42 WARBLER. 



generally in a bush, though sometimes in an outhouse, or the retired 

 part of some old building. The young, when full feathered, are 

 spotted all over, and may be taken for different birds : the first 

 rudiment of the red breaks forth at the end of August, and about the 

 end of September is in full colour : it is a tame and familiar species, 

 closely attending the gardener when he is turning up the earth, for 

 the sake of worms, and will often, in winter, enter houses, where the 

 windows are open, picking the crumbs from the table, while the 

 family are at dinner;* the chief food, when at large, is insects. 

 It is observed, that the Redbreast will not touch a hairy caterpillar, 

 but will gladly take and eat any sort of smooth ones.f 



The Redbreast is found in most parts of the European Continent, 

 from Sweden to Italy, and in great abundance in Burgundy and 

 Lorraine, where numbers are taken for the table, being thought 

 excellent; very common also in Spain, Gibraltar, Barbary, and 

 Algiers ; approaching habitations in colder weather, as it does else- 

 where. J 



A.— Rubecula Bononiensis, Bris. iii. 422. Id. 8vo. i. 427. 



Spipola prima Aldrovandi, Rati, 80. 3. Will. 153. 



Spippola maggiore, Zinnan. Uov. 50. t. 7. f. 36. Gerin.'w. t. 389. f. 1. 



First Spipola of Aldrovand, Will. Engl. 210. Gen. Syn. iv. 444. 38. A. 



This is bigger. Bill brown ; head, neck behind, and back ash- 

 coloured ; throat white; fore part of the neck and breast rufous; 

 belly, thighs, and vent, rufous and white mixed ; wing coverts varied 

 with black, white, and rufous ; quills black, edged with white, and 

 the secondaries with rufous; tail as the quills; legs yellow. 



* An anecdote, of a tame one which inhabited the Cathedral at Bristol, for 15 years, 

 and usually perched on the pinnacle of the great organ, during divine service, is mentioned 

 in Gent. Mag. 1794. p. 154. f Ray's Letters, p. 136. 



J Brisson says, " appropinquante hyeme ad nos advolat," and means the same thing, 

 but misled Linnaeus, who put it down as migratory, which it is in no country. 



