Identifier: cu31924022566420 (find matches)
Title: The British bird book
Year: 1921 (1920s)
Authors: Wood, Theodore, 1862- Pycraft, W. P., (William Plane), b. 1868 Green, Roland, 1895-
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: London : A. & C. Black
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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more soberly clad : though her black head and whiterump wUl suffice to make sure of her when, by good fortune,she is encountered. One of the commonest of what we may call roadside birds is the yellow-hammer ; which can be recognized atonce by the bright yeUow colour of its head. As soon as ittakes to flight the white feathers in the tail and the chestnutrump will make assurance doubly sure. But in some partsof England one meets with another, and similar species—^thecirl bunting. In this species, however, the male has a blackthroat and ear-coverts, and an ohve-grey chest-band ; whilethe female, lacking these distinctive marks, may be recognizedby a brown, instead of a chestnut rump. When in the neigh-bourhood of swampy places and reed-beds, a look-out mustbe kept for the reed-bunting. A smaU bird with a blackhead and throat, and white collar, this is the male. Thefemale will display a brown head, buff throat and eye-brow,and white outer tail-feathers. In the winter time, near the 212
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Chaffinch and Young sea, one may frequently come across the snow-bunting,which, on the wing, will at once attract attention by the largeareas of white displayed in the wing and tail. The redstart, one of our summer visitors, is a bird whichcan never be mistaken. A sight of the russet-red tail alonesuffices. But the cock has the further glory of a mantle ofgrey, a black head and russet under parts. He is fond ofcountry rich in old timber, or hillsides, where stone wallsattract him. His kinsman, the wheatear, returns to us inthe early spring; to give an added charm to our bare hill-sides, and warrens, sea-cliffs, sand-dunes, and waste places.If you see a small bird flying low over the ground, with awhite rump, and black wings, you may know that the wheat-ear is before you. That delightful, restless little bird, thestonechat, is a near relation of the wheatear. He, too, isfond of waste places, and heaths ; more especially such as willprovide him with plenty of furze bushes, or ling, on t

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