334 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



THE EARLY MORNING AND LATE EVENING 

 SINGING OF SOME BRITISH BIRDS. 



By W. Gyngell. 



Early morning. — On or about the 21st of June, for several 

 years past, members of the Scarborough Field Naturalists' 

 Society have joined in an all-night excursion. Leaving the 

 town at about 10.30 p.m., the course usually taken is by fields 

 and lanes to a small reedy mere situated at the corner of a wood 

 which slopes up a steep hill-side to a heather-covered moor. 

 By the mere, the entomologists of the party, when weather per- 

 mits, indulge in sugaring ; whilst those interested in the birds 

 listen to the songs of the Sedge-Warbler (Acrocephalus phrag- 

 mitis), Grasshopper- Warbler (Locustella ncevia), Little Grebe 

 (Podicipes fluviatilis) (whose bubbling " uddl-iddl-uddl-iddl-uddl- 

 iddl " is its song), the croak of the Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), 

 the crake of the Land-Rail (Grex pratensis), the plaintive cry of 

 the Lapwing (Vanellus vulgaris), the hoot of the Tawny Owl 

 (Syrnium aluco), and the curious cry of its hungry young, — all 

 sounds which may be heard throughout the night. 



Passing into the wood, the entomologists call our attention 

 to the perfectly audible sound made by night-feeding caterpillars 

 at their work of destruction amongst the leaves of oak and hazel. 

 The walk is then continued up on to the moors, where the chief 

 object of interest is the incessant churring of the Nightjar 

 (Gaprimulgus europceus), also to be heard all night. Then the 

 party settles down to wait for the coming dawn. But all 

 through the night, if fine, it is just sufficiently light to tell the 

 time by one's watch. At about 1.30 a.m. our chatty party is 

 hushed by the ornithologists, who are eager to catch the first 

 sounds of song birds heralding the dawn. And we have not 

 long to wait. On every occasion the Sky-Lark has been the 

 first bird to sing. 



The following time-table of song is the result of the writer's 

 own notes for several years, and gives the earliest record for 

 each species : — 



Sky-Lark (Alauda arvensis), 1.51 a.m. ; Song-Thrush (Tur- 

 dus musicus), 2.9 ; Redstart (Ruticilla phoenicurus), 2.10 ; Cuckoo 



