THE FAERY YEAR 



deep hidden among the sycamore leaves. But the 

 cirl bunting, also a late summer and early autumn 

 songster, always chooses an obscure position. I have 

 never noticed him singing from a bare and exposed 

 twig, or from the top of a bush or small tree ; 

 whereas the yellow bunting rarely sings from any 

 twig save the topmost, and by the seashore hour 

 after hour the wheezy corn bunting will occupy a 

 similar perch. The topmost twig used by the 

 yellow hammer serves other purposes than song at 

 this time of the year. The bird nests very late 

 even now it may have eggs or young in some places 

 and on his high, commanding perch the male bird 

 keeps watch and ward. He will charge and rout a 

 butcher bird, that comes suspiciously near the nest, 

 with high spirit. The male yellow hammer, like 

 various other English birds which take little part in 

 building the nest or hatching the eggs, watches 

 and waits on his lady assiduously a good family 

 bird. 



Butterflies and Mimicry 



The question whether or not the butterfly 

 cheats its enemies by resembling in colour and 

 marking the leaf or plant stem it sleeps on was 

 referred to in this chronicle early in the summer. 

 Since then I have closely watched common blue, 

 brown argus, small copper, meadow-brown, small 

 206 



