Papular HDtrtumarii 0f Hmmatrtr future. 



73 



familiar instances we may mention the Oys- 

 ter, Mussel, Cockle, &c. 



BIZCACITA, or TIZCACHA. (Calomya 

 bizcaclta.) A Rodent animal, somewhat 

 resembling a rabbit, but with larger gnawing 

 teeth and a long tail : it has, however, only 

 three toes behind, like the Agouti. Near 

 Buenos Ayres they are exceedingly common. 

 They are said to live on roots ; which, from 

 the great strength of their gnawing teeth, 

 and the kind of localities they frequent, 

 seems probable. As in the case of the rabbit, 

 a few holes are commonly placed together. 

 In the evening the Bizcachas come out in 

 numbers, and there quietly sit on their 

 haunches. They do not wander far from 

 their burrows : they run very awkwardly, 

 and, when hurrying out of danger, from their 

 elevated tails and short front legs, much re- 

 semble great rats. Their flesh, when cooked, 

 is very white and good, but it is seldom used. 

 Of late years the skins of the Bizcacha have 

 found a market in England, on account of 

 the fur. 



BLACKBIRD. (Turdm meru7a.) A well- 

 known song-bird, about ten inches long, 

 whose deep-toned warblings are not to be 

 mistaken for those of any other inhabitant 

 of the groves. The plum:ige of the male 

 bird is altogether black, but that of the fe- 

 male is rather of a brown or dark russet 

 colour : the bill, inside of the mouth, and 

 edges of the eyelids, are yellow, as are also 



BLACKBIRD. 



the soles of the feet. The males during the 

 first year resemble the females so much as 

 not easily to be distinguished from them ; 

 but after that, they assume the yellow bill 

 and other distinguishing marks of the sex. 

 The Blackbird is a solitary bird, frequenting 

 woods and thickets, chiefly evergreens, espe- 

 cially where there are perennial springs, 

 which together afford it both shelter and 

 subsistence. They feed on berries, fruit, 

 insects, and worms ; but never fly in flocks 

 like thrushes. They pair early, and are 

 among the first who render the groves vocal : 

 the note of the Blackbird, indeed, during the 

 spring and summer, when heard at a dis- 

 tance, is rich and enlivening ; but when the 

 bird is conlined in a cage, its song is too }oud 

 and deafening. They build in bushe 



bluish-green, marked irregularly w 



low trees, and lay four or five eggs, of a 

 ith dusky 



spots. The young birds are easily tamed, 

 and may be taught to whistle a variety of 

 tunes. They are restless and timorous, 

 easily alarmed, and difficult of access. We 



occasionally hear of albinos, or white black- 

 birds ! but they are so rare as to be regarded 

 in the light of great curiosities. 



BLACK-CAP. (Sylvia ati-icapiJla). This 

 is a small song-bird, whose notes are so sweet 

 and full that it has obtained the name of the 

 mock-nightingale. The crown of the head, 

 in the male, is black ; the hind part of the 

 neck, light ash colour ; back and wings, 

 olive grey ; throat, breast, and belly, more or 

 less silvery white ; legs bluish, and claws 

 black. The Black-cap is migratory, visiting 

 us about the middle of April, and retiring in 

 September. Orchards and gardens are its 

 favourite haunts ; and it builds its slightly 

 constructed nest in some low tree or shrub, 



lining it with the fibres of roots thinly 

 covered with horse hairs : the eggs are red- 

 dish brown mottled with a deeper colour, and 

 sprinkled with dark spots. The Black-cap 

 is naturally a very shy bird ; and although 

 while banqueting on currants, raspberries, or 

 any of its favourite fruits, it seems to forget 

 its usual timidity, and suffers itself to be 

 looked at, yet at other times it avoids obser- 

 vation as much as possible, and carefully 

 hides itself in the foliage from all familiarity 

 and confidence. Its song, however, never 

 fails to attract attention ; for although its 

 modulations are in general short and desul- 

 tory, yet when this little warbler sits calmly, 

 and is earnestly engaged in singing, it gives 

 utterance to a pleasant and gentle harmony, 

 superior perhaps to any of our other songsters, 

 the nightingale excepted. 



BLACK-COCK, and BLACK-GAME. 



[See GKOUSE.] 



BLAPS : BLAPSID^E. A genus and fa- 

 mily of Coleopterous insects ; the type of 

 which is the species Blaps mortisaga: it is 

 black, but little shining, and the tip of the 

 elytra forms a short obtuse point. It is a 

 very common British insect, found in dark, 

 damp, and dirty places about houses. In 

 Mr. Westwood's "Introduction to the Mo- 

 dem Classification of Insects," the following 

 extraordinary fact is related : Several in- 

 stances have been noticed, in which the 

 larvae of the common species Blaps morti- 

 saga , or Church-yard Beetle, has been dis- 

 charged from the stomach. Of these, the 

 most remarkable account is that published 

 by Dr. Pickells in the Trans, of Associated 



