118 



THE NATURAL HISTORY 



Most soft-billed birds live on insects, and not on grain 

 and seeds ; and therefore at the end of summer they 

 retire : but the following soft-billed birds, though insect- 

 eaters, stay with us the year round : 



Red-breast, 

 Wren, 



RAII NOMINA. 



Rubecula : 

 Passer troglodytes : 



Hedge-sparrosv, Curraca : 



While-wagtail, Motacilla alba : 

 Yellow-wagtail, Motacilla flava : 

 Grey-wagtail, Motacilla cinerea : 



Wheat-ear, 



Oenanlhe : 



Whin-chat, Oenanlhe secanda : 



Stone-chatter, Oenanlhe lertia : 



Golden-crowned Regains crisialus : 

 wren. 



(" These frequent houses ; and 



■! haunt outbuildings in 



\ the winter ; eat spiders. 



Haunt sinks for crumbs 



and other sweepings. 

 These frequent shallow 

 rivulets near the spring 

 heads, where they never 

 freeze : eat the aureliae 

 of Phryganea. The 

 smallest birds that 

 walk. 

 Some of these are to be 

 seen with us the winter 

 through. 



This is the smallest Brit- 

 ish bird : haunts the tops 

 of tall trees ; stays the 

 winter through. 



.4 LIST of the Winter Birds of Passage round this 

 neighbourhood, ranged somewhat in the order in which 

 they appear : 



RAII NOMIX\. 



Menilatorquala : 



1. Ring-ousel, 



2. Redwing, 



3. Fieldfare, 



4. Royston- 



crow, 



5. Wood-cock, 



Tardus iliacus : 

 Tardus pilaris : 



Comix cinerea : 



Scolopax : 



This is a new migration 

 which I have lately dis- 

 covered about Michael- 

 mas week, and again 

 about the fourteenth of 

 March. 



About old Michaelmas. 



Though a percher by day, 

 roosts on the ground. 



Most frequent on downs. 



Appears about old Michael- 

 mas. 



