BLACKBIED. 201 



o'clock, the male fed them three, and the female four times; 

 from five to six o'clock, the female fed them only twice; and 

 from six to seven o'clock, she fed them three times. In the 

 evening the male was almost entirely engaged in singing, and 

 from seven to eight o'clock, fed them only once, and the 

 female six times; and from eight to twenty minutes before 

 nine o'clock, when they both ceased from their labours, the 

 male fed them once, and the female seven times: the male 

 still continued singing. Thus in the course of a single day, 

 the male fed the young forty-four times, and the female 

 sixty-nine times. 



While engaged in watching, from his place of concealment, 

 this pair of birds, Mr. Weir observed that before they fed 

 their young, -they always alighted upon a tree, and looked 

 around them for a few seconds. Sometimes they brought 

 sufficient food for the whole of their brood one by one, and 

 at other times only enough for a single nestling. The young 

 birds often trimmed their feathers, and stretched out their 

 wings. 



On a Wren accidentally coming so near as to detect the 

 ambush, and giving a consequent note of alarm, all the birds 

 in the neighbourhood nocked around at once, to endeavour 

 to discover the cause of it, and the Blackbirds hopped round 

 and round, and made every effort to penetrate the mystery, 

 but at length gave up the attempt, One of the young birds 

 having had the misfortune to be choked, the hen bird, on 

 discovering the danger, set up a moan of distress. Her 

 partner on hearing it instantly came to her assistance, and 

 both made several attempts to dislodge the incubus, but for 

 a time they were unsuccessful. At last the male bird most 

 scientifically aided the process of deglutition, though only just 

 in time, for the young one was so much exhausted, that it 

 remained nearly three hours without moving, and with its 

 eyes shut. The cock bird having alighted on a tree a few 

 yards from the nest, poured forth a volume of song expressive 

 of joy at the happy result of his endeavours. 



With the note of alarm, Mr. Weir adds, which any set up 

 on the discovery of their enemies, all the different species of 

 the little birds seem to be most instinctively acquainted, for 

 no sooner did a beast or a bird of prey make its appearance, 

 than they seemed to be anxiously concerned about the safety 

 of their family. From tree to tree they usually hopped, 

 uttering their doleful lamentations. At one time the Blackbirds 



