174 NATURAL HISTORY 



nests, and sometimes in the forks of boughs 

 under rooks' nests. 



As my neighbour was housing a rick he 

 observed that his dogs devoured all the 

 little red mice that they could catch, but 

 rejected the common mice; and that his 

 cats eat the common mice, refusing the 

 red. 



Red-breasts sing all through the Spring, 

 Summer, and Autumn. The reason that they 

 are called Autumn songsters is, because in 

 the two first seasons their voices are 

 drowned and lost in the general chorus ; in 

 the latter their song becomes distinguish- 

 able. Many songsters of the Autumn seem 

 to be the young cock red-breast of that 

 year: notwithstanding the prejudices in 

 their favour, they do much mischief in 

 gardens to the Summer-fruits* 



The titmouse, which early in February 

 begins to make two quaint notes, like the 

 whetting of a saw, is the marsh titmouse, 

 the great titmouse sings with three cheerful 



* They eat also the berries of the ivy, the honey- 

 suckle, and the euonymus eiiropceus, or spindle-tree. 



