2G4) HISTOilY oi- 



wliicli when he sees he will iiifalliLiy hear away to his young. 

 By listening, he then may he heard with the female chirping to 

 the young ones while they are feeding. When the nest is found, 

 if the young ones are not fledged enough to be taken, they must 



thers of tlie head are long, lax, and tiirgid ; from the base of the bill to the 

 middle of the head rise some beautiful blue feathers, which gives ita crested 

 appearance : on the cheeks, and extending a considerable way down the 

 nock, is a patch of this fine blue. The head, throat, and as far as the middle 

 of the back, is of a deep black ; the bill and ocular bands are black ; two quill 

 feathers are brown ; the tail is wedge-shaped ; and the legs of a pale brown. 

 The female is brown above, white beneath ; and blue round the eyes. The 

 superb warbler is five inches and a half long, and inhabits New Holland. 



The Chat genus (which embraces the Wliite Ear, the Stone Chat, and the 

 Whin Chat) are all common in Europe, and frequent moors and other open 

 wastes. They live solitary, or in pairs, and are wild in disposition. They 

 run with much celerity, and their food consist3 of insects and worms, which 

 they take chiefly upon the ground. 



The li'liite Ear is a handsome bird, but of a wild and timid nature. It is 

 migratory, and arrives in Britain about Miirch. On its appearance, it is 

 esteemed a great delicacy, and numbers are annually caught for the table. 



The Stmte Cluit is not migratory, but resides in Britain throughout the 

 year. It generally selects tlie bottom of a whin or other biLsh for its nest, 

 which is composed of moss or dry grass, lined with hair or feathers. 



The Whm chat is somewhat larger than the stone chat. Its bill is black ; 

 eyes hazel ; the feathers on the head, neck, and back, are black edged «'itli 

 rust colour ; a streak of white passes from the bill over each eye towards 

 the hinder part of the head ; the cheeks are blackish ; chin wliite ; the breast 

 is of a rust colour ; belly, vent, and thighs, pale buff; each wing is crossed 

 by a white mark near the shoulder, and another smaller near the bastard 

 wing : part of the tail at the base is white, the rest black : the two middle 

 feathers are wholly black, as are also the legs. The colours in general of 

 the female are paler : the white streak over the eye, and the spots on the 

 wings, are much less conspicuous ; and the cheeks, instead of being black, 

 partake of the colours of the head. The whin chat is a solitary bird, fre- 

 quenting heaths and moors : it has no song, but only a simple unvaried 

 note ; and in manners very much resembles the stonechat. It makes its 

 nest very similar to that bird, and is generally seen in the same places dur- 

 ing the siunmer months. The female lays five eggs of a lightish blue, 

 very faintly sprinkled with small rusty spots. In the northern parts of 

 England it appears in winter ; but its migration is only partial, as it is seen 

 in some of the southern counties at the same season. It feeds on worm.*, 

 flies, and insects. About the end of summer it is very fat, and at that time 

 is said to be scarcely inferior in delicacy to the ortolan. 



The Winter Faurette. — i he length of this well-known bird is somewhat 

 more than five inches. Its bill is dark ; eyes hazel ; its general appearance 

 is that of a dusky brown) ; the feathers of the head, hinder part of the neck, 

 back, wings, and tail, are edged with rusty or pale tawny brown, plain on 

 the rump, rather clouded on the breast, and dashed on the sides with deeper 

 shades ot those colours ; the chin, throat, sides of tlie neck, and fore part 



