280 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[January 30. 
varieties they may he distinguished by their stripes, that is 
to say, by some black spots which the females never have. 
Old birds present some other characteristics besides these, 
but which are not less uncertain. In the males, the pro¬ 
minence of the nostrils is much more apparent, whether we 
look at the beak sideways or facing; the white tubercles 
that cover this membrane are also larger. The beak of the 
female is straight, seen sideways, and its tubercles are 
smaller; the upper end of the beak is covered with rather 
longer feathers; its head is more fine and straight; its eye 
is softer and not so sharp ; its tail, always less furnished, is 
also cleaner than that of the male, because when he is in 
love, he is in the habit of trailing it heavily on the ground; 
the result of which is, that from turning incessantly round 
the female, he wears out, soils, and breaks its extremity. 
I have seen a remark made which I do not vouch for as 
being more sure than the preceding, which is, that when 
we take a pigeon, especially a young one, the male bristles 
up, snaps liis beak if he is very young, and strongly presses 
down his tail; whilst on the contrary, the female, more 
gentle in character, does not show any sign of anger, raises 
up her tail, or keeps it in a horizontal position. The way 
never to be deceived, is not to judge of the bird’s sex until 
the amorous age arrives. 
We ought to couple pigeons as soon as we perceive signs 
of that age, but they will not be in their full rigour until a 
year old, before that time we have no right to expect very 
regular broods. From one year old to seven and even eight 
they enjoy them greatest strength, and possess all the 
fecundity of which they are capable. After that time their 
broods diminish, and generally cease altogether when ten 
or twelve years old, which is the common life of these 
animals. They have, however, been known to lay and rear 
their young at twelve or thirteen years of age, and live to 
fifteen, but these very rare examples are exceptions to the 
general rule. 
ENGLISH CAGE BIRDS. 
THE WOOD WARBLER. 
Insessores Denterostres. Sylyiaixe Ixsf.ctiyotue. 
Sylvia sylvicola; Motacilla trochilus; Curriica sibilatrix; 
Sylvia sibilatrix: The Wood Warbler; Wood Wren; Yel¬ 
low Wren; Linty White. 
This beautiful little bird is another summer visitant 
arriving in this country about the end of April, the males 
usually making their appearance first. Its usual resort is 
amongst woody plantations, preferring tall trees, especially 
beech or ash. Its song is very simple, being a continuation 
of a note resembling the word twee, sounded long, and very 
frequently repeated ; and it is said to be accompanied by a 
tremulousness of the wings as the notes are repeated quicker 
in succession. Its song is often delivered during flight. Its 
natural food consists of insects and them larvfe, caterpillars 
and their flies. It does not eat either fruit or berries; 
nevertheless it can be kept in a state of confinement. 
Those which I have had in captivity, have been reared 
from the nest, being fed on meat and hard-boiled eggs, 
bread and milk and hempseed mixed together, and mag¬ 
gots obtained from the tallow melters. I keep them in 
a round basket in their nest, taking care to have them 
scrupulously clean and warm, varying their food as 
above, and giving them a drop or two of water. They 
require to be fed several times a day, giving them as much 
as they will take each time. They will, at length, learn to 
feed themselves; but they will peek at living insects some time 
before they will eat the artificial food prepared for them. 
They delight in pecking off the branch of a rose-tree the 
aphides or plant lice with which the rose and other trees 
are infested, and thus are of essential benefit to man in the 
destruction of those pests. The Wood Wren leaves this 
country about the middle of September. Its nest is of an 
oval shape, domed over, always placed amidst herbage on 
the ground, and is formed of dried grass, dead leaves, a 
little moss, and lined with fine grass and hairs, but no 
feathers—differing from other species of this genus in that 
particular. W. Kayner. 
[Mr. McGillivray, in his most truthful History of British 
Birds, gives the following notice from his friend Mr. Hep¬ 
burn :— 
“ It was on the 5tli of May last (1838), the thermometer 
58°, that I first observed the Wood Wren, Sylvia sibilatrix. 
A solitary bird was skulking about a hedge-row, which 
bounds a plantation on this farm (Whittingham) ; the wind 
was cold, and the sky overcast. The following morning was 
most delightful, dew-drops hung from every spray, glistening 
like pearls in the rays of the bright sun ; the Wood Wrens, 
joyous at returning to their native land, and full of animation, 
were sporting about, and making the woods resound with 
their sweet wild notes. Nor were our more common birds 
silent; a mysterious sympathy seemed to unite all in per¬ 
forming one common hymn of grateful praise to the God of 
nature ; the very calmness of the clear blue sky seemed to 
utter the gentle breathing of enjoyment. For some time 
after their arrival, the male loves most to mount to the top 
of the tallest tree, where, adroitly poising himself, he pours 
forth his beautiful song, resembling the syllables, twee, twee, 
twee, at first rather slow, but afterwards in a hurried manner, 
and accompanied by a curious shake of the wings, and 
occasionally by a slight vertical motion of the tail. On Mon¬ 
day the 14th May, when observing the manners of this bird, 
one of which was sporting in a tall hedge-row, I disturbed a 
humble bee, Bombus terrestris, which was feeding on the 
expanded flower of the common but beautiful Dandelion. 
After circling and murmuring round my head, it flew off in 
a direction parallel to the hedge ; and as it passed the Wood 
Wren, he ceased his song,'and darted at it. I was so near 
that I distinctly heard his bill crack against the bee’s homy 
sides. The insect was stunned, and nearly fell to the ground, 
while the Wood Wren returned to the hedge, from which he 
again made an unsuccessful dart at the poor bee. From 
the 14th to the 28tli July, I never heard the Wood Wren’s 
song, although I saw plenty of the birds daily. During this 
period the weather was cloudy and very often wet, the east 
winds felt cold, although the thermometer ranged from 58° 
to 09° at noon. After this we had fine weather, when their 
song was again heard. 
“Between the 8th of August and the 10th of September 
their voice was not heard during windy weather, unless 
when it fell calm. Notwithstanding the high range of the 
thermometer, the wind, particularly the east wind, felt very 
cold, when they did not sing. The 0th of September was a 
very stormy day, but about noon the wind and rain ceased, 
the sun broke forth, and the AYood Wren’s note was again 
heard. When bad weather was impending, they sung very 
little. Both this bird and the Willow Wren are very tame ; 
those in our garden would allow me to approach to within 
five or six feet of them, and often nearer. It was on the 
10th of September that I last saw this favourite bird : 
several were sporting on a row of tall poplars in the garden; 
the weather was very calm ; their song was very distinct. 
It still rings in my ears, and I long for the season when 
the AYood Wren will revisit his native place. The young 
are fledged about the beginning of July.”] 
WALLS OF EARTH. 
“ Earth leads to many thoughts.”— Anon. 
I have been greatly struck with Mr. D. Beaton's treatise 
on bank walls or mounds; and though in some fear of 
appearing wise beyond what is written, I cannot help trying 
to put into words the association of ideas which have arisen 
in my mind from the pleasant perusal of his very practical 
suggestions. 
The old so-called walls of ancient cities are formed, in the 
manner partly described by Mr. Beaton, of clay, sun-dried 
bricks, and proper baked bricks. Many of the most ancient 
houses were of a nature of the ice-houses, tool-houses, &c., 
suggested by him for the interior of his constructions. 
Further, it would not be difficult to trace an analogy between 
his facings of concrete, and ornamental trellises of flowers, 
Ac., with the stuccoed facings, and painted, sculptured, and 
otherwise ornamented surfaces of the old walls described by 
Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and the best of writers, whose 
poetical descriptions men were slow to believe till Layard 
and Co. began to excavate the seeming heaps of mere earth. 
Now, I wish to know what is to prevent a scholar-like 
patron of one of your scientific gardeners from trying at liis 
