NATURE'S CAROL SINGERS. 



chick, churr ; chit-chit-chierre-r-r. By far 

 the most popular rendering of it in 

 England, however, is the somewhat hack- 

 neyed phrase, " A little bit of bread and 

 no cheese." In Scotland it becomes, 

 " Deil, deil, deil tak ye," a supposed im- 

 precation upon boys who steal its eggs. 



There is also a curious legend in the 

 North to the effect that Satan supplies 

 the bird with half a drop of his blood 

 every morning wherewith to mark its 

 eggs with the greatly varied scribbling 

 lines that appear upon them. 



The song, although more musical than 

 that of the Corn Bunting, is considered 

 by many people to be a monotonous 

 performance. The poet Grahame was 

 evidently aware of this when he wrote 

 the lines : 



" Even in a bird the simplest notes have charms 

 For me : I even love the yellow hammer's song." 



The call note of this species, when dis- 

 turbed, is a trit, trit, trit, and on the 

 wing tisit. 



It may always be distinguished with 

 certainty from its much rarer relative, 

 the Cirl Bunting, by the fact that it has 

 no black upon its chin. 



The female Yellow Hammer is a trifle 

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