816 The Zoologist— July, 1867. 



swallows about the hill ; and three sand martins and a pair of swallows 

 hawking about the pond and farm-yard in the fields between the wood 

 and Elthara. One swallow was flying over Elthani. On going home, 

 at 7 p. m., a fine male swallow shot across the road, skimming just 

 above the hedges, on a N.W. passage. 



April 23. Saw a whitethroat on the rails in Greenwich Park : he 

 soon got inside a deodar, plumed himself, and rested. 



April 25. Watched a hen whitethroat feeding in a hedge, and plenty 

 of grubs she got. Saw two sand martins and two swallows on the 

 round pond in Blackheath Park ; and then saw two sand martius in 

 the air, flying N.E. Saw a willow wren and a wryneck. 



April 26. Saw a fine redstart in Greenwich Park, his plumage 

 much brighter than last year; his white forehead and black throat 

 contrasting brilliantly : later in the day I saw the female. The habit? 

 of the nightingale, the robin and the redstart are much alike. Saw 

 numbers of willow wrens busy with the opening blossoms and leaves 

 of the trees ; they were all over the Park : those I could fix the glass 

 on were females. In the evening the redstart had got a fine bright 

 male wryneck feeding on the ground with him. This day, I never saw 

 so many birds, willow wrens, tits, redstarts and wryneck feeding on 

 the ground : the rain had beaten down the flies. The next day 1 could 

 not see a bird in Greenwich Park, but the everlasting everywhere 

 sparrow and a few starlings. 



April 29. In a high thick thorn hedge, 150 yards long, I saw within 

 Jen minutes, a hen blackcap, a whitethroat, several willow wrens, an 

 .oxeye, a pair of greenfinches and a nightingale. I called the night- 

 ingale, and he came hopping into the road, and though he perched 

 ^within a dozen yards of me and sang stoutly, his throat shaking again 

 .and again, I could not hear a sound. I walked away sad and njelan- 

 .choly. 



April 30. Found the lesser whitethroat, as usual, threading the 

 intricacies of a thick hedge. He appears to get his food in the centre 

 of the hedge, seldom coming outside. I used to detect him by his 

 repeated soft, clear, whistle, always heard before he was seen : he 

 ought to be called, as in France, the " whistler." 



May 3. More swallows located, and more whitethroats and willow 

 wrens abont. In the castle wood saw a fine blackcap, a tree pipit and 

 a cole tit. A fine warm day. 



May 4. Through the fields to Ellham. Saw nothing but white- 

 throats, all in the old localities, scarcely a hedge without them : two 



