10 FIELD-STUDIES OF RARER BIRDS 



minutes you may woo this bird. Then, like a 

 flash, he is lost in the impenetrable tangle, and no 

 matter how patiently you wait in that spot, you 

 will, so far as he is concerned, very likely court 

 solitude. 



Under most circumstances in the field, the 



' Dartford ' ' may be distinguished by its dusky 

 appearance, its rather long tail, and weak, 

 undulating flight. When viewed really close by, 

 or when " glassed " at a further range, it is quite 

 a pretty bird. In a moderately good light, the 

 male's upper-parts look greyish-brown in tint, 

 though grey or brown predominates, according to 

 the point of view ; while his under-parts are 

 pinkish, fading to nearly white. With a full sun 

 to burnish his apparel, he is a singularly handsome 

 fellow, since then his head and cheeks assume a 

 clear tint of slatey-blue, his back looks greyer than 

 ever, while the breast glows with a deliciously 

 vivid hue of pink. The female is very similar in 

 appearance, only all her colours are chastened. 

 With both sexes a little white -is discernible on the 

 outermost feathers of the tail when expanded. The 

 average book assigns an iris of yellow to this species, 

 but the ' ' Dartfords ' I have examined through 

 glasses (I have never yet had one dead in the hand) 

 appear to have reddish-orange irides. 



As compared with other song birds, the 



' Dartford " is an intermittent chorister. On a 

 bright day, however, particularly on a bright 



