Natural History.
Our limits will not admit of extended observation on this subject, but it is our duty to direct the attention of our readers to the feathered tribes in the district, which include many of the more remarkable and beautiful of British birds. Mr. Cross, of Oswestry, has, in the last few years, made collections of rare and valuable birds, some delightful songsters, including the nightingale, the piping bullfinch, with birds of prey, those of the passerine order, and a large variety of water birds. The following list, formed more than twenty years ago, the names given according to Bewick’s history of birds, will show that the neighbourhood has long abounded with fine specimens of the feathered creation:—
Kites.—Ring-tailed eagle, osprey, common buzzard, honey buzzard, kite, goshawk, sparrow-hawk, hen harrier, kestrel, and marten.
Owls.—Great-eared owl, white owl, and tawny owl.
Butcher Birds.—Great ash-coloured shrike, red-backed shrike.
Pies.—Raven, carrion crow, hooded crow, rook, jackdaw, magpie, jay, starling, ring ousel, ousel cock or blackbird, missel thrush or storm cock, fieldfare, throstle or thrush, redwing, cuckoo, and wryneck.
Woodpeckers.—Green, greater spotted, lesser spotted, nuthatch, and creeper.
Grosbeaks.—Grosbeak or hawfinch, green grosbeak, bullfinch, pine grosbeak.
Buntings.—Brown, yellow hammer, blackheaded or reed sparrow, and snow bunting.
Finches.—House sparrow, mountain sparrow, chaff, or pied-finch, mountain-finch, gold-finch, linnet, and lesser redpole.
Larks.—Sky-lark, field-lark, grashopper-lark, wood-lark, and tit-lark.
Wagtails.—Pied, or water wagtail, grey, and yellow.
Flycatchers.—Pied, or gold-finch, spotted, or house linnet.
Warblers.—Robin redbreast or ruddock, redstart or brantail.
Fauvette.—Lesser fauvette, winter fauvette or hedge sparrow, reed fauvette, black-cap, white-throat, yellow willow wren, willow wren, least willow wren, wren, golden-crested wren, white rump or wheat ear, win-chat, or gorsehopper, stonechat, and nightingale.
Titmice.—Greater, blue or tom-tit, cole, marsh, long-tailed, or can-bottle.
Swallows.—Chimney swallow, marten, sand marten, swift or deviling, night jaw or fern owl.
Doves.—Wild pigeon, ring dove, turtle dove, and small black rock pigeon.
Gallinaceous.—Domestic cock, pheasant, turkey, peacock, pintado or guinea fowl, wood grouse, black grouse, red grouse, partridge, quail, corncrake or landrail.
Plovers.—Great plover, pee-wit or lapwing, golden plover, and grey plover.
Water Birds.—Long-legged plover, water crake, or rail, water ousel, and kingfisher or haleyon.
Herons.—Heron, bittern or bog-boom, and curlew.
Snipes.—Woodcock, great snipe, common snipe, and judcock, or jacksnipe.
Godwit.—Brown sandpiper, common sandpiper, water, or moor hen, coot, greater coot, great crested grebe, little grebe, or jack doucker.
Terns.—Common and lesser.
Common gull.
Ducks.—Wild swan, swan goose, grey-lag goose, tame goose, mallard, or wild duck, shieldrake, widgeon, and teal.
Pelicans.—Cormorant,—pelecanus graculus, or the shag.
The district has occasionally other aërial visitants, including the peregrine falcon, the bird which furnished the ancient amusement of falconry, the colymbus troile, or guillemot, and the corvus caryocatactes, or nutcracker.
Mr. Cross’s specimens are of recent date, many of the birds named having been taken during the last twelve months. We subjoin his list, which will be read with interest by all lovers of natural history:—
Peregrine falcon, kite, buzzard, goshawk, blue hawk, merlin, hobby, sparrow hawk, kestrel, large butcher bird, small butcherbird. Tawny owl, white owl, long-eared owl, short-eared owl, night jay or goat sucker-cuckoo. Green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, lesser spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, creeper. Wood pigeon, rock pigeon, coblard turtle, turtle dove. Rook, crow, jackdaw, magpie, jay, starling, black bird, wood thrush, thrush, fieldfare, red wing, stone chat, whin-chat, yellow hammer, mounting finch, red finch, gold-finch, bull-finch, robin, reed sparrow, hedge sparrow, common sparrow, green linnet, grey linnet, yellow wagtail, pied wagtail, red start, black cap, pied flycatcher, spotted flycatcher, white throat, black cap titmice, small black cap titmice, blue cap titmice, long tailed titmice, willow wren, common wren, golden crested wren. Swift, barn swallow, house marten, sand marten. Woodlark, skylark, meadow pipit, tree pipit. Pheasant, grouse, partridge, black grouse, corncrake. Heron, bittern, cormorant, eared grebe, goosander, smews, curlew, widgeon, silver widgeon, magpie widgeon, golden eye widgeon, pintail duck, coot, moorhen, jack curlew, teal, seagull, woodcock, solitary snipe, common snipe, small grebe, lapwing, grey plover, golden plover, jack snipe, water rail, ring ouzel, water ouzel, marsh sandpiper, common sandpiper, knot, and kingfisher.