BLACKBIRD. 97 



grass. The eggs generally are bluish green, 

 blotched with dull reddish markings. Plumage 

 of the adult male entirely of a deep black, having 

 the bill and eyelids of a rich orange yellow. In 

 young birds, during winter, although the black 

 colour has obtained -on the whole plumage, the 

 bill is not of the pure colour until the breeding 

 time, but is more or less of an umber brown, the 

 yellow gradually increasing. Length, from ten 

 inches to ten and a half. 



The female, above is nearly umber brown ; the 

 colour darker on the wings and tail. The throat 

 is a dirty white, having the feathers in the centre 

 umber brown, which runs downwards in streaks. 

 The remaining under parts are yellowish umber 

 brown, darkening in the centre, and at the tips of 

 the feathers, and towards the vent and tail coverts, 

 and on the breast tinted with rufous. The bill is 

 umber brown tinted with the fine yellow of the 

 male. The young are somewhat like the female, 

 but have the plumage varied by darker waves 

 again contrasted with those of a pale yellowish 

 umber brown, but towards autumn those are 

 thrown off, and the plain dress of the female but 

 many shades darker, is succeeded. 



Varieties of almost a pure white occasionally 

 occur, and from the marked contrast to the gene- 

 ral colours either in this state or when much pied, 

 is almost immediately noticed ; they sometimes 

 also appear of a cream colour, and when either of 

 this shade or pure white, in the female sex the 

 differences in her shades of colour are observable 



