122 OUR FAVOURITE SONG BIRDS 



the Song Thrush or the IMistle-Thrush. Several 

 broods are reared during the course of the season, 

 which may be said to begin in March and to last 

 until August. Sometimes several nests of this bird 

 may be found within a small area, but the birds are 

 not in any sense gregarious. The Blackbird breeds 

 in greatest abundance in well-cultivated districts, 

 and is specially common during the nesting season 

 near to houses. During the nesting period it often 

 utters a plaintive piping cry. 



The food of the Blackbird is largely composed 

 of worms and grubs ; the bird also eats snails, but 

 not to such an extent as the Song Thrush. In 

 summer and autumn berries and fruits are devoured, 

 the bird's depredations in the garden often leading 

 to its death at the hands of the short-sighted owner. 

 We have also known this species to feed on newly 

 sown grain and various small seeds. 



The male Blackbird has the general colour of 

 the plumage rich black ; the bill and the eyelids 

 are orange-coloured. The female is brown, with 

 more or less rufous on the throat and breast, which 

 are indistinctly streaked w^ith darker brown ; the 

 bill is black. The young in nestling plumage have 

 pale shaft streaks and dark tips to the feathers of 

 the upper parts, and dark bars on those of the under 

 parts. The total length is about ten inches. 



