7636 Birch. 



I had the pleasure one morning, while lying in a brush-hut on a 

 moss, watching the blackcock at play, to see a specimen of that rare 

 bird the Tetrao medius of Linneus, or rackelhanne. About a dozen 

 blackcock were " coo-oo-ooing" and flirting round me, some on the 

 ground, others in trees, when all at once I heard a loud hoarse note 

 which I knew did not belong either to a blackcock or capercally, and 

 presently a male rackelhanne flew down and speedily put the black- 

 cocks to the rout. The hens, however, would not notice him, and he 

 soon flew away, probably disgusted with their coyness. I watched 

 him very anxiously for some time, but he never came within shot ; 

 and although 1 have set a good price on his head, no one has yet had 

 the luck to kill him. 



Of all the sandpipers the green sandpiper is my favourite, and comes 

 back to us at least a fortnight earlier than any of the others. I love 

 to see them as they dash round over the tops of the trees, making the 

 whole forest re-echo with their wild " chee-wheet, chee-wheet." I 

 shall this year watch their breeding habits very closely, and see if 

 they ever do lay their eggs upon the ground like the rest of the tribe. 

 I shall also watch very carefully to see if I can detect the same pair 

 of birds of any species bringing up two broods of young in one season ; 

 and 1 trust any of your correspondents who are interested in the rural 

 economy of birds will do the same. I am still of my old opinion, and 

 shall not alter it without very strong grounds. 



I shall perhaps have good opportunities of watching the habits of 

 the viper this year, lor our mosses swarm with them. I wish I might 

 be lucky enough to throw some light upon the disputed question of 

 their swallowing their young ; 1 perfectly agree with Dr. Bree, that 

 conclusive proof is still wanting, and till an old viper has been seen 

 to swallow them, killed direcll}', and sent for dissection to some com- 

 petent person, we are at perfect liberty to doubt a fact of so extra- 

 ordinary a nature. It is a strange thing that in a country abounding, 

 as this does, with vipers, no naturalist has noticed the fact, and upon 

 m}' mentioning the dispute to one of our best field naturalists here, he 

 declared he had never even heard of such a supposition. 



I have had good and frequent opportunities this spring of noticing 

 the song of the redwing : although a sweet pretty song, it has neither 

 the vigour nor rich gush of melody of that of the common thrush ; it 

 is much varied, rising and falling in cadences with occasional runs, 

 not unlike the common robin, but far more powerful. I fancy, however, 

 it owes much of its beauty to the calm quiet which reigns over all ;it 

 the time when it pours out its evening lay from the depths of the 



