82 Notice regarding the Red-breast. 



Art. XVI. — Notice regarding the Red-breast (Motacilla 

 rubecula, Lin.J By a Correspondent. 



Of the small song-birds, the red-breast seems most strongly 

 attached to man and his dwellings ; and there are associations 

 connected with its history which prevent the robbing of its 

 nest, even by those whose feelings of humanity for the other 

 families of the feathered race are by no means similar. In 

 this country, much of that feeling which protects the red- 

 breast's nest is undoubtedly owing to the pathetic tale of the 

 " Babes of the Wood ; w but, on the Continent, where it is not 

 regarded with the same associations, the red-breast is taken in 

 numbers, at the close of autumn, for the use of the table. On 

 this account also, it is, perhaps, that the red-breast is so sel- 

 dom seen in the confinement of a cage. The following notice 

 of one, however, which was taken by a gentleman in Orkney, 

 and kept for nine years as a song-bird, may be interesting, as 

 detailing the kind of food which supported him during his 

 long captivity, and the change of plumage which took place 

 towards the close of his life : 



" Dear Sir, — At your request, I state to you some par- 

 ticulars respecting a robin red-breast which I had kept in a 

 cage for nine years. As far as my information extends, this 

 and another in Wales are the only instances in Britain of 

 preserving that melodious bird in a domesticated state. Dur- 

 ing a fall of snow, he got into my barn, and was caught by a 

 net, without receiving any injury. The difficulty was how to 

 tame and feed him. I put crumbs of soft bread and potatoes 

 into the cage ; and, in order to prevent the violent struggles 

 which he made for freedom from killing him, I removed him 

 to a solitary room. In the course of two days he became 

 quite tame. I perceived the food which I had given him he 

 did not relish. I tried the common earth-worm, cut into small 

 pieces, which he devoured greedily. He recovered his health 

 and fine appearance, and, in a few days, began to delight us 

 with his sweet-varied song. As the season approached for 

 obtaining the common flesh-fly and butterflies, they were pro- 



