BED-BREASTED THRUSH 21 



the (truly speaking) British or Kentish birds, still it is 

 an accidental visitor. Ko doubt the bird escaped from 

 a passing up-Channel vessel. 



Mr. J. E. Harting, w^riting on the North American 

 birds found in England, says: "I have now to add 

 another to the list of Passerine birds, in the shape of 

 the American Migratory Thrush {Turdus migratorius), 

 familiarly known as the American Robin. In the month 

 of September last (1876) I received a letter from Lieu- 

 tenant Charles Pope, of the 24th Regiment, then stationed 

 at Dover, in which he informed me that a friend of his 

 had in his possession, alive, a remarkable coloured Thrush 

 which he was unable to identify. It had been observed 

 to fly in from the sea in a very exhausted state on a wet, 

 windy day during the previous month of April (or May, 

 he was not sure which), and perched upon the first 

 resting-place which presented itself, the balcony of a 

 house facing the sea at Dover, had suffered itself to be 

 frightened in through an open window, and eventually 

 caught. It lived in a small wicker cage from April until 

 September, when I first heard of it, and although the 

 plumage became nmch soiled by confinement, it remained 

 in good health. From a description and sketch which 

 Lieutenant Pope forwarded, I had no doubt from the first 

 that the bird was the North American Red-breasted Thrush, 

 but it was not until two months later that I was enabled 

 to pronounce with certainty upon the species. Being 

 unable to refer to any of the works on American Orni- 

 thology to which I had referred him, Lieutenant Pope 

 prevailed upon his friend to forward the bird to me in 

 London, and I duly received it on November 6 last. My 

 surmise was correct : it was undoubtedly T. migratorius. 

 With the Secretary's permission, I at once placed it in 



