ii6 OUR FAVOURITE SONG BIRDS 



woods, plantations, coppices, orchards, parks, and 

 farm lands. In less cultivated districts it frequents 

 the alders and birches on the banks of mountain 

 streams, or the birch and fir woods. We have 

 occasionally known it to breed amongst the ever- 

 greens of shrubberies. The nest is generally placed 

 at some considerable height from the ground, in a 

 fork, or on a branch close to the stem, less frequently 

 amongst slender twigs. It is a very handsome 

 structure made of twigs, coarse grass, tufts of chick- 

 weed, and often large masses of wool, lined first 

 with mud and then with a very thick layer of fine 

 grass, much of it often green. Some nests are 

 almost exclusively made externally of green bog 

 moss with a few twigs round the margin ; but in all 

 cases the lining of fine grass is inserted. Although 

 so frequently made in a very exposed situation, and 

 perhaps with a long streaming tuft of wool dangling 

 from the side, it most unaccountably escapes detec- 

 tion. The eggs are four in number, never more, 

 and rarely less. They are bluish-green or reddish- 

 brown in ground-colour, spotted, blotched, and 

 freckled with dark purplish-brown and pale grey. 

 The parent birds are remarkably quiet during the 

 nesting period unless alarmed. Then their noisy 

 cries and angry demonstrations are very marked, 

 and they will fearlessly dash round an intruder's 

 head or fly to and fro with little show of fear. This 

 Thrush is double-brooded. 



