Scarcity of Birds on the Continent. 75 



limited, and whose faculties seemed to turn in- 

 wards on himself instead of radiating outwards, 

 could not understand why I should go to Switzer- 

 land to study birds for he could see none. And 

 it is indeed true that they do not swarm there, as 

 with us ; in this respect Switzerland is like the rest 

 of the Continent. It is a curious fact, that though 

 we have only lately begun to preserve our small 

 birds by law in the breeding-season, they are far 

 more abundant here than they are in any part of 

 the Continent known to me : and this is the case 

 even with the little delicate migrants, many of 

 which seem to have a preference for England in 

 spite of the risk of the sea-crossing. I remember 

 taking up a position one afternoon by the side of 

 a rushing stream, dividing beautiful hay-meadows, 

 and edged with dwarf willows ; and during the 

 half-hour I sat there, I neither saw nor heard a 

 single bird. In such a spot in England there 

 would have been plenty. But this is an exception : 

 the rule is, that you may read wherever you 

 run, if you will keep your eyes and ears open, 

 and learn by experience where chiefly to be on 

 the look-out. Variety is more interesting than 



