BRITISH BIRDS. 
IO3 
them after their arrival ; they frequent the fame 
places, eat the fame food, and are very fimilar to 
them in manners. Like the Fieldfare it leaves us 
in the fpring, for which reafon its fong is quite un- 
known to us, but it is laid to be very pleafmg. 
The female builds its neft in low bulhes or hedges, 
and lays fix eggs, of a greenifh blue colour, fpot- 
ted with black. This and the former are delicate 
eating; the Romans held them in fuch eftimation 
that they kept thoufands of them together in avia- 
ries, and fed them with a fort of pafle made of 
bruifed figs and flour, and various other kinds of 
food to improve the delicacy and flavour of their 
flelh : Thefe aviaries were fo contrived as to ad- 
mit light barely fufficient to direct them to their 
food ; every objed which might tend to remind 
them of their former liberty was carefully kept 
out of fight, fuch as the fields, the woods, the birds, 
or whatever might difturb the repofe necefiary for 
their improvement. Under this management thefe 
birds fattened to the great profit of their proprie- 
tors, who fold them to Roman epicures for thre® 
denarii, or about two fhillings fterling each. 
o’clock la the morning, which, on its approach to land, had 
flown againft the llght-houfe at Tynemouth, and was fo ftunned 
that it fell to the ground and died foon after ; the light moff 
probably had attracted its attention,, 
