24 ADDENDA TO BIRD-RETREATING. 



walk, and am led to hope that museums are nearly all supplied with 

 specimens; happily their nests are made in places too difficult of access for 

 marauding boys to get at them, so that some probabilities remain of this 

 lovely bird being preserved to us. The shades of evening coming upon us 

 sooner than we were prepared for, terminated our observations, and caused 

 us to return by the shortest route. 



Robins are singing nearly all day from the high trees near this house, 

 and as cold weather comes on, would approach closer and become familiar, 

 picking up crumbs of bread from the lawn and window-sills, were they 

 not prevented by the prowling cats. Even now whilst writing, seated at 

 a window opening to the garden, over which my eyes are frequently directed 

 upon the look-out for anything on the move, I see one of these 

 feline pests creeping onwards, with body depressed, close to the ground, 

 head stretched forward, and eyes intent upon some object, some poor bird 

 no doubt. Yes, there is a pretty Grey Wagtail running about the lawn, 

 picking up insects from the short grass; the cat is now in the shade of 

 a laurestina bush; a few more steps round it and the bird will be in his 

 clutches: there goes a book at him, (the first thing I could lay hand upon,) 

 missed him of course, but saved the bird. 



(To be continued.) 



ADDENDA TO BIRD-RETREATING. 



BY GEOROE R. TW1NN, ESQ. 



I was much gratified with the perusal of the article "on the Scarcity 

 of Birds in certain districts." I am sure it must be a great grief to every 

 true lover of nature, that though many agencies promotive of this scarcity, 

 are easy of remedy, yet ignorance and prejudice contrive to keep them 

 "going," because, forsooth, they follow the error, that continuance of a 

 folly or a wrong is a justification of it. 



In my former paper, written at the close of May, the Spotted Flycatcher 

 had not appeared in our grounds, but early in July it was proved to have 

 been there some time, for the gardener and footman, under the plea of 

 driving sparrows from the peas, amused themselves with a gun, and among 

 their victims fell a poor Flycatcher. This led to a close search, and the 

 result was, that in the identical hole of the wall in which Flycatchers 

 had formerly built, was a nest with four young ones. 



This autumn a pair has been shot from a party of upwards of a dozen; 

 also a bird that has to be recorded as appearing here for the first time, 

 the Tree Pipit, and which is in the hands of a bird-preserver. But it 

 may occur to the reader, why complain of bird-retreating, when you appear 



