130 OBSERVATIONS ON BIRDS. 



The victor, however, was not thus to be deterred 

 from further wreaking his vengeance upon the in- 

 truder. He boldly flew, and alighted upon the hand 

 of the gardener ; and forthwith proceeded to peck the 

 head of his victim, and buffet him in such a manner 

 that he would soon have put him hors de combat, had 

 not the gardener carried him out, and turned him off 

 at some distance from the building. 



Mr. Selby mentions another instance, in which a 

 most determined battle was fought between two red- 

 breasts, who were so engrossed with the combat, that 

 they allowed themselves to be twice taken up and 

 separated by a person witnessing it. The occupation 

 of a shed seemed to be the object of dispute. 



Feb. 12th, 1845. WHITE says of the red- 

 breast and the wren, that they sing all the year, hard 

 frost excepted.* Not even hard frost, however, will 

 always cause the redbreast to desist. We heard 

 one singing this morning at 7 o'clock, when the 

 ground was covered with snow, and Fahrenheit's ther- 

 mometer was only 13 degrees, being 19 degrees below 

 the freezing point. Nor was it, as the poet describes 

 it at this season, 



Content 

 With slender notes, and more than half suppress'd ; 



but its voice was as strong, and its notes as varied 

 and melodious, as in the height of spring. 



* Nat. Hist. ofSelborne, Lett. II. to D. Barrington. 



