chilus: Mr. Derham supposes, in Ray's Philos. Letters, that he has discovered three. In these there is again an instance of some very common birds that have as yet no English name. *

Mr. Stillingfleet makes a question whether the black-cap (motacilla atricapilla) be a bird of passage or not: I think there is no doubt of it; for, in April, in the first fine weather, they come trooping, all at once, into these parts, but are never seen in the winter. They are delicate songsters.

Numbers of snipes breed every summer in some moory ground on the verge of this parish. It is very amusing to see the cock bird on wing at that time, and to hear his piping and humming notes.

I have had no opportunity yet of procuring any of those mice which I mentioned to you in town. The person that brought me the last says they are plenty in harvest, at which time I will take care to get more; and will endeavour to put the matter out of doubt, whether it be a nondescript species or not.

I suspect much there may be two species of water-rats. Ray

These three species, the sibilous pettichaps (Sylvia sibilans) the warbling petty chaps (S. me odia), and the chiffchaff-petty chaps (S. loquar), a.l of which are common in the south of Engand, are now thoroughly established and universally acknowledged to be distinct.-ED.

+ There is a single instance upon record of the black-cap fauvet (Ficedul aatricapilla), the species to which Mr. White here refers, having been shot in Kent, in January. The circumstance, however, of one remaining in this country throughout the winter must be of excessively rare occurrence, as this bird is far too musical to escape the observation of any naturalist. In confine ment, they mostly recommence singing about February, or even earlier.-ED.

There is but one species in Britain which is known by the name of "water-rat," that which is here mentioned by White, and which is extremely common about ditches, and ponds that are fringed and covered with aquatic herbage, upon which it feeds. It is in general a most harmless creature, but has been known to do considerable damage by burrowing inte the raised banks of canals, for which, together with the different water shrews, it is held, in Holland, in the utmost execration. Whether this is the same with the Arvicola vulgaris of Cuvier, as has always been considered, I am not altogether satisfied; as that species is said to be a little larger than our common rat, whereas ours is invariably smaller. It is subject to vary somewhat in colour, some individuals being almost black; but specimens may be obtained of every intermediate shade. For an account of its hybernaculam, see Letter XXVIII. There are also two small species of Arvicola, common enough in the south of England, which are generally confounded under the name of short-tailed field-mouse;" the larger of which (A. agrestis) may be readily distinguished from the smaller (A. riparia), by the latter having a more mouse-like appearance, with larger ears and a longer tail, and fur of a more rufous colour. It is also less abundant than the other.

says, and Linnæus after him, that the water-rat is webfooted behind. Now I have discovered a rat on the banks of our little stream that is not web-footed, and yet is an excellent swimmer and diver: it answers exactly to the mus amphibius of Linnæus (See Syst. Nat.) which he says, "natat in fossis et urinatur." I should be glad to procure one “plantis palmatis." Linnæus seems to be in a puzzle about his mus amphibius, and to doubt whether it differs from his mus terrestris, which, if it be, as he allows, the "mus agrestis capite grandi brachyuros" of Ray, is widely different from the water-rat, both in size, make, and manner of life.

As to the falco, which I mentioned in town, I shall take the liberty to send it down to you in Wales, presuming on your candour, that you will excuse me if it should appear as familiar to you as it is strange to me. Though mutilated "qualem dices antehac fuisse, tales cum sint reliquiæ !"

It haunted a marshy piece of ground in quest of wild ducks and snipes: but, when it was shot, had just knocked down a rook, which it was tearing in pieces. I cannot make it answer to any of our English hawks; neither could I find any like it at the curious exhibition of stuffed birds in Spring-gardens. I found it nailed up at the end of a barn, which is the countryman's

museum.

The parish I live in is a very abrupt, uneven country, full of hills and woods, and therefore full of birds.

LETTER XI. To T. PENNANT, Esq.

Selborne, September 9, 1767.

It will not be without impatience that I shall wait for your thoughts with regard to the falco, as to its weight, breadth, &c. I wish I had set them down at the time: but, to the best of my remembrance, it weighed two pounds and eight ounces, and measured, from wing to wing, thirty-eight inches. Its cere and feet were yellow, and the circle of its eyelids a bright yellow. As

Both these little animals feed almost exclusively on green herbage, and in their habits much resemble the large species. In Surrey they are both denominated "grass-mice." The common "water-rat," or (more appropriately) water-campagnol, is very much preyed on by the stoat, and other members of the weasel genus, by which it is often pursued to its very inmost retreats, and there destroyed. I have repeatedly found its remains in the burrows of those animals.-ED.

it had been killed some days, and the eyes were sunk, I could make no good observation on the colour of the pupils and the irides.

The most unusual birds I ever observed in these parts were a pair of hoopoes (upupa) which came several years ago in the summer, and frequented an ornamented piece of ground, which joins to my garden, for some weeks. They used to march about in a stately manner, feeding in

Hoopoe.

the walks, many times in the day, and seemed disposed to breed in my outlet; but were frighted and persecuted by idle boys, who would never let them be at rest.*

Three gross-beaks (loxia coccothraustes) appeared some years ago in my fields, in the winter; one of which I shot: since that, now and then one is occasionally seen in the same dead season.†

in

In "Latham's General Synopsis" there is an account of a young hoopoe (Upupa vulgaris), its nestling plumage, having been shot in this country in the month of May. They have been seen in various parts of Great Britain, from Devonshire to the North of Scotland; but are extremely rare, though a few probably make their appearance every season. A pair took up their abode in a garden near my residence, but were shot down almost immediately. They hardly ever perch, but find their subsistence almost wholly upon the ground, where they strut about with great stateliness, and feed chiefly-if not wholly-upon insect food, which they often seek for among the excrements of horses and cattle. Bechstein, who kept several of them in confinement, observes that, "when walking about a room, it makes a continual motion with its head, tapping the floor with its beak, so that it seems as if walking with a stick, at the same time shaking its crest, wings, and tail." They would appear to be remarkably docile in confinement. M. von Schauroth, a correspondent of Bechstein, states of a pair that he kept that "they would never touch earthworms, but were very fond of beetles and may-bugs. These they first killed, and then beat them with the beak into a kind of oblong ball; this done, they would throw it into the air, and endeavour to catch and swallow it lengthwise. If it fell across the throat they were obliged to begin again, their tongue (which is heart-shaped) being too short to turn the food into the throat." [The same curious habit may be observed in the rollers (Coracias), and in the toucan family (Ramphastide), which also have tongues of peculiar make.] The writer continues"Instead of bathing they roll in the sand. I took them one day into a neighbouring field, that they might catch insects for themselves, and had then an opportunity of remarking their innate fear of birds of prey. No sooner did they perceive a raven, or even a pigeon, than they were on their bellies in an instant, their wings stretched out by the side of the head, so that the large quill-feathers touched; they were thus surrounded by a sort of crown, formed by the feathers of the tail and wings, the head leaning on the back, with the bill pointing upwards, in which curious position they might easily be taken for an old rag. As soon as the bird that frightened them had passed, they rose up immediately, uttering cries of joy. They were very fond of lying in the sun, and showed their content by repeating, in a quivering tone, 'vec, vec, vec.' When angry, their notes are harsh, and the male (which is known by being of a redder colour) cries hoop, hoop,'" whence the name of the species. This bird breeds in the holes of trees, laying from two to four speckled eggs in a nest formed of dry cow-dung and small roots, which in course of time becomes extremely fetid with the castings of the young. In autumn they associate in small flocks, frequenting pasture and meadow lands; and they migrate from Europe in September, making their re-appearance about April.-ED.

+ The extreme shyness of the haw gross beak in summer prevents its being often seen at that season. I know two or three localities, however, in Surrey, where they annually breed.-ED.

A cross-bill (loxia curvirostra) was killed last year in this neighbourhood.

Our streams, which are small, and rise only at the end of the village, yield nothing but the bull's head or miller's thumb (gobius fluviatilis capitatus),* the trout (trutta fluviatilis),† the eel (anguilla), the lampern (lampætra parva et fluviatilis), and the stickle-back (pisciculus aculeatus).

We are twenty miles from the sea, and almost as many from a great river, and therefore see but little of sea-birds. As to wild fowls, we have a few teams of ducks bred in the moors where the snipes breed; and multitudes of widgeons and teals in hard weather frequent our lakes in the forest.

Having some acquaintance with a tame brown-owl, I find that it casts up the fur of mice, and the feathers of birds in

* Cottus gobio, the river bull-head, a small and very common brook and river fish throughout England, and which is most abundant in small streamlets with gravelly or sandy bottoms, being generally found among loose stones, beneath which they hide (the peculiar flattened form of the head enabling them to thrust themselves under), and from which they issue with great rapidity to seize the larvæ of aquatic insects, &c., on which they feed. It is a very slimy fish, and has rather an uncouth appearance, the eyes being placed close together on the top of the head, which is very large and flat.-There are also two marine species of Cottus, extremely common upon the British shores, but which are not usually found together-the lasher bullhead (C. bubalus), and the scorpion bullhead (C. scorpius). A fourth (C. quadricornis) occurs as a straggler. Another and very singular looking British fish, allied to these, is the pogge, or "lyrie" of the Scotch (Aspidophorus europaus). All these are exquisitely figured and described in Mr. Yarrell's beautiful work on British fishes, which should be in the hands of every naturalist.-ED.

Salmo fario.-ED.

The common brook lamprey (Petromyzon fluviatilis). There are three ascertained British species of this genus, all of which ascend the rivers and brooks to spawn, and which are named (but not very significantly) P. marinus, fluviatilis, and planeri. This form is about the last of fishes, the lowest in the scale of vertebrate animals, having merely a rudimentary vertebral column. It is curious to see them feed. "Fastening," as a writer in the Field Naturalist's Magazine observes, "by means of their sucker-like mouth, to stones of considerable size, they contrive by strong muscular exertion, accompanied by considerable dilatation of the seven small orifices on each side of the head, to move them from their places, when, instantly letting go their hold, they commence an investigation of the spot whence the stone was removed, feeding on any small insects which had made their haunts beneath it." Their spawning beds are formed in a similar manner. "They are not," says Sir W. Jardine, "furnished with any elongation of jaw, afforded to most of our fresh-water fish, to form the receiving furrows in this important season, but the want is supplied by their sucker-like mouth, by which they individually remove each stone. Their power is immense; stones of a very large size are transported, and a large furrow is soon formed. The P. marinus remain in pairs, two at each spawning-place, and while there employed retain themselves affixed to a large stone. The P. fluviatilis, and another small species which I have not determined" (probably P. planeri), "are gregarious, acting in concert, and forming, in the same manner, a general spawning bed." It is hardly necessary to remark, in reference to the size of the stones which the lampreys manage to remove with such apparent facility, that a much less degree of muscular power suffices to lift these under water than would be required in the lighter medium, air, in which we move. In many parts of England the different .ampreys are popularly termed "nine-eyes," from the above-mentioned seven small orifices on each side of the head, through which, in place of gills, they breathe. The large species is in many parts exclusively designated "lamprey," and the two smaller kinds are commonly confounded under the term "lampern."-ED.

pellets, after the manner of hawks. When full, like a dog, it hides what it cannot eat.

The young of the barn-owl are not easily raised, as they want a constant supply of fresh mice: whereas the young of the brown-owl will eat indiscriminately all that is brought snails, rats, kittens, puppies, magpies, and any kind of carrion or offal.†

The house-martins have eggs still, and squab-young. The last swift I observed was about the twenty-first of August: it was a straggler.

Brown Owl.

Red starts, fly catchers, white throats, and reguli non cristati, still appear; but I have seen no black caps lately.

I forgot to mention that I once saw, in Christ-church-college quadrangle in Oxford, on a very sunny warm morning, a housemartin flying about, and settling on the parapet, so late as the twentieth of November.

At present I know only two species of bats, the common vespertilio murinus and the vespertilio auribus.§

I was much entertained last summer with a tame bat, which

This fact in the economy of the tawny-hooter, or brown-owl (aluco stridula), which is not mentioned in any of the histories of it that I have seen, I am enabled to corroborate from repeated observation. It always, when at liberty, buries the superfluity of a meal, scraping up the ground with its claws; and I have known it when hungry to return to its hoard, and avail itself of its instinctive foresight.-ED.

+ Barn-owls are easily enough raised, if taken sufficiently young. The wild adults of this species are by no means such general feeders as the brown-owls.-ED.

* Reguli non cristati. The different "willow-wrens," as they are often called, or species of the pettychaps-genus (sylvia, as now restricted), are here intended. It is remarkable that the common gray fly-catcher, one of the very latest of our migrant birds to appear in spring, is also one of the last to depart in autumn; the contrary being the case with the garden-fauvet, swift, and most other species which are backward in their arrivals. The circumstance appears explicable from the nature of its food, winged insects being much more abundant at the close of autumn than in the spring.-ED.

Mr. White here means the pepistrelle-bat by the term murinus, a mistake into which almost every British naturalist has fallen. The true V. murinus is a very large species, fifteen in inches