Martin - Gilbert White probably knew as much about it as anyone. In a letter to Thomas Pennant in 1769 he recorded his observations about the departure
of swallows, but added: ‘I could not help being touched with a secret delight … to observe with how much ardour and punctuality those poor little birds obeyed the strong impulse towards migration,
or hiding … and with some degree of mortification, when I reflected that, after all our pains and inquiries, we are not quite certain to what regions they do migrate, and are still further embarrassed
to find some do not actually migrate at all’. [Italics added}
Maybe some do hide in ponds. Generalisations can be so dangerous.
From: Martin Butterfield [
Sent: Sunday, 31 December 2017 3:26 PM
To: Geoffrey Dabb
Cc: COG List
Subject: Re: FW: [canberrabirds] Gould had an appetite for birds
Obviously by 1861 the idea that Swallows spent the UK Winter in the mud of ponds had lost favour. In what year/decade was that idea abandoned in favour of "flying to Africa"?
On 31 December 2017 at 09:35, Geoffrey Dabb <> wrote:
One of my most interesting bird memories was flying to and from South Africa many years ago (on work, business class) and being served Emu on Qantas, going, and Ostrich on South African Airways on the way back.
No doubt young birds, farmed, in each case. The best catalogue of Australian birds to be shot for the table is HW Wheelwright's 'Bush Wanderings of a Naturalist' (1861). He confesses, however: 'Where the snipes spend the winter and breed, no one seems to
know'.
-----Original Message-----
From: Con Boekel [
Sent: Saturday, 30 December 2017 8:43 PM
To: canberrabirds chatline
Subject: Gould had an appetite for birds
Then and now.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/30/pecking-order-how-john-gould-dined-out-on-the-birds-of-australia
