OBSERVATIONS ON BIRDS. 393 



They spend the day in high elevated fields and sheep-walks ; but 

 seem to descend in the night to streams and meadows, perhaps for 

 water, which their upland haunts do not afford them. WHITE. 



On the 3 ist of January, 1792, I received a bird of this species 

 which had been recently killed by a neighbouring farmer, who said 

 he had frequently seen it in his fields during the former part of the 

 winter : this perhaps was an occasional straggler, which by some 

 accident was prevented from accompanying its companions in their 

 migration. MARKWICK. 



THE SMALLEST UNCRESTED WILLOW WREN. 



The smallest uncrested willow wren, or chiff-chaff, is the next 

 early summer bird which we have remarked ; it utters two sharp 

 piercing notes, so loud in hollow woods, as to occasion an echo, 

 and is usually first heard about the 2oth of March. WHITE. 



This bird, which Mr. White calls the smallest willow wren or 

 chiff-chaff, makes its appearance very early in spring, and is very 

 common with us, but I cannot make out the three different species 

 of willow wrens which he assures us he has discovered. Ever 

 since the publication of his History of Selborne I have used my 

 utmost endeavours to discover his three birds, but hitherto without 

 success. I have frequently shot the bird which "haunts only the 

 tops of trees, and makes a sibilous noise," even in the very act of 

 uttering that sibilous note, but it always proved to be the common 

 \villow wren or his chiff-chaff. In short, I never could discover 

 more than one species, unless my greater petty-chaps, Sylvia 

 hortensis of Latham, is his greatest willow wren. MARKWICK. 



FERN-OWL, OR GOAT-SUCKER. 



The country people have a notion that the fern-owl, or churn- 

 owl, or eve-jarr, which they also call a puckeridge, is very injurious 

 to weanling calves, by inflicting as it strikes at them, the fatal dis- 

 temper known to cow-leeches by the name of puckeridge. Thus 

 does this harmless ill-fated bird fall under a double imputation 

 which it by no means deserves in Italy, of sucking the teats of 

 goats, whence it is called caprimulgits j and with us, of communi- 



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