338 THE SONG THEUSH. 



great vigour, and fought resolutely ; but numbers at last pre- 

 vailed : they tore the nest to pieces, and swallowed the young 

 alive." 



KNAPP considers the song of this bird, which is in his ears any- 

 thing but melodious, as a pretty sure indication of stormy weather. 

 " The flight of the Missel Thrush/' observes YAEEELL, " is rapid, 

 but irregular and uneven, being performed by a succession of 

 jerks. Its food is various soft-bodied animals, as worms, slugs, 

 &c. ; and it is also a most decided feeder on berries of all sorts. 

 A botanist has reminded me that the red berries borne by the 

 plant named butcher's broom (Ruscus aculeatus], which grows 

 on bushy commons, are called holm-berries ; the name Holm 

 Thrush may have been acquired by this bird from feeding on the 

 Holm-berry." Probably, however, as this author opines, the 

 title may have originated in the partiality of the bird for the 

 oak-tree, from the top of which it delights to pour out its mellow 

 song, one species of that tree, the evergreen oak, being called by 

 old English writers the holm. 



MACGILLIVEAY mentions that he has not met with this bird in 

 the Hebrides, or even in the northern division of Scotland, and 

 that in the middle division of that country it is very rare, although 

 he has seen it even among the Grampians. In the southern parts 

 it is not uncommcn either in the cultivated districts or among 

 the central hills. A correspondent of his, ME. WEIE, asserts 

 that this is one of the most voracious of our native birds, and 

 that he has known it to carry off the young of other birds to 

 feed its own brood with. 



138. THE SOXG THETJSH. 



Turdus Musicus, Lix. Le Grive, BUF. Die Singdrossel, BECH. 

 Description. This bird might without impropriety be called 

 the Small Missel Thrush, so much does it resemble the pre- 

 ceding, in form, colour, habit of life, song, and general bearing. 

 It is eight inches and a half in length, of which the tail 

 measures three inches and a half. The beak is nine lines 

 long, horn-brown, except the half of the lower mandible, 

 nearest the root, which is yellow. The iris is nut-brown ; 

 the feet, one inch in height, and a pale lead colour. All the 

 upper part of the body is olive-brown; the throat whitish 

 yellow, with a black stripe down each side ; the sides of the 

 neck and the breast, light reddish yellow, covered with 

 numerous dark brown heart-shaped spots. The belly is white, 

 with dark brown oval spots. Both rows of the larger wing 

 coverts have triangular orange spots on the tips; the inner 



