NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF BELGIUM. 163 



Corvus monedula. — Inhabited St. Kombaut's Tower and the 

 Botanical Garden. In the Zoological Gardens at Antwerp I saw 

 a pair of white Daws with pink legs and bill, and white (ordinary?) 

 irides. 



C. corone. — Two or three seen. 



Alauda arvensis. — A few seen one day. 



*A. cristata. — On a large open bare sandy piece of ground out- 

 side Mechelen I saw a Crested Lark (very much the colour of the 

 soil), which was beating some prey against the ground. When 

 this Lark is alarmed its long crest stands up. I was glad to hear 

 again its call-note "sweet-a-weet,"or " weeta,"or"seeeweetweet." 

 Another bird was singing, flying about in a desultory way, going 

 a little way, and then pausing to sing its very sweet song (with a 

 variation of the call-note) with beating wings ; then dropping 

 away down wind, to bear up again presently, and repeat the per- 

 formance. So the song is often interrupted by flights. The big 

 bill of the Crested Lark is conspicuous, as also is the light, 

 bright brown in the tail when the bird flies up. 



Cypselus apus. — Swarmed in great numbers round the huge 

 cathedral tower (St. Kombaut's, 324 ft.). They could be heard 

 from our windows screaming faintly, apparently at a vast height, 

 after 9 p.m., when it was almost dark. In the evenings they 

 swarmed in the air round the tower, and also about a large 

 building looking like a factory ; there were fair numbers all about 

 the town and in the vicinity. In few other towns have I seen 

 Swifts in such numbers. 



Gecinus ?. — A Green Woodpecker (apparently G. viridis) 



heard in a plantation. 



Columba palumbus. — Several about plantations. 



Turtur communis, — Several about plantations. 



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