the winter its principal food is the berries of the Liguftrum 

 vulgare (the privet), the fruit of the Hawthorn, and molt 

 other kinds of winter berries. 



The note of this bird is particularly foft, and is far from 

 unpleafant, it is fo low that it frequently efcapes obfervation ; 

 when confined it may be taught to whittle a variety of tunes ; 

 its note is ufually called piping. Birds thus inftru&ed are 

 often imported from Germany, and are fold here at very high 

 prices ; both fexes fing in their native wilds, and may be with 

 equal facility taught to pipe. 



Their neft is moftly found placed in the thicker! part of a 

 black or white thorn bufh, it is compofed of fmall twigs and 

 mofs, and is lined with foft dry fibres ; they lay four or five 

 blueifii white eggs, fpotted with reddifh purple, chiefly at 

 the large end ; the young ones at firft refemble the female in 

 colour, the black on the head is then pale, and they feldom 

 attain their full colours till after the end of the fecond month. 



When this bird is difturbed it flies but a fhort diftance, and 

 will generally return to the fpot from whence difturbed, in 

 the courfc of a few minutes ; its motion when flying is undu- 

 lating, and it moft ufually alights at the bottom of a bufh or 

 tree, and hops from twig to twig till it reaches the extreme 

 end of one of the higheft branches, where it fits with its wings 

 a little extended, fwaying the branch up and down, during 

 which time it is always finging : the note during the time of 

 incubation is much ftronger than at other times, 



