GLASS-EYE. 143 



and later in the spring, it appears, the shining fruit 

 of the Sweetwood (Laurus) is attractive to them. 

 On the 30th of March, my lad shot a male Glass- 

 e y e by the road-side at Cave, scarcely a stone's 

 throw from the sea, and level with it ; the stomach 

 contained the berries of this Laurus, which is abund- 

 ant just there. This is the only instance in which 

 I ever heard of the species, except in a mountain 

 locality. 



The common names of this bird are bestowed 

 in allusion to the tint of the iris of the eye: this, 

 as Mr. Hill observes, "is not absolutely white, 

 but so transparently suffused with a hue of olive, 

 that the eye has the look of very common glass." 



The figure, attitudes, and motions of the Glass- 

 eye are those of its fellow, the Hopping Dick; it 

 is, however, much more recluse, and jealous of 

 being seen. The dashing manner of flight across 

 the narrow wood-paths are the same in both birds, 

 but the loud and startling tones of the lowland bird 

 are wanting in this. The Glass-eye has but one 

 note that I have heard; a single low " quank" 

 frequently repeated as he hops from bush to bush, 

 or plunges into the thicket. Dr. Chamberlaine 

 attributes to him "the same loud sonorous chirp 

 as he stealthily scuds from one dark recess of the 

 forest to another ; " but I should think him mis- 

 taken, were it not that Robinson, who gives a 

 very correct drawing of the species by the name 

 of Turdus capite ferrugineo, and describes it as 

 common in the Liguanea mountains, affirms that 

 " it whistles like our English Blackbirds." (MSS.) 



