Birds of Guernsey (1879): And the Neighbouring Islands: Alderney, Sark, Jethou, Herm; Being a Small Contribution to the Ornitholony of the Channel IslandsSmith, Cecil
History
Birds of Guernsey (1879): And the Neighbouring Islands: Alderney, Sark, Jethou, Herm; Being a Small Contribution to the Ornitholony of the Channel Islands
Smith, Cecil
Birds -- Channel Islands
48. BLUE TIT. _Parus caeruleus_, Linnaeus. French, "Mésange
bleue."--Like the Great Tit, the Blue Tit is resident in all the
Islands, but by no means numerous. In Guernsey it is pretty generally
distributed over the more cultivated parts, but nowhere so numerous as
in England. It is included in Professor Ansted's list, and marked as
occurring in Guernsey and Sark.
I have not included either the Cole Tit or the Marsh Tit in this list,
as I have never seen either bird in the Islands, and have not been able
to find that they are at all known either in Guernsey or any of the
other Islands.
Professor Ansted, however, includes the Cole Tit in his list, and marks
it as occurring in Guernsey, but no other information whatever is given
about it; and there is no specimen in the Museum, as there is of both
the Great and the Blue Tits. I have not succeeded in getting a specimen
myself.
49. LONG-TAILED TIT. _Acredula caudata_, Linnaeus. French, "Másange à
longue queue."[10]--The Long-tailed Tit is certainly far from common in
Guernsey at present, and I have never seen it in the Islands myself. But
Mr. MacCulloch writes me word--"The Long-tailed Tit is, or at least was,
far from uncommon. Probably the destruction of orchards may have
rendered it less common. The nest was generally placed in the forked
branch of an apple-tree, and so covered with grey lichens as to be
almost indistinguishable. I remember, in my youth, finding a nest in a
juniper-bush."
It is included in Professor Ansted's list, and marked as occurring in
Guernsey and Sark. There is, however, no specimen now in the Museum.
I am very doubtful as to whether I ought to include the Bearded Tit,
_Panurus biarmicus_ of Linnaeus, in this list. There are a pair in the
Museum, but these may have been obtained in France or England. One of
Mr. De Putron's men, however, described a bird he had shot in the reeds
in Mr. De Putron's pond in the Vale, and certainly his description
sounded very much as if it had been a Bearded Tit; but the bird had been
thrown away directly after it was shot, and there was no chance of
verifying the description.
50. WAXWING. _Ampelis garrulus_, Linnaeus. French, "Jaseur de Bohême,"
"Grand Jaseur."--As would seem probable from its occasional appearance
in nearly every county in England, the Waxwing does occasionally make
its appearance in Guernsey as a straggler. I have never seen it myself,
but Mr. MacCulloch writes me word--"I have known the Bohemian Waxwing
killed here on several occasions, but have not the date."
An interesting account of the nesting habits of this bird, and the
discovery of the nests and eggs by Mr. Wolley, was published by
Professor Newton in the 'Ibis' for 1861, and will be found also in
Dresser's 'Birds of Europe.' and in the new edition of 'Yarrell,' by
Professor Newton.
It is included in Professor Ansted's list, and marked as occurring in
Guernsey; and there is one specimen in the Museum.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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