136 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



It is very susceptible of cold. Looking one frosty day over the 

 Honddu Bridge, near the Castle, in this town, I saw close by the 

 houses a Kingfisher perched, like a dull emerald ball, on a willow 

 by the slack water that turns the mill. Repeated stones failed to 

 move him, but at last he seemed to wake uy>, and, showing all his 

 beautiful colours of blue and orange, he flew a few yards farther 

 on, when he pitched again, and positively refused to move, he 

 seemed so perished with the cold ; and so we left him master of 

 the situation. May not the coldness of this climate account for 

 their not increasing faster here, for I think they are seldom if 

 ever molested ? 



The Swallow, Hirundo rustica ; Martin, H. urbica ; Sand 

 Martin, H. riparia ; and Swift, Cypselus apus, are very common 

 here ; in fact, I see no difference between their numbers here 

 and in England. The Sand Martins occur in numbers on the 

 banks of the Usk. My boys tell me that if you take a young 

 Sand Martin from its hole, and place it at the mouth of another 

 hole, it will not move ; but place it at the mouth of the hole 

 in which it has been hatched, and it will scuttle out of sight 

 directly. 



Nightjar, Caprimulgus europaus. — Common on all our heathy 

 hills. Many a time have I had it brought to me as a great rarity, 

 and as often have I totally failed in impressing on my visitor that, 

 if he only watched "between the lights," he might see them 

 almost any summer evening. How well I recollect my first 

 introduction to this bird. Many years since, alas ! in an old 

 country seat in Wiltshire, where I have spent many happy days, 

 I took my gun one summer evening, and, followed by old " Sahib,'' 

 the retriever, I started to get a rabbit. Passing through the small 

 park and down by the " Ladies' Well," I came to a field almost 

 surrounded by woods. It was twilight, and all was still, save the 

 tinkling of the distant sheep-bells on the Cherhill Down, and the 

 faint ringing of the many chimes borne from the hills of the 

 " White Horse." No rabbits were out, so "Sahib" and I watched 

 and waited, until at last an old doe cautiously appeared and began 

 distrustfully to feed ; then a little hedgehog came out, working 

 about with his nose in the grass in a wonderful way. All at once 

 the old rabbit stopped feeding, the hedgehog seemed inclined to 

 roll himself up, and old "Sahib" pricked his ears, as, with a 

 splendid swift-like rush, gliding noiselessly through the air, a bird 



