My Birds. 309 



continued interference. So savage was he that many times he 

 has attacked his victim while it was even in my hands. I have 

 seen him take hold of another Blackbird and twist off its beak 

 to the skull ; so that I have had to kill the sufferer. At last 

 I removed the one remaining survivor to the second aviary ; 

 and then for a few days, the bullying Blackbird made the 

 life of the Missel-thrush a burden to it, till at last it turned, 

 and then the Blackbird suffered. To save its life I removed it 

 also ; and singularly enough, it has never since fought — 

 though there are now four Blackbirds in this aviary — all of 

 them cocks however — which maj^ account for the harmony. 

 As in the case of the Starling it is fear of losing a magnificent 

 songster that prevents me from releasing or giving away some 

 of my Blackbirds. And a like cause, in part, operates with me 

 as regards Thrushes, of which I have eleven — nine being Song- 

 thrushes (mostly caught last winter), the others being the 

 Missel-thrush and a Field-fare. I have too, a very fine 

 Ring-Ousel, but, as it is this year's bird, I cannot say much 

 about its habits, except that it is very tame, having been 

 brought up by hand. I should like to add a Red-wing, 

 but I have not yet been able to obtain one. The Song- 

 thrushes have always built nests, and laid eggs ; but the 

 hatching has been intermittent, and no young birds have as 

 yet been reared. The Missel-thrush has surprised me by the 

 delicacy of its throat notes, for though the five or six notes of 

 its usual song are shrill enough, it loves to come beside me 

 (either when inside or outside the aviar}^ and to give utter- 

 ance to the softest of tones, deep down in its throat, as if it 

 were whispering a song, while, all the time, it turns the head 

 to look into my eyes, as if noting the effect. This bird was a 

 purchase ; and has now been in my possession for about four 

 years. Of the Field-fare I cannot say much, as it was only 

 captured in our play-ground last spring. It is, however, a 

 beautiful bird — in my opinion the most beautiful of the 

 thrushes — and, though its voice, so far as I know, is unmusi- 

 cal, its elegant shape and bluish-grey colour, together with 

 its peculiarly tipped beak, make it an ornament to the aviar5^ 

 In this, my first aviary, there are several Sparrows — more 

 than I desire indeed, for they have bred there — who are the 

 very wildest of its denizens. Originally I had placed two or 

 three young sparrows inside, to save them from the cats. 



