the nest last Summer on Wandsworth Common, and 
bred up by hand, by which means it became very tame 
and bold ; when young, it was seized with the cramp, 
which I thought might be occasioned by the want of 
sand or gravel, as I suspect what they eat of that turns 
to lime, and forms or hardens their bones. I accor- 
dingly mixed up some small stones, about the size of 
small shots, in its food, after it had not been able to 
stand for three or four days ; the first day I gave it 
him, he became much stronger, and could stand a little 
before night ; the next day it was quite well, and could 
jump up and down the perches as if nothing had ever 
ailed it, and it has continued in good health ever since, 
and is now as handsome a bird as need be ; it has been 
in full song ever since last October, singing nearly the 
whole day through, and very often at night ; its song 
is now very loud and very variable, as it has learnt the 
songs of most of the other birds. In my account of 
the Stonechat, I mentioned this bird as having learnt 
the song of the Larger Whitethroat, the Redstart, and 
the female Willow-Wren ; since that it has learnt the 
song of the Missel-Thrush, which it hears in the garden 
near by; it also learnt the Nightingale’s jug, jug, jug, 
and repeated it in five minutes after hearing the Night- 
ingale sing, and it now sings it frequently, so that it is 
impossible to know which of the two are singing with- 
out seeing them. The same treatment is required for 
breeding those birds from the nest, as I have already 
mentioned in treating of some of the other species ; 
and afterwards, to keep them in good health, give them 
as many insects as possible, such as the common mag- 
gots, small beetles, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, 
and almost all sorts of small insects. 
S. Phcenicurus , the Redstart. I have now a beauti- 
ful male bird of this species, which I have possessed for 
six years ; it always keeps itself in as good health, and 
in as fine a plumage, as if flying wild in the open air, 
continuing in song the greater part of the year. It is 
certainly the most sensible and cunning species of the 
tribe, and becomes very much attached to any person 
who notices it ; mine flew out of its cage, about two 
