96 BLACKBIRD. 



last. His song is full and deep, but has a greater 

 monotony of tone, and wants the clear and varied 

 notes of the Song Thrush, and we do not think 

 that it is either so frequently sung or so long 

 continued at a time. It is, nevertheless, a better 

 cage bird than the other, is more sprightly in its 

 manners, is easily tamed, and learns to whistle 

 parts of tunes, and even to imitate the sound of 

 one or two words ; but though we have often 

 heard the Blackbird whistle correctly the first 

 part of a tune, we never knew perseverance able 

 to teach the commencement of the second part. 



The Blackbird is a more skulking and shy bird 

 than the Thrush ; it delights more in shrubbery 

 and low bushes, and except when singing to his 

 mate, we seldom see him perched aloft. When 

 disturbed or alarmed, he escapes by running or 

 a low flight, sounding his alarm scream as he 

 flies, and when alighting raises and expands his 

 tail. The food is nearly similar to that of the 

 last, but is sought in gardens, hedges, under the 

 shade and edges of copse or brushwood, and sel- 

 dom in exposed meadows or pastures ; and it 

 pursues the same method of obtaining the snail 

 of the helix nemoralis, which we have already 

 mentioned as observed by Mr Selby. The nest 

 is built in low bushes, evergreens being preferred, 

 and last year we discovered one placed upon the 

 ground, in a plantation, at the root of a young 

 Scotch fir tree. The nest is rather loosely built, 

 with a considerable quantity of mud in the struc- 

 ture of the sides, but lined internally with fine 



