Thrushes and their Allies 



537 



Photo by IF. F. Piggott, Leighton Bv.zzard. 



KOBIN". 



The young lobin wears a distinct livery, 

 quite different from tbat of its i;iarents. 



in their course. The cup-shaped hollow is very deep, so that 

 when the supporting reeds are bowed low in the breeze the 

 eggs rest perfectly safe. 



We must i)ss& now to a consideration of the Thrush Tribe, 

 which, as we have already hinted, are very closely allied to the 

 Warblers. 



Birds like the Common Thrush and the Blackbird are so 

 common and so well known that they scarcely need comment 

 liere. The same perhaps is true of many other members of 

 this group not popularly associated with the Thrush Tribe ; such 

 are the Eed-breast, or Robin Eed-breast, as it is more generally 

 called, and the Nightingale. Few birds have inspired so many 

 writers as the nightingale ; it even holds a place in classical 

 mythology. Professor Newton gives us one variant of a very 

 common but pretty story : " Procne and Philomela were the 

 daughters of Pandion, King of Attica, who in return for warlike 

 aid rendered him by Tereus, King of Daulis in Thrace, gave 

 him the first-named in marriage. Tereus, however, being 

 enamoured of her sister, feigned that his wife was dead, and 

 induced Philomela to take her place. On her discovering the_ 

 truth, he cut out her tongue to hinder her from revealing bis 

 deceit ; but she depicted her sad story on a robe v/hich she 

 sent to Procne, and the two sisters then contrived a horrible 

 revenge for the infidelity of Tereus by killing and serving to 

 him at table his son Itys. Thereupon the gods inter|)0sed, 

 changing Tereus into a hoopoe, Procne into a swallow, 

 and Philomela into a nightingale, while Itys was restored 

 to life as 



a pheasant, 

 and Pandion (who had died of grief at 

 bis daughters' dishonour) as a bird of prey 

 [the osprey]." 



A not infrequent error with regard 

 to the red-breast may be pointed out 

 here. Many people seem to suppose that 

 the female is less brilliantly coloured than 

 her mate. As a matter of fact this is not 

 so ; what are generally regarded as females 

 of this species are the dull, spotted young, 

 which, as we have already pointed out, 

 assume this peculiar livery throughout the 

 tribe. 



No less common in Britain, during 

 the summer months at least, are the Wheat- 

 ears, Stone-ghats, Whin-chats, and Red- 

 starts. Small and prettily coloured species, 

 these are all insect-eaters, and, with the 

 exception of the wheat-ears, lay blue eggs, 

 deposited in somewhat coarsely constructed 

 nests, placed on or near the ground ; or 

 in holes in ruins, trees, or walls, in the 

 case of the red-starts; or in burrows or 



Photo hy A. .S'. Rv-i.Uand d: Sons. 



[N'laHTINGALE. 

 The sweetest and most renowned of all the British songsters. 



68 



