J. E. LITTLEBOY THE BIIIDS OF OITE DISTEICT. 19 



as the caprice of appetite may suggest. I have frequently heard it 

 affirmed that the well-known line of Dr. Watts, 

 " Birds in their little nests agree," 

 must be regarded as a poetical fiction with scarcely the shadow of 

 a foundation. This can hardly be said respecting the red-backed 

 shrike ; the attachment of the parent pair to each other and to their 

 young is singularly striking. It is stated by Morris,* that " a male 

 red-backed shrike ha\'ing been caught in a garden by a cat, the 

 gardener, who saw the occurrence, succeeded in rescuing it from 

 the animal in time to save its life. It was put into a cage and 

 placed in a sitting-room close by, in which were several persons, 

 but notwithstanding this, the female, its companion, came in at the 

 window, settled on the cage, and was secured by one of the party 

 without attempting to fly away." It is a summer bird, and leaves 

 us early in the autumn. 



Next upon my list is the spotted flycatcher. This charming little 

 summer visitor is an universal favourite ; it abounds in all our gardens 

 and may be seen along the edge of every copse and almost every 

 hedge-row. It is easily distinguished, even at a considerable dis- 

 tance, by its short and jerky flight. It is fond of sitting on a railing 

 or iron fence, and from its selected perch it darts rapidly ofi" in search 

 of its insect prey, quivers for a few seconds in the air, and then 

 returns to the exact spot formerly occupied. It is a sociable and 

 confiding little bird, and appears to covet the guardianship of man. 

 I am informed that a pair of flycatchers built their nest in an acacia 

 tree in the boys' playground at the Berkhampstead Grammar School. 

 Is it possible to conceive a greater act of confidence than this ? I 

 am sorry to say that it was misplaced ; although the nest remained 

 undiscovered until four eggs had been deposited, the temptation was 

 too strong to be resisted, and the eggs quickly disappeared. 



On two occasions we have been favoured with a visit from the 

 dipper. This bird, abundant in Wales and Scotland, is extremely 

 scarce throughout the Midland Counties. In form it strikingly 

 resembles the wren, but in size it is about on an equality with the 

 missel thrush. It is readily recognised by its creamy white breast, 

 and when once seen cannot be mistaken. It is very distinct, 

 and differs in its habits from all its fellows. It is as much a water- 

 fowl as the dabchick, but its feet are not webbed, and it indulges in 

 a low melodious song — an accomplishment not possessed by any 

 other water-fowl. It is said by some authorities that the dipper 

 deliberately walks under the water along the bottom of the stream, 

 but it is maintained by others that he swims through the water, using 

 his wings as paddles. Neither of our visitors was sufficiently 

 polite to favour us with a performance, and we know not which 

 theory is the true one. 



Of the thrushes and the blackbird I need say but little. We have 

 four varieties of thrushes — the missel thrush, the song thrush, the 

 redwing, and the fieldfare. The missel and song thrush arc dis- 



* History of British Birds, vol. i. p. 236. 



