﻿260 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  young 
  until 
  May 
  14th, 
  on 
  which 
  day 
  I 
  took 
  a 
  friend, 
  an 
  amateur 
  

   photographer, 
  who 
  was 
  successful 
  in 
  getting 
  some 
  good 
  negatives 
  

   of 
  the 
  old 
  bird 
  with 
  the 
  three 
  young 
  by 
  her 
  side. 
  Several 
  stems 
  

   of 
  dead 
  bracken 
  interfered 
  somewhat 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  

   birds, 
  so, 
  after 
  the 
  exposure 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  plate, 
  we 
  carefully 
  

   removed 
  them, 
  the 
  old 
  bird 
  remaining 
  motionless 
  whilst 
  I 
  

   crawled 
  near 
  and 
  took 
  with 
  my 
  hand 
  a 
  stem 
  from 
  within 
  two 
  

   feet 
  of 
  her 
  face. 
  Five 
  days 
  later 
  we 
  paid 
  another 
  visit 
  with 
  the 
  

   camera. 
  The 
  old 
  cock 
  occupied 
  his 
  usual 
  perch 
  ; 
  the 
  hen 
  we 
  

   soon 
  located, 
  by 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  some 
  Blackbirds, 
  a 
  hundred 
  yards 
  

   away. 
  One 
  young 
  bird 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  nest 
  ; 
  a 
  second 
  had 
  strayed 
  

   about 
  ten 
  yards 
  — 
  this 
  we 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  nest 
  to 
  be 
  photo- 
  

   graphed 
  ; 
  the 
  third 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  discover, 
  but 
  we 
  found 
  an 
  

   addled 
  egg 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  nest. 
  The 
  young 
  birds' 
  plaintive 
  whistle 
  

   soon 
  brought 
  the 
  old 
  ones 
  into 
  the 
  trees 
  near 
  ; 
  the 
  hen 
  at 
  first 
  

   was 
  very 
  excited, 
  and 
  flapped 
  from 
  tree 
  to 
  tree 
  with 
  a 
  hoarse 
  

   " 
  wack, 
  wack"; 
  but 
  finally 
  she 
  perched 
  in 
  an 
  oak 
  a 
  score 
  of 
  

   yards 
  away, 
  and 
  watched 
  us 
  intently 
  whilst 
  we 
  stayed, 
  her 
  

   brilliant 
  orange 
  eyes 
  showing 
  distinctly 
  even 
  without 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  

   the 
  field-glass. 
  

  

  As 
  indicating 
  the 
  variety 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  

   attracted, 
  by 
  giving 
  them 
  protection, 
  together 
  with 
  suitable 
  sur- 
  

   roundings, 
  I 
  may 
  state 
  that 
  in 
  Witton 
  Park 
  — 
  which 
  is 
  close 
  to 
  a 
  

   busy 
  manufacturing 
  town 
  of 
  130,000 
  inhabitants, 
  and 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  Town 
  Hall 
  — 
  I 
  have 
  met 
  

   with 
  the 
  following 
  birds, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  species 
  common 
  to 
  

   the 
  district 
  : 
  — 
  The 
  Hawfinch, 
  Nightjar, 
  Great 
  Spotted 
  Wood- 
  

   pecker, 
  Long-eared 
  Owl, 
  Tawny 
  Owl, 
  Stock-Dove, 
  and 
  Common 
  

   Sandpiper 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  Park 
  ; 
  the 
  Blackcap, 
  Pied 
  Flycatcher, 
  

   Crossbill, 
  Dunlin, 
  and 
  Little 
  Grebe 
  are 
  occasionally 
  met 
  with 
  ; 
  

   a 
  Common 
  Buzzard 
  frequented 
  Billinge 
  from 
  November, 
  1886, 
  

   until 
  March, 
  1887, 
  when 
  it 
  left, 
  presumably 
  for 
  its 
  breeding- 
  

   quarters 
  ; 
  the 
  Merlin 
  frequently 
  gives 
  us 
  a 
  call 
  — 
  and 
  occasionally 
  

   a 
  good 
  flight 
  at 
  Thrush 
  or 
  Redwing 
  — 
  on 
  its 
  way 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  

   the 
  adjoining 
  moors, 
  where 
  it 
  still 
  nests 
  ; 
  Herons 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  year 
  ; 
  Kingfishers 
  visit 
  the 
  reservoirs 
  during 
  the 
  

   autumn 
  months 
  ; 
  in 
  late 
  autumn 
  a 
  few 
  Grouse, 
  driven 
  from 
  the 
  

   neighbouring 
  moors, 
  drop 
  on 
  the 
  heather-covered 
  top 
  of 
  Billinge 
  ; 
  

   and 
  here 
  we 
  meet 
  with 
  Snipe, 
  Jack- 
  Snipe, 
  and 
  Woodcock, 
  the 
  

  

  