Out of the Chalk. 9 1 



over the district man and boy for forty years, has in his 

 possession a valuable case of birds, killed and preserved by 

 himself, as an illustration of the various feathered visitors to 

 be found in the neighbourhood. Besides the more familiar 

 kinds, I noticed in his collection the landrail ; the buzzard, 

 which, not uncommon fifty years ago, is never seen now ; the 

 handsomely-marked butcher-bird, a yearly visitor, which never 

 fails to make its appearance in the wake of the nightingale ; 

 the Dartford warbler; a brace of kingfishers, two of which 

 not long since were captured opposite the hotel, so furiously 

 fighting that they allowed themselves to be taken into 

 custody; skylark, titlark, and woodlark; the restless bull- 

 finch, and the curious snake-bird ; the delicate little white- 

 throat ; the tiny golden wren ; and many other examples of 

 our British birds. 



