PREFACE. 



I AM quite aware that a good deal has been written 

 about the uselessness of mere local ornithological histories, 

 and perhaps to a certain extent rightly, as a mere list of 

 the birds that fly over or occasionally visit any particular 

 county is certainly of very little use ; but, on the other 

 hand, some account of the nature and habits of the various 

 birds belonging to a county, or even to a smaller division, 

 auch as a parish, cannot help being interesting to the 

 inhabitants, especially perhaps to the younger portion of 

 them ; for Ornithology, and indeed all Natural History, 

 begins, like Charity, at home : the boy chases the butterfly 

 in his own garden, or robs the bird's nest in his father's 

 shrubbery or orchard, perhaps makes a collection of the 

 objects that mostly excite his attention, and thus an 

 interest in these subjects first arises; and for this reason 

 some account of the various species he is likely to meet 

 with, and of their habits and propensities, is sure to be 

 acceptable : therefore, as there is no History of the Birds of 

 Somerset at present in existence, I shall make no apology 

 for writing one, but only wish that the subject had fallen 

 into the hands of one with more spare time to enable him 

 to do justice to it. Indeed I should not have taken it up 



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