Sylvia curruca, BECHSTEIN; Motacilla dumetorum, LINNÆUS; La
Fauvette babillarde, BUFFON; Das Müllerchen, BECHSTEIN.
This bird somewhat resembles the white-throat, but is smaller, and has
less rust colour on the wings. It is five inches long, the tail
measuring more than two. The beak is five lines in length, very pointed,
black above, and bluish below; the iris has two rings, the outer one
pale yellow, the inner a brilliant golden yellow; the shanks, seven
lines high, are raven black; the head and rump are dark ash grey; the
rest of the upper part of the body is grey, with a reddish tint; the
cheeks and the part behind the ears are darker than the head; the throat
and under part of the body are white, but the sides of the breast are
tinged with reddish grey, and those of the belly with reddish brown.
The birds must be before you to be able to distinguish the two sexes;
you can then only perceive that the head of the female is of a lighter
colour, and the feet rather blue than black.
HABITATION.--When wild this species is found throughout Europe, except
the north. It is common in the hedges in Germany, disappearing in
September, and returning the middle of April. Its taste for currants
often draws it to the garden hedge. It is not very often seen in
young coppice wood, scarcely ever on trees[97], continually on low
bushes.
In the house it must be lodged like the fauvette, and taken the same
care of; it is so delicate, that when taken rather old it can rarely
be preserved.
FOOD.--When wild it is the same as the preceding species.
In the house these birds cannot be kept long, unless fed on
nightingales' food, mingled with ants' eggs and meal-worms.
BREEDING.--The nest is generally found on a thick gooseberry bush, or
white-thorn, and on young fir trees in fir woods. It is formed of
coarse dried grass, lined with small roots mixed with hogs' bristles.
There are five or six eggs, white, spotted at the large end with grey
and yellow brown in a circle. The female's attachment to her brood
may be known from her dropping from her nest almost fainting as soon
as any one approaches, uttering anxious cries, fluttering on the
ground, and slowly retiring from the nest. Scarcely are the young
ones fledged, when, if looked at, they will dart like an arrow from
the nest, and run and hide themselves among the bushes. If you wish
to rear them, they must be taken as I have directed for the
fauvette, remembering that the male and female cannot then be
distinguished.
DISEASES.--These are the same as in the fauvettes.
MODE OF TAKING.--If snow should fall after their return, a place near
a hedge should be cleared, and limed twigs fastened to the lower
branches; after having thrown meal-worms there, the birds should be
gently driven towards it, and for the sake of the worms they will
creep under the limed twigs, and remain caught.
ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--Though the plumage is not very striking, yet
this bird is very pretty. Some clacking tones, rather like the noise
of a mill, have given it in Germany the name of the _little Miller_;
as these notes are heard more distinctly than the others, they are
erroneously thought to be its whole song; but the rest, certainly
very weak, is so soft, so varied, so melodious, that it surpasses
other warblers. Whilst singing in this under tone it is continually
hopping about the bushes, but when going to utter _clap, clap_, it
stops and employs the whole strength of the larynx to pronounce this
syllable. To enjoy the beauty of its song it should be alone in a
room, and then no other singing bird is more agreeable, as it rarely
utters its call.