no OUR FAVOURITE SONG BIRDS 



eggs in mild seasons frequently being laid by the 

 end of F'ebruary. The nest is built in a very great 

 variety of situations, but the preference is strongest 

 for evergreen shrubs. Perhaps whitethorn hedges 

 and bushes come next in order of choice ; whilst 

 ivy on walls or trees is not an uncommon one. 

 Sometimes less likely sites are selected, as for 

 instance in a shed, or on a wall, or a bank. It may 

 either be built absolutely on the ground, or from 

 a few feet to twenty feet or more above it. The 

 nest is somewhat bulky, and made outwardly of 

 dry grass, bits of moss, dead leaves and a few fine 

 twigs. This is first lined with a coating of wet 

 mud, and finally finished off with another lining of 

 wet rotten wood. Very often the nest is left to 

 dry for a day or so before the first egg is laid, but 

 not unfrequently this is deposited in a wet nest. 

 The eggs are four or five in number, exceptionally 

 six, and are turquoise-blue in ground-colour, more 

 or less thickly spotted with blackish-brown and 

 grey. The spots are rarely very large or numerous 

 enough to conceal much of the ground-colour. The 

 bird is a close sitter, and when driven from the nest 

 often becomes very noisy. Several broods are 

 reared in the season, which lasts from Februar) 

 to August. Young birds are very easily reared in 

 confinement. 



The food of the Song Thrush consists largely 

 of worms, grubs, and snails. The bird is far more 



