THE MISSEL THRUSH. 



the Song Thrush by its larger size, greyer 

 colour, and by the fact that when on 

 the wing it shows a conspicuous white 

 stripe down either side of its tail. 



This bird loves small woods, well- 

 timbered parks, orchards, and tree- 

 fringed streams common in the dales 

 of the North of England. Its nest is 

 built in the fork of a tree or on a strong 

 horizontal branch at varying heights of 

 from three to forty feet from the ground, 

 but I have never seen it in such a bush 

 as the Song Thrush would be likely to 

 patronise. Sometimes it is small and 

 well concealed, but at others it is large 

 and quite conspicuous. Occasionally I 

 have found it adorned on the outside 

 with lichen matching that growing on 

 the tree wherein it was built, and even 

 with green ivy leaves harmonising with 

 the moss clinging to the trunk of the 

 tree in which it was situated ; but, on 

 the other hand, I have found nests orna- 

 mented with large pieces of wool waving 

 in the wind, and even the large wing 

 feathers of a white barn-door Fowl. 

 The nest is constructed of a few slender 

 twigs (sometimes these are quite absent), 

 grass stems, moss, mud, and wool, with 

 an inner lining of fine, dead grass. 

 109 



