BIRDS 



and in this district has increased in an extra- 

 ordinary manner during the last quarter of a 

 century. It is very tenacious of its breeding 

 holes, and a pair or their descendants have 

 produced young ones in a hole in a tree close 

 to this house annually for the last fourteen 

 years. A battle royal takes place each spring 

 first with starlings and then with tits, but 

 with our help they are driven off. Once a 

 blue-tit succeeded in making her nest, but we 

 destroyed it, and the nuthatches were at work 

 next day. 



35. Wren. Troglodytes parvulus, Koch. 

 Locally, Jenny Wren. 



Common and resident, but I think their 

 numbers are slightly increased in spring. 



36. Tree-Creeper. Certhia fami/iaris y Linn. 

 Resident in all the wooded portions of the 



county ; but as far as I am aware it is no- 

 where abundant. 



37. Pied Wagtail. Motacilla lugubris, 



Temminck. 



Locally, Dishwasher, Water Wagtail. 

 Common ; many are resident, but by far 

 the larger proportion come to us in early 

 spring and take their departure about the 

 middle of October. Almost every lawn has 

 its breeding-pair, but two nests are seldom seen 

 in close proximity. Not only are pied wag- 

 tails pugnacious towards other birds, but they 

 are even intolerant to members of the same 

 species. 



38. Grey Wagtail. Motacilla melanope, 



Pallas. 



Generally considered a winter migrant to 

 the county, but there is at least one case 

 known of its breeding within our limits. 

 Mr. H. M. Wallis discovered a nest with 

 one young bird and one egg at Padworth Mill 

 near Aldermaston in 1898, and has also 

 observed a male bird at Mapledurham Mill in 

 the summer ; while it has been recorded as a 

 breeding species from the neighbouring coun- 

 ties of Bucks (Birds of Berks and Bucks, p. 26) 

 and Oxon (Birds of Oxfordshire, p. 77). 

 Arriving in September or October, it may 

 often be seen on the banks of the Thames 

 and other streams until its departure in 

 spring. During a heavy snowstorm in 

 December one settled on the balcony of our 

 window. 



39. Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail. Motacilla 



flava, Linn. 



A rare spring visitor. Mr. Wallis tells me 

 he saw one, a male, seated on the telegraph 

 wires at Thatcham Marsh early in May, 1 890. 



Mr. Herbert mentions having seen one or 

 two examples near Newbury, but he gives 

 no dates (Newbury District Field Club, 18701, 

 P- 95)- 



40. Yellow Wagtail. Motacilla rait (Bona- 



parte). 



A regular summer migrant, arriving about 

 the second week in April and returning during 

 the first autumn month. It breeds in low-lying 

 lands, but I have seldom found it on the chalk 

 hills, though often seen some distance from 

 water-meadows which are its haunt. Mr. W. 

 Norman May informs me (in lit.) that at least 

 fifty nests were cut out of vetches in July, 

 1893, most of these containing young. The 

 nests were considerately placed upon the cocks 

 of mown vetches, and it is interesting to learn 

 that the old birds returned to them ; but 

 since that year, he tells me, hardly a single 

 nest has been found at Thatcham. 



41. Tree-Pipit. Anthus trivialis (Linn.). 



A summer migrant, fairly numerous, and 

 breeding in suitable localities. 



42. Meadow-Pipit. Anthus pratensis (Linn.). 

 Locally, Tit-Lark. 



Resident, but not common as a breeding 

 species. It frequents more open ground than 

 the preceding bird. In spring or autumn 

 large flocks may be seen on migration. 



43. Golden Oriole. Oriolus galbula, Linn. 

 A rare summer visitor. One was seen at 



Billingbear by the late Mr. Briggs, who 

 watched it for some time (Birds of Berks and 

 Bucks, p. 170). In an article written by Mr. 

 Palmer for a Newbury paper in 1886, men- 

 tion is made of another, seen by Mr. Valpy 

 in 1870, atEnborne Street. The Rev. J. G. 

 Cornish tells me that a female was shot at 

 Shellingford near Stamford-in-the-Vale in 

 June, 1896. 



44. Great Grey Shrike. Lanius excubitor, 



Linn. 



A winter visitor ; it has been seen or 

 taken many times in the county. Dr. Lamb 

 ('Ornith. Bercheria') mentions three ex- 

 amples : a male shot on the banks of the 

 Thames, November 28, 1792 ; a female near 

 Aldermaston, January 6, 1795 ; also another 

 female near the Kennet at Newbury, Decem- 

 ber 20, 1810 ; and during the same year one 

 was taken alive on August 5, and kept in 

 confinement until December 16 following. 

 A bird of the year was shot near Newbury on 

 November 21, 1872 (Zoo/. 1873, p. 3489); 

 in 1885 one was shot at Hungerford and 

 another at Bucklebury in 1878 ; a few weeks 



