THE AllBOTTR BIRD. 406 



which occasionally precedes it. The earliest time of their arrival 

 that ever I noticed, was the 12th of March ; some years they do 

 not visit us till towards the end of that month. I have frequently 

 known several days of hard frost after their arrival ; so that it is 

 not a very tender bird. On their first coming to this country, 

 they are mostly seen on the forwardest trees in orchards or 

 copses, flying irom branch to branch, and from tree to tree, 

 singing their curious song of Chiff-chaff, chivvy-chavvy ; if the 

 weather is fine and mild, they are continually in motion, flying 

 after each other, and catching the gnats and small flies that 

 happen to come in their way. This species, like the last, is very 

 partial to the different sorts of aphis, which infest the trees and 

 plants in summer. They are also fond of small caterpillars, flies, 

 and moths ; on their first arrival, they feed chiefly on the larvaB 

 of the different species of Tortrix that are rolled up in the 

 unfolding buds of various trees. The birds of this genus render 

 us much service in devouring those insects, that would otherwise 

 destroy a great part of the fruit. 



" The Lesser Pettichaps is readily taken in a trap, in the same 

 manner as the last species, with which they are often in company 

 in the summer. They soon get familiar in confinement ; when 

 first caught, they should, if possible, be put with other birds ; 

 and they will readily take to feed on bruised hemp seed and 

 bread, and on bread and milk, which must, at first, be stuck full 

 of small insects, or a quantity of aphides may be shook off a 

 branch upon it ; when they have once tasted it, they will be very 

 fond of it. One that I caught, took to eat it directly, and became 

 so familiar, that in three or four days it would take a fly out of 

 the* hand ; it also learnt to drink milk out of a tea-spoon, of 

 which it was so fond, that it would fly after it all round the 

 room, and perch on the hand that held it, without showing the 

 least symptoms of fear ; it would also fly up to the ceiling and 

 bring down a fly in its mouth every time ; at last, it got so very 

 tame, that it would sit on my knee by the fire and sleep ; and when 

 the windows were open, it would never attempt, nor seemed to have 

 the least inclination to fly out ; so that I at last ventured to entice 

 it out in the garden, to see whether it would return. I with diffi- 

 culty enticed it out at the door with a spoonful of milk it returned 

 twice to the room ; the third time it ventured into a little tree ; 

 it then fled and perched on my hand, and drank milk out of the 

 spoon ; from thence it flew to the ground on some damp chick- 

 weed, in which it washed itself, and got into a hollybush to dry ; 

 after getting among the leaves, I could see no more of it, but 

 heard it call several times. I suppose, after it got quite dry, that 

 it left the country directly, as I could never see or hear it after- 

 wards ; an 1 it was then the end of November, when all the 

 others had .eft for some time." 



