11 



STRAY THOUGHTS ABOUT BIRDS THEIR 

 MIGRATIONS, ETC. 



(Reprinted from " The Field," Octocer, 1865. 



THE Birds of England might be divided into four imaginary 

 groups first, those which remain throughout the year; se- 

 condly, those which come to us for the summer ; thirdly, those 

 which come for the winter ; and fourthly, those which visit us, 

 but remain neither summer nor winter. And the fourth group 

 might be again separated into those whose visits are periodical, 

 and possess some degree of regularity in their passage to or from 

 their winter and summer haunts, and those which come only at 

 uncertain and irregular periods. 



Though I have made four divisions, it would be impossible to 

 class certain species in any particular one of them, as many birds 

 would have to be considered, perhaps, as belonging to more than 

 one, in consequence of the different counties where observations 

 might be taken ; besides which, it is not possible to know whe- 

 ther the same species found at different seasons is composed of 

 the same individuals. "We, however, certainly have a great 

 number of species. Generally speaking, the further north such 

 observations are made the more summer visitants are found in 

 comparison to the number of species ; and when you get to the 

 extreme north all will be summer visitants, with few exceptions 

 indeed. 



"With respect to residents, it seems by no means certain that 

 many species which are found at all seasons in some counties, 

 aud which are generally considered to be residents, are entirely 

 so. Some certainly appear to be, as the Red Grouse and Black 

 Grouse ; but is the Partridge strictly so ? Is it not migratory 

 in some countries ? It appears in the north of England in severe 

 seasons either to leave the high pasture lands, or be killed off, 

 and it does not appear to get dispersed, over the ground again 



