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small birds in search of grain and seeds in the stubbles, 

 and during the winter months it may be found in 

 flocks in the farmyards. The House Sparrow (Passer 

 domesticus] is common everywhere, and finds work to 

 do in every garden in the parish ; but its value is not 

 generally recognized. Its food is so various that it 

 may be regarded as one of our minor scavengers ; but 

 it is accused, and we believe justly, of committing 

 considerable havoc in the cornfields about harvest 

 time. Its nest is placed in any suitable recess about 

 a building often among thatch ; occasionally it may 

 be found high up among the branches of a tree, when 

 it is provided with a comfortable, though not very 

 neatly constructed, arched roof. We have only met 

 with the Mountain Sparrow (Passer montanus) during 

 the winter months on two or three occasions. The 

 Bullfinch (Pyrrula pileatd) is well known here, and is 

 not a local bird ; but it does not appear to be very 

 common. It scarcely need be said that, like the 

 goldfinch, it is a great favourite with bird-fanciers ; 

 and when it has been taught to " pipe " it commands a 

 high price ; but the gardener, aware of its partiality 

 for the tender buds of his fruit trees, does not admire it. 



The Little Brown Tree Creeper (Certhia familiaris) 

 is one of our permanent residents, but confined to the 

 wooded districts, and not very numerous. Among the 

 beech woods on the uplands we have frequent oppor- 

 tunities of seeing it clinging to the mossy bark in 

 search of the insects on which it feeds. While so 

 engaged it is quite indifferent to the presence of an 

 observer, and will deliberately continue its progress, 

 which consists of a succession of upward starts, between 

 each of which it appears to press its tail against the 

 tree as a support. We have often found its nest and 

 eggs in a hole in a tree, or in a convenient fork, and 

 quite as often in the mortice of a post in the park 

 fence. 



The Hoopoe (Upupa Epops) we fear cannot be 



