212 



CASSELL'S BOOK OF BIRDS. 



" occupy hedges, thickets, plantations, and woods. They are shy, vigilant, and restless, frequenting 

 the ground under cover of evergreens and other shrubs, that serve to conceal them, and, if disturbed, 

 take wing with a vociferous chattering of alarm, and, after a short flight, turn suddenly into some 

 thick brake or hedgerow to avoid pursuit. The food of the Blackbird varies considerably with the 

 .season ; in the spring and early part of the summer it consists of the larva; of insects, with worms and 

 snails; the shells of tin; latter being dexterously broken against' a stone, to get at the soft body within. 



THE BLACKBIRD {Tardus merula). 



As the season advances they exhibit their great partiality for .fruit of various sorts, and their frequent 

 visits to our orchards bring upon them the vengeance of the gardener. This bird commences his 

 song early in the spring, and it has been observed that he occasionally sings his best during an April 

 shower. He continues singing at intervals during the summer till the moulting season. Like some 

 other birds gifted with great powers of voice the Blackbird is an imitator of the sounds made by 

 others. He has been heard closely to imitate part of the song of the Nightingale, and three or four 

 instances are recorded of his having been known to crow like a cock, apparently enjoying the sound 

 of the responses made by the fowls in a neighbouring poultry-yard." Mr. Neville Wood mentions an 



