2 THE BIRDS OF KENT 



it usually keeps near the home of man, especially in the 

 breeding season. 



It is in orchards and gardens and frequented places 

 that the Missel-Thrush prefers to nest and rear its young. 

 On May 8 a Missel-Thrushes' nest was found placed on 

 an old beech stump, by the side of a wood ; it was about 

 4 feet from the ground and so carefully concealed 

 among the old short stumps of the knotted trunk, that 

 it appeared to be part of the old stump itself. It was 

 composed of roots and bents and coarse grass, and lined 

 with finer material, with a few pieces of green moss stuck 

 in on the outside (no sheep's wool), and contained callow 

 young ; five days afterwards they were fully feathered, and 

 on the 17th they were gone. 



Another nest, not far from a farmhouse, was placed in 

 a large whitethorn bush, about 9 feet from the ground, 

 and was composed for the most part of sheep's wool and 

 roots, in a most careless and rough manner ; another was 

 placed in a thorn-bush in a thick hedge about 5 feet from 

 the ground, of a very neat and compact construction, 

 principally composed of very fine roots and grass. A 

 nest which was placed in the fork of a hazel-nut tree, 

 about 9 feet from the ground, was nearly covered on the 

 outside with green moss. The nests usually contain four 

 eggs, which vary both in size and colour. 



It is during the breeding season that the Missel-Thrush 

 appears to be very scarce, but we can understand why 

 this is, their obscure colouring and shyness, and the pro- 

 tective foliage amongst which they hide, save them from 

 observation. They glide from their nest and very quickly 

 disappear. But the strange part of it is, as soon as the 

 young are able to fly they all disappear from the orchards, 

 gardens and lanes, and betake themselves to the woods. 



