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.
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].
Transcriber's Notes
Some bird names were changed slightly from the original to standardize the hyphenation used in the majority of the book.
Minor punctuation changes were made, and the following correction:
Page [84]: Changed "neast" to "least."
Orig: without attracting the neast notice from any bird.