72 OUR NATIVE SONGSTERS. 



low, or otlier bough, or making its way to the 

 orchard, not to eat the young Luds, but to peck 

 out tlic larva3 of the different species of toririjc, 

 which lie enfolded in their green coils. The gar- 

 dener may welcome the bird there all the summer 

 through, for neither apple, nor cheny, nor plum 

 will tempt it to plunder, while it will clear the 

 trees of the insects, and feed unsparingly on the 

 small caterpillars, and the downy moths, and the 

 gnats and emmets, which may revel among the 

 trees, or gi-ass, or flowers. 



The chift-chafi:' is, with the exception of the 

 wheat-ear, the earliest of the spring visitors ; and 

 it is the smallest of tliem all. Mr. Broderip men- 

 tions having received one iu a cover, together 

 with a written half sheet of paper, franked by 

 the penny stamp. The little bird becomes very 

 tame in captivity, and shows gi'cat aftection to its 

 owner. Mr. Sweet, in his " British Warblers," 

 mentions one which would take a fly from his 

 finger, and would settle upon the hand which held 

 a spoon filled with milk, of which it was ver}' 

 fond, following the person who carried it round 

 and round the room, sometimes darting to the 

 ceiling and bringing thence a fly. By degTces it 



