THE THRUSH. 



141 



croaking. It feeds on insects, holly, and 

 mistletoe-berries; and sometimes sends forth 

 a very disagreeable scream when frighted or 

 disturbed. 



The blackbird, which in cold countries, 



much esteemed as that of other thrushes; some say it 

 acquires a good flavour when the birds feed on flax-seed, 

 others that it is never better or more succulent than 

 when they live on worms or insects. In general, how- 

 ever, it is insipid enough. The fieldfares may be taken 

 by net, bird-call, or snares of any kind ; shooting them 

 is an easy sport. There are many accidental varieties 

 of this species, in which white predominates more or 

 less. 



The Redwing has been sometimes confounded with 

 the song-thrush ; but besides that its plumage is some- 

 what different, its habits and mode of life are analogous 

 to those of the fieldfare. Like the latter, it only ap- 

 pears among us twice a year, unites in numerous flocks 

 at certain hours of the day, to chirrup all together. The 

 redwing has some conformity with the song-thrush in 

 the delicacy of its flesh, and fondness for grapes, and 

 they sometimes travel in company, especially in spring. 

 The redwing generally arrives after the song-thrush, 

 and before the fieldfare, from the north. They are seen 

 in considerable flocks in November, which usually dis- 

 appear before Christmas. It re-appears towards spring, 

 in the month of March, and is not seen alter April. Its 

 cry is tan, tan, kan, kan. In constantly repeating this 

 cry it leads the fox, its natural enemy, to a considerable 

 distance after it. It has been remarked that it does not 

 sing in our climate, and has only a chirrup very analo- 

 gous to that of the linnet: it is said, however, that in its 

 native country its song is very agreeable in the spring 

 season, especially when it perches on the summit of 

 lofty trees. It makes its nest in the woods in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Dantzic; it nestles also, according to Noze- 

 inann, in some parts of Holland, and chooses those 

 which are covered with elder and service-trees, of the 

 berries of which it is very fond. It has two broods 

 every year, in the months of April, May and June: each 

 consists of from four to six eggs, of a greenish-blue, and 

 spotted with blackish. It nestles also in Sweden, and 

 places its nest on the small shrubs and in the hedges. 

 While the female hatches, the male hunts, and brings 

 her her food. From the analogy between this bird and 

 the song-thrush, it would seem probable that the male 

 also partakes the care of incubation. Nozemann says 

 that the male and female of this species swallow the 

 excrement of the young while they remain in the nest. 

 This habit is common to them with many other birds, 

 but the excrements remain at the entrance of their 

 oesophagus, and they eject them in some spot away from 

 the nest, so as to remove all suspicion of the place where 

 their young family is concealed. The usual aliment of 

 these birds consists of the small worms, which they pro- 

 cure by scraping up the earth, of berries, of turnips, and 

 caterpillars. When these are wanting, they have re- 

 course to cherries, grapes, and other kinds of tender 

 fruits. Then it is that their flesh acquires the delicacy 

 which renders it in equal estimation with that of the 

 song-thrush. They are not mistrustful, and are more 

 easily ensnared than almost any bird. 



The Punctated Thrush is a native of New Holland, 

 and has been well described by Mr Vigors and Dr 

 Horsefield, in the fifteenth volume of the Linnsean 

 Transactions. The general colour of the plumage is 

 brown, inclining to olive; breast ash-colour, and belly 

 rnfous-bufl'; a white streak over the eye, and chin 

 and throat white ; tail greatly wedged, and legs pale- 

 yeliow. 



We shall now speak of the Blackbirds. 



Rome naturalists distinguish the blackbirds generally 



and particularly upon the Alps, is sometimes 

 seen all over white, is a beautiful and canor- 

 ous bird, whistling all the spring and summer 

 time with a note, at a distance, the most 

 pleasing of all the grove. It is the deepest 



from the thrushes by the vertical motion of the tail ; 

 but this is found among some species of the latter. 



The Blackbird is solitary, living either alone or in 

 company with its temaje. Though naturally wild, it is 



more easily tamed than the thrushes. It sojourns and 

 nestles near inhabited places ; it is more distrustful and 

 subtle, and is said to have a more piercing sight, which 

 enables it to discover the fowler at a great distance: it 

 is therefore approached with much more difficulty. The 

 male has a powerful voice, but hardly supportable, ex- 

 cept in the woods, or champaign country. It commences 

 its notes from the first fine days in the month of Febru- 

 ary, and continues to sing until the fine season is pretty 

 well advanced; it sings one of the longest of any of our 

 birds. The love season begins early with the blackbird, 

 and it is not rare to see young ones at the commence- 

 ment of May. This species has two or three broods 

 every year; it builds its nest in thick bushes, at a 

 moderate height, or in the old trunks of headless trees, 

 covered with ivy; it is composed of moss, small roots, 

 and dried herbs, bound together with clay, and the 

 interior is furnished with the softest materials. The 

 male and female work together at its construction with 

 so much assiduity, that we are assured that eight days 

 are sufficient for the finishing of the work. When it is 

 finished, the female deposits in it from four to five eggs, 

 of a bluish-green, with rusty-coloured spots, frequent, 

 and not very distinct. She hatches them with so much 

 ardour, that she sometimes suffers herself to be caught 

 with the hand on the nest. 



These birds are sought after, and brought up in cap- 

 tivity for their song, and more especially for their power 

 of improving it, of retaining the airs which they are 

 taught, and imitating those which they hear. Those 

 who are desirous of bringing them up should take them 

 in the nest, when they are feathered, and feed them at 

 first with a liquid paste, composed of steeped bread, 

 yolk of egg, and bruised hempseed, and afterwards with 

 sheep's-heart, minced meat, crumbs of bread, and dif- 

 ferent fruits and berries. They must not be shut up 

 with other birds, for, naturally uneasy and petulant, 

 they will pursue and torment them continually, unless in 

 veiy large aviaries, filled with shrubs and bushes. In 

 this way, indeed, they may have the pleasure of making 

 their own nests, and bringing up their young, if they 

 are provided with a sufficient quantity of the proper 

 aliment. To succeed completely, it is necessary to 

 abstain from approaching the brood while the little ones 

 are not entirely fledged, for otherwise the old ones will 

 either abandon or devour them. The blackbirds are 

 very fond of bathing themselves ; they must, therefore, 



