The Zoologist— June, 1874. 4033 



white breasts without the slightest reddish tinge, though Yarrell describes 

 that part as rufous-white, and Morris's figure of the adult has the under 

 parts deeply shaded with rufous. These birds are more like the figure 

 given by Temminck, but the tail-feathers are barred beneath with white and 

 tipped with the same, — not with rufous, as is Temminck's, — and the birds 

 are somewhat lighter. The female is about half as large again as the male, 

 but does not differ greatly in plumage, as far as I could see, the lower parts 

 being thickly entwined and bandaged. The third specimen has the breast 

 and under parts mottled with reddish brown and the general plumage dark, 

 the markings more or less indistinct and undefined, and the under surface 

 of all the tail-feathers barred with reddish brown and tipped with the same; 

 whereas the female represented by Yarrell, in its second year, is said to 

 have the external feathers only tipped \Yith rufous. I am not aware 

 whether its breeding in this immature state of jDlumage has been recorded — 

 i. e. I think it must be in its second year, seeing the tail is both barred and 

 tipped with rufous. — Henry Iladjield ; H'ujh Cliff, Ventuor, Isle of WigJU, 

 May 9, 1874 



Robins feeding Young Tlirushes.— A friend of mine living near here is 

 a great admirer of birds ; this spring a 2:)uir of robins built in an old pint- 

 pot hanging on a fence in her back garden ; they lived in undisturbed 

 possession of their nest, and were bringing up their young family very 

 happily until about a week since, when a cat clambered up the fence, 

 knocked the young ones out of the nest and devoured them ; the servant 

 came out just in time to see the last chick disappearing down the throat of 

 the monster. The gardener employed by my friend was working a day or 

 two later in a small orchard on the other side of the road ; he observed two 

 robins picking up worms and then repeatedly flying with them to a filbert- 

 tree. Being surprised that robins should choose such a situation for their 

 nest, he got into the tree, and discovered a thrush's nest, in which were 

 three young birds more than half-grown ; he now became more interested 

 than ever, and watched the nest at a short distance for four successive days; 

 the result of which was to prove to him that the robins were actually 

 feeding the young thrushes : one thrush came from time to time to the 

 nest with food, but never more than one. Yesterday I went and inspected 

 the deserted robin's nest, and afterwards called upon the gardener and 

 questioned him respecting the above facts. He thinks that the robins who 

 have taken such a parental interest in what he believes to be a widowed 

 thrush are the identical birds whose too great affection for the pewter has 

 been the cause of the destruction of their family. Surely several instructive 

 moral lessons may be gleaned from the above pathetic story. I was unable 

 to watch the robins at work myself, as they have been again cruelly 

 bereaved. The gardener, in his delight at the discovery which he had 

 made, could not contain hinisclf beyond yesterday morning, but told his 



