Page:VCH Sussex 1.djvu/325

 BIRDS I approached to within a few yards and then flew away in a northerly direction. Two or three Richard's pipits have been taken within the county. 57. Water-Pipit. Anthus splpoletta {L' n.) The water-pipit is a scarce spring and autumn migrant to the Sussex littoral. I have seen specimens in the hands of the Brightoxi naturalists, and there are examples in my own and the late Mr. Borrer's collec- tion taken on the south coast. 58. Rock-Pipit. Anthus obscurm (Latham). Resident along the coast where rocks are to be found. Sometimes a rarer form or sub- species known as the Scandinavian rock-pipit, Anthus rupestris, hocczilomWY obtained on the coast in the autumn and spring. 59. Golden Oriole. Orio/us galhula, Linn. A rare summer visitor. One or two speci- mens are seen almost annually in the south of the county. A fine adult male was killed at Denne Park in 1880, and is now in the pos- session of Miss Pigott. Mr. Borrer once had the good fortune to see fourteen of these beautiful birds as they were sunning them- selves on a low bush on Henfield Common. 60. Great Grey Shrike. Lan'ius excubitor, Linn. A somewhat rare though regular late autumn and winter visitor to Sussex. As a stranger it exhibits the same shy and watchful nature that is characteristic of its ways even in its summer home. 61. Red-backed Shrike. Lanius co//urio, Linn. The butcher bird is distinctly local and sparingly distributed throughout the county in the summer months. I am inclined to think that nearer to the coast they are more numerous than further inland ; certainly I have seen many more in the neighbourhood of Lancing and Worthing than towards the Surrey border. Butcher birds will return year after year and nest in the same thorn bush if their nest is undisturbed. 62. Woodchat. Lanius pomeranus, Sparrmzn. An adult male of this species was taken near Brighton on May II, 1856 (Borrer). In Mr. Borrer's notes, written by himself, in his copy of The Birds of Sussex, is the follow- ing : ' Woodchat, adult male, 25th July, 1892 : shot near Fairlight Church.' This specimen is now in the collection at Cowfold, where I have recently seen it. A male was seen by Mr. M. J. Nicoll at St. Leonards on April 29, 1898, and was afterwards shot on May I in the same year. It passed through the hands of Mr. G. Bristow. 63. Waxwing. Ampe/is garrulus, Linn. A rare winter visitor, occurring sometimes in large flocks. The first mention I find of the occurrence of this chatterer in Sussex is in Markwick's MS. (now at Denne Park), where he alludes to the capture of a specimen near Catsfield in February, I 80 1. 64. Pied Flycatcher. Muscicapa atricapilla, Linn. A rare spring and autumn migrant. Mr. R. Butterfield informs me that he has several shot by himself at both seasons near St. Leonards. 65. Spotted Flycatcher. Muscicapa grisola, Linn. Only a few pairs remain to breed in west Sussex, but this species is very common in all other parts of the county. 66. Swallow. Hirundo rustica, Linn. The swallow arrives regularly in Sussex immediately after the sand-martin and some time before the house-martin, whose advent is often delayed. I have seen it as early as March 20 and as late as December 10. A pure albino swallow was killed on Warnham pond by the late Mr. F. M. Lucas in the year 1883. 67. House-Martin. Chelidon urbica (Linn.) Of late years, owing to the increase of the common sparrow, the house-martins in Sussex have had to submit to almost constant per- secution. In one row of houses with which I am acquainted six martins' nests were built, and of these all were seized by the robber sparrows. The martins then again com- menced their house building and four com- pleted their nests : from three of these again the rightful owners were evicted, while the fourth pair eventually deserted their nest. The two following years the martins were subjected to the same inhospitable treatment, and now they have wisely deserted the spot. Certainly this species suffers more than any other bird from the plague of sparrows. Large numbers of house-martins breed annu- ally in Scotland at a late date, and their young work south and reach Sussex in numbers about November 10. These young birds are generally the stragglers of the main body that have departed, and should a night frost occur before they leave numbers of them will be found lying dead beneath the houses where they have roosted. 279