In a Cheshire Garden [Illustration: The Flower Garden.] In a Cheshire Garden Natural History Notes BY GEOFFREY EGERTON-WARBURTON, _Rector of Warburton_. LONDON SHERRATT AND HUGHES Manchester: 34 Cross Street 1912 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PREFACE. These Notes appeared from April to June this year in _The Warrington Guardian_ and afterwards came out in a de-localised form in _The Staffordshire Weekly Sentinel_. I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. P. Ramsdale, of Heatley, for the photographs of The Old Church, The Yew-tree, and The Flower Garden (as it was some years ago). My thanks are due also to Mr. Garrett for kindly allowing me to use his very interesting photograph of The Two Nests referred to on page 94. CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE I. Introductory 1 II. Weeds and Alien Plants 5 III. Birds--Thrushes 11 IV. Chats, Robins, and Warblers 26 V. Tits and Wrens 37 VI. Wagtails, Flycatchers, Swallows, and other Insect-eaters 46 VII. Sparrows and other Finches 57 VIII. Finches, Starlings, and Crows 67 IX. Other Birds 77 X. British Mammals 95 XI. Dogs and Cats 103 Index 113 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Flower Garden _Frontispiece_ FACE PAGE Old Church 6 The Old Yew 23 The Sundial 38 A Corner in the Garden with Allium Dioscorides 55 Two Nests 70 The Food-stand 87 I. INTRODUCTORY.