BLACKBIRD. 281 



The food of the Blackbird varies considerably with the 

 season. In winter it will resort to the farm-yard and vie 

 with the Sparrow in its diligent search for scattered grain 

 and seeds. In spring and the early part of summer it feeds 

 on the larvae of insects, with worms and mollusks : as the 

 season advances it exhibits a great fondness for fruit, and its 

 constant visits to the garden are apt to bring upon it the 

 vengeance of the short-sighted gardener. When, however, 

 the enormous numbers of insects, slugs and snails, injurious 

 to vegetation and eaten by Blackbirds throughout a great 

 portion of the year, are duly considered, it is pretty plain that 

 the value of the fruit, consumed during a few weeks only, is 

 counterbalanced by the services performed, and I join in the 

 recommendation of the compassionate author of the poem on 

 the Birds of Scotland, who, writing of the similar case of 

 the Song- Thrush, says : 



' ' Scare, if ye will, his timid wing away, 

 But, 0, let not the leaden viewless shower, 

 Vollied from flashing tube, arrest his flight, 

 And fill his tuneful, gasping bill with blood ! " (TKAHAME. 



The song of the Blackbird is more remarkable for power 

 and quality of tone than for compass or variety. Its loud 

 and clear pipe has a somewhat melancholy effect, and the 

 same notes are too frequently repeated. The song begins 

 early in spring, and is chiefly heard betimes in the morning 

 and late in the evening ; while observation shews that the 

 strain is never better than during a warm April shower. 

 It continues at intervals throughout the summer, until the 

 regular moulting-season. 



Like some other birds gifted with great vocal power, the 

 Blackbird is a mimic of sounds. It has been heard to imitate 

 closely part of a Nightingale's song ; several instances are 

 recorded of its having been known to crow exactly like a barn- 

 door Cock, and Neville Wood mentions his having frequently 

 heard a Blackbird cackle as a Hen does after laying. 



The Blackbird pairs and breeds very early in the spring, 

 generally choosing the middle of some thick bush in which 

 to place its nest; but this is occasionally built upon the 



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