OBSERVATIONS ON A PAIR OF BLACKBIRDS. 211 



the enemy, guided by the sound, knows his whereabouts and 

 promptly secures him. The worm would seem to be a very 

 noiseless animal ; but is it not possible that the bristles 

 which surround each ring of his body may make a rustling 

 sound quite loud enough to be heard a few inches off, and 

 which guides the blackbird to his hiding-place ? 



During the building of the first nest, I took a piece of 

 stout string, and cut it into six-inch lengths, and waiting 

 until the hen bird had retired into the bushes in which her 

 nest was placed, I strewed the ground with the pieces of 

 string I had prepared. She presently emerged, and I was 

 delighted to see the alacrity with which she seized upon the 

 two nearest pieces, and neatly folding them into a small 

 bundle, flew straightway to her nest. The remaining pieces 

 were subsequently taken, and I afterwards found them firmly 

 interwoven with the substance of the nest. One piece in 

 particular I noticed, wound round a branch, and it must 

 have materially helped in keep the structure steady on its 

 foundations. 



The hen blackbird is still a constant visitor, and has an 

 almost daily encounter with a thrush, who pertinaciously 

 asserts his right to hop on our back lawn. The blackbird 

 regards him as a trespasser, and after a slight skirmish he 

 is routed, and flies over the wall. 



I regret to say that Father Whitehead has not been seen 

 for some considerable time. He must labour under some dis- 

 advantage in comparison with those of his species less con- 

 spicuously marked, as I believe birds of prey will always 

 prefer to chase a white bird, and thus it is possible he has 

 fallen a prey to some hungry hawk. Possibly he may have 

 been secured by some zealous ornithologist, and sits perched 

 amid lichen and moss, in company with other victims of the 

 ruthless collector. 



