The Blackbird 



IN the North of England this very familiar 

 bird is known as the Black Ouzel, and 

 in Scotland as the Merle. 



The most careless boy or girl must have 

 noticed how widely the hen differs in ap- 

 pearance from the cock. Instead of being 

 deep black all over, she is dark rusty brown, 

 mottled on the throat and breast with lighter 

 tints of the same colour. Neither is her bill 

 yellow all over like that of her mate. 



We often see or hear about a pied Black- 

 bird. In some cases the bird will have white 

 marks on different parts of its body, and in 

 others it will be white all over, with black 

 spots and patches here and there. 



Male Blackbirds sing generally during the 

 morning and evening. A warm spring shower 

 will, however, induce them to pour forth 

 sweet music during any hour of the day. 



Some people say they cannot distinguish 

 the notes of this bird from those of the song- 



83 



