TURDIN^E. TURDUS. 127 



64. TURDUS VISCIVORUS. MISSEL THRUSH, OR SHRITE. 



Upper parts light brown, tinged with grey, the fore part of 

 the head greyish, the rump shaded with ochre-yellow ; secon- 

 dary coverts and tail-feathers tipped with greyish-white, a 

 cream-coloured band from the base of the bill over the eye, the 

 loral space greyish- white ; the lower parts yellowish-white, 

 each feather tipped with a black spot ; the spots on the neck 

 triangular, those on the breast larger and transversely oblong ; 

 the lower wing-coverts and axillar feathers white. 



Male, 11J, 19J, 6, j, 1 T ,, {*, A. Female, 11, 19. 



Permanently resident ; but flocks arrive in October and 

 depart early in May. Common in England, Scotland, and 

 Ireland. Gregarious in winter, feeding in the open fields, on 

 worms, larvse, and seeds. Nestles in bushes or on trees ; the 

 nest bulky, plastered internally with mud, and lined with 

 roots, grass, and moss ; the eggs, four or five, an inch and 

 three-twelfths long, ten-twelfths in breadth, flesh-coloured or 

 purplish-white, with scattered spots of light brownish-red and 

 pale purplish-red. Its song resembles that of the Blackbird, 

 but its notes are less mellow and modulated. 



Mistie Thrush. Grey Thrush. Holm Thrush. Screech 

 Thrush. Storm-cock. 



Turdus viscivorus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 291. Turdus visci- 

 vorus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. i. 161. Turdus viscivorus, Mis- 

 sel Thrush, or Shrite, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, ii. 114. 



^ 65. TURDUS MUSICUS. SONG THRUSH, OR MAVIS. 



Upper parts yellowish-brown, the head tinged with red ; 

 secondary coverts and first row of small coverts tipped with 

 reddish-yellow ; fore part of neck and breast yellowish, each 

 feather terminated by a triangular brownish-black spot ; lower 

 wing-coverts reddish-yellow. Young with the feathers of the 

 back and wings streaked and tipped with ochre-yellow. 



Male, 9, 14, 4 T V, T V, If, if, / ? . Female, 8, 12. 



Generally distributed in Britain and Ireland, occurring 

 even in the bare northern isles, as well as in the wooded and 

 cultivated parts. It is permanently resident ; feeds on worms, 

 insects, snails, and berries ; becomes somewhat gregarious in 

 winter. The song of this species surpasses that of the other 

 British Thrushes. Its nest is lined with cow-dung, or parti- 

 cles of decayed wood, or mud, without any covering. The 

 egii's, generally five, are bright bluish-green, with scattered 

 roundish spots of brownish-black ; their length about an inch, 

 their breadth nine-twelfths. 



