COMMON BRITISH BIRDS 



Tht initial letters in the brackets stand for : R. Resident. S.M. 

 Summer migrant. W.M. Winter mfg-, ant. Tht word afttr the initial 

 letter denotes the Family to which the bird btlont. 



BLACKBIRD. (R. Thrushes.) 



Size. The Blackbird, being so well known and easily 

 recognizable, is taken as a standard for comparison. 

 Length io inches. 



Colour. Male : entirely black, with yellow bill and 

 dark-brown feet. Female : dark brownish-black 

 above. Throat and chest reddish-brown, mottled with 

 dusky. Lower breast and under parts blackish. Bill 

 brown. 



Note. The Blackbird is one of our best songsters, 

 commencing early in the spring as a rule, I think, 

 a little later than the Song Thrush. Its song consists of a 

 succession of rich mellow fluty notes, and is said to be 

 the only bird's song which really forms a musical 

 strain. 



As one walks down a country lane, or follows a 

 footpath over the fields by the side of a hedgerow, sooner 

 or later a Blackbird is sure to fly out with a rush and a 

 noisy cry, which sends the rabbits hurrying into their 

 holes, and causes every wild creature within hearing 

 distance to be on the alert for danger. When the birds 

 are going to roost in the evenings among the thick 

 evergreens, the Blackbird is again much in evidence, 

 flying about from bush to bush, uttering its loud alarm- 

 note and ' tick, tick, tick ' in such a vehement and 

 important manner that one would think that par- 

 ticular Blackbird was in charge of all the rest of the 

 birds in the garden, and was responsible for seeing them 

 all safely to bed. 



Distinguishing Feature. You can hardly mistake 

 the Blackbird itself, though many people living in the 

 country are unable to say for certain whether a bird 

 heard singing is a Song Thrush or a Blackbird. A 

 Song Thrush in full song repeats one note several times, 

 then another, and so on, perhaps using ight or nine 



