THE ROBINS AND NIGHTINGALES 



211 



Everyone who lives in the country knows the song of the 

 thrush, which is so full, so rich, and so delightful that many people 

 prefer it even to that of the nightingale. From early morning 

 until late in the evening he sings, and there are very few days 

 in spring, summer, and autumn when we may not hear him. And 



Thrush breaking the Shell of a Snail 



he is so cheery and happy, and seems to enjoy his life so much, 

 that it is a very cruel thing to take him away from his woodland 

 home, and imprison him, as is often done, for the rest of his days 

 in a close and narrow cage. 



The thrush is a very early builder, and begins nest-making 

 long before the leaves are on the trees. After making the frame- 

 work of grass and straw and roots, he lines the inside with a kind 

 of plaster, and smooths it down very carefully. Then the female 

 lays her four or five pretty pale-blue eggs, each with a few small 

 black spots at the larger end. 



THE ROBINS AND NIGHTINGALES (Sub-family of 

 the Turdidae) 



Immediately after the Thrushes come the Chats — Whinchat, 

 Stonechat, Blackchat, and Redstarts, and next to them our pets the 

 Robins and the magnificent singers the Nightingales. 



