Victorian Birdwatching
by Jean Sheehan

Rowland Holt Wilson was sent away to boarding school as a young boy and in the Holt Wilson Papers are letters written to him at school by his relatives and others. Many of them make references to birds and other animals. Most of the letters are not dated but a few bear the date of 1878. These are some excerpts from the letters.

Lucy Wilson, his mother, writing from Redgrave Hall says "Mr. and Miss Worlledge dined here yesterday evening - they have seen a very wonderful bird on the Rectory lawn, with a white head, greenish back - red under his wings, long legs and very upright - between a nightingale and thrush in size. Broom saw it and said it was new to him - we hunted all through "Gould's Birds" but could not find anything like it, so we think it must have been a foreign bird escaped from a cage".

In another letter she writes "The young bantams are very lively, they are still in the vinery - There has been a great excitement about a nest Mary found low down in a fir tree in the old garden - the eggs are as large as a partridge and the nest made of twigs - there are 8 eggs - we think it must be a jays nest, but no one has seen the bird close yet. Arthur has taken two eggs - there is a blue tits nest down inside the pump by the square pond near the old garden and she won't move, you can see her quite well by climbing to the top of the pump. I hear Charles Bean was looking for pheasants eggs in Hinderclay Wood last week when a wood cock flew off with a loud noise and he found her nest with eggs. She deserted so he took the eggs and has given Father one or two for you - this is an unusual thing - Taylor knows of a nut hatches nest in old Boutells garden and is going to get some eggs for you. The waterhen's nest was in the Straight Parts, where they were shooting rooks".

George Holt Wilson, his father writes "There is a waterhen's nest in the pond in the middle of the old garden - there are 4 cocks and 4 hens among the young bantams . I am sorry to say they fight rather".

Violet Wilson, his young sister informs him "Mama says I am to tell you that she went to see your long tailed tits nest yesterday and it was pulled down. You will be glad to know that the bantam hen has hatched out eight young chickens".

Aunt Annie writing from The Uplands on February 2nd says "The ground and the trees are quite covered with snow again and so we have begun to feed the sparrows and the chaffinches and the robins again - I am sorry to say there are some very naughty little birds come and peck off the crocus blossoms and leave them on the grass".

Martha Jones, his nurse, writing from Redgrave Hall says "Boutell told me to tell you that your chickens are doing very well also the rabbits".

Some of the references are not always so pleasant. His father says "I hope the rats will not kill any more of Arthur's rabbits as he will not like it if they do". The same letter goes on to say "I am nearly sure from a picture I have seen here that the egg I found in the water wagtails nest is a cuckoo's".

Auntie Katie writing from Carlisle says "Some horrid rats have taken eleven of my little bantams away, they did not even leave a feather on the ground, so I think they must have taken them down into their holes and eaten them there". The letter continues on a happier note when she says "Aunt Althea's bull finch has begun to sing, it has not any red feathers on it yet as it is so young, but it is very tame, and will eat seed out of my mouth".

Other letters refer to shooting birds. His younger brother Arthur tells him "Papa and Mr. Hustler went out rook shooting, and they killed 27; Papa's gun went bad and he has sent for a rifle which is to come by the last train tonight. Mr. Hustler's air cane would not shoot well, so he did not kill many rooks, there was only one hung up and it was only wounded".

A letter from his father, writing away from home, says "Yesterday we did not kill so many grouse as we had done before - the birds were very wild and we could not get near them - I killed 13 ½ brace, Grandpapa and Mr. John Rutson 12 brace - Mr. H. Rutson and Mr. A Rutson 11 ½ brace - you will now be able to see how many birds we killed amongst us".

Redgrave Park must have been an ideal place to see a variety of birds with the woodland, lake and open ground. Fortunately eggs are not allowed to be taken from nests now, but it was quite common in Victorian times.