60 ORNITHOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 



between them and the weald, and the open por- 

 tions of the forest range in the eastern division, 

 abound with numbers of this species, which seem 

 to accumulate in the neighbourhood of the coast 

 as the winter approaches. Many of these are, of 

 course, birds of the year, but a considerable pro- 

 portion are adult, and I am convinced that I have 

 seen more of the latter during a mornmg's walk 

 among the fields, about the latter part of October, 

 in the neighbourhood of Worthing, than could 

 have been found in half the county during the 

 breeding-season. 



When the corn has been reaped, and the process 

 of gleaning — or leasing, as it is here termed — 

 finished, the kestrel may be seen hovering over the 

 stubbles: then, and for a long time afterwards, 

 those fields abound with their favourite prey. 

 Let us bear in mind that the arboreal beetles 

 (Lucanidce, Melolonthidce, Cetoniadce, &c.*), and 

 the large moths and grubs of diff'erent kinds, which 

 constitute so great a proportion of their daily food 

 during the summer months, have now in a great 

 measure disappeared, or are becoming difiicult to 

 discover: accordingly, as the season advances, we 

 find the windliover leaving our woods and forests 

 for the open fields, especially where the sickle has 



* Stag-beetles Cockchafers, Kosechafers, &c. 



