128 
a. HOOPER—ROTES OR BIRDS. 
Do yon know how the wren became the king of the birds ? On a 
certain time the birds assembled to choose a king, and they resolved 
that the bird which flew the highest should receive the honour. 
The eagle at once soared upwards till he was lost to sight in the 
clouds, but when he could fly no higher, the little wren, which 
had nestled in his feathers, sprung out, and after flying a few feet 
above him, descended, and claimed the regal dignity. There is a 
legend about the wren, too, common in the Isle of Man. It is said 
that an evil spirit in the shape of a beautiful woman would tempt 
men to the top of a clifl down which she disappeared, and when 
her follower peeped over to see what had become of her she came 
behind and pushed him down the precipice. Whether a stronger 
witch, or a knight-errant, overcame her, I know not, but she was 
overcome, and changed into a wren. This was on St. Martin’s 
Day, and it is the custom, both in that island and Ireland, to hunt 
and destroy the little bird on that day. An Irish song which 
refers both to its royalty and death begins thus— 
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds ; 
On St. Martin’s Day it was caught in the furze. 
The Dunlin (Tringa alpina). —Mr. Lewis tells me that a dunlin 
was killed at Redbourn in December last. He also mentions a 
curious skylark, almost black, which, however, I cannot identify. 
The Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus ).—On the 30th August 
Mr. Hopkinson reported that a flight of black-hacked gulls had been 
seen passing over Balls Park, Hertford. One, probably of the 
same flock, was shot by Mr. Majendie near Bayford Hall Parm, 
Hertford. 
The Curlew (’JYumenius arquata). —Mr. William Bonner Hopkins, 
of Pair Hill, Berkhamsted, records a pair of these birds, which he 
observed flying over his garden in September. The same gentle¬ 
man saw also a flock of wild geese which were flying very low. 
Some records of the arrival of various summer visitants have 
been furnished to me, but, as they differ very little, I only append 
that of Mr. J. J. Willis, of Harpenden. Summer birds, in fact, 
are wonderfully regular in their movements. The song thrush 
(probably the missel) was heard on January 16th; the skylark, 
January 12th ; the nightingale arrived on April 28th ; the cuckoo, 
April 12th; the swallow, April 14th; the house-martin, May 11th ; 
and rooks built on March 4th. 
I feel that I ought to apologise for the length to which my 
record has run, but, owing to the unprecedented weather we have 
experienced during December and January, an unusual number of 
rare visitants claimed a notice at my hands. 
