A FEROCIOUS COMMONER 



THE lesser whitethroat never attracts the attention 

 given to the greater, whose antics in the 

 A Minor hedge as it vehemently sings its scolding 

 Minstrel song turning and bowing, and flicking its 

 tail endear it to all lovers of a leafy lane. 

 The amusement it inspires is reflected in its many 

 rustic names, like the Scots nickname, Blethering, or 

 Chattering Tom. The lesser minstrel is less abundant, 

 with no arresting power in its short ripple of song, but 

 this song has a musical quality, and all the charm of a 

 song sung very softly, as if for you alone. 



THOSE small birds of desert places, the various chats, 

 so named from their notes suggesting the 

 The Chats clicking together of pebbles, are birds with 

 distinctive characters and dress. The wheat- 

 ear's true element is the bare down by the sea, where it 

 is recognized from afar by the badge of the white 

 rump. The whinchat, haunting wastes where whin 

 grows, might be proud of its distinctive eye-stripe, and 

 remarkable habit of making a tunnel of grass whereby 

 to approach the nest. The stonechat, in its handsome 

 coat of black, white, and rufous hues, is the desert's 

 harlequin. 



A FEROCIOUS COMMONER 



" THE Sparkler " is a rustic name for the voracious 

 tiger-beetle, that flies in May on sandy 



The Tiger commons, a brilliant and sparkling being, 



Beetle with its blue-green, yellow-spotted wing- 



covers, and shining blue underside, which 



throws back the sunlight. If on a first flight, it will have 



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