22 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



the hotel to the top of the second lake, and walked back. 

 I shot a $ Green Woodpecker with the hatching spot on 

 the breast. I searched for the nest, but in vain, looking at 

 all the pollard-trees in the vicinity. I saw also a Tree 

 Pipit, two pair of Wild Duck, Mergansers, Pied Fly- 

 catchers, Redstart, Black-throated Divers, and Common 

 Sandpipers; and shot a Redshank. 



I heard Tits, and besides seeing and hearing numbers 

 of Bramblings, found the first nest, but without eggs. 

 The $ came flying close around me, and sat within four 

 yards of me, uttering a note lower and less harsh than 

 that of the <? . I left the nest, and hope to get eggs erelong. 



In the same wood I found an immense number of 

 Fieldfares, with many old nests. They kept up an 

 incessant chattering, and several times I distinctly saw 

 one, as it flew overhead, in the act of uttering a low 

 song, between a warble and a chatter. A Kestrel flew 

 round over the wood, and at once all was still; and it 

 was with difficulty I could see a single bird. 



I saw also a little bird against the light on the side 

 of a tree, but as it flew off at once I could not say 

 whether it was Nuthatch or Creeper. 



When a Hooded Crow flew over the Fieldfares' wood, 

 several of the latter gave chase and darted down at the 

 Hoodie, like little hawks. 



To-day we saw the first Sand Martin. 



After ' midday's meal ' we both went to the pine- 

 wood, which is just ' botching' (Anglice, ' alive with'*) 

 Fieldfares and Bramblings, but we could find no new 

 nests, although there were heaps of old ones. Fieldfares 

 have a curious way of singing on the wing, with their 

 peculiar chatter coming in between the notes. 



Alston's diary of 25th May stated that he forgot to say 

 that: 



* To use an appropriate Scots expression from Alston's diary. 



