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BIRD-NOTES IN SWITZERLAND AND GERMANY IN 

 JUNE AND JULY, 1905. 



By the Rev. Charles W. Benson, LL.D., Rector of Balbriggan. 



As a summer chaplain for the Colonial and Continental 

 Society, I sojourned at Schinznach and Strassburg during the 

 months of June and July, 1905, and spent most of my spare 

 time in observing the birds in those two places, and in the 

 regions round about. 



Schinznach Bad is in the Canton Aargau, in the north of 

 Switzerland, about two hours' distant from Basle, and forty-five 

 minutes from Zurich, and is one of the pleasantest places I ever 

 visited in Switzerland or anywhere else. Our hotel was situated 

 in grounds abounding with birds, whilst the Aare ran foaming 

 downwards through the woods to join the Rhine, uniting before 

 it did so with the Reuss from Luzern and the Limmat from 

 Zurich. We had thus river birds and birds of the woodlands in 

 large numbers, and I made a list of sixty-four species there. 



Quite close to the hotel there were many interesting birds, 

 such as the Blackcap, Garden-Warbler, Serin Finch, Goldfinch, 

 and the two Redstarts ; whilst in a walk of about half an hour it 

 would have been possible to find nearly all the species I observed. 

 The Warblers on my list included the Blackcap, Garden-Warbler, 

 Willow- Warbler (not common), Chiff chaff, Sedge-Warbler, Wood- 

 Warbler, Whitethroat, Bonelli's Warbler, and the Icterine Warbler. 

 This last bird I heard in marshy ground near the Aare, and I 

 felt some doubt at first as to its identity. It began its song with 

 a few peevish notes — something like " aye, aye, aye " — before it 

 launched out into its delightful song, which, however, was some- 

 what marred by certain jarring notes. I heard it not only near 

 the river, but also in the fields, and in the streets of Strassburg, 

 of which more anon. 



Orioles were very plentiful both at Schinznach and at Strass- 

 burg, but they were always difficult to be seen. We heard them 



