Part 18

The Rock Dove is the original species from which most of our domestic varieties have been derived. It is only on the wildest and most inaccessible parts of our coast that this species can now be found in its pure state, as in all the more inhabited portions it has become interbred with feral domestic birds. It is a resident with us, breeding in caves along the coast, although on the Continent it also frequents inland and mountainous regions. The nest, built of sea-weed, is placed on a small ledge near the roof of a cave, those into which the sea comes up with each tide being chosen by preference.

They breed very early, and at least two broods are reared in a season, and in small caves which are only tenanted by one pair, two nests may often be found and are used alternately, the second clutch being usually laid before the young of the first brood are ready to fly. It is worthy of note that in this and many other species, where for the young to move from the nest before they are fledged would mean instant death, they remain actually in the nest itself till fully fledged, and do not take their first flight till they are almost as strong on the wing as the old birds.

This habit is in marked contradistinction to Rooks and many other small birds that leave the nest and perch on the branches round, long before they can fly. The Gulls form also another example, as by nature they would and do run from the nest, if the nest is on the ground, but if placed on a narrow ledge they hardly move from it until fully fledged.

In habits this bird resembles the other Pigeons; though its method of courting, which must be well known to most people, is slightly different. The male has a curious habit, shared also by the Stock Dove, of driving the hen for a few days before she lays. On these occasions his whole time is spent in keeping her on the move, and he never lets her settle or rest for a minute except on the nest.

The sexes are alike, and pale grey all over, except the rump, which is white. Across the wing are two distinct and clear-cut black bars, while the metallic patch on either side of the neck is rather more extensive than in the Stock Dove. Length 14 in.; wing 8·8 in.

THE TURTLE DOVE Turtur communis, Selby

This small species is only a summer immigrant with us, arriving early in May and leaving again for its winter home in Southern Europe and Africa in September. In England it is a common and widely distributed species, but in Scotland and Ireland it is rare, only occurring on migration, though it may sometimes have nested in the former country.

It frequents woods, coppices, and tall hedgerows, constructing a frail nest of twigs on which to lay its two white eggs. It feeds on seeds and grain, gathering in large flocks in the open fields in autumn before migrating. The note is a prolonged purring "coo."

The male has the head, nape, wing coverts, rump, and flanks bluish ash, and a patch of black feathers tipped with white on each side of the neck. Rest of the back dark brown with broad rufous edges to each feather. Throat and breast pale vinaceous, rest of under parts white. Tail feathers dark brown, tipped with white. Length 11·25 in.; wing 6·8 in.

A single example of the Rufous Turtle Dove (_Turtur orientalis_, Latham) was obtained near Scarborough. It inhabits India and the East, and hardly differs from our common species, but may be distinguished by its slaty blue rump.

PALLAS' SAND GROUSE Syrrhaptes paradoxus (Pallas)

The real home of this species is east of the Caspian, spreading through Asia to Mongolia and Southern Dauria. On several occasions during the last fifty years Europe has witnessed an extraordinary immigration of these birds, which spread westwards in countless numbers. The first wave to reach our islands arrived during the latter half of 1859, and four years later a larger invasion took place, the birds spreading throughout the country. The largest immigration, however, took place in 1888, in which year several pairs nested with us in Yorkshire and other places. In 1889 a special Act of Parliament was passed for their protection, but it came too late, for by that date they had all been slaughtered or had left for more peaceful localities.

The eggs are two in number and of a warm stone buff colour, with purplish blotches; they are laid in a depression in the ground with no attempt at a nest. Their food consists almost entirely of seeds and grain. The general colour is yellowish buff, greyer on the head and barred on the back with black. Under parts greyish buff, mottled on the gorget and banded on the belly with black. Feathers of the vent and feet white. The female and young are duller and more uniformly spotted. Length 14·75 in.; wing 9·1 in.

THE CAPERCAILLIE Tetrao urogallus, Linnæus

Although originally an inhabitant of Great Britain, this species became extinct over a hundred years ago from causes which are by no means clear. In 1837 it was introduced into Perthshire and a few other districts in Scotland, where it has increased largely, and is at the present time gradually spreading southwards through the pine, oak, and birch forests.

It is essentially a forest-haunting species, rarely, if ever, wandering far from the woods, where its call of "peller, peller, peller," may be continually heard during the spring months, and sometimes again in autumn.

Like most game birds, it is polygamous, and an old cock is very jealous of his hens, savagely attacking other males that come near him. When courting he performs various evolutions, drooping his wings and erecting his tail, and calling out vigorously at the same time. Their food consists chiefly of various seeds and berries, and in their season the tender shoots of the Scotch fir.

The nest is merely a "scrape" in the ground, generally at the foot of a tree, and the eggs, some twelve in number, are reddish brown spotted and blotched, with darker shades of the same colour. The young feed largely on insects and worms, and are especially fond of ants. The male takes no part in the incubation or tending of the young.

The male is very dark grey on the upper parts, breast glossy green, and the remainder of the under parts black. The feathers of the chin and throat are elongated. Length 36 in.; wing 16 in.

The female, who is much smaller, is brownish all over, mottled and barred with buff and white. Length about 26 in.

THE BLACK GROUSE Tetrao tetrix, Linnæus

On the moors and woods of Scotland this is a common species, and it is also found locally in a few places in the west of England, but in some of its other English haunts, notably the New Forest, it has died out.

Like the Capercaillie, they are polygamous, and gather together in spring, the cocks fighting and showing off in a variety of evolutions to the hens. Eventually each cock retires with his hens, and breeding commences in earnest. The nest is merely a scrape in the heather or on the outskirts of a wood, and the eggs, generally ten in number, are yellowish, spotted with reddish brown. The young feed chiefly on insects, but when adult, grain, berries, and the tender shoots of many plants constitute their diet. In autumn they visit the harvest-fields in large numbers at daybreak and dusk. The adult male is bluish black all over, with white under tail coverts and a white wing bar. Length 22 in.; wing 10·5 in. The female, usually known as the "Greyhen," is of a warm brown, barred and marked with black.

THE RED GROUSE Lagopus scoticus (Latham)

This is the only exclusively British species which is found nowhere else--if we except the local races of many of the smaller birds, which can only be distinguished on a very close examination. Our Grouse differs from the "Ryper" of Norway, which is its nearest ally, by its black primaries, and in the fact that it does not assume a white dress in winter.

It inhabits moorlands from the limit of heather growth to the coast-line, and is generally and widely distributed throughout Scotland and the northern half of England, as far south as Glamorganshire in Wales, but on the east it does not occur south of the Trent. In Ireland it is fairly well distributed, but not so common as in Scotland.

Unlike the two former species, the Red Grouse is strictly monogamous, pairing very early in the season, when his call-note of "go back, go back," may frequently be heard. The nest is a scrape among the heather, no materials being added. Ten to twelve eggs form the usual clutch; they are very handsome, being of a pale ground colour, thickly and profusely marked with dark reddish brown.

The male waits on the hen during incubation, warning her of the approach of danger with a sharp "kok, kok, kok." Their food consists of various seeds and berries, together with the leaves and shoots of plants, and the tips of ling and heather; in autumn they also visit the harvest-fields.

The young are fed on insects. This species keeps, as a rule, in family parties, only packing together during severe weather in the less exposed places, but where they are much driven and shot, they are often found in large flocks.

They vary considerably in their plumage, about which more information is needed. The male is dark brown, barred with reddish, and is often nearly black on the breast and whitish on the vent. The female is similarly coloured, but lighter. Length 16 in.; wing 8·4 in.

THE PTARMIGAN Lagopus mutus (Montin)

Closely allied to the Red Grouse, the Ptarmigan is found on the higher slopes of the Scottish Highlands from Perthshire northwards. Elsewhere in these islands it is unknown.

In habits and food it hardly differs from the Grouse; the nest is placed among stones on the ground, and the eggs, except in being rather smaller and slightly lighter in colour, are undistinguishable from those of that species.

The Ptarmigan passes through a complicated plumage cycle, having three distinct plumages; in summer the male is dark brown, vermiculated with grey on the head, breast, and upper parts. Wings white, tail dark brown, belly white. The female is pale yellowish brown, barred with dark brown. In autumn the upper parts become slate grey, finely vermiculated with dark brown, and in winter both sexes are entirely white, except that the male has black lores. Length 14·5 in.; wing 7·75 in.

Most of the so-called "Ptarmigan" in our poulterers' shops are the Willow Grouse or "Ryper" from Scandinavia and Russia. They may be distinguished by their larger size and the absence, in the males, of the black lores.

THE PHEASANT Phasianus colchicus (Linnæus)

This species is so well known that we need occupy but little space in dealing with it.

It is now generally distributed throughout our islands, and was first introduced into England, to which it is not an indigenous bird, from a district of South Russia near the Black Sea, at some period previous to the Norman Conquest. To Scotland and Ireland it was imported during the latter half of the sixteenth century. During the last hundred years another species, the Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant, has been imported, and has so interbred with the original birds that the pure Colchian Pheasant is hardly ever shot at the present day.

The Pheasant is a woodland bird, roosting on trees and roaming in the fields during the day in search of its food, which consists chiefly of grain and seed, but during the summer months many insects are eaten. It is polygamous, and the nest is placed in thick cover on the ground; ten to twelve pale brown eggs form the usual clutch. The hen is said to be a bad mother and to desert her eggs if disturbed, but this has probably been largely brought about by the artificial conditions under which they are now kept.

In spite of their size and proportionately short wings, they are strong fliers, and when well on the wing progress at a considerable pace; if possible, however, they generally try to escape by running and squatting low on the ground until closely approached, when they rise with their well-known "whirr." The male has a short "crow," accompanied usually by a rattling of the wings.

No description of this well-known bird is needed. The Chinese form only differs from the original breed in having a white ring round the neck.

THE PARTRIDGE Perdrix cinerea, Latham

In England the Partridge is an exceedingly abundant species, but in Scotland and Ireland, although well distributed, it is much more local. It is strictly monogamous, pairing very early in the year, but nesting operations are rarely commenced before the end of April or early in May. The nest is a scrape in some hedge bottom, or on a grassy bank, and often contains as many as fifteen to twenty eggs, which are somewhat pyriform in shape, and of a uniform olive brown in colour. This species chiefly inhabits the open cultivated districts, where it feeds on various seeds and grain, but in summer insects are largely consumed, and the young are at first fed on them exclusively.

During the early autumn and winter the various families keep together, forming the well-known "coveys," but if the weather be severe these birds will "pack" in large flocks like Grouse.

A description of this well-known bird is hardly necessary. The male differs from the female in the brighter yellowish chestnut of the head and greyer neck, and the wing coverts are longitudinally striped with buff in the male, but in the female they are barred.

In young birds the general tone of the plumage is paler, and the feathers have a median buff longitudinal stripe. Length 12·5 in.; wing 6 in.

THE RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE Caccabis rufa (Linnæus)

This species has been introduced into this country at various times from 1770 onwards, and is now well established in several districts. Its home on the Continent is the east and south of France, Spain, and North-western Italy, where it inhabits dry and mountainous districts. In this country it can only be called common in the East Anglian counties, though it is also found on both sides of the Thames valley and in some parts of the Midlands. The damp climate of the west does not suit it, and attempts to introduce it into Scotland and Ireland have failed.

In food and habits it is somewhat similar to the Common Partridge, but its habit of running instead of getting on the wing renders it less desirable as a sporting bird, and its flesh is decidedly inferior. It lays its eggs in banks or under hedges, well concealed by thick cover, without any attempt at a nest beyond a slight scrape. The eggs are yellowish white, speckled with brown, and are slightly larger than those of the Common Partridge. The note is a harsh "clink, clink, clinkar," and the male assists the female in rearing the young.

They are not quite so gregarious as the preceding species, and old males, except during the breeding season, frequently lead a solitary existence.

The sexes are alike in plumage, but the male has a blunt spur. The throat and cheeks are white, bordered with black. Sides of neck and breast grey, spotted with black. Crown grey; stripe above the eye white. Rest of upper parts warm rufous brown. Under parts fawn colour; flanks grey, boldly barred with black and chestnut. Bill and legs deep coral red.

The young are brown on the throat and breast. Length 13·5 in.; wing 6·22 in.

THE QUAIL Coturnix communis, Bonnaterre

This species is only a summer visitor to this country, though examples have been known to spend the winter with us. Never very abundant, it has of late years become decidedly scarcer, and can now only be considered an uncommon and local bird.

Delighting chiefly in dry, broken, uncultivated land, it becomes scarcer in the north, but has been known to nest as far north as Caithness. The nest is a "scrape" in the grass, and the seven to twelve eggs are yellowish white blotched with umber brown. The male has a melodious call-note, which may be syllabled as "clerk, lik, lik," to which the female answers with a soft "peu, peu." The food consists of grain, seeds, and insects, and at the times of migration this bird becomes exceedingly fat and very good eating. The Quails that are found in our markets are usually snared in Italy during the spring migration, and used to be sent alive to this country, but they are now killed and sent dead. It was a migration of this species that supplied the Children of Israel with food in the desert, and large flocks still pass through Palestine yearly on migration.

The Quail is not unlike a small Partridge, and is of a uniform sandy brown on the upper parts, with paler shafts to the feathers. The chin and throat are white, with two brown crescentic bars, and sometimes a brown streak down the centre. The breast is buffish and the under parts white. This species shows a certain amount of variation in minor details of plumage. Length 7 in.; wing 4·4 in.

THE LAND-RAIL Crex pratensis, Bechstein

Grass lands throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland form the summer home of this well-known and abundant species. It is a migrant, arriving towards the end of April and leaving our shores again in September, though a few individuals occasionally remain and pass the winter in Ireland and some of the western counties of England. It is always more abundant in the west, and during the last few years has become comparatively scarce and local in our eastern and south-eastern counties.

The Rails are birds of poor flight and skulking habits, rarely taking to their wings unless hard pressed, and even at such times flying but a short distance with legs hanging down, and soon dropping again into the nearest cover. Immediately on his arrival the male Land-Rail, or Corncrake as it is often called, utters his well-known crake--a harsh "craak, craak," repeated with monotonous frequency, especially during the long summer evenings and again before dawn.

The nest is placed in dense cover in the middle of some grass- or corn-fields; it is a deep "scrape," generally hollowed out by the cock, and lined with bents and grass. Eight to ten eggs are the usual clutch; they resemble those of the Missel Thrush, being greenish white, spotted and blotched with red, brown, and greyish. The male, who takes no part in the incubation, is very attentive to his mate, bringing her delicate tit-bits and accompanying her when she leaves the nest. Their food consists of worms, slugs, snails, and other insects, as well as grain and seeds, so that it is practically omnivorous. When the young are hatched the "craking" ceases, and both parents brood and tend the young. These when first hatched are jet black, and become fully feathered in about a month or five weeks, their wing feathers being the last to grow. Although they can run and leave the nest as soon as hatched, they do not feed themselves for some days, but take all their food from their parents' beaks. If the first clutch of eggs is destroyed the craking recommences, and a second clutch is laid.

During the autumn moult this species, in common with the others of its family, casts all its primaries at once, and is for about ten days incapable of flight.

In winter it is found throughout Africa as far south as Cape Colony.

In winter the sexes are practically identical, the upper parts being dark brown, with rufous edgings to the feathers; wing coverts chestnut; throat and abdomen white; breast pale brown; flanks barred with brown and buff. After the spring moult the male has part of the head, throat, and breast ash grey. The female is greyer than in winter, but much browner than the male, especially on the breast. The young resemble the adults in winter, but the rufous margins are much broader. Length 10·5 in.; wing 5·25 in.

THE SPOTTED CRAKE Porzana maruetta (Leach)

This is a smaller species than the preceding, and is found in marshes and swamps. They visit us in small numbers every summer, and remain to breed in suitable localities far more commonly than is usually supposed. It is, however, a very skulking species and its only note is a low "kwit, kwit," so that it is seldom either seen or heard, and the few birds that are killed on migration are the only evidence we usually get of its presence. In Scotland it is rarer, but has been found nesting in Elgin and has occurred on migration in the Shetlands. In Ireland it is a yearly immigrant, but only a few nests have been found. Except in its liking for damper places, it resembles the Corncrake in most of its habits.

The nest is placed in a reed-bed or tussock of sedge, often entirely surrounded by water. It is formed externally of coarse weeds and lined with finer materials. The eggs, usually eight to ten, are olive buff, spotted and flecked with reddish brown. The young when first hatched are black and take to the water readily, swimming about with the ease of young Moor-hens.

The male is greenish brown on the upper parts, the feathers having darker centres as well as a few small white spots; breast brown, spotted with white; rest of under parts grey; flanks barred with brown. This bird shows no great differences in plumage, the sexes and young being much alike. Length 9 in.; wing 4·5 in.

THE LITTLE CRAKE Porzana parva, Scopoli

The little Crake is a migrant breeding in Central Europe. To Great Britain it is a very rare straggler, and has only been taken about a dozen times, and only one instance is noted from both Scotland and Ireland.

It is a rather smaller bird than the preceding species, from which it may be readily distinguished by the absence of spots on the throat or breast. Length 8 in.; wing 4·2 in.

BAILLON'S CRAKE Porzana bailloni (Vieillot)

This species has only been met with in these islands on the spring and autumn migrations; on one or two occasions it has been recorded as having bred in the eastern counties, but although there is no great improbability about this, British-taken eggs have never been thoroughly authenticated. On the Continent it breeds freely in Western Europe, from Holland southwards as far east as North Italy.

In plumage it closely resembles the Little Crake, from which it may always be distinguished by having the outer web of the first primary white. Length 7 in.; wing 3·45 in.

THE WATER-RAIL Rallus aquaticus, Linnæus

This species is tolerably abundant throughout Great Britain wherever swamps and sedge or reed-beds are sufficiently large to afford it cover. It is most abundant in winter, when our native birds receive large additions from the Continent, especially during severe weather.

During the breeding season it is very noisy, making a loud and peculiar noise, known in some localities as "sharming." Extremely loth to take wing, but swimming, and diving with great facility, it is very difficult to get a sight of this bird, except during severe weather, when the cover is more scanty, and lack of food compels it to leave its usual haunts. The nest is placed in a thick tuft of sedge or reeds and is a deep cup-shaped structure of flags; the eggs are pale creamy white, flecked with a few reddish spots, and are seven to nine in number. The food consists of worms, snails, and other aquatic insects and plants.