120 The Irish Naturalist. November, 



chorus which even appeared to include those deahng with, 

 or done with, first clutch. By the first week in May d.d.m. 

 song lessened and probabty consisted only of the newer 

 birds, but did not altogether cease till the second week 

 in June. 



In the first week in April we had new Thrushes (i.e. at 

 new sites and presumably arrivals) singing as those in 

 January and early February, before breakfast and at 

 evening. They increased through April. The d.d.e. song 

 continued, but seemed to be due mostly if not entirely to 

 new birds. At mid- April there arose a late evening or a 

 sunset song with a gap between them, and before the d.d.e. 

 song. This routine was not regular till the end of April. 



I have mentioned elsewhere that the known nesters' 

 song in decadence seems to change from day song, first to 

 evening and then to a few minutes at dark dusk. The 

 above tendency towards evening may be due to the new 

 birds following the same course. 



By the end of April the Thrushes were evidently getting 

 in each other's way (territory). In the beginning of May 

 this year new arrivals seemed still coming and seemed to be 

 the cause of our still having some day song at any except 

 the middle hours of the day. 



Any day singers there v/ere got fewer tov/ards the end 

 of May. 



Towards the end of May and beginning of June d.e. 

 a,nd evening singers dwindled, the former first. By June 

 7th there was none of the former. By June 15th there 

 were rare Thrushes in late afternoon or evening. I this 

 year heard a very occasional Thrush in the country decidedly 

 later than usual, and I knew of broods also later than 

 usual. A bird began singing near me on July 3rd and 

 continued on and off for a v/eek, ending with a few bars 

 at dusk. I heard none anywhere after July loth. 



As to actual nesting pairs, I dealt particularly with 

 seven round me. Five had their first e^g about April ist. 

 Two had it earlier, back to March loth. In all these cases 

 day song had ceased five to seven weeks before the first 

 Qgg. That is to say all song had ceased except at the two 

 dusks. 



