sea-shore, or on the banks of lakes and rivers. Some, which feed on
fish, have unusually long legs and powerful bills; others, owing to
their length of bill and legs, are able to search muddy places for
worms and insects, without clogging their feathers; and others, again,
are decidedly aquatic, and have considerable swimming powers, thus
approaching the next order; the majority have great power of flight,
and lay their eggs on the ground.
FAMILY GLAREOLIDÆ
108. GLARÉOLA (Pratincole). Bill short, convex, compressed towards the
point; upper mandible curved throughout half its length; nostrils
basal, oblique; legs feathered nearly to the knee; tarsus long;
three toes in front, one behind, the latter joined on the tarsus;
wings very long; first primary longest. _Page 238_
FAMILY CHARADRIIDÆ
Hind toe absent in most species; tarsus usually reticulate, sometimes
scutellate.
109. OEDICNÉMUS (Thick-knee). Bill stout, straight, longer than the
head, slightly compressed towards the end; nostrils in the middle of
the bill, narrow, with the aperture in front, pervious; toes three,
united by a membrane as far as the first joint; wings as in the
last. _Page 239_
110. CURSORIUS (Courser). Bill shorter than the head, depressed at the
base, slightly curved, pointed; nostrils basal, oval, covered by a
little protuberance. Legs long, slender; toes three, very short,
divided nearly to the base, inner toe half the length of the middle
one; its claw serrated; claws very short; wings moderate; first
primary nearly as long as the second, which is the longest in the
wing. _Page 240_
111. CHARÁDRIUS (Plover). Bill shorter than the head, slender,
straight, compressed, somewhat swollen towards the tip; nasal
channel reaching from the base through two-thirds of the bill,
covered by a membrane; nostrils basal, very narrow; tarsi moderate,
slender; toes three, the outer and middle connected by a short
membrane; wings moderate; first primary longest. _Page 240_
112. SQUATÁROLA (Grey Plover). Bill shorter than the head, straight,
swollen and hard towards the tip; nostrils basal, narrow, pierced in
the membrane of a long groove; legs slender; outer and middle toe
connected by a short membrane, hind toe rudimentary, jointed on the
tarsus, not touching the ground; wings long, pointed; first primary
longest. _Page 242_
113. EUDROMIAS (Dotterel). Bill shorter than head, slender,
compressed; nasal channel reaching about half length of bill. Wings
moderate; inner secondaries much longer than in Charádrius.
_Page 244_
114. ÆGIALITIS (Ringed and Kentish Plovers). Bill much shorter than
head, slender, straight to end of nasal channel, which extends
beyond middle of bill, then slightly raised, but decurved at tip;
wings long, pointed. _Page 245_
115. VANELLUS (Lapwing). Wings large, quills broad and rounded, the
fourth and fifth primaries longest. In other respects resembling
Squatárola. _Page 247_
116. HÆMÁTOPUS (Oyster Catcher). Bill longer than the head, stout,
straight, forming a wedge; legs moderate, stout; toes three,
bordered by a narrow membrane; wings long; first primary longest.
_Page 248_
117. STRÉPSILAS (Turnstone). Bill short, thickest at the base and
tapering; nostrils basal, narrow, pervious; legs moderate; three
front toes connected at the base by a membrane, fourth rudimentary,
jointed on the tarsus, touching the ground with its tip. _Page 250_
FAMILY SCOLOPACIDÆ
(SNIPES, ETC.)
Bill long and slender; toes four, the hind one weak and elevated, very
rarely wanting.
118. RECURVIROSTRA (Avocet). Bill very long, slender, weak, much
curved upwards, pointed; legs long, slender; front toes connected
as far as the second joint; hind toe very small. _Page 252_
119. PHALÁROPUS (Phalarope). Bill as long as the head, slender, weak,
depressed and blunt; front toes connected as far as the first joint,
and bordered by a lobed and slightly serrated membrane; hind toe not
bordered. _Page 253_
120. SCÓLOPAX (Woodcock). Bill long, compressed, superior ridge
elevated at base of mandible, prominent. Legs rather short, anterior
toes almost entirely divided. _Page 254_
121. GALLINÁGO (Snipe). Bill very long; legs rather long and slender;
anterior toes divided to the base. _Page 256_
122. CALIDRIS (Sanderling). Bill as long as the head, slender,
straight, soft, and flexible, dilated towards the end; nostrils
basal, narrow, pierced in the long nasal groove which reaches to the
tip; legs slender; toes three, scarcely connected by a membrane;
wings moderate; first primary longest. _Page 260_
123. TRINGA (Sandpiper, Knot, Dunlin, Stint). Bill as long as the head
or a little longer, straight or slightly curved, soft and flexible,
dilated, and blunt towards point; both mandibles grooved along
sides; nostrils lateral wings moderately long, pointed, first quill
longest; legs moderately long; three toes in front, divided to
origin; one behind, small, articulated upon tarsus. _Page 361_
124. MACHÉTES (Ruff). Bill straight, as long as the head, dilated and
smooth at the tip; nasal channel reaching to nearly the end of the
bill; nostrils basal; first and second primaries longest; toes four,
the outer and middle connected as far as the first joint; neck of
the male in spring furnished with a ruff. _Page 266_
125. TÓTANUS (Redshank, Sandpiper). Bill moderate, slender, soft at
the base, solid at the end; both mandibles grooved at the base,
upper channelled through half its length; nostrils pierced in the
groove; legs long, slender; toes four. _Page 267_
126. LIMÓSA (Godwit). Bill very long, slender, curved upwards, soft
and flexible throughout, dilated towards the tip, and blunt; upper
mandible channelled throughout its whole length; nostrils linear,
pierced in the groove, pervious; legs long and slender; toes four,
the outer and middle connected as far as the first joint; wings
moderate; first primary longest. _Page 272_
127. NUMENIUS (Curlew, Whimbrel). Bill much larger than the head,
slender, curved downwards. _Page 273_
ORDER GAVIÆ
Front toes entirely connected by webs. Primaries, ten large and
visible, one minute and concealed.
FAMILY LARIDÆ
(GULLS, TERNS, SKUAS)
_SUB-FAMILY STERNINÆ_
Bill straight, rather slender; mandibles of about equal length.
128. HYDROCHELIDON (Black, White-winged, and Whiskered Terns). Tail
feathers rounded or slightly pointed; tail short, less than half
length of wing. _Page 275_
129. STERNA (Other Terns). Outer tail feathers longest, pointed;
tarsus short; tail at least half length of wing; bill compressed
and slender; tarsus never exceeds length of middle toe with claw.
_Page 276_
_SUB-FAMILY LARINÆ_
Bill with upper mandible longer and bent over tip of under one.
130. LARUS (Gull). Bill moderate, strong, sharp-edged above,
compressed, slightly decurved; hind toe high on the tarsus; first
primary nearly equal to the second, which is longest; tail even, or
but slightly forked. _Page 281_
131. RISSA (Kittiwake). Bill rather short and stout, considerably
decurved; hind toe minute and usually obsolete; first primary
slightly exceeding second; tail perceptibly forked in young, nearly
square in adult. _Page 287_
_SUB-FAMILY STERCORARIINÆ_
Bill with a cere; claws large, strong, hooked.
132. STERCORARIUS (Skua). Bill moderate, strong, rounded above,
compressed towards the tip, which is decurved; nostrils far forward,
diagonal, pervious; hind toe very small, scarcely elevated; the
middle tail-feathers more or less elongated. _Page 288_
ORDER PYGOPODES
Wings short
FAMILY ALCIDÆ
(AUKS)
Bill much flattened vertically (compressed); wings short; legs placed
at the extremity of the body; feet three-toed, palmated; tail short.
Food, mostly fish, and captured by diving.
133. ALCA (Razor-bill). Bill large, sharp-edged, the basal half
feathered, the terminal part grooved laterally; upper mandible much
curved towards the point; nostrils nearly concealed by a feathered
membrane; tail pointed. _Page 291_
134. ÚRIA (Guillemot). Bill strong, nearly straight, sharp-pointed, of
moderate length; nostrils basal, partly covered by a feathered
membrane; first primary longest. _Page 292_
135. MÉRGULUS. (Little Auk). Bill strong, conical, slightly curved,
shorter than the head; nostrils basal, partly covered by a feathered
membrane; first and second primaries equal. _Page 294_
136. FRATERCULA (Puffin). Bill shorter than head, higher than long,
ridge of upper mandible higher than crown; both mandibles much
curved throughout, transversely furrowed, notched at tip; nostrils
basal, almost closed by a naked membrane. _Page 295_
FAMILY COLYMBIDÆ
(DIVERS)
Bill slightly compressed, not covered with a membranous skin; edges of
the mandibles unarmed, or but slightly toothed; wings short; legs
placed far behind; tarsi very much compressed; toes four. Food, fish
and other aquatic animal substances obtained by diving. Females
smaller than males.
137. COLYMBUS (Diver). Bill forming a pointed cylindrical cone; front
toes entirely palmated; tail very short. _Page 297_
FAMILY PODICIPEDIDÆ
(GREBES)
Hallux raised above level of other toes; toes with wide lateral lobes,
united at base. Tail vestigial.
138. PÓDICIPES (Grebe). Bill forming pointed cylindrical cone;
secondaries, if any, very little shorter than primaries. _Page 300_
ORDER TUBINARES
External nostrils are produced into tubes; anterior toes fully webbed;
hallux small or absent.
FAMILY PROCELLARIIDÆ
Nostrils united exteriorly above culmen.
139. FULMARUS (Fulmar). Bill not so long as head; upper mandible of
four portions divided by indentations, the whole large, strong,
curving suddenly to point; under mandible grooved along sides, bent
at end; edges of mandibles sharp; nostrils prominent, united,
enclosed, somewhat hidden in tube with single external orifice;
wings rather long, first quill longest; tarsi compressed, feet
moderate. _Page 304_
140. PUFFINUS (Shearwaters). Bill rather longer than head, slender;
mandibles compressed, decurved; nasal tube low, both nostrils
visible from above, directed forwards and slightly upwards; wings
long, pointed, first quill slightly the longest; tail graduated;
tarsi compressed laterally. _Page 305_
141. PROCELLARIA (Storm and Fork-tailed Petrels). Bill small, robust,
much shorter than head, straight to nail, which is decurved; wings
long, narrow, second quill longest, slightly exceeding third, first
shorter than fourth; tail moderate, slightly rounded; legs moderate,
claws rather short. _Page 307_
* * * * * * *
ORDER PASSERES
FAMILY TURDIDÆ
SUB-FAMILY TURDINÆ
THE MISTLE (OR MISSEL) THRUSH
TURDUS VISCIVORUS
Upper plumage ash brown; space between the bill and eye
greyish white; wing-coverts edged and tipped with greyish
white; under parts white, faintly tinged here and there with
reddish yellow, marked all over with deep brown spots, which
on the throat and breast are triangular, in other parts oval,
broader on the flanks; under wing-coverts white; three lateral
tail feathers tipped with greyish white. Length eleven inches;
breadth eighteen inches. Eggs greenish or reddish white,
spotted with brownish red. Young spotted on the head and back
with buff and black.
The largest British song bird, distinguished from the Song Thrush not
only by its superior size, but by having white under wing-coverts, and
the whole of the under part of the body buffish-white, spotted with
black. It is a generally diffused bird, and is known by various local
names; in the west of England its popular name is Holm Thrush, or Holm
Screech, derived most probably, not, as Yarrell surmises, from its
resorting to the oak in preference to other trees, but from its
feeding on the berries of the holly, or holm; the title 'Screech'
being given to it from its jarring note when angry or alarmed, which
closely resembles the noise made by passing the finger-nail rapidly
along the teeth of a comb. Its French name, 'Draine', and German,
'Schnarre', seem to be descriptive of the same harsh '_churr_'. In
Wales, it has from its quarrelsome habits acquired the name of Penn y
llwyn, or, master of the coppice. Another of its names, Throstle Cock,
expresses its alliance with the Thrushes, and its daring nature; and
another Storm Cock, indicates 'not that it delights in storms more
than in fine weather, but that nature has taught it to pour forth its
melody at a time of the year when the bleak winds of winter roar
through the leafless trees'. The song of the Mistle Thrush is loud,
wild, and musical, Waterton calls it 'plaintive', Knapp 'harsh and
untuneful'. I must confess that I agree with neither. This note,
generally the earliest of the Spring sounds (for the Redbreast's song
belongs essentially to winter), is to my ear full of cheerful promise
amounting to confidence--a song of exultation in the return of genial
weather. The bird sings generally perched on the topmost branch of
some lofty tree, and there he remains for hours together out-whistling
the wind and heeding not the pelting rain. This song, however, is not
continuous, but broken into passages of a few notes each, by which
characteristic it may be distinguished alike from that of the Thrush
or the Blackbird, even when mellowed by distance to resemble either.
The Mistletoe Thrush is essentially a tree-loving bird. During winter
its food mainly consists of berries, among which those of the Mountain
Ash and Yew have the preference, though it also feeds on those of the
Hawthorn, Ivy, Juniper, and the strange plant from which it derives
its name.[1] Towards other birds it is a very tyrant, selfish and
domineering in the extreme; to such a degree, indeed, that even when
it has appeased its appetite it will allow no other bird to approach
the tree which it has appropriated for its feeding ground. I have seen
it take possession of a Yew-tree laden with berries, and most
mercilessly drive away, with angry vociferations and yet more
formidable buffets, every other bird that dared to come near. Day
after day it returned, until the tree was stripped of every berry,
when it withdrew and appeared no more.
As soon as the unfrozen earth is penetrable by its beak, it adds to
its diet such worms and grubs as it can discover; and, if it be not
belied, it is given to plunder the nests of other birds of their eggs
and young. It may be on this account that Magpies, Jays, and other
large woodland birds, robbers themselves, entertain an instinctive
dislike towards it. Certainly these birds are its better enemies; but
in the breeding season it eludes their animosity by quitting the
woods, and resorting to the haunts of man. Its harsh screech is now
rarely heard, for its present object is not defiance, but immunity
from danger. Yet it takes no extraordinary pains to conceal its nest.
On the contrary, it usually places this where there is little or no
foliage to shadow it, in a fork between two large boughs of an apple,
pear, or cherry tree, sometimes only a few feet from the ground, and
sometimes twenty feet or more. The nest is a massive structure,
consisting of an external basket-work of twigs, roots, and lichens,
within which is a kind of bowl of mud containing a final lining of
grass and roots. The bird is an early builder. It generally lays five
eggs and feeds its young on snails, worms, and insects. The range of
the Mistle Thrush extends as far as the Himalayas. In Great Britain it
is a resident species.
[1] That this thrush feeds on the berries of the mistletoe was
stated by Yarrell, but it is not now generally believed to
be a fact.
[Illustration:
Missel Thrush Song Thrush
Redwing
Fieldfare
[_face p. 2_]]
[Illustration:
Blackbird [M] _imm._
Blackbird [F] [M]
Ring Ouzel [M] [F]]
THE SONG THRUSH
TURDUS MÚSICUS
Upper parts brown tinged with olive; wing-coverts edged and
tipped with reddish yellow; cere yellowish; throat white in
the middle, without spots; sides of neck and breast reddish
yellow with triangular dark brown spots; abdomen and flanks
pure white with oval dark brown spots; under wing-coverts pale
orange yellow; bill and feet greyish brown. Length, eight
inches and a half, breadth thirteen inches. Eggs blue with a
few black spots mostly at the larger end.
The Thrush holds a distinguished place among British birds, as
contributing, perhaps, more than any other to the aggregate charms of
a country life. However near it may be, its song is never harsh, and
heard at a distance its only defect is, that it is not nearer. It
possesses, too, the charm of harmonizing with all other pleasant
natural sounds. If to these recommendations we add that the Thrush
frequents all parts of England, and resorts to the suburban garden as
well as the forest and rocky glen, we think we may justly claim for it
the distinction among birds, of being the last that we would willingly
part with, not even excepting its allowed master in song himself, the
Nightingale. Three notes are often repeated: Did he do it? Shut the
gate, Kubelik.
The food of the Thrush during winter consists of worms, insects, and
snails. The first of these it picks up or draws out from their holes,
in meadows and lawns; the others it hunts for among moss and stones,
in woods and hedges, swallowing the smaller ones whole, and extracting
the edible parts of large snails by dashing them with much adroitness
against a stone. When it has once discovered a stone adapted to its
purpose, it returns to it again and again, so that it is not uncommon
in one's winter walks to come upon a place thickly strewn with broken
shells, all, most probably, the 'chips' of one workman. As spring
advances, it adds caterpillars to its bill of fare, and as the summer
fruits ripen, it attacks them all in succession; strawberries,
gooseberries, currants, raspberries, cherries, and, on the Continent,
grapes suit its palate right well; and, when these are gone, pears and
apples, whether attached to the tree or lying on the ground, bear, too
often for the gardener, the marks of its beak on their ripest side.
During all this period it relieves the monotony of its diet by an
occasional repast on animal food; as, indeed, in winter it alternates
its food whenever opportunity occurs, by regaling itself on wild
berries. Yet, despite the mischief which it perpetrates in our gardens
by devouring and spoiling much of the choicest fruit--for your thrush
is an epicure, and tastes none but the ripest and best--the service
which it renders as a devourer of insects more than compensates for
all. So the gardener, if a wise man, will prefer the scare-crow to the
gun, the protecting net to that which captures.
I know two adjoining estates in Yorkshire. On one the gardener shoots
blackbirds and thrushes in fruit time. On the other they are
protected. The latter yields always more fruit than the former.
The Thrush holds a high rank, too, among birds as an architect. Its
nest is usually placed in a thorn-bush, a larch or young fir-tree, a
furze-bush, an apple or pear tree, or an ordinary hedge, at no great
elevation from the ground, and not concealed with much attempt at art.
Indeed, as it begins to build very early, it is only when it selects
an evergreen that it has much chance of effectually hiding its
retreat. The nest externally is composed of feather-moss, intermatted
with bents, twigs, and small roots, and terminates above in a thicker
rim of the same materials. Thus far the bird has displayed her skill
as basket-maker. The outer case is succeeded by a layer of cow-dung,
applied in small pellets, and cemented with saliva. The builder, with
a beak for her only trowel, has now completed the mason's work. But
she has yet to show her skill as a plasterer; this she does by lining
her cup-like chamber with stucco made from decayed wood, pulverized
and reduced to a proper consistence, kneading it with her beak. With
this for her sole instrument, except her round breast, to give to the
whole the requisite form, she has constructed a circular bowl
sufficiently compact to exclude air and water, as true and as finely
finished as if it had been moulded on a potter's wheel, or turned on a
lathe.
The Thrush lays four or five eggs, and rears several broods in the
season, building a new nest for each brood. During incubation the
female is very tame, and will suffer herself to be approached quite
closely without deserting her post. In the vicinity of houses, where
she is familiar with the human form, she will even take worms and
other food from the hand.
THE REDWING
TURDUS ILÍACUS
Upper plumage olive brown; lore black and yellow; a broad
white streak above the eye; lower plumage white, with numerous
oblong dusky spots, middle of the abdomen without spots; under
wing-coverts and flanks bright orange red; bill dusky; feet
grey. Length eight inches, breadth thirteen inches. Eggs
greenish blue mottled with dark brownish red spots.
The Redwing (called in France _Mauvis_, whence an old name for the
Song-thrush, 'Mavis') is the smallest of the Thrushes with which we
are familiar. It is, like the Fieldfare, a bird of passage, reaching
us from the north about the same time with the Woodcock, in October.
It resembles the Song-thrush more than any other bird of the family,
but may readily be distinguished even at some distance by the light
stripe over the eye, and its bright red under wing-coverts. In some
parts of France it is much sought after by the fowler, its flesh
being considered by many superior to that of the Quail and Woodcock.
It owes perhaps some of this unfortunate distinction to the fact of
its arriving in France in time to fatten on grapes, for in this
country it is often too lean to be worth cooking. Being impatient of
cold, it is less abundant in the north of England than the south; but
even in the mild climates of Devon and Cornwall, where it congregates
in large numbers, it is so much enfeebled by unusually severe weather,
as to be liable to be hunted down by boys with sticks, and a Redwing
starved to death used to be no unfrequent sight in the course of a
winter's ramble. As long as the ground remains neither frozen nor
snowed up, the open meadows may be seen everywhere spotted with these
birds, but when the earth becomes so hard as to resist their efforts
in digging up worms and grubs, they repair to the cliffs which border
the sea-coast, where some sunny nook is generally to be found, to
woods in quest of berries, or to the watercourses of sheltered
valleys. At these times they are mostly silent, their only note, when
they utter any, being simple and harsh; but in France they are said to
sing towards the end of February, and even in this country they have
been known to perch on trees in mild weather, and execute a regular
song. Towards the end of April or beginning of May, they take their
departure northwards, where they pass the summer, preferring woods and
thickets in the vicinity of marshes. Mr. Hewitson states that while he
was travelling through Norway 'the Redwing was but seldom seen, and
then perched upon the summit of one of the highest trees, pouring
forth its delightfully wild note. It was always very shy, and upon
seeing our approach would drop suddenly from its height, and disappear
among the underwood. Its nest, which we twice found with young ones
(although our unceasing endeavours to find its eggs were fruitless),
was similar to that of the Fieldfare. The Redwing is called the
Nightingale of Norway, and well it deserves the name', and Turdus
Ilíacus because it frequented in such great numbers the environs of
Ilion-Troy.
THE FIELDFARE
TURDUS PILÁRIS
Head, nape, and lower part of the back dark ash colour; upper
part of the back and wing-coverts chestnut brown; lore black;
a white rim above the eyes; throat and breast yellowish red
with oblong dark spots; feathers on the flanks spotted with
black and edged with white; abdomen pure white without spots;
under wing-coverts white, beak brown, tipped with black.
Length ten inches, breadth seventeen inches. Eggs light blue,
mottled all over with dark red brown spots.