The Babillard. 



293 



Habits and Breeding. — The Babillard is a migratory bird, 

 arriving in England in April, and leaving again in September. 

 It is found in most parts of Europe, and is common in France 

 and Germany. It frequents gardens, orchards, and woods, in the 

 latter case living among the low dense underwood. It builds in 

 gooseberry or whitethorn bushes. The nest is composed of stalks 

 of grass and root fibres, and is lined with hair, or the bristles of 

 swine. The hen lays five or six whitish eggs, which are spotted 

 profusely at the larger end with grey and yellowish brown ; she 

 incubates fourteen days. The parent birds are much attached to 

 their offspring. If anyone approaches the nest during the period 

 of nidification, the hen becomes paralyzed with fear, utters a 

 wild cry, dashes out of the nest to the ground, and flutters about 

 helplessly, screaming with terror. The young birds of this 

 variety will spring from the nest, if disturbed, when only ten or 

 twelve days old, when they have scarcely any feathers to cover 

 them, and will run into any place they can find, to obtain 

 shelter. 



Methods of Capture. — The same means must be resorted to 

 as recommended for capturing Fauvettes. 



Food and Treatment. — The Babillard is an insectivorous and 

 fruit-eating bird. It feeds on small insects of all kinds, and also 

 their larvae, and appears partial to the small green caterpillars 

 found on gooseberry bushes and cabbages. It eats currants, 

 elder berries, cherries, plums, pears, apples, apricots, and ripe 

 gooseberries. In confinement, it may be fed in the same manner 

 as the Nightingale, Whitethroat, or Fauvette, but must have an 

 abundant supply of mealworms, ants' eggs, preserved flies, &c., 

 or it will soon get out of condition, and cease to sing. It may 

 have a little bread and milk, and bruised hemp seed, or a 

 sprinkling of maw seed, as a change of diet, and will soon get 

 accustomed to the Compounds No. 1 and No. 2, recommended 

 for the Starling {vide pp. 189, 190). Although a delicate bird, 

 it bears the cold fairly well. With care and attention it may 

 be kept in confinement three or four years, or even longer. 



Rearing the Young. — The young of this variety should be 

 taken when eight or nine days old, and reared in the same way 

 as recommended in the cases of the Nightingale and the 

 Whitethroat. 



Distinguishing Marks of Cock and Hen. — The hen is rather 

 smaller in size than the cock, and less vivid in the hues of 



