Bird Notes and News 



91 



hammer, Hedge-Sparrow, Wren, Linnet, 

 and Garden-Warbler containing eggs ; Night- 

 ingales are fairly plentiful in suitable spots, 

 but I have found no nest as yet. 



June. — An end to rest and peace ; we 

 have moved up to the ill-fated " Salient." We 

 are in a once-famous town, now sadly 

 smashed about. There is a fine tower still 

 left standing. At least five pairs of Kestrels 

 nest in it, besides Jackdaws, Pigeons, and 

 Starlings, so there is everlasting war in the 

 air round it ; how they all fit in together I 

 can't think. The air seems full of screaming 

 Swifts. They don't seem to mind the tower 

 being shelled, but rejoice in the additional 

 nesting-places the ruins afford. Last night 

 on patrol I ran into a flock of Redshanks 

 in " No man's land," which is a marsh in 

 this part of the line. . Fortunately for us 

 they did not scream out and only displayed 

 a certain vague restlessness. One full- 

 throated alarm call, and we should have had 

 a dozen Hun lights at us. — We are in a 

 place where the front hne is in the middle 

 of a wood, now a mere ghost of itself. But 

 a pair of Nightingales still haunt it. and 

 Chaffinches, Hedge-Sparrows, Blackbirds, 

 and Whitethroats are singing everywhere. 



Last night I heard a Great Reed-Warbler 

 singing beside a lake I had to pass. Its 

 song dominated the whole night as the 

 Nightingale's does, but of course it is not 

 quite so melodious. 



This morning I had a most delightful 

 adventure. I stumbled across a ruined 

 chalet surrounded by most beautiful grounds, 

 which were full of syringa bushes in full 

 bloom, while Golden Orioles called from the 

 tall trees or flashed by in the sunshine. 



Later. — We are in the middle of the 

 offensive, the shelling is almost incessant, 

 and there is very httle cover. Naturally 

 there are not many birds up here now. I 

 have seen several Sparrows suffering from 

 " shell shock." A most beautiful cock Pied 

 Wagtail haunts a large shell-hole full of 

 water near one of my posts. Besides these 

 a few Swifts and Swallows occasionally come 

 over. 



Jvly. — I am far away from the battle on 

 a course. I have discovered a pleasant Uttle 

 wood. In it I have found a nest full of 

 young Carrion C*rows, several nests of 

 Blackcap and Garden Warblers with young 



nearly ready to fly, and eight different 

 species of orchis. — To-day I saw several 

 Wheatears ; they must have nested here. 

 I also discovered a Partridge's nest with 

 twelve eggs. — To-day, in manoeuvres, I found 

 four Partridge's nests. A Tank missed one 

 of them only by inches ! They are nesting 

 very late this year. 



AugiLst. — During August I was too busy 

 to make any observations beyond the 

 following — 



3rd. — Saw several large flocks of Starlings, 

 rather an early date for really large flocks to 

 be found. 



25th. — Yesterday I passed by a lake where 

 there were still quite a number of Great Reed- 

 Warblers about. 



Nightingales in the Balkans. 



]\Ir, J. C. Richardson (Mem. Faraday 

 Society, M.M.P.) writes to the Times (July 

 28, 1917)— 



" The Balkan News to-day (June 22) prints 

 an article, or portions of it, of yours on 

 ' English Woods and Shakespeare.' And in 

 the course of it the writer says in May-time 

 the poet had often heard the ' nightingale's 

 complaining note.' And so have we out here 

 heard ' the nightingale's complaining note,' 

 but more often his joj^ul notes, under con- 

 ditions which are worth recording. You will 

 have a terrific tearing and roaring noise of 

 artillery and shot in the dead of night ; then 

 there will be a temporary cessation of the 

 duel, with great quietness, when, lo ! and 

 behold, and hear ! Hearken to his song ! 

 Out come the nightingales, right about the 

 guns, perched sometimes only a few yards 

 from them in some bushes, m a ravine where 

 the guns are hidden. And another kind of 

 love music is introduced into our ears and 

 souls, which does us good. Think ? It 

 makes you think — and beautiful thoughts 

 come along to relieve you from the devilment 

 of war and the men who cause it. . . . 



" I was dowai at Salonika with some heavy- 

 gun men on leave a few days ago, coming 

 from various positions. I brought up this 

 subject, and got from them confirmation, 

 with admiration, of the doings and wonderful 

 songs of these nightingales under the noses 

 of our guns." 



