Birds. 7537 



Notes on the Birds of Belyium. By Henry L. Saxby, Esq. 



Not having access to any work upon the Ornithology of Belgium, 

 I must confess that in at length bringing forward my own rough notes 

 upon the birds of that country I do so with some misgiving, lest I may be 

 falling into an error which it has always been ray endeavour to avoid, 

 one which must be too evident to the misguided few who, under the 

 supposition that they have been exploring a region previously un- 

 known to naturalists, have too hastily resorted to quill and foolscap, 

 without due regard to the merits of those who have perhaps made the 

 Natural History of that very spot the study of a lifetime. * With very 

 few exceptions, these notes are the result of my wanderings in 

 Belgium, and more particularly in South Brabant, in the years 1852-3. 

 Several rare species having occurred only in the markets, I have 

 placed an asterisk before their names, signifying their doubtful right 

 to occupy a place in the following list. 



Kestrel (Falco tinnurtculus) . Permanent. 



Sparrowhawk {F. nisus). Permanent, but not so abundant as the 

 preceding species. 



Buzzard {F. buteo). Rarely seen. I have in my possession several 

 eggs said to have been taken near Tirlemont. 



Hen Harrier {F. cyaneus). Permanent ? 



Ashcoloured Harrier {F. cineraceus). Rather scarce. About the 

 end of May or the beginning of June it makes a nest of small sticks, 

 wool and dry grass, gathered carelessly together upon the ground : 

 the female usually lays four eggs, which are white and of a roundish 

 form. 



*Scops Eared Owl {Strix Scops). I saw one alive in the Brussels 

 market on the 11th of April, and another a few weeks later. It is a 

 very handsome bird, considerably less in size than the little owl, and 

 far more lively. The first one soon died, but the other lived for 

 thirteen days, feeding chiefly upon raw flesh. Upon one occasion 1 

 offered it some " blue-bottle " flies, which it eagerly swallowed : it 

 also looked keenly at any which chanced to settle near the cage, but 



* I fear my correspondent has fstllen into the very error he so justly condemns: 

 has he not overlooked the very complete and elaborate List of the Birds of Belgium 

 published by a resident naturalist, M. Julian Deby, in former volumes of the ' Zoolo- 

 gist.' See Zool. 813, 858, 933, 979, 1019, 1070, 1131, 1187, 1251, 1462 and 1528.— 

 E.N. 



VOL. XIX. 2 I 



