24 The Blackbird. 



that absurd little duck every half miuute, when sitting on a branch : no, the 

 Blackbird is far too sedate for such frivolity. 



The Blackbird is especially bold in defence of its young ; even when the 

 nest contains eggs alone, I have known this bird to sit so close, that it has been 

 caught upon the nest and ruthlessly killed by its heartless captor. To some 

 creatures having the outward form of man, a few cherries, hastily swallowed and 

 forgotten, are of more importance than months of woodland music : unhappily, 

 many such mere animals are trusted with firearms, and do their utmost to destroy 

 the farmer's and fruit grower's most useful and industrious assistants ; either not 

 knowing or not caring to know, that the birds are onl}^ taking wages in kind for 

 the fruit which the}' have worked hard to save from the ravages of insect enemies. 



x'Ys a cage-bird, the Blackbird is without a rival among our Thrushes ; clean, 

 lively, pleasing both in form and in his simple colouring, readily tamed, easily 

 kept in health for years, it is no wonder that he is a general favourite : but, if he 

 is to turn out a good songster, he must be caught, not reared from the nest. A 

 hand-reared bird never sings the wild song, and hardly ever pleases with his per- 

 formance ; indeed I have only known one bird (reported to be hand-reared, and 

 fed upon sopped bread only) which really had an attractive song. Of the numbers 

 which I reared when I first began to study aviculture, the best singer never got 

 beyond six notes of a dismal psalm-tune. On the other hand, ever}- trapped cock 

 Blackbird, if properly fed, is sure to sing the true wild song sooner or later ; 

 usually in the first spring after his capture. Hand-reared birds should be taught 

 by trapped wild birds. 



Like many other birds when first caught, the Blackbird often refuses to feed 

 at all the first day ; and, if in good condition when caged, he may continvie to 

 sulk for a day or two longer ; but even a sulky Blackbird cannot resist the 

 attractions of a lively mealworm, spider, or even earthworm, and when he once 

 begins to eat, he will continue ; so that there is never much difficulty in inducing 

 him to empty his pan of soft food. The latter, as alread}- hinted previousl}-, should 

 be largely farinaceous, but with an admixture of yolk of egg and ants' cocoons ; 

 slices of apple or pear, and berries, as well as insects and worms, should also be 

 given from time to time ; but meat /iczicr excepting as a purgative, if you value 

 the health of 3'our bird : if given, it will assuredly produce diarrhoea, resulting 

 sooner or later in cramp, or fits. I tried it with fatal results, for several years. 



In 1905 and 1906 I bred hybrids between the female of this species and the 

 male of the Himalayan Grey-winged Ouzel fTurdus (Merula) boulboulj; the males 

 sooty black, with a red-brown wing-patch, the females variable, either almost 

 wholl}- olivaceous brown or else nearl}- resembling the female of the Indian bird. 



