MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. 173 



In 1772, there were young house-martins* in 

 their nest till October the 23rd. 



The swift f appears about ten or twelve days later 

 than the house-swallow ; viz., about the 24th or 26th 

 of April. 



Whin-chats J and stone -chatters stay with us the 

 whole year. 



Some wheatearsjl continue with us the winter 

 through ^| . 



Wagtails, all sorts, remain with us all the 

 winter**. 



Bullfinches ft, when fed on hempseed, often be- 

 come wholly black. 



We have vast flocks of female chaffinches JJ all the 

 winter, with hardly any males among them. 



When you say that, in breeding time, the cock 

 snipes make a bleating noise, and a drumming 

 (perhaps I should have rather said a 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 whe- 

 ther that bleating or humming is ventriloquous, or 



* British Zoology, vol. ii. p, 244. f P. 245. 



% Whin-chat (saxicola rubetra, Bechst.) certainly does mi- 

 grate. Stone-chat (saxicola rubicola, Bechst.) is a resident, but 

 we receive an accession of numbers yearly. W. J. 



British Zoologfy vol. ii. pp. 270, 271. || P. 269. 



^[ The great body of wheatears migrate regularly ; and it is 

 just possible that a few pairs may remain during the winter, in 

 the southern counties : but I strongly suspect Mr. White, though 

 quoting, must be wrong. W. J. 



* Mr. White seems only to have known two species of 

 wagtail, the pied and grey. The yellow wagtail is a regular 

 migrater, but is very local in its distribution. Both the others 

 partially migrate in Scotland. Flocks of the first appear in 

 spring, and a few pairs only remain during the winter. W. J. 



ft British Zoology, vol. ii. p. 300. 



II P. 306. P. 358. 



