48 



Blue Thrushes 



But he advised our waiting for a week or two, until 

 the birds had built their nests, for they would be more 

 stationary, and by their movements, after careful 

 watching, would probably betray the whereabouts 

 of the spot they had chosen for building in. 



The time ripened, and the day came when my 

 Italian peasant friend and I set out, and having clam- 

 bered up amongst the' rocks about a thousand feet 

 above the lake, we sat down to listen and to watch. 

 Presently in the stillness the warble of a blue thrush 

 was heard some way up on the face of the precipice 

 above us. The man put out his hand, saying, " Ecco ! 

 una Passera" (that is a blue thrush) ; and scanning 

 the rocks, pointed to a ledge where, after a moment 

 or two, I could see a bird hopping about, occasionally 

 flitting a short distance, and settling with an upward 

 flirt of its tail. 



He was evidently catching insects, and very soon 

 fluttered up to a small hole in the very face of the 

 precipice of San Martino, into which he disappeared. 



No doubt his mate was there on her nest, but to 

 attempt to reach it was absolutely futile. Much as 

 I desired a brood, I couldn't help feeling glad that 

 sometimes birds manage to build their nests in im- 

 pregnable spots, especially perhaps in Italy, where 

 little or no respect is paid to their parental instincts, 

 young birds being ruthlessly taken from the nests, no 

 matter what the species, and cooked for dinner. 

 This fact was brought forcibly before me in the case 

 of the very man who was helping me to find my 

 young blue thrushes, for I had caught sight of a 



