THE COMMON OB SONG THEUSH. 137 



The thrush has commonly a second brood : several memoranda 

 are before me of young birds being unfledged late in August, and 

 on one occasion the young were unable to leave the nest before 

 the 1st of October. The following remarkable instance of fecun- 

 dity, &c, which seems worthy of being fully detailed, has been 

 furnished me by Mr. Edward Benn : — "Very early in 1836, a 

 thrush built her nest in a beech hedge in our garden, at Saul, 

 near Downpatrick. When the leaves were blown from the beech 

 by the gales of early spring, she was quite exposed to view sitting 

 on the nest, but on perceiving herself looked at, remained there 

 without being disturbed. We commenced feeding her with worms, 

 which, to avoid startling her by a too near approach, were offered 

 on the end of a long rod ; then with bread, which was taken from 

 the hand. She soou became as tame as domestic fowl. There 

 were three young. When these were fledged, a second nest was 

 formed near the same place, and she fed as before, but in a bolder 

 manner. There were in tins instance five young. When these 

 were well grown, so as to fill the nest, she would perch on the 

 edge, and feed from the hand, allow her plumage to be gently 

 smoothed down, but if too much disturbed, became noisy, and 

 struck with her wings at the intruder. When this brood could 

 provide for themselves, a third nest was constructed, the parent 

 bird was fed as formerly, and five young were produced. These 

 gone ; a fourth nest was built at the farther end of the hedge 

 from the house, and a person going to feed her here one morning 

 as usual, remarked her in great consternation on the bank, and 

 found the nest torn to pieces. A day or two afterwards, she began 

 the erection of a fifth, and, evidently for the sake of protection, 

 chose in this instance, a site quite close to the house. Tour young 

 got off in safety, after which we saw her no more. Thus in one 

 season, five nests were formed, and seventeen young produced.* 

 Thirty persons at least witnessed what is here related, and fed the 

 bird in her nest. She was indifferent to the presence of strangers." 

 Mr. Benn attributes the fecundity of this bird to its being par- 



* An instance of a blackbird producing three broods in the same nest is men- 

 tioned in p. 144. 



