N UNIFICATION. 55 



grass or moss, whereas the latter has just the 

 bare plaster, composed of cow dung and 

 decayed wood. The eggs are also easily 

 identified. The Missel Thrush lays an egg of 

 a greenish white colour, spotted irregularly 

 with reddish spots of various sizes. The egg 

 of the Song Thrush is of a greenish blue, 

 and the spots, which are mostly at the thick 

 end, are black. The Blackbird's nest resembles 

 that of the Thrush, but over the plaster, 

 which is mud, and thicker put on, there is a 

 grass lining. The eggs are also different, 

 being covered with very small mottled red- 

 dish brown markings, almost running into 

 each other at the thick end. The nest 

 of the Missel Thrush may be found in 

 the forks of trees some distance from the 

 ground. It is a conspicuous object, and not 

 difficult to find. The Song Thrush builds 

 lower down, the nest being placed on a branch 

 of a tree, or in a bush or hedge, while the 

 Blackbird selects a thick bush in the shrubbery 



