AMERICAN EDITOR. 303 



with triangular, dusky spots. Its length is about nine 

 inches. They feed especially on the land-snails, so com- 

 mon in the old world. Unknown in America. 



The Missel-thrush, turdus viscivorus. This is the largest 

 of the English thrushes, nearly a foot in length. Its plu- 

 mage is gray and white. It derives its name from its 

 marked partiality to the leaves of the misletoe, with the 

 slimy juice of which, it soils, or missels, its feet. The 

 plant again takes its name apparently from the missled toes 

 of this thrush. 



The Blackbird, turdus merula. This is another of the 

 English thrushes, and a great singer. It is entirely black 

 in its plumage, shy, and solitary in its habits, differing 

 entirely, as the reader will observe, from our American 

 blackbirds, which are allied to the crows. 



The Cuckoo, cuculus cauvus. This bird, extremely com- 

 mon in England, has a grayish plumage varied with black 

 and white. Mr. Mudie seems to doubt the assertion usu- 

 ally made that they never build nests of their own. In the 

 northern states we have two cuckoos, very different in 

 their appearance and habits from those of Europe, nor 

 are they very common birds in this country. 



The Wren, troglodytes urbica. The winter wren of 

 America is said to resemble the common wren of Europe, 

 more than any other of our species. In England, this 

 little bird is a great favorite, and is familiarly called Kitty 

 Wren. 



The Halcyon, alcedo ispida. This is the kingfisher of 

 Europe. It is a bird of much more brilliant plumage 

 than our American kingfisher, alnost as gaudy indeed as 

 a parrot in its tints of red, blue, and green. The term 

 " halcyon days," is attributed to the transparent, calm 

 weather, in which the kingfisher delights to skim over the 

 glassy water, looking out for his prey. 



