118 NATURAL EISTOEY 



also as they play and toy about on the wing ; and particu- 

 larly while they are descending, and sometimes as they 

 stand on the ground. 



Adanson's 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 0' Harass 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 in their nest 

 till October the 23rd. 



The swift appears about ten or twelve days later than 

 the house swallow, viz., about the 24th or 26th of April. 



Whinchats and stonechats stay with us the whole year. 1 



Some wheatears continue with us the winter through. 



Wagtails, all sorts, 2 remain with us all the winter. 



Bullfinches, when fed on hempseed, often become wholly 

 black. 3 



We have vast flocks of female chaffinches 4 all the winter, 

 with hardly any males among them. 



1 We know of no instance in which the whinchat has been found 

 here in winter, although the stonechat occasionally passes that season 

 with ns. It is possible that female stonechats may have been mis- 

 taken for whinchats, and may thus have given occasion to the above 

 remark. ED. 



2 The pied wagtail, Motacilla Yarrellii, and the grey wagtail, 

 M. boarula. As to the latter, which White elsewhere calls the yellow 

 wagtail, see p. 47, note 4. ED. 



3 Bullfinches are not the only birds which have been observed to turn 

 black from feeding on hempseed, nor is hempseed the only seed which 

 conduces to such a change of colour. Larks have been known to 

 become black after being fed for some time on hempseed ; and the late 

 Mr. Blyth informed us that he had seen one of the little Amandavat 

 finches which had become black, though fed entirely on canary 

 seed. ED. 



4 * British Zoology," vol. ii. p. 306. See also Letter XIII. to Pennant, 

 p. 46. ED. 



