5 
here, station yourself at the window, and observe the little brownish grey birds that are moving 
about under the shade of that Zawrocerasus. What can they be looking for there, in the middle 
of winter, when surely very few insects are to be found? Yet they shuffle along, with short 
steps, with a half-hopping and half-walking movement, in a sort of crouching posture, looking 
intently on the ground, and every now and then pick up some small article, apparently too 
minute for us to perceive it were we quite close to it. Quietly, peaceably, and industriously 
they search among the tiny protuberances of the soil, gently raising and shaking their wings as 
they proceed. A person passes within a few yards of them, and yet they merely move a little 
way off, or quietly hop into the bush, where they frisk about among the branches. <A pert 
Robin drops in among them, and they disperse, not liking so troublesome a companion ; but they 
show no fear of the Sparrows that have perched beside them, nor of the Thrush that stands on 
one of the branches. They sometimes pick up the small crumbs that are scattered near the 
door; but familiar and gentle as they are, they never enter the house, in the most severe 
weather, or under any enticement. 
*“At all seasons these birds are seen in the gardens, and by the hedges, near houses; but 
during winter and spring they are much more numerous there; for those which in summer 
preferred remote places, then approach the habitations of man, although some still keep aloof. 
Hawthorn hedges are their favourite haunts; and on the ground along their bases they search 
for small seeds and insects, frequently making short pedestrian excursions into the fields on the 
one hand, or the footpaths on the other. They flit about among the bushes with great liveliness, 
often running along the ground, and seldom perching on the upper branches. Owing to the 
dulness of their colouring, and the celerity with which they take shelter, they are not very 
readily perceived; but they can scarcely be called shy, under any circumstances; and they often 
allow a person to approach within a few yards, or even feet, without showing any apprehension. 
Even in winter they are not at all gregarious; for you seldom find more than two or three 
together, and it is very rare to see two flying in the same direction. ‘Their flights are generally 
very short, and without undulation. 
“ After the middle of spring, they are less frequently seen about houses; and at all seasons 
they are to be found in hedges and among bushes, seldom appearing in open ground or upon 
trees. In fine weather they sing even in winter, nor is there any season of the year at which 
they are entirely mute; but from the middle of spring to the end of May especially, they are 
heard chanting their short, clear, pleasantly modulated, but not remarkably mellow song, 
generally when perched on a twig, but sometimes on the ground or a wall. During the 
breeding-season, the shake of their wings increases to a shuffle or kind of flutter, which they 
execute at short intervals; and their habit can hardly fail to be observed by the most incurious. 
Their ordinary cry is a slight cheep. They are not by any means quarrelsome, either among 
themselves or with other small birds; and they seem to pair in the quietest possible manner. 
‘“‘TIn dry sunny weather in summer I have watched them basking on the road near a hedge. 
They would stand quite motionless, their legs much bent, their tail touching the ground, their 
wings spread a little, and their plumage all ruffled; and thus they remain a long time, seeming 
to enjoy the heat exceedingly, and suffering a person to approach very near them before they fly 
3 P 
