372 THE THRUSH FAMILY 



which he has been seen carrying material to the site. 1 In a third 

 instance he was seen not only to bring material, but to put it into 

 position on the outside of the structure. That this was perhaps an 

 excess of zeal on his part appears from the fact that his wife saw 

 proper to mend his work after each visit, and, as far as seen, she made 

 herself solely responsible for the internal shaping of the nest, though 

 the cock helped to bring mud for the plaster lining. 2 Frequently the 

 cock has been observed to accompany the hen on her excursions in 

 search of building material, often apparently taking the liveliest 

 interest in her proceedings, escorting her hither and thither, seeming 

 to approve the quality of the twig or tuft of grass chosen, doing every- 

 thing, in fact, except the work itself. In these cases he showed, 

 at least, a kind of gallantry with which his mate, not having " views," 

 and happy in the satisfaction of her nest-making instincts, was possibly 

 well content. But this gallantry is not shown by all cock blackbirds. 

 One was kept under close observation three years in succession, and 

 was only once seen to accompany his mate when seeking material for 

 her nest. 3 Not long ago, again, I saw a hen blackbird busily engaged 

 in collecting grass, while her mate, near by, and it may be dimly aware 

 of what she was doing, stood cutting up a large worm. Having 

 detached a bit, he swallowed it, then continued pecking for a time, till, 

 becoming impatient, he managed to swallow the rest of the meal at 

 one gulp, after which he flew to a perch, wiped his orange-tawny bill, 

 deliberately and conscientiously, shook himself and flew off'. Not once 

 did I see him pay the least attention to his mate, though frequently 

 in her vicinity. Nor, let us add, did she pay the least attention to 

 him. Both, of course, may have had private and particular reasons 

 for behaving as they did, but that is another story. 



Less is known of the cock thrush's share in nidification, as it is not 

 always easy to be sure of the sex of the bird seen carrying material. 



1 E. Selous, Bird Life Glimpses, p. 206. 



1 See a note in British Birds, iv. p. 44, by Mr. C. Kingsley Siddal, who has been kind enough 

 to supply me with additional information. 



3 From information supplied in MS. by the late Mr. Harper Gaythorpe of Barrow, who 

 made careful and detailed notes of the nesting habits of a pair of blackbirds in his garden. 



