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Aubyn Trevor-Battye—Random Lines



thick with beech and yew, and we have relatively but little deciduous

coppice. The open spots on the juniper hills are occupied by Cirl

Buntings, Meadow and Tree Pipits, there are Wood Wrens about the

beeches, Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers by the stream, but

Nightingales are almost absent, while Chiffchaffs and Willow Wrens

are sjjarscly sprinkled in only a few of the most likely places.

This year, however, Chiffchafis, Willow Wrens, Garden Warblers,

and Blackcaps seem to be “ everywhere I think we have nearly

as many Tits, of four species (Long-tailed Tit not included), as

before the hard winter which reduced them to almost nothing.

In short, I am inclined to think that the only birds which have

not with us recovered from that disastrous season are the Song

Thrush, the Gold Crest, and in a lesser degree the Mistle Thrush,

and these last would have worked up their numbers pretty well

again but for the Magjues. Magpies have increased amazingly all

along the line of our hanging woods ; we have fifteen particular pairs

belonging, so to say, to this house, and the sight of a Magpie crossing

our valley with a callow nestling in its bill and pursued by a pair of

Mistle Thrushes was a constant event this spring. As one of the

Magpies’ nests was but a few paces from my study window, there was

an opportunity of seeing the work of nest-building rarely afforded by

these secretive birds. They used to remind me of the Plantain-Eater,

seen in Africa, which if surprised upon the ground will fly to the

lowest branches of the nearest tree, and thence rapidly ascend by

hopping from branch to branch. The Magpies behaved in the same

way : after collecting “ beaksful ” of bents in the paddock they

would fly to the base of a big ivy-clad ash, rapidly “ worm themselves”,

so to speak, up to its summit, and then slip into the head of the

larch in which their nest was built.


Our Carrion Crows have also greatly increased in numbers ; if

you shut your eyes you may imagine yourself in Cairo or Benares,

their croaking is so persistent. I cannot find out that they do much

harm to birds ; they are most painstaking seekers in the meadow-

grass and, of course, pick up any wounded rabbits. I have never

noticed any suspicious behaviour on their part along the stream where

Ducks are nesting, and wish I could say the same of the Jackdaws.



