154 A Baffled Murderer. 



them, too, leaving it and flying away ow\y t© come 

 back again — finall}' started altogetlier. It is diffi- 

 cult to account for such simultaneous and combined 

 movements, unless we suppose that it is reserved to 

 a certain bird to give the signal. 



In the fork of a great apple tree — a Blenheim 

 orange — the missel-thrush has built her nest. Missel- 

 thrushes doubtless of the same faraih' have used the 

 tree for manj' years. Though the nest is large, the 

 3'oung birds as they grow up soon get too big for it 

 and fall out. This period — just before the j^oung 

 can fly — is the most critical in their existence, and 

 causes the greatest anxiety to the parents. Without 

 the resource of flight, weak and unable even to 

 scramble fast through the long grass, betra3'ing their 

 presence by continually crying for food, they are ex- 

 posed to dangers from every species of vermin. 



The missel-thrush is a bold, determined bird, and 

 does his utmost in the defence of his oftspring. 

 When the 3'oung birds fall out of the nest (so soon 

 as one has clambered over, the others quickly follow), 

 the parents rarely leave the orchard together. One 

 or other is almost always close at hand. If any 

 enemy approaches the}- immediatel}' set up an angiy 

 chattering, b^' which noise you may at once know 

 what is going on. I have seen two missel-thrushes 

 attack a crow in this way. The crow came and 

 perched upon a bough within a yard of their nest, 

 which contained young. The old birds were there 

 immediately, and they so annoyed and buffeted the 

 murderous robber that he left without achieving his 

 fell purpose. 



The cat is the worst enemy of the missel-thrush. 



