162 



Correspondence. 



It struck mc tliat porliipis a Is* nf birdf 1 Ktvo noticed since landing: 



Rook. 



Hooded Ceow. 



Jay 



M;;gpie, 



Starling. 



Blackbird. 



Song Thrush. 



Robin. 



Hedge Sparrow 



Wren. 



Skylark. 



Pied Wagtail. 



Grey A\'agtail. 

 Great Tit. 

 Blue Tit. 

 House Spairow. 

 Tree Sparrow. 

 Greenfinch. 

 Chaffinch. 

 Yellow-hammer. 

 Swallow. 

 Tawny Owl. 

 Barn Owl. 

 Little Owl. 



Kestrel 

 Sparrow-hawk. 



Pheasant. 



Common Partridge 



Red-legged Partridge. 



Snipe. 



Wood Pigeon. 



Stock Duve. 



Lapwing. 



Heron. 



BU-ck-headed Gull. 



The noteworthy features of the above list are: firstly, the Hooded 

 Crows and Magpies which, 1 think. I told you before are very plentiful 

 out here; secondly, the Little Owl, of which 1 have seen several, one 

 mobbed b\- several Sparrows: thirdly the B.il. Gull, which was remarkable 

 so far from the coast as we were, and lastly, the date of the first Swallow, 

 which was April iSth. More than half these birds I have seen right 

 up to the trenches, within one hundred yards of the firing line. 



At one village we were billeted in I saw several fine specimens 

 uf ornamental Pheasants. On enqufry I found that a wealthy neighbour had 

 experimented with Gold, Silver, and Amherst Pheasants, and liberated 

 them in the surrounding woods. He cleared off at the outbreak of war 

 and the villagers had captured many of these birds. One fine cock I saw 

 w,0s a hybrid Golden )< Amherst. 



f Lieut.) W. R. BATTY. 

 Somewhere in I-landers, 



April 26th, '16 



[The above reached us per C.S.M., R. Suggitt.— Ed.] 



A SUBSTITUTE FOR FRUIT. 



Sir, -The price and difficulty of procuring fruit has been exercising 

 my mind recently, and how to secure a substitute was a puzzle. 



1 n ow tinil that practically all my birds, seed eaters and fruit 

 eaters alike, are fond of boiled greens made crumbly l)y the addition of 

 biscuit meal. 



