PAIRING. 143 



before our little neighbours made their appear- 

 ance from the South. When they did arrive, their 

 attention was immediately attracted by the unusual 

 circumstance of hearing the loud song of a rival in 

 the vicinity of their premises. This was a male 

 black-cap, which we had purchased the preceding 

 autumn in the bird-market at Paris, arid which was 

 daily hung out in his cage to enjoy the fresh air 

 and the sunshine, within a gunshot cf their usual 

 place of nestling. The wild birds did not appeal to 

 like the little stranger at all; and the male kept 

 flying around the cage, alternately exhibiting curi- 

 osity, fear, anger, defiance, and triumphant exulta- 

 tion. Sometimes he would flit from branch to 

 branch of the nearest tree, silently peeping into the 

 cage with the utmost eagerness; all at once he 

 would dart off to a great distance, as if afraid that 

 he was about to be similarly imprisoned ; or, getting 

 the better of his fears, he would perch on a con- 

 spicuous bough and snap his bill, calling check, check, 

 seemingly in a great passion ; again he would sing 

 his loudest notes by way of challenge, or, perhaps, 

 meaning to express his independence and superior- 

 ity. Our cage-bird, meanwhile, was by no means 

 a passive spectator of all this ; and never failed, on 

 the appearance of the other, to give voice to his 

 best song and to endeavour to outsing him, since he 

 could not get at him to engage in personal conflict. 

 This sort of altercation continued for more than 

 a week ; but the wild bird became gradually less ea- 

 ger to pry into the cage or to take any other notice 

 of the cage bird, and at length ceased altogether 

 to approach it, his attention being now wholly oc- 

 cupied in attending to his mate, and aiding her in 

 building her nest. It is worthy of remark, that 

 though, on their first appearance, they resorted to the 

 garden where the nest had hitherto been built, they 

 finally fixed their residence in another garden at 

 some distance, induced no doubt by the vicinity of 



