the snails and caterpillars which abound among the leaves. On the ground 

 the bird progresses in a series of hops, and seldom walks or runs. Its 

 method of catching worms is too well known to need description, as every one 

 has seen the thrush hopping on the lawn in the early morning, stopping 

 now and then to listen intently with drooping wings and head slightly on 

 one side: a sudden pounce, and the worm is swallowed before the observer 

 has seen the capture. 



The Song Thrush is not so partial to berries as the Blackbird and the 

 Thrushes, but in autumn it feeds largely on those of the mountain ash 

 and hawthorn, especially when the ground is frozen and its favourite grubs 

 and worms are not to be obtained ; I have also observed, that of the many 

 birds caught in the strawberry and raspberry nets in our gardens in the 

 fruit season, the Blackbird is far the most numerous, and the Song Thrush 

 but seldom found. The bird is very fond of the snails which abound along 

 most of our hedges, and little heaps of their broken shells may be found near 

 some large stone where the bird has dashed them to pieces in order to get at 

 the juicy morsel within. Though it may be seen in small parties feeding in 

 the newly mown hay-fields or on the lawn, it is not a gregarious bird, and 

 when night begins to fall each one flies off to his own solitary roosting-place. 

 Of all our birds the Song Thrush is the finest singer, his notes are so rich 

 and varied, and at dawn and sunset the birds vie with each other in making 

 the sweetest music ; each phrase of song is repeated two or three times, as if 

 he was pleased with the combination of notes. The bird generally chooses 

 the topmost branch of some tall tree or shrub, from which he pours forth such 

 a rich and beautiful song that few can pass by without stopping to listen with 

 delight. 



The Song Thrush is a very early breeder, and eggs may be found as 

 early as the beginning of April. The nest is usually found in some evergreen, 

 sometimes, but more rarely, in a deciduous tree ; it is generally placed in some 

 fork, or against the trunk of the tree, concealed by some tuft of twigs or 

 leaves, occasionally on a bank under some clump of ferns, but the favourite 

 situations are in laurels, rhododendrons, or in trees overgrown with ivy. 



The nest is a large structure, the outside being built of dead grass, 

 moss, and a few twigs. This foundation is then lined with mud or clay, and 

 finally coated with a lining of decayed wood, which the bird obtains from 

 the rotten logs or fence-posts in the neighbourhood ; the lining is put on 

 wet, and a day or two is allowed to elapse ere the first egg is laid, in order 

 that the nest may be quite dry. 



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