BIRDS 



attracted my attention by its loud call. The 

 specimen is in good condition having com- 

 pleted its moult. It is a male.' This speci- 

 men is now in the Dover Museum. In 

 1890, about the middle of November, a 

 second specimen was caught by a bird-catcher 

 near Dover and is now in the collection of 

 Mr. Oxenden Hammond. 



51. Rock-Pipit. Anthus obscurus (Latham) 

 An uncommon visitor in spring and 



autumn. On the south coast between Rye 

 and Dungeness, individuals, all adults, may 

 be noticed at the beginning of October. In 

 the Rainham district, Mr. Prentis says: 'It 

 is common in winter along the shores of 

 our creeks, it does not occur in summer 

 time.' In the same paragraph Mr. Prentis 

 records an observation of the Scandinavian 

 form of the rock-pipit {A. rupestris) : ' On a 

 rough day in March, the wind blowing for 

 several days from the east, the marsh was 

 full of rock pipits. I observed a strange 

 looking variety with a reddish - brown 

 breast, its note on being disturbed was very 

 different from that of the rock pipits.' 

 Booth says : ' The rock pipit used to arrive 

 in Sussex in considerable numbers from March 

 to April, though it never remained to breed.' 



52. Golden Oriole. Oriolus galbula, Linn. 

 A summer migrant. There is not a 



doubt that this beautiful bird would become 

 an annual breeder in the county provided 

 it was protected from molestation, but 

 unfortunately its bright plumage catches the 

 eye of the greedy gunner, into whose hands, 

 nine cases out of ten, it falls an easy victim. 

 This bird has nested on four occasions in the 

 county. In June 1836 a pair reared their 

 young in an ash plantation near Ord. The 

 young were taken every care of, but did not 

 long survive their captivity. In May 1 849 

 a nest with three eggs, together with the 

 parent birds, were taken near Elmstone. The 

 nest was suspended from the extreme end of 

 a top branch of an oak tree and composed 

 entirely of wool, carefully bound together 

 with dried grass. Both the old birds and 

 the nest are in the Dover Museum. In 

 1 85 1 another nest and eggs were taken at 

 West Mill near Wingham, Kent (Harting, 

 Handbook Brit. Birds, 1 90 1, p. 36). In 

 June 1874 another pair nested in Dumpton 

 Park, Isle of Thanet, and owing to the pro- 

 tection afforded them by Mr. Bankes Tomlin 

 they reared their young in safety. Mr. 

 Harting saw the nest, and gives an interesting 

 description of it in his Summer Migrants, p. 

 268. 



The following further specimens have 

 been recorded from the county : One, June 

 1850, near Elmstone {Zool. 1850, p. 2851); 

 one, 14 June, 1853, Eltham {Zool. 1853, P- 

 4014) ; one (female), autumn 1868, Faver- 

 sham {Zool. 1869); one (female), June 1869, 

 Southfield Park, Tunbridge Wells. In the 

 collection of Mr. Hammond there is a pair, 

 obtained near Wingham. Of late years my 

 records are : Adult male, adult female, 1883, 

 near Dover (Prentis collection) ; adult male. 

 May 1893, Sissinghurst {Zool. 1896, p. 346); 

 adult female, 15 May 1896, High Halden 

 {Zool. 1896, p. 346); another seen June 



1896, Sissinghurst {Zool. 1896, p. 346) 

 From these records it will be readily seen 



that there would be little or no difficulty in 

 inducing the golden oriole to become a regular 

 summer resident, provided it were carefully 

 protected from persecution. These orioles 

 come over in pairs with full intention of 

 nesting. The males are the ones that are 

 generally shot, while the females, owing to 

 their less brilliant plumage, escape observation 

 more easily. However, at the present time 

 the bird can only be regarded as a visitor 

 that comes to our shores in danger of its life. 



53. Great Grey Shrike. Lanius excubitor, 



Linn. 

 An irregular autumn and winter visitor, 

 generally met with outside the wooded dis- 

 tricts. There is no record of ita ever having 

 bred in the county, although I have obtained 

 specimens from the neighbourhood of East- 

 well as late as March. In the Cranbrook 

 district it has been observed by Mr. Springett, 

 who told me that on one occasion, while out 

 rabbiting, he saw a band of tits all collected 

 together in the thick undergrowth, and one 

 and all making a great uproar. They were 

 being driven forward by a great grey shrike, 

 who was endeavouring to force them to 

 debouch into an open) field hard by. The 

 little birds got so confused after a time that 

 many left their thick retreat, and consequently 

 one of their number fell a victim. 



54. Lesser Grey Shrike. Laninus minor, J. F. 



Gmelin. 

 A rare visitor in spring and autumn. An 

 individual was observed on 15 May 1897, in 

 mid Kent by Mr. F. W. Frohawk {Zool. 



1897, p. 427)- 



55. Red-backed Shrike. Lanius collurio,hinn. 

 Locally, Butcher Bird. 



A local summer migrant, arriving in the 

 county at the end of April. More plentiful 

 in the wooded portions, in which it has 



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