EUROPEAN BLACKBIRD 227 



Mrs. Edmund Bridge writes me that she 

 saw this Blackbird singing beautifully on 

 March 8 at 9.15 in the morning in a maple 

 tree in Commonwealth Avenue between 

 Arlington and Berkeley streets, the section 

 of the avenue which he has most frequented. 

 Mrs. Bridge states that the bird was perch- 

 ing in the curve of one limb partly covered 

 by another and that the singing might be 

 likened to the mockingbird's song. 



Ten days later, on March 18, this Black- 

 bird was found by me to be again within the 

 Garden. The water of the pond had just 

 been drawn off for the annual cleaning out 

 of litter, leaving the bottom exposed, and 

 here the Blackbird was busily feeding, ac- 

 companied by one of two early-arrived 

 robins. He moved freely about over a por- 

 tion of the surface, and his motions indi- 

 cated that he found it good feeding-ground, 

 for he was constantly picking up and swal- 

 lowing bits of food which the draining off of 

 the water had brought to view. What these 

 bits were I could not discern. The following 

 morning he was again seen and was simi- 



