HARD WICKE' S S CIENCE- G O SSI P. 



219 



come to cut up a portion of the oldest wood at times. 

 This covert, which is called "Christmas Gorse," is 

 probably over twenty acres in extent, which is for 

 the most part covered with blackthorn, and large 

 hawthorn bushes, brambles, furze and young oaks, 

 while fir-trees are planted near the outsides, and in 

 other places of the covert. For the observation of 

 ■wild bird-life, the place is unrivalled any where for 

 miles around. 



Situated in the covert is a large roosting-place for 

 starlings, which come trooping into the place every 

 evening by thousands, and returning back in the 

 morning to their accustomed feeding-groimds. It is 

 an interesting sight to watch them coming in to 

 roost. From all directions for miles around the 

 starlings keep coming in every minute by hundreds 

 and thousands, and each flock as it comes in wheels 

 and hovers over the place selected and then darts 

 do\v"n and settles for the night. 



The air above the roost presents a very animated 

 appearance, hundreds settling down every minute, 

 and thousands coming in to take their place, while 

 those that are settled make a loud chattering noise, 

 which is kept up till dark, and can be heard a long 

 way off. The noise of those that are settled is like a 

 high wind in the tops of the trees, and when they 

 rise suddenly, it is like the noise of distant thunder. 

 These birds crowd together so thickly that they 

 appear to be on top of one another, and the tall 

 blackthorns and hawthorns are in some places com- 

 pletely bent and broken to the ground by their 

 weight. Thousands, if not millions make it their 

 nightly roosting-place. 



Occasionally there is to be observed among this 

 mass of birds which frequent this place, an individual 

 with a snowy-white plumage. 



The time of the coming in of these birds at night, 

 and the going out in the morning is regulated 

 according to the season of the year. In the depth of 

 winter they begin to arrive at the covert about half 

 past three, and sometimes earlier in the afternoon, 

 going out in the morning about eight. They do not 

 come out in the same way as they go in, i.e., in large 

 compact masses, but are scattered out over the 

 country in long straggling lines. 



It is also very interesting to watch the numerous 

 flocks which pass over this village, in the afternoon 

 or evening, as they are on their way to roost. The 

 smaller companies sometimes settle in some tree, 

 where they exert their voices, and create a very 

 pleasing and lively appearance in the surroundings. 

 They wait till some larger flight of starlings appears, 

 which settles for a moment to receive the contingent, 

 and then with a loud whirring of wings and the 

 execution of various manceuvres, they betake them- 

 selves off in the direction of their roosting-place, 

 though probably they are recruited on their way by 

 several small companies of their species. As these 

 birds go over sometimes in large flocks containing 



many thousands, and reaching a quarter of a mile or 

 more in length, we may suppose that these vast flocks 

 are collected by the smaller parties continually join- 

 ing them from the surrounding feeding-grounds for a 

 great distance around, as they go homewards. These 

 birds frequent the fields in small companies during 

 the day, though several parties often unite together, 

 but they generally soon separate and go off again in 

 various directions. 



Occasionally in wandering near their roost we 

 may pick up a dead starling or two with fine glossy 

 plumage, while many pairs of wings and skeletons 

 hang about in the tall blackthorns, and the numerous 

 small heaps of feathers on the ground plainly show 

 that many of these birds are killed by the numerous 

 birds of prey which frequent the place. Hawks and 

 tawny owls haunt the covert, and breed around. 

 Magpies are very common here and may be seen in 

 spring in small numbers of about six together, and 

 once I counted twenty-two as they flew from a 

 meadow into the covert. They build and breed 

 abundantly in the tall hawthorn and blackthorn 

 bushes, in the more inaccessible parts. Pheasants 

 and partridges abound and build among the long 

 grass. Ring-doves breed in the fir-trees abundantly 

 in April and May, and are so common around here, 

 that large flocks of twenty, thirty, or sixty, and even 

 more may be seen early in the year, flying or feeding 

 in the meadows around. The lapwings breed un- 

 molested in the damp meadows near at hand, where 

 their curious flight can be seen and familiar cry 

 heard. Blackbirds and thrushes sing without hin- 

 drance from morning till night ; and the beautiful jay 

 makes its home here and breeds in the fir-trees. The 

 smaller kinds of wild birds, the crested wren, willow 

 wren, coletit, tomtit, great-tit, white-throat, night- 

 ingale, and several others, live and breed undisturbed 

 in this secluded spot. 



In April and May, the soft cooing of the ring- 

 doves, and the soft tremulous cooing of the turtle- 

 doves, sounds sweetly from the fir-trees. The 

 nightingale, our sweetest songster, may be heard pour- 

 ing forth its thrilling notes in the daytime and in 

 the evening, when the other denizens of the air and 

 woods have retired to rest. From without the 

 covert, the sweet voice of the cuckoo and the loud 

 ringing cry of the green woodpecker can be heard. 



In spring and summer, the covert is clothed in 

 floral beauty. Snowdrops may be gathered here in 

 early spring, and later on the flowers of the tormem- 

 til, dog-violet, and forget-me-not cover the ground 

 in the open places. Large bunches of furze give 

 qrtite an attraction to the place with their bright 

 golden flowers. The blackthorn bushes show quit^ 

 white at a distance, and contrast beautifully with the. 

 bright and fresh green leaves on the hawthorn 

 bushes which are scattered promiscuously here and 

 there. The beautiful flowers of the wild columbine 

 grow at the top of the covert near the road. The 



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