. Our native songsters . ly, so that one of itscommon country names is the Blackberry its favourite haunts being the fiu-zy com-mons, it is also called the Furze-chat and Furze-wren, and it is the Grand Traquet of the manners and mode of flight of this bird arevery similar to those of the stonechat, as it flitsabout in an equally restless manner, from onebush to another, uttering continually its clickingcry of u-tick, u-tick. Its song is sweet, thoughthe notes are very rapid, and it is often sungwhile the bird hovers over the furze-bush, or sits * The Whinchat is nearly f
. Our native songsters . ly, so that one of itscommon country names is the Blackberry its favourite haunts being the fiu-zy com-mons, it is also called the Furze-chat and Furze-wren, and it is the Grand Traquet of the manners and mode of flight of this bird arevery similar to those of the stonechat, as it flitsabout in an equally restless manner, from onebush to another, uttering continually its clickingcry of u-tick, u-tick. Its song is sweet, thoughthe notes are very rapid, and it is often sungwhile the bird hovers over the furze-bush, or sits * The Whinchat is nearly five inches in length. Wliole upperparts mottled with light and dark brown, the feathers havingdark centres; a conspicuous streak of white over each eye reach-ing from the beak to the nape; the tail-feathers white at theirbase; a white spot at the edge of the wing; under parts buff,becoming fawn-colour on the breiist, where it is separated fromthe dark-brown of the cheeks and neck by a margin of white;beak and feet THE WniNCHAT. 179 perched on the summit of one of the compares it to thatof thegoklfincli. Thesong gieets us at early morning, and after havingpoured forth its strains during ahnost the wlioleday, the furze-chat still sings it during twiliglit,and sometimes even at night. Mr. Sweet, whosesuccessful training of many of our wild songstersis well known, was very fond of the had one which he had reared from the would sing through the livelong day and duringthe night, and liad so good an ear that it wouldmost successfully imitate the notes of several otherbirds. It sang the songs of the whitethroat, red-start, willow-warbler, missel-thrush and nightin-gale. So fond was it of the notes of the missel-thrush, and so clearly did it imitate them, fromhearmg one in a garden near, that the harsh loudsounds became unbearable in a room. It wascertainly, says Mr. Sweet, the best bird I everkept of any kind, singing the whole year throu
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1853
