138 TURDUS MUSICUS. 



see if during the succeeding hour, they would feed their young 

 ones more frequently. This however apjDeared to make but 

 little difference. From ten to eleven o"'clock they fed them 

 ten times, and from one to two o'clock eleven times. From 

 two to three o'clock they fed them eight times, and from 

 three to four o'clock six times. From four to five o'clock they 

 fed them five times ; from five to six o'clock six times ; and 

 from six to seven o'clock twelve times. From seven to eight 

 o'clock they fed them thirteen times, and from eight to half- 

 past nine o'clock seventeen times. They now ceased from their 

 labours for this day, after having fed their brood two hundred 

 and six times. 



" In the forenoon and part of the afternoon, they frequently 

 stretched out the wings of the young birds, and with their bills 

 one would have thought that they sometimes trimmed almost 

 every one of their feathers. In keeping their young ones clean 

 they are uncommonly careful. As a proof of this, I ordered 

 my servant boy to rub the head and back of two of them with 

 soft cow dung. Upon coming in to their nest, they immedi- 

 ately perceived it, and seemed much enraged. They however 

 set to work, and did not desist until they had completely re- 

 moved it. For this purpose they made use of dry earth, which 

 in the operation appeared to me to assist them greatly. 



" Their food in the morning consisted principally of snails and 

 slugs. They sometimes brought to their young one large worm, 

 at other times three and four worms. As for some weeks past 

 there had been a severe drought, the worms which they caught 

 in the middle of the day were smaller and in less quantities 

 than those which they procured in the morning and evening. 



" During this day the Thrushes swallowed almost the whole 

 of the droppings of their young. As from personal observation 

 I had until now been ignorant of this circumstance, and did 

 not recollect to have seen it mentioned in any book which I 

 had perused, I was determined to be more fully convinced of 

 its truth, and accordingly next day put a female out of her nest, 

 in which she was sitting upon four well-feathered young ones. 

 In half an hour she returned, and after having fed them, stood 

 until they ejected their droppings, which she immediately 



