T„ THE ROBIN, I I 



thirteen birds represented a very large propor- 

 tion" of the entire group of the birds of prey, 

 which io my sevenfold classification I recom- 

 mended you to call universally, " hawks." The 

 robin is only one of the far greater multitude of 

 small birds which live almost, indiscriminately 

 on grain or insects, and which I recommended 

 you to call generally " sparrows " ; but of the 

 robin itself, there are two important European 

 varieties — one red-breasted, and the other 

 blue-breasted. 



10. You probably, some of you, never heard 

 of the blue-breast; very few, certainly, have 

 seen one aHve, and, if alive, certainly not wild 

 in England. 



Here is a picture of it, daintily done,* and 

 you can see the pretty blue shield on its 

 breast, perhaps, at this distance. Vain shield, 

 if ever the fair little thing is wretched enough 

 to set foot on English ground ! I find the last 

 that was seen was shot at Margate so long ago 

 as 1842, — and there seems to be no official re- 

 cord of any visit before that, since Mr. Thomas 

 Embledon shot one on Newcastle town moor 

 in 1 8 16. But this rarity of visit to us is 



* Mr. Gould's, in his " Birds of Great Britain." 



