89. MARTIN. Chelidon urbica, Linnaeus. French, "Hirondelle de fenêtre."—The House Martin is much more local than the Swallow, but still a numerous summer visitant, like the Swallow, arriving and departing about the same time that it does in England. It is spread over all the Islands, but confined to certain spots in each; in Guernsey the outskirts of the town about Candie Road, and the rocks in Fermain and Petit Bo Bay, seem very favourite nesting-places. In Alderney there were a great many nests about Scott's Hotel and a few more in the town, but I did not see any about the cliffs as at Fermain and Petit Bo in Guernsey.
Professor Ansted includes it in his list, but only marks it as occurring in Guernsey and Sark.
90. SAND MARTIN. Cotyle riparia, Linnaeus. French, "Hirondelle de rivage."—When I first made out my list of Guernsey birds I had omitted the Sand Martin altogether, as I had never seen it in the Islands, but Mr. MacCulloch wrote to me to say, "Amongst the swallows you have not noticed the Sand Martin, which is our earliest visitant in this family and by no means uncommon." In consequence of this note, as soon as I got to the Island this year (1878), in June, I went everywhere I could think likely to look for Sand Martins, but nowhere could I find that the Sand Martins had taken possession of a breeding-station. Knowing from my own experience here that Sand Martins are fond of digging their nest-holes in the heads of quarries, (I had quite forty nest-holes in my quarry this year, and forty pairs of Sand Martins inhabiting them), I kept a bright look-out in all the stone-quarries in the Vale, and they are very numerous, but I did not see a single Sand Martin's hole or a single pair of birds anywhere; and it appeared to me that the sandy earth forming the head was not deep enough before reaching the granite to admit of the Sand Martins making their holes; and they do not appear to me to have fixed upon any other sort of breeding place in the Island; neither could Mr. MacCulloch point one out to me; so I suppose we must consider the Sand Martin as only a spring visitant to this Island, not remaining to breed. The same seems to me to be the case in Alderney, as Captain Hubbach writes to tell me he "saw some Sand Martins about the quarry here (in Alderney), for two or three days at the beginning of April, but cannot say whether they remained here to breed or not." I suppose they continued their journey, as I did not see any when there in June; I have not seen any in Sark or either of the other small Islands.
Professor Ansted includes the Sand Martin in his list, and marks it as occurring in Guernsey and Sark.
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.