OUR BEAUTIFUL COMMON BIRDS 3 
tiful ones that there are, and to describe them to 
you, so that you will know something about what 
they are like. But perhaps you think that you 
know that already because you have seen them, so 
that you could tell me what they are like. There is 
the star-bird that we have been talking about, and 
then there is the Thrush and the Blackbird. What 
two more beautiful birds could you see than they, as 
they hop about over the lawn of your garden in the 
early dewy morning? The Blackbird is all over of 
such a dark, glossy, velvety black, and his bill is 
such a lovely, deep, orangy gold. It would be diffi- 
cult, surely, to find a handsomer bird, but the Thrush, 
with his lovely speckled breast, is just as handsome. 
Then the Robin with /zs crimson breast, and his little 
round ball of a body—what bird could be prettier? 
Or the Chaffinch, or Greenfinch, or Linnet? Or the 
Bullfinch, surely 4e is handsomer than all of them 
(except the star-bird), with his beautiful mauve- 
peach-cherry-crimson breast, and his coal-black head 
and nice fat beak, and that pleasant, saucy look that 
he has. Yes, Ae is the handsomest, unless—oh, just 
fancy! we were actually leaving out the Goldfinch. 
He has crimson on each side of his face, and a black 
velvet cap on his head, whilst on both his wings he 
has feathers of a beautiful, bright, golden yellow. 
I think he must be the handsomest, unless it is the 
