NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 



93 



in the south of England, and those that are remarkable &r singing in 

 the night.* 



According to my proposal, I shall now proceed to such birds (singing 

 birds strictly so called) as continue in full song till after Midsummer ; 

 and shall range them somewhat in the order in which they first begin 

 to open as the spring advances. 



1. Woodlark, 



2. Song-thrush, 



3. Wren, 



4. Redbreast, 



5. Hedge-sparrow, 



6. Yellowhammer, 



7. Skylark, 



8. Swallow, 



9. Black -cap, 



10. Titlark, 



11. Blackbird, 



12. Whitethroat, 



13. Goldfinch, 



14. Greenfinch, 



RAII NOMINA. 



Alauda arborea. 



Turdus simpliciter dictus. 



Passer troglodytes. 



Rubecula. 

 Curruca. 



Emberiza flava. 



Alauda vulgaris. 

 Hirundo domestica. 

 Atricapilla. 

 Alauda pratorwn. 



Merula vulgaris. 



Ficedulce affinis. 

 Carduelis. 



Chloris. 

 15. Less reed sparrow, j P^rundinaceus 



16. Common linnet, Linaria vulgaris. 



In January, and continues to 

 sing through all the summer 

 and autumn. 



' In February and on to August ; 

 re-assume their song in au- 

 tumn. 



All the year, hard frost ex- 

 cepted. 



Ditto. 



Early in February to July 10th. 



Early in February, and on 

 through July to August 21. 



In February, and on to October. 



From April to September. 



Beginning of April to July 13. 



From middle of April to July 16. 

 'Sometimes in February and 

 March, and so on to July 23 ; 

 re-assumes in autumn. 



In April, and on to July 23. 



April, and through to Septem- 

 ber 16. 



On to July and August 2. 



May, on to beginning of July. 



'Breeds and whistles on till 

 August ; re-assumes its note 

 when they begin to congre- 

 gate in October, and again 

 early before the flocks sepa- 

 rate. 



* This letter is also devoted to the song of birds, and records various pecu- 

 liarities 



The song or call of birds, like the seasonal changes in the plumage, is undoubtedly 

 one of the accessaries to the season of incubation. Some utter notes and call each 

 other at all seasons of the year, using them for the purpose of keeping together, or 

 for an alarm xipon the approach of danger ; but many species have cries peculiar 

 to the love season which are used to summon the mate, or uttered as a cry of 

 distress when the breeding grounds are invaded, or the young ones in danger. 

 These latter calls are lost after this season is finished. The cuckoo loses his well- 

 known note, which gradually becomes more inarticulate as the season advances ; 

 the jarring saw-like note of the greater and cole titmice ceases after a few months, 

 and the curlews in like manner give up their very peculiar breeding whistle ; the 

 crakes and rails cease their call, or it becomes hoarse and indistinct. 



The song of birds will commence earlier Greater, according as the locality varies. 

 As White remarks the missel-thrush is a very early songster, and in Scotland in a 

 mild winter we have heard it in January. Those birds which breed more than 

 once in the season continue the song longer, but as July approaches there is a very 

 marked difference in the "language of the groves," and as compared with a fine 

 morning in April or May they are silent. We think, however, that some of the 

 birds included in the first list can scarcely be called " singing birds, strictly." The 

 yellow-hammer, and indeed all the buntings have a very monotonous note, 

 remarkable only for its sameness and frequency of repetition, and one or two others 

 have only a short varied call, but which is always repeated the same ; so that 

 although White uses the expression of " singing birds, strictly so called," he meant 

 the general love-note or caU. To the birds that sing as they fly might have been 



