TWO COMMON BIRDS 



or two short. Worms must be found, worms 

 and yet more worms, until at last the desperate 

 parents go on strike. The rapidly growing 

 youngsters are now quite capable of looking 

 after themselves. They can find and pick up 

 food, they are quick and active ; indeed they 

 are full grown, but they do not like having 

 to fend for themselves. They follow the old 

 ones, squeak plaintively, and beg them to 

 feed them. I have seen an old thrush on the 

 lawn in the early morning looking for worms 

 with a couple of young ones as big as herself 

 following her about and begging piteously 

 for food. They were quite capable of picking 

 up worms, but their mother being there the 

 great babies tried to get her to do it for them. 

 Fully fledged young thrushes are almost in- 

 distinguishable from their parents, but young 

 blackbirds have a mottled brown dress of their 

 own, which distinguishes them from the older 

 birds at a glance. All the young ones moult in 

 the autumn and then assume the full-grown 

 plumage, so that by early winter young cock 

 blackbirds have the glossy black feathers and 

 orange bills that distinguished their fathers. 

 By the time they have got their complete new 

 outfit they are generally far from the spot 



55 



