75 



NOTES ON BIRDS. 



BY T. C. 



As every fact connected with Natural History is worth recording', 

 simply because it is a, fact, and as a perfect history is only a collection 

 of such facts, I have not scrupled to hand you a few observations or 

 rather remarks, which, though insignificant in themselves, may be inte- 

 resting- to those, to whom they are new, and may form small parts of 

 one great and perfect whole, — as the more of such facts the history of 

 any animal contains, the more nearly it must approach to perfection. 



The Redbreast, though seldom seen in densely populated districts in 

 summer, is very common in winter; this is not so much owing to the 

 inclemency of the season, as to his partiality to the society of man, for 

 it is only when engaged in the duties of incubation or rearing his 

 family, that the Robin returns to more secluded spots, and about the 

 middle of August he approaches our dwellings *. At this season he 

 sings very late in the evening ; I have often observed him seated on 

 some projecting corner of the roof, singing for hours together, and that 

 when the moon shone brightly, and the sun had sunk far beneath the 

 horizon. The wren and blue tit also frequently visit the outskirts of 

 London in the winter, and the common wren is exceedingly plentiful 

 in the country surrounding the metropolis. Markwick notices young 

 goldfinches on the 15th of June. White on the 15th of August. I 

 have seldom seen them till the 1st of August, but they are not plen- 

 tiful till the middle or end of the month.f I have seen a nest on a 

 cherry-tree, with only one or two eggs in it, at the beginning of July. 



The black begins to appear on the head of the young goldfinches 

 about the middle of September, and the red at the end of that month. 

 On one which I kept, the black first showed itself on the 1st of October, 

 and was perfect on the 1st of November, the face was covered with a 

 dull orange, much mixed with black ; it is some time before the head 

 assumes its perfect colouring. The goldfinch has many of the manners 

 of the tits ; it is very active and lively, frequently hangs with its back 

 downwards, and will put its feet on its food, and peck at it like a 

 genuine parus : it is amusing to see it with a teazle or thistle, leaning 

 upon it and pulling out the seeds. 



* This remark is not quite correct. See Architecture of Birds, page 83. 

 f There are more broods than one. I have seen the young as early as the end 

 of May, and eggs as late as September. — Ed. 



