314 HABITS OF BIRDS. 



we listened to one for a considerable time singing its 

 finest notes two hours after sunset, on the romantic 

 banks of the Devon, near the Rumbling Bridge, in 

 Clackmannanshire. 



Our other night song-birds seem only to sing occa- 

 sionally, not regularly, such as the skylark, the red- 

 start, and the red-breast. Among larger birds not 

 usually reckoned song-birds, which emit their pecu- 

 liar call-notes in the night, we may enumerate the 

 quail, the corncrake, the partridge, the grouse, and 

 more particularly the cock. 



We have remarked that some species of cage-birds 

 will readily sing at night when the candles are lit, 

 while others will not sing a note. The black-cap, 

 for example, mentioned in a former page, has never 

 attempted to sing at night above once or twice ; 

 while Mr. Sweet found his redstart sing every night, 

 as we find to be the case with our red-breasts. When 

 a red-breast has been recently caught, indeed, he 

 never attempts to sing during the day, and always 

 essays his first cage-song after dark, venturing, by 

 degrees, to extend his voice, before he try it in open 

 day. We have had birds of this species who would 

 sing in this manner every night for several weeks, 

 without singing a note during the day. At present 

 (January) we have a bird of this kind which seldom 

 begins before eight o'clock at night, after another in a 

 neighbouring cage, which sings equally through the 

 day and after dark, has finished singing for the 

 evening*. 



It may be remarked also, that in cage-birds, though 

 they will sometimes break out into their loudest notes 

 at night, their song is for the most part soft, subdued, 

 and warbling ; such is the case at least with our red- 

 breasts, and an aberdevine near them. Canaries and 

 blackbirds, however, usually sing aloud at night, and 

 * J.R. 



