94 WITHIN AN HOUR OF LONDON TOWN. 



ous, defiant song ! When the missel-thrush is nest- 

 ing, no bird is more pugnacious in defence of his 

 home and what it contains. Whether it be hawk, 

 owl, crow, cat, stoat, weasel, or rat that comes near 

 with sinister intent, he and his mate will go for it 

 with a will. 



If it be a feathered enemy, they will make the 

 feathers fly in a surprising fashion ; if it be a four- 

 footed one, they will dash down and buffet the 

 creature. I have seen cats bound off at top speed, 

 glad enough to get to cover out of reach of a pair 

 of injured missel-thrushes. But the courage of the 

 bird frequently causes it to lose its own life. For 

 if a stoat comes on to the velvety lawn of a country 

 house, and the bird, usually shy and wary, happens 

 to have built in one of the trees there, a duel has 

 been fought, which has ended in the death of the 

 brave bird. 



Some of our readers may not be familiar with 

 stoats and weasels in a state of nature. It is 

 very certain that specimens in zoological collec- 

 tions, even the most artistically mounted ones 

 that our museums contain, will not give you 

 the least idea of their beauty and extraordinary 



