4 THE REDWING 



dener shoots blackbirds and thrushes in fruit time. On the other 

 they are protected. The latter yields always more fruit than 

 the former. 



The Thrush holds a high rank, too, among birds as an architect. 

 Its nest is usually placed in a thorn-bush, a larch or young fir-tree, 

 a furze-bush, an apple or pear tree, or an ordinary hedge, at no 

 great elevation from the ground, and not concealed with much 

 attempt at art. Indeed, as it begins to build very early, it is only 

 when it selects an evergreen that it has much chance of effectually 

 hiding its retreat. The nest externally is composed of feather- 

 moss, intermatted with bents, twigs, and small roots, and termi- 

 nates above in a thicker rim of the same materials. Thus far 

 the bird has displayed her skill as basket-maker. The outer case 

 is succeeded by a layer of cow-dung, applied in small pellets, and 

 cemented with saliva. The builder, with a beak for her only trowel, 

 has now completed the mason's work. But she has yet to show 

 her skill as a plasterer ; this she does by lining her cup-like chamber 

 with stucco made from decayed wood, pulverized and reduced to 

 a proper consistence, kneading it with her beak. With this for 

 her sole instrument, except her round breast, to give to the whole 

 the requisite form, she has constructed a circular bowl sufficiently 

 compact to exclude air and water, as true and as finely finished 

 as if it had been moulded on a potter's wheel, or turned on a lathe. 



The Thrush lays four or five eggs, and rears several broods in 

 the season, building a new nest for each brood. During incuba- 

 tion the female is very tame, and will suffer herself to be approached 

 quite closely without deserting her post. In the vicinity of houses, 

 where she is familiar with the human form, she will even take worms 

 and other food from the hand. 



THE REDWING 



TURDUS ILIACUS 



Upper plumage olive brown ; lore black and yellow ; a broad white streak 

 above the eye ; lower plumage white, with numerous oblong dusky spots, 

 middle of the abdomen without spots ; under wing-coverts and flanks 

 bright orange red ; bill dusky ; feet grey. Length eight inches, breadth 

 thirteen inches. Eggs greenish blue mottled with dark brownish red 

 spots. 



The Redwing (called in France Mauvis, whence an old name for 

 the Song-thrush, ' Mavis ) is the smallest of the Thrushes with 

 which we are familiar. It is, like the Fieldfare, a bird of passage, 

 reaching us from the north about the same time with the Wood- 

 cock, in October. It resembles the Song-thrush more than any 

 other bird of the family, but may readily be distinguished even at 

 some distance by the light stripe over the eye, and its bright red 

 under wing-coverts. In some parts of France it is much sought 



