56 ORNITHOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 



to throw some additional light on this portion of 

 its history. 



Mr. Waterton says, " Perhaps it is not generally 

 known that the windhover is a migratory bird ; 

 but whether the greater part of these hawks leave 

 England in the autumn, or merely retire fi^om 

 their breeding place to some other part of our 

 country more congenial to their habits, is a pro- 

 blem whi^>h remains yet to be solved. For my 

 own part, I am of opinion that a very large pro- 

 portion of those which are bred in England leave 

 it in the autumn, to join the vast flights of hawks 

 which are seen to pass periodically^ over the Medi- 

 terranean Sea, on their way to Africa. 



"Last summer I visited twenty-four nests in 

 my park, all with windhover's eggs in them. The 

 old birds and their young tarried here till the de- 

 parture of the swallow, and then they disappeared. 

 During the winter there is scarcely a windhover 

 to be found. Sometimes a pair or so makes its 

 appearance, but does not remain long. When 

 February has set in, more of the windhovers are 

 seen, and about the middle of the month their 

 numbers have much increased. They may be 

 then heard at all hours of the day ; and he who 

 loves to study Nature in the fields, may observe 

 them now on soaring wing, high above in the 



