302 



Canaries and Cage-Birds. 



legs and toes are dusky brown. The beak and eyelids lose some of their brilliancy in winter. 

 The female differs so considerably from the male as to have occasioned some naturalists to 

 consider it a distinct species. She is darkish brown on the head, neck, and back, having the 

 throat and breast a light rust-colour, the belly being a paler brown. The bill Is brownish- 

 yellow, sometimes with age becoming quite yellow. The young are blackish-brown on the 

 upper parts, each feather being streaked with reddish-brown in the centre, the male being 

 darker than the female ; the under parts are a light reddish-brown, tipped with dark spots, 

 which are clearer in the males. When in the nest the sexes of the young may be distin- 

 guished by the males having blackish-brown wings and tails, the female's being a lighter brown. 

 When wild this bird is of a shy and restless disposition, and quickly detects the approach of 

 strangers. It frequents hedgerows, furze, and copses, and may be found in thick shrubberies. 

 It has a peculiar habit, when disturbed, of lying close until the interruption is past, when it 



KIG. 74. — CAGE FOR BLACKBIRD. 



will suddenly rise with a frightened screaming clatter, and take refuge in the nearest available 

 thicket. 



The food of the Blackbird consists chiefly of worms, slugs, caterpillars, beetles, and such- 

 like insects; it is also fond of fruit and berries, according to the season of the year. It is 

 particularly destructive amongst cherries, strawberries, currants, gooseberries, and apples ; the 

 blackberry, too, furnishes the Blackbird with many a meal. 



Blackbirds pair and breed early in the spring. Their nest is composed of coarse roots 

 and grasses with the mud still adhering, which form a strong fabric ; it is then lined inside 

 with finer grasses. It may be found in a variety of situations, as the builders are very erratic 

 in their choice ; a hedgerow bordering a copse or wood appears to be a favourite position, 

 but they will sometimes build on the stump of a tree, or even on the ground. The eggs are 

 also very erratic in their colouring, there being seldom two nests alike. The ordinary colour 

 is a light greenish-blue, speckled and streaked with pale reddish-brown, sometimes gathered in a 

 ring towards the larger end, the rest of the egg being faintly covered, or else distributed in an 

 irregular manner over the whole. They are generally four or five in number. 



As these birds seldom congregate in flocks, being generally found singly or in pairs, and 

 as they possess a domineering disposition, they are very apt to be somewhat unruly in an 



