W The Blackbird thai Bliirhtcd My Life ' 



Oiicc a visitor exclaimed " How that bird watches you 

 all the lime! He's very fond of you, isn't he '"? 



I cauglit the i31ackl)ird's eye and I tJiink he chuckled! 



He is still with me— still waiting. 



Sometiitmes I feel temj)led to cry aloud ■•Take your 

 beak frcnn out my heart, and take ycjur form from off my 

 door." 



And he answers like Poe's raven " Xe\cr More.'" 



The Orchard Finch. 



( Phrygilus frtUiceti). 



By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., Etc. 



Though under my name the following notes are com- 

 piled for the benefit of new readers, from an article by Dr. 

 Amsler, in an earlier volume^ of Bird Notes. 



Dr. Amsler has kindly loaned us the water-colour 

 drawing from which our reproduction has been taken, and we 

 greatly regret that the "times" do not permit its repro- 

 duction in colour. 



In January 1914 Dr. Amsler procured a pair of these 

 handsome birds when visiting Cross's Menagerie at Liverpool, 

 and in March of the same year had the misfortmie to lose the 

 cock bird, but in July had the surprise of hnding the hen sit- 

 ting on four eggs, in a neatly constructed cup-shaped nest. 

 Theso she i ncubated for fourteen days and was then gi\en a 

 clutch of Greenhnch's eggs which she hatched out but did not 

 feed. 



In October, 1914. Dr. Amsler was fortunate enough to 

 procure another male, which arrived in immature plumage and 

 was carefully tended during the winter. 



In the spring of 1915 they were put together and in 

 April a clutch of three eggs were deposited in a cup -.shaped 

 nest, built in a privet bush. 



