﻿THE 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  KENT. 
  165 
  

  

  holes 
  near 
  the 
  wall, 
  but 
  which 
  is 
  seldom 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  any 
  distance 
  

   away 
  from 
  it 
  ; 
  it, 
  in 
  fact, 
  uses 
  the 
  wall 
  as 
  a 
  vantage-ground, 
  

   flitting 
  along 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  intruder. 
  A 
  fully-fledged 
  family, 
  

   last 
  June, 
  were 
  still 
  making 
  use 
  of 
  their 
  nesting-hole 
  as 
  a 
  

   retreat, 
  long 
  after 
  they 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  fly. 
  In 
  the 
  autumn 
  family 
  

   parties 
  of 
  old 
  birds 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  are 
  very 
  numerous. 
  

   The 
  Meadow-Pipit 
  (Anthus 
  pratensis) 
  is 
  another 
  bird 
  which 
  seems 
  

   to 
  have 
  a 
  strong 
  liking 
  for 
  the 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  saltings, 
  being 
  

   more 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  months, 
  but 
  many 
  pairs 
  nest 
  in 
  

   the 
  long 
  coarse 
  grass 
  and 
  vegetation 
  which 
  grows 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  

   of 
  the 
  wall, 
  and 
  their 
  short 
  song 
  and 
  curious 
  flight 
  in 
  spring 
  time 
  

   and 
  summer 
  quickly 
  associates 
  itself 
  in 
  one's 
  memory 
  with 
  walks 
  

   along 
  this 
  coast-line. 
  

  

  The 
  Rock-Pipit 
  (Anthus 
  obscurus) 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  common 
  bird 
  in 
  the 
  

   autumn 
  and 
  winter, 
  but 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  except 
  in 
  close 
  proximity 
  

   to 
  the 
  shore, 
  and, 
  in 
  fact, 
  one 
  might 
  almost 
  say 
  that 
  it 
  keeps 
  

   religiously 
  to 
  that 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  nearest 
  to 
  the 
  tideway. 
  In 
  the 
  

   winter 
  Linnets 
  (Linota 
  eannabina) 
  seem 
  to 
  find 
  food 
  of 
  some 
  sort 
  

   amongst 
  the 
  vegetation 
  of 
  the 
  saltings 
  which 
  is 
  evidently 
  to 
  their 
  

   liking, 
  for 
  numerous 
  small 
  parties 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  are 
  almost 
  always 
  

   to 
  be 
  seen 
  there. 
  The 
  Hooded 
  Crow 
  (Corvus 
  comix) 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  

   common 
  bird 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  autumn, 
  winter, 
  and 
  early 
  spring 
  ; 
  

   as 
  also 
  is 
  the 
  Carrion-Crow 
  (C. 
  corone), 
  all 
  the 
  year 
  round, 
  in 
  a 
  

   more 
  inconspicuous 
  way. 
  A 
  walk 
  in 
  winter 
  along 
  the 
  wall 
  will 
  

   generally 
  disturb 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  party 
  of 
  the 
  first-named 
  birds, 
  

   and 
  a 
  pair 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  holding 
  post-mortems 
  on 
  various 
  

   subjects 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  them 
  amongst 
  the 
  wrack 
  of 
  the 
  tide. 
  The 
  

   earliest 
  date 
  I 
  have 
  noted 
  of 
  seeing 
  the 
  Hooded 
  Crow 
  in 
  the 
  

   autumn 
  is 
  Oct. 
  21st, 
  1900, 
  and 
  the 
  latest 
  date 
  in 
  spring 
  is 
  April 
  

   21st, 
  1900; 
  but 
  a 
  closer 
  observation 
  than 
  I 
  am 
  able 
  to 
  keep 
  would 
  

   no 
  doubt 
  give 
  more 
  exceptional 
  dates. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  sight 
  to 
  

   see 
  both 
  the 
  Hooded 
  and 
  Carrion 
  Crow 
  feeding 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  mud- 
  

   flats, 
  amongst 
  Gulls 
  and 
  other 
  birds, 
  at 
  low 
  tide. 
  

  

  It 
  strikes 
  one 
  rather 
  by 
  surprise 
  to 
  see 
  a 
  Kingfisher 
  (Alcedo 
  

   ispida) 
  flash 
  past 
  on 
  these 
  salt-marshes. 
  Curiously 
  enough, 
  two 
  

   of 
  my 
  notes 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  fall 
  within 
  a 
  day 
  of 
  each 
  other 
  in 
  con- 
  

   secutive 
  years— 
  Nov. 
  16th, 
  1902, 
  and 
  Nov. 
  15th, 
  1903; 
  but 
  I 
  

   have 
  also 
  several 
  notes 
  of 
  them 
  about 
  the 
  land 
  -marshes 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  — 
  November 
  and 
  December. 
  Upon 
  one 
  

  

  