234 THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



peep^ betrays the presence of the " shy, quiet " bird everywhere 

 and at all seasons. In winter it jerks, with fussy little flicks of 

 its wings, through the hedge-bottoms, now in the lower twigs, 

 now peering under the fallen leaves on the ground, piping 

 perpetual remarks. In December, when courtship begins, the 

 note gains vehemence as it fights furiously with a rival, or flits 

 with flicking wing, and tail sawed up and down, after the hen. 

 The flirts become a shiver— from which the bird gets its name of 

 " Shuflle-wing " — as it leaps or flits from twig to twig, often 

 rising to the top of a hedge or tree, but on the ground, when 

 feeding, it hops. The hop differs from that of many other 

 birds ; the Dunnock makes short jerky jumps forward, but the 

 breast is held low and the legs are bent, one foot in advance of 

 the other. 



Insects, spiders and other small invertebrates are sought for 

 in the fallen leaves, lurking in moss or clinging to the twigs, 

 but the Dunnock is not good at aerial fly-catching. When the 

 laburnum-moth larvae or the caterpillars of the oak-tortrixhang 

 by threads from the trees, Blue Tits, Willow- Wrens and Robins 

 hover and snatch them in the air, but the Dunnock shuffles 

 along the ground in search of those that have dropped. 

 Weevils and other destructive beetles, hiding under dead 

 plants, are discovered, and in winter many seeds, chiefly of 

 weeds, are eaten. 



A hedge, evergreen, bush, faggot-stack, or bank is a usual 

 situation for the nest, but many other sites are selected. I have 

 seen one on the top of a rail, another in the old nest of a Song- 

 Thrush, and on the moors found it on the ground, sheltered by 

 bilberry scrub ; the bird is not uncommon on the open moorland 

 up to a fair altitude. The nest on Plate 95 was built in a cauli- 

 flower. On a slight foundation of twigs a neat nest of grass 

 and moss is constructed, lined with hair or wool. Four or five 

 clear blue eggs (Plate 84), blue as a summer sky, are laid in 

 March or April, and two or more broods are reared. A local 



