.142 



VERTEBliATA. 



THE HEDGE ACCENTOR. 



In soviTc- weatluT it api)n):u-lu's \h<- house, aii-l picks up the crumbs around tlu' door; if toler- 

 ated, it Ijops into the liousc, with a ruiiuiiitj; expression <>f doiil.t and lainiliarity in its full, ex- 

 prcssivo cyo, and soon makes itself at home. It is probably tlie most universal feathered favorite 

 in the countries it inhabits. 



Of-nus ACCKNTOR: Accevtnr. — This includes the Hedge-Accentor, Hedoe-AVarblek, or 



IIeuge-Sparrow, a. modularis — called 

 Traine-buisson in France — an abundant 

 European species, which, like the robin, 

 lives in the vicinity of man, making its spe- 

 cial haunts in hedgerows and gardens. Its 

 song is short but sweet; the length five 

 and a half inches ; the upper parts brown, 

 beneath steely-gray; it lays six eggs, oc- 

 cupies the forests in summer, and seeks 

 cultivated districts and hunuui habitations 

 in winter. 



The Alpine Accentor, A, Alpinus, is 

 a larger species, living in the high Alps. 



Genus SAXICOLA : Saxicola, in- 

 cludes several species, all of which are 

 migratory. The Stonechat, «S^. rubicola 

 — the Traquet Patre of the French — is 

 somewhat smaller than the robin, aud 

 frequents heaths covered with furze and 

 brushwood. In pursuit of its insect food, 

 it frequently is seen creeping from one stone to another, while it utters a chattering sound ; hence 

 its popular English names of Stonechat and Stoneclink. It builds rather a large nest, and lays 

 five or six eggs. It is common in summer throughout Southern and Middle Europe, and is also 

 found in Northern Asia. 



The AVhinciiat, S. ruhct ra—iha Traquet Tarier of the French— is five inches long, with a mixture 



of pale and dark brown above ; under 

 ..••• ••.. .__ parts fawn-color. In general, this 



bird is migratory, but a few remain in 

 England throughout the year. Its 

 fliffht is undulatino", and it flits from 

 bush to bush, perching on one of the 

 topmost twigs. Furze commons are 

 its favorite haunts ; hence it is often 

 called Furzechat, and as the furze is 

 called tvJi'm, it thus also obtains its 

 common title. Worms, insects, small 

 shell-molluscs, and slugs, form its prin- 

 cipal food, but it also eats berries. 

 The nest is formed of dry grass-stalks 

 and a little moss, the lining being 

 finer bents or stalks; it is usually 

 placed on the ground. The song is 

 very pleasing, and resembles that of 

 the goldfinch; and the bird will sing not only during the day, but in the evening, and sometimes 

 at night. This species become, like the wheat-ear, very fat in August, and, though smaller, are 

 equally delicate for the table. 



The Wheat-Ear or Fallowchat, S. oenanthc — the Traquet Motteux of the French — is a mi- 

 gratory species, arriving in Europe toward the middle of May, and leaving toward the close of 



TUE WniNCHAT. 



