THE ARBOUR BIRD. 255 



to its cage, that one day, having got its liberty, it flew away 

 into the gardens, where it stayed six or seven hours, after which 

 it returned to its cage again. In the year 1825 I saw a female 

 bird of this species so late as the 21st of November, flying 

 about as lively as at midsummer ; it had probably escaped or 

 been turned out of a cage. When in confinement it is parti- 

 cularly partial to ants' eggs, and also to the common maggots. 



THE ARBOUR BIRD. 



Sylvia polyglotta, RANZANI ; Sylvia Hippolais, BECHSTEIN ; Le Becfin a poitrine 

 jaune, TEMMINCK ; Die Gelbbrust, BECHSTEIN ; Die Spotvogel, WICHTERJCH. 



THIS pleasing bird, which is met with wherever there are 

 groves and bushes*, is five inches and a half in length, of 

 which the tail measures two and a quarter. The beak, seven 

 lines long, is straight, blunt, bluish grey above, and yellow 

 tinged with flesh-colour beneath, with yellowish corners, and 

 the entrance of the throat citron yellow ; the iris is dark 

 brown; the shanks, ten lines high, are lead-coloured. The 

 head is pointed in front; the back, rump, and lesser wing- 

 coverts, are olive ash grey; a yellow line extends from the 

 nostrils to the eyes ; the whole of the under part of the body 

 is a fine light yellow ; the tail and wings are dark brown ; the 

 secondary quill-feathers have so wide a white border that it 

 forms a spot on the closed wings. 



HABITATION. In its \vild state it frequents orchards, groves, and 

 brambles ; but with us it seems to prefer small woods that are interspersed 

 with resinous trees. It arrives the end of April, and quits us as early as 

 the end of August, before the moulting season. 



In the house it is kept in a nightingale's cage, in which no change must 

 be made, still less must another be given it, for it would not survive these 

 disturbances. It is so delicate, that if taken when full grown it is almost 

 impossible to tame it. 



FOOD. When wild its food is all kinds of insects, smooth caterpillars, 

 flies, gnats, &c. ; and if these are scarce, berries T- 



In the house it prefers these insects and meal-worms. It is only with 

 great patience and management that it can be given a taste for the nightin- 

 gale's food. In general it will eat nothing but insects. 



* It is not found in Britain TRANSLATOR. 

 t This I doubt. TRANSLATOR, 



