ENGLAND. 



707 



Statistics, the red sand-piper ; these birds sometimes appear in vast 

 S """Y"""' numbers off the coast of Essex. 



Genus Cftaradritu. C. hiaticula, the ringed plover, 

 frequents our shores in the summer. C. morinellus, 

 the dottrel!. C. pluvialis, the golden plover, is met 

 with but in small flocks, on our moors and heaths, in the 

 winter. C. calidris, the sanderling, is most common on 

 the coast of Cornwall. C. oedicnemus, the stone curlew. 

 C. himantopus, the long-legged plover, is a very rare bird 

 in England. 



Genus Recurvirostra. R. avocetta, the avocet, breed 

 on the shores of France, and during winter make their 

 appearance in this country. 



Genus Hematopus. The only species of this genus, 

 H. ostralegus, is frequent on most of the shores of Eng- 

 land. 



Genus Fulica. F. chloropus, common water hen. 

 F. atra, common coot. F. aterrima, greater coot. 



Genus Rallus. R. crex, the rail, is a migratory bird ; 

 it begins to be henrd about the middle of March, and con- 

 tinues its cry during the breeding season. R. aqua- 

 ticus, the water rail. R. porzana, the spotted rail. 

 Gallina. Order GALLING. Genus Otis. O. tarda, the bus- 

 tard, is not nearly so common in England as it was for- 

 merly ; it is sometimes seen in the open country, near 

 Dorchester ; on Salisbury plain ; near Newmarket ; and 

 on the wolds of Yorkshire. O. tetrax, the little bus- 

 tard. 



Genus Pavo. P. cristatus, the peacock ; and Genus 

 Meleagrit : M. gallopavo, the turkey, are domesticated in 

 England. 



Genus Phasianus. P. Gallus, the cock, will be no- 

 "ticed, when we treat of the agriculture of this country. 

 P. colchicus, the pheasant. P. pictus, the golden phea- 

 sant: birds of this species are common in most parts of 

 England, particularly in the county of Norfolk ; the fe- 

 male will sometimes hatch her eggs in the woods of this 

 county, if undisturbed by the male ; but the pheasant 

 can scarcely be said to be found in a state of nature in 

 England, most of the birds being brought up in confine- 

 ment, the eggs hatched under domestic fowls, and the 

 young at a proper age set at liberty. If it were not for 

 this method of rearing and preserving them, it is pro- 

 bable the breed would soon become extinct. 



Genus Tetrao. T. tetrix, the black cock, is found 



in particular parts of the New Forest, in Hampshire, 



where it is preserved as royal game, anu in Wales. T. 



lagopus, the ptarmigan, is sometimes, but very rarely 



met with, on the lofty hills of Wales and Cumberland. 



T. attagen, the red grous, is not uncommon in the heathy 



and moutainous parts of England ; in Wales it is more 



plentiful. T. perdix, the partridge : it is observed that 



this bird follows cultivation, so that it is found on the 



inclosed common lands, where it was not wont to make 



ha appearance. T. coturnix, the quail ; though this 



bird is more extensively diffused than the partridge, it is 



not nearly so common in this country : it is a bird of 



passage, making its appearance here early in spring. 



ttaere*. Order PASSERES. Genus Columba. C. oenas, the 



common pigeon : this is the parent stock from which 



C. domestics, the domestic pigeon, is derived ; C. 



Palumbus, the ringdove ; this is the largest of the 



species in this country. C. turtur, the turtle dove, this 



is a bird of passage, arriving in England late in the 



spring, and departing about the latter end of August : 



in no county are they so common and numerous as in 



Kent, where they are sometimes seen in flocks of 20 or 



moie ; they frequent the pea fields, in which they com- Statistics. 

 mil great depredations. **~~Y~~ 1 ' 



Genus Alauda. A. arvensis, the sky-lark : about 

 Christmas, immense numbers of this bird are taken and 

 brought to the London markets ; as many as 4000 do- 

 zen have been caught in the vicinity of Dunstable alone, 

 between September and February. A. pratensis, the 

 tit-lark. A. minor, the lesser field lark. A. arborea, 

 the woodlark, is not common here. A. rubta, the red 

 lark, is common in the neighbourhood of London, but 

 seems to be rare in other places. A. trivialis, the grass- 

 hopper lark. A. nemorosa, the lesser- crested lark, is 

 common in Yorkshire. 



Genus Stvrmts. S. vulgaris, the starling: in the fens 

 of Lincolnshire, myriads of these birds collect, and break 

 down the reeds with their weight. S. cinclus, the water 

 ouzel. 



Genus Turdus. T. viscivorus, the missel thrush: 

 this bird, which in Hampshire has received the appella- 

 tion of the storm cock, from its perching on lofty trees, 

 and beginning its note a little before the new year, is the 

 largest of our songsters. T. pilaris, the fieldfare, does 

 not breed in England : it comes about the end of Sep- 

 tember, and leaves us about the middle of March. In 

 Hampshire, a singular habit of this bird has been obser- 

 ved ; it appears there generally about the 30th of Sep- 

 tember, and departs after a fortnight's stay. On its return 

 it comes to the same place about the middle of April, 

 and stays a week. T. iliacus, the red-wing, appears in 

 this country a few days before the fieldfare. T. musi- 

 cus, the throstle, is one of the finest of our song birds, 

 and continus longest in song. T. roscus, the rose ouzel ; 

 this bird is rarely met with in England ; there are, how- 

 ever, a few instances of its being found. T. merula, the 

 blackbird. T. torquatus, the ring ouzel, migrates in Eng- 

 land, but in Wales continues the whole year. 



Genus Ampelis. A. garni! us, the Bohemian chatterer, 

 is seldom seen farther to the south in this country, than 

 Northumberland and Durham : in the year 1791> several 

 were taken in these counties, as early as the month of 

 November. 



Genus Loxia. L. curvirostra, the gross-bill. L. coc- 

 cothraustes, the gross-beak. L. enucleator, the pine 

 gross-beak. L. pyrrhula, the bullfinch. L. chloris, the 

 greenfinch : the two last species are tamed and domesti- 

 cated. 



Genus Emberiza. E. nivalis, the snow-bunting. E. 

 montana, the mountain bunting, is found in Yorkshire 

 and Northamptonshire, but is not common. E. citri- 

 nella, the yellow hammer. E. schaeniclus, the red spar- 

 row. E. chlorocephala, the green-headed bunting, is 

 a very uncommon bird, having been only once or twice 

 taken in the vicinity of the metropolis. 



Genus Fringilla. F. cselebs, the chaffinch. F. car- 

 duelis, the goldfinch. F. canaria, the canary bird, was 

 brought to England from the Canary Islands, about the 

 beginning of the l6th century. F. spinus, the siskin. 

 F. cannabina, the greater red pole. F. linota, the linnet. 

 F. linaria, the lesser red pole. F. domestica, the spar- 

 row. F. montana, the mountain sparrow. 



Genus Muscicapa. M. atricapilla, the pied fly-catch- 

 er, is sometimes, but very rarely seen here. M. griso- 

 la, the spotted fly-catcher, breeds in England, but mi- 

 grates in August. 



Genus Motacilla. M. luscinia, the nightingale, visits 

 England in the beginning of April, and leaves it in Au- 

 gust. It is not found to the north of the middle of 

 S 



