636 Birds. 



hard weather I have seen flocks of fifty or sixty redwings down in the 

 Undercliff, where the fieldfare seldom appears. 



The Blackbird is very abundant. A fine male bird, with a few 

 white feathers interspersed among the auriculars, on both sides, has 

 frequented my lawn for the last four winters. I seldom see him in 

 the summer, though he is a daily pensioner during the winter months. 



Hie Ring Ouzel visits us both in spring and autumn. In the spring 

 the number is small, and its stay usually but short ; but in the au- 

 tumn of some years it is more abundant, and remains longer. During 

 the 8th and 9th of October, 1841, not less than a hundred were flying 

 about in the Landslip. The adult males were very shy and difficult 

 of approach. On the 11th, only a few stragglers were to be seen — 

 chiefly females of that year. I find recorded in my note-book for 

 1842, " No ring ouzels seen this year ; " and yet, had they visited us, 

 or at least remained twenty-four hours, I think they could not have 

 escaped my notice. On April 5, 1843, four or five adult males were 

 seen on St. Boniface Down ; on the 8th they had disappeared. — 

 During the autumnal visit, one specimen was killed in Bonchurch as 

 early as September 9. Considerable numbers were seen subsequent- 

 ly, but none later than October 3. This year (1844) three were 

 seen on St. Catherine's Down on April 5 ; and a solitary male bird at 

 Luccombe on the 15th. 



The Hedge- warbler may be found in almost every bush. 



77*e Redbreast is nearly as abundant. 



Redstarts are plentiful on their first arrival. In 1843 I received 

 two specimens, both males, killed on the north side of the island, as 

 early as April 4. 



The Black Redstart. A pair of these occasional visitors passed the 

 winter of 1843-4 in the neighbourhood of Sandown. They were seen 

 constantly from November to the end of February. The male bird 

 seems to have attracted general attention. Every man, woman, and 

 child, even to the mistress of the inn, was acquainted with " the little 

 black bird." Yet, though Sandown is only five miles from my resi- 

 dence ; though the birds frequented the garden of a man whose wife 

 was in the constant employ of an ornithological friend, w r hose zeal, as 

 well as acquaintance with Natural History, far exceeds mine ; though 

 both my friend and myself were in the neighbourhood many times in the 

 course of the winter ; — yet notwithstanding all this, neither the one 

 nor the other of us was informed of the existence of these birds ! It 

 is true, it turned out on enquiry, that a message had been sent through 

 my friend's groom, who omitted to deliver it to his master, thinking, 



