102 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 
Some wheat-ears continue with us the winter through. * 
Wagtails, all sorts, remain with us all the winter.t 
Bullfinches,t when fed on hempseed, often become wholly black. 
We have vast flocks of female chaffinches§ all the winter, with 
hardly any males among them. 
When you say that in breeding-time the cock snipes make a 
bleating noise, and I a drumming (perhaps I should have rather 
said an humming), I suspect we mean the same thing. However, 
while they are playing about on the wing they certainly make a loud 
piping with their mouths: but whether that bleating or humming is 
ventriloquous, or proceeds from the motion of their wings, I cannot 
say; but this I know, that when this noise happens the bird is 
always descending, and his wings are violently agitated. 
Soon after the lapwings|| have done breeding they congregate, 
and, leaving the moors and marshes, betake themselves to downs 
and sheep-walks. 
Two years ago{ last spring the little auk was found alive and 
unhurt, but fluttering and unable to rise, in a lane a few miles from 
Alresford, where there is a great lake: it was kept a while, but 
died. 
I saw young teals ** taken alive in the ponds of Wolmer Forest in 
the beginning of July last, along with flappers, or young wild-ducks. 
Speaking of the swift,tt that page says “its drink the dew ;” 
whereas it should be “‘it drinks on the wing ;” for all the swallow 
kind sip their water as they sweep over the face of pools or rivers : 
like Virgil’s bees, they drink flying ; “/lumina summa libant.” In 
this method of drinking perhaps this genus may be peculiar. 
Of the sedge-birdtt be pleased to say it sings most part of the 
night; its notes are hurrying, but not unpleasing, and imitative of 
several birds ; as the sparrow, swallow, skylark. When it happens 
to be silent in the night, by throwing a stone or clod into the bushes 
where it sits you immediately set it a-singing ; or in other words, 
though it slumbers sometimes, yet as soon as it is awakened it 
reassumes its song. 
caused this assertion ; a straggling whin-chat may remain, but-will form the exception. Mr. 
Yarrell is aware of only two authentic instances. Of the wheat-ear we are still more in 
doubt. See letter to Barrington, No. XVII. ‘These remarks are again repeated, Letter 
XLI., but there we again suspect the stone-chat mistaken for whin-chat. 
* See Letter XIII., and note. 
+ British Zoology, vol. i., P. 300. T p. 306. § p. 358. 
ll Pp. 360. I p. 409. * Dp. 475. tt p. 15. tt p. 16. 
