SONG-BIRDS 187 



plantations wherever there are bushes in abundance. Their plumage 

 is inconspicuous (upper side greyish-brown, under side lighter). The 

 blackcap is easily recognised by the black patch on the head. Both are 

 excellent songsters. 



To the warblers we shall append two other less closely related species. 

 The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba), in its black and white dress, is 

 a very handsome bird. As it lives principally on aquatic insects, it 

 frequents the neighbourhood of streams, brooks and ponds. It is, how- 

 ever, also fond of following the farmer's plough in order to pick up all 

 sorts of insects and larvae out of the furrows. Its long, stilt-like legs 

 enable it to run quickly and for a considerable length of time, and also 

 to wade in the water up to a certain depth. At each step it flicks up its 

 long tail (hence the name wagtail). An equally pretty bird is the Yellow 

 Wagtail (M. campestris), which is olive-green above and yellow below. 

 It is fond of feeding around cattle, to whom it is of service by destroying 

 the flies which worry them. 



The Wren (Troglodytes parvulus). (The German name of this 

 bird is Zaunkonig, signifying " hedge-king." What is the legendary 

 explanation of this name ?) This tiny bird is an inhabitant of our 

 thickest hedges, and slips with great speed and nimbleness through 

 the most entangled bushes, its plumage, which resembles the colour of 

 bark (brown with black stripes and spots), rendering it almost unrecog- 

 nisable both in the hedges and on the ground. Its spherical nest, 

 which has a very small entrance-hole leading to the interior, is always 

 so well adapted to its surroundings as to be not easily discoverable, 

 resembling in one place a heap of dry leaves, in another a lump of moss, 

 while in still another place its outer walls are entirely built of lichens. 

 The food of the wren consists of spiders and small insects (the beak is 

 awl-shaped). It stays with us throughout the winter, being able, on 

 account of its tiny size, to rummage about in nooks and crannies 

 where many insects are passing their winter sleep. Moreover, the tiny 

 fellow needs but little food. (Why?) Further, its short wings would 

 hardly enable it to undertake a journey to warmer countries. 



Family 5 : Thrushes (Turdidae). 

 The Blackbird (Turdus merula). 



(Length 10J inches.) 



The plumage of the male is coal black and its beak golden yellow. 

 In the female and young the upper side is blackish-brown, the breast 

 rufous, and the bill brown. The food of the blackbird in autumn and 

 winter (it is a resident) consists chiefly of berries. During the warm 



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