BRITISH BIRDS. 217 



bird of which no two are to be found perfectly 

 similar, but its specific characters are plain, and 

 cannot easily be mistaken. The colours of the 

 female are less bright than those of the male, 

 with very little yellow about the head. 



This bird is common in every lane and on every 

 hedge throughout the country, flitting before the 

 traveller as he passes along the road, or uttering 

 its simple and frequently repeated monotone on 

 the hedges by the way side. It feeds on various 

 kinds of seeds, insects, &c. The female makes an 

 artless nest, composed of hay, dried roots, and 

 moss, lined with hair and wool : she lays four or 

 five eggs, marked with dark irregular streaks, and 

 frequently has more than one brood in the season. 

 In Italy, where small birds of almost every de- 

 scription are made use of for the table, this is 

 esteemed very good eating, and is frequently 

 fattened for that purpose like the Ortolan: but 

 with us, who are accustomed to grosser kinds of 

 food, it is considered too insignificant to form any 

 part of our repasts. 



VOL. i. 2 E 



