A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman.
- George Montagu
- Date:
- 1866
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman. Source: Wellcome Collection.
395/440 page 367
![Jenyns, in his ‘ Manuiil of British Verte- brata,’ p. 107. It is probably a case of mistaken identity, and is therefore omit- ted.] Warbler, Dartford. — [Yarrell, i. 805; Hewitson, xxxvii. 148.] Motacilla provin- cialis, Gmel. Syst. ii. p. 958, 07. Sylvia dartfordieusis, Ind. Orn. ii. p. 517, 31; Lin. Tram. ix. p. 191; Id. vii. p. 280 ; Bewick, Br. Birds, i. t. p. 210 ; Lath. Syn. Sap. ii. p. 241. Le Pitchou de Provence, Buf. V. p. 158. Dartford Warbler, Br. Zool. i. No. 101, t. 50 ; Lath. Syn. iv. p. 437, 27 ; 16. Sap. p. 181; Don. Br. Birds, 1.10; Lewin, Br. Birds, iii. t. 100; Wale. Syn. ii. t. 237. — This species is rather larger than the common Wren, and much longer by reason of the tail, which is one-half its length nearly; the weight is about two drams and a half; length five inches and a half. BiU black, at the base of the upper mandible whitish; the upper mandible a little curved; hides and eyelids yellow. The whole upper parts are of a dusky brown; cheeks dark cinereous; throat, neck, and breast fine deep ferruginous; sides the same, but not so bright; middle of the belly white; quills dusky, sUghtly edged with dark cinereous on the outer wel)s, those next the body and coverts with dark ferruginous-brown ; at the bend of the wing, under the alulse spurise, is a spot of white; the tail is considerably cuneiform; the outer feather is tipped with white, and edged with the same on the exterior web ; the next slightly tipped w'ith white; the remainder of these and all the others dusky; the middle ones edged with cinereous ; legs yelloTOsh. In some the throat is speckled mth white. The female and young birds are of a lighter colour and more rufous. The Dartford Wai’bler, so called from having been first discovered in England near that place ; it is, however, a scarce species, rarely noticed in this country. Dr. Latham seems to have been the first discoverer of this bird in England, ^nd communicated it to Mr. Pennant, wno first published it in his ‘ British Zoology,’ a pair haring been killed on Bexley Heath, near Dartford, on the 10th of April, 1773. Since that time. Dr. Latham informs us, several were shot in the winter of 1783 on a common near Wandsworth in SuiTey, now in the Le- verian Museum; from which circumstance that author very justly observes, that if it is found here only as a winter migrant, he cannot reconcile the circumstance of its breeding in France (which has been said to be the ca.se), as all migratory birds go northward to breed, not, to a warmer climate. In the month of September, 1790, we observed many of these birds about Falmouth, in Cornwall, frequenting the furzy hills, and killed several from that time to the 24th of December, when a sudden fall of snow, that covered the ground for some time, drove them from that part. Many of these birds, on their first appearance, were in their nestling feathers, from which some hopes were en- tertained of their breeding in those parts ; but trith the most diligent search not one was to he found the following summer; nor indeed did they ever retui'n after the snow had^driven them away. Where they could go to from that most southern part of England, unless they crossed the sea (which is vety improbable), is impossible to guess, except they sought some more sheltered situation further in the penin- sula of that country towards the land’s- end ; and even in that case it was natural to expect them on their return northward; for undoubtedly they must breed in some more northern parts. As yet the nest and eggs are nnknown. , It is a shy bird, con- cealing itself amongst the thickest furze on the least alarm, and creeping from bush to bush ; is said to perch on the top of a bush in the spring, and from thence are seen dai'ting into the air after flies, and returning again to the same spot. Their food is small insects of all kinds; in the stomach of one we dissected was the larvas of a large Cimex. The shortness of the wing and length of tail give it a singular manner of flying, which is in short jerks, with the tail thrown up. The note is a weak but shiiR piping noise several times repeated. SuppiJSHEtJT. — In the former part of this work it Tvill be observed that we had discovered this species in Comwall, and from the appearance of some, shot in the month of September, evidently in their nestling feathers, we had little doubt but that they were bred in that county. Since that period the Dartford Warbler has been noticed by us to be by no means uncom- mon in the South of Devon, and to be truly indigenous to that part, continuing the whole year amongst the thick furze, where it breeds. The discovery of their nests with eggs and young induced us to lay the subject before the ‘ Linnean So- ciety,’ who have honoured it with a place in their ‘ TransactiiJns’ above quoted; for the benefit, therefore, of our general readers, we cannot do better than extract the essential parts of that paper. “ In a paper which I had the honour to lay, some time since, before the Linnean Society, some notice was taken of the discovery of this little bird in the southern parts of Devonshire: and I there remai-ked, that as it had been so frequently observed to be a winter inhabitant, a circumstance not](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28089935_0395.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
