BIRDS 



in the hollow below the house presented an 

 extraordinary appearance. Above them in 

 the air, circled backwards and forwards 

 myriads of rooks, all "cawing," and so much 

 in unison that it sounded like the sound of 

 the incoming tide. This was about 6 o'clock. 

 Only now and again this even sound would 

 be broken by the higher pitched voices of the 

 jackdaws. A large rookery exists in these 

 trees and is of many years' standing.' 



96. Sky-Lark. Alauda arvensis, Linn. 



A well known resident. In September a 

 congregating movement takes place and the 

 birds frequent the newly-cut stubble fields in 

 flocks. Towards the fall of the year our 

 numbers are augmented by ' foreigners,' who 

 frequent our hop gardens, picking up a liveli- 

 hood among the manure heaps put out by the 

 farmer. When there is a thick fall of snow 

 they disappear, but come back again as soon 

 as the weather becomes open. 



97. Wood-Lark. Alauda arhorea, Linn. 



By no means a common bird, and locally 

 distributed during the breeding season in the 

 woods of the Weald. I have found the nest 

 occasionally in the woods near Cranbrook. 

 In the Rainham district it is met with in 

 winter (Prentis) ; and about Stourmouth it 

 has been seen at the same season in small 

 flocks (Dowker). 



98. White-winged Lark. Alauda sibirica, 



J. F. Gmelin. 

 A very rare visitor. On 27 January 1902 

 a male specimen was obtained at Woodchurch 

 by a man named Ward, and another, a 

 female, the following day. A third individual 

 was seen and obtained later, on 22 March. 

 Two examples were exhibited on 19 Feb- 

 ruary at the British Ornithologists' Club 

 by Mr. N. F. Ticehurst. These are the 

 first records of this bird for Kent, while only 

 one previous example is known from the 

 British Isles, viz. a bird caught alive on 

 22 November 1869, near Brighton, and ex- 

 hibited at a meeting of the Zoological Society 

 of London. 



99. Shore-Lark. Otocorys alpestris (Linn.) 

 An irregular winter visitor. In February 



1 86 1 five specimens were shot in the 

 neighbourhood of Sheerness {Zool. 186 1, p. 

 J jog). There are a pair from Lydd in the 

 Plomley collection, Dover Museum, and 

 according to Mr. Gray, the curator, it not 

 unfrequently occurs at Dover. In the col- 

 lection of Mr. Prentis there are two speci- 

 mens obtained in the Rainham district in 

 1880 and 1889. 



100. Swift. Cypselus apus (Linn.) 



A well distributed summer visitor. Fond 

 of breeding in the cowls of our oast-houses 

 and in our church towers. When on mi- 

 gration they make no stay in the vicinity of 

 our coast line, as the swallows do. 



lOi. Alpine Swift. Cypselus melba (Linn.) 



A rare visitor. On 20 August 1830 

 one was obtained at Dover (Notebook of a 

 Naturalist, p. 226). In June 1 87 1 another 

 was seen in Kent and reported in the Zoologist, 

 1876, p. 5046 (Gurney). 



102. Nightjar. Caprimulgus europaus, Linn. 

 Locally, Night-hawk, Evejar. 



Of local distribution, but plentiful in the 

 woods of the Weald, where it breeds in large 

 colonies, especially where there is water and 

 an undergrowth of bracken. It arrives in the 

 county about the middle of May and leaves 

 early in September. Nestlings of this species 

 are frequently found late in autumn. One 

 was taken near Sissinghurst on 10 August. 



103. Wryneck, lynx torquilla, Linn. 

 Locally, Snake Bird. 



A regular spring migrant. Well distributed 

 in the wooded districts, and where there are 

 orchards and pollard trees. 



104. Green Woodpecker. Geclnus vlrldis 



(Linn.) 

 Locally, Galley-bird. 

 Locally distributed in the wooded districts. 

 More numerous in winter than in summer. 

 In some districts it has largely increased, 

 while in others, where it was formerly com- 

 mon, it has decreased. This is the case in 

 the Cranbrook district, and I attribute it to 

 the great increase of starlings within the last 

 few years, which invade our woods and take 

 possession of the nest-holes bored by the green 

 woodpecker. The plagues of the small oak- 

 green caterpillar and other arboreal insects, 

 experienced within the last few years, have 

 caused large numbers of starlings to breed in 

 the woods. These birds are not slow to take 

 advantage of the old homes of the wood- 

 peckers ; and they even engage in pitched 

 battles with them over their newly-made 

 holes. It is not unusual to find this wood- 

 pecker resorting to the same nest-site of the 

 previous year. In this instance the old hole 

 is deepened. The drilling of a new one is 

 accomplished generally by the tenth day, but 

 the time varies according to the nature of the 

 tree. The process of boring, as a rule, takes 

 place during the small hours of the morning. 

 During the day the hole is left, and not re- 



285 



