Luscinia:
Beginning of April.
8. Cuckoo,
Cuculus:
Middle of April.
9. Middle willow-wren,
Regulus non cristatus:
Ditto, a sweet plaintive note.
10. White-throat,
Ficedulae affinis:
Middle of April: mean note; sings on till September.
11. Red-start,
Ruticilla:
Ditto: more agreeable song.
12. Stone curlew,
OEdicnemus:
End of March; loud nocturnal whistle.
13. Turtle-dove,
Turtur:
14. Grasshopper-lark,
Alauda minima locustae voce:
Middle of April: a small sibilous note, till the end of July.
15. Swift,
Hirundo apus:
About April 27.
16. Less reed-sparrow,
Passer arundinaceus minor:
A sweet polyglot, but hurrying: it has the notes of many birds.
17. Land-rail,
Ortygometra:
A loud harsh note, crex, crex.
18. Largest willow-wren,
Regulus non cristatus:
Cantat voce stridula locustae; end of April, on the tops of high
beeches.
19. Goat-sucker, or fern-owl,
Caprimulgus:
Beginning of May; chatters by night with a singular noise.
20. Fly-catcher,
Stoparola:
May 12. A very mute bird: this is the latest summer bird of
passage.
This assemblage of curious and amusing birds belongs to ten
several genera of the Linnaean system; and are all of the ordo of
passeres, save the jynx and cuculus, which are picae, and the
charadrius (oedicnemus) and rallus (ortygometra) which are
grallae.
These birds, as they stand numerically, belong to the following
Linnaean genera:
1.
Jynx.
2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 16, 18.
Motacilla.
3, 4, 5, 15.
Hirundo.
8.
Cuculus.
12.
Charadrius.
13.
Columba.
17.
Rallus.
19.
Caprimulgus.
14.
Alauda.
20. Muscicapa.
Most soft-billed birds live on insects, and not on grain and seeds;
and therefore at the end of summer they retire: but the following
soft-billed birds, though insect-eaters, stay with us the year round:
Red-breast,
Raii nomina: Rubecula:
Wren,
Passer troglodytes:
These frequent houses; and haunt outbuildings in the winter; eat
spiders.
Hedge-sparrow,
Curruca:
Haunt sinks for crumbs and other sweepings.
White-wagtail,
Motacilla alba:
Yellow-wagtail,
Motacilla flava:
Grey-wagtail,
Motacilla cinerea:
These frequent shallow rivulets near the spring heads, where they
never freeze: eat the aureliae of Phryganea. The smallest birds that
walk.
Wheat-ear,
Oenanthe:
Some of these are to be seen with us the winter through.
Whin-chat,
OEnanthe secunda:
Stone-chatter,
OEnanthe tertia:
Golden-crowned wren,
Regulus cristatus:
This is the smallest British bird: haunts the tops of tall trees; stays
the winter through.
A List of the Winter Birds of Passage round this neighbourhood,
ranged somewhat in the order in which they appear:
1. Ring-ousel,
Raii nomina: Merula torquata:
This is a new migration which I have lately discovered about
Michaelmas week, and again about the fourteenth of March.
2. Redwing,
Turdus iliacus:
About Michaelmas.
3. Fieldfare,
Turdus pilaris,
Though a percher by day, roosts on the ground.
4. Royston-crew,
Cornix cinerea:
Most frequent on downs.
5. Wood-cock,
Scolopax:
Appears about old Michaelmas.
6. Snipe,
Gallinago minor:
Some snipes constantly breed with us.
7. Jack-snipe,
Gallinago minima:
8. Wood-pigeon,
OEnas:
Seldom appears till late: not in such plenty as formerly.
9. Wild-swan,
Cygnus ferus:
On some large waters.
10. Wild-goose,
Anser ferus:
11. Wild-duck,
Anas torquata minor:
12. Pochard,
Anas fera fusca:
13. Widgeon,
Penelope:
14. Teal, breeds with us in Wolmer-forest,
Querquedula:
On our lakes and streams.
15. Gross-beak,
Coccothraustes:
16. Cross-bill,
Loxia:
17. Silk-tail,
Garrulus bohemicus: