BLACKBIRDS, NIGHTINGALES, ETC. 311 



trembling leaves, have shot up, beautifully, into the 

 sky. How distinct in their glories are the mature 

 males of the golden, silver, the impeyan, or our own 

 common pheasant ; how drabbily alike are the females 

 of all of them, and they themselves in their first 

 early plumage ! So, whilst the song of the blackbird, 

 missel, song-thrush, fieldfare, or redwing are distinct, 

 or suggest each other only by their general quality, 

 all have a high, harsh, scolding note, which is very 

 much the same, except in degree, though differing in 

 the frequency with which it is employed. Loudest 

 and harshest of all is the fieldfare, and this bird has 

 hardly developed a song. The missel, whose lay is 

 very inferior to that of the song-thrush, is also a 

 frequent and loud scolder, so that many a man, 

 whilst alone and in the wild woods, might fancy him- 

 self within the bosom of his family. In the common 

 thrush, however, who is such a fine singer, this note 

 of fear is not nearly so often heard,* and its shrewish 

 character, though still there, has been softened. In 

 the blackbird it is still more rare, yet occasionally, if I 

 mistake not, it is uttered. Again, the well-known note 

 of the blackbird, when disturbed (though this varies 

 considerably), is common, also, though in a less degree, 

 to the thrush, t so that it is possible to mistake the 

 one bird for the other. The same remarks apply to 

 many finches and other small birds, who, whilst they 

 sing very differently, chirp and twitter in much the 

 same way. In all these cases, as I believe, there is a 

 certain correspondence between the tone or pitch of 

 the language and that of the song. From the low 



* Proximity to the nest, with young, is the most frequent cause, 

 t Especially when driven from the eggs. 



