SKETCHES OE EUROPEAN ORNITHOLOGY. 
189 
infinitely inferior to the really spirited and characteristic figure given by Lewin, 
who has occasionally, though but seldom, hit off his birds most admirably. It is 
diffused abundantly over the whole of Europe, and occurs also in Asia and 
Africa, and the countries bordering on the Arctic Circle. Abounds in the thick¬ 
ets of the cultivated parts of England, delighting especially in heaps of dead 
brushwood lying on the ground, and fluttering off with a harsh twitter on the 
approach of man. The song is short and loud, and is heard almost throughout 
the year. Indigenous in England, but sometimes falls a prey to the severity of 
our Winters. Builds in almost any situation; the nest is domed, consisting 
chiefly of Moss outside, lined with hair or feathers, and slender twigs wound 
round the entrance. We have seen the nest consisting entirely of leaves, and 
others almost wholly of hay. Lays from six to eight eggs, pure white, marked 
with small red spots. The sexes are not to be distinguished, and the young only 
differ in size from the adults. 
A male and female, two thirds of the natural size, of the White-eyed Po¬ 
chard, Fuligula leucophthalmos , Steph., —Milduin a-iris-blanc, Fr. —Tafel Po¬ 
chard, G.—Milouina penelope, It. —Beautiful representations, but the female is 
not sufficiently feathery. Common in France, Holland, Germany, India, and 
North-Africa; rare in England. It is an expert diver, and strong and rapid on 
the wing. Feeds on aquatic insects, water plants, Mollusca, &c. Builds 
amongst Reeds, on the banks of rivers and morasses. Eggs eight or ten, of a 
greenish-white colour. The female differs from the male chiefly in the under 
parts being brown instead of white. The young “ have the top of the head 
blackish-brown, all the feathers of the upper parts edged with reddish-brown, 
and the white of the under part clouded with a lighter tinge of the same colour.” 
Male and female, size of life, of the Alpine Redwing, Tichodroma Alpina , 
Temm., —Tichodrome echelette, Fr. —Picchio muriaiolo, It. —Mauer Baumlaufer, 
G.—These beautiful birds are well figured, and the colouring is exquisite. In¬ 
habits the middle and Southern portions of the Continent, frequenting bleak rocks 
and mountains, and is found on the Alps, the Apennines, and Pyrenees. Its 
most favourite resorts are the ruins of castles and fortresses, where it may be 
seen hopping from stone to stone. Hence the name “Wall Creeper,” which has 
sometimes been applied to it. This species moults twice in the year, and there 
is no very material difference between the sexes. The wing-coverts and part of 
the quills are of a bright crimson. It does not occur in Britain. 
An adult and a young bird of the Red-throated Diver, Colymhus Septen- 
trionalis , Linn., —Plongeon a-gorge-rouge, Fr. —Rothkehliger Taucher, G.— 
Nothing can be more beautiful than the plate before us. Both male and female, 
figured two-thirds of the natural size, are truly gems of ornithological painting. 
This is the smallest of the genus, but the most abundant, being common on the 
