A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



October coming in over the water, and the 

 boldly-contrasted black and grey of its plu- 

 mage make it an easy bird to identify. It 

 soon makes itself at home in its winter quarters, 

 and frequents the sea-shore along the tide-line, 

 where food of some sort is always to be found. 

 Mr. Hele mentions two instances of its 

 breeding near Aldeburgh in 1872 and 1873, 

 and an egg marked in his handwriting ' Roy- 

 ston, Hazelwood,* is in the museum collection 

 at Ipswich. This bird is sometimes spoken 

 of as the * carrion-crow.' 



90. Rook. Corvus frugiUgus, Linn. 



Many of the Suffolk farmhouses and par- 

 sonages, as well as the large country mansions, 

 have their rookery, these colonics varying in 

 size from a dozen nests to ten or twenty 

 times that number. Rooks are in their way 

 as migratory as starlings, and numbers cross 

 the North Sea in autumn, sometimes striking 

 the light-vessels. This bird is almost omni- 

 vorous, and in dry seasons will eat any eggs 

 that come in its way, especially those of ducks 

 and other water-birds, while its fondness for 

 grain makes the employment of * bud-scarin' ' 

 (bird-scaring) boys a necessity on farms near 

 a rookery. Still it devours a vast number of 

 worms and insects, and like the bullfinch 

 deserves to be frightened away with powder 

 rather than slaughtered with shot, for there is 

 hardly any bird more closely connected with 

 country life in East Anglia. 



91. Sky-Lark. Alauda arvensis, Linn. 



A resident, breeding as early as the middle 

 of April and as late as the end of July, in 

 cornfields, meadows, marshes and commons. 

 In winter, sky-larks collect in vast flocks on 

 the Stubbles, and multitudes cross the North 

 Sea during the autumn migration. Perhaps 

 more of these birds perish from striking the 

 lights than any other species, and the number 

 picked up is sometimes sufficient to provide the 

 crew of a lightship with a substantial meal. 



92. Wood-Lark. Alauda arborea, Linn. 



A very local resident, which seems only to 

 have been found breeding on the western side 

 of the county near the Norfolk border. Com- 

 paratively few people know of its existence, 

 but those wishing to add to their knowledge 

 will find an admirable account of the bird and 

 its habits in SuflFolk in Yarrell's British Birds 

 (ed. 4, i. 625-31). It is a smaller bird than 

 the sky-lark, with a shorter tail and a con- 

 spicuous streak over the eye. 



93. Short-toed Lark. Alauda hrachydactyla, 



Leisler. 



One was shot « near South Breydon Wall, 



Great Yarmouth' on 7 November, 1889 

 {Zoologist, 1890, p. 77), which would claim 

 a place in the Suffolk rather than the Norfolk 

 list. 



94. Shore-Lark. Otocorys alpestris (Linn.) 

 The shore-lark used to be considered a 



great rarity, and was not known as a British 

 bird till 1830, when the first recorded speci- 

 men was obtained in Norfolk. Mr. Hele 

 first met with it at Aldeburgh in November, 

 1864, by the merest chance, as having shot at 

 two birds on the ground to obtain food for a 

 tame hobby, he picked up a fine cock shore- 

 lark, which is still in the Ipswich Museum, 

 and the second bird, which was wounded at 

 the time, was brought to him a few days 

 later. In the second edition of his book 

 (1890) he was able to describe it as ' by no 

 means uncommon.' In matters relating to 

 birds it is easier to state facts than to give an 

 explanation of them, and the cause of the 

 great increase in the number of shore-larks 

 which now come to the east coast of England 

 as winter migrants has yet to be made known. 

 In 1896 two were obtained near Needham 

 Market, an unusually long distance from the 

 sea (Lingwood). 



95. Swift. Cypselus apus (Linn.) 



Locally, Deviling, Shriek-Devil, Rain-bird, 

 Shriek-Owl and Screech-Owl. 



Whoever bestowed on the swift the first 

 two of the local names given above must have 

 imagined that there was something 'uncanny' 

 about the dusky colour, rapid flight and 

 piercing cry of the bird. But it is a charming 

 and interesting creature, and one which should 

 never be destroyed or disturbed. The swift 

 is a late summer migrant, seldom arriving 

 before May, though Professor Newton was 

 able to record in the Field the appearance 

 of one at Lowestoft on 26 March, 1897, 

 which was plainly seen by himself and his 

 brother. All the Suffolk swifts nest in 

 buildings of some kind, and there has always 

 been a flourishing colony in the tower of 

 Elmswell church, but there is at least one 

 place in East Anglia where these birds still 

 retain what must be regarded as their original 

 habit of breeding in a cliff. One singular 

 habit of the swift is that of gathering into 

 bands towards the close of the day and dashing 

 about at lightning speed, all the birds at in- 

 tervals squealing in chorus. This performance 

 appears to be gone through simply for exer- 

 cise or amusement, and the birds seem to 

 enjoy it thoroughly. The name of ' rain- 

 bird ' has been forwarded by an observer near 

 Woodbridge, and is in accordance with Mr. 



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