President's address. 185 



moonlight. They will often be accompanied by redwings, turdus 

 iliacus, bent on just the same errand, bnt coming from Norway. 



An attentive observer will detect this progressive southerly 

 movement of young thrushes in September. It is conducted in 

 a gregarious manner, though straggling, and chiefly from one 

 range of hedges or sheltering fields of turnips to another. Tur- 

 nip and potato crops are full of thrushes at this season, but 

 they become scarce before November. As an autumnal dainty 

 they are sold in great numbers in all the Trench markets, being- 

 esteemed equally with redwings. 



Meantime, however, the movement is one of pullo -migration 

 again ; for most of the old birds remain at no great distance from 

 their summer haunts at home. 



There is, after all. one very remarkable distinction between 

 the thrush and the blackbird in winter, which enables the latter 

 species to sustain itself much better in our northern climate. 

 The thrush cannot be induced to follow the example of the spar- 

 row, and to feed on whatsoever morsels of farinaceous food may 

 be thrown out of houses and cottages either by accident or with 

 a kindly purpose : whereas the blackbird becomes to a great ex- 

 tent a dependent on human goodwill or forbearance in Britain 

 during its season of scanty sustenance. But though thus some- 

 what protected among rural homesteads, it is made to pay a 

 heavy tribute to idle gunners in populous vicinities, when frost 

 compels it to leave its woody haunts and approach the open 

 highways. 



We may reasonably doubt whether turdus morula often leaves 

 England to cross the channel ; certainly neither France nor Bel- 

 gium can boast of the music of this full, clear, and sonorous 

 songster of the warm vernal shower, or the dewy eve, as we can 

 always be sure of it ourselves. — The blackbird is most plentiful 

 in Britain. 



At Brussels, I remember, the merle was deemed a sort of royal 

 bird, inasmuch as he was hardly to be heard in the beautiful 

 shrubberies and gardens near the city, but was protected by the 

 King in the park and woodlands around the palace of Laaken. 



I fear there is only one ornithological visitant of comparative 



