Birds. 979 



Notes on the Birds of Belgium. By M. Julian Deby. 

 (Continued from p. 934). 



Division IV. 



Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus. Scarce. Seen during the win- 

 ter months : a few are suspected to nestle in our forests. There still 

 exists in the province of Antwerp, a little village named Falkensweert, 

 where these birds are trained for hawking. 



Rough-legged Buzzard, Buteo lagopus. Scarce. Feeds on small 

 Mammalia. Comes in November and remains during part of the win- 

 ter. It is only occasionally seen, several years often elapsing without 

 the capture of a single individual being recorded. 



Hooded Crow, Corvus Comix. Comes in October, and leaves in 

 the beginning of April. Local, but annually seen in certain pastures 

 on the banks of rivers in different parts of the country. 



Siskin, Carduelis Spinus. Comes in autumn and leaves in March. 

 Common ; gregarious, small flocks being seen feeding on the alder. 

 I suspect a few may nestle here, having heard this bird's note-call as 

 late as the month of June. It is remarkably tame in captivity. 



Mountain Finch, Fringilla Montifringilla. Comes in October and 

 leaves in April. M. De Selys believes this species nestles in the Ar- 

 dennes, as he has shot specimens in July. Its real summer residence 

 is, without doubt, the northern climates of Europe. I have reason to 

 suppose that the females often form separate flocks, as the chaffinches 

 are known to do. 



Anthus aquaticus, Temm. Al. Spinoletta, Linn. ? not of Selby &c. 

 which is, I believe, the A. littoralis of Brehm, A. obscurus of Tem- 

 minck and Pennant, and A. petrosus of Montagu. This bird is seen 

 in couples or singly on the banks of unfrozen streams and ponds dur- 

 ing the winter, coming in November and leaving in March. Some 

 writers suppose it to be the young bird, in winter plumage, of Alauda 

 Spinoletta {Linn.), which in summer inhabits the mountainous coun- 

 tries of central and southern Europe, and has the outer quills of the 

 tail pure white. I have, however, some doubts respecting this, as 

 nearly all the birds that sojourn with us during winter, come from the 

 north, to seek a more genial climate than the one they leave. This 

 bird settles on trees. 



As the synonymy of this and allied species of Anthus has been sin- 

 gularly confused, I give here a description of the one I mention, taken 

 from two birds procured last December. The following diagnoses 



