Birds. 9695 



We crossed several lofty mountains during our tour, and I was much 

 struck to find that however high fir trees were found, there would be 

 seen the little goldencrested wren flitting among the branches. On the 

 mountain streams we found the dipper or water ouzel so common in 

 Devonshire ; and when going through the lovely pass of the Tete 

 Noire, had the pleasure of hearing the rattling notes of and seeing 

 several nutcracker crows. 



In the woods at Martigny I captured a fine specimen of that rare 

 British beetle Carabus inlricatus, and from thence to Brigne, on our 

 way into Italy, we passed numerous specimens of both Colias Edusa 

 and C. Hyale, and were highly amused with the multitudes of lizards 

 we saw, clinging to, and rushing like lightning up, the walls and sunny 

 banks as we passed along. I was much surprised to find that the 

 common redlegged or French partridge was almost entirely replaced, 

 both in the Swiss and Italian markets, by an allied species, the Perdix 

 Graeca, very similar in form and colour, but rather larger, and without 

 the black spots below the dark mark on the neck observable in the 

 French species. I may here also remark that the Italian house 

 sparrow is different from our own. It is precisely similar in habits, but 

 altogelher more ruddy in its plumage, and wanting the gray patch on 

 the top of the head, which is of an uniform chesuut-brown. 



On the Lago Maggiore we saw the redthroated diver and herring 

 and blackheaded gulls, and in the markets of Lugano and Como we 

 found among the bunches of su)all birds many black redstarts and 

 dozens of robins and goldcrested wrens, which are actually sold for 

 the table. Mountain finches, too, were very plentiful. 



On board a steamer on the Lake of Como we had the pleasure of 

 meeting a party of English ladies and gentlemen, and upon our 

 noticing a butterfly-net in the hands of a lady, were told that they 

 had been searching for insects, and that the most lovely things were 

 to be caught in the proper season, but that it was then too late. 

 However, they had made a very nice collection, which they invited 

 us to see, should we visit Milan. This we accordingly did, and were 

 much pleased with the extraordinary beauty of the collection. Among 

 the butterflies we recognised many of our rarest species ; and as for 

 Colias Hyale and the scarce swallow-tail, they were to be counted by 

 scores. 



In Milan I saw the rock thrush and little owl in cages, and found 

 the common hawfinch very plentiful in the market and game shops 

 and in the market at Turin hundreds of tree sparrows, among which 

 and other birds 1 fished out a specimen of the alpine accentor, for 



