93 NATURAL HI STORY 
The common wild-pigeon, or flock-dove, is a bird of paffage 
in the fouth of England, feldom appearing till towards the end of 
November; is ufually the latcft winter-bird of paflage. Before our 
beechen woods were fo much deftroyed we had myriads of them, 
reaching in firings for a mile together as they went out in a 
morning to feed. They leave us early in fpring ; where do 
they breed ? 
The people of Hampjliire and St'J^ex call the mifTel-bird" the 
florm-cock, becaufe it fings early in the fpring in blowing 
Ihovvery weather ; it's fong often commences with the year : with 
us it builds much in orchards. 
A gentleman afTures me he has taken the nefts of ring-oufels 
on Dartmoor : they build in banks on the fides of flreams. 
Titlarks y not only fing fweetly as they fit on trees, but alfo as 
they play and toy about on the wing ; and particularly while they 
are defcending, and fometimes as they ftand on the ground. 
Adanfon\ teflimony feems to me to be a very poor evidence 
\}!\2X European fwallows migrate during our winter to Senegal: he 
does not talk at all like an ornithologifl ; and probably faw only 
the fwallows of that country, which I know build within Governor 
O'Hara's hall againft the roaf. Had he known European fwallows, 
would he not have mentioned the fpecies ? 
The houfe-fzvalloiv walhes by dropping into the water as it flies : 
this fpecies appears commonly about a week before the houfe-martin, 
and about ten or twelve days before the fwift. 
In 1772 there were young houfe-martins=^ in their neft till Odober 
the twenty-third. 
« p. n6. " p. 224. 
■'■ p. rr- ' 344. 
p. 229. 
y Vol. 2, p 237. 
The 
