60 THE CHRONICLES OF A GARDEN. 



Our spring pleasures would be very incomplete with- 

 out tlie song of birds and tlie commencement of nest-build- 

 ing among them. The first song we have is that of the 

 missel-thrush : harsher and shriller than the note of the 

 blackbird, it has yet a resemblance to the song of that 

 bird ; it does not repeat each note, as the song-thrush 

 does, and is frequently mistaken for the blackbird, even 

 by persons who profess to know the notes of birds. The 

 blackbird has a much richer, more mellow note, and does 

 not commence singing so early in the year as either the 

 missel or the song thrush. The latter forsakes the garden 

 almost entirely in winter, one being rarely seen ; but about 

 February they make their appearance, and begin singing 

 and building some time before the blackbird. The winter 

 sons^ of the robin chang-es to a more cheerful warble in 

 spring ; the tomtits begin even in January to utter their 

 cheerful but monotonous notes ; then come the hedge-spar- 

 row and chaffinch, the latter being an incessant singer 

 when once he begins, cheering even the blackest and 

 stormiest March days with his merry note. He is not 

 thought much of as a musician in this country ; but Bech- 

 stein, in his work on the " Natural History of Cage Birds," 

 says : — " The passion for this bird is carried to such an ex- 

 tent in Thuringia, and those which sing well are sought 

 for with such activity, that scarcely a single chaffinch that 

 warbles tolerably can be found throughout the province. 

 As soon as one arrives from a neighbouring country whose 

 notes appear good, all the bird-catchers are after it, and do 

 not give up the pursuit till they have taken it." He goes 



