630 Birds in the Vicinity of Tooting, Surrey, 



woods on rising grounds. Here it is not very common : in 

 the immediate vicinity it is, indeed, rare ; for, though many 

 are always heard in spring, in the time of passage, compa- 

 ratively few stay to breed in this neighbourhood. With us 

 it is the least common of the three. 



The little Golden-crowned Kinglet is, I believe, plentiful in 

 every county of the kingdom : it is here very abundant, as 

 elsewhere. 



The Cole and Marsh Tits are both moderately plentiful, 

 each in its respective proper locality. The Blue and Oxeye 

 Tits are somewhat more so. 



The Rose Mitfflin is not very abundant ; at the same time, 

 it cannot be considered at all rare. It seems to be very 

 uniformly diffused over the greater part of the country. 



The Hedge Dunnock is every where a plentiful species. 

 The Wren, also, is numerous; as is likewise the common 

 Tree Creeper, The Nuthatch, too, is rather plentiful than 

 otherwise. 



Many years ago, a Hoopoe was shot on Tooting Common ; 

 and, more recently, a pair near Mitcham Common : these 

 latter would, undoubtedly, have bred, had they been suf- 

 fered to do so. 



The Waxwing should be considered an " irregular winter 

 visitant," rather than a " rare and accidental straggler," as 

 is commonly stated : the latter implies a much less frequent 

 occurrence than the former. There have been many in- 

 stances of its occurring in these parts in cold winters. I 

 know several persons who have shot them. Lately, I have 

 had some opportunities of observing one alive in confinement; 

 in which condition the species is extremely hardy, and thrives 

 upon almost any sort of food. It is remarkably fearless and 

 familiar in the cage. The plumage fades very much in the 

 course of the summer, both in captivity and in the wild state ; 

 so much so, that the new feathers put forth in autumn con- 

 trast strikingly with those about to be shed. The new plu- 

 mage produced in confinement is equally rich with that of 

 the wild individuals. Its song is a low inward warbling, 

 occasionally uttered during the greater part of the year. 



The Dark Wagtail (ifefotacilla lugubris) is a common 

 species : this, and not M. alba of the Continental writers, is 

 the ordinary pied wagtail of this country, as has been satis- 

 factorily determined by Mr. Gould. It has a black back in 

 summer plumage ; whereas M. alba has the upper parts 

 always grey. There are, besides, other differences. 



The Pale Wagtail (M. alba of Temminck) I have also 

 shot, two or three times, during the summer months ; but, 



