Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 3 (1899).djvu/189

Rh Corvus monedula.—Inhabited St. Rombaut's Tower and the Botanical Garden. In the Zoological Gardens at Antwerp I saw a pair of white Daws with pink legs and bill, and white (ordinary?) irides.

C. corone.—Two or three seen.

Alauda arvensis.—A few seen one day.

* A. cristata.—On a large open bare sandy piece of ground outside Mechelen I saw a Crested Lark (very much the colour of the soil), which was beating some prey against the ground. When this Lark is alarmed its long crest stands up. I was glad to hear again its call-note "sweet-a-weet,"or "weeta," or "seee weet weet." Another bird was singing, flying about in a desultory way, going a little way, and then pausing to sing its very sweet song (with a variation of the call-note) with beating wings; then dropping away down wind, to bear up again presently, and repeat the performance. So the song is often interrupted by flights. The big bill of the Crested Lark is conspicuous, as also is the light, bright brown in the tail when the bird flies up.

Cypselus apus.—Swarmed in great numbers round the huge cathedral tower (St. Rombaut's, 324 ft.). They could be heard from our windows screaming faintly, apparently at a vast height, after 9 p.m., when it was almost dark. In the evenings they swarmed in the air round the tower, and also about a large building looking like a factory; there were fair numbers all about the town and in the vicinity. In few other towns have I seen Swifts in such numbers.

Gecinus ?.—A Green Woodpecker (apparently G. viridis) heard in a plantation.

Columba palumbus.—Several about plantations.

Turtur communis.—Several about plantations.