The Birds of a Surrey Small liohliiig. 193 



Blackbirds and Tlirushes abound and breed everywhere 

 on and around the holding. 



The (ireenhnches breed in almost every ii;"arden, and on 

 my holding- and also the house garden they favour a high nest 

 site. 



Another welcome visitor, and rather a rare one, is the 

 Blackcap. I ha\'e only seen them singly on the holding. 

 During the whole of July and for the first week of this month 

 one has visited the holding and charmed me with his lovely 

 song, always from amid the raspberry canes. The raspberries 

 were all gathered last week, and I have neither seen nor heard 

 him for the past three days. 



The glory of the holding and the adjoining meadows is 

 the lark — all the season their song has been entrancing (silent 

 now), six or more often pouring out their sweet melody at the 

 same time. During the past three years I have observed 

 Alauda arvensis closely and have noted certain facts which were 

 new to me. In the adjoining meadow, quite close to my fence, 

 a pair nested in 1916 and each succeeding year since. 



I noted that prior to the hatching of the young the male 

 bird always poured out his song while soaring, and 1 have not 

 observed him doing so from any other position during that 

 period. 



When, from obvious signs, there have been young in the 

 nest, he has not only sung while soaring, but also frequently 

 from the top of my fence, in almost a direct line with the nest, 

 and while so engaged his attitudinising was exactly similar to 

 that of a captive lark in the low-front of his cage. 



Again, when the young have begun to fly, and the family 

 party to wander a little — I have frequently watched the family 

 party amid my cabbages, foraging on the ground — the male 

 frequently poured out his song while prancing about around 

 and among his wife and little ones, and while so engaged his 

 movements were exactly similar to those of the captive bird 

 in its cagfe. 



