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sitting on the handle of a plough and devouring a fish; it used to precipitate itself into the water, and so take its prey by surprise.

*

A great ash-coloured butcher-bird was shot last winter in Tisted Park, and a red-backed butcher-bird at Selborne. They are scarce birds in this country.

Crowst go in pairs the whole year round.

Cornish choughs abound, and breed on Beechy Head, and on all the cliffs of the Sussex coast.§

The common wild pigeon,|| or stock-dove, is a bird of passage in the south of England, seldom appearing till towards the end of November,—is usually the latest winter bird of passage. Before our beechen woods were so much destroyed, we had myriads of them, reaching in strings for a mile together, as they went out in a morning to feed. They leave us early in spring. Where do they breed?

The people of Hampshire and Sussex call the missel-bird¶ the storm-cock,** because it sings early in the spring, in blowing, showery weather. Its song often commences with the year: with us it builds much in orchards.

A gentleman assures me he has taken the nests of ringousels†† on Dartmoor; they build in banks on the sides of streams.

Titlarks‡‡ not only sing sweetly as they sit on trees, but also as they play and toy about on the wing; and particularly while they are descending, and sometimes as they stand on the ground.§§

Adamson's testimony seems to me to be a very poor evidence that European swallows migrate¶¶ during our winter

*British Zoology, p. 161. +Ibid. p. 167. + Ibid. p. 198. § Cornish choughs abound in the Isle of Man, and breed there. They are also found on the Galloway and Kirkcudbright coasts.-W. J.

British Zoology, vol. i. p. 216.

Ibid. vol. i. p. 224.

** In Staffordshire it is called the thrice cock; but for what reason I know not.-ED.

++British Zoology, p. 229.

‡‡ Ibid. vol. ii. p. 237.

§§ Mr. White must have mistaken this for anthus arboreus, or tree-lark. The titlark (anthus pratensis) seldom sits on trees.-W. J.

British Zoology, vol. ii. p. 242.

¶¶ I have reason to believe that there is no portion of the world in which swallows congregate at certain seasons, from which they do not periodically migrate.-ED.

M

to Senegal; he does not talk at all like an ornithologist, and probably saw only the swallows of that country, which I know build within Governor O'Hara's hall against the roof. Had he known European swallows, would he not have mentioned the species ?

The house-swallow washes by dropping into the water as it flies; this species appears commonly about a week before the house-martin, and about ten or twelve days before the swift.

In 1772, there were young house-martins † in their nest till October the 23rd.

The swift appears about ten or twelve days later than the house-swallow; viz., about the 24th or 26th of April. Whin-chats § and stone-chatters || stay with us the whole

year.

Some wheatears ¶ continue with us the winter through.** Wagtails, all sorts, remain with us all the winter.†† Bullfinches,‡‡ when fed on hempseed, often become wholly

black.

We have vast flocks of female chaffinches §§ all the winter, with hardly any males among them.

When you say that, in breeding time the cock snipes |||| make a bleating noise, and a drumming (perhaps I should have rather said a humming), I suspect we mean the same

"The twittering swallow skims the dimpled lake."

"Aut arguta lacus circumvolitavit hirundo."-VIRGIL.

Few things please me more than watching the evolutions of swallows, as they fly over, and occasionally dip on the smooth surface of a pool of water.-ED.

Ibid. p. 245.

+ British Zoology, vol ii. p. 224. § Whin-chat (saxicola rubetra, Bechst.) certainly does migrate. Stonechat (saxicola rubicola, Bechst.) is a resident, but we receive an accession of numbers yearly.-W. J.

¶ Ibid. p. 269.

|| British Zoology, vol. ii. pp. 270, 271. **The great body of wheatears migrate regularly; and it is just possible that a few pairs may remain during the winter, in the southern countries; but I strongly suspect Mr. White, though quoting, must be wrong.-W. J. Mr. White seems only to have known two species of wagtail, the pied and grey. The yellow wagtail is a regular migrater, but is very local in its distribution. Both the others partially migrate in Scotland. Flocks of the first appear in spring, and a few pairs only remain during the winter.-W. J. British Zoology, vol. ii. p. 300. Ibid. p. 358.

§§ Ibid. p. 306.

thing. However, while they are playing about on the wing, they certainly make a loud piping with their mouths; but whether that bleating or humming is ventriloquous, or proceeds from the motion of their wings, I cannot say; but this I know, that, when this noise happens, the bird is always descending, and his wings are violently agitated.

*

Soon after the lapwings have done breeding, they congregate, and leaving the moors and marshes, betake themselves to downs and sheep walks.

Two years ago + last spring, the little auk was found alive and unhurt, but fluttering and unable to rise, in a lane a few miles from Alresford, where there is a great lake; it was kept a while, but died.

I saw young teals‡ taken alive in the ponds of Wolmer Forest in the beginning of July last, along with flappers, or young wild ducks.

Speaking of the swift, § that page says, "its drink the dew;" whereas it should be, "it drinks on the wing;" for all the swallow kind sip their water as they sweep over the face of pools or rivers: like Virgil's bees, they drink flying"Alumina summa libant," "they sip the surface of the stream." In this method of drinking, perhaps this genus may be peculiar.

Of the sedge-bird, || be pleased to say, it sings most part of the night; its notes are hurrying, but not unpleasing, and imitative of several birds, as the sparrow, swallow, skylark. When it happens to be silent in the night, by throwing a stone or clod into the bushes where it sits, you immediately set it a-singing, or, in other words, though it slumbers. sometimes, yet, as soon as it is awakened, it reassumes its song.T

*British Zoology, vol ii. p. 360.

+ Ibid. p. 409.

Ibid. p. 475. They breed amongst the ling of Woolmer Forest, and on the extensive heaths near Lephook.-ED.

§ Ibid. p. 15.

|| Ibid. p. 16.

I have always found this to be the case on passing the willow aits on the river Thames, in a boat in the evening. The least noise at that time will set these birds singing.-ED.

LETTER LV.

TO THE HON. DAINES BARRINGTON.

SELBORNE, Nov. 20, 1773. DEAR SIR,-In obedience to your injunctions, I sit down to give you some account of the house-martin, or martlet; and, if my monography of this little domestic and familiar bird should happen to meet with your approbation, I may probably soon extend my inquiries to the rest of the British hirundines,-the swallow, the swift, and the bank-martin.

A few house-martins begin to appear about the 16th of April; usually some few days later than the swallow. For some time after they appear, the hirundines in general pay no attention to the business of nidification, but play and sport about, either to recruit from the fatigue of their journey, if they do migrate at all, or else that their blood may recover its true tone and texture after it has been so long benumbed by the severities of winter. About the middle of May, if the weather be fine, the martin begins to think in earnest of providing a mansion for its family.* The crust or

The following fact strongly illustrates the sense and reflection of a pair of Bwallows, in the construction of their nests:

The late Earl of Albemarle informed me that a pair of swallows built their nest under the arch of a lime-kiln belonging to him, at its extreme point, and from which three chimneys or flues branched off. At the time the nest was constructing, the heat of the kiln was so great, that only keeping the hand for a short time within the arch produced a painful sensation. In this spot, however, the nest was nearly completed, when the heat caused it to crumble, and fall to the ground. A second nest was built in the same spot, and afterwards a third, both of which shared the same fate. A fourth nest was then built, which stood perfectly well, although the heat of the kiln had by no means abated; and in this nest the swallows hatched and brought up their young. The following year, another nest was begun and finished in the same spot, and with the same heat in the kiln, which stood the influence of the fire, and in which the swallows hatched and reared their brood; and this was done in the same manner on the third year. The fourth year the swallows did not appear, which the lime-burner considered as very ominous of the future success of the kiln. The birds had probably been killed. The lime-kiln was on

shell of this nest seems to be formed of such dirt or loam as comes most readily to hand, and is tempered and wrought together with little bits of broken straws, to render it tough and tenacious. As this bird often builds against a perpendicular wall, without any projecting ledge under it, it requires its utmost efforts to get the first foundation firmly fixed, so that it may safely carry the superstructure. On this occasion the bird not only clings with its claws, but partly supports itself by strongly inclining its tail against the wall, making that a fulcrum; and, thus steadied, it works and plasters the materials into the face of the brick or stone. But, then, that this work may not, while it is soft and green, pull itself down by its own weight, the provident architect has prudence and forbearance enough not to advance her work too fast; but, by building only in the morning, and by dedicating the rest of the day to food and amusement, gives it sufficient time to dry and harden. About half an inch seems to be sufficient layer for a day. Thus, careful workmen, when they build mud-walls (informed at first, perhaps, by these little birds), raise but a moderate layer at a time, and then desist, lest the work should become top-heavy, and so be

Lord Albemarle's estate, and he was in the constant habit of visiting it, and took much interest in the proceedings of the swallows. In reading the above account, which has been given in Lord Albemarle's words, it is almost impossible not to be struck with the following facts :

1st, That the swallows must have discovered and worked up a sort of clay or earth which would stand heat.

2nd, It is, I think, clear, that instinct alone would not have taught them to do this. Let me then ask those who deny any faculties to the animal creation beyond instinct, what faculty induced the birds to alter their original mode of procedure ?

3rd, On returning to the kiln the second and third years, the swallows must have kept in their recollection, not only the fact that the earth instinct had taught them to use in building their nests would not bear the heat of the kiln, but they must also have remembered the sort of earth or clay which was requisite, and also the necessity of making use of it in that peculiar place.

Mr. White has elsewhere remarked, that philosophers have defined instinct to be that secret influence by which every species is impelled naturally to pursue, at all times, the same way or tract, without any teaching or example; whereas retison, without instruction, would often vary, and do that by many methods which instinct effects by one alone. If this definition between instinct and reason is correct, the above mentioned fact would seem to entitle these swallows to be considered as possessed of no ordinary degree of sense and intelligence, if not of something approaching to reason.-ED. (Gleanings.)

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