iSSy-SS.] An OniitJiological Visit to Warwickshire. 145 



constantly discliarged themselves at unexpected moments, to be 

 succeeded by bursts of bright sunsliine, these latter of short 

 duration. The hail itself was about the size of small beans, 

 and not calculated to improve one's temper as it rattled on the 

 face. But this, it seems, is nothing unusual, if we are to judge 

 from the fact that in Stratford an Insurance Company exists 

 for the purpose of recouping farmers for the damage done to 

 their crops by such destructive climatic vagaries. Time would 

 not permit of further enlargement on the external features of 

 this most pleasant neighbourhood ; suffice it to say that, for 

 beauty of a quiet modest nature, a judicious mixture of the 

 agricultural and the woodland, for fine mansion-houses with 

 magnificent policies surrounding them, for pleasing associations 

 of the historic past, there are few counties that can surpass 

 Warwickshire. 



Now as to the bird-life of the district. It would serve no 

 good purpose to recapitulate and describe all the species 

 found there, as that would not only be a formidable task, 

 but a tiresome process for the listeners, whose patience could 

 scarcely be expected to stand the test, so I shall only advert 

 to the more uncommon members of the family. To commence 

 with the warblers : the blackcap, garden-warbler, whitethroat, 

 willow-wren, and wood-wren were all numerous, but, in addition 

 to these, the presence in considerable numbers must be recorded 

 of the chiff-chaff and nightingale. The former little bird is 

 not much known in Scotland, although it would be wrong to 

 say that it is rare, occurring as it does here and there over 

 the country, but nowhere in such numbers as the willow 

 warbler. It is uncommonly like the last named, and were 

 it not for the distinctive note it would be difficult to dis- 

 tinguish one from the other. Apart from the call-note, the 

 difference lies in this, that the cliiff-chaff is slightly smaller in 

 body and darker in the legs, but at a distance, when both 

 species were mute, he would indeed be a bold man who could 

 authoritatively discriminate between one species and the other. 

 I have never on any occasion observed this bird in Scotland, 

 but in Warwickshire it is abundant, and could be heard giving 

 vent to its somewhat monotonous song in every wood and 

 garden round Snitterfield, even within half-a-dozen yards of 

 the inn-door. No one possessed even of the most elastic 



