382 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
These reminiscences of former days have brought to my 
recollection another and very similar subject—similar as to the 
tenour of the facts recorded, but far exceeding the history of 
the Owls in the amount of contradiction which it provoked. In 
the March number of ‘ The Zoologist’ for 1864 (p. 8946) I related 
the fact of having myself on several occasions heard the Redwing 
singing in England, and detailed the circumstances of my obser- 
vations at some length. 
As soon as my note appeared it attracted a host of assailants, 
who seemed to strive who should contradict my assertion the 
most flatly. The greater part of their remarks, however, were 
conspicuous for a total absence of proof, and mainly consisted in 
the repetition of what had been written by others; but one and 
all seemed impressed with the idea that because they themselves 
had never heard the song of the Redwing in this country, it must 
naturally follow that no one else could possibly do so; although 
it is well known that Redwings do not leave us before the end of 
March, and it is equally well known that for a long time anterior 
to that date Thrushes will be in full song, especially when 
the season is forward and the weather warm. Some of these 
criticisms, indeed, were not more remarkable for the absence of 
anything like proof than for being deficient in common courtesy. 
Not content with implying that I was unable to understand 
the subject on which I had written, and could not distinguish 
twittering from a full song, one presumed to insinuate that I did 
not even know a Redwing from a Song Thrush, and another to 
suggest that I should immediately forward the specimen to him 
for determination! At length these attacks received a well- 
merited rebuke from the pen of the Rey. A. C. Smith (Zool. 1864, 
p- 9209), whose intimate acquaintance with the Redwing in its 
native haunts was indisputable; and after that I felt quite satisfied 
to let the matter drop. 
But I now call the attention of my quondam assailants to a 
paragraph in ‘ Wild Life in a Southern County,’ quoted at length 
on p. 192 of ‘The Zoologist’ for last year, in which the writer 
says :—‘‘ One spring I was struck day after day by hearing a loud, 
sweet, but unfamiliar note in a certain field. In a little while 
I succeeded in tracing it to an oak tree. I got under the oak tree, 
and there on a bough was a Redwing singing with all its might. 
This Redwing was singing sweet and loud, far louder than the 
