THE MISSEL THRUSH. 335 



itself to the hedges and rowan trees, to feed on their berries. It 

 has been met with frequently in Scotland, and yet at such irre- 

 gular and often distant periods, that it must be considered a very 

 rare bird even there. In England, if we except the northern 

 counties, it is of still less frequent occurrence, although specimens 

 have been obtained as far south as Devonshire and Cornwall. 

 Its geographical range is vast ; for it inhabits the north of Asia, 

 is mentioned by M. TEMMINCK as occurring in Japan, and has 

 been observed by DR. EICHARDSON and others in North Ame- 

 rica. With us it is generally shy, easily put to flight, and of 

 active habits. It is said to feed not only on the berries of the 

 ivy, rowan, whitethorn, and wild rose, but also on insects, which 

 it pursues in the same manner as Shrikes and Flycatchers, al- 

 though not with equal dexterity. It is usually named the Bohe- 

 mian Chatterer, although a remarkably silent bird, and not more 

 common in Bohemia than in many other parts of Germany. As 

 the black patch on the throat is one of its principal distinctive 

 characteristics, Black-throated is evidently a better specific name 

 than Bohemian. 



137. THE MISSEL THRUSH. 

 Turdus Viscivorus, LIN. Le Draine, BUF. Die Mistel Drossel, BECH. 



Description. This, the largest of our Thrushes, is eleven 

 inches in length, of which the tail measures three inches and 

 a half. The knife-shaped beak is one inch long ; the upper 

 mandible curved downwards at the point, and, as in all Thrushes, 

 dark brown. The root of the lower mandible, and the open- 

 ing of the throat, yellow. The iris is brown ; the feet a dirty 

 light yellow, and more than an inch in height. The upper 

 parts of the head, neck, and body are greyish brown, with a 

 reddish stripe on the lower part of the back and rump. The 

 sides of the head and the throat are whitish yellow, as are the 

 other parts of the body as far as the vent, though covered with 

 black spots, three-cornered or oval, yet regularly distributed. 

 The larger wing coverts are edged with reddish white ; the 

 pen feathers are greyish brown, bordered with a lighter shade 

 of the same colour ; the tail also is greyish brown, having the 

 three extreme feathers tipped with white. 



The plumage of the female is generally lighter ; the root of 

 the beak is not so yellow, and the under part of the body 

 whiter. 



Habitat. The Missel Thrush is a native of all Europe, but 

 more of the northern than the southern part. It principally 



