ORNITHOLOGY OF SELBORNE. 113 



The people of Hampshire and Sussex call the 

 missel-bird 1 the storm-cock, because it sings 

 early in the spring in blowing, showery weather. 

 Its song often commences with the year ; with us 

 it builds much in orchards. 



A gentleman assures me he has taken the nests 

 of ringousels 2 on Dartmoor ; they build in banks 

 on the sides of streams. 



Titlarks 3 not only sing sweetly as they sit on 

 trees, but also as they play and toy about on the 

 wing ; and particularly while they are descending, 

 and sometimes as they stand on the ground 4 . 



Adanson's 5 testimony seems to me to be a very 

 poor evidence that European swallows migrate 

 during our winter to Senegal; he does not talk at 

 all like an ornithologist, and probably saw only 

 the swallows of that country, which I know build 

 within Governor O'Hara's hall against the roof. 

 Had he known European swallows, would he not 

 have mentioned the species ? 



The house- swallow washes by dropping into the 

 water as it flies; this species appears commonly 

 about a week before the house-martin, and about 

 ten or twelve days before the swift. 



In 1772, there were young house-martins 6 in 

 their nest till October the 23d. 



The swift 6 appears about ten or twelve days later 

 than the house- swallow ; viz. about the 24th or 

 26th of April. 



1 British Zoology, vol. i. p. 224. 2 P. 229. 



3 Vol. ii. p. 237. 



4 Mr. White must have mistaken this for anthus arboreus, 

 or tree-lark. The titlark, anthus pratensis, seldom sits on 

 trees. W. J. 



5 British Zoology, vol. ii. p. 242. 6 P. 244. 

 e British Zoology, vol. ii. p. 245. 



I 



