88 The Alps in June. 



As we travel up the valley to Engelberg, and 

 in the higher portion of it in which Engelberg 

 stands, a considerable variety of birds may be 

 seen which are familiar to us as British species. 

 The Whin-chat is nestling in the meadows, and 

 swaying itself on the tops of the long grasses ; 

 our common English Redstart is seen here and 

 there, but not often, on the walls and palings ; the 

 Creeper runs up the stems of the fruit-trees, and 

 the Nuthatch has its nest in holes in the maple- 

 trees, which in these valleys are of great size and 

 beauty. In the woods and undergrowth you may 

 see the Chiff-chaff, and Willow-wren, and Garden- 

 warbler, and here and there a Buzzard : the Robin 

 and Blackbird are about, but not nearly so common 

 as with us, and we are at first surprised at the 

 absence of Song-thrushes, 1 and the comparative 

 rarity of Sparrows, Skylarks, and Yellowhammers. 

 The commonest bird of all in the Engelberg 



1 This bird cannot really be wholly missing in summer, but 

 it is strange how seldom I have seen or heard it. It is wanting 

 also from a list sent me by Mr. A. H. Macpherson, of birds 

 noticed by him in Switzerland last summer (1886). But 

 Anderegg tells me that its song is often heard near his house 

 at Meiringen. The Missel-thrush is certainly more abundant. 



