i8g6 ni l Hoffmann, Summer Birds of the Rhitie. ?OI 



Many of them suggest the Chickadee, especially his tee, dee dee, 

 and the turre day notes, but I heard nothing resembling his song. 



Wren {Troglodytes parvulus}. 



In hedges and thickets, in fact in just such situations as a 

 Winter Wren would choose on migration, skulks the Hedge-king, 

 as the Germans call him. The Wren is a resident species ; he 

 was still singing freely in August, and I found the song hardly 

 distinguishable from that of our Winter Wren. 



White Wagtail {Motacitta alba). 



This is one of the most characteristic birds of Germany, and 

 I suppose, of the Continent generally, and in England a 

 closely allied form is a conspicuous member of the avi-fauna. 

 In the fields, especially when ploughed, in the meadows and 

 in the village streets, this bird walks daintily about, or takes 

 a short quick run after his insect prey, his long tail nicely 

 balanced and constantly oscillating. He flies often to the ridge- 

 poles of houses, tops of posts or other conspicuous positions, 

 and one whom I found on the Drachenfels, flew to the very top 

 of the ruined tower. Nesting is early with the Wagtail, and in 

 July the young were following the parent birds about the streets, 

 eager for food. The period of song is said to be very short, and 

 I heard nothing but a few call or alarm notes. 



The Wagtails were flocking in August, but they remain in con- 

 siderable numbers throughout the winter. 



Swallow {Hinmdo rustica). 



For any readers of Gilbert White no European birds possess 

 more interest than the Hirundinidae, a term which, in his day, 

 included the Swift. No suspicion crossed the good rector's mind 

 that, one day, the Hummingbirds would wage on the Swallow 

 family fierce osteological war for the possession of this bird. 



The Swallow was one of the first land birds that I saw in 

 Europe, and I hardly ever lost sight of him and his kindred. 

 The call note, the low song, often given from the ridgepole, and 



