252 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



area, however, it is quite possible for the Blackbird to be 

 somewhat of a nuisance, for it is extremely quarrelsome, not 

 only fighting with others of its own species, but driving off 

 other birds which seek to feed or to nest near its own particular 

 domain. In most places, however, where the birds are cared 

 for, they live in peace with the Thrushes and other neighbours, 

 remembering perhaps that they have shared the same friendly 

 hospitality during the hard days of winter, and been sustained 

 by the same friendly hands. Thus there is no prettier sight 

 than to see the Blackbirds in summer descending gently and 

 with a sweeping flight on to a lawn, and as they alight, raising 

 their tail gracefully, before proceeding to search for worms. 

 This action of the tail is characteristic of the Blackbird, and is 

 n t seen in the Thrushes under similar circumstances. 



Nest. This is found in all kinds of situations, sometimes 

 well concealed and hidden in the recesses of an evergreen or 

 yew-tree, at others built in such exposed situations as to ensure 

 discovery. The outside of the nest is often ragged, and the out- 

 lying grasses and twigs often lead to its detection. It is a firm 

 and compactly-built structure, and is placed in the thick stems 

 of an ivy trunk or against the trunk of a big tree, often in the 

 middle of a park or on the edge of a plantation, and at a good 

 distance from the ground, while at other times it is to be found 

 near the dense bottom of a hedge-row, and has even been found 

 under the eaves of a shed, or amongst the roots of a large tree, 

 or under a bank, in just such a situation as a Wren would choose, 

 according to Mr. Seebohm. The latter gentleman observes : 

 "The nest passes through three stages before it is completed. 

 It is composed first of coarse grasses, amongst which a few 

 twigs are sometimes woven, a little moss, and dry leaves. This 

 somewhat loosely-built structure is lined with mud or clay, 

 when it is a difficult matter to distinguish it from an unfinished 

 nest of the Song-Thrush. This mud-formed cavity is finally 

 lined very thickly with finer grasses, admirably arranged, and 

 forming a smooth bed for the eggs." Mr. Robert Read tells 

 us that he once found a Blackbird's nest at Ulackheath very 

 early in the spring, in which the bird had laid a single egg. A 

 spell of frost and snow supervened, and no more eggs were 

 deposited for a fortnight, when mild weather once more set in, 



