THE RED-BREAST 231 



yellow spots, and sometimes none ; the breast is saffron yellow; 

 but the feet are the distinguishing mark, being always very 

 dark brown. 



This species has varieties, as the white red-breast and the 

 variegated red-breast. In confinement, by sometimes removing 

 successively the quill-feathers and tail-feathers out of the moult- 

 ing season, they will at last be replaced by white ones. These 

 birds are very pretty ; I have had several in this way, but I 

 have observed that these last feathers are so weak and delicate 

 that they are easily injured and broken. This repeated 

 operation must give pain to the little creatures, on which 

 account it should be avoided. 



HABITATION. When wild, these birds are found in abundance during 

 the period of migration, on hedges arid bushes, but in summer they must 

 be sought in the woods. " This retreat," it has been said, " is necessary 

 to their happiness : the male is engrossed with the society of his mate, all 

 other company is troublesome ; he pursues eagerly the birds of his species, 

 and drives them from the district he has chosen for himself ; the same 

 bush never contains two pairs of these birds." The red-breasts return to 

 us (in Germany) about the middle of March * ; they stop for about a 

 fortnight in the hedges, and then proceed into the woods. In October 

 they return towards the bushes, which they busily search as they travel, 

 and proceed gradually to their destination. Some delay their departure 

 till November, some will even remain here and there throughout the 

 winter, but generally to their cost, as their life is usually sacrificed by 

 these delays. Necessity then forces them to draw near to houses, dung- 

 hills, and stables, where they are generally caught by men or cats, or die 

 of hunger and cold if the frost is long and severe, and the snow deep. 

 Care must be taken in hard weather not to transport them suddenly into 

 a warm room, the rapid change from cold to heat invariably kills them. 

 They should at first be put in a cold room, and be gradually accustomed 

 to warm air ; with these precautions they will do as well as those which 

 are caught in the autumn or spring. 



In confinement the inhabitants of my neighbourhood like to see red- 

 breasts hopping about the room, and they make a roost for them of oak 

 or elm branches. They find that this bird destroys flies and even bugs. 

 Such a situation appears to agree with him very well, as he lives in this 

 way from ten to twelve years. He is so jealous and unsociable that he 

 must not have a companion ; he must be quite alone ; a second would 

 cause battles which would end only with the death of one of the 

 combatants ; if, however, they are equal in strength, and in a large room, 

 they will divide it, and each taking possession of his half, they remain in 

 peace, unless one should pass his limits, in which case war begins, and it 

 maintained to the last extremity. 



* In Britain they remain all the year TRANSLATOR. 



