148 BIRD GALLERY. 



No. 32. BLACKBIRD. (Turdus merula.) 



A resident species, commonly distributed throughout the British 

 Islands, and though some of our native birds migrate southward in the 

 autumn, their place is taken by numbers of visitors from the Continent. 

 Fruit of all kinds, as well as snails, worms, and insects, constitute its 

 food and, owing to its partiality for the former, great numbers are 

 annually destroyed in gardens and orchards. The nest of moss, etc., 

 lined with dry grass, is generally placed in bushes and hedgerows, and 

 occasionally on the ground. From four to six eggs are laid very early 

 in the year, and are usually greenish-blue spotted with reddish-brown, 

 but are sometimes devoid of markings. Several broods are raised in a 

 season, the young of the first brood sometimes assisting their parents 

 in feeding the young of the second. 



Suffolk, May. 



Presented by T. Harcourt-Poivell, Esq. 



No. 33. RING-OUZEL. (Turdus torquatus.) 



This spring visitor arrives in the British Islands in April and 

 remains till September or October, when the majority migrate south- 

 wards, but, in mild seasons, individuals have been observed in the end 

 of December. It inhabits the wilder and more elevated districts, 

 feeding on moorland berries, molluscs, worms, and insects, and often 

 visiting gardens in the vicinity in search of fruit. The nest, which 

 resembles that of the Blackbird, is placed in heather or on ledges of 

 rock, often on the side of a stream. The eggs are four or sometimes 

 five in number and resemble those of the Blackbird, but are usually 

 more boldly marked. Two broods are often reared in a season. 



Yorkshire, June. 



Presented by Lord Walsingham. 



No. 34. SONG-THRUSH. (Turdus musicus.) 



The " Throstle " or " Mavis," as it is termed in the north, is a 

 common resident throughout the British Islands, and though a consider- 

 able number of our native birds migrate in autumn, their place is taken 

 by visitors from the Continent. The food consists of fruits, snails, 

 worms, and insects. The familiar nest, lined with mud, is generally 

 placed in a thick bush or among ivy. The eggs, from four to six 



