MERULIDJE. 15 



eggs are, in almost every instance, found in trees or 

 shrubs growing in damp situations. 



A good many pied varieties of the Blackbird have 

 occurred at different times, and Mr. Howard, of 

 Burnham, told me that his father once shot a white 

 Blackbird near Burnham. This bird had a perfectly 

 white head and throat, white wings, and several white 

 feathers interspersed on the back and rump : the tail 

 feathers were white and brownish-black. 



Mr. G. S. Blane informed me that during the 

 summer of 1866 several Blackbirds were seen in the 

 grounds of Wingfield Park, near Windsor, with white 

 feathers in their wings, grey heads, and black and 

 white tails. These were believed to be young birds, 

 and were probably of the same brood: they were 

 very tame, approaching close to the house to be fed. 



I sent the following account of a pied variety to the 

 Zoologist for March 1867 : 



' I saw a curious variety of the common Blackbird, 

 yesterday, at a bird-stuffer's shop in Eton. It was 

 shot, I am informed, at Wingfield Park, which is not 

 far from Windsor, a few days ago (about the 2Qth of 

 January). On its head it had the feathers on the 

 crown of a pure white colour, the white being con- 

 tinued in little streaks and spots on the left cheek, but 

 not on the right. One of the feathers of the right 

 wing was pure white, and the one next to that was 

 half white, all the others being black. Under the 

 lower mandible of the bill it had some white marks, 



