52 BIRD-LIFE. 
these evoke, by wood and streamlet, the fairy spells of 
night and evening, with the weird beauty of their 
melody. 
The whole remaining train of our home songsters are 
the liege subjects of the august pair. In accordance with 
the general opinion of connoisseurs they rank in the 
following order: next, the Garden Warbler; then, the 
Sedge Warbler, the Blackcap, Whitethroat, Barred 
Warbler ($. nisoria ), Woodlark, Skylark, and the Melo¬ 
dious Warbler; after these come the wood songsters,— 
the Song Thrush, Blackbird, Golden Oriole, Robin, 
Hedgesparrow; and lastly, the Blue-throated Warbler 
(S. suecica ), Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Siskin, Cross¬ 
bill and others. This order of precedence is altered, 
more or less, in accordance with the individual taste of 
the fancier. In addition to the above-mentioned sorts, 
which are almost all equally to be found in Southern 
Europe, we find there the Blue and Rock Thrushes, 
White-tailed Wheatear ( Saxicola leucura ), and Calandre 
Lark ( Alaudra Kcdandra ), all which are held in high 
estimation. 
Owing to our still very limited knowledge of the life 
and habits of non-European birds, we need not be 
surprised if most foreign singing birds are yet unknown 
to us. It scarcely admits of a doubt that besides the 
Mocking-bird there exist still other exquisite songsters to 
be discovered. Observing travellers have remarked some, 
which they praise in a high degree. 
“Amid the outspread wilderness,” says Waterton, 
“usually upon a dead branch of some ancient Mora tree, far 
out of gun-shot, the Bell-bird ( Chasmorynchus carunculatus ) 
is to be seen. No sound or song of any one of the winged 
inhabitants of the forest, not even the clearly-enunciated 
