Forest birds, their haunts and habits; short studies from nature

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| JONATHAN-DWIGHT¢Jr

PORES . BIR).

“ The living tnhabitation of the world—the grazing and
nesting in it,—the spiritual power of the atr, the rocks, the
waters,—to be in the midst of it, and rejoice and wonder at
it... this was the essential love of nature in me... and

the light of all that I have rightly learned.”

JOHN RUSKIN.

* FOREST BIRDS

THEIR HAUNTS AND HABITS/

waOKT STUDIES FROM NATURE

C Vy e>

By HARRY 7? WITHERBY

LONDON :
KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., L1.,
CHARING CROSS ROAD; W.C.

1894.

Pree pac i.

ee

Tur chief aim of the writer of this little volume has
been to accurately record his own experience and
observations in the life history of the eight species
of birds described in its pages.

The information presented to the reader has been
with few exceptions the result of many hours of
patient watching and waiting on the part of the
writer. The scenes of his observations have been
found in that bird-lover’s paradise—the New Forest,
and also in various parts of the British Isles.

As regards the illustrations, the eight full-page
plates have been reproduced from photographs of
his cases; while the smaller illustrations in the text
have been specially drawn from his specimens.
Some of the papers have appeared from time to
time in Knowledge, but they have since been
re-written; while two have appeared in Science

Gossip.

Preface.

If the perusal of the following pages should
awaken in the reader an interest in the haunts and
habits of forest birds, the writer’s object will have

been achieved.

BLACKHEATH,

October, 1894.

Ce TE NGS:

CHAPTER PAGE
I. Tur Green WOODPECKER - =e
JI. THe Tree CREEPER - - - - 23

ibs. a Nore are rn - - = - 33
IV. THe Wooppicron - ig ce - 42
V. THE Stock DovE - - - - 53
VI. THE SPaARROW-HAWK - - - 60
VII. Tor Tawny Own - - - - 72
VIII. Tor WaAtERHEN : : : =" 89

IX. THe Artistic GROUPING OF STUFFED

Brrps - , LE p seer:

PEEVSTRATIONS.

oS ae

PAGE
GREEN WOODPECKERS : - - - - =) 10
HEAD OF GREEN WOODPECKER - - - - 14
BREAST-BONE OF GREEN WOODPECKER - - - 16
BREAST-BONE OF Stock DovE =: . : : - +17
TREE CREEPERS - - : - : : . eae
TAIL OF GREEN WOODPECKER- - . . é - 26
TAIL OF TREE CREEPER - = = - : ee)
Tait OF NUTHATCH - - : - - - - 28
Heap oF TREE CREEPER - : - 5 - = 20
NUTHATCHES - - - - - - - a Fe
Foot oF GREEN WOODPECKER - : : . - 36
Foot oF TREE CREEPER - ‘ s i 7
Foot oF NuTHATCH - - - = . - « SE
HEAD OF NUTHATCH - : - - . - - 38
SCENE IN THE New FOREST - - - : = Ail
WoOODPIGEONS AND NEST - - = : = - 43
WoopPIGEONS AT WESTMINSTER - - - - 650
Stock DoveEs : - = - - - - - 62
Rock PIGEON : - - - - - . - 59
SPARROW-HAWKS AND NEST - 2 - E - 61
Foot oF SPARROW-HAWK - - = - - - 69
WING OF SPARROW-HAWK - . - - - =. "50
Wine oF MERLIN - - - - - - - 70
Tawny Owls - - - - - : . 2 8
Foot oF Tawny Own : : - - - =14 Wt
PELLET OF TAWNY OWL - - - 5 - = ao
WATERHENS AND NEST - - - - - - 83
Foor of WATERHEN - : - - : - - 87
CHICK OF WATERHEN - - 2 - - - 91

PEEP IN THE NEw FoREST = « - 2 - 98

+ «'

a
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oy

GREEN WOODPECKERS: MALE BIRD ENTERING HOLE IN DECAYING BEECH TREE
CONTAINING EGGS.

From nature. About one-fourth natural size.

CHAPTER I:

fae GREEN WOODPECKER.

(Picus viridis.)

T all times of the year a forest has charms for

the naturalist, but it is in the spring, when

Nature is awakening from her long winter sleep,
that it affords him the greatest pleasure.

We were strolling one lovely May day along a
grassy glade in the most beautiful forest in England,
with the beech trees above us swathed in a delicate
green, the oaks still bearing the russet tint of early
spring, and here and there a wavy birch or dark-
green holly shadowing forth. The gorse was budding,
and the green shoots of the bracken were everywhere
peeping through the mossy floor, while all around
us the tits and finches were softly twittering, when
suddenly, just above our head, a loud uncanny

B

12 Forest Birds.

cry, ike a madman’s laugh, sounded forth, echoing
harshly through the trees. It was so loud and
unexpected that, often as we had heard it before,
we were startled. Looking up into the tree whence
the sound proceeded we saw a Green Woodpecker,
whose dark-green form was scarcely distinguishable
from the mossy trunk to which it clung.

Standing motionless, we watched every movement
of the bird as it climbed up the tree. Grasping
the bark firmly with its strong curved claws, and
keeping its tail pressed down upon the trunk, the
Woodpecker mounted by a series of short jerks or
jumps, and, as it went, every now and then it gave
the tree a loud tap with its powerful beak, instinc-
tively knowing by the sound given out whether or
not there was a decaying part. Presently such a
spot was detected, and the Woodpecker’s head began
to move backwards and forwards so fast that we
could scarcely follow its movements, and a sound
like that of a miniature steam hammer was made by
its vigorous pecking! This noise soon disturbed the
insect inhabitants of the decaying wood, and as
they ran out, the bird stopped its rapid blows, and
shooting out a long tongue, like a glistening ribbon,
from its mouth, soon captured every insect visible.
Then up the bird went again, and soon reached the

top of the tree, where it clung for a moment, as if

The Green Woodpecker. 13

uncertain what to do. At last, away it went, with
a heavy, undulating flight, and we caught sight of it
through the leaves alighting at the base of an old
beech tree.

The Green Woodpecker lives for the most part on
the various insects and larve captured on and under
the bark of trees. At the same time it feeds more
often on the ground than the Spotted and Lesser
Spotted Woodpecker (Picus major and minor), the
only other representatives of the genus found in
Great Britain, for we have repeatedly disturbed it
on the grass, or in the act of scraping at an ant’s
nest with its claws in search of eggs and grubs,
which it eagerly licks up with its tongue.

This long tongue is well worthy of our attention.
It tapers to a hard, sharp point like that of a needle,
while the tip is furnished with several minute, hair-
like barbs set backwards like the point of a fish-hook.
To the base of the tongue are joined two extremely
elastic bones (hyoid cornua), each of which is enclosed
in a delicate sheath. These sheaths passing through
the lower mandible divide and hang down in the
form of a loop, one on each side of the neck, then
they curl round and upwards, and passing over the
top of the head are again united, and joined to the
skull in the right nostril (Fig. 1). Besides the
bones there is a muscle enclosed in each sheath,

14 Forest Birds.

running along the concavity of the bone, and as

this muscle contracts, it straightens the sheath and

Pre. 1.

Head of Green Woodpecker, showing sheath passing round
head, and joined to skull in nostril.

From nature. One-half natural size.

so forces out the tongue to a considerable distance
beyond the point of the bill (Fig. 2). Thus when
the bird sees an insect in a hole or under the bark, it

Fie. 2.
Head of Woodpecker, showing tongue extended and (@) gland.
From nature. One-half natural size.

shoots out its wormlike tongue and transfixes the
insect, the barbs preventing its prey from slipping

The Green Woodpecker. 15

off or escaping, and when this method is inconvenient
it will drag out the insect, using the barbs asa
sort of rake. But there is yet another provision
vouchsafed by the wonderful economy of Nature.
On each side of the head there is a gland (Fig. 2),
which secretes a strong mucilage, and these olands
are so connected with the tongue that it becomes
sticky at the moment in which it is thrust out to
capture an insect.

The Woodpecker’s tail is as interesting to examine
as the tongue, being strangely modified to suit its
requirements. We have said that the tail is kept
pressed down upon the tree when the bird is climbing,
and for a very good reason, as the tail thus affords a
large amount of support. It is composed of wiry
elastic feathers, each of which is wedge-shaped at
the end, and beyond this it is curious to note that
not only is each feather so shaped, but the whole
tail is in the form of a wedge, the middle feather
being the longest, and the rest tapering away on
each side (Fig. 5, p. 26). It is when the bird is
pecking at a tree that the utility of the tail is shown
to the best advantage, for it then serves, one might
almost say, as a third leg. As the bird clings to the
bark with its feet, it throws its head right back to
strike a blow, and the tail then acts as a support

behind, and prevents it from falling backwards.

16 Forest Birds.

There is still another peculiarity in the anatomy
of the Woodpecker. When climbing a tree it must
necessarily keep its body very close to the trunk, or
the strain on the legs would be too great, and to
enable the bird to accomplish this, a specially-formed
breast-bone has been provided. ;

On comparing the breast-bone of the Green Wood-
pecker with that of another bird of abcut the same

size, viz., the stock dove (Columba sxnas), we

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Breast-bone of Green Woodpecker.

From nature. Natural size.

notice at once a difference in the size and shape,
which is truly wonderful. The breast-bone of the
Green Woodpecker has a very low keel (Fig. 3), and
this dwarfing of the keel enables the bird to cling
closely to the tree. The stock dove on the contrary has
acorrespondingly high keel to the breast-bone (Fig. 4),
and the reason for this is soon found, for the stock
dove is indued with great powers of flight, and

since the pectoral muscles, which move the wings, are

The Green Woodpecker. 17

placed on each side of the keel, it must necessarily
be high to protect the larger muscles of the stock
dove. The Woodpecker has of course much smaller
pectoral muscles, and consequently less power of
flight, but since climbing is much more essential to
this bird than long flights, the low keel is of immense
advantage to it.

Fie. 4.
Breast-bone of Stock Dove.
From nature. Natural size.

Having thus briefly examined the anatomy of the
Woodpecker, let us now pass on to its habits.
Although so lovely, and therefore the more likely to
be destroyed by man, we are glad to say that it is still
fairly common in the wooded districts of England.
It is to be found as far north as Yorkshire, beyond
which it becomes rare, while in Ireland it is only an

18 Forest Birds.

occasional visitor. Naturally a shy and wary bird
it is not often seen, but its resonant laughing note
may always be heard in the wood it frequents. This
is its only note, and as there is no other British bird
that makes a sound anything like the Yafiler, as it
is sometimes called on account of its note, it can
scarcely be mistaken.

When walking through a wood one often sees a
round hole, some two inches in diameter, in a tree
trunk. Perhaps the tree is a beech or an oak, but at
all events one may be pretty sure that it is in decay,
for the Woodpecker has made the hole, and it seldom
attacks a perfectly sound tree. Its object in making
these holes is to provide a nesting place. In April
this bird bores small holes in a number of trees until
a suitable one is found, when it sets to work in
earnest, and a cavity is cut, chip by chip, with its
massive bill, some three or four inches horizontally
into the trunk, and continuing downwards about
eighteen inches, then gradually widening, until at the
bottom it forms a round platform large enough for
the bird to sit on. So hard are its blows, that the
bird often chips off a piece of wood several inches in
length. Moreover, the Green Woodpecker is a
careful worker; and the chips are not left, as they
are by other Woodpeckers, in a white staring heap
at the bottom of the tree, to mark the position of

The Green Woodpecker. 19

the hole above, but each chip is carried to some dis-
tance by the industrious bird. Thus is the nesting
place finished, and upon the wood-dust left at the
bottom of the hole by these winged carpenters, the
female lays hereggs. They are glistening white, and
from five to eight in number, and both birds take
their turn in sitting on them.

The entrance to the nest is usually made at from
twenty to thirty feet from the ground, but we have
seen one scarcely four feet up, in which a Green
Woodpecker was sitting. Although this bird gene-
rally cuts out a hole for itself, it will occasionally
take possession of a naturally formed one, provided
it be dry, and of a suitable size.

The plumage of this, our largest and commonest
Woodpecker, possesses a beautiful blending of
colours. The back is shiny olive green, shading off
to a bright yellow on the tail coverts; the top of the
head is of a rich crimson, contrasting perfectly with
the green of the back, whilst the throat and breast
are of a light straw colour, which is sometimes
stained to a dark brown by the bird’s contact with
the trunks of trees.

The male differs from the female in the “ mous-
tache ” ; they both possess one, but while his is red,
hers is black! The peculiarity which has earned for

itself the name “ moustache,” is a narrow line of

20 Forest Birds.

feathers running under the eye from the base of the
lower mandibie to the end of the skull.

The young of the Green Woodpecker, during the
first year, may be distinguished from the adult birds
by the speckled plumage on the back, and the
general dulness of their colouration, when com-
pared with the mature birds.

»

TREE CREEPERS ON AN OLD OAK CONTAINING NEST,
From nature. About one-half natural size.

The Tree Creeper. 23

CHAPTER II.

foe. TREE. CREEPER,

(Certhia familiaris.)

AKING our stand one bright spring morning

at the end of an avenue of oaks, we noticed a
little brown bird creeping up the trunk of one of
the trees. Remaining perfectly still, we watched its
movements through a field-glass. The little bird
had just alighted at the base of a fine old oak, and
immediately commenced to climb upwards in a spiral
direction, winding its way methodically round and
round the stem of the tree. As it climbed it peered
into every crevice and cranny of the bark, patiently
searching for the insects which form its food. At
length, after a toilsome journey, it arrived at the
end of one of the larger branches; and then, instead

of going to another branch, as we should have

24 Forest Birds.

expected, it left the tree altogether, and darted off
with a dipping flight to the trunk of a neighbouring
oak, up which it climbed in the selfsame way,
thus continuing its work from dawn to sun-
down. This industrious bird doubtless covers each
day some miles in its journeys up the trees, for
seldom is it at rest, save at night and in nesting
time.

We have watched this little bird many hours, and
have not often known it to vary its orderly way of
climbing. We can only suggest that the reason for
this must be sought in the methodical nature of the
bird.

It never descends a tree head foremost, but we
have seen one take several steps backwards down an
old oak, from out of which it was pulling a piece of
touchwood.

The favourite resorts of the Creeper are wooded
districts, and spots where there are many of the
larger kinds of trees. It especially delights in
localities where a number of trees are grouped
together, such as an avenue or a plantation.

This species is sometimes called the Tree Climber,
and more correctly so, for the name Creeper implies
that it creeps up the tree, putting one leg before the
other, as does the nuthatch. This, however, is not

the case, for the Creeper climbs by making a number

The Tree Creeper. 25

of quick jumps, but so rapid are these movements
that, if the bird be not closely watched, it seems to
be creeping evenly up the trunk, and hence, no
doubt, its name of Tree Creeper.

It climbs in its elegant way by means of the
claws and tail. The claws are long and curved, and
number four on each foot, three pointing forward,
and one backward, the latter being twice as long,
and much stouter than the others. (Fig. 10, p. 37.)
With these it grasps the bark securely, and with the
help of its tail, which is always kept curved down
upon the bark, the bird easily supports its light
weight as it moves up the trunk.

The feathers of the tail, which -are twelve in
number, are stiff and pointed, and resemble those of
the woodpecker in shape and texture. (Fig. 6.)

Though the Creeper appears to be very sombre in
colour when viewed from a distance, on closer in-
spection it is seen to be very prettily marked and
pencilled. Its general colouring is very protective,
being similar to that of the bark of the trees up which
it climbs. If suddenly disturbed, it will quickly
place itself on the side of the tree farthest from the
intruder, and thus it is often passed by unseen.
Its shy and unpretending character, and its protective
colouring, account for the Tree Creeper being con-
sidered more rare than is really the case.

26 Forest Birds.

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The Tree Creeper. 27

The Creeper is solitary in its habits. During
summer it spends its day either alone or with a mate,
but never in large numbers. In winter, however, it
often associates with little companies of titmice of
various kinds. It is curious that birds of such
different dispositions should congregate together—

Fie. 6.
Tail of Creeper.
From nature. Natural size.

the titmouse, with its life and sprightliness, is
always happy, and, one might say, playful, while
the Creeper is ever hard at work, silently plodding
up the trees in search of its daily food.

The food of the Creeper, as may be supposed,
consists of small beetles, larve, spiders, and other
insects which infest the bark of trees. The bird

28 Forest Birds.

captures these insects with its beak. It has no
barbed tongue like the woodpecker, but the long, .
curved beak (measuring about the length of the
head itself) is thrust into the crevice of the bark to
extract the lurking insect. The Creeper is silent in
its work—a characteristic attributable in a great
measure to the formation of its beak (Fig. 8), which

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Fie. 7.
Tail of Nuthatch.
From nature. Natural size.

is too slender to be used for tapping the trees, or
removing the bark. Neither has it a loud voice,
like the woodpecker, to wake the stillness of the
wood, for its note is soft and shrill, resembling the
syllables twee-twee, and this is rarely uttered save
as a call note to its mate.

It will be seen in the accompanying plate,
that the bird on the left assumes in general outline

The Tree Creeper. 29

almost the form of a semi-circle.. The shape of the
beak, together with the arched back and tail, contri-
bute to give it this form, which is always noticeable
when the bird is seen from the side.

The nesting habits of this species are interesting.
Sometimes a hole in a tree, but more usually a
narrow crevice between the bark and trunk of a
decaying tree, is chosen as a site for the nest. The
crevice is frequently only half an inch in width, and
into it the bird creeps, and piece by piece drags in

Head of Creeper, showing long curved bill.
From nature. Natural size.
the materials which are to form the nest. One
would suppose that, for the sake of security, the
bird would fix the nest to the tree itself, instead of
to the bark; such, however, is not the case, for
when the bark is stripped off the nest adheres to it.
This clever little builder makes a compact and
handsome nest. Fine twigs, grass, and chips of
touchwood are collected and placed in layers one
above the other until a foundation is made. On the
top of this foundation a little cup-shaped hollow is
c

30 Forest Birds.

formed, and this is lined with wool and feathers.
The size and shape of the nest vary according to the
crevice or hole in which it is built. If made in a
hole the nest is nearly round, and sometimes of
considerable diameter; if built between the bark
and trunk it takes a deep and narrow shape.

The Tree Creeper usually rears two broods in the
year. It lays from six to eight eggs at the first
nesting, in the month of April, and seldom more
than five at the second. The eggs are white, with
a few red spots, usually confined to the thicker end,
and they are almost identical in size and colour with
those of the great tit (Parus major). Both of these
industrious little birds take their turn in sitting on |
the nest, and are equally attentive to their offspring,
each bringing food to them incessantly throughout the
day. Such very devoted parents are they, and such
close sitters, that they may even be lifted off the
nest.

Dark brown is the predominating colour in the
Tree Creeper, and while its head and back are
streaked with a paler tint, the wings have several
bars of greyish white running across them. The
tail, which is rufous, has the quill of each feather of
a light brown, giving it a peculiar appearance. The
chin, throat, and belly are of a silvery white, often
dulled by the bird’s contact with a tree.

(oe ee

Pa ag) 202
mi * .

NUTHATCHES; SHOWING PLASTERED HOLE LEADING TO NEST IN OAK TREE.
From nature. About one-fifth natural size.

The Nuthatch. 33

CHAPTER ‘lf.

ears ee TT ATC:

(S7tta europea.)

Y far the best way of observing the life and
habits of forest birds is to sit perfectly still
under a spreading tree, with one’s eyes and ears wide
open, ready to catch the slightest movement or sound.
Many hours have we from time to time thus spent,
but a certain sunny afternoon we especially remember.
We had not been seated long at the base of a grand
old oak, when a little wood-mouse peeped out of a hole
at our side, and, seeing we did not move, the little
creature soon gained courage enough to come out of
its hiding place. Presently it sat upou its haunches,
and began washing its face with its paws; then, taking
a leaf in its mouth, dragged it into the hole. As the
mouse disappeared, a creak in the tree above made

34 Forest Birds.

us look up, and there, running along a bough, was a
creature, which for a moment looked like another
mouse, but just then it came round the tree into the
full light of the sun, and a beautiful little bird of a
bluish colour was revealed before us.

A more active being one could scarcely conceive, as
it nimbly ran along the top of the branch, and then,
with body downwards, crept as easily along the
underside; but suddenly, without a moment’s delay,
it darted off, and, alighting on the trunk of a decaying
beech immediately opposite, afforded us a splendid
view of the sprightly Nuthatch. The bird seemed
almost to be performing for our benefit, yet this was
only its usual way of spending life in its forest
home. It began to ascend the trunk, putting one
leg before the other, and walking up it like a mouse !
then its sharp eyes detected something under a piece
of bark below, and, turning round, it walked down
the tree head foremost, just as easily as it had climbed
up a moment before. The insect the bird had caught
sight of under the bark had disappeared, but the
Nuthatch was not to be so easily baulked of its
prey. Taking a firm grip of the tree with its curved
claws, it began vigorously to hammer with its beak
the spot under which the insect lay concealed; but
the stubborn bark would not give way, so the Nut-
hatch hammered harder, and with each blow it

The Nuthatch. 35

worked its whole body as a lever from the tarsal
joint, and in perfect time with every stroke, it gave
a short, quick flap with its wings as if to keep its
balance. Round and round that spot it walked,
attacking it from every possible point, until at last
the piece of bark broke off, and then lke lightning
the little bird seized its well-earned prize.

All this time we were seated with our arm out-
stretched under the old oak, when, happening to
look down, we saw within a foot of our fingers an
adder, with head erect, staring hard at us with its
cold green eyes. The reptile was prepared to spring,
but as we gently withdrew our hand it softly glided
away, and disappeared in the surrounding under-
growth.

The Nuthatch’s mode of climbing is very different
from that of the woodpecker. It gains no help
from its tail, which is short, square, and soft (Fig. 7,
p. 28), and, moreover, a long tail would be an incon-
venience in its many sudden twists and turns. The
feet alone provide its climbing powers. Unlike the
woodpecker, which carries two toes in front and two
behind (Fig. 9), the Nuthatch has three in front and
one behind (Fig. 11), the hind toe and claw being by
far the strongest. Where the hind toe joins the
foot there is a sort of pad, and upon this, which may
well be called the heel of the foot, the bird rests a

36 Forest Birds,

great part of its weight when climbing, much as the
woodpecker does on its tail.

Insects found on trees, also berries, beechmast,
and acorns form the chief food of the Nuthatch. Itis
especially fond, however, of nut kernels. But how
can a little bird break through the hard shell of a
hazel nut? Let us watch it at its work. A nut is

found—may be it was in some secret nook in which

Fia. 9.
Foot of Green Woodpecker.
From nature. Natural size.

the bird had laid it up—we see it fly off with its
treasure to a rough-barked tree, and fix it securely
in a crevice of the bark. Here it takes a firm stand,
and begins to hammer at the nut might and main
with its sharp bill (Fig. 12),until bit by bit a ragged
hole is cut in the shell, but, just as we think it has
achieved its object, a last blow dislodges the nut, and
down it falls. Not far, however, for like a flash the

The Nuthatch. 37

bird darts after it, and, catching the treasure in its
beak before the ground is reached, again flies up and
fixes it in the chink ; and this time the kernel is soon
extracted, and devoured with muchrelish. From the
habit of cracking nuts the Nuthatch has derived this,
its most usual name, for ‘‘ hatch ” like “‘ hatchet’ has
sprung from the French hacher “to chop.”

Fe. 10.
Foot of Creeper.
From nature. Natural size.

Dil A
Foot of Nuthatch, showing “pad” at base of hind toe.
From nature. Natwral size.

In England this interesting little bird is tolerably
numerous all the year round, but in Scotland it is a
rare visitor, while in Ireland it has not yet been
observed. The Nuthatch may always be distinguished
from other members of the order WScansores, or
climbers, by its square, compact form and its plumage.
The effect of its general colouring is delicate and

38 Forest Birds.

lovely—a bluish grey on the back and upper side of
the wings, and buff on the breast, shading to a bright
chestnut on the under tail coverts, the upper and
under parts thus forming a beautiful contrast in
colour. The throat is silvery white, and a black line
of feathers, very similar to the “moustache ” of the
woodpecker, runs from the base of the upper
mandible through the eye to the bird’s shoulder.

The Nuthatch is not a good musician, and indeed

Fie. 12.
Head of Nuthatch, showing strong, sharp bill.

Froin nature. Natural size.

it is always so much occupied, that it does not seem
to have time to sing. As it climbs, however, it
utters several different call notes, the chief of which
is very shrill and piercing, and when once heard will
not be easily forgotten. The syllable “ twhit”
whistled quickly in a loud, high-pitched tone, much
resembles this call note, which is usually repeated
from four to six times. Another note, not so often

used, sounds like “twe-twhit,” the first syllable being

The Nuthatch. 39

very short, the last longer. Besides these call notes
the bird sometimes makes a purring sort of sound,
resembling the syllable “tyrrh” repeated quickly
twice, and a third time prolonged.

The nesting habits of the Nuthatch are peculiar
and interesting. It makes its nest in some natural
hole in a tree, but should the entrance to the cavity
prove larger than is required for ingress and egress,
or should there be an unevenness in it, the little
builder plasters it round with mud, and finishes it
off to the size required, for it never seems satisfied
until the entrance to its home is exactly round, and
only just large enough for it to enter. Its useful
beak thus forms a double tool—a chopper and a
trowel! Like the swallow this bird uses the
mud when it is wet and sticky, and piece by
piece it is carried in the beak to the hole, where it
is carefully plastered to the wood, until at last the
task is done. Whenthe mud becomes hard and dry
it is seen to be covered with minute holes—the marks
of the bird’s beak, showing with what care the work
has been accomplished. From this singular habit
of plastering the entrance to its nest with mud, the
bird has earned the name in some parts of the country
—in the New Forest for instance—of Mud-dabber.

We have, in the plate at the beginning of this
chapter, a good example of such a plastered hole.

40 Forest Birds.

Walking through a forest one day we came across an
old gnarled oak, whose trunk was covered with round
knobs, in one of which was a hole, where once a branch
had shot forth. Round this hole some mud was
plastered, a sure sign that it contained a Mud-dabber’s
nest. We soon procured a saw, and for a quarter of an
hour or so the old forest rang with its music until the
knob was severed from the tree. A beautiful sight was
then revealed to our eyes—a nest composed of moss,
dead leaves, and chips of wood and bark, with two
round ivory eggs, spotted with red, lying on the top.
As we examined the nest we found five more eggs
lying hidden in the leaves and moss. The nest was not
woven together, but the materials were placed in a
miscellaneous heap, while the leaves and chips of
wood had been broken small by the bird, to enable it
to carry them through the narrow entrance. Another
nest, which we found high up in an elm tree, was
composed entirely of small flakes of yew bark,
gathered, doubtless, from an old yew tree hard by.

The Nuthatch sits very closely upon its eggs, and
may be looked at without causing it to leave them.
It is bold, too, in the choice of a position for its nest
—a hole in a tree by a road being often selected ;
and we have known one, in which young were reared,
that was situated a few feet above a seat, constantly
used by passers-by as a resting place.

The Nuthatch. 41

It seems strange that the Mud-dabber should
narrow the entrance to its home, but a possible
reason for this habit may be given. It is a very
pugnacious bird, and during its encounters with tits
and other birds its home is sometimes besieged and
even captured. “A small breach is more easily
defended than a large one,” and may be the Mud-
dabber knows this, when it makes the entrance to
its nest as small as possible.

SCENE IN THE NEW FOREST.

42, Forest Birds.

CHAPTER, ITV.

THE WOODPIGEON OR RING-
DOVE.

(Columba palumbus.)

ONDON is hardly the place in which we should
expect to find a shy and wary bird taking up
its abode. Nevertheless, the Woodpigeon, usually
so wild, has during the last few years come to
London in considerable numbers for the summer
months. We can only suppose that it has been
clever enough to find out that it is as safe in our
great metropolis as anywhere else, and indeed
perhaps more so.

This bird breeds in several parts of London, and
notably in St. James’s Park, while in the present
year (1894) there was a nest in a tree overhanging
the pavement in the great thoroughfare of Piccadilly.

"OZS YD.INZDU YZff-aU0 JnogP *alNnzoUu WONT
‘ATUL HVO dO HONVUA NO LSAN GNV SNOMYIACOOM

-
: : “- ne Ae oe ay carte | Finger cena

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The Woodpigeon or Ringdove. 45

Several times, too, we have seen as many as ten
Woodpigeons together, feeding on the piece of grass
under Lord Beaconsfield’s statue opposite West-
minster Abbey. There they seem quite at home,
taking no notice of people or traffic, so that one can
stand within a yard of the birds and watch their
graceful movements; moreover, the “ Kodak”
may be brought to bear upon them, and thus, in
London, this shy and wary bird may be portrayed
from life! It is a lovely sight to watch them fly
down, one after the other, from a plane tree in the
precincts of the old Abbey. Descending with a head-
long swoop until within about two feet from the
grass, they suddenly check this rapid motion by
raising their heads and spreading wide their wings
and tails, and thus they drop gently to the ground.
We would observe that in this downward flight the
bird takes advantage, as it were, of every feather,
the tail being spread out like a fan; and every
marking on the feathers is plainly visible, while a
bar of white feathers is conspicuous across the out-
spread wing. As we watch them when they have
alighted on the ground, we can but say that their
movements are quite as graceful as inthe air. They
strut about, daintily nodding their heads backwards
and forwards, and every now and then they pick some-
thing from the grass, keeping an eye all the time on

46 Forest Birds.

the surrounding onlookers. Nevertheless, they be-
come so tame, that they will pick up bread that is
thrown to them, and will even approach to within a
yard of the railings, over which a score or more of
persons may be looking at them. When drinking,
the Woodpigeon does not take short sips like other
birds, but satisfies its thirst by one long draught
as a horse would do.

The great length of this bird, combined with the
conspicuous white bar across the wing, enables one
to distinguish it at a great distance when in the air.
Its flight is strong and rapid, and as the bird rushes
along, it will often suddenly stop beating its wings,
and, almost closing them, glide through the air until
the force of the impetus is expended, when, again
flapping its wings, it continues its journey.

The Woodpigeon becomes very bold in gardens
during the summer months, and we have seen its
nests within twenty yards of a house.

It is very destructive to fruit, being especially
fond of black currants, while pears and plums are
also favourite dainties. Ordinarily, its food consists
of buds, young green leaves, beechmast, acorns, and
grains of various kinds, all of which are swallowed
whole, and we have heard of as many as ten perfect
acorns being taken from the crop of one Woodpigeon.

In the autumn and winter these birds congregate,

The Woodpigeon or Ringdove. Ad

and go about the country in immense flocks, which
are not entirely composed of English-bred specimens,
but are, no doubt, largely augmented by birds
immigrating from the Continent. These great flocks
do a large amount of damage to the crops, and on
this account the birds are much sought after, as well
as for the flesh, which is, as a rule, excellent eating.
At the season when turnip-tops form their chief food,
an exception must be made to this statement, as
then the flesh has a disagreeable flavour.

It is no easy matter, however, to obtain these birds
in the autumn and winter, so shy and wary do they
become. Many contrivances, such as decoy birds,
and whistles, are used by the gunner to bring them
within range of his shot as he lies hidden in some
ambush. Stalking the birds is also sometimes
employed, but the best way of obtaining them is to
stand towards evening in some wood, in which they
regularly roost. Just before dusk the flocks come
in, and as they circle over the trees, gradually coming
lower and lower, many may be shot, for, strange to say,
the rest, which are circling round, do not fly away at
the sound of the gun or the fall of their comrades.

The plaintive note of the Woodpigeon or Cushat,
as it is often called, may be heard at all times of the
day in the neighbourhood it frequents. The syllable
“coo” uttered slowly three times, then once quickly,

48 Forest Birds.

and finally once more prolonged, gives a very near
approach to the note. The number and length of
the syllables are, however, occasionally varied, but the
note is always of the same soft, plaintive nature, from
which fact the bird is supposed to have received the
name Queest. 7

- Besides Woodpigeon, Cushat, and Queest, this
bird is often called the Ringdove on account of
some of the feathers of its neck being tipped with
white, and forming a partial and very conspicuous
ring. In using this name the Woodpigeon should
not be confused with the turtledove (Columba
turtur), which is also called by some the ringdove,
the former being the largest representative of the
genus, and the latter the smallest, to be found in
Great Britain. The Woodpigeon isindeed much larger
in reality than it appears at a distance, the male
measuring seventeen inches in total length and
twenty-eight inches across the wings, while the female
is slightly smaller. Except in this particular she
scarcely differs from her mate; but young birds of the
year have no white on their necks, and but an ill-
defined bar across the wing, while their whole plumage
is less glossy than that of the mature birds. The head
and back of the male are bluish-grey, and the upper
part of the neck is of the same colour, but the feathers
on the sides of the neck, being tipped with white, thus

The Woodpigeon or Ringdove. 49

form the partial ring mentioned above. The breast
and under side of the neck are purple-red, while the
belly and under-tail coverts are ash-grey. The tail
feathers are twelve in number, and are of three shades
of grey. The beak, legs, and toes are dark pink.

The feathers are very loosely attached to the skin,
a slight blow being sufficient to cause them to fall
out. When suddenly disturbed from a bush or thick
tree, the Woodpigeon will often lose several feathers,
through its contact with twigs as it rushes out.

This bird builds in trees, and its nest is
quite flat, and usually of the frailest description,
being composed of sticks, with sometimes a few fine
roots or feathers to do duty for a lining. It delights
to build its nest in some plantation where it may be
protected from the wind, and in these sheltered
localities it is often so lightly put together that the
two white eggs or the young birds may be seen by
the passer-by from beneath.

The nest, however, is often placed in more open
situations, and in this case it will be found that it is
more compactly, and much more strongly built than
when placed in a sheltered spot. The nest repre-
sented in the accompanying engraving is a good
example of those found in isolated trees exposed to
the full force of the wind. The nest is placed at a
height varying from six to forty feet from the

D

0 Forest Birds.

ground. When the bird has been sitting some few
days, the top of the nest assumes a whitish appear-
ance, caused by a white powder deposited from the
bird’s plumage.

Two or three broods are reared in a season, the first
eges being laid in April, sometimes in March, and a
Woodpigeon has even been found sitting on two eggs
in September. The young are hatched in seventeen
days; they are at first covered with yellowish down,
and their eyes are covered by a film for the first
nine days. They are fed from the beaks of the
parent birds with a whitish secretion, often de-
scribed as milk, which is supplied from the crops
of the old birds. This manner of feeding the young
applies to all the pigeon family.

WooDPIGEONS AT WESTMINSTER.

_ From an instantaneous photograph.

+ inoaking 5 tea
: joe s :
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‘HOUIM GTO NI AIOH PNILSAN YNIVAING GUld AIVNAA *SHAOd HOOLS

The Stock Dove. De

CHAPTER V.
Pre aohOCK DOVE.

(Columba enas.)

E were walking one day along a-grassy ride in

a forest, flanked on either side by spreading

oaks and beeches, the tall stems of which rose high
above the rich undergrowth of hollies, while here
and there a gnarled old birch stood apart from the
rest. Pursuing our way along the mossy track we
carefully examined each tree, and presently observed
high up in the trunk of a decaying birch a large
round hole. There was no response as we tapped at
the base of the stem, so taking a dead branch, lying
hard by, we threw it up at the hole, and immediately
out peeped the head and shoulders of a Stock Dove.
No sooner did the bird appear than it saw us, and
after a moment’s hesitation darted with a rush and

54 Forest Birds.

a whirr out of the hole, and noisily beating its wings
together once or twice, was off down the ride like a
flash. Climbing up the tree, we found a large cavity,
in which was the Stock Dove’s nest, composed of a
few sticks, upon which were placed two glossy white
egos.

In wooded country the Stock Dove nests in the
holes of old or pollard trees, and has no preference
for a position high up or low down, for in some cases
we have seen its nests in holes five feet off the
ground, and in others as many as sixty feet up the
trunk. The same tree, however, is often resorted to
from year to year for nesting, and thus, if the hole
is very large, the nest is gradually increased in
thickness.

One nest, which we particularly remember, was
built in a hollow beech tree, and consisted of a mass
of sticks some three or four feet deep—no doubt the
accumulation of many years, Upon the top of this
great pile a Stock Dove was sitting, using a hole on
one side of the tree as an entrance to the nest; while
on the other side, and about a foot below, was another
hole, through which a tawny owl entered to its nest,
made in a cavity of the same mass of sticks. Taking
a stand at the base of the tree just beneath the owl,
and looking up through a crevice, the Stock Dove

could be seen on the nest above. This strange partner-

The Stock Dove. oD

ship was the more remarkable as the Stock Dove is
abroad during the day, while the owl isa night feeder,
and thus, when the young were hatched, there could
have been but little rest in either home. Notwith-
standing their different habits and dispositions, both
birds went about their duties peaceably, and did not
seem inclined to molest one another.

The Stock Dove does not always nest in trees, but,
like other birds and animals, adapts its habits to
the surrounding circumstances. Hence we find it
breeding in considerable numbers in the open tree-
less country in some parts of England and Scotland,
more especially on the eastern coasts near the sea-
shore. There being no trees in sueh districts, the
Stock Dove has to find some convenient place in
which to rear its young, and often uses a deserted
rabbit burrow as a nesting place, laying its eggs,
sometimes on a few sticks, but often on the bare
ground, about a yard inside the hole. Occasionally
one may find a nest under a thick furze bush.

Two broods are reared in the year, the first eggs
being laid at the end of March or the beginning of
April. The eggs are pure white, and almost iden-
tical in size and shape with those of a domestic
pigeon. Both parents take their turn at the nest,
and sit very closely for seventeen days, when the
young are hatched. When about four or five days

56 Forest Birds.

old, the squeakers are considered a great delicacy,
and if reared by hand from the nest, they become
very tame.

Buds, green leaves, seeds of plants and trees, such
as acorns and beechmast, and grains of various kinds
form the chief food of the Stock Dove, but being a
much shyer and rarer bird than the woodpigeon, it
does not invade our gardens and carry off the fruit.
In autumn and winter, however, Stock Doves often
join the flocks of woodpigeons, which cause so much
devastation in the cornfields.

This bird’s note, unlike other members of the pigeon
tribe, is harsh and unmusical. It resembles the
syllables ‘‘ coo-hoo,” the last one being accentuated ;
and when this note is uttered in a wood it might
almost be mistaken for the distant bark of a dog,
so gruff is the sound.

The Stock Dove is very local in its distribution,
being plentiful in some districts, and rare, or entirely
absent, in others. It is abundant in certain localities
in most of the midland and southern counties of
England, but becomes rarer on the whole farther
north ; although of late years it has been increasing
rapidly, and having spread northwards considerably,
has now become numerous in several counties in
Scotland. In some parts of the country it remains

all the year round, while in others it is migratory,

The Stock Dove. BZ

leaving its breeding haunts about the end of
October.

The Stock Dove is fourteen inches in length from
the tip of the beak to the end of the tail, and its
stretch of wing is twenty-six inches. Its general
colouring is bluish-grey. The head, wings, and back
are of this colour, and the tail is the same, but
tipped with leaden grey. Some dark spots on the
wing feathers form an irregular bar across the
wing, whilst the sides of the neck are glossy,
iridescent green. The top of the breast is of a
delicate wine-red hue, on account of which the bird
has received the scientific name enas, from the
Greek oivos—wine.

The female, as is the case in most of the pigeon
family, is smaller and less brilliant than the male,
but otherwise resembles her mate. Young birds,
before their first moult, may be distinguished from
older birds by the absence of the metallic colour on
the neck.

It was once erroneously supposed that this bird
was the parent stock, from which our domestic
pigeons sprang, and hence some thought that it
had thus acquired the name of Stock Dove. But it
undoubtedly received its name from the habit of
nesting in the stocks or trunks of trees. The rock
pigeon (Columba livia) is, without doubt, the

58 Forest Birds.

species from which our domestic pigeons are
derived. It differs but slightly from the Stock
Dove in size and colouring, but in its habits it
is widely dissimilar. The rock pigeon is an
inhabitant of wild rocky coasts, building in caves
and cliffs, very often in large companies. These
birds never settle on a tree, and the fact that
domestic pigeons will never do so of their own
accord, goes far to prove that they have sprung
from the rock pigeon and not from the Stock Dove,
whose home is in the trees. Again, when domestic
pigeons are let loose, and gradually “ hark back ” to
nature, they invariably resort to cliffs or stone
buildings, and breed in companies, whereas had
they sprung from the Stock Dove, they would build
in trees and go in pairs. Although we have said
that the rock pigeon and Stock Dove are very
similar in plumage, there is one striking mark on
the rock pigeon—a white patch of feathers on the
back just above the tail, which is peculiar to this
bird alone, thus distinguishing it from other wild
pigeons found in this country. When we examine
the common sorts of domestic pigeons, and especially
those to be found in the neighbourhood of all our
great buildings in London, which have gradually
regained almost their natural state, we see at once

that the majority of them possess this white patch

The Stock Dove. 59

of feathers above the tail, a further proof, if proof is
needed, of their having sprung from the rock
pigeon, and not from the Stock Dove.

THE Rock Pigeon (C, liviu).

From nature.

60 Forest Birds.

CHAPTER V4.

THE SPARRO@-HAW EK:

(Accipiter nisus.)

E were standing one hot summer day on the
skirts of a pine forest, intently watching a
spotted woodpecker at work on a neighbouring tree,
when suddenly there appeared beyond the woodpecker
a dark object which looked like a ball or stone
hurled through the air. It increased rapidly in size,
and as it approached and became more distinct we
saw that it was a Sparrow-hawk, which, with closed
wings, was coming with the swiftness of an arrow
straight for the woodpecker.

Quite ignorant of the near approach of its
formidable foe, the woodpecker was busily pecking
at the bark of the tree in search of the msects
which form its daily food, but when the hawk was

- el oe la a ——

“A218 [DINGDU YAINOf-2U0 IN0gF *alngnw WoT
‘SONG UAH UAAOO OL LAOMV AUIM AIVNAA : SHMVH-MOUUVAS

The Sparrow-hawk. 63

within a yard of the unconscious bird, it suddenly
stopped its headlong career by gracefully spreading
its wings, and gliding past its intended victim, was
soon lost to sight over the trees. We can only
imagine that it saw us just before it reached the
bird, or, more probably, that it thought the feat too
risky to snap its prey off the trunk without damage
to itself. At all events the woodpecker was saved,
and when we looked back to the spot where it was
clinging a moment before, it had disappeared, and
we saw it no more.

The Sparrow-hawk may more often be seen in the
- open than in the woods. It glides swiftly along the
hedgerows, darting from one side to the other
through a gap or over a gate, and woe betide any
bird or rabbit the hawk surprises. With unerring
aim it darts at its victim, transfixing it with its
deadly talons, and should its prey endeavour to seek
safety in flight, it is immediately overtaken and
struck down. Sometimes the hawk does not at first
find its quarry ; then it will often abruptly check its
rapid flight, and alighting on some neighbouring
bough, it stands erect and motionless. Soon the
little birds which have hitherto kept hidden and
silent in the hedge for fear of their enemy, begin to
chirp and flit about, but the Sparrow-hawk is on the
watch, and marking one out from the little flock,

64 Forest Birds.

suddenly hurls itself at it like a stone from a catapult,
never failing to strike its mark. Sometimes as it
_ glides over the top of a hedge it will hover for a
moment as though suspended in the air, seemingly
not quite sure if it were a bird or twig that it caught
sight of in the hedge below. When chasing its prey
this hawk is very bold and persistent, often dashing
after some small bird into the thickest part of a
hedge, or even through an open window. ‘The bird
figured on the right-hand side of the accompanying
plate was stunned by dashing itself against a
window while chasing a small bird, which suddenly
dodged aside. .

We well remember just at dawn one morning in
the middle of winter, whilst we were lying in wait
for duck and geese on the marsh, hearing a shrill
screaming behind us, and turning round we saw,
through the morning mist, a redshank flying rapidly
towards us, and just behind, following its every turn,
was a Sparrow-hawk. So intent were they upon
their race that both birds passed right over us. We
fired at the hawk, but although we did not bring it
to the ground our shot so disconcerted it, that it gave
up the chase, and the redshank escaped.

The Sparrow-hawk seizes its prey with both feet,
and devours it upon the ground. <A heap of feathers
and the skeleton of a bird are often seen in some

The Sparrow-hawk. 65

quiet place under a tree or bush —unmistakable signs
that a hawk has dined there. Small birds or rabbits
form its chief food, but we are sorry to say that this
lovely bird of prey is one of the few that the keeper or
farmer is justified in slaying, for it cannot be denied
that partridges, young pheasants, and leverets all
fall victims to its prowess, and when the claims of
a family press it sorely, it will even invade the
farmyard, and snatching up a chicken, be away
before the alarm is raised.

The name “ Sparrow-hawk ” was undoubtedly
given to this bird on account of its preying so
largely on small birds, such as finches, larks and
others, which were in olden days all covered by the
general name of sparrow, but we are not aware that
it has any special liking for the house-sparrow. We
once heard, however, of two Sparrow-hawks being
caught by some bird-catchers with clap-nets in which
they were taking sparrows.

It is a curious fact, that although so desperately
afraid of this hawk, a troop of small birds, clamour-
ing loudly all the while, will often follow the
enemy when he has just carried off one of their
comrades. It is difficult to discover a reason for this
sudden change from cowardice to courage. A mo-
ment before, these same little birds were crouching

in the hedge half paralyzed with fear at the sight

66 Forest Birds.

of the hawk, and now they are even following it. <A
mad frenzy, perhaps, suddenly seizes on them, and
fear forsakes them momentarily, or, may be, numbers
give them courage. Possibly they know that the
hawk, encumbered with one of their number, cannot
seize another. In olden days, this hawk was much
prized by falconers, being flown at partridges and
quails, and it is still used in foreign countries for
such purpose.

Next to the kestrel, the Sparrow-hawk is the
most widely distributed of all our hawks. It delights
in a wooded country, and may be found in such
districts throughout England. Im Scotland it is
common, save in the rocky isles of the Hebrides,
Orkneys and Shetlands, where it is very rarely found.
In Ireland, too, wherever there are suitable woods it
lives and breeds.

The nest is usually built by the bird itself, but
sometimes the old or deserted nest of a crow or
woodpigeon is patched up and used as a nesting-place.
It is composed of sticks, and lined with fine twigs,
grass and a few feathers. The one figured in the
accompanying plate was placed at the end of
a beech-bough about seventy feet from the ground—
a dizzy climb. It was very slightly made, and
evidently belonged to a pair of young birds, as they
are not so careful as the older ones in making their

The Sparrow-hawk. 67

nest. It is invariably placed in a tree, and usually
at a great height.

The eggs, which are from three to five in number, are
laid at intervals of two days. They are very striking
in appearance, being of bluish-white in ground colour,
and boldly marked with large biotches of bright chest-
- nut. The markings vary considerably in extent and
outline. The young are hatched in from five to six
weeks, and during this time the female sits very
closely. When first hatched the young are covered
with yellowish down. They eat voraciously, and are
well supplied with food by the parent birds, which
often surround and even cover the nest with their
captives, both feathered and furred. -The female is
very bold and fearless when she has young, and on
returning with food to her offspring she often falls
a victim to a shot from the keeper, who is lying
hidden beneath the nest. The male bird is much
more shy, and more difficult to bring to book, and,
although he continues to feed the young after the
death of his mate, if he should scent danger, he will
drop food into the nest from above, to satisfy the
cravings of the hungry brood.

The young may be easily reared, and they become
very tame in captivity. When they are growing
strong, however, the females should be kept from

the males, because, as is the case in most of the

68 Forest Birds.

Raptores, or birds of prey, the female is much larger
and stronger than the male, and will soon demolish
him when they are confined to a cage. Of all the
Raptores the Sparrow-hawk is most conspicuous for
the difference in the size of the sexes, the average
female weighing nine ounces to the six ounces of the
average male, and measuring fifteen inches in length
to the twelve inches of the male. The difference in
the plumage of male and female is not so marked
as their size. The male is brighter and handsomer
than the female, but its general colouring is much
the same. Its upper parts are dark bluish-grey and
the nape of the neck has an irregular band of white
spots. The tail is grey, barred with brown, while the
under parts are dull white, beautifully marked with
transverse bars of reddish-brown. The irides are
bright orange, and the legs and feet, which are
very slender, are of a lemon yellow (Fig. 13).

The wing of the Sparrow-hawk is comparatively
short ; and it is rounded in shape, the longest quill
feather being placed fourth from the end (Fig. 14).
In a wing of this formation there is usually an
interspace between each feather at its extremity,
through which the air escapes as the bird makes
a downward stroke with the wing; and, moreover,
a good deal of the air, which is collecting under the

wing when it is forced downwards must necessarily

The Sparrow-hawk. 69

escape at the rounded end, that is, at right angles
to the bird. But it is the air which escapes at the

Fig. 13.
Foot of Sparrow-hawk, showing slender toes, and strong, curved claws.
From nature. Natural size.

back of the wing that is the means of the bird’s
propulsion, and, therefore, the air which passes at
the end of the wing is useless for this purpose.

On the other hand, when we examine the wing of
a sharp-winged hawk, such as a Merlin ( Fig. 15),
we see at once that the air cannot escape at the end,
since it comes to a point, and therefore it must all
be forced to the back of the wing, the yielding
nature of which allows the air to lift up the ends
of the feathers, and thus push the bird forward.

The round wing of the Sparrow-hawk, therefore,
prevents it from overtaking a quick-flying bird in a
long chase, and hence its stealthy habits when

E

Forest Birds.

70

Fic. 14.
Rounded Wing of Sparrow-hawk.

From natwre.

One-third natural size.

Fie. 15.
Sharp Wing of Merlin.

One-third natural size.

From nature.

The Sparrow-hawk. vill

hunting its prey; while the sharp-winged, and
consequently fast-flying Merlin is bolder in its
tactics, hunting its prey in the open field, and
seemingly delighting to chase and overcome the
fastest flying birds.

There are many ways of obtaining hawks, but
perhaps “ hawk calling” is the most effective. The
call is made of two pieces of hard wood fitted
together, with a strip of thin birch bark between them.

When this little instrument is properly blown, it
gives forth a sound very much like the ery of a
buzzard, which seems to attract hawks of all kinds.
Rising early, we have often gone to some small
hollow, and covering it with green boughs, have
crept underneath with our gun and call. Although
there was not a hawk in sight for miles around, yet
within five or ten minutes of our first call we catch
sight of one skimming by. Crouching motionless
we call again, and soon see the hawk alight on
a neighbouring tree. It is too far off for a shot,
So we wait patiently and give another cry. Others
now appear, and it is not long before several have
fallen to our gun. But if we accidentally make
a false note or call, or incautiously raise our head
above the boughs, the hawks immediately detect
the trap and take to flight, not to be seen in the
same spot again that day.

72 Forest Birds.

CHAPTER Vit.

2 Ee WV

(Strix aluco.)

HE sun has set, and the moon, just rising above
the trees, casts dense shadows across our path
as we are walking along a sombre glade in the
forest. All nature is hushed, save for the occasional
drone of a beetle, or flit of a moth, when suddenly,
from a distant clump of trees, a loud cry sounds
forth. We crouch down and remain perfectly still;
then the melancholy notes are repeated, and a little
further off an answering cry is heard. The sound
gradually draws nearer, until at length it is loudly
uttered just over our heads, and looking up into
the branches above us we catch a glimpse, by the
light from the moon, of a Tawny Owl gliding
through the trees.

"aZ1S 1D.INIDU YQINOf-aU0 JNogPR °aingnu WOT
‘XINNUL MUX MOTION NI SONA ONIAVAT GUM AIVNAA : SIMO ANMVEL

The Tawny Ovl. 75

This bird’s cry, or rather hoot, resembles the
syllables “‘ whoo-whoo-whooo-oo0,” the first two being
very short, while the next is prolonged and finishes
up with a short “oo.” It is a very mellow sound ;
and, except occasionally, it is not heard to screech.
One of its scientific synonyms is Ulula aluco, being
derived from the Latin wlulare, to ery like a wolf,
and this word partially imitates both the cry of the
wolf and of this Owl; Strix aluco is perhaps the
more correct name.

The Tawny Owl is also called the Brown Owl and
Wood Owl, the two first titles being descriptive of
its tawny brown plumage, the last of its haunts.
A thickly-wooded district in England or Wales is
almost sure to have its Brown Owls. It is also fairly
common in the South of Scotland, but in Ireland it
has not yet been found.

To those who do not care to roam through the
woods at night, this bird is, no doubt, little known,
for it is not often seen in the daytime. All day it
hides in the recesses of the forest, perhaps in the
hole of a tree; or sometimes it may be detected
seated on a branch nearly touching an old squirrel’s
nest, and it then requires a sharp eye to distinguish
it from the nest itself. Strong light affects the sight
of the Wood Owl exceedingly, rendering it almost
blind, and it seems as much at a loss when abroad

76 Forest Birds.

in the daytime as a jay would be at night. It
screws up its eyes and blinks in the most curious
manner, and on being disturbed, flies about in
an aimless way, and thus attracts the attention of
other birds, and by no means pleasantly; for in a
very few moments after it has been frightened from
its roosting-place, a jay or missel thrush will find it
out, and begin to screech and hiss at it. These
birds quickly increase in numbers, and presently
the owl will be surrounded by a “ mobbing flock,”
all keeping, however, at a respectful distance from
the object of their hatred, for every now and then
the owl will make a dart at one of his tormentors,
and snap his beak loudly as the smaller bird
evades it.

The plumage of the Tawny Owl varies consider-
ably in shade of colour, according to the age and sex
of the specimen. The female bird is always larger
and usually much more tawny than the male, and
indeed this fact led to its once being considered a
distinct species. In the male, the back and head
and the upper sides of the wings and tail are a
brownish grey of various shades, with several large
white spots on the wing coverts. The under parts are
dull white in ground colour, with brown markings.

As will be seen in the illustration, the eyes are
very large and perfectly black. They are sur-

The Tawny Ouvl. 77

rounded as it were by a disk of bristly feathers,
which gives the bird’s face a very solemn and
staring appearance. The Dill, which is surrounded
with bristles, is large and powerful. The upper
mandible is longer than the lower, and being curved

ible
|

| tl blr .

MH Whi a NS

Fie. 16.
Foot of Tawny Owl.
From nature. Natural size.

downwards at the end, it forms an excellent hook,
with which the bird tears and carries its prey. The
legs of the Tawny Owl are covered with short white
feathers, and the feet have four toes, two pointing
backwards and two forwards. (Fig.16.) These are

78 Forest Birds.

armed with strong curved claws, and the bird having
an exceedingly powerful grasp, the curved claws are
an additional help to it in securing its prey.

The plumage is abundant, and so very soft that
the bird flies in perfect silence, and steals unawares
on its prey. Voles, rats, mice, shrews, moles,
squirrels, small birds, and even insects are pounced
upon by this prowler of the night. The prey is
seized with the feet, and borne, either in the beak
or claws, to a place of safety. The owl then devours
it entire—bones, fur or feathers—and by a beautiful
economy of nature, when the digestible portion is
absorbed, the bird rejects the remainder in the form
of a pellet, which is vomited up. These pellets,
grey in colour, are about the shape and size of an
emperor moth’s cocoon (Fig. 17), and when macerated
in water, they are often found to contain three or
more entire skeletons of mice, together with the fur.
They may be picked up in open ground, or under a
tree frequented by owls.

This beautiful and most useful bird is still much
persecuted by the gamekeeper and farmer, notwith-
standing all that has been said im its favour,
Occasionally the Tawny Owl may take a young
rabbit. Why should we grudge him this, when we
consider the vast numbers of mice and rats that he

consumes? Gamekeepers have said that they have

The Tawny Ovl. 79

seen this owl among their young pheasants, and have
therefore shot it; but it has been proved more than
once by dissection that the bird was merely catching
the mice and rats, which were feeding on the corn
left by the young pheasants.

Its usual nesting-place is a hollow tree, but some-
times the disused nest of a crow, magpie, or jackdaw
is selected, and we once found their eggs in the top
of a fir tree, the branches of which were naturally

Jer

VE ae

Pellet of Tawny Owl, showing bones, ete. Outside covering
partially washed away.

From nature, Natural size.

interwoven, thus forming a sort of platform. These
birds make no nest, and if a hole in a tree is chosen
the eggs are laid upon the wood dust at the bottom
of the hole, while a quantity of pellets, and a few
feathers are usually found intermixed with the wood
dust. They resort to the same nesting-place year
after year. The eggs are nearly round and perfectly
white, and from three to five are laid. The bird

80 Forest Birds.

commences to sit as soon as the first egg is laid, so
that there is often a considerable difference in the
age of the young ones found in the same nest. They
are hatched in three weeks, and are blind for the
first few days.

An owlet of a few weeks old is a most grotesque
object. It is covered with greyish down, and out of
this downy ball appear two large eyes and a beak.
If one should look into the nest the owlets snap their
beaks and hiss courageously. However, until they
begin to get their feathers the snapping bill has no
strength, and the finger may be put harmlessly into
the mouth. Owlets are very easily reared, and
become very tame in captivity, although treacherous
at times as they get older. They may be fed when
very young on sopped bread and snails, and when
older on almost any uncooked flesh, but young
birds and mice are especially relished.

Although the Tawny Owl can live for a long time
without water, he, nevertheless, enjoys a bath
immensely. Standing in the water, he spreads out
his wings and tail and throws it in showers all over
himself. He emerges from his bath the very picture
of bedraggled misery, but soon dries himself by
vigorous pluming.

The old birds defend their voung very courage-
ously. A man known to us was savagely attacked

The Tawny Ovl. 81

by the parent bird, while climbing a tree with the
intention of taking some owlets. Hearing his
approach, the owl flew out of her nest and struck the
unfortunate man with both feet, piercing, with the
long sharp claw, one of his eyes, so that he lost the
sight of it, and all but inflicting the same injury on
the other eye.

Should the hoot of the Tawny Owl be heard no
more, our woods would lose one of their chief charms
by night, and if this useful bird is exterminated, the
farmer will soon find that he has lost one of his best
friends.

82 Forest Birds.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE. WAetEREEN:

(Gallinula chloropus.)

S the sun was rising one grey spring
morning, we were making our way along the
reed-grown banks of a sluggish little river, and,
as always is the case at this time of the day, all
nature was actively engaged. A water-rat was
the first living creature to attract our attention
as it sat upon its haunches eating some green
food, all unconscious of our presence. A quack,
quack above our head caused us to look up, and
we saw an old mallard flying by, and soon after,
as we came to a_ bend in the stream, we
almost trod upon its mate, which rose with a whirr,
disclosing at our feet a lovely nest of down con-

taining ten green eggs. Nothing more charming

“9218 [DINIDU YAANOf-9W0 JNOQH *alNzDU WONT
‘LSHUN AHL ONIAVAT ATIHLIVALS GUId AIVNAA : SNAHUALVM

LOow

RASS

The Waterhen. 85

could be conceived than the beautiful down inter-
woven with dry reeds of which the nest was
composed, with here and there a bright green blade
of grass shooting through it.

As we turned round to continue our way, a dark
coloured object floating on the stream caught our
eye, and seeing that it was a bird we dropped on
our knees, and watched it under cover of some tall
flags. As the bird began to swim about, we saw that
it was a Waterhen, or Moorhen as it is often called.
It swam with a jerky motion, going from side to
side in a restless manner, and moving its head
backwards and forwards as it proceeded, every now
and then dipping its head into the water in pursuit
of some small fish or insect. At length it dived
down and disappeared from view, and, as we watched,
it suddenly emerged quite close to the bank, up
which it climbed. A bird so clever in the water
is usually clumsy on land, but not so the Waterhen.
It walked about neatly and quickly, nodding its
head and bobbing its tail all the while, each time
displaying its white under-feathers.

Evidently the food it had obtained in the water
had not satisfied its appetite, for a slug or worm was
every now and then found and captured; then a
piece of grass or some grain was plucked up and
eaten. We had been watching its graceful move-

86 Forest Birds.

ments for some time, when suddenly our companion
—a young retriever—rushed after it. We called
him back in vain, and as soon as the Waterhen
discovered that it was being pursued, it took to
flight. So straight and low did it fly that as it
reached the water its legs, which were hanging
down, trailed along the surface, leaving a track of
bubbles. The bird did not fly far, but soon dropped
into the water, and when the retriever saw this he,
too, jumped in, and then began a race between dog
and bird, the one for enjoyment, the other for life.

The Waterhen resorted to every conceivable
artifice in its attempt to elude its persistent pursuer.
It dived and swam under water, coming up at the
most unexpected spots, and sometimes only just
putting its head out of the water to take a breath
of air, it dived down again; then, half sinking, it
swam along, with only its head and neck and the top
of its back above the water, hoping thus to escape
notice, but in vain, for the dog gradually got nearer
and nearer to its prey.

At length, as a last resource, the plucky little bird
ran into a clump of reeds, out of which it refused
to be driven. But the retriever’s blood was up,
and he was not to be so easily beaten. Disappear-
ing into the bed of reeds, he began to make a
systematic hunt for his quarry, and presently a

The Waterhen. 87

scuffle was heard, and then the puppy’s brown head
appeared, and in his mouth was the Waterhen, alive
and unharmed!

The Waterhen belongs to the rail family (Rallide),
the members of which have not webbed feet, though
several of them have either partially webbed feet, or
are provided with an analogous growth to aid them

Fie. 18.
Foot of Waterhen, showing membrane at side of toes.
From nature. Natural size.

in swimming. ‘I'he Waterhen has on both sides of each
of its toes a narrow membrane (Fig. 18), which expands
as the foot strikes the water, thus greatly enlarging
the width of the toes, and affording the foot a
sreater resistance against the water. Moreover,

when swimming under water it uses both wings and

88 Forest Birds.

legs, moving its wings up and down exactly as in
flight, but with a slower motion, on account of the
resistance of water being greater than that of air.

The feet are very large and the toes long for the
size of the bird, giving it an awkward appearance.
The usefulness of these overgrown members, how-
ever, is soon apparent when we watch the bird
gliding over reeds and rushes, and threading its way
in and out through a labyrinth of flags. The bird
walks with perfect ease over huge networks of reeds,
which have laced themselves together after the
growth of years, its large feet preventing it from
slipping through the ‘‘ meshes.”

Although the Waterhen is an inhabitant of reed
and rush-grown ponds, streams and marshy spots,
it is nevertheless often called the Moorhen, and it
no doubt received this name from the fact that the
word “moor” once signified a marsh; but as now
by “moor” we understand heathy and more or less
dry land, the Waterhen seems to be a more appro-
priate name. Moreover, the red grouse is sometimes
called the moorcock or moorfowl, and may therefore
be confused with Moorhen.

It is very generally distributed over the British
Isles, and the same birds usually remain summer
and winter on the water they frequent; but if frost
drives them from their native place, they migrate

The Waterhen. 89

for a time to running streams and tidal rivers. By
nature the Waterhen is very shy and unobtrusive,
and although it often becomes semi-domesticated
on a piece of water near a house, and will even feed
with tame ducks when corn is thrown down, never-
theless it always appears to distrust human beings,
and never quite loses its native shyness. Owing,
perhaps, to this shy nature, we seldom hear the bird
make any sound in the day-time, but when the sun
has set and the soft twilight reigns, its loud call-
note ‘‘ crek-rek-rek’’ may be heard repeatedly.

The Waterhen chooses very varied situations in
which to build its nest. A clump of reeds or rushes
is the favourite position, but the branches of a tree,
which overhang and touch the water, are often used
to support the nest—a very precarious position, since
any rising in the stream would swamp the nest.
Sometimes it may be found in a branch of a tree ten
or twelve feet from the ground, and at others, on the
top of some mass of débris at the side of a pond.

But wherever the nest may be placed, its owner
makes no attempt to conceal it, although on leaving
the eggs it will often cover them over with débris, in
the hope that they will not be discovered.

The nest is built of dead reeds and rushes, with
some finer material, such as broken pieces of reeds,
at the top. Although the shape of the nest is

F

90 Forest Birds.

generally flat and long, we once found one which
was round and deep, and which, strange to say, was
composed entirely of leaves and grass.

The eggs are six to eight in number, and of a dull
white colour speckled all over with reddish-brown.
Two and sometimes three broods are reared in a
season, so that, although the Waterhen may be
called a careless nest builder, it cannot be said to be
an idle mother.

The first eggs are generally laid early in April, and
in three weeks the young are hatched. When hatched,
the young birds have the appearance of fluffy balls of
black down, and they immediately take to the water,
swimming about and diving with perfect ease. In
the evening the old bird may often be seen brooding
the young in the nest, with perhaps one or more of
her chicks on her back. When they are big enough
to fly, however, they accompany their parents to
roost in the bushes and trees near the water.

The eggs of this bird can be hatched under a hen ;
when the young are so reared they become very tame,
and may be kept in an aviary or on ornamental water.

The female is slightly larger, and a little brighter
in colour than the male, but otherwise she resembles
her mate, while the young birds of the year have
green beaks and are lighter in colour than the mature
birds. The upper parts of the male are of a glossy

The Waterhen. 91

olive-brown, so dark that at a distance the bird
appears to be almost black. The under parts are
dark slate-grey shading down toa clouded white,
while there are streaks of the same colour on the
flanks. The under-feathers of the tail are white,
contrasting with the almost black upper-feathers.
The iris and bill are red, and the bill is rendered still
more striking by a bright yellow tip. The legs, which
are of a pale green, have a bright red band just above
the so-called knee. It may here be said that what is
generally known as the knee of a bird is in reality
the tarsal or ankle joint; the knee joint being higher
up and concealed by skin and feathers. The part of
the leg of a bird from the tarsal or ankle joint to the
toes may, therefore, be taken to represent our foot.

CHICK OF THE WATERHEN. From nature.

92 Forest Birds.

CHARICE -LX,

PoE. ARTISTIC =e ROUPING “ame
SUPP ED. Si. DS:

HE setting up of birds, with their nests and
egos, or young, as we find them in their natural
haunts, is an art of comparatively recent date.

To the late Mr. E. T. Booth is ascribed the honour
of having been the originator of the idea, and we
have only to look at the cases of birds in the Booth
Museum, on the Dyke Road, Brighton, to see not
only how realistically, but how artistically that idea
has been carried out.

Groups of both land and sea birds are exhibited
in the above-mentioned museum, and the majority
of the specimens which the cases there contain
are as perfect as it is possible to procure them.

The means adopted, however, in obtaining such

The Artistic Grouping of Stuffed Birds. 93

perfect specimens were, without doubt, unduly ex-
travagant, as we are given to understand that the
late Mr. Booth often killed a score or more of birds
of the same species, from which to select four or so
of the best to furnish specimens for his case.

The grouping and setting up of the shore birds
are especially beautiful, and of these we might
mention a case of Sanderlings as worthy of special
notice. Four or five birds are grouped in various
and most natural attitudes along a piece of sandy
beach, from which the sea has evidently just receded,
leaving a line of dark wet sand, contrasting with
the white dry sand above high-water mark. The
subject is simple, but the effect is charming. The
cases of land birds in this museum are not, we
think, so happy, and perhaps the reason for this
may be found in the fact that the late Mr. Booth
would use no natural material in the cases, imagining
that it would decay in course of time. He deter-
mined to make everything as lasting as possible,
and accordingly all the trunks and boughs of trees
were made of papier mdché, the result being, in the
majority of instances, an artifical appearance,
especially noticeable in the case containing the
Green Woodpeckers.

The cases in the Natural History Museum at
South Kensington afford an ample proof of the

94, Forest Birds.

lasting properties of natural materials, when they
are properly preserved, and kept in air-tight cases.
All the wood in the numerous beautiful cases at
South Kensington is the “real thing.” We know
from the best authority that some of the pieces of
wood containing nests were in a bad state of decay
when obtained, and that in one instance (the
Crested Tit) the tree was falling to pieces, and
actually crumbled when touched ; but now, by means
of clever preserving with liquid glass, gum, and
other materials, these pieces of wood, although they
still have the appearance of a decaying tree, are
likely to last for centuries.

The method employed in our great National
Museum for obtaining the contents of the cases,
and the after part, which is quite as important, viz.,
the setting up of the groups, is calculated to give
the most natural, and therefore, asa rule, the most
artistic results. Some landed proprietor, perhaps,
sends word to the authorities at the museum that he
has on his estate a pair of birds, nest and eggs, or
young, of some particular species, of which the
‘museum is in need. Collectors are then sent to the
spot, and they obtain the nest and eggs, or the
young, and the two parent birds. The immediate
surroundings of the nest are also taken, even the

very grass or reeds in which it was situated, and

The Artistic Grouping of Stuffed Birds. 95

should it be placed in a tree, the branch or portion
of the trunk in which it is built is cut out, and the
whole is then conveyed bodily to the museum.

Under the able direction of Dr. A. Giinther, F.R.S.,
who takes the greatest interest in personally super-
vising this part of the work, the group is carefully
arranged and set up exactly as it was found in
nature. In some instances there are not many
difficulties to overcome, and as an example of a
comparatively easy group to “set up,” we might
mention the case of Spotted Woodpeckers, which is
merely a twigless, leafless piece of trunk, having in
it the woodpecker’s hole, sawn off the tree, with
the birds stuffed and placed upon it; but the beauty
of a case chiefly les in the attitude and grouping of
the birds, which here are certainly perfect.

Skilful experts prepare the wood with various
chemicals, rendering it impervious both to insects
and decay. Leaves and flowers always present diffi-
culties, because, as a rule, they cannot be preserved
sufficiently well to appear fresh and “growing.”
Artificial leaves and flowers must therefore be
generally used, and in the Natural History Museum
these are all modelled in wax—a very costly process,
but one by which the best results are obtained.
Natural grasses and reeds, when properly dried and
coloured, can be made to appear very life-like, but if

96 Forest Birds.

a few sprays made in wax are introduced here and
there, an approach to natural brightness is at once
produced. In the groups of ducks, which are set up
amongst reeds and grasses in the most natural
manner, the artists at the South Kensington Museum
have been especially successful; and considering the
beauty of the cases exhibited in this museum, and
their educational value, it is a pity that compara-
tively so few people avail themselves of the oppor-
tunity thus offered of studying the habits and
appearance of the birds, which are there exhibited
in their natural breeding haunts.

Although an amateur can readily obtain the
branch of a tree or shrub, upon which a bird has
built its nest, he cannot always cut down a tree, in
order to obtain a piece of the trunk, in which some
wood-boring bird has its nest. Nevertheless, with a
little trouble, the few square inches of the tree
which are of primary importance, if the group is to
be set up naturally, can usually be obtained, viz.—
_ the entrance to the hole and its immediate
surroundings. The remaining portion of the trunk,
which is required for the case, can then be made up
upon a foundation of wood and brown paper. It
must be built up piece by piece of natural bark,
which is always obtainable, and moulded to the
desired form. This method is very tedious, but

The Artistic Grouping of Stuffed Birds. 97

when the bark is used in very small flakes or pieces,
and the joins are properly concealed with lichens and
moss, it looks as solid as a piece of the actual
tree trunk ; and the work has this great advantage—
it weighs but little. When once the technical
difficulties are conquered, the amateur usually has a
great advantage over the professional, for he spends
much more time on his subject, and works on until
he has obtained a resemblance to nature. The work
of the professional, as a rule, has little artistic merit,
and to set up a bird in its natural surroundings
successfully, this is undoubtedly required. Birds
which have been cased by professionals are
almost invariably surrounded with grasses, bulrushes,
and ferns, mixed up together in the most incon-
gruous way, and in utter defiance of the laws of
nature, whilst to set up a group naturally, the
greatest possible care must be used to prevent any
combination, which would be contrary to these laws.
The birds must be in the right plumage—many
birds are totally different in summer and winter;
the nest must be in a natural position; the leaves or
flowers must be in the stage of growth corresponding
with the time of year at which the bird builds, and a
great many other minor details must be carefully
attended to. And here let us say a word for
photography as an aid to the naturalist. A note

98 Forest Birds.

book is indispensable, but minute details cannot be
noted down, whilst a photograph, however bad it
may be as a picture, gives a lasting impression of
the position of the nest, eggs, and young, and their
surroundings, which can always be referred to when
the group is being cased.

Above all, let the abominably unnatural ‘“‘pro-
fessional case,” which teaches nothing of the habits
of the birds it contains, be abhorred, and let the
beautiful creatures, whose lives we have taken, be so
grouped in their native haunts, that they may afford

pleasurable instruction to everyone who sees them.

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