1296 Birds. 



Whinchat April 23 Red-backed Shrike May 11 



House Martin „ 29 Swift „ 13 



Turtle Dove May 9 Garden Warbler „ 14 



The long, cold, miserable winter of 1844 — 5, throughout Europe intensely severe, led 

 me to expect a late arrival of the summer birds of passage. The 18th of March, Black- 

 heath was covered with snow, and it was bitterly cold. The 2nd of April I espied a 

 little bird flitting about from tree to tree, and soon heard the peculiar note of the chiff- 

 chaff, the pioneer of the warblers. He had, however, but little to say, for he seemed to 

 think with me, that chewing condensed Thames fog on the summit of Shooter's Hill at 

 break of day was no treat. The afternoon of Sunday the 6th of April, I was surprised 

 at observing two swallows comfortably hawking over the pond to the east of Eltham 

 Park. I did not notice another swallow till the 12th, and they did not arrive in force 

 before the 21st of April ; our own swallows came the 2nd of May. Numbers of willow 

 wrens arrived on Shooter's Hill the 7th of April. Early on Sunday morning the 13th 

 of April, as I sat in the woods musing on the sins and sorrows of the city, compared 

 with the innocent Arcadian revelling in the^luxuries of the " incense-breathing morn,'' 

 seven shillings a week, a wife and ten fine children, a nightingale darted close by me 

 into a furze-thicket. There goes his red tail, and now he returns thanks for his safe 

 arrival home, in what the bird-fanciers technically term " the sweet jug and water bub- 

 ble." Later in the day a shepherd boy heard another nightingale on the opposite side 

 of the woods. The cuckoo came the 21st. The moon was at full on the 22nd. I was 

 greatly disappointed at not meeting with the blackcap from the 6th to the 9th of April. 

 I beat up his usual quarters every morning, without finding him, till the 23rd of April, 

 when, instead of exhibiting on the tops of the trees, the restless anxiety and excitement 

 of a first arrival, anxiously looking out, and incessantly singing for a partner, he was 

 composedly enjoying, in the depths of the underwood, the soothing society of his red- 

 headed wife. I concluded the late opening of the buds had delayed his journey, and 

 he had picked up his mate while travelling through France. I had a busy time of it 

 the morning of the 23rd of April. Exactly on the same spot as last year I this morn- 

 ing discovered the two white-throats ; several tree pipits had also arrived. I heard the 

 plaintive note of the whinchat some time before 1 could find him. On the 27th of 

 April the nightingale trappers were out in the woods in full force with their wives and 

 children. I soon heard the call of a nightingale, saw him drop, down went the trap, rush 

 like madmen went the trappers to find who had caught the poor victim, for which there 

 were laid down no less than seven traps. Half-a-crown bought the bird. On discovering 

 that his leg had been broken by the descent of the wire I gave him his liberty two miles 

 from where he was taken. The following Saturday the 3rd of May, observing a pair of 

 nightingales feeding in the grass skirting the woods, and that one had a very singular 

 gait, I looked through the telescope, and immediately discovered my poor broken-leg- 

 ged nightingale limping about in rare good spirits ; supporting himself with one wing- 

 he managed to hobble along the grass famously. I was overjoyed at again seeing him 

 in his old quarters so happy under his affliction ; and many and many a time, through 

 the spring, have I leaned against a tree, and listened with delight to the glorious me- 

 lody of my broken legged nightingale. I considered I had laid out my money well. 

 The 29th of April I observed two house martins masticating mud for their Irish cabin. 

 They appeared to have been here a day or two. Our martins arrived the 16th May. I 

 saw a turtle-dove on the 9th of May. The 1 1 th of May fell in with a male and fe- 

 male red-backed shrike. 18th of May saw a swift steering due north across the Dover 



