THE BLACKBIRDS SONG 



249 



breast a shabby brown with dark spots, beak and legs 

 brown. The male does not attain his brilliant blackness 

 until his third year. It builds its nest in bushes and 

 thick foliage, where it is well hidden. It is composed 

 chiefly of moss, fine twigs, and tufts of ^hair ; and is 

 strong and durable. The clutch consists of four to six 

 -eggs of pale green, speckled with pale rust-red and violet. 



An evening lyric. 



