BIRDS 



OF 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND 



ORDER PASSERES. 



THIS group of Birds has always been a favourite with me, as with most 

 students of the feathered race. I have taken and preserved both nests and 

 eggs of most of the British species, and have studied the habits of many 

 of them in captivity, as well as in a wild state. 



The Order Passeres (following the classification adopted by Howard Saunders 

 in his admirable "Illustrated Manual") includes seventeen families, the members 

 of which are mostly suitable for aviary or cage-life ; of these the Turdida (Thrush- 

 like birds), the Fringillida (Finches), and Alaudidce (Lark-like birds) find favour 

 with the larger number of Aviculturists. 



The family Turdida, the first on our list, has been sub-divided into three 

 sub-families : — 



I. — Turdince (Thrushes) in which the first plumage is spotted above and below. 

 The males with long slender bills as compared with the females, in which they 

 are distinctly broader and shorter. 



2. — SylviincE (Warblers) in which the young closely resemble their parents 

 excepting in their paler or duller colouring. The width of the bills differs little 

 in the sexes, but tbat of the female is distinctly shorter. 



3. — Accentorince (Accentors) including our so-called " Hedge-Sparrow," birds 

 which, though spotted after the manner of true Thrushes when they leave the 



