Cassell's book of birds; vol. 2

by Alfred Edmund Brehm

The HEDGE SPARROWS, or HEDGE WARBLERS (Tharraleus, or Accentor), have a slender body, a comparatively weak and pointed beak, short, rounded wings, in which the fourth quill is the longest, a moderate-sized tail, straight or incised at its extremity, and a high foot.

THE HEDGE SPARROW, OR HEDGE WARBLER.

The TRUE HEDGE SPARROW, or HEDGE WARBLER (Tharraleus modularis, or Accentor modularis), is six inches long and eight inches and one-sixth broad, the wing measures two inches and three-quarters, and the tail two inches and one-quarter. The female is considerably smaller than her mate. The plumage of the adult bird is of a dusky reddish brown, spotted with a still deeper shade on the shoulder and upper part of the back; the head, fore part of the throat, and breast are brownish grey, or slate-colour. In autumn the feathers on these parts have light edges; the belly is brownish yellow, darkly spotted, and the rump greyish brown; the outer web of the quills is reddish brown, striped once, in some instances twice, with a whitish hue; the tail is of an uniform greyish brown. The eye is light brown, the beak brown, and the foot reddish. The young are reddish yellow spotted with blackish brown on the mantle, and of a whitish hue spotted with greyish black on the centre of the belly. The Hedge Sparrow inhabits the whole of Europe, from sixty-four degrees north latitude as far south as the Pyrenees, Alps, and Balkan Mountains; it is only occasionally seen still farther north, but visits Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia, regularly during its migrations. In Great Britain it remains throughout the entire year. For some time after their return to their native lands the Hedge Sparrows resort to the open country, and take up their quarters on bushes and hedges; previous to the breeding season, however, they retire to the shelter of their favourite fir or pine woods, or, though comparatively rarely, occupy groves of leafy trees; they also exhibit a decided preference for mountainous regions.

In Great Britain this brisk little bird is a common frequenter of gardens, orchards, or hedgerows, where it hops nimbly and almost incessantly from twig to twig, in search of the insects, larvæ, and seeds upon which it mainly subsists. According to Mr. Yarrell, it seldom or never touches fruit. During the winter it is a constant visitor to our farmyards and houses, and when the weather is severe is frequently reduced to seek a scanty supply of food from drains and gutters. All the movements of the Hedge Warbler are equally agile and rapid; it hops with the utmost alacrity over the surface of the ground, climbs and scrambles amid the thickest bushes with wonderful agility, and flies lightly and gracefully, not merely from bush to bush, but sometimes high into the air. Whilst in pursuit of food it usually prefers to keep within the shelter of the foliage, but when about to utter its short, sweet, and somewhat plaintive song, it perches upon a projecting branch at a considerable elevation, and, if alarmed, darts directly downwards into the innermost recesses of the brushwood or shrubs beneath. Mudie describes the voice of the Hedge Sparrow as being particularly plaintive in tone during the winter months, and remarks that in severe seasons it utters its peevish cry with an apparent feeling of suffering and desolation. The song of the males is often heard as early as January; and by the middle of February each has found a mate and retired to some quiet spot, in order to commence building operations. The nest, which is generally finished by the end of March, is loosely put together; it is formed exteriorly of moss and fibres, and within is neatly and carefully lined with interwoven horsehair and wool; both parents assist in the labour of building, and have generally completed their snug little abode by the middle of March: it is, however, exposed to danger and observation, being placed in a bush or hedge, without, as yet, the screen of leaves, and often is visited by the Cuckoo, with the view of depositing her progeny. The eggs, from four to six in number, are of a blueish green colour. The first brood is hatched in April, and a second is produced later in the season. Should the eggs be stolen from the nest, as is too frequently the case, the female will occasionally furnish a third brood. The young are hatched in about a fortnight, both father and mother sharing the tedium of incubation, and tending them with the utmost care and devotion until they are strong enough to seek their own food.

THE SIBERIAN ACCENTOR.

The SIBERIAN ACCENTOR (Tharraleus montanellus) is blackish brown upon the top of the head, bridles, and region of the eye; a broad yellowish white stripe passes over the eyebrow, and almost encircles the head; the nape is grey, and the back reddish brown, spotted with a deeper shade; the throat and lower tail-covers are whitish; the region of the crop and the upper part of the breast are deeply shaded with reddish yellow, and marked with crescent-shaped black spots; the sides of the breast are shaded with reddish yellow and reddish brown. The eye is pale yellowish brown, the mandibles greyish black, the lower one lightest at the base, the foot is of a dirty yellowish white. This species is from four inches and two-thirds to five inches and one-third long; the wing measures two inches and seven lines, and the tail about two inches and six lines. This beautiful bird inhabits Siberia, and has been found in Hungary, Dalmatia, and Italy.

THE ALPINE ACCENTOR.

The ALPINE ACCENTOR (Accentor Alpinus) represents a group of birds in appearance very closely resembling the Larks. Their beak is slightly curved and pointed, compressed at its sides, narrow towards its extremity, and broader than it is high at the base; the legs are stout, the toes thick, and the claws much hooked, but blunt; the wings, in which the third quill exceeds the rest in length, are long; the tail is short, and deeply incised; the upper portion of the body is deep grey, spotted with brown, the under side ash-grey, marked at the sides with reddish brown; the throat is white, slightly spotted with brown; the quills and tail-feathers are blackish brown, the latter spotted with white; the wings are ornamented with two white lines. Both sexes are alike in colour. The young are grey, spotted with reddish yellow; black on the back, and reddish yellow, chequered with light and dark grey, on the under side; the wing-feathers are brown, edged with rust-red, and the wings enlivened by two reddish yellow stripes. The tail is brown, and also tipped with reddish yellow; the eye is light brown, the beak yellow at the base and black at the tip; the foot is brown. This species is seven inches long and eleven and three-quarters broad; the wing measures three inches and three-quarters, and the tail two inches and three-quarters; the female is half an inch shorter, and three-quarters of an inch narrower than her mate.

These birds inhabit all the lofty mountains of Central and Southern Europe and Southern Asia, and are particularly numerous upon the Alps, where they are generally met with at an altitude of from 4,000 to 6,000 feet above the sea. They are also occasional visitors to the south of Great Britain. In winter they usually descend to the plains and valleys in search of seeds, but return to their favourite haunts as soon as the snow has melted from the surface of the rocks; they are then to be seen running lightly or flying from one peak to another, as they pour out their clear, melodious song, many notes of which will bear comparison with those of the Lark itself. Their disposition appears to be somewhat capricious; at one time they are all life and activity, at another perfectly quiescent. Gloger explains this peculiarity by telling us that they are only brisk and lively while searching for food, and that their change of demeanour is attributable to the process of digestion that is being carried on as they sit erect and motionless often for a whole half hour at a time. While hopping on the ground the Alpine Acceptor carries its tail slightly elevated, sometimes so high as to be raised above the wings. The flight of these birds is light and rapid, and capable of being sustained for a very considerable distance; but, under ordinary circumstances, they keep near the ground, and only soar into the air during the breeding season. Towards man they exhibit the utmost confidence, and are frequently to be seen hopping about close to a party of mountaineers or group of shepherds, quite indifferent to and apparently almost unconscious of the voices and movements around them. Insects, spiders, seeds, and berries constitute their principal food, and they devour grass seed, in particular, in great quantities. The nest, according to Schinz, is commenced early in the spring, and is situated in clefts or holes of the rock, or amid Alpine rose bushes; sometimes on the roofs of houses, care being generally taken that the little structure is so placed as to be completely sheltered from wind and weather. The nest, which is circular and semi-conical, is three inches both in diameter and in depth; it is constructed alternately of grass and moss, and lined with wool, hair, or similar materials. The eggs, from four to five in number, are of an oval shape, smooth, and of a blueish green. It is at present undecided whether the female is assisted by her mate in the work of incubation. Two broods are produced in the year, the first in May, the second in July.