4 OUR FAVOURITE SONG BIRDS 



increases. The Robin is also in full song, but the 

 Wren sings by no means regularly or constantly yet. 

 The Hedge Accentor may now be said to have quite 

 regained his voice for the spring ; the Yellow Bunt- 

 ing and the Chaffinch nearly so. The Starling is a 

 constant singer now ; the Sky-Lark nearly so. Now 

 too the Linnet and the Twite resume their song ; 

 the Reed Bunting sings frequently ; the Wood- Lark 

 becomes much more vocal. The Dipper also 

 resumes his song in an irregular sort of way, as 

 also does the Cirl Bunting ; whilst during the last 

 few days of the month the Greenfinch's twittering 

 song may be heard occasionally. The first of the 

 summer migrants now reach our English shores, 

 but neither the Wheatear nor the Chiffchaff lay 

 claim to musical skill. The note of the latter bird, 

 however, is a characteristic one in the southern 

 woodlands during the closing days of March and 

 onwards through the summer in all localities. 



April, with its warm sunshine, its balmy airs, and 

 its fleeting rains, marks a rapid change in the melody 

 of the birds. One singer, however, now loses his 

 voice, for during the last half of this month the 

 Mistle-Thrush becomes silent. This is the solitary 

 exception, so far as our British singing birds are 

 concerned, for every other may now be heard in 

 brilliant voice. The Song Thrush, the Blackbird, 

 the Robin, the Wren, and the Hedge Accentor — 

 most familiar of all our singing species — are now 



