CHAPTER II 



THE BLACKBIRD 



The blackbird is the emblem of greediness and noisy 

 vulgarity, of selfishness, and assertive pretentiousness, and 

 his chief virtue is his pugnacity during the mating season. 



When the dikes are ablaze with kingcups, the cock-bird 

 sings his thrush-like song noisily from the low hedgerows 

 until a rival cock appears, flying with a rush at the peaceful 

 songster, who, often taken by surprise, flies forth from his 

 perch, with many noisy calls, to the marsh, where he alights 

 with raised tail to recover his balance. In a moment his 

 rival is upon him ; their heads are erect, their wings slightly 

 spread out, and they dash at one another, fighting and 

 darting, and shifting ground across twenty or thirty 3'ards 

 of marsh, when they will fly up into the air, fly at each 

 other, alight again on the marsh, and go at it until one feels 

 himself worsted, when he flies off, crying a harsh "J^/(k,pnk, 

 puk,^^ seeking refuge in some friendly hedge, leaving the 

 victor to court the plain hen-bird. 



Together tliese twain build their artless nest of mud and 

 horse-dung in the hedge, or behind some sheltering stump, 

 where their useless eggs are laid, and the ugly brood reared. 



As soon as the nestlings can fly the family seek the 

 seclusion given by a neighbouring alder-tree — a tree near 

 the water for preference. There they live, going early to 

 bed and rising late, starting off to steal their breakfasts from 

 the nearest garden, to rob the cottager of his cherries or 

 the gardener of his figs. They lack no cunning in their 

 thieving, for they will walk along the ground and jump to 



