178 



Div. 1. VERTEBRATE ANBIALS.— AVES. 



Class 2. 



The European Robin (Mot. rubecula, Lin.). — Olive-brown above, throat and breast orange-red, slightly bordered 

 with ash-colour, the belly white: young mottled brown. [We have seen a very similar species, but with diflerently 

 formed bill, from Trebizond ; and there is another closely allied, from Japan.] 



The Blue-throated Fantail (Mot. suecica,\.\n.; {Cyanecula suecica, Brehm].)— Brown above, with a brilliant 

 blue throat, in the middle of which is a rufous spot, [which disappears with a^e. This bird has been separated 

 with propriety, and differs remarkably from the others in its gait, always running; by alternate motion of the feet, 

 like a Wagtail, instead of hopping ; ^\hen running thus, it spreads out its tail from time to time like a fan. It is 

 only an accidental visitant in Britain. 



The following are referrible to the Ruticilla, Brehm ; Ph<enicurus, Swains.] 



The White-fronted Redstart (Mot. p/iivnicunis, Lin.). — Grey above, with a black throat and white forehead, the 

 under parts, lump, and all but the middle pair of tail-feathers, bright ferrugineous. [Female browner, with tail 

 and rump similar to the njale ; young spotted. This is a common summer visitant in many parts of Britain, inha- 

 biting the vicinity of large hollow trees, ivied ruins, dilapidated garden-walls, &c. Like most of the present 

 group, it generally sings perched on some high pinnacle. Its note is plaintive and little varied]. 



The Black Redstart (Mot. erythacus, titht/s, (jibralteriensis, &nd atrata, Gm.) — [Rather larger than the preceding, 

 with longer wings : no red underneath, and rarely any trace of white on the forehead. It is more confined to 

 rocky places and great buildings than the other, and is very rare in the British islands, where, however, it does 

 not appear to be migratory. The young of this species are not mottled. It is an inferior songster. 



There are several others, all from the eastern hemisphere. 



The Petroica, Swains., comprehends some nearly allied species from Australia. Others, with shorter legs, and 

 rather stouter bills, conspicuous for the bright azure of their upper parts, compose the Sialia of the same system- 

 atist, and are found only in America. These and many other named subdivisions, including the Phosnicorns and 

 Moucherolles, pass, however, in every possible way, into each other. They grade, as already noticed, from the 

 PeirocincUe ; the true Robins form a closely-allied subdivision, Geocincla of Gould.] 



The Fauvettes (Curruca, Bechst.) — 



Have the bill straight, slender, and slightly compressed in front ; the ridge of the upper mandible 

 curving a httle towards the tip. 



The most celebrated bird of this subgenus [but which assuredly does not belong to it] is 



The Nightingale (Mot. litscinia, Lin.), of 

 a russet-brown above, whitish brown on the 

 lower liarts, with a rufous tint on the tail. 

 Every one is acquainted with this songster 

 of the night, the varied and melodious notes 

 of which resound through the woods. It 

 nestles upon trees, [always on or near the 

 ground, among decayed leaves], and sings 

 only till its young are excluded. 



There is a rather larger species in the east 

 of Europe, with obscure spots on the breast 

 (Mot, Philomela, Bechst.). — [These birds 

 have no particular affinity with the follow- 

 ing, but are essentially small slender 

 Thrushes, almost in.separably allied to Tur- 

 dus minor and some others from North 

 America. Tliey have much longer limbs 

 than the Fauvettes, seek their food princi- 

 pally on the ground, among decaying leaves, 

 and the young are in their first plumage 

 mottled, as in the true Thrushes, which is 

 not the case with the following. The 

 Common or Plain-breasted Nightingale has 

 very much the same manners as a Robin^and 

 is equally pugnacious : we have known it 



to breed in captivity with a female of that species. The Nightingales constitute the Phiiomela, Swains., Luscinia, 



Brehm. 1 



Other species, more particularly known as Fauvettes, have almost always an agreeable song, and sprightly 

 habits. They are continually flitting about in pursuit of insects, nidificate in bushes, and the greater number of 

 them frequent watery situations, among the reeds, &c. [Such as do so fall, for the most part, under the natural 

 division !?alicaria, and are very distinct from the others : they have a peculiar babbling song, and are e.xclusively 

 insectivorous. 



Some of them have proportionally large bills, and streakless plumage, dark above, paler underneath. Such are] 

 The Great Babbler (Turdm arundinacem, Lin. ; Sylvia turdoides, Tern.).— Rather less than a Redwing, and 



Fig. 87.— The Nightinpsle.' 



• Sketctted from life. 



