BIRDS OF THE GARDEN 43 



Tail black ; two middle feathers grey, two outer feathers 

 broadly banded with white, conspicuous in flight. 

 Bill lead-colour. Legs brown. Length 6 in. Female : 

 back and crown buffish brown ; under parts buffish grey. 

 Young, like female but paler. 



Language. Song, bright and joyful though tending 

 towards monotony, as it is repeated again and again 

 without the slightest variation. It pitches deliberately 

 on the highest note and energetically rattles down the 

 scale in a staccato manner, thus : " tsip-tsip-tsip-tsip- 

 turrrrl-tunrrl," terminating with " tissi-ear " or " de-ur." 

 Alarm note, " v/hit " or " twit." Call-note, like " pink " 

 or " spink," rather metallic. 



Habits. Sociable in winter, but the sexes usually keep 

 apart until early spring (hence " ccelebs "). It both 

 run^ 1 and hops when feeding on the ground. Flight 

 undulating. 



Food. Chiefly insectivorous in summer ; in winter, 

 seeds of various kinds and grain. 



Nest. April onwards. Two or three broods. 



Site. In fork of some lichen-clad fruit -tree, on lateral 

 bough of elm tree, in thick hedge, in beech and birch 

 trees, sometimes in evergreens. 



Materials. Lichens, moss, grass, cobwebs, and wool 

 felted together, lined with hair, down, and feathers. A 

 beautiful nest. 



Eggs. Four or five. Greenish blue, spotted, dotted, 

 clouded, and streaked with reddish and purplish brown. 



LAPWING OR PEEWIT (Vanellus vulgaris). 



Resident ; but in winter there is a partial emigration 

 from the North. Well distributed and common. Partial 

 to low hills, sheep pastures, arable and meadow-land. 



Plumage. Crown of head and crest greenish black. 

 Stripe over eye and sides of face white. Upper parts 

 cupreous green. Throat and chest bluish black. Under 

 parts white. Tail white, conspicuous in flight, tipped 



