THE BABIILARD. 210 



descend to the floor, or perch on a table or chair, and would 

 fly up and take a fly out of the hand, or drink milk out of a 

 spoon if invited : of this it was very fond. As soon as it was 

 the least frightened, it would fly immediately to its cage, first 

 on the top, thence to the door, and would enter in exactly as 

 it came otit. I have often hung it out at tlie window perched 

 on the top of its cage, with the door open, and it would never 

 attempt to fly away. Sometimes if a fly should hajipen to 

 pass near it, it would fly off^ and catch it, and return with, it to 

 the top of the cage ; after remaining there a considerable time, 

 it would either return into it, or fly in at the window, and 

 perch on the cages of the other birds. It is rather more tender 

 than the white-throat. 



MR. BLYTh's account OF THE BABILLARD. 



The warble of the babillard {Curruca garrula, Brisson) is 

 pretty and lively, but its song is rendered monotonous in the 

 spring and summer by the constant repetition of its loud note 

 of defiance, analogous to the clear lively note with which the 

 black-cap generally concludes : this may be expressed by the 

 monosyllable see^ repeated nine or ten times in quick succes- 

 sion, 'and at times very loudly : it is a note, which, though 

 agreeable enough when only heard occasionally, becomes quite 

 tiresome when continually reiterated. This species, however, 

 can warble very sweetly if it please, and, in confinement, 

 during the first months of the year, its song is heard to great 

 advantage in a room ; it then rarely repeats its loud see see 

 see^ and when, at that time, the above-mentioned note is uttered, 

 it forms, indeed, an agreeable variety. The song of the babil- 

 lard is formed of a number of soft chirping notes, many of which 

 are extremely sweet and musical, and though at times tolerably 

 loud, yet they are generally delivered in a very low tone, 

 scarcely audible at a little distance. The male is almost per- 

 petually singing, erecting his crest and the feathers of his throat 

 in the manner of a white-throat, and, like that species and the 

 furze warbler, he is in constant motion the whole time, throwing 

 himself into a variety of odd gesticulations. The song of this 

 bird is very superior to that of many white-throats, ])ut not to 

 all ; he has none of those harsh sounding notes which so often 

 disfigure the white-throat's song. He seems also to be always 



