lOoS 



THE NATURE BOOK 



NEST OF YELLOW-HAMMER. 



rose or bramble bush, and tangled vegeta- 

 tion by the hedgeside may be chosen. 



The nest is a very frail structure 

 made of hay and fine dead stems, lined 

 with horsehair. The eggs, five or six, 

 are greenish white with close ash-grey 

 mottling — sometimes thicker at the larger 

 end. 



This bird is an insect feeder, but it also 

 partakes of a little fruit if such can be 

 had. It has a rather 

 harsh alarm note, 

 and a scolding one, 

 which often leads 

 to its being mis- 

 taken for the Sedge 

 Warbler. Two well- 

 known local names 

 are " Peggy White- 

 throat," or even 

 "Peggy." and 

 " X e 1 1 1 e-creeper, " 

 the latter from the 

 bird's habit of 

 frequenting nettle 

 beds. 



One of the most 

 conspicuous of our 

 wayside birds is the 

 Yellow - Hammer, 

 with his bright 

 yellow head and 

 breast; and although 



no songster of high 

 degree, he is a great 

 fa\'ourite with 

 man3^ and I think 

 all will agree that 

 the countryside 

 would feel the loss 

 of his song, which 

 may be heard con- 

 stantly during the 

 hot summer days 

 when other birds 

 are mostly silent. 

 It is a rather plain- 

 tive song, inclined 

 to be monotonous, 

 often likened to the 

 words " A little bit 

 of bread and no 

 cheese," the " no " 

 being emphasized 

 and the " cheese " 

 long drawn out. 

 Only the male has the bright yellow 

 colouring ; the female is streaky brown 

 with just a trace of 3'ellow on head and 

 breast. It is usually a late nesting bird. 

 I have often found the nest in August, 

 and I once saw one with eggs built in 

 the side of a newly made barley stack in 

 September. The nest is usually placed 

 on the ground, or near it — a hedge bank 

 being a favourite situation. 



YELLOW-HAMMER (FKMALE). 



