THE YELLOW-HAMMER. 
661 
except when moulting or singing, at which time he will 
sit for hours on the same spot. He sings from the earliest 
morning hour until very late in the evening, his song 
lasting without cessation from pairing time until the 
moulting season comes round. It is no wonder, then, 
that the populace have found means to translate his ditty 
into the vernacular, by sentences, which have their equiva¬ 
lent in the English phrase,—“ A very little bread and no 
cheeeesethe German sentence, “ ’Sis, ’sis, ’sis, ’sis 
viel zu fruh,” may be rendered,—“ ’Tis, ’tis, ’tis, ’tis 
much too early.” When singing the Yellow-hammer 
always selects the top of an exposed branch, thus showing 
its affection for man, for it does not evince the slightest 
fear of him; on the contrary, it allows him to pass and 
repass without being in any way disturbed in its song. 
If the season is favourable this bird’s clumsy nest of 
bents may be found in the low bushes, as early as 
the month of March, generally low down amongst the 
twigs, and but rarely more than two feet from the ground. 
The nest contains from four to five eggs: these are thin 
in the shell, shiny, or dull; their colour varies from a 
dirty white to a reddish tinge, covered with a number of 
dark spots, veins, and zigzag lines; these peculiar mark¬ 
ings prevent anyone from mistaking the egg for that of 
another bird. The period of incubation lasts thirteen 
days, and this duty is carried on by both parents alike. 
The young are at first exclusively fed on insects, and are 
already able to fly and take care of themselves when three 
weeks old. The old birds now prepare for a second, and 
in many years even for a third brood. 
The Yellow-hammer has many enemies : birds of prey 
and predatory animals alike lay in ambush for it; man 
persecutes it for the sake of its delicate flavour, the more 
