TURDUS MERLUA. 269 



And I know an instance of a pair following a boy into his 

 house, pecking at his head, where he was taking their young, 

 and narrowly escaped being caught themselves. I wish the 

 feeling shown by Tennyson in his " May Queen " was more 

 general — 



" O, blackbird, sing me something well ; 



While all the neighbours shoot thee round, 

 I keep smooth flats of fruitful ground 

 Where thou may'st warble, eat, and dwell. 



The espeliers and the standards all 



Are thine ; the range of lawn and park, 



The unsettled black-hearts ripen dark, 

 All thine, against the garden wall." 



The courage they show to cats is well known. On the 16th 

 of May 1885 I saw a young one on the ground at Abbey Walk. 

 It had fallen from its nest among the ivy, and was 

 unable to fly. A cat was creeping towards it about to 

 spring. The old ones flew down and dashed at the cat 

 with such force, screaming all the time, that the cat was 

 really afraid and ran away. I put the young bird up amongst 

 the ivy, moralising at the strange power of Nature, which can 

 transform the most timid creatures into lions or eagles in 

 defence of their young. For instance, see the gleaming eye of 

 the sheep and the ruffled feathers of the hen in defence of their 

 lamb and chickens, running about as if possessed by furies. 

 My attention was once drawn to the loud chirring of a black- 

 bird in a garden, flying from tree to tree in a most excited state. 

 On looking, I saw the house-cat prowling amongst the bushes. 

 Whenever it appeared the blackbird dashed down in pursuit, 

 and the cat had to run to the house for shelter. On another 

 occasion a cat was on the top of a paling trying to get at a 

 blackbird's nest near it. The hen-bird left her nest, and flew 

 to meet it, placing herself almost within reach of the cat, uttering 

 piercing screams. The male also showed the utmost distress by 

 piercing screams, sometimes sitting on the paling just before the 

 cat, which was unable to spring, owing to the narrow footing, 

 then flew on her back and pecked her head with such violence 

 that she fell to the ground, followed by the bird, which drove 

 her away. A second time the same occurred. The bird was 

 again victorious, and the cat was so intimidated that she gave 

 up her attempts to get the young birds. After each fight the 

 blackbird celebrated his victory with a song, and for several 

 days after he hunted the cat about the garden. But it some- 



