THE MARITIME DISTRICT 251 



hawk was swaying about trying to hold on to the 

 thin smooth wire when the thrushes passed over him, 

 thirty or forty yards above, all but one, and this one 

 remained hovering motionless in the air for a space 

 of a few seconds directly above the hawk, then 

 dropped like a stone upon his back, and knocked him 

 clean off his perch. 



It is often stated by writers on British birds that 

 the missel-thrush ceases singing in March or April ; 

 this is a mistake, as I frequently hear him in May 

 and June. But why, I have often asked myself, is 

 he silent on many days in January and February 

 when the weather is mild, and the song-thrush is 

 loudest ? I have a suspicion that the missel-thrush 

 is less tolerant of other bird-voices near him than 

 most species ; and I think that the loud persistent 

 singing of the song-thrush is more disturbing to him 

 than any other bird-voice. At all events, I have often 

 listened for the missel-thrush, in localities where he 

 was abundant, and have not heard him when the 

 song-thrush was singing. In the same localities I 

 have heard the missel-thrush singing everywhere on 

 days when his rival was silent. 



When all the most luscious of the wild fruits 

 have been eaten, and frosts and winds make the open 

 downs impossible to live on, the missel-thrushes break 

 up their flocks and every bird goes back to his low- 

 land home. There is then not an orchard, nor copse, 

 nor grove, without a pair of the big thrushes ; and 



