MR. WATERTON ON THE WINDHOVER. 55 



me to pay increased attention to its migration in 

 Sussex. It occurred to me that a careful observa- 

 tion of its habits and distribution in different parts 

 of this southern county, during the various sea- 

 sons of the year, might tend perhaps in con- 

 nexion with what he had written on the subject 

 to throw some additional light on this portion of 

 its history. 



Mr. Waterton says, "Perhaps it is not generally 

 known that the windhover is a migratory bird ; 

 but whether the greater part of these hawks leave 

 England in the autumn, or merely retire from 

 their breeding place to some other part of our 

 country more congenial to their habits, is a pro- 

 blem which remains yet to be solved. For my 

 own part, I am of opinion that a very large pro- 

 portion of those which are bred in England leave 

 it in the autumn, to join the vast flights of hawks 

 which are seen to pass periodically over the Me- 

 diterranean Sea, on their way to Africa. 



"Last summer I visited twenty-four nests in 

 my park, all with windhover's eggs in them. The 

 old birds and their young tarried here till the de- 

 parture of the swallow, and then they disappeared. 

 During the winter there is scarcely a windhover 

 to be found. Sometimes a pair or so makes its 

 appearance, but does not remain long. When 

 February has set in more of the windhovers are 



