NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 83 



Whin-chats and stone-chatters stay with us the whole year. 3 



Some wheat-ears continue with us the winter through. 



Wagtails, all sorts, remain with us all the winter. 4 



Bullfinches, when fed on hempseed, often become wholly 

 black. 



We have vast flocks of female chaffinches all the winter, 

 with hardly any males among them. 



When you say that in breeding time the cock snips make a 

 bleating noise, and I a drumming (perhaps I should rather 

 have 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 whether 

 that bleating or humming is ventriloquous, or proceeds from 

 the motion of their wings, I cannot say ; but this I know, that 

 when this noise happens the bird is always descending, and 

 his wings are violently agitated. 



Soon after the lapwings have done breeding they congre- 

 gate, and, leaving the moors and marshes, betake themselves 

 to downs and sheep-walks. 



Two years ago last spring the little auk was found alive and 

 unhurt, but fluttering and unable to rise, in a lane a few miles 

 from Alresford, where there is a great lake ; it was kept 

 awhile, but died. 



I saw young teals taken alive in the ponds of Wolmer Forest 

 in the beginning of July last, along with flappers, or young 

 wild-ducks. 



Speaking of the swift, that page says "its drink the dew;" 

 whereas it should be "it drinks on the wing;" for all the 

 swallow kind sip their water as they sweep over the face of 

 pools or rivers : like Virgil's bees, they drink flying ; "Jlumina 

 summa libant" In this method of drinking perhaps this 

 genus may be peculiar. 



Of the sedge-bird be pleased to say it sings most part of the 

 night ; its notes are hurrying, but not unpleasing, and imita- 

 tive of several birds ; as the sparrow, swallow, skylark. When 

 it happens to be silent in the night, by throwing a stone or 

 clod into the bushes where it sits you immediately set it 

 a singing ; or in other words, though it slumbers sometimes, 

 yet as soon as it is awakened it reassumes its song. 



