THE YELLOW- HAMMER. 119 



The flight of the Yellow-Hammer is rapid, strong, and 

 undulating ; the bird seems to alight unexpectedly, and may 

 be noticed to display the tail, at such times, with a quick 

 jerky movement. 



The Yellow-Hammer has a somewhat peculiar way of 

 leaping when feeding on terra fir ma y the bird's breast at 

 the time being close, or very nearly so, to the ground; 

 when perched, the attitude is " listless, the tail being de- 

 flected for some time." 



The note is one of the first heard in the spring, and is 

 often to be detected as early as February ; it consists of two 

 or three chirps, which sound like " Chit-chit " followed by 

 a prolonged and harsh " chirr-r-r/' In Sussex the Yellow- 

 Hammer's song is popularly supposed to resemble the 

 words " Bit o' bread and no chee-e-e-se." The song is 

 usually uttered when the bird is on the top of some hedge 

 or the spray of a bush. 



Should a flock be disturbed, the entire party take 

 refuge in some neighbouring trees or bushes, where a loud 

 twittering is set up, which is joined in more or less by all 

 the members of the party. If left to themselves, the birds 

 will shortly leave the trees in ones and twos, and reassemble 

 in a flock as before. 



The Yellow-Hammer varies in plumage to a considerable 

 extent, some birds being much more yellow than others, 

 while the red of the breast and lower part of the back ris 

 more or less deep in some than in others. The bill is of a 

 bluish horn-colour, the upper part tinged with brown ; the 

 iris is dark brown, and about the base of the bill there are 

 short bristles. On the crown and sides the head is bright 

 yellow, with a few streaks of dusky black and olive, fre- 

 quently forming a line on each side from "the forehead over 



