THE THRUSH 



139 



also added the stare or starling, which, though 

 with a flat bill, too much resembles these 

 birds to be placed any where else. 



The missel-thrush is distinguished from all 



served, that birds never sleep but with their heads with 

 the wind. Autumn and spring, when the thrushes and 

 blackbirds are on their passage, are the proper periods for 

 catching them in great quantities, because they then re- 

 pose in large flocks, in the hedges sheltered from the 

 wind. Fowlers in France also make use of movable 

 huts, which are very convenient for killing numbers of 

 thrushes during the vintage time. These birds never 

 repose in the vineyards, but retire into the neighbouring 

 woods and thickets ; and generally rest once or twice on 

 the most exposed trees. The hunters have each a hut, 

 which they place near the tree which they judge most 

 advantageous, arid there each awaits his game, which he 

 kills easily. It is remarked that the riper the grapes 

 are, the more frequently the birds repose themselves: 

 they appear, as it were, intoxicated ; and every kind of 

 snare succeeds in taking them at this time. 



The St<ng-Thrush or Mavis. This bird is well 



known among us, and is one of the commonest species 

 in the wine-countries in France ; its flesh is the most 

 delicate of any. It frequents the vineyards when the 

 grapes are ripe, disappears after the vintage, and makes 

 its appearance again in March or April. All the birds 

 of this species, however, do not migrate ; they are some- 

 times seen in winter in our climates, but few in num- 

 ber. They approach habitations and sojourn in hedges ; 

 hut as soon as the spring expands its genial influence, 

 they retire into the woods, and announce the return of 

 this delightful season by their varied song. Accord- 

 ingly, both here and in many other countries, they are 

 called song-thrushes, or some equivalent name. 'The 

 male usually perches on the summit of some lofty tree, 

 on a thick branch, and- remains singing there for hours. 

 It continues its notes from the early days of spring to 

 the month of August and sometimes later; it is often 

 heard with us as early as February. At other times 

 these thrushes have only a little whistling note, which 

 may be expressed by the syllables zipp, zipp. In fly- 

 ing away, they particularly utter this cry, which may be 

 perfectly imitated by placing the end of the finger in 

 tile mouth, pressing it strongly with the lips, and draw- 

 ing it quickly away. In this manner they are driven 

 into snares, and attracted within reach of gun-shot. 

 This thrush makes its nest in bushes, and sometimes on 

 a branch of a tree against the trunk, about ten or a dozen 

 feet high: the exterior is composed of dry herbs and 

 moss, and the interior of straw, cemented with clay and 

 rotten wood. The eggs are five or six in number, of a 

 pale blue, with a slight greenish cast, and some reddish 

 and black spots. The male and female share the incu- 

 bation. Alter the first brood is hatched, the latter re- 

 commences a second, and sometimes even a third, 



of the kind by its superior size, being much 

 larger than any of them. It differs scarcely 

 in any other respect from the throstle, except 

 that the spots on the breast are larger. It 



especially when the first has not thriven. Each brood 

 goes separately, and the little ones disperse when they 

 are strong enough to take care of themselves. These 

 thrushes do not fly in flocks ; still many are found to- 

 gether, or at no great distance from each other. The 

 species is extended through all -Europe, is fonder of 

 woods than other places, especially of such as abound in 

 maple trees. These thrushes possess no great degree 

 of cunning, and suffer themselves easily to be taken 

 with snares and bird-calls. When they cannot find 

 fruits and berries, they subsist on snails, insects, and 

 worms. This is the reason that they are found on the 

 ground so frequently iu the woods, and at the foot of 

 hedges and bushes, especially those which border suit- 

 merged meadows. When they are looked at, they 

 manifest their displeasure by a gnashing of the bill. To 

 bring up this bird in a cage, it must be taken young, so 

 that it will sing all the better. It is fed with a sort of 

 paste such as is made for nightingales, or it may be 

 made with crumbs of bread, rape-seed, or hemp-seed 

 bruised, and meat cut small. This aliment is varied 

 with grapes or other fruits of which the bird is fond. 

 This thrush is susceptible of education, learns even to 

 speak, and whistles very agreeably many airs of the 

 bird-organ and flageolet. It will live in captivity 

 generally from seven to eight years. There are many 

 varieties of this thrush, but all of them accidental. 

 Among these may he remarked the white thrush, whose 

 plumage, however, is not in general of a pure white. 

 On some parts of the body spots of a feeble shade and 

 undefined form are observable. In other individuals 

 the plumes of the back are mixed with brown, and some 

 red is observable on the breast. Sometimes the top of 

 the head alone is white, and at others there is only seen 

 a demi-collar of this hue. 



The Chochi, or thrush of Paraguay, utters a singular 

 sound towards the setting of the sun during the hatch- 

 ing season: it cries in a melancholy tone like the mew- 

 ling of a cat, yet during the day, at the same epoch, its 

 song is varied, frequent, and agreeable. It preludes 

 with the syllables chochi-chochi-toropi, repeated three or 

 four times, from which M. Vieillot has given it its 

 name. The chochi composes its nest of small and very 

 flexible branches, furnished with slips of roots, and 

 covered with an extremely thick coating of cow-dung, 

 mixed with sand. 



The Missel is the largest of all the European thrushes. 

 It is like many other birds that people our woods and 

 orchards, partly migratory, and partly sedentary. In 

 Lorraine, according to l)r Lottinger, the missels quit 

 the mountains at the approach of winter, always fly in 

 flocks in spring and autumn, return in March, and 

 nestle in the forests with which these mountains are 

 covered. In Brie, according to Hebert, the correspon- 

 dent of Button, they do not unite in flocks at any sea- 

 son of the year. If those two observers speak of the 

 same species of thrush, it would appear that its habits 

 are riot the same in all countries. The greater number 

 of the missels quit our northern climates on the approach 

 of winter, but some remain. Those certainly do not 

 live in flocks like the fieldfares, but in families. They 

 pair in the month of January, and once coupled, each 

 pair lives separately. 



The missel is one of the first of our sedentary bird? 

 which announce the return of spring ; for even so early 

 as the fine days of February the male perches on the top 

 of a very lofty tree, and puts forth a varied song, which, 

 though remarkably loud, is not destitute of harmony, 

 The female makes her nest even previously to the 



