THE COMMOX BLACKBIED. 557 



ing ants, on which they feed. Other insects are not refused 

 by them ; but, first and foremost, they are formicivorce. They 

 fly indifferently, but in 

 running and hopping they 

 are very nimble. Gene- 

 rally speaking, they do 

 not take the trouble of 

 building a nest, prefer- 

 ring to lay their eggs on 

 the ground, on a bed of 

 dry leaves. Their song is 

 of a strange character, 

 differing in its nature in 

 the various species. Some 

 of them have received the 



_. ,. . Fig. 259. The Wood Thiush (Turdus melodus, Wilson). 



name of " Bell-ringer, 



&c., from the similarity of their note to the sound of a bell. 

 They are wild and shy, and dash their heads against the bars 

 when they are shut up in a cage. Their flesh is appreciated for 

 the table. 



The Merulidce genus is characterised by a flattened, curved, and 

 slightly denticulated bill, and is one of the most numerous of the 

 family, embracing as it does no less than one hundred and fifty 

 species spread plentifully over the whole surface of the globe. 



Birds of this genus are, generally speaking, migratory, and 

 travel in more or less numerous flocks. They feed on berries, 

 fruits, and insects, and are endowed with very harmonious powers 

 of song. They have been divided into two great sections, the 

 division being based on the particular arrangement of their colours. 

 First, the section of Merulce, which embraces all the species the 

 plumage of which is of a uniform colour; next, that of Turcli, 

 which contains those of speckled plumage, that is, marked with 

 small dark spots on the breast. 



The principal species of the first section are the Common Black- 

 bird, the Rock Blackbird, the Solitary Blackbird, and the Mocking 

 Bird, or Polyglot Thrush. 



The COMMON BLACKBIRD (Merula vulgaris, Ray), Fig. 260, is so 

 called on account of its plumage, which in the cock bird is of a 



