COMMON STARLING.Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.COMMON STARLING.Starlings appear to be on the increase in Scotland, whilst larks are said to be on the decrease, owing to the destruction of their eggs by the former.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.COMMON STARLING.Starlings appear to be on the increase in Scotland, whilst larks are said to be on the decrease, owing to the destruction of their eggs by the former.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.
COMMON STARLING.
Starlings appear to be on the increase in Scotland, whilst larks are said to be on the decrease, owing to the destruction of their eggs by the former.
We come now to the beautifulOrioles—birds belonging to the temperate and tropical parts of the Old World. The males, as a rule, are clad in a vestment of brilliant yellow and black, but in some species the under-parts are relieved by rich crimson. One species—theGolden Oriole—has on several occasions visited the British Islands, and even in one or two instances has nested there. But, as with all brightly plumaged birds in England, no sooner is their presence discovered than they are doomed to fall to the gun of some local collector.
TheHang-nests,Cow-birds, andRice-birdsare American birds, bearing in many respects a resemblance to the Starlings, chiefly, perhaps, in the form of the beak. Generally black in plumage, in many bright colour is conspicuous.
Hang-nestsrange from North and Central America to Southern Brazil. As a rule they are brilliantly coloured, the livery being bright orange and yellow, set off by black and white. The majority of the numerous species build remarkable nests, looking like long stockings, which they hang from the under side of the bough of a tree; they are composed of coarse grass deftly woven together.
TheCow-birdsare mostly South American, though the United States possess two or three species. Some, like the Cuckoos, are parasitic, dropping their eggs into the nests of other birds, to be hatched by the owners: the young cow-bird, however, dwells in harmony with his foster-brothers and -sisters, instead of ejecting them from the nest, like the young cuckoo. The name Cow-bird is bestowed upon these birds on account of the persistent way in which they haunt herds of cattle for the sake of the flies which congregate about those animals.
TheRice-birdsare represented by some rather showy forms, and others of wonderful powers of song. The typicalRice-bird, orBob-o-link, is an especial favourite as a songster. Thoreau writes of this song: "It is as if he [the bird] touched his harp with a wave of liquid melody,and when he lifted it out the notes fell like bubbles from the strings.... Away he launched, and the meadow is all bespattered with melody." Where rice is extensively cultivated, however, this bird is by no means so enthusiastically welcomed, causing immense destruction to the standing crops—flocks numbering, it has been said, some millions alighting in the fields and leaving too little grain to be worth the trouble of gathering.
We pass now to a group of exceedingly interesting birds, some of which are remarkable on account of the beauty of their plumage, others from their wonderful nesting-habits. The group includes many familiar as cage-birds, such as theLong-tailed Widow-birds, theRed-beaked Waxbills,Amadavats,Java Sparrow,Grass-finches,Munias, and so on, all of which are embraced under the general title ofWeaver-birds, a name bestowed on account of their peculiar nests.
MEADOW-LARK (NATURAL SIZE).Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington.MEADOW-LARK (NATURAL SIZE).Known also as the Meadow-starling. This bird, a native of the Eastern United States, has occurred three times in the British Islands, but it is doubtful whether these specimens were wild.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington.MEADOW-LARK (NATURAL SIZE).Known also as the Meadow-starling. This bird, a native of the Eastern United States, has occurred three times in the British Islands, but it is doubtful whether these specimens were wild.
Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt][Washington.
MEADOW-LARK (NATURAL SIZE).
Known also as the Meadow-starling. This bird, a native of the Eastern United States, has occurred three times in the British Islands, but it is doubtful whether these specimens were wild.
Abundant in Africa, and well represented in South-eastern Asia and Australia, these birds bear a strong family resemblance to the Finches, from which they differ in having ten primary quills in the wings.
One of the most peculiar is the South AfricanLong-tailed Whydah-orWidow-bird. Strikingly coloured, this bird is rendered still more attractive by the extremely elongated tail-feathers, which are many times longer than the body, so long, indeed, as to impede its flight, which is so laboured that children commonly amuse themselves by running the bird down. Kaffir children stretch lines coated with bird-lime near the ground across fields of millet and Kaffir corn, and thereby capture many whose tails have become entangled among the threads.
In brilliancy of coloration the Whydah-birds—for there are several species—are pressed hardby theBishop-birds, the handsomest of which is the red species. Sociable in habits, this bird throughout the year consorts in immense flocks, which in the summer consist chiefly of males.
Of the more remarkable nest-builders, the most conspicuous are theBaya Sparrows, orToddy-birds, of India and Ceylon, and theSociable Weavers. The former suspend their nests by a solidly wrought rope of fibre from the under side of a branch, the rope expanding into a globular chamber, and then again contracting into a long, narrow, vertical tube, through which the birds make their exit and entrance. The latter—theSociable Weaver-birdof Africa—builds a still more wonderful structure. As a thing apart it has no existence, a number of birds, varying from 100 to 300, joining their nests together, so as to form a closely interwoven structure, resembling, when finished, a gigantic mushroom. The structure is built among the branches of large trees, so that the tree looks as though it had grown up through a native hut, carrying the roof with it. Cartloads of grass are required to rear this structure, which is nearly solid. Seen from below, it presents a flat surface riddled with holes; these are the entrances to the nests.
Closely resembling the typical Finches in general appearance, and often gorgeous in coloration, is the group known as theTanagers, of which more than 400 distinct species are known to science. Exclusively American, the majority of the species are found in Central and South America, though a few move northwards into the United States in summer. The most beautiful are theScarlet,Crimson-headed, andWhite-capped Tanagers. The last-named is generally allowed to be the loveliest of the group. The entire plumage of both sexes is a beautiful cornflower-blue, surmounted by a cap of silvery-white feathers, a crimson spot on the forehead looking like a drop of blood. The identical coloration of the sexes is worth noting, as among the tanagers generally the female is dull-coloured.
Among the Finches there is a considerable variety of coloration, though but little in bodily form; they are all attractive birds, and have the additional advantage that many are British. Distributed over both the northern and temperate regions of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, they are unknown in Australia. The group, which comprises a very large number of species, may be divided into three sections—Grosbeaks,True Finches, andBuntings.
TheGrosbeaks, as their name implies, are characterised by the great stoutness of the beak, and some, as theEvening-grosbeaksof America, are remarkable for their beauty.
HAWFINCH.Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.HAWFINCH.A resident in the eastern and midland counties of England.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.HAWFINCH.A resident in the eastern and midland counties of England.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.
HAWFINCH.
A resident in the eastern and midland counties of England.
Well-known British members of this section are theHawfinchesandGreenfinches. Common in many parts of England, though rare in Scotland and Ireland, theHawfinchcontrives to make itself much disliked by the gardener, owing to its fondness for peas, though it fully compensates for the damage done in this direction by the numbers of noxious insects it destroys. The nest is a very beautiful structure; outside it is composed of twigs intermixed with lichens, inside of dry grasses lined with fine roots and hair. The site chosen varies, a favourite place being an old apple- or pear-tree in an orchard; but the woods and fir plantations are not seldom resorted to. TheGreenfinchis an equally common British bird. Of a more confiding disposition than the hawfinch, it makes an excellent cage-bird, becoming with judicious treatment exceedingly tame. It is a useful bird, travelling during the autumn and winter in large flocks, and feeding on the seeds of wild mustard and other weeds. Its nest differs conspicuously from that of the hawfinch, being a somewhat untidy structure, composed of fibrous roots, moss, and wool, lined with finer roots, horsehair, and feathers.
YOUNG CHAFFINCHES.Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.YOUNG CHAFFINCHES.The chaffinch is one of the commonest of the British finches.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.YOUNG CHAFFINCHES.The chaffinch is one of the commonest of the British finches.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
YOUNG CHAFFINCHES.
The chaffinch is one of the commonest of the British finches.
HOUSE-SPARROWS.Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.HOUSE-SPARROWS.The sparrow is to be reckoned among the few really harmful British birds.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.HOUSE-SPARROWS.The sparrow is to be reckoned among the few really harmful British birds.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
HOUSE-SPARROWS.
The sparrow is to be reckoned among the few really harmful British birds.
Among theTrue Finches, distinguished from the Grosbeaks by their less powerful bills, are several other well-known British birds. Of these, none are better known than theChaffinch. Gay in appearance and sprightly in habit, this is a general favourite everywhere, and much in demand as a cage-bird. His short though delightful song possesses a peculiar charm, coming as it does with the earliest signs of returning spring. The fascination of this song has never been better expressed than in Browning's lines:—
O to be in EnglandNow that April's there;And whoever wakes in EnglandSees, some morning, unaware,That the lowest boughs of the brushwood sheafRound the elm-tree hole are in tiny leaf,While the Chaffinch sings on the orchard boughIn England now!
O to be in England
Now that April's there;
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs of the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree hole are in tiny leaf,
While the Chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England now!
The nest, which is an exceptionally beautiful structure, takes about a fortnight to build. Closely woven, it appears to consist mainly of wool, into which moss and lichens of various colours are deftly woven. The outside is cunningly decorated with bits of lichen and the inner bark of trees, such as the birch, the whole being secured by a thin veil of spiders' webs. The lichen and bark serve to render the nest inconspicuous by blending it with the general appearance of the bush or small tree in a forked bough of which it is placed. Inside the wool is more closely felted even than on the outside, and this is covered with fine hairs, amongst which a few feathers are intermixed. The work of building seems to be done by the female only, though the male helps by bringing the materials.
BULLFINCH.Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.BULLFINCH.Black varieties are occasionally taken in a wild state. Caged specimens fed on hemp-seed frequently turn black.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.BULLFINCH.Black varieties are occasionally taken in a wild state. Caged specimens fed on hemp-seed frequently turn black.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.
BULLFINCH.
Black varieties are occasionally taken in a wild state. Caged specimens fed on hemp-seed frequently turn black.
Of theGoldfinch,Linnets, andBullfinch, by far the most popular and beautiful is theGoldfinch, which is, and probably will long remain, one of the most prized of cage-birds. Gifted "with the fatal gift of beauty," this bird is much persecuted by bird-catchers; and indeed, partly owing to the depredations of these men, and partly to improved methods of agriculture, which have diminished its feeding-area, this handsome bird is growing more and more rare every year.
Next to the goldfinch perhaps theLinnetis most sought after as a cage-bird. Large numbers are taken during the autumn, when the birds congregate in large flocks before departure on migration. Those captured in the spring are said to be very impatient of confinement, and only a small percentage seem to survive.
The linnet is one of the most variable of birds in the matter of plumage, and for a long while the opinion was generally held, especially by bird-catchers, that several distinctspecies—theRed,Brown, andGrey Linnets—existed. It is now known that these are all phases of plumage common to one species. In the male in full summer dress the forehead and centre of the crown are blood-red, whilst the breast is of a glossy rose-red; but these bright colours do not seem to be acquired so universally as is the case with other birds which don a special breeding-dress, nor are they ever developed in captivity. Occasionally what are calledLemon-breastedvarieties of the linnet occur in which the rose-colour of the breast is replaced by yellow.
TheBullfinch, though one of the common British birds, is by no means so abundant as the two foregoing species; for whilst the other two travel in small flocks, the bullfinch is a solitary bird. Few birds perhaps have earned a more evil name than the bullfinch, which is accused by the gardener of inflicting enormous damage on the flower-buds of fruit-trees in winter and spring. "On the other hand," writes Mr. Hudson, "he is greatly esteemed as a cage-bird, and the bird-catchers are ever on the watch for it. But the effect in both cases is pretty much the same, since the hatred that slays and the love that makes captive are equally disastrous to the species." That it is diminishing in many districts there can be no doubt, and perhaps its final extermination is only a matter of time. Though by no means a remarkable songster in a wild state, in captivity it is capable of learning to whistle strains and airs of human composition with some skill, good performers fetching high prices.
TheSparrowand the wildCanaryof Madeira—from the latter of which our cage-pets have been derived—are also members of the Finch Tribe, but are too well known to need fuller mention.
GREENFINCH.Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.GREENFINCH.Commonly known as the Green Linnet.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.GREENFINCH.Commonly known as the Green Linnet.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.
GREENFINCH.
Commonly known as the Green Linnet.
Closely allied to the Finches are theBuntings, which are really only slightly modified finches. Several species are British birds, one of the commonest being theCorn-bunting, a bird which bears a wonderful resemblance to a skylark, from which, however, it may be distinguished by its large beak and small claw on the hind toe.
TheYellowammer, orYellowhammer, is another familiar roadside form in England, which scarcely needs description.
The most celebrated of all the buntings is theOrtolan, orGreen-headed Bunting, a bird resembling its congener the yellowhammer, but lacking its bright coloration. It has acquired fame from the delicate flavour of its flesh, and to supply the demand for this delicacy immense numbers are netted annually by the bird-catchers of the Continent. Wintering in North Africa, these birds leave Europe in September in large flocks, and it is during this migration and the return journey in the spring that their ranks are so mercilessly thinned. Common over the greater part of Europe, it is somewhat surprising that the ortolan does not occur more frequently in the British Islands, where it is only an occasional spring and autumn visitor.
TheSnow-bunting, orSnowflake, is a regular winter visitant to the British Islands, some pairs indeed remaining to breed in the Highlands of Scotland every year, whilst its presence serves to enliven some of the dreariest spots of high northern latitudes. The male in breeding-dress is a handsome bird, having the upper-parts black and the under white; its mate is somewhat duller, the black parts being obscured by greyish white, fulvous, and blackishbrown, whilst the white parts are less pure in tone. The full dress of the male is rarely seen in the British Islands, save in specimens procured from Scotland; for in winter, when the snow-bunting is chiefly captured, the plumage is altogether more rufous.
LINNET.Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.LINNET.One of the most popular cage-birds. The so-called Red-brown and Grey Linnets are but phases of plumage of the same species. The bird in the right-hand corner is a greenfinch.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.LINNET.One of the most popular cage-birds. The so-called Red-brown and Grey Linnets are but phases of plumage of the same species. The bird in the right-hand corner is a greenfinch.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.
LINNET.
One of the most popular cage-birds. The so-called Red-brown and Grey Linnets are but phases of plumage of the same species. The bird in the right-hand corner is a greenfinch.
Unlike the buntings so far described, theReed-buntingis to be found only in marshy places, but in suitable localities it may be found in the British Islands all the year round, being as common a species as the corn-bunting, and therefore not calling for special description here.
The eggs of the buntings are remarkable for the curious scribble-like markings which cover them, and serve readily to distinguish them from those of any other British bird.
LARKS, TITMICE, HONEY-EATERS, AND THEIR KINDRED.
Confined almost entirely to the Old World, where they are represented by more than one hundred species, many of which have undergone considerable specialisation in the matter of plumage, so as to enable them to live in desert regions, theLarksconstitute a well-marked group, into the characters of which we need not enter here.
The best-known member of the group is theSkylark. Common throughout the British Islands, and of sober coloration, no bird is more universally beloved, and this largely on account of the sweetness of its song, which is second only to that of the nightingale. Poets and prose-writers alike have sounded its praises, many in passages that will be remembered as long as our language lasts. The skylark is one of the few birds which sing while on the wing; the peculiar nature of the flight at this time all must have watched, entranced the while by the beauty of the song.
Grahame, in his "Birds of Scotland," happily describes the nest as follows:—
The daisied lea he loves, where tufts of grassLuxuriant crown the ridge; there, with his mate,He founds their lowly house, of withered bents,And coarsest speargrass; next, the inner workWith finer and still finer fibres lays,Rounding it curious with its speckled breast.
The daisied lea he loves, where tufts of grass
Luxuriant crown the ridge; there, with his mate,
He founds their lowly house, of withered bents,
And coarsest speargrass; next, the inner work
With finer and still finer fibres lays,
Rounding it curious with its speckled breast.
This bird displays great affection for its young, removing them under the fear of impending danger, or if the nest is meddled with. Occasionally, however, the bird sits close, instead of seeking safety by flight.
Brighton enjoys the credit of consuming more larks than any other place in England, except London. It has been estimated that the number of larks annually entering the metropolitan markets alone reaches a total of 400,000—20,000 or 30,000 being often sent together; and the numbers eaten elsewhere in the country must be enormous, quite as large, indeed, as abroad. Most are captured from the hosts which arrive on the east coast of Scotland and England from the Continent on approach of severe weather, the birds making their appearance in thousands, forming a constant and unbroken stream for two or three days in succession.
Close allies of the Larks, theWagtailsandPipitscome next under consideration. The former range over the Old World, but are unknown in Australia and Polynesia. The pipits have a similar range, but one species is found in, and is peculiar to, Australia. Like wagtails, pipits are unknown in Polynesia; only two species occur in America.
TheWagtailsare generally black and white, grey and white, grey with yellow breasts, or yellowish green with yellow breasts. In the last-mentioned case, as in some specimens of theYellow Wagtail, the yellow predominates. These birds frequent streams and stagnant waters, like theRedandGrey Wagtails; or corn-fields and meadows, as in the case of theYellow Wagtail. All these are commonly met with in the British Islands.
SKYLARKS.Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.SKYLARKS.The numbers of skylarks seem to increase with the spread of agricultural improvement.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.SKYLARKS.The numbers of skylarks seem to increase with the spread of agricultural improvement.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
SKYLARKS.
The numbers of skylarks seem to increase with the spread of agricultural improvement.
ThePipitsare duller-coloured than the Wagtails, have shorter tails, and evince less fondness for the water. TheMeadow-,Rock-, andTree-pipitsare the commonest British species.
Neither Wagtails nor Pipits are much given to perching, but theTree-creepersspend their lives upon trees, some being specially modified for this mode of life, their tail-feathers being stiff and terminating in sharp points. By pressing its tail closely against the tree-trunk up which it is climbing, the bird obtains a wonderfully reliable support. Beginning at the bottom of a trunk, creepers quickly work their way up in a spiral direction, or sometimes in jerky zigzags, searching every crevice for tiny insects, their eggs and larvæ, and flitting from the higher branches, when these are reached, to the base of another tree.
Creepers are mostly dull-coloured, but theWall-creeperhas crimson patches on the wings. This bird, which has occurred in Britain, haunts mountain-cliffs. TheTree-creeper, a resident in Britain, builds its nest behind pieces of loose bark, or under tiles, or in crevices of trees, walls, or hollow branches. In this nest are laid from six to nine eggs, pure white, spotted with red, or with a creamy ground-colour, with the spots thicker round the large end.
YOUNG SKYLARKS.Photo by A. S. Radland & Sons.YOUNG SKYLARKS.Several broods are reared by each pair of birds in a season.
Photo by A. S. Radland & Sons.YOUNG SKYLARKS.Several broods are reared by each pair of birds in a season.
Photo by A. S. Radland & Sons.
YOUNG SKYLARKS.
Several broods are reared by each pair of birds in a season.
Intermediate in position between the Creepers and the Titmice are theNuthatches. Chiefly inhabitants of the northern parts of both hemispheres, they extend as far south as Mexico, whilst in the Old World they occur plentifully in the Himalaya. The largest species is found in the mountains of Burma. One species is frequently met with in England, and occasionally in Scotland, but is unknown in Ireland.
TheEnglish Nuthatchmay serve us as a type of the group. "Its habits," writes Dr. Sharpe, "are a combination of those of the tit and woodpecker. Like the former bird, the nuthatch seeks diligently for its insect-food on the trunks and branches of trees, over which it runs like a woodpecker, with this difference, that its tail is not pressed into the service of climbing a tree, nor does it generally ascend from the bottom to the top, as a woodpecker so often does. On the contrary, a nuthatch will generally be found in the higher branches, and will work its way down from one of the branches towards the trunk, and is just as much at home on the under side of a limb as the upper. Its movements are like those of a mouse rather than of a bird, and it often runs head-downward, or hangs on the under side of a branch and hammers away at the bark with its powerful little bill. The noise produced by one of these birds, when tapping at a tree, is really astonishing for a bird of its size, and, if undisturbed, it can be approached pretty closely. Its general food consists of insects, and in the winter the nuthatches join the wandering parties of tits and creepers which traverse the woods in search of food.... In the autumn it feeds on hazel-nuts and beech-mast, breaking them open by constant hammering; and, like the tits, the nuthatches can be tempted to the vicinity of houses in winter, and become quite interesting by their tameness."
The nuthatch nests in hollow trees, plastering up the entrance with mud, and leaving an aperture only just sufficient to enable it to wriggle in and out. A remarkable nest may be seen at the British Natural History Museum. It was built in the side of a haystack, to which the industrious birds had carried as much as 11 lbs. of clay, and had thus made for themselves a solid nest in an apparently unfavourable position.
TheTitmiceoccur in one form or another all over Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in the New World as far south as Southern Mexico. The family may be divided intoTrue,Crested,Long-tailed, andPenduline TitsandReedlings, all but the penduline tits being represented in England.
NUTHATCH.Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.NUTHATCH.Apparently unknown in a wild state in Ireland, and rare in Scotland, in England fairly common.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.NUTHATCH.Apparently unknown in a wild state in Ireland, and rare in Scotland, in England fairly common.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.
NUTHATCH.
Apparently unknown in a wild state in Ireland, and rare in Scotland, in England fairly common.
Of the true tits, the best known is theBlue Tit, which is no stranger even in London parks. Travelling in small bands throughout the autumn and winter, they may frequently be met with during a country walk, their presence being made known by a pretty tinkling little note. This method of travelling is obviously advantageous, for the discovery of food at this time is an arduous task, and, if undertaken individually, many would surely starve, as Professor Newton points out: "A single titmouse searching alone might hunt for a whole day without meeting with a sufficiency, whilst, if a dozen are united by the same motive, it is hardly possible for the place in which the food is lodged to escape their detection, and, when discovered, a few call-notes from the lucky finder are enough to assemble the whole company to share the feast.... One tree after another is visited by the active little rovers, and its branches examined: if nothing be forthcoming, away goes the explorer to the next that presents itself, merely giving utterance to the usual twitter that serves to keep the whole body together. But if the object of search be found, another chirp is emitted, and the next moment several members of the band are flitting in succession to the tree, and eagerly engaged with the spoil."
These little birds display great affection for their old nesting-places. An instance is on record where, so far back as 1785, a pair built their nest in a large earthenware bottle placed in the branches of a tree in a garden at Oxbridge, near Stockton-on-Tees. With two exceptions only, this bottle was tenanted by a pair of these birds every year till 1873. In 1892 Professor Newton, who had this account from Canon Tristram, was informed that the occupancy had ceased for four years.
TheLong-tailedorBottle-titis a British species, deriving its name from the long tail. It is a pretty little bird, black and rose-colour above, with a rose-coloured abdomen, and the head, throat, and breast white. It enjoys the distinction of being one of the smallest British birds, and is found in woods and plantations all over England, though less common in Scotland. These tits have a curious habit of roosting during the winter, six or seven huddling together in a row, with three or four others perched on their backs, and two or three on the top.
The nest, which is placed in a tree or bush, is a model of industry. Oval in shape, and roofed, with a small aperture near the top, it is composed of moss, lichen, and hair, closely felted and lined with an enormous collection of feathers, Macgillivray having counted 2,779 in a single nest.
Other species of titmice occurring in Britain are theGreat,Marsh-,Coal-, andCrested Tits.
Whether theReedlings, orBearded Tits, as they are generally called, are really true titmice or peculiarly modified buntings is a moot-point. There is but one species, which is British, though found also on the Continent; but it is unfortunately becoming more and more rare every year. The general colour of the upper-parts is cinnamon-rufous, except the head, which is pearly grey: between the bill and the eyes hangs a tuft of long black feathers; hence the name Bearded Tit. The under-parts are white, tinged with yellow and pink, whilst the wings are variegated with white, black, and red. This tit lives in beds of reeds fringing the "broads" of the eastern counties of England, though even there it is now exceedingly rare.
The same uncertainty that obtains with regard to the position of the Reedlings confronts the ornithologist with regard to the affinities of the liliputianGold-crests. About six species are known, from the northern and temperate parts of the Old and New Worlds, extending as far south in the latter as Mexico. Two occur in Britain: one, known simply as theGold-crest, orGolden-crested Wren, is fairly common; the other, theFire-crest, orFire-crested Wren, is much rarer, but differs very little from its relative in general appearance.
MARSH-TIT SEARCHING FOR INSECTS.Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.MARSH-TIT SEARCHING FOR INSECTS.The marsh-tit may be distinguished from its ally, the coal-tit, by the absence of white on the nape of the neck.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.MARSH-TIT SEARCHING FOR INSECTS.The marsh-tit may be distinguished from its ally, the coal-tit, by the absence of white on the nape of the neck.
Photo by J. T. Newman][Berkhamsted.
MARSH-TIT SEARCHING FOR INSECTS.
The marsh-tit may be distinguished from its ally, the coal-tit, by the absence of white on the nape of the neck.
TheGold-crestis olive-green above, yellowish grey below, with a conspicuous crest of bright yellow and orange, banded on each side by two black lines. It has the distinction of being the smallest British bird; and it is partly on account of its smallness, and partly owing to its shy, retiring habits, seeking concealment among the foliage, that it is so seldom seen, save by those who know where to look for it; and these may find it all the year round in suitable places.
In the spring this bird may be observed suspended in the air for a considerable time over a bush or flower, singing very melodiously, though few naturalists have ever witnessed this display. Mr. W. H. Hudson, one of these few, writes: "I have observed the male, in the love-season, hovering just above the bush, in the topmost foliage of which its mate was perched and partly hidden from view. It is when engaged in this pretty aerial performance, or love-dance, that the golden-crested wren is seen at his best. The restless, minute, sober-coloured creature, so difficult to see properly at other times, then becomes a conspicuous and exceedingly beautiful object; it hovers on rapidly vibrating wings, the body in an almost vertical position, but the head bent sharply down, the eyes being fixed on the bird beneath, while the wide-open crest shines in the sun like a crown or shield of fiery yellow. When thus hovering, it does not sing, but emits a series of sharp, excited chirping sounds."
The nest is a singularly beautiful structure, made of fine, dry grass, leaves, moss, and spiders' webs, woven closely together, lined with feathers, and suspended like a hammock beneath a branch of yew or fir. In this are laid from six to ten eggs of a pale yellowish white, spotted and blotched with reddish brown.
GREAT TIT.Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.GREAT TIT.Known also as the Ox-eye; it is very pugnacious in captivity, killing birds even as large as itself.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.GREAT TIT.Known also as the Ox-eye; it is very pugnacious in captivity, killing birds even as large as itself.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
GREAT TIT.
Known also as the Ox-eye; it is very pugnacious in captivity, killing birds even as large as itself.
The numbers of British gold-crests are vastly increased by the arrival on the eastern coast of gold-crests from the Continent. "In autumn," writes Mr. Howard Saunders, "immense flocks sometimes arrive on our east coast, extending quite across England and the Irish Channel, and into Ireland. In 1882 the migration wave of this description, commencing on August 6 and lasting for ninety-two days, reached from the Channel to the Færoes; in 1883 the migration lasted eighty-two days; and again in 1884 for a period of eighty-seven days.... On such occasions bushes in gardens on the coast are covered with birds as with a swarm of bees; crowds flutter round the lanterns of lighthouses, and the rigging of fishing-smacks in the North Sea is thronged with weary travellers. In April a return migration occurs."
We pass now to the consideration of a few families of birds unknown in Britain, but interesting on account of the fact that they afford us another set of instances of adaptation to attain particular ends, so frequently to be met with in Nature. All the birds in question, though probably not related, have peculiarly modified tongues, apparently specially designed to aid in sucking up honey from flowers.
The first group for consideration are theHoney-eatersof New Zealand and Australia. So great is the transformation which the tongue in these birds has undergone, that it forms one of the most elaborate organs of its kind, surpassing even that of the Humming-birds. A description of this organ without the aid of anatomical terms and diagrams would be useless. Suffice it to say it is long, capable of being thrust out of the mouth, and brush-like. It is used to thrust up the tubes of honey-bearing flowers, as well for the sake of the juice as for the insects gathered in such situations to feed on it.
COAL-TITS.Photo by C. Reid][Wishhaw, N.B.COAL-TITS.These birds show the white patch on the nape very distinctly. It is a common British bird, staying with us the whole year round.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishhaw, N.B.COAL-TITS.These birds show the white patch on the nape very distinctly. It is a common British bird, staying with us the whole year round.
Photo by C. Reid][Wishhaw, N.B.
COAL-TITS.
These birds show the white patch on the nape very distinctly. It is a common British bird, staying with us the whole year round.
The best known of the Honey-eaters is thePoe, orParsonbird, of New Zealand. Glossy black in colour, with vivid green and blue reflections, it is rendered still more attractive by a pair of white tufts of feathers hanging from the front upper part of the neck, whilst on the back of the neck in the same region the feathers are of a loose structure, long, and curled forwards. Other honey-eaters are theWhite-eyes,Sun-birds, andFlower-peckers.
TheWhite-eyes, so called from a ring of white feathers around the eye, have a wide distribution, being found in Australia, India, Africa, Madagascar, and Japan. Besides honey they are very partial to fruit, particularly figs and grapes, and also capture insects on the wing, after the fashion of fly-catchers.
TheSun-birdscorrespond in the Old World to the Humming-birds in the New, having, like the latter, a metallic plumage, varied in its hues and wondrous in its beauty; but they are not entirely dependent upon this lustre for their charm, for much of their splendour is gained from the non-metallic portion of the plumage, which is often vividlycoloured. The females are dull-coloured, whilst the males lose their beauty in the winter season. These birds are inhabitants of the tropical regions of Africa, India, and Australia, and seem to revel in the burning rays of the noonday sun.
Nearly allied to the Sun-birds are theFlower-peckersof the Indian and Australian regions. These are all small birds, remarkable as much for the beauty of their nests as for the splendour of their plumage. The nests are purse-like structures, made of white cotton-like material, and suspended from a branch instead of, as usual, resting on it. One of the most beautiful birds of the whole group, which includes numerous species, is the AustralianDiamond-bird. Of a general ashy-grey colour, this species is splashed all over with spots of red, yellow, orange, and black, whilst the tail-coverts are rich dark red.
RED-BACKED SHRIKES.Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton BuzzardRED-BACKED SHRIKES.Also called Butcher-birds, from their habit of killing small birds and mammals and hanging them up on thorns.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton BuzzardRED-BACKED SHRIKES.Also called Butcher-birds, from their habit of killing small birds and mammals and hanging them up on thorns.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard
RED-BACKED SHRIKES.
Also called Butcher-birds, from their habit of killing small birds and mammals and hanging them up on thorns.
SHRIKES, THRUSHES AND THEIR ALLIES, SWALLOWS, LYRE-BIRDS, CHATTERERS, BROAD-BILLS, ETC.
The Shrike Family are an exceedingly interesting group of birds, of world-wide distribution and of great diversity of appearance, varying in size from a bird as small as a titmouse to one as large as a thrush, and presenting a considerable range of coloration, some being very brightly, others dull coloured. From the hooked beak, and the presence of a notch in the tip of the upper jaw, they were considered by the older naturalists to be allies of the Birds of Prey, a decision still further supported by their hawk-like habit of capturing living prey in the shape of small birds and mice; whilst the remarkable custom of impaling their victims, still living, on thorns has earned for them the popular name ofButcher-birds. The limits of the family, owing to the diversity of the forms involved, have not as yet been finally determined by naturalists, some having included species which others hold have no place there.
AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE.Photo by W. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE.A common South Australian form, known also as the Piping-crow.
Photo by W. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE.A common South Australian form, known also as the Piping-crow.
Photo by W. Reid][Wishaw, N.B.
AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE.
A common South Australian form, known also as the Piping-crow.
Five species are commonly included in the list of British birds, although only two occur with any frequency: of these, theGreat Grey Shrikevisits Great Britain every winter; whilst the smallerRed-backed Shrikeis an annual summer visitor to those islands, breeding, however, only in England, occurring but occasionally in Scotland, and being almost unknown in Ireland, where only one specimen has ever been recorded.
TheRed-backed Shrike, writes Dr. Sharpe, "reminds us of a fly-catcher in the way in which [it] captures its food, for it has undoubtedly favourite perches, on which it sits, and to which it returns after the capture of an insect. It is frequently to be seen on telegraph-wires, where it keeps a sharp look-out in every direction, and a favourite resort is a field of freshly cut grass. It also captures a good many mice and small birds, not pursuing them in the open like birds of prey, but dropping down on them suddenly. In the British Museum is a very good specimen of the larder of a red-backed shrike, taken with the nest of the bird by Lord Walsingham in Norfolk, and showing the way in which the shrike spits insects and birds on thorns; and the species has been known ... to hang up birds even bigger than itself, such as blackbirds and thrushes, as well as tits of several kinds, robins, and hedge-sparrows, while it will also occasionally seize young partridges and pheasants."
REED-WARBLER.Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.REED-WARBLER.A common British bird, arriving in April, and leaving again in September.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.REED-WARBLER.A common British bird, arriving in April, and leaving again in September.
Photo by W. F. Piggott][Leighton Buzzard.
REED-WARBLER.
A common British bird, arriving in April, and leaving again in September.
Though undeniably unmusical, the red-backed shrike is nevertheless able to imitate with considerable success the notes of other small birds, decoying them by this means within striking distance—an accomplishment shared also by other members of the Shrike Family. The present species is attractively clothed in a plumage varied with black, grey, rufous, and chestnut-brown, the last being the predominating hue of the upper-parts; hence the name Red-backed Shrike.
The habits of its congener, theGreat Grey Shrike, are precisely similar. A caged specimen which had become very tame would take food from its captor's hands. When a bird was given it, the skull was invariably broken at once, after which, holding the body in its claws, the shrike would proceed to tear it in pieces after the fashion of a hawk. Sometimes, instead, the carcase would be forced through the bars of the cage—in lieu of thorns—and then pulled in pieces.
Very different in appearance from the members of the Shrike Family are a group of possibly allied forms known asWax-wings. Of pleasing but sober coloration, they are remarkable for certain curious appendages to the inner quill-feathers, of a bright sealing-wax red colour, from which they derive their name: similar wax-like appendages occur also, sometimes, on the tail-feathers.
Breeding in the Arctic Circle, wax-wings occur in both the Old and New Worlds, though some species peculiar to the latter region lack the wax-like appendages characteristic of the majority of the species. These birds are erratic in their movements, and large bands occasionally visit the British Islands during the autumn and winter, the eastern counties being usually the most favoured spots; but on the occasion of one of these immigrations, in the winter of 1872, many were seen in the neighbourhood of the North of London. During the summer they feed on insects, but in autumn and winter on berries and fruit. At this time they become very fat and are then captured and sold in large numbers for food in the Russian markets, and occasionally are sent over to London.