 


PLATE  VII. 


3.  Ringed  Plover. 
6.  Oyster-catcher. 


4.  Kentuh  Plover.  5.  Lapwing. 


PLATE  IX. 


1.  Woodcock.  Common  Snipe.  3.  Dunlin.         4.  Land  Rail.          5.  Spotted  Crake.          6.  Water  Rail 


PLATE  X. 


1  2.  Common  Guillamot.  3.  Black  Guillemot. 


PLATE  XI. 


7.    Black-headed  Gull. 


PLATE  XII. 


1    Kittiwake,        2    Common  Gull.        S.  Lesser  Black-backed  Gull.        4.  Herring  Gull.        5.  Richardson's  Skus 


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Published  by  George  Routledge  and  Soi 


ROUTLEDGE'S  CHEAP  DICTIONARIES. 

Edited  by  Dr.  NUTTALL. 
Well  printed.    Bound  in  cloth. 

LKER'S  PRONOUNCING  DICTIONARY,  containing  all  the 

New  Words,     is. 

JMOND  DICTIONARY,  640  pages,  25,000  Words,  clear 

type.     is. 

INSON'S  DICTIONARY,  Enlarged  and  Modernized  by  Dr. 
Nuttall.     is. 

LNSON'S  DICTIONARY.     An  entirely  New  Edition,  con- 
taining 36,000  Words.    Crown  8vo,  is. 
ESTER'S    PRONOUNCING    DICTIONARY  :     2,000    New 

Words  ;  Scripture  Names,     is. 

[NSON'S  POCKET  DICTIONARY,  with  Walker's  Pronun- 
ciation.   32m o,  gd. 

ENSON'S  POCKET  DICTIONARY.    Royal  32mo,  %d. 

Dr.. 


M85659 

O 

U.  C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


CDSED71fl31 

LIBRARY 
THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


UTLEDGE'S  SIXPENNY  READY  RECKONER.     Edited  by 

John  Heaton.     Cloth. 


ROUTLEDGE'S  PENNY  TABLE  BOOK. 

64  pages  of  Useful  Information. 


Published  by  George  Routledge  and  Sons, 


JOQKS  FOE  THE  COUNTS 


With  Numerous  Illustrations,    Price  Is.  each.    (Postage  2d.) 
I UM  (Fresh  and  Salt  W^fcer).    Rev.  J.  G.  Wor-»,  M.A. 
ANvlf.ING,  and  WLsre  t»  Go.  ;BLI  -£«Y. 

PIGKONS  AND  RABBITS.    Illustrated  by  Harrison  vK'*.    DFIAMBB. 
SHOOTING,    Illustrated  by  Harrison  Weir.    BL, 
THE  SUEK;       Illustrated  ov  Harvey.    W,  C.  ^,  MA*< 
THE  PIG  t  How  to  Choose,  raeed,  Rear,  Keep,  &c.    You  AY*  and  Si»»riT. 
FLAX     ND  KEML  :  Their  Culture  and  Manipulation.    Plates.     DkLAieii 
THE  1'OSTL"  RY  YARD.    I] frustrated  by  Harrison  *vdr.    E.  WATTS. 
'!>.(S  HJF.SE.    Illustrated  by  Wells.    CBCIL  and  YOUATT, 
Bj£$S  •  Their  Habits,  Management,  Treatment,  &c.     Rev.  J.  G.  WOOD. 
C*3E  AND  SINGING  BIRDS.    H,  G.  AJ>AMS. 
SMALL  PARMb,  and  How  they  Ought  to  be  Managed.    M.  DC  TUL 
THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN.    PBLAMI*. 
TliE  PU>W£:a  GARDEN     Da^MBR. 
T  MS  FARlvI  E  R'S  M  A  N  QAL.    M ,  iDc-TLi. 
rtELl»  AND  GARDEN  PI- ANTS.    M,  DOTU. 

N  OBJECTS  gr  T5t^  SEA-SHORE.    Rev.  J  G.  WOOD,  M.A. 
COMMON  C.01  •: OTS   >K  THE  COUNTRY.    Rer.  J.  -S.  WOOD,  M.A. 
-ATHS,  AN^  -«*ur, 

laoMAS  MOORI,  F.L.8. 

A,G.  Sun->r. 
i    ->n*.    COL* MAW. 
i  AW--  Rev,  F.  C.  ATEINSOV. 

J.  TiTLO», 

,    -.Hf.K. 

••;MP,  .aND  LOI  .  •    B,  LotDe  R.A. 

COMMON    BRITISH  MOTiiS.  Woott. 

!    .    1 
THE  :;OMtNG  OR  CARRIER  PIGEON.    W,B,  TBeiVHHM.:F.Z.f)r 

fOR  THE  MIIXIQN. 

^H  BEETLES,    .  ; 


Price  Is.  f  -{.stage  2d.) 

CATTLK  t  Their  Vr.rio  •'   Breeds,  M  i  Diseases.    Also  the  D»ii| 

=-•.1  by  W  ^n  '^.  0.  L.  MA«ti2f. 

c  Management  "  -    *.  i    -se.    Witl%!liu8tration8. 


SIBBON 

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ARMING  MADE  EA-  V-     jfcs -;.  8rc,    T.  C. 
( Vv  L  GOSSIP.    Professor  A  v&v ID, 
i  AGRTOyi/PlTBAt. 

DjU 


••S.  Illustrated, 
VILD  FJOWERP.    Hlustr»t«d. 
dotes..    IT'-  ,^i  JAWBS. 


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