BLACKBIRDS. 



15 



YELLOW-FOOTED BLACKBIRD (Merula Aavipes). 



Above glossy black ; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 abdomen and thighs slightly greyer ; middle of abdomen 

 and tips of under tail-coverts white ; bill brilliant 

 yellow ; eyes reddish amber ; feet of a remarkably 

 bright yellow. The female is dark olivaceous-brown, 

 paler below ; bill brownish yellow. Young more dingy 

 in colouring ; the back, abdomen, and sides leaden-grey. 



According to von Berlepsch, this bird is confined to 

 the coastal regions of Middle and Southern Brazil. It 

 is a little smaller than the European Blackbird. Bur- 

 meister found it in the woods on the coast near Rio de 

 Janeiro, and also further to the north ; it was not rare 

 at New Freiburg. Paul Mangelsdorff observed it nest- 

 ing on the heights around New Freiburg, and in the 

 autumn he saw it in the lower valleys. Its calls 

 resembled those of the European Blackbird. Prince 

 Wied gives it the credit of being a good songster, but 

 says nothing further respecting it. Von Pelzeln also in 

 like manner says, on the authority of Natterer, that it 

 sings very charmingly, and Mangelsdorff declares that 

 the song of this species was much praised by the owners 

 of two specimens not for sale which he saw in cages. 

 Dr. Russ, on the other hand, who frequently saw an 

 example of the Yellow-footed Blackbird in the shop 

 of W. Mieth, at Berlin, states that neither Mr. 

 Mieth (during the years in which he possessed it) 

 nor he ever heard a song from it, so that he was almost 

 convinced that the species after all could not be a good 

 songster. He says that it was always in excellent 

 plumage, and moulted without difficulty ; but he admits 

 that it was not kept in a very spacious cage, and did 

 not receive sufficient variety in its food quite enough, 

 in my opinion, to account for the bird not feeling cheer- 

 ful enough to sing. 



Russ observes finally that while we fail to find the 

 Yellow-footed Blackbird up to the present time in the 

 records of nearly all, even of the largest Zoological 

 Gardens, the Amsterdam Garden alone has exhibited it. 

 It is certain that, up to the publication of the ninth 

 edition of its " List of Animals," our London society 

 had not secured it. 



CHINESE BLACKBIRD {Merula mandarina). 



Resembles the European Blackbird, excepting that it 

 is considerably larger and distinctly paler on the under- 

 parts ; the bill much stouter. 



Messrs. La Touche and Rickett published the follow- 

 ing interesting notes on the habits of this Blackbird in 

 The Ibis (Eighth Series, Vol. V., 1905, pp. 42, 43): 

 "A very common resident on the plains,* frequenting 

 gardens and copses, and, like the Magpie-Robin 

 (Copsychus saularis), always to be found in the vicinity 

 of human dwellings. The nest is placed high up in 

 some tall pine or other big tree. It is built on one of 

 the large boughs in a fork near the extremity of a 

 branch, or in the angle formed by one branch with, 

 another or with the trunk. 



" The materials used are fine twigs, straw, dry grass, 

 moss, roots, dead leaves, and a variety of odds and ends, 

 such as human hair, paper, etc. These are all plastered 

 together with fine mud in varying quantities, and lined 

 with fine dry grass, roots, and sometimes pine-needles. 

 The amount of mud used is often very considerable. 



"According to Rickett's observations, the female is 

 the sole architect, the male sitting on a branch near the 

 nest singing, and attacking any birds that approach, 

 especially Crows and Magpies, while he does not hesitate 

 to swoop down at a prowling cat. The young in the nest 

 appear to be fed chiefly by the female, but as SOOP as 

 * In the Province of Fohkien, S.E. China. 



they leave the nursery the male takes his share in caring 

 for them. Nesting begins in April, and two broods are 

 reared. 



" The eggs are four or five in number, and, as a rule, 

 ovate, but vary a good deal in shape as well as in 

 colour. Forty-one eggs average 1.18in. by .87in. They 

 are blotched, spotted, or speckled with various shades 

 of red over underlying violet spots. The markings often 

 form a cap, usually at the larger end, but sometimes at 

 the apex. 



" The ground-colour varies from pale greenish to 

 bluish green, whilst occasionally it is of a reddish tint." 



In his " Field Notes on the Birds of Chinkiang, Lower 

 Yangtee Basin" (The Ibis, 1906, p. 625), Mr. La Touche 

 says : " The Chinese Blackbird is very common on the 

 plain, but appears to be absent from the low hills and 

 lower country at the back of Chinkiang. The natives 

 rear it in cages, as in South China. It breeds com- 

 monly on the plain from April to July. Fresh eggs were 

 brought to me on April 20, and some nearly fresh on 

 July 11, so that there are two or three broods during 

 the year. A nest taken on June 18 contained six nearly 

 fresh eggs. The nests, as in Fohkien, are built on the 

 boughs of trees, generally at a great height from the 

 ground." 



Considering that this is a common Chinese cage-bird, 

 it seems strange that it should be so extremely rare in 

 the European bird market. One would suppose that 

 this large Blackbird would be most welcome both for 

 cage and aviary, and would be an interesting species to 

 breed in captivity. Yet Dr. Russ says : " It once 

 arrived at the Gardens of Amsterdam, but otherwise has 

 nowhere come to hand alive." 



Another species said to be related to our Blackbird, 

 but smaller the Silky-black Blackbird (Merula 

 atroscricea) from Colombia and Ecuador is reported 

 by Russ to have been once received by the dealer H. 

 Fockelmann, of Hamburg, who staged it at the exhibi- 

 tion of the " Ornis " 'Society, in 1887. He gives no notes 

 on its wild life, and I have not discovered any so far. 

 GREY BLACKBIRD (Merula cardis). 



The male is greyish-black, wings browner ; axillaries 

 slate-grey ; outermost tail-feathers with broad whitish 

 borders to the outer webs ; underparts blackish slate- 

 grey ; middle of breast and abdomen white ; sides with 

 large dark spots ; bill orange-yellow ; feet yellowish 

 horn-grey. Female, olive-brown, every feather edged 

 with greyish-brown ; sides of head, angle of lower- 

 mandible and throat grey-whitish, streaked with 

 brown ; upper breast olivaceous slate-grey, obscurely 

 spotted with dusky ; breast, sides of abdomen, and 

 axillaries, bright chestnut ; the first obscurely spotted 

 with dusky ; middle of breast and abdomen white ; bill 

 brownish grey. Habitat, Japan and China. 



According to Blakiston and Pryer, this is a common 

 breeding bird at Fujisan, and also occurs in Yezo ; it 

 sings beautifully. The nest is often situated on a tree- 

 stump, but also on branches near to the trunk, and 

 is almost entirely formed of moss. The clutch consists 

 of five greenish or reddish white eggs which are spotted 

 with brown umber. (Cf. Russ, " Fremdl. Weichiutter- 

 fresser," II., p. 73.) 



Seebohm (" Birds of the Japanese Empire," p. 46) 

 observes : "The Grey Japanese Ouzel is a lowland bird, 

 and breeds abundantly at the base of Fuji-yama. The 

 nest is generally placed in the fork of a small tree over- 

 hanging a stream, and is composed of moss, roots, and 

 dry leaves, with a foundation of mud. It is lined with 

 grass, fine roots, and horsehair (Jouy, Proc. United 

 States Nat. Mus. 1883, p. 277). Eggs in the Pryer col- 

 lection resemble those of the Missel Thrush, but are 



