32S 



^ASSE^E^;.- 



-BIRDS.. 



-Sylviid.t:. 



tiality for fiirze-covercd commons even exceeds it ; but 

 it is a bird of passage in this country, oidy dwelling witli 

 >is through the summer. The nest resembles that of 

 the Sfoneehat, but the eggs are bluish- green, with a few 

 ver}' small specks of reddish-brown. 



THE WHEATEAR {Saxicokt CEnanthe), which is nearly 

 allied to the preceding species, is a migratory bird, reach- 

 ing us in March, and taking its departure for the south 

 in September. It is muoli prized for the table ; and in 

 the autumn great quantities of Wheatears are captured 

 upon our south downs by the shejiherds, by a simple 

 trap consisting of a covered jiassage cut in the turf, 

 ■within which is a small stick supporting two horse-hair 

 nooses. The birds run into the passage at the least 

 alarm, when they can hardly avoid catching their necks 

 in one of the treacherous loops of horsehair. 



THE rNDIAN NIGHTINaALE {Kittacincla macroiira), 

 a species nearly allied to the Stoneohafs and Redstarts, 

 is a s|ilenJid songster, which, like the European night- 

 ingale,sings beautifully atnight. Jlr.Tickell, describing 

 the melody of this bird, says — "The strains sweep with 

 a gush of sweetness through the enchantuig solitudes 

 which this bird makes its favourite resort, at times when 

 other birds are silent in rest ; and in unison with the 

 surrounding scenery, in which Nature seems to have 

 lavished every fantastic invention of beauty, the efieot 

 lirodnced upon the mind and ear can alone be appre- 

 ciated by those who have witnessed the magnificence 

 of a tropical forest." In Calcutta many thousands of 

 these birds are kept in confinement, with their cages 

 darkened by several folds of cloth wrapped round them, 

 and the richer natives employ servants to carry their 

 birds about in the streets. Mr. Blyth informs us 

 that the birds, although shut out from all light and air, 

 " like Mahometan ladies enjoying their evening drive," 

 nevertheless sing forth most lustily and melodiouslv. 



THE HEDGESPARROW (Acci-htor inoihdark).'— Of 

 the gemis Accentor, which includes a considerable 

 number of species, found in various pai'ts of the world, 

 we have one species which is an abundant and per- 

 manent resident in Britain. This bird, the Iledge- 

 warl.ilor or Hedge-sparrow, is very generally distri- 

 buted about hedges and gardens, where it builds its 

 nest of moss and roots, lined with wool and hiir, com- 

 ])leting it so early in the season that, from the hedges 

 being bare of leaves, it is very easily discovered, and is 

 cnnseiiuently exposed to be plundered by every mis- 

 chievous urchin that passes by. The delicate greenish- 

 blue eggs of the Hedge-sparrow, indeed, generally 

 constitute the greater proportion of those which are 

 to be frumd on tlie strings of country-boys, so that, as 

 IMr. Knapp observes, it is almost a wonder that the 

 species is not extirpated. The birds, however, rear 

 two broods in a season, which may to some extent 

 compensate for the wdiolesale destruction of their eggs 

 that takes place in the spring. The male Hedge- 

 sparrow has a short hut sweet song, which it contiiuies 

 to utter nearly all the year round. In the winter it 

 frequently approaches houses like the Ilobin in search 

 of food. 



THE YELLOTV-THROATED WARBLER {Sericornis 

 ci/reof/ukiris), a native of the brushes of New South 

 Vv'ales, measures about six inches in length, and is of 



a brown colour, with the belly white, the throat yellow, 

 and the sides of the face black ; above each eye is a 

 long yellow streak. This bird constructs its nest in 

 the bunches of moss wdn'ch are often suspended from 

 the extremities of the branches of trees in the Austra- 

 lian forests, and which eonse juently swing about vio- 

 lently when agitated by the wind. This, however, 

 does not appear to disturb the bird, who probably 

 considers that such an inconvenience is amply com- 

 pensated by security from other dangers. 



THE YELLOW - TAILED ACANTHIZA {AcantJii-a 

 chri/nnn-hixu). — Of several species of the genus Acav- 

 Ihiza found in various parts of Australia, this is the 

 most abundant and generally distributed, being found 

 in all the southern parts of that coritinent, and also in 

 Van Dienien's Land. It is a small bird, of an olive- 

 bi'own colour above, whitish beneath, with the rump 

 and upper tail-coverts bright yellow. It builds a domed 

 nest of grasses and leaves, and rears three broods in 

 the season. This is one of the birds in whose nest the 

 Bronze Cuckoo of Australia deposits its egg. 



THE BLUE TIT {Parus ci:ra'ciis), a well-kuown 

 British bird, frequently called the To.mtit and the 

 Titmouse, is a diminutive, but handsome, active, and 

 lively creature. It is seen commonly in woods and 

 plantations during the summer, but in the winter fre- 

 quently resorts to gardens and orchards, where it may 

 be observed clinging to the branches in every possible 

 position, engaged in a minute search for the insects 

 which shelter themselves from the inclemeiicj- of the 

 weather in the crevices of the bark and within the buds. 

 The Blue Tit will also peck at meat, and has been 

 known to visit the butchers' shops for this purpose. 

 The nest of this bird is made with a largo quantity of 

 moss, hair, and feathers in a hole in a v/all or tree, 

 and here the female lays usually from eight to ten 

 eggs, althougli twelve, fourteen, and even eighteen 

 have b;en found in a nest. The eggs are white, 

 spotted with pale red. When sitting, the female 

 exhibits great courage in the defence of her eggs; she 

 do,'S not quit her nest when threatened with danger, 

 but puffs out her feathers, hisses at the intruder, and 

 peeks at his fingers, a habit from which the boys in 

 some parts of England have bestowed the expressive 

 name of " Billy Biter" upon the Blue Tit. This bird 

 is abundant hi all the temperate parts of the European 

 continent, and is also recorded as a native of Japan 

 and Formosa. 



THE GREAT TIT (Parvs major), which is the 

 largest species of its genus, measures nearly six inches 

 in length, and like the preceding species, which it 

 resembles in habits, is a common bird in this country. 

 This bird is said occasionally to kill small birds by 

 repeated bU ws on the head with his hard and sharp 

 bill, after which he breaks open the skull, and picks 

 out and eats the brains of his victim. 



THE COLE TIT {Pariis ater) and tlie Marsh Tit 

 {P. palaatrlii), are common British species, especially 

 in the southern parts of the island ; the latter is 

 distinguished by its preference for mar.shy districts, 

 whore it dwells amongst the willows and alders. 



THE CRESTED TIT (Paruscrislatvs), a less abundant 

 species, distinguished by the possession of an elegant 



