. Rural bird life : being essays on ornithology with instructions for preserving objects relating to that science . e, streaked, spotted, andspeckled with deep purplish-brown : some eggs are moreclouded and less streaked than others, while many arealmost plain. When you wander near the nest the everwatchful male bird will ofttimes endeavour to draw yourattention to himself by fluttering apparently helplessbefore you ; but the female bird remains quiet andmotionless on her charge, and only quits it when hertreasure lies at your feet. In the spring and summer months the Reed Buntingsfood consist
. Rural bird life : being essays on ornithology with instructions for preserving objects relating to that science . e, streaked, spotted, andspeckled with deep purplish-brown : some eggs are moreclouded and less streaked than others, while many arealmost plain. When you wander near the nest the everwatchful male bird will ofttimes endeavour to draw yourattention to himself by fluttering apparently helplessbefore you ; but the female bird remains quiet andmotionless on her charge, and only quits it when hertreasure lies at your feet. In the spring and summer months the Reed Buntingsfood consists of insects and larvae, like that of the othermembers of the Bunting family; but when the seeds of therushes are ripe, we see them clinging to the stems, almostbent double by their weight, and with tail jerking quicklyextract the seeds. Grass seeds and the seeds of weedsare also eaten, and in the winter months we sometimessee them on the common in company with Linnets, onthe clover fields with the Larks, or even in the farmyardswith Sparrows, and on the highway or pasture with theChaffinch and Yellow ill* CHAFFINCH. THi: CHAFFINCH AND BRAMBLING. The Chaffinch is another Httle chorister decked out ingay attire, and well known, too, for there is scarcely ahedgerow, garden, wood, coppice, or shrubbery, that doesnot at some time of the year contain Chaffinches inabundance. You may easily recognise him by his mo-notonous cry of Spink-Spink, spink-spink-spink, the morefrequently and loudly uttered provided you are close tohis nest. By the first week in March, when the pale primrosesare peeping from under the withered leaves, and thehawthorn shows the first signs of its coming vesture, we 172 RURAL BIRD LIFE. hear the love song of the Chaffinch. Though short andeven monotonous as compared to the melody of the Song-thrush, still there is an indescribable freshness and spright-liness about it, and its loud ringing tones seem to fillthe air and the woodlands around with gladne
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Keywords: ., bookauthorcoue, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbirds
