22 



The Blackbird. 



In the winter of 1894-5 a bird was caught in one of my traps which I firmly 

 believe was a hybrid Thrush-Blackbird : when first captured it was very dirty, 

 and I then supposed it to be an old hen Blackbird ; but, after a good wash, its 

 true colouring came out clearly ; the whole upper parts being deep smoky brown, 

 the chiu and throat white streaked with dull black ; the breast, in certain lights, 

 showing traces of the true Song-Thrush spotting ; the bill deep orange with the 

 basal half of the culmen black ; feet yellowish horn-brown. 



This bird, of which Mr. Frohawk made 

 a careful sketch, became ver}' tame in a few 

 weeks and I should certainh' have kept it 

 up to the present time, had not a friend, 

 who had given much attention to British 

 cage-birds, visited me and asked me wh}- I 

 was keeping a hen Blackbird. I pointed out 

 the orange bill, the extent of white on the 

 throat, the heavy black streaking and ill- 

 defined breast spots, and he admitted that 

 he had never seen a similar hen Blackbird. 

 Unfortunatel}' I wanted the cage, in which 

 I had kept this supposed hybrid, for nn- 

 Mocking-bird (which I found too t3'ranuical 

 the Thrush its liberty : but, on the following- 

 walking round my garden, when a bird in an adjoining plot began to sing a 

 most marvellous song, which m}- neighbour characterized as neither like that of 

 Blackbird or Song Thrush, but a combination of both. I have no doubt, as I 

 told him, that ni}' recently liberated bird was the singer. 



The song of the Blackbird is quite unlike that of an\- other British Thrush, 

 clear, mellow and melodious, it is one of the finest productions of our feathered 

 choir : it however varies wonderfully in merit in different individuals, and no two 

 Blackbirds sing precisely alike. The finest singers are rarely heard, their per- 

 formance is continuous, flowing, ever changing, somewhat reminding one of the 

 Blackcap's song ; most Blackbirds, however, sing set phrases, more or less 

 plaintive but always vigorous in character. 



Frequentl}', in the middle of its song, a Blackbird stops abruptly and 

 ridicules its own performances, singing over the last phrase in a minor key and 

 following it up with derisive caricatures ending in meaningless squeaks ; some- 

 times it pauses abruptl}' and (perhaps for five or ten minutes) repeats, at 

 intervals its dismal car-.splittiug call note — a shrill reedy tseii ; or it will break off 



for an aviary) therefore I gave 

 day, one of ni}- neighbours was 



