THE BLACKBIRD 119 



North Africa, and includes the Canaries, the Azores, 

 and Madeira. 



In its choice of a haunt the Blackbird shows a 

 decided preference for shrubberies, hedges and 

 thickets, especially "sunk fences"; gardens and 

 orchards are also favourite retreats. It also has a 

 great liking for marshy or swampy places. In 

 our islands the Blackbird is a resident, subject 

 to a certain amount of local movement ; whilst in 

 autumn its numbers appear to be increased by 

 migrants from the Continent. This bird is a well- 

 known and regular migrant over Heligoland. The 

 Blackbird is by far the least gregarious of the 

 Thrushes in our islands ; very rarely a couple may 

 be seen in the same tree, or perhaps several may 

 be flushed from a favourite feeding-place, but they 

 are not drawn together by any social instincts. It 

 is certainly a skulking species, delighting to hide 

 under the spreading evergreens or in the dense 

 hedges and thickets, always trying to elude danger 

 by hopping or running and only using its wings 

 when driven from its shelter, or surprised in the 

 open. The noisy startling cry of this species must 

 be familiar to every reader, uttered as the bird is 

 flushed ; whilst its noisy notes of pink-pink, heard 

 especially at dusk, can be scarcely less well known. 

 The Blackbird feeds much in the open, hopping 

 or flying from his retreat amongst the shrubs and 

 thickets on to the grass land, and seldom or never 



