The Zoologist — October, 1873. 8735 



might imagine to be the case, for in this particular ability it does not 

 resemble our common wi'en, whose strength of song, at times, appears not 

 reasonably to belong to its puny possessor. As far as I have been able to 

 observe, the habits of the Dartford warbler are altogether unobtrusive and 

 retiring, and, unless looked for, it is seldom seen ; and, unlike its almost 

 constant companion, the stonechat, it seldom perches in a conspicuous 

 position, but once or twice during the summer I saw the male perched on the 

 top of a furze-bush, singing its peculiar little song very sweetly. But 

 although retiring in disposition and apparently shy, the bird is, I suspect, 

 seldom resident near a lover of birds without being detected, for its notes 

 are different from any other bird I am acquainted with ; and once seen it is 

 not easily overlooked, for its short wings and long tail, together with its dark 

 plumage, at once separate it from any other warbler. A few weeks since a 

 gamekeeper had doubtlessly seen the birds about which I have written, as 

 he told me he had seen some small birds of nearly a black colour and with 

 long tails amongst the furze bushes, where I had previously seen the male 

 on the 1st of January ; so I suspect, with some show of reason, that the 

 species has bred in the locality this summer. The gamekeeper, however, 

 like myself, was quite unsuccessful in discovering the nest, though at the 

 end of July he told me he had seen one of the old birds with something in 

 its beak, as if it had young ones in the neighbourhood. The species is 

 said to be not uncommon in the New Forest in the summer time, but I am 

 quite sure it is not of usual occurrence in those parts where I most often 

 collect insects ; and during the past summer I met two men whose precarious 

 living seems to be obtained at that season by taking birds' eggs and selling 

 them, and neither of these men appeared to know the bird, or anything of 

 its nidification, and I suspect they would if it was as common as it has been 

 represented to be, as they had eggs of the stonechat, chiffchaff and willow 

 wren, beside woodpeckers, &c., when I met them.— (?. B. Corbin. 



Criticisms on Mr. Duruford's "Ornithological Notes."— In the Septem- 

 ber number of the ' Zoologist ' (S. S. 3694) Mr. Durnford writes in reference 

 to a note of mine which appeared (S. S. 3641) : " He is right in saying that 

 in more than one instance I have gained my information second-hand, 

 which he appears to speak of in very disparaging terms, though almost in 

 the same breath giving us a second-band note himself." Far be it from my 

 intention to write disparagingly of second-hand information unless it is 

 evidently erroneous, which it appears to be in this instance. Mr. Durnford 

 has mistaken my meaning and intention when I penned the sentence to which 

 he takes objection, viz. "In more than one instance in which this gentleman 

 appears to have gained his information second-hand, I am inclined to hazard 

 the opinion that he has been misinformed." In this sentence I endeavoured 

 to transfer the onus of an obvious mistake from Mr. Durnford to his in- 

 formant, and attempted to cover his retreat by mentioning a communication 



