300 Caxaries and Cage-Birds. 



wherewith to build a nest ; but they seldom rear more than one brood a year when in 

 confinement. When breeding is thus attempted, they should not always be associated, but 

 paired together in the early part of the year. The eggs are generally hatched in fourteen 

 days, and in a fortnight the young will probably leave the nest. They should be brought 

 up upon a paste made of crust of bread soaked in milk, with some crushed hemp-seed and 

 a small quantity of finely-shredded raw lean beef If strong, healthy birds, and kept warm, 

 they may be expected to make an attempt at singing in about six or eight weeks. 



The Thrush is, as a rule, a very healthy bird, and will, when care and attention are 

 given, attain to an age of from seven to ten years. If, however, neglected, and especially 

 allowed to get dirty, it is sometimes seized with cramp, which often ends fatally. Should 

 such illness occur, the best remedy is change of food, substituting something more nourishing, 

 such as ground oats made into a paste with new milk, wherein is mixed some shredded beef, 

 hard-boiled egg chopped fine, and a little crushed hemp or maw seed ; its feet may also be 

 put in a little warm brandy and water, taking care to dry them in a warm cloth, and some 

 hay should be spread at the bottom of the cage. 



Another ailment to which the Thrush is somewhat subject is constipation, and this is 

 chiefly occasioned by too much solid food. The disease exhibits itself in a constant drooping 

 of the tail, while the bird will turn round and round on its perch, and show generally great 

 uneasiness. A large spider or a mealworm dipped in olive oil is considered the best and 

 safest remedy. 



When kept in large towns this bird is subject to atrophy, a disease which occasions a 

 wasting away of the flesh and a corresponding loss of sprightliness, whilst the feathers will 

 become ragged and untidy. This is merely a pining for fresh air and freedom, and the only 

 remedy, except the all-potent one of a visit to the country, is to vary the food, substituting 

 as much as possible such natural food as the bird would obtain when in a wild state. 



The Missel Thrush is a much larger bird than the preceding, being ten to eleven 

 inches in length ; its plumage is, however, somewhat similar in appearance, though lighter 

 in colour. The upper part is of a greyish olive-brown, whilst the breast is white, slightly 

 tinged with yellow, the belly being white ; the spots on the throat are very small and faint, 

 those on the breast being more bold and considerably rounder. When free it is rather a shy 

 bird, though when breeding it does not scruple to approach the outskirts of towns. It finds 

 its food — consisting of worms, slugs, insects, and the very small species of snails — out in the 

 marshes and meadows. In the autumn it feeds also on various berries, especially the mistletoe 

 and juniper. It is popularly credited with its name from its fondness for the mistletoe berries. 

 The nest is generally built in the fork of a tree, sometimes at a height of thirty feet, an 

 orchard being frequently selected. The song is of rather an inferior quality, consisting of a 

 few notes, which are uttered in a loud wild tone, mixed with a certain strain of melan- 

 choly. From its habit of thus singing during or preceding a storm it has obtained in some 

 districts the name of the Storm Cock ; it is also known as the Holm Thrush and Screech 

 Thrush. 



Though, from its pugnacious habits and large size, it is not a desirable bird to be intro- 

 duced into an aviary, the Missel Thrush will thrive in a cage, if provided with a large one ; 

 if confined in a small one it is very likely, from its restlessness, to injure its plumage and 

 perhaps itself It requires constant cleaning, and plenty of coarse sand. The same food holds 

 as for the Song Thrush ; it is not, however, a dainty bird, and will even feed on wheaten 



