BLACKBIRDS. 



15 



Yellow-footed Blackbird (Merula Havipes). 



Above glu.ssy black ; back, rump, ui)i)er tail-coverts, 

 abdomen ami tliiglis slightly greyer; nikldle of abdomen 

 and tips of uncler tail-coverts white ; bill brilliant 

 yellow ; eyes reddish amber ; feet of a remarkably 

 bright yellow. The female is dark olivaceous-brown, 

 paler below ; bill lirownibh yellow. Young more dingy 

 in colouring; the back, abdomen, and sides leaden-grey. 



According to von Berlepsch, thi.s bird is confined to 

 the coastal regions of Mi<iiile aiid Southern Brazil. It 

 is a little smaller than the Kuropean Blackbird. Bur- 

 nieister found it in the wootis on the coast near Rio de 

 Janeiro, and also further to the north ; it was not rare 

 at New Freiburg. I'aul Mangelsdorff observed it nest- 

 ing on the heights around Now Freiburg, and in the 

 autumn he saw ik in the lower valleys. Its calls 

 resembled tho.se of the European Blackbird. Prince 

 Wied gives it the credit of being a good songster, but 

 says notliing further res{)ecting it. Von Pelzeln also in 

 like manner says, on the authority of Xatt«rer, that it 

 sings very charmingly, and .Mangelsdorff declares that 

 the song of this si>ecies was mucli praisi'd by the owners 

 of two spwiniens not for sale which he saw in cages. 

 Ur. Kuss, on the other hand, who frequently saw an 

 example of the Yellow-footed Blackbird in the shop 

 of W. Mieth, at Bei-lin, states that neither Mr. 

 Mieth (during the years in which he possessed it) 

 niir he ever heard a S'ong from it, so that he was almost 

 convinced that the species after all could not be a good 

 songster. He says that it wa.s always in excellent 

 plumage, and moulted without difficulty ; but he admits 

 that it was not kept in a very spacious cage, and did 

 not receive sufficient variety in its food — tjuite enough, 

 in my opinion, to account for the bird not feeling cheer- 

 ful enough to sing. 



Russ observes finally that while we fail to find the 

 Yellow-footed Blackbird up to the present time in the 

 records of nearly all. even of the large.st Zoological 

 Hardens, the Amsterdam Garden alone has exhibited it. 

 It is certain that, up to the publication of the ninth 

 edition of its " List of Animals," our London society 

 had not secured it. 



Chinese Bl.wkbird (Merula mandarina). 



Resembles the European Blackbird, excepting that it 

 is considerably larger and distinctly paler on the under- 

 parts ; the bill much stouter. 



Messrs. La Touche and Rickett published the follow- 

 ing interesting notes on the habits of this Blackbird in 

 The Ibis (Eighth Series, Vol. V., 1905, pp. 42, 45): 

 " A very common resident on the plains,* frequenting 

 gardens and copses, and, like the Magpie-Robin 

 (Copsychus saiilaris), always to be found in the vicinity 

 of human dwellings. The nest is placed high up in 

 some tall pine or other big tree. It is built on one of 

 the large boughs in a fork near the extremity of a 

 branch, or in the angle formed by one branch with 

 another or with the trunk. 



" The materials U!!ed are fine twigs, str.iw, dry grass, 

 moss, roots, dead leaves, and a variety of odds and ends, 

 such as human hair, paper, etc. These are all plastered 

 together with fine mud in varying quantities, and lined 

 with fine dry grass, roots, and sometimes pine-needles. 

 The amount of mud used is often very considerable. 



" According to Rickett's observations, the female is 

 the sole architect, the male sitting nn a branch near the 

 nest singing, and attacking any birds that approach, 

 especially Crows and Magpies, while he does not hesitate 

 to swoop down at a prowling cat. The young in the nest 

 appear to be fed chiefly by the female, but as soon as 



• In the Province of Fohkien, S.G. China. 



they leave the nursery tlie male takes his share in caring 

 for them. Nesting liegins in April, and two broods are 



reared. 



"The eggs are four or five in number, and, as a rule, 

 ovate, but vary a gocnl deal in shape as well as in 

 (.olour. Forty (jne eggs average 1.18in. by .87in. They 

 are blotclied, spotted, or si>eckled with various shades 

 of red over underlying violet S])ots. The markings often 

 form a cap, usually at the larger end, but sometimes at 

 the apex. 



" Tlie ground-colour varies from pale greenish to 

 bluish greeijL, whilst occasionally it is of a reddish tint." 



In his " Field -Notes on the Birds of Chinkiang, Lower 

 Yang:-,e Hasin" (77ic Ihis. 1906, p. 625), Mr. La Touche 

 says : " 'I'he Chinese Blackbird is very common on the 

 plain, but appears to lie absent from the low hills and 

 lower country at the back of Chinkiang. The natives 

 re;ir it in cages, as in South China. It breeds com- 

 monly on the plain from April to .July. Fresh eggs were 

 brought to me on April 20, and sonie nearly fresh on 

 .July 11, so that there are two or three broods during 

 the year. A nest taken on June 18 contained six nearly 

 fresh eggs. The nests, as in Fohkien, are built on the 

 boughs of trees, generally at a great height from the 

 ground." 



Considering that this is a common Chinese cage-bird, 

 it seems strange that it should be so extremely rare in 

 the European bird market. One would suppose that 

 this large Blackbird would be most welcome both for 

 cage .and aviary, and would be an interesting species to 

 breed in captivity. Yet Dr. Russ .says : " It once 

 arrived at the Gardens of Amsterdam, but otherwise hag 

 nowhere come to hand alive." 



Another species said to be related to our Blackbird, 

 but .smaller— the Silky-black Blackbird {Mrrtila 

 alrn^cricfa) from Colombia and Ecuador— is reported 

 by Russ to have lieen once received by the dealer H. 

 Fockelmann, of Hamburg, who staged it at the exhibi- 

 tion of the " Ornis" Society, in 1887, He gives no notes 

 on its wild life, and I have not discovered any so far. 

 Grey Bl.ickbird (Merula cordis). 



The male is greyish-black, wings browner ; axillaries 

 slate-grey; outermost tail-feathers with broad whitish 

 borders to the outer webs ; underparts blackish slate- 

 grey ; middle of breast and abdomen white ; sides with 

 large dark spots; bill orange-yellow; feet yellowish 

 horn-grey. ITemale, olive-brown, every feather edged 

 with greyish-brown ; sides of head, angle of lower- 

 mandible and throat grey-whitish, streaked with 

 brown ; upper brea.st olivaceous slate grey, obscurely 

 Slotted with dusky; breast, sides of abdomen, and 

 axillaries, bright chestnut; the first obscurely spotted 

 with dusky ; middle of bre;ist and abdomen white ; bill 

 brownish grey. Habitat, Japan and China. 



According to Blaklston and Pryer, this is a common 

 bree<iing bird at Fujisan, and also occurs in Yezo ; it 

 sings beautifully. The nest is often .situated on a tree- 

 stump, but also on branches near to the trunk, and 

 is almost entirely formed of moss. The clutch consists 

 of five greenish or reddish white eggs which are spotted 

 with brown umber. (Cf. Russ, " Fremdl. Weichfutter- 

 fresser," II., p. 73.) 



Seebohm (" Birds of the Japanese Empire." p. 46) 

 observes : — "The Grey Japanese Ouzel is a lowland bird, 

 and breeds abundantly at the bai'C of Fujiyama. The 

 nest is generally placed in the fork of a small tree over- 

 hanging a stream, and is composed of moss, roots, and 

 dry leaves, with a foundation of mud. It is lined with 

 grass, fine root.s, and horsehair (Jonv, Proc. United 

 States Nat. Mus. 1883, .p. 277). Eggs 'in the Pryer col- 

 lection resemble those of the Missel Thrush, but arc 



