382 THE WHITETHEOAT. 



the easiest and surest method is to set the nest with limed 

 twigs. It is shy of the water-trap. 



Attractive Qualities. This is an exceedingly lively and 

 cheerful bird, whose agreeable song may often be heard in the 

 open air till a very late hour in the evening. It is, however, 

 necessary to pay particular attention in order to hear it, as it 

 consists of a very long piano passage, concluded with a short 

 forte one. This last is shrill, and consists of several arpeggios 

 given with great distinctness ; at the end of which the bird 

 makes a short circuit in the air, and returns to its perch. Its 

 call is Tzce, ! If its cage be so hung that the bird is not silenced 

 by the louder notes of others, its song will be found to be ex- 

 ceedingly melodious. 



SWEET'S ACCOUNT. "A very lively and interesting species, and 

 one of the easiest preserved ; its song also, in mv opinion, cannot 

 be surpassed by any bird whatever ; it is both lively, sweet, and 

 loud, and consists of a great variety of notes. One that I at 

 present possess, will sing for hours together, against a Night- 

 ingale, now, in the beginning of January, and it will not suffer 

 itself to be outdone. When the Nightingale raises its voice, it 

 also does the same, and tries its utmost to get above it ; some- 

 times, in the midst of its song, it will run up to the Nightingale 

 and stretch out its neck as if in defiance, and whistle as loud as it 

 can, staring it in the face ; if the Nightingale attempts to peck it, 

 away it is in an instant, flying round the aviary, and singing all 

 the time. 



" In a wild state, the present species generally visits hedges and 

 gardens ; it arrives in this country about the middle of April, 

 and is often heard singing in a thicket, or in the middle of a 

 hedge ; sometimes it mounts up in the air a little way, or flies 

 from one hedge to another, singing all the time. It is readily 

 taken in a trap, baited with a living caterpillar or butterfly. One 

 that I caught last spring, sung the third day after being in con- 

 finement, and continued to sing all through the summer ; but 

 this was most likely in consequence of a tame one being with it, 

 which also sung at the same tune. 



" In their native state, these birds feed chiefly on small insects, 

 and a few sorts of fruit, strawberries and raspberries in parti- 

 cular ; they are very partial to the different species of aphis, with 

 which almost every tree is covered some time or other in the 

 summer ; they are also very fond of the smaller species of butter- 

 flies, and the common house-fly (musca domestica) ; they soon 

 take to feed on the bruised hemp seed and bread, and also on 



