76 BUTCHER-BIRD RINGOUSELS. 



The next bird that I procured (on the 21st of 

 May) was a male red backed butcher-bird, (lanius 

 collurio.) My neighbour, who shot it, says that it 

 might easily have escaped his notice, had not the 

 outcries and chattering of the white-throats and 

 other small birds drawn his attention to the bush 

 where it was : its craw was filled with the legs nd 

 wings of beetles. 



The next rare birds (which were procured for me 

 last week) were some ringousels, (turdi torquati.*) 



This week twelvemonths a gentleman from Lon- 

 don, being with us, was amusing himself with a gun, 

 and found, he told us, on an old yew hedge, where 

 there were berries, some birds like blackbirds, with 

 rings of white round their necks ; a neighbouring 

 farmer also at the same time observed the same ; 

 but, as no specimens were procured, little notice 

 was taken. I mentioned this circumstance to you 

 in my letter of November the 4th, 1767: (you, 

 however, paid but small regard to what I said, as I 

 had not seen these birds myself:) but last week the 

 aforesaid farmer, seeing a large flock, twenty or 

 thirty of these birds, shot two cocks and two hens ; 

 and says, on recollection, that he remembers to have 



of England and Scotland, arriving to breed early in spring, 

 and in autumn again retiring to our coasts, in small flocks, 

 with its young. About October, they are again dispersed, 

 migrating to warmer shores. I have received specimens from 

 Africa, the Delft Islands, and various parts of India and 

 China. W. J. 



* Before migrating to their winter quarters, and often ere 

 the duties of incubation are over, they leave their mountain- 

 ous haunts, and descend to the nearest gardens, where they 

 commit severe depredations among the cherries, gooseberries, &c. 

 They also frequent holly hedges and the mountain ash, whenever 

 the fruit of these trees is so early as to be of service during their 

 passage. They are known to the country people under the title 

 of " Mountain Blackbirds." W. J. 



