Birds in the War Area and Beijond. 193


common species which generally frequent the war area. But, near

Le Cateau, I saw my first Black Redstart, and during the next few days

several small parties were observed (November). Belgium, however,

had not suffered half as severely from the Germans. In hardly a single

instance had their woods or plantations been touched, nor had fruit-

trees been wantonly destroyed as was the case with France. The

country improved as we progressed eastward, and some very beautiful

parts were traversed—principally through the northern portion of the

Ardennes. Here bird life was much in evidence, and the Lesser Spotted

Woodpecker and the Nuthatch were seen for the first time. In the

valley of the Ambleve, where the scenery was very fine, numbers of

Water-ouzels might be seen flitting from rock to rock in the stream.

After crossing the frontier into Germany (December) the country

became very bleak and cold—open heath-like country with pine and

spruce woods. Stuffed specimens of the Capercaillie and Black Grouse

were seen in a shooting box, but no living birds were noted. The

pine woods sheltered all the commoner Titmice, and both the Crested

and Longtailed abounded. (The former I had seen for the first time

in the woods near Rouen.) Gold Crests were also very numerous.

Shortly after Christmas, when the weather became rather more severe,

I came upon a small flock of Snow Buntings. This was another

addition to my list. Fieldfares were in large numbers, feeding on the

berries of the Rowan-trees, which in this part of Germany are planted

along the roadsides. Redwings did not seem so numerous as their

larger cousins, and were met with in smaller parties. Jays are nearly

as plentiful as Magpies were in France and Belgium. One pair had

nested here in what I consider rather an unusual site for this species—in

a pear-tree trained against the wall of the house, and npt many yards

from one of the windows. The Little Owl is common round here, and

may often be seen in the daytime in the old apple orchard. It has

been seen or heard in nearly all the districts passed through on this

march, and is one of the few birds found actually in the trench area

among the ruins.


In the hall of a large house near here (south-west of Cologne) is a

rather interesting collection of stuffed birds. The shooting of the rarer

and more beautiful birds seems a common practice in this neighbourhood,



