102 THE EARLY DAYS OF 



" The Pied Flycatcher is an unmistakeable species, being unlike 

 any other British bird. In the distance, however, it bears consider- 

 able resemblance to the common mag^pie robin of India ; and, 

 indeed, when I first saw it, for a moment forgetting the locality, I 

 mistook it for the Indian bird. 



" The well-wooded country in this neighbourhood doubtless con- 

 tains many rare species of birds, but as comparatively few persons 

 take an interest in any but game birds, they remain unnoticed. The 

 park here almost rivals the celebrated Walton Hall in the number 

 and variety of birds. There is a path which separates two ponds 

 about one hundred yards from the house, and here, in a decayed 

 elm tree, a green woodpecker has hollowed out its nest. It is 

 generally supposed that this bird carries the wood which it 

 excavates to some distance, in order to escape detection ; but from 

 the number of chips under this tree, one might imagine a carpenter 

 had been at work there with his chisel. The next tree contains 

 two noisy broods of starlings, and on the opposite side of the path 

 two pairs of willow warblers have built their nests in the bank close 

 to each other. Below them again a dabchick and a moorhen, side 

 by side, have reared their young ones, and in the branch of a willow 

 tree, which has fallen into the water, a chaffinch is engaged in 

 building its nest. A few paces further on a third pair of starlings- 

 have taken possession of an old woodpecker's hole ; and beyond 

 these again a blackbird in a hawthorn bush is sitting upon its eggs. 

 A squirrel has made its nest in a fir tree, the centre of the group ; 

 and as the birds and squirrels apparently form a very peaceful and 

 happy family, perhaps my supposition regarding squirrels destroying 

 eggs is an unjust one. 



" The Dipper is a very common bird here ; under almost every 

 bridge may be found one of these birds nests. There are two 

 wooden bridges over a small trout stream which runs through the 

 park. I found two nests under the first bridge, and one under the 

 second. A brood of five birds has already been reared in one of 

 the nests, and I found the old bird sitting again on four eggs. 



