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NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF BELGIUM. 



By 0. V. Aplin, F.L.S. 



I spent a few days in June, 1898 (2nd — 10th), in the 

 valley of the Meuse, staying at Dinant, and exploring the main 

 valley from Houx up to Givet just over the French frontier, and 

 parts of the beautiful valley of the Lesse up to Houyet. As the 

 distribution of birds on the European continent has not been 

 very minutely worked out for English readers, a list of those that 

 I saw may be worth printing in ' The Zoologist.' The valley of 

 the Meuse about Dinant and about as far up the river as Hastiere 

 is generally narrow. In places the river is closely hemmed in by 

 high ground, rising sometimes so abruptly as to form towering 

 cliffs inhabited by numerous Jackdaws. At other places the high 

 ground falls back, and leaves space for meadows, a stately 

 chateau, a farm, or a village. Where the slopes are gradual 

 their sides are covered with scrub wood of hazel, beech, oak, 

 and juniper ; and box and other shrubs clothe the broken parts 

 of the cliffs, which are further brightened, except on their 

 smoothest faces, by trailing ivy, yellow lotus, viper's bugloss, 

 campion, marjoram, wallflower, hawkweed, and rock-rose. Fine 

 plants of blue columbine form an attractive feature on stony 

 banks, while the stinking bear's-foot (Helleborus foetidus), only a 

 doubtful native with us, grows in profusion. Above the valley 

 stretches a rolling, rather bleak arable country, with some 

 resemblance to parts of the Berkshire downs, save that it is 

 ruled here and there with long lines of roadside poplars and 

 pines. Villages nestling among orchards and paddocks are 

 frequent, and the country waved with rye and corn, and was 

 sweet with sainfoin and trefoil. Above Hastiere the heights 

 sink away, and the valley spreads out into rich wide meadows, 

 corn fields and orchards, varied by some wooded rising ground. 

 This part of the district is very favourable for many kinds of 

 small birds ; at that season it was looking its best, the hawthorns 



