ORDER PASSERES, 523 



not fly in flocks ; still many are found together, or at no great 

 distance from each other. The species is extended through 

 all Europe, is fonder of woods than other places, especially of 

 such as abound in maple trees. These thrushes possess no 

 great degree of cunning, and suff'er themselves easily to be 

 taken with snares and bird-calls. When they cannot find fruits 

 and berries, they subsist on snails, insects, and worms. This is 

 the reason that they are found on the ground so frequently in 

 the woods, and at the foot of hedges and bushes, especially 

 those which border submerged meadows. When they are 

 looked at, they manifest their displeasure by a gnashing of 

 the bill. 



To bring up this bird in a cage, it must be taken young, 

 so that it will sing all the better. It is fed with a sort of 

 paste, such as is made for nightingales, or it may be made with 

 crumb of bread, rape-seed, or hemp-seed bruised, and meat cut 

 small. This aliment is varied with grapes or other fruits of 

 which the bird is fond. This thrush is susceptible of educa- 

 tion, learns even to speak, and whistles very agreeably many 

 airs of the bird-organ and flageolet. It will live in captivity 

 generally from seven to eight years. 



There are many varieties of this thrush, but all of them 

 accidental. Among these may be remarked the white thrush, 

 whose plumage, however, is not in general of a pure white. On 

 some parts of the body spots of a feeble shade and undefined 

 form are observable. In other individuals the plumes of the 

 back are mixed with brown, and some red is observable on the 

 breast. Sometimes the top of the head alone is white, and at 

 others there is only seen a demi-coUar of this hue. 



The Chochl, or thrush of Paraguay, utters a singular sound 

 towards the setting of the sun during the hatching season : it 

 cries in a melancholy tone like the mewling of a cat, yet during 

 the day, at the same epoch, its song is varied, frequent, and 

 agreeable. It preludes with the syllables chocld-chochi-ioropiy 

 repeated three or four times, from which M. Vieillothas given 

 it its name. 



