Notes on the Birds of Herefordshire '' Were Originally
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HekeforJ);shihe -'^^^ Wa NOTES BIRDS OF HEREFORDSHIRE, CONTRIBUTED BY MEMBERS OF THE WOOLHOPE CLUB. COLLECTED AND ARRANGED BY THE LATE HENRY GRAVES BULL, M.D., etc., Editor of the "Herefordshire Pomona," "The Apple and Pear as Vintage Fruits," etc. (1884-5.) "Hope on—Hope ever.' LONDON: Hamilton, Adams & Co. HEREFORD : Jakeman & Carver. 1888. TO THE MEMBERS OF THE WOOLHOPE naturalists' FIELD CLUB THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF MANY HAPPY YEARS OF RESEARCH SPENT TOGETHER IN THE VARIED FIELDS OF INTEREST CONNECTED WITH THE COUNTY OF HEREFORDSHIRE. Ye birds That singing up to Heaven-gate ascend, Bear on your wings and in your notes His praise. Milton—Paradise Lost V. On every bowgh the briddes herde I synge With voys of aungel in her armont That besyed hem her briddes forthe to brynge. Chaucer— 27ie Assembly of Foules. Hark to Nature's lesson, given By the blessed birds op heaven ; Every bush and tufted tree Warbles sweet philosophy ; Mortal fly from doubt and sorrow, God provideth for the morrow. Hebeb, PREFACE 'HpHESE " Notes on the Birds of Herefordshire '' were originally written for the purpose of being read at the Field Meetings of the Woolhope Club ; the Members of the Club most kindly helping, by contributing notes of the appearance of any rare or remarkable birds that had come under their notice. Several of the earlier sections of the book were read in this w^ay ; but, by degrees, the scope of the design was much extended, and all our Herefordshire Birds were included, as far as they could be ascertained. " Dr. Bull then wished to publish the whole series of " Notes in a separate volume, and had, in fact, completed and arranged the MS. for that purpose. He hoped by this means to increase the interest felt in our feathered companions, and to lead to greater care and method in observing, naming, and classifying the very numerous species that either inhabit or visit the county. His sudden illness and death prevented his accomplishing his intention ; but his papers were fortunately left by him complete, and he expressed an earnest wish that they should be published as soon as was possible. There have been unavoidable delays in bringing the work through the press ; but it is hoped that the many friends who have listened to the papers in the field, or joined in the discussions to which they gave rise, will like to possess this volume, as a remembrance of one who so truly loved everything connected with Nature, Antiquity, and Science. The "Notes," as the title implies, are not an exhaustive account of the birds mentioned, still less a formal treatise on their structure and classification ; but rather, familiar reminiscences of homely ; X. PREFACE. favourites, notices of their every-day habits, and of the superstitions connected with them, with many amusing anecdotes derived from personal observation. Dr. Bull dehghted in tracing out the allusions to birds, which may be found in our literature, especially in the poets, and very numerous quotations of this kind will be found in the following pages. Those who best knew the author will most fully understand how thoroughly he enjoyed the task of collecting these allusions. Another subject of interest to Dr. Bull was the preservation of the various local names of birds in the different parts of the county, which are often very characteristic, as well as amusing a list, as comprehensive as possible, has therefore been added as an Appendix. Grateful thanks are due to the many kind friends, who, even while these " Notes " have been passing through the press, have so readily aided in making the work as complete and accurate as possible, and bringing it up to the present date. Among these, special mention must be made of the Rev. Clement Ley, Mr. Blake, of Ross, Mr. Lloyd, of Kington, and Dr. Bull's old and valued friend, the Rev. Thos. Woodhouse, of Ropley, in Hampshire, who, though no longer in Herefordshire, still retains a strong affection for his native county, and who has devoted much valuable time to the revision of these " Notes." Mr. H. T. Wharton, General Editor of the "Ibis Catalogue," has also rendered valuable aid in the revision of the later sheets as they passed through the press, and the kind assistance thus generously given is most gratefully acknowledged. The Author's own introduction follows. ; INTRODUCTION, TTEREFORDSHIRE still affords a rich field for the study of Ornithology. The whole county forms a pastoral oasis of hill and dale, well-wooded and well-watered, filled with meadows and orchards, in the midst of a wild waste of hills of considerable height and of great extent. To the south and south-west are the Forest of Dean, the Monmouthshire Hills, and the Black Mountains : to the north-west lie the wide ranges of hills, which beginning in Radnorshire and Breconshire, stretch onwards to the sea : on the north, where the hills within the county are wilder and more desolate, they are contiguous with those of Radnorshire and Shropshire : while the eastern side is bounded by a bleak open country, and the long range of the Malvern Hills. So late as the reign of Queen Elizabeth there were four Royal Forests in Herefordshire. For the southern district the Forest of Ewyas stretched over the Hatteral Hills to the Black Mountains : in the northern part of the county was the Forest of Deerfold (see Woolhope Transactions, 1869) not far off from the wooded and romantic heights of the High Vinnall, Bringwood Chase and Mocktree, Harley's Mountain and a wide tract of neighbouring hills, mostly clothed with wood. In the centre of the county, the Royal Forests of Aconbury and of Haywood (see Woolhope Transactions, for 1870) united with each other in forming one large tract of woodland, greatly extended across the river Wye by the bleak Woolhope district, reaching almost to the foot of the Ledbury and Malvern Hills. Many woods remain, which were once included in these forests Xll. INTRODUCTION. indeed the Government Agricultural Returns show that about one fifteenth of the whole area of the county is still woodland. Besides this, the county abounds in orchards and parks, small woods and copses ; fine hedgerows and single trees are plentiful : game- preserving is carried on very strictly in many places ; birds find covert and shelter of all kinds, and their numbers are kept up accordingly. The woods and meadows teem with bird life. Their cheerful voices and songs are to be heard everywhere ; and the lover of birds is rejoiced by the great variety of notes he hears, and finds continual interest and pleasure in distinguishing between them. Water-birds have many favourable haunts here. The Wye, our beautiful river, meanders through the county for many miles, doubling and winding between wooded hills, and joined on its way by the Lugg, w^hich itself receives the Arrow, the Pinsley, and many smaller streams, as well as the Frome. On the north and east the Teme skirts the county for many miles, and on the south-west the Monnow, both receiving many tributaries that pass through solitary valleys and wind among hills. These streams attract aquatic birds at all times ; and especially in hard winters, when the smaller streams remain open and unfrozen, many Water- fowl flock in to these favoured nooks. Very often, even sea-birds, driven inland in hard weather, or during severe storms, visit our rivers and ponds ; and thus the number and variety of our feathered visitors are very largely increased. Modern improvements, such as the draining of marshes, as at Shobdon and Berrington, have driven away some of our rarer all kinds : and the gamekeeper is still very destructive to the larger and more interesting sorts, such as the Hawk, the Owl, the Raven, the Heron, and such other rare visitants as are of sufficient size to attract his attention. It is a happy thing, however, that large landed proprietors are much more merciful than of old. They encourage the presence of their interesting bird visitors, and are training a more intelligent and observant race of gamekeepers. Surely the loss of a few chickens, or even Partridges and INTRODUCTION. Xlll. Pheasants, would be abundantly compensated by the pleasure of watching the graceful soaring flight of the more noble birds of prey. The fox has long been spared : why should not these birds be' allowed equal immunity ? Indeed, there seems to be some faint hope on the horizon of humanity, that as the test of a good gamekeeper is said to be the abundance of hares he can produce, the good keeper of the future will be known by the abundance of rare and interesting birds he can encourage. Every true lover of birds must devoutly wish that it may be so. No birds that haunt my valley free, To slaughter I condemn ; Taught by the Power that pities me, I learn to jjity them. The preservation of our wild birds has, happily, been very greatly promoted by some recent Acts of Parliament. The Gun a License Act of 1870 {^:^ and 34 Vic, chap. 57), which imposed duty of ten shillings on every one carrying a gun, has acted most beneficially for the protection of the smaller birds, whose habits and songs add so much pleasure and interest to country life ; and the Wild Birds' Protection Acts, passed in 1872 (35 and 36 Vic, chap. 78), and also in 1880 (43 and 44 Vic, chap. 35), have also rendered great service. The long-continued severe weather of the winter of 1880-1 following, as it did, the sharp frost of 1879-80, proved very destructive to bird life ; and great numbers were picked up dead in all directions.