Chapter XLVIII: Letter II: SELBORNE, Nov. 2nd, 1769

Dear Sir,--When I did myself the honour to write to you about the end of last June on the subject of natural history, I sent you a list of the summer birds of passage which I have observed in this neighbourhood, and also a list of the winter birds of passage: I mentioned besides those soft-billed birds that stay with us the winter through in the south of England, and those that are remarkable for singing in the night.

According to my proposal, I shall now proceed to such birds (singing birds strictly so called) as continue in full song till after Midsummer, and shall range them somewhat in the order in which they first begin to open as the spring advances.

RAII NOMINA.
1. Woodlark, _Alauda In January, and
arborea_. continues to sing
through all the
summer and autumn.
2. Song thrush, _Turdus In February, and on
simpliciter to August;
dictus_. re-assume their
song in autumn.
3. Wren, _Passer All the year, hard
troglodytes_. frost excepted.
4. Redbreast, _Rubecula_. Ditto.
5. Hedge-sparrow. _Curruca_. Early in February
to July 10th.
6. Yellow-hammer, _Emberiza Early in February,
flava_. and on through July
to August 21st.
7. Skylark, _Alauda In February and on
vulgaris_. to October.
8. Swallow, _Hirundo From April to
domestica_. September.
9. Blackcap, _Atricapilla_. Beginning of April
to July 13th.
10. Titlark, _Alauda From middle of
pratorum_. April to July 16th.
11. Blackbird, _Merula Sometimes in
vulgaris_. February and March,
and so on to July
23rd; re-assumes in
autumn.
12. Whitethroat, _Ficedulae In April, and on to
affinis_. July 23rd.
13. Goldfinch, _Carduelis_. April, and through
to September 16th.
14. Greenfinch, _Chloris_. On to July and
August 2nd.
15. Less _Passer May, on to
reed-sparrow. arundinaceus beginning of July.
minor_.
16. Common linnet, _Linaria Breeds and whistles
vulgaris_. on till August;
re-assumes its note
when they begin to
congregate in
October, and again
early before the
flocks separate.

Birds that cease to be in full song, and are usually silent at or before Midsummer:--

RAII NOMINA.
17. Middle _Regulus non Middle of June;
willow-wren, cristatus_. begins in April.
18. Redstart, _Ruticilla_. Ditto; begins in
May.
19. Chaffinch, _Fringilla_. Beginning of June;
sings first in
April.
20. Nightingale, _Luscinia_. Middle of June;
sings first in
April.

Birds that sing for a short time, and very early in the spring:--

RAII NOMINA.
21. Missel-bird, _Turdus January 2nd, 1770,
viscivorus_. in February. Is
called Hampshire
and Sussex the
storm-cock, because
its song is
supposed to
forebode windy wet
weather: it is the
largest singing
bird we have.
22. Great _Fringillago_. In February, March,
tit-mouse, or April; re-assumes
ox-eye. for a short time in
September.

Birds that have somewhat of a note or song, and yet are hardly to be called singing birds:--

RAII NOMINA.
23. Golden-crowned _Regulus Its note as minute as
wren, cristatus_. its person; frequents
the tops of high oaks
and firs; the smallest
British bird.
24. Marsh tit-mouse, _Parus palustris_. Haunts great woods; two
harsh, sharp notes.
25. Small willow-wren, _Regulus non Sings in March, and on
cristatus_. to September.
26. Largest ditto, _Ditto_. _Cantat voce stridula
locustae_; from end of
April to August.
27. Grasshopper-lark, _Alauda minima voce Chirps all night, from
locustae_. the middle of April to
the end of July.
28. Martin, _Hirundo agrestis_. All the breeding time;
from May to September.
29. Bullfinch, _Pyrrhula_.
30. Bunting, _Emberiza alba_. From the end of January
to July.

All singing birds, and those that have any pretensions to song, not only in Britain, but perhaps the world through, come under the Linnaean _ordo_ of _Passeres_.

The above-mentioned birds, as they stand numerically, belong to the following Linnaean genera:--

1,7,10,27, _Alauda_ 8,28, _Hirundo_. 2,11,21, _Turdus_. 13,16,19, _Fringilla_. 3,4,5,9,12, ) 22,24, _Parus_. 15,17,18,20, _Motacilla_ 14,29, _Loxia_. ) 23,25,26, ) 6,20, _Emberiza_.

Birds that sing as they fly are but few:--

RAII NOMINA.
Skylark, _Alauda vulgaris_. Rising, suspended, and
falling.
Titlark, _Alauda pratorum_. In its descent; also
sitting on trees, and
walking on the ground.
Woodlark, _Alauda arborea_. Suspended; in hot summer
nights all night long.
Blackbird, _Merula_. Sometimes from bush to
bush.
Whitethroat, _Ficedula affinis_. Uses when singing on the
wing odd jerks and
gesticulations.
Swallow, _Hirundo domestica_. In soft sunny weather.
Wren, _Passer troglodytes_. Sometimes from bush to
bush.

Birds that breed most early in these parts:--

RAII NOMINA. Raven, _Corvus_. Hatches in February and March. Song-thrush, _Turdus_. In March. Blackbird, _Merula_. In March. Rook, _Cornix frugilega_. Builds the beginning of March. Woodlark, _Alauda arborea_. Hatches in April. Ring-dove, _Palumbus torquatus_. Lays the beginning of April.

All birds that continue in full song till after Midsummer appear to me to breed more than once.

Most kinds of birds seem to me to be wild and shy somewhat in proportion to their bulk: I mean in this island, where they are much pursued and annoyed; but in Ascension Island, and many other desolate places, mariners have found fowls so unacquainted with a human figure, that they would stand still to be taken, as is the case with boobies, etc. As an example of what is advanced, I remark that the golden-crested wren (the smallest British bird) will stand unconcerned till you come within three or four yards of it, while the bustard (_Otis_), the largest British land fowl, does not care to admit a person within so many furlongs.

I am, etc.