370 THE THRUSH FAMILY 



a nest of the chaffinch. Attention was drawn to this by J. Vian in the 

 Revue et Magasin de Zoologie as far back as 1865. Both Yarrell and 

 Dresser accept the statements, and it is further supported by Mr. 

 Ussher and Mr. Warren, who, in their Birds of Ireland, state that the 

 " breeding of the chaffinch close to the nest of the mistle-thrush has 

 been repeatedly observed in Ireland." There can be no doubt that 

 the smaller bird benefits by being under the wing of so fearless a 

 neighbour. An instance this is of quoted in Birds of Ireland. A 

 sparrow-hawk was on the point of seizing a chaffinch with its strong 

 talons, when out rushed the mistle-thrush, and darted upon the back 

 of the hawk. There was a whirring of glancing pinions, the chaffinch 

 dropped to the ground in safety, and the hawk flew off, shaken and 

 humiliated, a sadder, if not a wiser bird. But how much is there in 

 all this to justify the inference, made by Vian, that the chaffinch 

 deliberately seeks the protection afforded by the neighbourhood of 

 the mistle-thrush, and warns the latter of the approach of hawks ? 

 It is a very common species, and often builds in the small branches 

 which are found on the lower part of the trunks of large trees. 

 That its nest should frequently be found in the copses that the 

 mistle-thrush loves to frequent is, therefore, not surprising. Nor 

 is it surprising that the latter should attack every bird of prey 

 venturing near its nest whether in pursuit of chaffinches or not. A 

 mistle-thrush requires indeed little or no provocation to make it attack 

 a sparrow-hawk. A good instance of this is given by Mr. W. H. 

 Hudson, who one day observed individuals of the latter species perched, 

 or rather trying to keep perched upon a telegraph wire. Unable to 

 grasp the wire firmly it swayed uncomfortably, supporting itself by a 

 downward pressure of the wings. At this moment a party of mistle- 

 thrushes flew overhead. One paused, hovered for a few seconds, then 

 dropped like a stone upon the hawk's back, and knocked him clean off 

 his perch, after which he resumed his journey, leaving the discom- 

 fited hawk to digest the insult at his leisure. 1 



1 Nature in Downland. Since writing the above, Mr. F. C. R. Jourdain informs me that in 



