THE SPARROW KIND. 269 



walks. I verily had never believed our Pliny 

 writing so many wonderful things concerning 

 these little creatures, had I not myself seen with 

 my eyes, and heard them with my ears uttering 

 such things as I have related. Neither yet can 

 I of a sudden write all, or call to remembrance 

 every particular that I have heard." 



Such is the sagacity ascribed to the nightin- 

 gale ; it is but to have high reputation for any 

 one quality, and the world is ready enough to 

 give us fame for others to which we have very 

 small pretensions. But there is a little bird, 

 rather celebrated for its affection to mankind 

 than its singing, which, however, in our climate, 

 has the sweetest note of all others. The reader 

 already perceives that I mean the Red-breast, 

 the well-known friend of man, that is found in 

 every hedge, and makes it vocal. The note of 

 other birds is louder, and their inflections more 

 capricious ; but this bird's voice is soft, tender, 

 and well supported ; and the more to be valued 

 as we enjoy it the greatest part of the winter. If 

 the nightingale's song has been compared to the 

 fiddle, the red-breast's voice has all the delicacy 

 of the flute. 



The red-breast, during the spring, haunts the 

 wood, the grove, and the garden : it retires to 

 the thickest and shadiest hedge-rows to breed in. 

 But in winter it seems to become more domestic, 

 and often to claim protection from man. Most 

 of the soft-billed birds, the nightingale, the swal- 

 low, and the titmouse, leave us in the winter, 

 when their insect food is no longer offered in 



