THE BLACKBIRD. 107 



having been successfully assailed. The parents are very 

 attentive to their offspring-, and feed them with exemplary 

 patience. 



The plumage of the young whilst in the nest shows 

 almost as much difference as that of the parents. They 

 are blackish-brown on the upper parts, each feather being 

 streaked with reddish-brown in the centre, the male being 

 darker than the female; the under parts are a light 

 reddish-brown tipped with dark spots, which are clearer in 

 the males; the males, too, having blackish-brown wings 

 and tail, whilst the female's are of a lighter brown. The 

 young do not obtain the rich yellow beak until the suc- 

 ceeding spring; before then it is brown. The female's 

 beak may possibly become a brighter yellow with age, and 

 it may be that the same will happen if she be kept in a 

 cage. 



The food of the Blackbird consists chiefly of worms, 

 slugs, caterpillars, beetles, or any such-like insects. It is 

 therefore a great help to the gardener and husbandman, 

 but it is also very fond of fruit, and will create great 

 havoc amongst currants, cherries, strawberries, goose- 

 berries, and even apples. The blackberry, too, furnishes 

 the Blackbird with many a meal, and in winter they 

 will also feed upon hawthorn berries. The young are fed 

 upon a very similar diet to that of the parent birds. 



The song of the Blackbird is somewhat similar to that 

 of the Thrush, not in tone so much as in style and execu- 

 tion; though the Blackbird's is not so brilliant or per- 

 sistent, yet it is possessed of some full, flute-like notes that 

 almost rival the tones of the nightingale. This beautiful 

 song is generally delivered in the morning and evening, 

 although it may be heard throughout the daytime. 



