Attractive Qualities.—However gay this bird may appear when free, it becomes sad and melancholy in the house. If permitted to range, it only moves to procure food, and then returns to its accustomed place, and keeps its head sunk on its breast. Its pleasing song very much resembles the goldfinch’h; but what makes it more admired, is, that it is not only heard during the day, but also in the evening, and sometimes during the night.
MR. SWEET’T ACCOUNT OF THE WHINCHAT.
This pretty species is also known by the name of Furze Chat, and is very often confounded with the stonechat, which is a very different species. It generally visits this country in the beginning of April, and leaves us towards the end of September. All the fore part of the season it visits commons, where it may be seen on the furze bushes, flying backwards and forwards after the insects that pass. It builds its nest on the ground in a thicket, which it covers up with dry grass, so that it is impossible to find it without watching the old ones, either in carrying materials to build, or food to their young. I have generally found them with six or seven young ones, which, with care, are easily bred up from the nest, keeping them warm, dry, and clean, and feeding them with the same sorts of food as recommended for the old ones; they should not be taken till quite fledged, and should at first be placed in a little basket with covers, as they will then readily open their mouths for food. I consider those reared from the nest much the best, or such as are caught very young, as they may then be taught any tune, or will learn the song of any bird they hear, their own song not being a very good one.
This bird may be considered as one of the tenderest of the tribe, being very susceptible of cold. It is one of my greatest favourites. One that I bred from the nest by hand, learnt the song of the white-throat, the redstart, willow-wren, nightingale, and also that of a missel-thrush, which it frequently heard singing in a garden near by; of this latter song it was so fond, that we were frequently obliged to put our favourite out of the room, not being able to bear its loud notes; it was certainly the best bird I ever kept of any kind, singing nearly the whole year through, and varying its song continually; the only fault was its strong voice. At last, our favourite was turned out of its cage by a mischievous servant on a cold winter day, when we were from home for about an hour, and we could not entice it back; it most probably died of the cold, or took its flight to a warmer region. I scarcely entertain any hopes of ever getting such another; the food of the present species is precisely the same as the last.
MR. SWEET’T ACCOUNT OF THE STONECHAT.
This, like the preceding, is generally to be found on hills and commons, harbouring chiefly amongst the furze bushes, and feeds, as far as I have observed, entirely on insects. It is not so tender as the whinchat, some few of them occasionally stopping in this country all the winter. It feeds, when wild, on small beetles, flies, as also all sorts of butterflies, moths, caterpillars, woodlice, and various other insects.
In confinement their food must be the same as the whinchat’s. They soon become very tame, and if bred up from the nest will learn the notes of other birds, which are in general better than their own. Their own song, though loud, is very short, but they have a strong voice to repeat the notes of another bird.
