68 THE BRITISH NATURE BOOK 



I. BIRDS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A SPARROW 6 INCHES LONG. 



Auk, Little. This bird does not breed in Great Britain, but visits our 

 north and east coasts irregularly in the winter, coming from its home in the 

 Arctic Ocean. It is recognizable by its small size. In its winter plumage, the 

 upper parts are chiefly black, with a touch of white on the shoulder feathers 

 and " secondaries," and a white spot over the eye ; white belly and breast, 

 and a collar of black round the throat. Its food consists of small crustaceans 

 (Entomostraca). It is a restless, noisy bird, its call being said to resemble " Perre- 

 rett-tett-tett." The eggs are laid on the bare rock in deep crevices and under 

 boulders. 



Blackcap. One of our summer migrants, generally (though locally) to be 

 found in wooded districts, where its very pleasing song, containing very 

 mellow full notes, generally preceded by a short, quiet, subdued phrase, may 

 be heard flooding out from some leafy clump " second only to the Nightin- 

 gale," though bearing a general resemblance to 

 that of the Whitethroats. The alarm note or 

 call is a sharp " Tock-tock." The bird is rare 

 in Ireland and the North of Scotland ; though 

 sometimes it winters in the South-west of 

 England. It is distinguished from our other 

 warblers by the glossy black cap in the male 

 and reddish brown in female and young. Upper 

 parts light olive-brown, almost ash-grey. Wings 

 and tail sepia-brown. Throat and under parts 

 ashy white, tinged with brown on flanks. 

 The nest, a fragile structure of grass and bents, lined with finer material 

 and hair, is found in bushes, brambles, hedges, undergrowth. The eggs (four 

 to five), "dull white blotched with olive-brown and grey, may be found in May. 



Brambling. A winter visitor and bird of passage, which breeds in Scan- 

 dinavia ; does not sing with us, though its harsh chirping call-note can be heard. 

 It is frequently seen with chaffinches in autumn and winter, and is at once 

 distinguished from them by the white rump seen when it flies. It is also identi- 

 fied by the chestnut throat and breast. In winter the head, cheeks, and upper 

 part of the back are black, the feathers edged with ruddy brown ; the belly 

 is dirty white. The female is not so bright. Its haunt is beech woods. 



Bullfinch. Resident and widely distributed. The male has head, wings, 

 and tail black, back grey, rump white. Throat and breast red, under parts 

 greyish white. The female has a brown back and breast. Note the strong 

 short beak. The nest is of twigs and moss, lined with roots, sometimes hair. 

 The eggs four to six bluish-green, streaked or spotted with red-brown, 

 chiefly at the larger end, generally laid in May. Its favourite nesting-place is 

 in evergreens, but also found in hedges and bushes. Its note is a low, soft 



