ON BIRDS, 339 



After the first brood of rooks are sufficiently 

 fledged, they all leave their nest-trees in the day- 

 time, and resort to some distant place in search of 

 food, but return regularly every evening, in vast 

 flights, to their nest-trees, where, after flying round 

 several times, with much noise and clamour, till they 

 are all assembled together, they take up their abode 

 for the night. MARKWICK. 



THRUSHES. Thrushes, during long droughts, are 

 of great service in hunting out shell snails, which 

 they pull in pieces for their young, and are thereby 

 very serviceable in gardens. Missel thrushes do not 

 destroy the fruit in gardens like the other species of 

 turdi, but feed on the berries of misseltoe, and, in 

 the spring, on ivy berries, which then begin to ripen. 

 In the summer, when their young become fledged, 

 they leave neighbourhoods, and retire to sheep-walks 

 and wild commons. 



The magpies, when they have young, destroy the 

 broods of missel thrushes, though the dams are fierce 

 birds, and fight boldly in defence of their nests. It 

 is probably to avoid such insults, that this species of 

 thrush, though wild at other times, delights to build 

 near houses, and in frequented walks and gardens. 



WHITE. 



Of the truth of this I have been an eye-witness, 

 having seen the common thrush feeding on the shell 

 snail. 



In the very early part of this spring, (1797,) a 

 bird of this species used to sit every morning on the 

 top of some high elms close to my windows, and 



tionary, p. xxx ; from which this corollary may be inferred, that 

 if a confined bird had learned the song of another, without re- 

 taining any part of its natural notes, and was set at liberty, it is 

 probable it would never find a mate of its own. MITFORD. 

 z 2 



