lO BIRDS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 



Wheatear, Whinchat, and Redstart. — Insects. 



All the foregoing birds are more or less gifted with the 

 power of song, though the nightingale, by general consent, 

 comes first, the blackcap makes a good second, and the 

 song thrush is not much behind as third, though the black- 

 bird runs him close for fourth place, and the remainder are 

 more or less gifted, the whitethroat taking perhaps the 

 first place in the second rank, closely followed by the 

 robin redbreast, in comparison with which the rest are 

 nowhere. 



All these birds do infinitely more good than harm to the 

 agriculturist and gardener, in spite of the fact that the 

 first six eat fruit when they can find it, but the depreda- 

 tions of the remainder are so insignificant that they do not 

 admit of comparison with the good effected in the destruc- 

 tion of myriads of insect pests. 



The nests of the thrushes are marvels of construction, 

 being all made more or less with mud, the song thrush 

 taking the lead in this respect, and the blackbird coming 

 ne.Kt. 



As the object of this work is not to assist oologists in 

 forming "collections," not much will be said about the eggs, 

 except to mention that those of the dunnock are of the 

 most lovely turquoise blue ; that those of the whinchat 

 somewhat resemble them in colour, but are smaller; and 

 that those of the nicjhtiuf'ale are of a uniform olive tint. 



The blackcap makes a compact nest of grass stems, lined 

 with hair, in an open bush ; but the nest of the whitethroat 

 is so flimsily put together that in those cases where it is 

 placed at a few feet elevation from the ground the 

 spectator standing below can see the eggs through it. 



The nest of the nightingale is clumsily built of leaves 

 and grass, and is placed among brambles near the ground, 

 and never far from the stem of a tree. 



