203 



THE SOLITARY THRUSH. 



Turdus solitarius, Linn^us ; Le Merle solitaire, Buffon ; Die Einsame 

 Drossel, Bechstein. 



This bird is eight inches and a half long, three of which 

 belong to the tail. The beak is an inch and a quarter long, 

 rather crooked at the point, dark brown without, and yellow- 

 ish within; the iris is orange. The feet are thirteen lines 

 high, and brown. The whole plumage is brov^Ti studded with 

 little white spots, with a faint tint of blue on the sides of the 

 head, the throat, under the body, on the breast and coverts of 

 the wings; the rump is brown without spots, and the tail 

 blackish. 



The female differs from the male in having the little spots 

 of a dirty yellow, and more numerous on the breast than else- 

 where, and in being destitute of the blue tint ; and finally, in 

 having the pen-feathers and the tail-feathers simply brown. 



Habitation. — When wild it seldom quits the mountains in the south 

 of Europe ; in spring, however, it advances as far as Burgundy, and re- 

 turns in the end of August ; it arrives, in the month of April, at the spot 

 where it generally passes the summer, and returns constantly every year to 

 the place where it first took up its abode. Two pairs are seldom found in 

 the same district. Except in the pairing season it is a solitary bird. 



In confinement it is furnished with a cage like that of the blackbird. 



Food, — When wild it feeds on insects, berries, and grapes. 



In confinement it is treated like the song thrush, adding ants' eggs and 

 meal-worms. 



Breeding. — The nest, made of blades of grass and feathers, is generally 

 placed at the top of a solitary chimney, or on the summit of an old castle, 

 or on the top of a large tree, generally near a steeple or high tower. Tlie 

 female lays five or six eggs. The young ones, if taken from the nest soon 

 enough, are capable of instruction ; the flexibility of the throat fitting it 

 either for tunes or words. They sing also by candle-light in the night. If 

 treated with care they live in confinement eight or ten years. From the 

 summit of a high tower or steeple the male utters for wdiole days the most 

 beautiful and pathetic song, accompanying it by flapping his wings, moving 

 his tail, and elevating the feathers of his head. 



Attractive Qualities. — His beautiful voice is in great repute in all the 

 countries he inhabits ; it is, indeed, very sweet and flute-like ; his song, 

 though musical, is somewhat melancholy, as is usual with solitary birds; 

 many persons, however, are very fond of it. This bird, when tamed, fetches 

 a very high price at Milan, Constantinople, &c. In some countries it is so 

 much respected that it is considered sacrilegious to kill it or destroy its 

 nest. 



