46 LIFE AND SPORT IN HAMPSHIRE 



August, the wren and the gold crest in the frost and 

 snow of midwinter, are among the very few songsters. 

 There is no mistaking the effect of hot summer weather 

 on birds ; a single burning day stills them. 



The thrush has only to sing strong and bold at 

 two or three wintry dawns to persuade us he is the 

 best English songster. Taking the whole year, I 

 doubt whether he has an equal, and with his notes 

 fresh hi my ear, I am sure he has no superior. The 

 wren, the starling, and the redbreast sing as many 

 months as the thrush ; they sing as many days ; the 

 wren and the redbreast, though not the starling, sing 

 as late in the evening ; and the redbreast, if not the 

 wren and the starling, will sing as soon in the morning 

 as the thrush. So, for early song and late, and for 

 song on many days, the thrush has his compeers. In 

 quantity alone he is not at the top of the tree at 

 least he only shares it with these others. But when it 

 comes to quantity and quality together, shall we not 

 declare the thrush peerless ? Waking early and listen- 

 ing to him at successive dawns, my feeling is that he 

 is the best of singing birds. Granted others black- 

 birds and nightingales and blackcaps are choicer, 

 they hardly vie with the thrush when we consider 

 the year of song as a whole. After all has been said 

 in praise of quality, quantity does count ; especially 

 where, as in the song of thrushes, it is not discounted 

 by absence of the other merit. 



The pleasure we have in hearing a song thrush 



