the winter its principal food is the berries of the Liguftriim 
vulgare (the privet), the fruit of the Hawthorn, and moft 
Other kinds of winter berries. 
The note of this bird is particularly foft, and is far fron^ 
unpleafant, it is fo lov/ that it frequently efcapes obfervation ; 
when confined it may be taught to whiftle a variety of tunes ; 
its note is ufuaily called piping. Birds thus inftru6ted are 
often imported from Germany, and are fold here at very high 
prices ; both fexes fmg in their native wilds, and may be with 
equal facility taught to pipe. 
Their nefl is moftly found placed in the thickeft part of a 
black or white thorn bulb, it is compofed of fmall twigs and 
mofs, and is lined with foft dry fibres ; they lay four or five 
blueifh white eggs, fpotted with reddifh purple, chiefly at 
the large end ; the young ones at firft referable 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 dif^urbed it flies but a ihort diftance, and 
will generally return to the fpot from whence difturbed, in 
the courfe of a few minutes ; its motion when flying is undu- 
lating, and it mofl ufuaily 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 higheil branches, where it fits with its wings 
a little extended, fwaying the branch up and down, during 
which time it is always fmging : the note during the time oi 
incubation is much ftronger than at other times. 
