678 



Clje Crcarfurj? 0f 



have an oblique slightly-waved elongate 

 orange band, with black inner and white 

 outer margin : the anal angle is spotted with 

 black, and the cilia on the anal areolets have 

 a fuscous stripe : the body is brown above, 

 cinereous beneath ; the antennas black, an- 

 milated with white. Caterpillar green, with 

 oblique yellowish streaks on the sides, and 

 two yellow dorsal lines : it feeds on the birch 

 and blackthorn : the chrysalis is reddish- 

 brown, with paler streaks. 



THORNBACK. (Jlaia clavata.') A well- 

 known fish of the Kuiadce family, which 

 grows to a very considerable size, though 

 rarely equal in magnitude to the Skate. It 

 is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean ; and 

 is taken in great abundance in the spring 

 and summer (when it visits the shallows for 

 the deposition of its eggs) on the Cornish 

 coast, and also on the coasts of Scotland and 

 Ireland. The colour of the skin is brownish 



THORNBACK.. (RAJA OV.AV 



gray, with irregular dusky variegations ; and 

 of a rough or shagreen-like surface : the 

 under part Is white, with a slight cast of 

 flesh colour. Its whole upper surface is 

 covered with strong curved spines, which 

 are most conspicuous down the middle and 

 on each side of the back, where four or six 

 of much larger size than the rest are gene- 

 rally seen. The back is marked with a 

 number of pale round spots, of different 

 sizes, and which are commonly surrounded 

 with a dark-coloured edge. Along the mid- 

 dle of the back rung a single row of strong 

 spines, continued to the tip of the tall ; and 

 it often happens that there are three, or even 

 five rows of spines on this part. The tail is 

 furnished with two membranous fins on the 

 upper central ridge, and ends with a small 

 dilatation. The Thornback is in the best 

 condition for table about November. They 

 feed on various other fish, particularly flat- 

 fish, testaceous mollusca, and Crustacea. 



THORN [MOTHS]. A name given by 

 collectors to Moths of the genus Oeometra. 



THRUSH. (Turdus.) Birds of the family 

 Turdidce, or Thrushes, are extremely nume- 

 rous, and are found in nearly every part of 

 the world ; the several species being adapted 

 to almost every climate. They generally 

 frequent the fields and pastures for their food, 

 which usually consists of soft animal and 

 vegetable substances, as berries and other 

 fruits, worms, and snails. Some species are 

 remarkable for their power and variety of i 

 song, and others for their powers of imita- | 



tion. Their nests are generally constructed 

 on the branches of trees, and most of the 

 species lay from four to six eggs. They have 

 the beak arcuated and compressed, but its 

 point is not hooked. Their habits are in 

 general solitary ; but the majority, however, 

 are gregarious during the winter. The fe- 

 males of all the Thrush kind, though some- 

 what less brilliant, are very similar in plu- 

 mage to the males. 



The SONG-THRUSH, MAVIS, or THROSTLE 

 (Turdus nmsicMs\\s a well-known and much 

 admired bird in this country, charming us 

 not only with the sweetness, but the variety 

 of its song, which it commences early in the 

 spring, and continues to the begmning of 

 autumn. It measures nine inches in length: 

 its beak is dusky, the under mandible yel- 

 lowish at the base : head, and upper parts 

 of the body, yellowish brown, with a few 

 obscure dusky lines on the former: the throat, 

 neck, and sides are yellowish ; the breast 

 white, spotted with dusky ; and the abdo- 

 men white : the under wing-coverts dull 

 orange yellow : legs light brown. The food 

 of the Song-thrush consists of insects and 

 berries ; it is also particularly fond of snails, 

 the shells of which it breaks against stones. 

 The female builds her nest generally in 

 bushes ; it is composed of dried grass and 

 green moss, with a little earth or clay inter- 

 mixed, and lined with rotten wood : she lays 

 four or five eggs, of a pale blue colour, marked 

 with dusky spots on the larger end. 



Bewick says, that although this species is 

 not considered migratory with us, it has, 

 nevertheless, been observed in some places in 

 great numbers during the spring and summer 

 where not one was to be seen in the winter; 

 which has induced an opinion that they 

 either shift their quarters entirely, or take 

 shelter in the more retired parts of the woods. 

 Thy have been observed to pass through 

 Courlaiid, Prussia, &c. in great numbers, in 

 their way to the Alps : and in France they 

 are migratory, visiting Burgundy when the 

 grapes are ripe, and committing great ravages 

 among the vineyards. 



In the Journal of a Naturalist, the habits 

 of this bird are thus pleasantly noticed: 

 " The Throstle is a bird of great utility in a 

 garden where wall-fruit is grown, by reason 

 of the peculiar inclination which it has for 

 feeding upon snails, and very many of them 

 he does dislodge in the course of a day. 

 When the female is fitting, the male bird 

 seems to be particularly assiduous in search- 

 ing them out, and I believe he feeds his 

 mate during that period, having frequently 

 seen him flying to the nest with food, long 

 before the eggs were hatched : after this 

 time the united labours of the pair destroy 

 numbers of these injurious creatures. That 

 he will regale himself frequently with a 

 tempting gooseberry or bunch of currants, 

 is well known ; but his services entitle 

 him to a very ample reward. The Black- 

 bird associates with these Thrushes in our 

 gardens, but makes no compensation for 

 our indulgences after his song ceases, as 

 he does not feed upon the snail ; but the 

 Thrush benefits us through the year, by his 



