14 IN A CHESHIRE GARDEN 



was simply set on the top of one of the lowest 

 spreading boughs without any attempt at 

 concealment. It was at the end of the bough 

 and not six feet from the ground, within easy 

 reach of anyone. It could, however, only 

 be seen when you were actually under the 

 tree and probably would never have been 

 noticed at all but for the behaviour of the 

 birds themselves. After the eggs were 

 hatched they attacked everybody who went 

 under or even near the tree, swooping down 

 suddenly from you didn't know where and 

 almost dashing into your face, indeed they 

 would often hit your hat. I am glad to say 

 this display of courage was not wasted, for 

 the young birds safely flew on May lyth. 



Missel-thrush is said to be short for mistle- 

 toe-thrush, and to mark the singular taste of 

 the bird for mistletoe berries. Mistletoe is 

 scarce with us, but they do appear to depend 

 more upon berries of every kind than either 

 throstles or blackbirds, and one year I 

 remember when the yews bore an extraor- 

 dinary crop of berries, the trees were quite 

 alive with the missel-thrushes that came to 

 eat them. I would say, by the way, that a 

 great part of the holly berries are sometimes 

 left untouched by birds, and I have seen 

 trees in summer quite red with the berries of 

 the previous year. 



One or two missel-thrushes generally come 

 to the food-stand in winter and show them- 



