ii^w;^»-v;^Jl«V!':iaiii*it-j — .i_juk..i.^ i sp^ ,»i»)H 



6 THE BIRDS OF DEVON. 



the occurrence of this Thrush in England, was taken for a Woodcock 

 when flushed (E. AV. H. Holdsworth, Zool. 1881, p. 108). 



This fine Thrush has occurred twice in Somersetshire, and once in 

 Cornwall. 



Blackbird. Turdus merula, Linn. 



[Black Brush, Collj : Dev.'] 



llesident, generally distributed, and abundant. Breeds. 



The disastrous increase, from a gardener's point of view, of the fruit- 

 stealing Blackbird is due to the destruction by gamekeepers of his natural 

 enemy the Sparrow-Hawk. 



From his rich mellow flute-like notes we are disposed to rank the 

 Blackbird as deservedly second to the 8ong-Thrush in his capacities for 

 melody. We love to hear his music, which may be readily distinguished 

 in the spring choir of birds, and, indeed, all his notes, so eloquent of the 

 country, are dear to us. We are equally fond of his shrill twitter of 

 alarm when he is suddenly surprised, and of the loud " chink, chink " 

 with which he is wont to settle himself on his perch at dusk. This last 

 cry is only the prelude to sleep, and is not the clamour of angry suspicion, 

 although it sometimes maybe this when some prowling cat is approaching 

 his roost. The song of the Blackbird may be heard very early on a 

 spring morning, as early as half-past two or three. This early morning 

 song is the birds best performance of the day. Erom the time when this 

 watchful bird is eyeing the first tint of red spreading itself over the 

 swelling strawberries at the end of May, until the mid-September sun is 

 ripening the late peach or the tomato against the garden wall, nothing 

 which calls itself fruit is safe from his attentions. We have watched 

 him fluttering against the ripe plums and peaches on the trained trees 

 against a warm south wall until he has dislodged one of the fruit, when 

 he will either alight upon it to quaft' its pleasant juices, or will fly ott' 

 with it to some deep cover in the carrot-bed to eat it in concealment and 

 at leisure. When the last plum or peach has been gathered in the garden 

 the orchard will next attract him, and here he will be found in constant 

 attendance as long as an apple remains on the trees, or there are any 

 fallers littering the ground. The character of the Blackbird is well revealed 

 to any one watching the various Thrushes feeding on the berries of a 

 hawthorn bush in the autumn. While the Song-Thrush flies unsuspici- 

 ously direct to the tree, and begins to pluck the berries nearest at hand, 

 and the Mistle-Thrush comes with a bold rush as if he were " monarch of all 

 he surveyed," the Blackbird steals in from the side of the bush furthest 

 from the spectator, and does not consider himself safe until he has plunged 

 into the thickest part of it, where he hastily seizes a bunch and flies off 

 hurriedly, and as secretly as he can, to some safe retreat to swallow his 

 spoils unobserved. Nor will a Blackbird be often noticed feeding on the 

 ground many feet away from the shelter of a hedge, whereas the Song- 

 and Mistle-Thrushes come boldly out into the middle of the field. 



