5266 Birds. 



these birds, as is well known, is on the ground ; but they at times 

 choose other spots, such as bushes, trees, and the tops of walls, 

 in all of which places I have myself met with them, and on one occa- 

 sion outside the bottom of a magpie's nest, in a tree, about ten feet 

 from the ground. Both had young at the same time. The outside 

 family, however, flew before the inside ones were able to quit their 

 home. Seldom a summer passes but a pair take up their abode and 

 rear their young in a burial-ground situate nearly in the centre of the 

 town. 



The ChiffchafF {Sylvia nifa). I know of only a single bird of this 

 species having been either seen or found within our district, and that 

 one, a male, was procured by myself, in Duff' House policies, in the 

 summer of 1845. I have never seen another. 



The Goldencrested Regulus or Wren (Regulus cristatus). Wher- 

 ever there are suitable woods, and we have not a few of them, you 

 will find this bird with us, not in multitudes of course, but in pretty 

 fair numbers. At one time I knew of five of their nests in one wood, 

 all within a space of about thirty yards of each other. A birdcatcher, 

 fresh from the wood, perambulating the town with his wares, some years 

 ago, sold one of these little creatures to a shopman for a sisken. The 

 purchaser having asked what sort of food he should give it, " Hemp- 

 seed, to be sure," said the vendor as he pocketed his half-crown, the 

 price of the bird, and walked out. Accordingly, it was caged and had 

 hemp-seed supplied; but, poor little thing, not being at all acquainted 

 with such sort of food, and none other being proffered, it lingered, I 

 think, for about two days, and then died. 



The Great Titmouse (Paras major), the Blue Titmouse (P. cceru- 

 letts), the Cole Titmouse (P. ater\ and the Longtailed Titmouse (P. 

 caudalus), are all in about equal numbers. In a city not far from this 

 place there were once exhibited, in a taxidermist's window, two 

 stuffed birds in a glass case by themselves, ticketed " redstarts or fire- 

 tails, male and female." Now, the fact is, for T saw them, that the 

 one designated the female was indeed a redstart, but the one said to 

 be the male was neither a redstart, nor a blackstart, nor a firetail, nor 

 a watertail, but simply a titmouse. Hence, again, the necessity 

 of being very cautious in believing birdstuffers, except we know them 

 to be naturalists or at least ornithologists. It is rather an interesting 

 and pleasant sight, and one which I have often witnessed, to see small 

 bands of these lively, active little birds, together with the goldcrests 

 and creepers all in company, foraging about amongst the leafy trees 

 in winter; the tits on the branches, the creepers on the trunk, and, if 



