146 Among the Birds in Northern Shires. 



Unfortunately, like all his class, he was dead set 

 against " vermin" of every kind, furred and feathered, 

 even including the squirrels that leapt about in the 

 branches overhead. Against these he had a par- 

 ticular aversion, for he said they were "pestering 

 varmints " that sucked every egg they could find. 

 In the more open parts of the forest, where the 

 birch -trees are abundant, we often used to find a 

 nest of the Missel-thrush; not that there was any- 

 thing specially remarkable in this, but we never saw 

 a nest of this Thrush in Sherwood Forest with- 

 out thinking of the tradition that so inseparably 

 connects the mistletoe with it. There is no other 

 district in our islands known to us where this para- 

 sitic plant is so plentiful ; it grows in huge bushes on 

 the poplar trees, a conspicuous object for miles 

 across the country in the Dukeries, and the white- 

 thorns in some spots are thickly studded with it, 

 best seen, of course, during winter. And yet we 

 have never noticed Missel-thrushes in any excep- 

 tional numbers in this district, nor have we ever 

 seen them feeding upon the berries. Talking of 

 the nest of this bird brings to mind a fact we have 

 remarked in. at least two widely different localities, 

 and that is the number of nests that are sometimes 

 built quite close together. Along the streams in the 

 Rivelin Valley they used to be found in the alder- 

 trees, perhaps half a dozen within a hundred yards 



