THE BEDBREAST, 395 



As an example of a household bird, none can be found with 

 better pretensions to such a character than the Hedge-Sparrow." 

 By sonle English authors this bird is called the Titling ; MUDIE 

 describes it under that head, and says, " that its nest is one of 

 those in which the female Cuckoo frequently deposits its eggs. 

 Both birds," he says, speaking of this and the Titlark, " follow 

 the Cuckoo, it may be sometimes from hostility, and sometimes 

 in the character of foster-mothers ; at all events, they do it 

 voluntarily, and often blithely. It is the small following the 

 great, and the Cuckoo and the Titling, or better still for the 

 double meaning of the first name, * the Gowk and Titling/ of 

 the Scotch, has become not an uncharacteristic, and in some 

 instances, a very biting expression for the little of mankind danc- 

 ing a senseless and thankless attendance on the great." 



154. THE REDBEEAST. 



Sylvia or MotacUla Rubecula, LIN. Rouge Gorge^ BUF. Das Roth- 

 kehlchen, BECH. 



Description. This well-known bird is five inches and three 

 quarters in length, of which the tail measures two inches and 

 a, quarter. The beak is five lines long, and brown, except at 

 the root of the lower mandible and in the inside, where it is 

 yellow. The iris, as well as the feet, which are eleven lines 

 high, are blackish brown. The forehead, cheeks, and lower 

 part of the body, as far as the belly, are dark orange ; the upper 

 part of the body, and the wing coverts, are dingy olive green ; 

 the rump, sides, and vent, of a lighter hue. The sides of the 

 breast and neck are a beautiful pale grey ; the belly white ; 

 the pen and tail feathers dark brown, edged with olive green ; 

 and the first wing coverts are tipped with a triangular yellow 

 spot. 



In the female, which is somewhat smaller, the orange on 

 the forehead is not so broad ; the colour of the breast is paler, 

 and the feet are a yellowish brown. The yellow spots on the 

 wing coverts are also generally wanting, though the very old 

 females have sometimes small yellow stripes in their place. 

 The males of one year old, which are caught in the spring, re- 

 semble the females very closely, in the absence, or very small 

 size, of the yellow spots. The breast also is saffron yellow, 

 but the shanks are always blackish brown. 



There are also white and mottled varieties of this bird. If 



