Birds. 865 



was formed for the reception of part of the existing family, when 

 grown too large to be contained all in one nest, according to the 

 practice observed by Mr. Atkinson, and recorded in his instinctive 

 notes on the habits of the moorhen. 



Chas. A. Bury. 

 Bonchurch, Isle of Wight. 



Birds of Somersham, Huntingdonshire. By W. O. Aikin, Esq. 



In all the works on British Natural History I have met with, there 

 appears a great deficiency in the supply of information from the 

 county of Huntingdon. With the exception of Whittlesea Mere be- 

 ing mentioned as the favourite resort of the copper butterfly, 1 do 

 not remember any place in the county quoted as the habitat of an 

 insect, plant, or bird. As the pages of ' The Zoologist' appear to be 

 much devoted to local information, I venture to send you a list of the 

 birds I have noticed near this place. I am aware I am badly situated, 

 Somersham being on the extreme eastern border of the county ; but 

 perhaps what I now send may induce some one in another part of the 

 county to add to these observations. 



Of the falcons, the kestril and sparrow-hawk are the most common, 

 particularly the former ; the marsh and blue harrier are frequently 

 seen in the fens ; the common buzzard occasionally ; the kite, which 

 some years ago was not at all uncommon, has now become very rare, 

 I suppose in consequence of the great demand for their eggs amongst 

 collectors ; the peregrine and hobby are occasionally met with ; the 

 latter used to breed with us, but I have not heard of a nest since 

 1835, when I procured two young birds. 



Of the owls, the white and tawny are common, and the short-eared 

 is frequently met with in rough grass and stubble fields in November. 



The ash-coloured shrike is rare; a fine specimen was shot at Hart- 

 ford Hill the beginning of last October, and I observed one on the 

 wing in October, 1842. 



Of the thrushes, the missel thrush, the fieldfare, redwing, song- 

 thrush and blackbird are very abundant : only one specimen of the 

 ring ouzel has come within my notice, and that was a young one. 



Of the warblers, our commonest are the robin, hedge accentor, 

 gold-crested Regulus, nightingale, greater and lesser whitethroat, red- 

 start, garden warbler, whinchat, blackcap, sedge warbler, and willow 

 wren ; the rarer are the stonechat, wheatear and reed warbler, 

 iii 2 X 



