MISSEL THRUSH. 29 



says that the Missel Thrush and Chaffinch always nest 

 in company, and that he has never found a Missel 

 Thrush's nest in France without finding a Chaffinch's in 

 the same or in the next tree. His explanation of this 

 curious fact is that both the Missel Thrush and the 

 Chaffinch begin to breed about the end of March, 

 shortly after the Magpie, and before most other birds. 

 Now, in April the Magpie is searching for nests to 

 plunder for her young ones, and in these two, and these 

 two alone, she can find the necessary spoil ; they are 

 readily seen as the trees are then comparatively bare of 

 foliage and would fall a speedy prey, were it not that 

 the wary Chaffinch is always ready to give notice of the 

 approach of the enemy, and the Missel Thrush is then 

 at once prepared to give him battle : thus vigilance and 

 courage are happily combined. Mr. Dresser is desirous 

 of knowing whether anything of a similar nature has 

 been observed in our own country. I venture to think 

 that the little incident I have mentioned seems to 

 imply that the alliance between the two birds is not 

 limited to the Continent, but extends to our island 

 shores as well. 



The nest consists of twigs and grasses, with " a bowl 

 of mud " within, and a final lining of grasses. The 

 eggs, usually four or five in number, vary very much in 

 appearance, but are generally bluish-green, mottled with 

 brown. The nest is sometimes placed near the ground, 

 and at other times as high up as sixty feet from it. 



Mr. Ussher remarks of this bird that, " though now 

 resident, common, and widely distributed, it was appa- 

 rently unknown in Ireland before the nineteenth 

 century." 



