THE BLACKBIRD. 281 



THE BLACKBIRD (Turdus merula). 



The blackbird is as long as the missel-thrush ; but more 

 slender in its form, and weighs an ounce less. Its form and 

 also its plumage are remarkable for compactness ; and it is 

 very quick-sighted and lively in its motions. The male is 

 entirely black, except the bill and circle round the eyes, which 

 are orange-yellow, and the feet, which are brown. The female 

 has the bill and circle round the eyes, and the upper part of 

 the body, blackish brown ; and the lower part light brown, 

 passing into white on the chin, and mottled with dusky. 

 The young birds are like the females, and do not acquire the 

 yellow bill, which is the sign of maturity, till after the second 

 moult. 



The haunts and habits of the blackbird are nearly the same 

 as those of the thrush, only it is more familiar, and, in pro- 

 portion to its numbers, less seen. The disposition of the bird 

 is shy and solitary, more so than the thrushes, as the blackbirds 

 separate so soon as the young are able to provide for them- 

 selves, and never again assemble except in the breeding-time. 

 It has been said that they do not all associate even then, but 

 that there are many solitary blackbirds which pass the whole 

 year in a state of sulky celibacy. There is no reason for car- 

 rying the matter quite so far as that ; the blackbird is as atten- 

 tive to its nest and young as any other of the tribe ; and its 

 evasive habit, or simply the facility with which it slips through 

 hedges and in below bushes, not probably so much from the 

 wish of hiding itself as in mere search for its food, is the 

 foundation of the whole. The blackbird nestles quite close to 

 the house, on ivied walls, in old trees, and thick bushes, and 

 at a moderate height from the ground. The nest is made of 

 moss and sticks, plastered inside with mud, and lined with 

 soft and dry matters. The brood is from three to six, but 

 rarely the latter number ; and the eggs are of a greenish blue, 



