Part 7

I remember the same love of home in the case of another dog, a mongrel long-haired terrier that I had from a puppy. When he was more than ten years old he was taken to live in Hertfordshire. His friends there were devoted to him and did all they could to make him happy, but his nature quite changed, he lost his former boisterous spirits and seemed rather to endure than to enjoy life. After he had been away four years I brought him back; he was then, of course, old as dogs go, nearly 15, but it seemed as though the intervening years had been a dream, and he was himself again at once, just as joyous, noisy and determined-spirited as he had ever been, and fell into all his old ways of life, as if he had been absent only a day.

This same dog, Stumpy we called him, had one little practical joke that showed a sense of humour. At a farm about half-a-mile away there was a pond, or as we say here a "pit," separated only by a hedge from the road. On this pit there were nearly always ducks and it was a favourite amusement of Stumpy's to steal quietly up to the road side of the hedge just above them, and suddenly give several loud barks. He did this for the simple pleasure of seeing the startled ducks rush quacking and flapping to the other side of the pond; for he ran on again afterwards perfectly unconcerned, content and pleased with himself, and I never knew him take the slightest notice of ducks or fowls at any other time.

I remember a rather wonderful instance of intelligence shown by Stumpy's father when I had him with me at Oxford. He arrived there for the first time late one evening; the next day I took him for a walk with friends towards Godstow, and when nearly there we stood to watch some men shooting. Sandy hated the sound of a gun, and when we remembered him and looked round, he had gone. As he was quite strange to the place I scarcely expected to see him again, but I found him waiting for me outside the door in Holywell Street when I got home.

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I may say in bringing these notes to a conclusion that they have in substance been taken from a diary, and that I have not had to depend upon my memory for what they contain, as I used to put down in this diary at the moment any happenings connected with Natural History that I noticed and wished to remember. When after several years I came to look through the entries, the idea occurred to me that possibly some of the matter might have an interest for others; I may very likely, of course, be mistaken in this, all the more so, perhaps, because these notes do represent what to me has been a source of very great interest. I have had to live for many years an unexciting life, in an out-of-the-way country place, with little society, and with few opportunities of getting away for a holiday; and yet with the garden itself, and the little world it embraces, in making the acquaintance of its inhabitants and watching the doings of their daily life, I can safely say I do not know what it is to be dull. Of course, I do not pretend that Natural History has supplied all the interests I have had outside my work, for I am thankful to say there is hardly anything in the world that doesn't interest me, but it certainly is the case that the tom-tits and the robins and the other birds have always been to me as human friends, and have continually provided me with amusement and pleasure.

INDEX.

Aviary, Outdoor--at Warrington, 68.

Barn Owls, 82.

Bats in Old Church, 95.

Birds as friends, 11, 112. Power of recognizing one another, 40, 41.

Blackbirds, 17, 22-25, 64, 65, 83, 84.

Blackcaps, 31.

Black Tern, 93.

"Blueback" Cheshire for Fieldfare, 22.

"Blue-cap" Cheshire for Tomtit, 38.

"Blue rock" local name for Stockdove, 94.

Bohemian Waxwing, 94.

Brambling, 67-68.

Bullfinch, 70.

Canary, 104.

Cat, changing its home, 106. Extreme old age, 103. Uncanny spirit, 104.

Chiffchaffs, 33.

Chaffinches, 64-67.

Coal-tits, 38, 41-43.

Contrivances for baffling sparrows on the Food-stand, 59-64.

"Coot" Cheshire for Waterhen, 90.

Corncrakes, 89.

Creeper, Tree-, 56.

Crossbills, 71.

Crows, Carrion-, 74. Hooded-, 94.

Cuckoos, 81.

Dogs, their intelligence, their love of home, 108-110.

Dogs and cats compared, 103.

Earthquake and Pheasants, 89.

Eclipse, a bat flying about while it lasted, 95.

Fieldfares, 22.

Figs self-sown, 6.

Flycatchers, Spotted-, 48-51. Pied-, 51.

Food for birds, 39.

Food receptacles, 40.

Food-stand, 59-64.

Fox, 97.

Frosts in spring, 3.

Garden-warbler, 34.

Golden-crested wrens, 32.

Golden plover, 91.

Goldfinches, 57.

"Goldfinch" Cheshire for Yellow-hammer, 71.

Greater Spotted woodpecker, 79.

Great Tits, 37, 38, 41.

Greenfinches, 57.

Gulls, 93.

Hares, 101.

Hawfinches, 58.

Hawks, Hobby, 94. Kestrel, 84. Sparrowhawk, 84.

Hedgehog, 96.

Hedgesparrows, 35.

Heron, 87.

Hobby, 94.

Holly berries sometimes left untouched, 14.

Hooded crow, 94.

House martins, 54.

House-sparrows, 58-66.

Jackdaws, 74.

Jays, 73.

"Jitty" Cheshire for Lesser Redpole, 68.

Kestrel, 84-87.

Kingfishers, 80.

"Kit" Cheshire for Redwing, 22.

Larks, 76.

Larks and Sparrow Hawk, 84.

Linnet, Green-, see Greenfinch. Red-, Goldfinch.

"Longwings" Cheshire for Swift, 77.

Magpies, 73.

Marsh-tits, 41-43.

Martins, House-, 54. Sand-, 55.

Meadow pipits, 47.

Missel Thrush, 13-16, 21, 86.

Mole, 95.

Mouse, Common-, 99-101. Long-tailed, 99.

Nightjars, 78.

"Nicker" Cheshire for Goldfinch, 57.

"Old man" local name for Spotted flycatcher, 49.

Old man, lover of cats, 108

Owls, Barn or White-, 82. Brown, Longeared, and Shorteared-, 84.

Partridges, 89.

Peewits, 91.

"Peggy Whitethroat" Cheshire for Willow-warbler, 33.

Pheasants, 88.

"Pied finch" Cheshire for Chaffinch, 67.

Pied flycatcher, 51.

Pied wagtails, 46, 65.

Pipits, Meadow-, 47. Tree-, 48.

Plants introduced becoming weeds, 8.

Plover, Golden-, 91. Peewits, 91.

Rabbits, 98.

Rats, 97.

"Red Linnet" Cheshire for Goldfinch, 57.

Redpoles, Lesser-, 68-70.

Redshanks, 92.

Redstart, 27.

Redwing, 21.

Reed-bunting, 71.

Robins, 18, 27-30, 60, 62, 63.

Rooks, 75.

Sand-martins, 55.

Sandpipers, 92.

Sedge-warblers, 34.

"Shercock" Cheshire for Missel Thrush, 13.

Shrews, 99.

Skylarks, 76.

Snails not found in the garden, 4.

Snipe, 92.

Song Thrush, 16-21, 64, 65.

Sparrow Hawks, 84-86.

Sparrow, House-, 58-66.

Sparrows and Owls, 83.

Spotted Flycatchers, 48.

Starlings, 72-73.

Starlings and sparrows, 65.

Stoats, 97.

Stock-doves, 94.

Stonechat, 26.

Swallows, 18, 52-54.

Swallows and Flycatchers, 51, 54.

Swans, 87.

Swifts, 77.

Tern, Black-, 93.

"Throstle" Cheshire for Song Thrush, 16.

Thrush, Missel-, 13-16. Song-, 16-21. Five kinds feeding together, 22.

Tits, Blue- or Tomtit, 38-41. Coal-, 38, 41-43. Great-, 37, 38, 41. Long-tailed-, 37. Marsh-, 41-43.

Toads not found in the garden, 4.

Tomatoes self-sown, 6.

Tom-tits, 38-41, 62, 63.

Tree-creeper, 56.

Trees in the garden, 2.

Tree-pipit, 48.

Turtledoves, 88.

Two nests, one above the other, 94.

Voles, 99.

Wagtails, Pied-, 46, 47. Yellow-, 47.

Wagtails and swallows, 54.

Warrington Town-hall outdoor aviary, 68.

Waterhens, 90.

"Weasel" local name for Stoat, 97.

Wheatears, 26.

Whinchats, 26.

Whitethroats, Greater-, 30. Lesser-, 31.

Wild duck, 87.

Wild geese, 87.

Willow-warblers, 12, 33.

Woodpecker, Greater spotted-, 79. Green-, 79. Lesser spotted-, 80.

Wood-pigeons, 87.

Wood-wren, 34.

Wren, 18, 43-45.

Yellow-hammer, 71.

Yew-tree, Old-, in churchyard, 2.

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Transcriber's Notes

Standardized bird name hyphenation, made minor punctuation changes, and the following correction:

Page 84: Changed "neast" to "least." Orig: without attracting the neast notice from any bird.

End of Project Gutenberg's In a Cheshire Garden, by Geoffrey Egerton-Warburton