28 THE BIRDS OF OUR RAMBLES. 



pink from the shrubberies, especially at dusk, 

 never fails to tell the whereabouts of his roosting- 

 place. How graceful he looks as he stands with 

 elevated tail upon the grass - plots, fearful of 

 danger ; how quickly and lightly he hops to and 

 fro in quest of the worms and grubs that compose 

 his food ! Then how slyly he visits the fruit-trees 

 in summer, or with what boldness he plucks the 

 clusters of scarlet holly berries when the ground 

 is snow-covered or frozen, as if conscious that we 

 shall not deem this an offence ! He may be guilty 

 of pilfering in the kitchen garden, but then he is 

 of the greatest service amongst the cabbage beds ; 

 and I venture to assert that his ravages on the 

 cherry-trees and berry bushes are amply recom- 

 pensed by the noxious creatures he destroys, and 

 by his glorious song in spring and early summer. 

 I know of few more persistent songsters than the 

 Blackbird ; and in early spring he will sit and 

 warble for hours together from one accustomed 

 perch. The Blackbird is one of the first birds to 

 succumb to the tender passions in the opening year, 

 and is engaged in domestic duties often before the 

 high March winds have ceased. The nest is made 

 in the evergreens, the whitethorn bushes, on the 

 banks among the primroses and bluebells, and 

 less frequently in the branches of trees. Dry 

 grass, moss, and leaves form the outer portion of 

 the structure ; then this cup is lined with a thick 

 coating of mud, and after this another and final 

 copious lining of finer grass is inserted, the whole 

 when finished and dry being a very compact 

 structure. In this the brown female lays her five 

 or six eggs, greenish blue in ground colour, 

 spotted and blotched with reddish brown and 



