188 MISCELLANEOUS 0BSE11VATI0>"S. 



As my neighbour was housing a rick, he observed that his 

 dogs devoured all the little red mice that they could catch, 

 but rejected the common mice ; and that his cats eat the 

 common mice, refusing the red. 



Eed-breasts sing all through the spring, summer, an'd 

 autumn. , The reason that they are called autumn songsters 

 is, because in the two first seasons their voices are lost and 

 drowned in the general chorus : iu the latter, their song 

 becomes distinguishable. Many songsters of the autumn 

 seem to be the young cock red-breast of that year : notwith- 

 standing the prejudices in their favour, they do much mischief 

 in gardens to the summer fruits.* 



The titmouse, which early in February begins to make two 

 quaint notes, hke the whetting of a saw,t is the marsh tit- 

 mouse ; the great titmouse sings with three cheerful joyous 

 notes, and begins about the same time. 



Wrens sing all the winter through, frost excepted. 



House-martins came remarkably late this year, both m 

 Hampshire and Devonshire : is this circumstance for or 

 against either hiding or migration ? 



Most birds drink, sipping at intervals ; but pigeons take a 

 long continued draught, like quadrupeds. 



Notwithstanding what I have said in a former letter, no 

 grey crows were ever known to breed on Dartmoor ; it was 

 my mistake. 



The appearance and flying of the scarahcBus solstiiialis, or 

 fern-chafer, commence with the month of July, and cease 

 about the end of it. These scarabs are the constant food of 

 caprimulgi, or fern-owls, through that period. They abound 

 on the chalky downs, and in some sandy districts, but not in 

 the clays. 



In the garden of the Black Bear Inn, in the town of Head- 

 ing, is a stream or canal, running under the stables, and out 

 into the fields on the other side of the road : in this water 

 are many carps, which lie rolling about in sight, being fed bv 

 travellers, who amuse themselves by tossing them bread ; but 



* They cat also tlic berries of the ivy, the honeysuckle, and the euonymua 

 curopanis, or spindle-tree. 



-|- It is undoubtedly the great titmouse, p. major, -whicli whets like a 

 saw. I ha»e watched it ior a quarter of an hour together ; it has also cheerful 

 notes. — "VV. J. 



