Chapter 8

91. WOOD PIGEON. _Columba palumbus_, Linnaeus. French, "Colombe ramier."--The Wood Pigeon is resident and breeds in several places in Guernsey; but fortunately for the Guernsey Farmers, who may congratulate themselves on the fact, the Wood Pigeons do not breed in very great numbers. I may mention the trees in the New Ground, Candie Garden, the Vallon and Woodlands, as places where Wood Pigeons occasionally breed. No doubt the number of Wood Pigeons is occasionally increased by migratory, or rather perhaps wandering, flocks, as Mr. Couch, in a note to the 'Zoologist,' dated October the 21st, 1871, says, "On Tuesday a great number of Wood Pigeons rested and several were shot." Mr. MacCulloch also writes me, "The Wood Pigeon occasionally arrives in large numbers. A few years ago I heard great complaints of the damage they were doing to the peas;"[15] but luckily for the farmers these wandering flocks do not stay long, or there would be but little peas, beans, or grain left in the Islands; and the Wood Pigeons would be more destructive to the crops in Guernsey than in England, as there are not many acorns or Beech masts on which they could feed; consequently they would live almost entirely on the farmer; and to show the damage they would be capable of doing in this case, I may say that in the crops of two that I examined some time ago--not killed in Guernsey however--I found, in the first, thirty seven beech-masts in the crop, and eight others in the gizzard, sufficiently whole to be counted; and in the crop of the other the astonishing number of seventy-seven beech-masts and one large acorn; the gizzard of this one I did not examine. I only mention this to show the damage a few Wood Pigeons would do supposing they were restricted almost entirely to agricultural produce for their food, as they would be in Guernsey if they lived there in any great numbers.

The Wood Pigeon is mentioned by Professor Ansted and marked as only occurring in Guernsey, and probably as far as breeding is concerned this is right (of course with the exception of Jersey); but wandering flocks probably occasionally visit Alderney as well. There is no specimen in the Museum.

92. ROCK DOVE. _Columba livia_, Linnaeus. French, "Colombe biset."--I have never seen the Rock Dove in any of the Islands, though there are many places in all of them that would suit its habits well; and Mr. MacCulloch writes to me to say, "I have heard that in times past the Rock Pigeon used to breed in large numbers in the caves around Sark"; but this certainly is not the case at present. Captain Hubbach also writes to me from Alderney, "There were some Rock Doves here in the winters of 1862 and 1863; I shot two or three of them then." Probably a few yet remain in both Alderney and Sark, though they certainly are not at all numerous in either island.

Professor Ansted includes the Rock Dove in his list, and marks it as occurring in Guernsey and Sark. There is no specimen in the Museum. Professor Ansted also includes the Stock Dove, _Columba aenas_, Linnaeus, in his list as occurring in Guernsey and Sark; but I think he must have done so on insufficient evidence, as I have never seen it and not been able to gain any information about it; neither does Mr. Gallienne say anything about it in his notes appended to the list; so on the whole I think it better to omit it in my list; but as it may occur at any time, especially as it is certainly increasing considerably in numbers in the West of England, I may mention that it may be immediately distinguished from the Rock Dove by the absence of the white rump, that part being nearly the same colour as the back in the Stock Dove, and from the Wood Pigeon, _Columba palumbus_, by its smaller size and the entire absence of white on the wing. It is perhaps more necessary to point out this difference, as the Stock Dove frequently goes by the name of the Wood Pigeon; indeed Dresser has adopted this name for it, the Wood Pigeon being called the Ring Dove, as is very frequently the case.

93. TURTLE DOVE. _Turtur vulgaris_, Eyton. French, "Colombe tourterelle."--The Turtle Dove is a regular, but probably never very numerous summer visitant, arriving and departing about the same time as in England. Neither Miss Carey nor Mr. Couch ever mention it in their notes on Guernsey birds in the 'Zoologist': and Mr. MacCulloch, writing to me about the bird, does not go farther than to say "The Turtle Dove has, I believe, been known to breed here." In June, 1866, however, I shot one in very wild weather, flying across the bay at Vazon Bay; so wild was the weather with drifting fog and rain that I did not know what I had till I picked it up; in fact, when I shot it I thought it was some wader, flying through the fog towards me. This summer (1878) I saw two at Mr. Jago's which had been shot at Herm in May, just before I came; and in June I saw one or two more about in Guernsey. The pair shot in Herm would probably have bred in that island if they had been left unmolested.

Professor Ansted mentions it in his list, but only as occurring in Guernsey, and there is one specimen in the Museum.

94. QUAIL. _Coturnix communis_, Bonnaterre. French, "Caille."--I have never seen the Quail in the Islands myself, and it cannot be considered more than an occasional straggler; there can be no doubt, however, that it sometimes remains to breed, as there are some eggs in the Museum which I have reason to believe are Guernsey taken, and Mr. MacCulloch writes me word that "Quails certainly visit us occasionally, and I remember having seen their eggs in my youth"; and Mrs. Jago (late Miss Cumber), who was herself a bird-stuffer in Guernsey a good many years ago, told me she had had two Quails through her hands during the time she had been stuffing; but evidently she had not had very many, nor did she think them very common, as she did not know what they were when they were brought to her, and she was some time before she found anyone to tell her. The Quail breeds occasionally, too, in Alderney, as the bird-stuffer and carpenter had some Quail's and Landrail's eggs; these he told me he had taken out of the same nest which he supposed belonged originally to the Landrail, as there were rather more Landrail's than Quail's eggs in it.

Professor Ansted includes the Quail in his list, but marks it as occurring only in Guernsey. There is a specimen in the Museum, and, as I said before, several eggs.

95. WATER RAIL. _Rallus aquations_, Linnaeus. French, "Râle d'eau."--The Water Rail is not very common in Guernsey, but a few occur about the Braye Pond, and in other places suited to them; and, I believe, occasionally remain to breed, as Mr. Jago, the bird-stuffer, told me he had seen a pair of Water Rails and four young, his dog having started them from a hedge near the Rousailleries farm; the young could scarcely fly. I saw one at the bird-stuffer's at Alderney, which had been shot in that Island; and the bird-stuffer told me they were common, and he believed they bred there, but he had no eggs. Their number, however, is, I think, rather increased in the autumn by migrants; at all events, more specimens are brought to the bird-stuffers at that time of year. I have before mentioned the incident of the Water Rail being killed by the Merlin, recorded by Mr. Couch in the 'Zoologist' for 1875.

The Water Rail is included in Professor Ansted's list, and marked as occurring in Guernsey and Sark. There are two specimens in the Museum.

96. SPOTTED CRAKE. _Porzana maruetta_, Leach. French, "Poule d'eau marouette."--I have some doubt as to the propriety of including the Spotted Crake in my list, but, on the whole, such evidence as I have been able to collect seems in favour of its being at all events occasionally seen and shot, though its small size and shy skulking habits keep it very much from general notice. Mr. MacCulloch, however, writes to me to say the Spotted Rail has been found here; and one of Mr. De Putron's labourers described a Rail to me which he had shot in the Vale Pond in May, 1877, which, from his description, could have been nothing but a Spotted Rail.

This is all the information I have been able to glean, but Professor Ansted includes it in his list, and marks it as occurring in Guernsey. There are also two pretty good specimens in the Museum, which I have no doubt were killed in Guernsey.

97. LANDRAIL. _Crex pratensis_, Bechstein. French, "Râle des prés," "Râle de terre" ou "de Genet," "Poule d'eau de genet."--The Landrail is a common summer visitant, breeding certainly in Guernsey, Sark, and Alderney,[16] and probably in Herm, though I cannot be quite so sure about the latter Island. It seems to be rather more numerous in some years than others, as occasionally I have heard them craking in almost every field. But the last summer I was in the Islands (1878) I heard very few. The Corn Crake arrives and departs much about the same time as in England, and I have never been able to find that any stay on into the winter, or even as late as November.

It is included in Professor Ansted's list, but only marked as occurring in Guernsey and Sark. There are two specimens in the Museum.

98. MOORHEN. _Gallinula chloropus_, Linnaeus. French, "Poule d'eau ordinaire."--I have not seen the Moorhen myself in Guernsey, but Mr. Couch, writing to me in December, 1876, told me that Mr. De Putron informed him that Coots, Waterhens, and Little Grebes bred that year in the Braye Pond; and Mr. De Putron, to whom I wrote on the subject, said the information I had received was perfectly correct. I see no reason to doubt the fact of the Moorhen occasionally breeding in Mr. De Putron's pond, and perhaps in other places in the Island, especially the Grand Mare. But I do not believe they breed regularly in either place; they certainly did not in this last summer (1878), or I must have seen or heard them. As far as Mr. De Putron's pond is concerned, I could not have helped hearing their loud call or alarm note had only one pair been breeding there; I have, however, a young bird of the year, killed in Guernsey in November, 1878.

Professor Ansted includes it in his list, and marks it as only occurring in Guernsey. There are two specimens in the Museum, probably both Guernsey killed.

99. COMMON COOT. _Fulica atra_, Linnaeus. French, "Foulque," "Foulque macroule."--In spite of Mr. De Putron's statement that the Coot bred in the Braye Pond in the summer of 1876, I can scarcely look upon it in the light of anything but an occasional and never numerous autumnal visitant; and its breeding in the Braye Pond that year must have been quite exceptional. In the autumn it occurs both in the Braye Pond and on the coast in the more sheltered parts. I have the skin of one killed in the Braye Pond in November, 1876, which might have been one of those bred there that year.

Professor Ansted includes the Coot in his list, but only marks it as occurring in Guernsey. There is no specimen in the Museum.

100. LITTLE BUSTARD. _Otis tetrax_, Linnaeus. French, "Outarde canepetière," "Poule de Carthage."--The Little Bustard can only be considered a very rare occasional visitant to the Channel Islands, and very few instances of its occurrence have come under my notice. The first was mentioned to me by Mr. MacCulloch, who wrote me word that a Little Bustard was killed in Guernsey in 1865, but unfortunately he gives no information as to the time of the year. Another was shot by a farmer in Guernsey early in March, 1866, and was recorded by myself in the 'Zoologist' for that year. Mr. Couch also recorded one in the 'Zoologist' for 1875, "as having been shot at the back of St. Andrew's (very near the place where one was shot fifteen years ago) on the 20th of November, 1874." This bird is now in the possession of Mr. Le Mottee, at whose house I saw it, and was informed that it had been shot at a place called the Eperons, in the parish of St. Andrew's, on the date above mentioned. These are all the instances of the occurrence of the Little Bustard in the Channel Islands that I have been able to gain any intelligence of, but they are sufficient to show that although by no means a common visitant, it does occasionally occur on both spring and autumn migration.

It is not included in Professor Ansted's list. There is, however, a specimen in the Museum, which I was told, when I saw it in 1866, had been killed the previous year, but there is no date of the month, and I should think, from the state of plumage, it was an autumn-killed specimen: it is still in the Museum, as I saw it there again this year, 1878. This is probably the bird mentioned by Mr. MacCulloch as killed in 1865, and also very likely the one spoken of by Mr. Couch, in 1875, as having been killed in St. Andrew's fifteen years ago; but there seems to have been some mistake as to Mr. Couch's date for this one, as, had it been killed so long ago as 1860, it would in all probability have been included in Professor Ansted's list, and mentioned by Mr. Gallienne in his remarks on some of the birds included in the list.

101. THICK-KNEE. _Oedicnemus scolopax_, S.G. Gmelin. French, "Oedicneme criard," "Poule d'Aurigny."[17]--The Thick-knee, Stone Curlew, or Norfolk Plover, as it is called, though only an occasional visitant, is much more common than the Little Bustard; indeed, Mr. MacCulloch says that "it is by no means uncommon in winter. The French call it 'Poule d'Aurigny,' from which one might suppose it was more common in this neighbourhood than elsewhere." Miss C.B. Carey records one in the 'Zoologist' as killed in November, and Mr. Couch another as having been shot on the 31st December. I have also seen one or two hanging up in the market, and others at Mr. Couch's, late in November; and one is recorded in the 'Guernsey Mail and Telegraph' as having been shot by Mr. De Putron, of the Catel, on the 3rd January, 1879. From these dates, as well as from Mr. MacCulloch's remark that it is not uncommon in the winter, it would appear that--as in the Land's End district in Cornwall--the Thick-knee reverses the usual time of its visits to the British Islands, being a winter instead of a summer visitant; and probably for the same reason, namely, that the latitude of the Channel Islands, like that of Cornwall, is about the same as that of its most northern winter range on the Continent.

Professor Ansted includes it in his list, but only marks it as occurring in Guernsey. There is one specimen in the Museum.

102. PEEWIT. _Vanellus vulgaris_, Bechstein. French, "Vanneau huppé."--The Peewit is a common and rather numerous autumn and winter visitant to all the Islands, though I have never seen it in such large flocks as in some parts of England, especially in Somerset. Those that do come to the Islands appear to take very good care of themselves, for I have always found them very difficult to get a shot at, and very few make their appearance in the market. Though generally a winter visitant, I have seen occasional stragglers in summer. On the 9th July this year (1878), for instance, I saw one fly by me in L'Ancresse Bay; this was either a young bird, or, if an adult, was not in breeding plumage, as I could clearly see that the throat was white--- not black, as in the adult in breeding plumage. A few days afterwards, July 19th, another--or, perhaps, the same--was shot by some quarry-men on the common; this was certainly a young bird of the year, and I had a good opportunity of looking at it. In spite of occasional stragglers of this sort making their appearance in the summer, I have never been able to find that the Peewit breeds on any of the Islands; but, by the 9th of July, stragglers, both old and young, might easily come from the opposite coast of Dorsetshire, where a good many breed, or from the north of France.

Professor Ansted includes the Peewit in his list, but only marks it as occurring in Guernsey. There is no specimen in the Museum at present.

103. GREY PLOVER. _Squatarola helvetica_, Linnaeus. French, "Vanneau pluvier."--The Grey Plover is a regular but by no means numerous visitant to the coast of all the Islands during the winter months, but I have never found it in flocks like the Golden Plover. A few fall victims to the numerous gunners who frequent the shores during the autumn and winter, and consequently it occasionally makes its appearance in the market, where I believe it often passes for a Golden Plover, especially in the case of young birds on their first arrival in November; but for the sake of the unknowing in such matters, I may say that they need never be deceived, as the Grey Plover has a hind toe, and also has the axillary plume or the longish feathers under the wing black, while the Golden Plover has no hind toe and the axillary plume white: a little attention to these distinctions, which hold good at all ages and in all plumages, may occasionally save a certain amount of disappointment at dinner time, as the Grey Plover is apt to taste muddy and fishy, and is by no means so good as the Golden Plover.

It is included in Professor Ansted's list, but only marked as occurring in Guernsey. There are two specimens in the Museum, both in winter plumage. Indeed, I do not know that it even remains long enough in the Channel Islands to assume, even partially, the black-breast of the breeding plumage, as it so often does in England.

104. GOLDEN PLOVER. _Charadrius pluvialis_, Linnaeus. French, "Pluvier dore."--A common winter visitant to all the Islands, arriving about the end of October or beginning of November, and remaining till the spring, sometimes till they have nearly assumed the black breast of the breeding-season; but I do not know that the Golden Plover ever breeds in the Islands, at all events in the present day.

Professor Ansted includes the Golden Plover in his list, and marks it as occurring in Guernsey and Sark. There is one specimen in the Museum, probably killed rather late in the spring, as it is assuming the black breast.

105. DOTTEREL. _Eudromias morinellus_, Linnaeus. French, "Pluvier guignard."--The common Dotterel is a rare occasional visitant to the Channel Islands, occurring, however, on both the spring and autumn migration, as Mr. MacCulloch says he has a note of a Dotterel killed in May, 1849; he does not say in which of the Islands, but probably in Guernsey; and I have a skin of one, a fine full-plumaged bird, according to Mr. Couch, who forwarded me the skin, a female by dissection, killed in Herm on the 26th of April, 1877. Another skin I have is that of a young bird of the year, killed in the autumn, I should think early in the autumn--August or September; and the Rev. A. Morrës, who kindly gave me this last one, has also a skin of one killed at the same time; both of these were Guernsey killed.

The Dotterel is included in Professor Ansted's list, and by him marked as having occurred in Guernsey and Sark. I should think Alderney a more likely place for the bird to have occurred than Sark, but I have not been able to gain any information about its occurrence there; neither the carpenter bird-stuffer nor his sporting friend had a skin or any part of the bird. There is no specimen now in the Museum.

106. RING DOTTEREL. _Ægialitis hiaticula_, Linnaeus. French, "Grand pluvier à collier," "Pluvier à collier."--The Ring Dotterel is very common in all the Islands in places suited to it. Some remain throughout the summer, and a few of these, but certainly very few, may breed in the Islands; the great majority, however, of those that frequent the coast in the winter are migrants, arriving in the autumn and departing again in the spring. Some, however, appear to arrive very early, and cannot have bred very far off, perhaps on the neighbouring coast of France or Dorset. I have the following note on the subject in the 'Zoologist' for 1866, which gives the time of their arrival pretty correctly. During the first two or three weeks after my arrival--that was on the 21st of June, 1866--I found Ring Dotterels excessively scarce even on parts of the coast, where, on other visits later in the year, I had found them very numerous. Towards the middle of July, however, they began to frequent their usual haunts in small parties of six or seven, most probably the old birds with their young. These parties increased in number to twenty or thirty, and before my departure, on the last day of July, they mustered quite as thickly as I had ever seen them before. On another summer visit to Guernsey, from the 3rd to the 19th of June, 1876, I did not see any Ring Dotterel at all, though at the time Kentish Plover were common in most of the bays in the low parts of the Island. The Ring Dotterel must therefore have selected some breeding-place separate from the Kentish Plover, probably not very far off; but I do not believe it breeds at all commonly in the Islands. This agrees very much with what I saw of the Ring Dotterel this year (1878); there were a few in L'Ancresse and one or two other bays, but none in Grand Havre, close to which I was living, and I very much doubt if any of those I saw were breeding. Neither Colonel l'Estrange nor I found any eggs, though we searched hard for them both in '76 and '78; neither did we find any eggs either in Herm or Alderney.

Professor Ansted includes the Ring Dotterel in his list, but marks it as only occurring in Guernsey. There is a specimen in the Museum.