Birds. 



8723 



this county about the third week in June, and, singular to say, only two spots appeared 

 to prove attractive, those places being Royston Heath (by-the-by in days past rather 

 a noted place or resort of departed rarities) and Cottenham and its immediate neigh- 

 bourhood. I am not cognizant of a single specimen having been seen or shot except 

 in tbe vicinity of these two places. These birds always appeared to prefer fallow lands 

 to those in cultivation, and their food in every case, as far as I could discover, consisted 

 of the seeds of (what we call here) the lamb's tongue, and, of many I had the 

 gratification of dissecting, the crops contained some few leaves of that plaut. Each 

 flock consisted of between thirty and forty. While feeding they kept in a straight line, 

 running with great ease and' grace, keeping nearly close to the ground ; the wings 

 were slightly apart from the body ; the tail carried in a horizontal line with the body, 

 and closed, the two long or elongated feathers forming in appearance one pointed, 

 feather ; the feet were scarcely perceptible, and while in the act of miming were kept in 

 rapid motion ; in short, their actions upon the ground reminded one much of rats. They 

 have a singular trait of elevating both wings and bringing them up over the back, the 

 tips of each quite touching. I have observed several in each flock practise this pecu- 

 liar actiou ; their body is carried lower in front than behind, and the neck very short. 

 When flushed or disturbed they rise rather high, and at once take a straight and rapid 

 flight, the while repeating a plaintive whistle, if once heard not easily mistaken. I 

 would here briefly endeavour to describe the distinctive features presented by each 

 sex. The male is in his general appearance a finer-looking bird ; his head on each 

 side is marked with much brighter ochre-yellow ; the crown of head without spots ; a 

 large patch of an oval form upon the pinions of his wings are also quite destitute of 

 spots, being plain stone-colour, but the feature which at a glance pronounces hiin a 

 male is a crescent-shaped band of scale-like feathers which encircles the breast of the 

 male bird, these feathers being edged with buff ; and the horse-shoe markings upon 

 the lower portions of its body, instead of beiug darkish brown, as in the female, are 

 black, some of them being edged with buff. The two outer or greater quill-feathers, 

 as are also the two middle tail-feathers, are much more elongated than those in the 

 opposite sex. The spots and markings are less dense, and more thinly dispersed over 

 the entire plumage than in the hen bird. The bluish white bare space round each eye 

 is deeper in the male. The eyes are very dark hazel, approaching 10 blapck. The 

 beak is of a beautiful bluish pearl gray, slightly larger than that of the female. The 

 female is at once known by having a ring of darkish feathers running round the under 

 part of its throat, and by the absence of the patch of plain feathers upon each wing, 

 the horse-shoe upon the lower part being dark chesnut in place of black, as in the male, 

 and its general darker markings and shortness of elongated feathers. Many of the 

 specimens differ materially from each other, some being very much more thickly and 

 more closely spotted than others. The annexed is a list of the occurrences: — Two 

 females shot at Cottenham, on the 30th of June. Male and female captured at Oak- 

 ington, some time in the end of Juue or early in July. Male and female shot at Cot- 

 tenham, in the early part of July, by Mr. A. Cross, farmer. Mr. Norman, taxidermist, 

 of Royston, very obligingly informed me that no fewer than nine had been shot upon 

 Royston Heath and vicinity, and had been confided to his care for preservation. I 

 believe these were all females. The last occurrence I shall notice, but certainly not 

 the least, is that of three lakeu alive at Cottenham. One, the male, is now alive and 

 doing well, in the possession of Mr. F. Barlow, a very enthusiastic ornithologist of this 

 town, who, with his well-known kindness, in the most courteous manner has offered 



