The Song Thrush 



habits, but we may sometimes catch sight of them in the 

 evenings and early mornings when they come out to feed on 

 lawns and fields where the grass is short and where their 

 favourite earth-worms abound. About the end of August 

 a close observer will often miss his little friend for a few 

 days or even weeks. Then one morning he will again see 

 the familiar figure on the lawn and think that perhaps his 

 companion has returned. But it is not so. The spring 

 visitor has gone to another part of the country, probably 

 not very far away, as this species is only a partial migrant, 

 but nevertheless he has gone, and the bird which has taken 

 his place has come from some more northerly locality to 

 spend the winter. Probably we do not notice the change, 

 and put down the temporary disappearance of our particular 

 Song Thrush to the fact that we chanced not to see him. 

 It is not so, however, for our friend of spring and summer 

 has departed. 



The general colour above, including mantle and wings, 

 is uniform olive brown, some of the major and median 

 covers having huffish tips. Breast yellowish, spotted with 

 triangular olive-brown spots, the flanks uniformly olive, 

 chin and throat white, margined with a row of dark 

 streaks. Belly white. Bill brown, base of lower mandible 

 paler. Legs pale flesh. Iris hazel. Length 9*0 in.: wing 

 4-6 in. 



Young birds are spotted on the upper parts. This 

 species is widely and generally distributed throughout the 

 British Isles. 



