44 ENGLISH BIRD LIFE 



in rabbit-burrows. One instance is recorded of a 

 nest built quite in the open, against the trunk of 

 a small fir tree. 



England is sometimes visited by a race of Star- 

 lings on migration which differ largely from the 

 commoner type. These birds are distinguished by 

 the hues of the head and neck, and are known as 

 Purple-headed Starlings. 



As the winds bare the branches of the apple- 

 trees and the hawthorns, and autumn sinks into 

 winter, the bird-life about the little homestead 

 changes day by day. The Swallows and Warblers 

 are gone, and the hard rattle of the Fieldfare is 

 heard in their place, as the birds cross the frozen 

 valley to alight on the black boughs of the beeches. 



About the snowy stackyard, the Yellowhammers 

 and Greenfinches come to join with the ubiquitous 

 Sparrows in wresting a scanty meal from the clear- 

 ings w^here grain may have fallen. 



The Hedge-sparrow, too, true to the homestead in 

 winter and summer alike, is never far away, and in 

 the snow-time may always be seen flitting about 

 the stick-heap, or, aloof from the ruder finches, 

 moving modestly amidst the beaten straw. 



This little bird shares with the Robin, Stonechat 

 and Golden-crested Wren the distinction of being 

 one of the few members of the Sylviid^ which are 

 resident in England throughout the year. Still, 

 observation shows that even this species — the most 

 domesticated and restful of all — is driven by the 

 strange migratory instinct to venture forth across 

 perilous seas, upon a journey which, season by 

 season, proves fatal to countless myriads of the 



