S8 MERULID.*:. 



a, tine Blackbird, which I went to see. He tells me he 

 was offered twenty shillings for him as he came along, he 

 do so whistle. 23d, Waked this morning between four 

 and five by my Blackbird, wdiich whistled as well as ever 

 T heard any ; only it is the beginning of many tunes very 

 well, but then leaves them and goes no further." 



The song of the Blackbird is occasionally heard during 

 the mild days of winter, but it is not until spring sets in 

 that it can be said to be in full, uninterrupted song. It 

 then repairs to some thick bush or hedge, especially at the 

 corner of a pond, and builds its nest, a bulky structure, the 

 fiamework of which is composed of twigs and roots; 

 within is a thin layer of mud lined with small fibrous 

 roots, bents, and moss. The nest contains four or five eggs, 

 and the young birds are fed with worms. In the breeding 

 season Blackbirds are far more venturesome than at an}^ 

 other time, as they frequently select a garden in which to 

 build their nest, with the double object, perhaps, of pro- 

 curing plenty of worms for their nesthngs, and of launching 

 them when fledged where they will have great facilities for 

 reo-alins themselves on summer fruits. In such localities 

 the appearance of a cat near their nest greatly excites their 

 wrath. From being timid they become very courageous, 

 scolding with all their might, darting down so near as 

 almost to dash in her face, and generally ending by 

 compelling her to beat a retreat. 



The female Blackbird differs materially from the male, 

 its plumage being of a dingy brown hue, the breast light 

 and spotted, the beak dark brown with yellowish edges. 

 White and pied specimens of both sexes are occasionally 

 met with. In a district of France not far from Paris they 

 are very numerous, and here the title to a certain estate is 

 kept up by the annual presentation of a white Blackbird to 

 the lord of the manor. 



