ORIOLIDAE—ORIOLE.;
101
pecially pointed out to me that whenever they were flushed they invariably
alighted on the muddy portions of the shore—never on the grass. One of them
was shot and stuffed by Dr. Maclean, so there could be no mistake about the spe-
cies, with which, in fact, he had been many years acquainted. In the spring- all
the birds leave the shores of the river, and will be found breeding among the grassy
cliffs of the coast, returning to the banks of the river again in the autumn." He
adds that they breed annually on the Felixstowe and Walton Cliffs.
Dr. Bree elsewhere writes (29. May 22, 1875) that in winter it is " found along
the banks of the River Colne, between Walton and Colchester. In the spring they
go down to the coast and breed there. I have known this many years. When
the Rock Pipit is disturbed in winter, it always alights again on one of the muddy
patches found by the side of the river—a fact pointed out to me by the late Dr.
Maclean. Hence its name of Mudlark,"
In his notes, he again says (32a.) that it is " found throughout the winter on the
banks of the Colne, and breeds on the cliffs along the coast from Walton to the
Blackwater," but in this the Doctor was certainly mistaken.
Family ORIOLIDAE,
Golden Oriole : Oriolus galbula.
A rare and accidental summer visitor, though a good many
specimens have been shot in the county. It seems very probable
that it would on more than one
occasion have bred with us had
it not been molested, as several
of our recorded specimens were
met with in May and June. It
has been known to do so in
Kent, Surrey, Suffolk, Norfolk
and other counties.
Hoy records (12. iii. 436) that " a
brilliant specimen was shot on May
10th, 1830, by a gamekeeper at Lawford
Hall, Manningtree. It had in its
stomach the remains of a cockchafer
and several small green caterpillars."
Mr. H. Barclay of Leyton writes (23,
2851) :
" On Saturday, the 25th of May [1850], the gardener of John Masterman, Esq.,
of Leyton, shot one of a pair of strange birds that he had seen about the garden
for some days. The bird proved to be a female Golden Oriole. It was sent to
Mr. W. Morris, bird-stuffer, of this place, for preservation, and on dissection was
found to contain two eggs, but with unformed shells. This seems to warrant the
supposition that the birds had a nest, but it has not yet been found."
A specimen shot about 1850 at Birch Holt, is now in the possession of Mrs.
Ingle, of Alexandra Road, Colchester. Dr. Bree records (23. 8032) that " a fine
male specimen ... in fresh breeding plumage " was shot at Tiptree about the
second week in May, 1862. He adds : " There is no doubt, I think, that the bird
was after breeding." E. L. M. of Leyton records (29. May 13) that he both heard
and shot a fine adult male there on May 6th, 1865, Mr. Hastings Warren, of