A HISTORY OF WARWICKSHIRE 



A caged goldfinch was hung on a wall in a 

 brickyard, and the shrike was seen to strike 

 at it, but was driven away. Shortly after- 

 wards however the shrike was seen to be 

 endeavouring to drag the goldfinch, which 

 was killed, through the wires of the cage. 

 A trap baited with the dead bird secured the 

 assassin, which came to the writer with two 

 broken legs. Mr. Chase records the occur- 

 rence of this bird at two places around Bir- 

 mingham, namely at Wylde Green on 

 14 November, 1871, and at Rubery Hill on 

 31 October, 1881. 



47. Red-backed Shrike. Lanius collurio, Linn. 

 A regular summer visitor and generally 



distributed, breeding freely in the county. Its 

 habit of impaling food on thorns is well 

 known, and mice, voles, shrews, young birds 

 and large insects, such as beetles, humble- 

 bees, and large moths, have been often seen 

 secured in that manner in thorn bushes, 

 always however inside the bush and not ob- 

 servable unless looked for. 



48. Waxwing. Ampelis garrulus, Linn. 

 This handsome bird has appeared occasion- 

 ally in the county. One preserved in the 

 Warwick Museum was taken near Coventry. 

 A very fine male, having six of the wax-like 

 appendages on each wing, was shot at Red 

 Hill between Stratford-on-Avon and Alcester 

 on 1 8 January, 1850, and came at once into 

 the hands of the present writer. Mr. Chase 

 records the occurrence of one at Aston Hall 

 near Birmingham about 1845, and another 

 which was killed at Rednal on -?o January, 

 1882. 



49. Pied Flycatcher. 

 Linn. 



Muscicapa atricapilla, 



As an occasional summer migrant the pied 

 flycatcher has occurred in the county, and I 

 have seen specimens in the hands of John 

 Spicer of Warwick which had been shot near 

 that town. One of them, an adult male, 

 was shot while perched on the roof of the 

 flour mill close to the walls of Warwick 

 Castle. Near Birmingham it is said by Mr. 

 Chase to be rare. Mr. Steele Elliott, quot- 

 ing Mr. Chase, states that it nested on 

 5 June, 1882, in the park at Sutton Cold- 

 field, and also that a pair was seen there by 

 Mr. Bitteridge in May, 1889. 



50. Spotted Flycatcher. Muscicapa grisola, 

 Linn. 



A regular summer migrant and generally 

 distributed. The selection of its nesting place 

 is sometimes remarkable. On two occasions 



194 



a nest has been placed immediately over a 

 door through which people passed continually. 



51. Swallow. Hirundo rustica, Linn. 



With the continuance of such a decrease 

 in its numbers as has taken place of late 

 years, this beautiful bird will at no distant 

 time have to be recorded as a rare British 

 bird. There are now only individuals where 

 there were formerly hundreds, and a swallows' 

 nest has become an unusual thing. The very 

 great decrease in numbers is difficult of ex- 

 planation. That the rarity of some birds has 

 been due to the interference with their nest- 

 ing places there can be no doubt, but that 

 cannot be said of the swallow, for as a general 

 rule its nest is inviolate. And the explana- 

 tion is not made easier when it is remembered 

 that a pair of swallows will ordinarily rear 

 three broods in one summer. 



52. House-Martin. Chelidon urb'ua (Linn.) 

 This species like the swallow now appears 



in decreased numbers, but by no means in 

 so great a degree. 



53. Sand-Martin. Cattle riparia (Linn.) 

 Where there is suitable accommodation for 



nesting, the present species does not seem 

 to have decreased in numbers ; but it must 

 always be somewhat local according to the 

 presence or absence of a nesting-place. 



54- Greenfinch. Ligurinus chloris (Linn.) 



The greenfinch at one time became a 

 somewhat local bird, owing apparently to high 

 cultivation having reduced the hedges suit- 

 able for its nest. Of late years however 

 the number has increased, and there is cer- 

 tainly more nesting accommodation in the 

 higher and untrimmed hedges. 



55. Hawfinch. Coccothraustes vulgaris, Pallas. 

 Though much more abundant than for- 

 merly and generally distributed the hawfinch, 

 owing to its shy and wary nature, is but seldom 

 seen. It will however come quite near to 

 dwellings and will even build its nest within 

 sight of the windows. A nest seen by the 

 writer was in the thick fork of an apple tree, 

 and was only discovered by the birds being 

 watched from a window. When completed 

 nothing could be seen of the nest from below 

 except the projecting ends of a few sticks, 

 which gave it the appearance of the frag- 

 mentary remains of a nest of the previous 

 summer. The hawfinch has been accused of 

 a partiality for green peas, which it is said 

 to take from the pods. It feeds freely during 

 the winter months on the seeds of the maple. 



