278 Wild Birds and their Haunts 



the nest the young Missels adopt this method of con- 

 cealment ; and continue it till they are safely on the wing. 

 After explaining the above trait to a lady on Saturday 

 last, I had an excellent opportunity of demonstrating 

 that such was the case. Perched on a low shrub, the 

 bird closed its eyes on our near approach, refraining 

 from again opening them till we had retired. Towards 

 evening I found one on the lawn which adopted the same 

 method, allowing me to pick it up and restore it safely 

 to a branch near the spot where it had first seen the light 

 of day. 



The Storm-Cock. 



The Missel Thrush is also called the storm-cock, because 

 he is wont to sing when it is raining and when the wind is 

 high. I have read somewhere that it gets the name of 

 ' Missel " because of its fondness for berries of the missel- 

 toe, being, indeed, the chief propagator of this vegetable 

 parasite. Is it not also called the Holm-thrush because 

 of its fondness for ' ' holm-berries," the red berries of the 

 butcher's broom. L,et my Wliitburn correspondent 

 beware of disturbing the brooding Missel Thrush : she 

 has been know to fly in the face of an intruder. 



' ' I was once," says M. Vaillant, ' ' witness to a combat 

 which took place in the environs of Paris, between ten 

 missel thrushes and a white-tailed Eagle, in which the 

 latter was completely beaten, and had squatted down in a 

 shed, where he had sought refuge. Attracted by the 

 reiterated cries and continued agitation of the thrushes, 

 whose manoeuvring announced something extraordinary, 

 I went to the spot, and was surprised to find them engaged 

 with an eagle. Being in what were called the royal 

 preserves, I was not provided with arms, but unwilling 

 to resist so fine an opportunity of procuring a bird which 

 would be a valuable asset to my collection, I stole off 

 to my abode and returned with a pistol and a large ball, 

 as my fowling piece would have too much exposed me. 

 I regained the plain. I saw the eagle still fighting with 

 the missel-thrushes, who had not all given way ; and, in 

 defiance of vigilant and inflexible keepers, and the 



