58 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 
The eggs of the thrush are sometimes found of a 
uniform blue, without mark or spot. I have frequently 
taken one of these plain ones in a nest where all the 
rest were of the usual spotted kind, and on one occasion 
I found a nest in the Lawn plantation in Thoresby Park 
containing five eggs, four of which were of this spotless 
variety, while the fifth had five or six distinct spots of 
black towards the larger end. 
Albino varieties of the thrush are not uncommon ; 
one, two, and even three white ones have been taken 
out of the nest where the plumage of all the rest had 
the usual markings, and one instance is related by the 
Rev. F. Morris of a nest being found by Dr. Moses of 
Appleby, where all the five birds were albinos, with 
scarlet eyes. 
The idea has occurred to me, although I have had no 
opportunity of attempting its verification by experiment, 
whether these white varieties may not be the produce 
of the plain blue eggs. At the same time 1 am bound 
to say that, though 1 have repeatedly taken eggs with- 
out a spot, I have never met with more than one bird 
whose plumage differed from the usual markings. This 
was not pure white, but had a large number of white 
feathers mingled irregularly amongst the brown ones, 
chiefly in the back and wings. 
The Blackbird (7. merula) is as abundant a species 
as the thrush. The rich black plumage of the adult 
male, so compact and glossy, relieved by the deep orange 
of the bill and eyelids, makes it an attractive and 
favourite bird, its bright eye harmonizing with the 
vivacity of its movements. It is a very wary bird, and 
when disturbed in gardens (which are much resorted to) 
it is unwilling to take wing as long as there is any 
