84 IN BIRD -LAND 



be heard moving about with some companions 

 among the dead leaves underneath, and calling 

 incessantly, pick, pick, pick. The Blackbird is one 

 of the gamekeeper's best friends, owing to its 

 habit of giving forth a loud rattling cry if alarmed, 

 and nearly always flying directly away from the 

 threatened danger. In the spring, during incu- 

 bation, the males are very quarrelsome, driving 

 away any other birds which come too close to 

 their nests. 



A curious thing to be noticed in connection with 

 the Blackbird is, that they will sometimes use the 

 same nest for several successive broods during 

 one season, that is if they are left alone and not 

 in any way disturbed. The Blackbird's song is 

 one of the best to be heard in the fields ; and they 

 usually sing from some prominence, although I 

 have heard them singing while on the ground, or 

 even while on the wing. In some of their songs 

 the notes of other birds can sometimes be dis- 

 tinguished. I once heard one repeating the 

 Nightingale's best note, and so perfect was the 

 imitation, that I thought it must be from a 

 Nightingale until I caught sight of the singer 

 perched on an oak branch. I passed this spot 

 about an hour later, or towards dusk, when the 

 song still held on, and if it had not been for other 



