7144 Birds. 



above tweiity-eiglit years, I can vouch for his beina: not only a very intellis^ent person, 

 but also that his statements may be fully relied upon. — Id. " I have for the last four 

 or five years been watching the bird-catching boys, owing to my hearing that they 

 sent from this neighbourhood some four or five hundred dozens of goldfinches 

 each year in October. Not giving credit to such a statement, I have come to ihe con- 

 clusion that it is true nevertheless, for there have been annually from ten to twenty 

 boys and men with their nets within a walk of Worthing, and I have seen one catch 

 from twenty to forty in a morning; they have even caught over one hundred, if they 

 speak true. Supposing they caught upon an average twenty each per day, it would 

 amount to more than I have stated. One told me he knew eight hundred dozen were 

 sent in six weeks from Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing. I cannot speak beyond 

 Worthing, and certainly these bird-catchers do always get a new suit of clothes every 

 November, and also seem to have money to spend at the public-houses for a long time 

 afterwards. Inquiring among (ihese men) I find they are all of the same opinion, 

 that the goldfinches migrate. This T have found no mention of in any work that 

 has fallen in my way. My own opinion is that in passing Worthing they go along 

 the coast from west to east, very straggling, but very continuous and regular, for a 

 month or six weeks. The male birds fetch from four to six shillings per dozen in 

 London ; the hens about two shillings." — Robert Gray ; Worthing, May, 1860. 



Additional particulars of the Trade in Goldfinches. — In a statement I have 

 received from one of the bird-catchers here, he gives the enormous number of 13,848 

 goldfinches per annum as sent from Worthing alone, but the calculation is so made 

 that it may be somewhat fallacious. Only four of the catchers send the birds to 

 London, these men taking what the others catch at the rate of four shillings per dozen. 

 For their own protection in settling accounts with the London purchasers the above 

 four are obliged to enter in a book the numbers sent. I applied to the most respectable 

 among them, and he has his book still, but two have not kept theirs, so that I could 

 not obtain the nmnbers correctly; but this young man said he knew exactly how 

 many went out catching, so reckoning each man's take to be equal to those whose 

 birds he sent to London, it gives the prodigious number before mentioned. The birds 

 are sold to the dealers in Loudcm at five shillings per dozen the males and two 

 shillings the females (but few of the latter are ever sent, males alone being wanted), 

 which gives a sum of about £288 per annum. This appears to me almost fabulous, 

 \et I must say I have tried for the last three years to disprove it, and cannot; all I 

 have seen goes more to confirm the fact than to weaken it. — Id.; May 24, 1860. 



Trade in Goldfinches: copy of Bird-catcher s Statement. — Average (i*) of goldfinches 

 caught at Worthing in a year: — 



January, February and March . . . None. 



April about 4 dozens. 



May „ 10 „ 



June None. 



July ^ . about 5 „ 



August „ 15 „ 



September „ 20 „ 



October „ 750 „ 



November „ 300 „ 



December „ 50 „ 



1154 

 -Arthur Hussey ; Ro liiny dean, May 25, } 860. 



