THE CO^SIAIUX BLACKLIED. 



Fig. 259.— The Woud Thiusli (Tiirdus mdodus, Wilson). 



ing ant,?, on wLicli tliey feed. Otlicr insects are not refused 

 by them ; but, first and foremost, they are Jonn'cicoi-cc. Tlie}' 

 tly indifferently, but in 

 running and hopping they 

 are very nimble. Gene- 

 rally speaking, they do 

 not talvc the trouble of 

 building a nest, prefer- 

 ring to lay their eggs on 

 the ground, on a bed of 

 dry leaves. Their song is 

 of a strange chai'acter, 

 differing in its nature in 

 the various species. Some 

 of them have received the 

 name of " Bell-ringer," 

 &c., from the similarity of their note to the sound of a be]]. 

 They are wild and shy, and dash their heads against tlie bais 

 ■R'hen thej' are shut up in a cage. Their flesh is appreciated f jr 

 the table. 



The Mcnili.da genus is characterised by a flattened, curved, and 

 slightly denticulated bill, and is one of the most numerous of the 

 family, embracing as it does no less than one hundred and fifty 

 species spread plentifully over the whole surface of the globe. 



Birds of this genus are, generally speaking, migratory, and 

 travel in more or less numerous flocks. They feed on berries, 

 fruits, and insects, and are endowed with very harmonious powers 

 of song. They have been divided into two great sections, the 

 division being based on the particular arrangement of their colours. 

 First, the section of Meridce, which embraces all the .species tlie 

 plumage of which is of a uniform colour ; next, that of Turd'i, 

 which contains those of speckled pluuiage, that is, marked witli 

 small dark spots on the breast. 



The principal .species of the first section are the Common Black- 

 bird, the Rock Blackbird, the Solitary Blackbird, and the Mocking 

 Bird, or Polyglot Thrush. 



The Com:w()x Bl.ackbird {Merula rtiJaaris, Ray), Fig. '260, is so 

 called on account of its plumage, which in tlic cock bird is of a 



