PERCHING BIRDS. 61 
placed in a bush in the forest about four feet from the 
ground, and contained three eggs. Their ground colour 
is pale greenish blue; two of them are speckled and 
dashed all over with reddish brown, but the other has 
the markings more closely distributed, and at the larger 
end they form a confluent zone, having a suffused 
appearance, and quite concealing the ground colour. 
Another pair were seen at the decoy at Houghton on 
the 6th of April, 1858, but, with the usual fate of rare 
birds, they were shot, or I have no doubt they would 
have bred also. 
A male in immature plumage, with the crescent on 
the breast distinctly marked in light brown feathers 
intermingled with one or two of a still lighter shade, 
was shot at Kdwinstowe on the 26th of November, 
1856, 
These are all the instances of its occurrence with us 
that I am aware of. 
The numerous family of the warblers is a very attrac- 
tive one. The sweetness of the song of the majority, 
’ their compact and sprightly appearance, and the liveli- 
ness of their manners, combine to make them general 
favourites. The greater part of them are closely 
associated with the spring and summer seasons, and we 
are accustomed to look forward to their arrival with 
great pleasure. 
The unpretending dunnock, or Hedge Sparrow 
(Accentor modularis), in its neat and sober-coloured 
dress, 1s common, as it is everywhere. It cannot be 
called gregarious, seldom more than two or three being 
seen together or near each other. It is always busy, 
though never in a hurry, and seems an especial pattern 
of that valuable qualification of minding one’s own busi- 
