11 



observed another Missel Thrush carrying a bird in its bill to its nest, which was built in the cleft 

 of a tall plane-tree, within a few yards of my pigeon-house.' 



"Another very interesting communication, dated 5th January 1838, refers to the number of 

 times which this species feeds its young in the course of the day. ' At the extremity of the 

 lowest branch of a spruce, within thirty-three yards of my dwelling-house, about the middle of 

 May 1837, a pair of Missel Thrushes built their nest. In the erection of it they were so exceed- 

 ingly cunning that, although people were in the habit of passing and repassing by it almost every 

 hour in the day, it was not discovered until the female had been sitting for a week upon her eggs. 

 From my drawing-room window, with an excellent perspective, on Wednesday morning the 14th 

 of June, I began to watch them whilst they were feeding three ripe young ones. 



" ' At twenty minutes past four o'clock they commenced the labours of the day. From that 

 time until five o'clock they fed their young only five times ; from five to six o'clock three times ; 

 from six to seven o'clock six times ; from seven to eight o'clock twelve times ; from eight to nine 

 o'clock six times ; from nine to ten o'clock four times ; from ten to eleven o'clock five times ; 

 from eleven to twelve o'clock four times ; from twelve to one o'clock three times ; from one to 

 two o'clock three times ; from two to three o'clock three times ; from three to four o'clock two 

 times ; from four to five o'clock two times ; from five to six o'clock two times ; from six to seven 

 o'clock five times ; and from seven to eight o'clock only once. During this last hour it rained 

 very heavily, and there was a good deal of very loud thunder. At twenty minutes past eight 

 o'clock they ceased from their operations, having fed their brood only sixty-six times during 

 the day. 



" ' To their young they brought in each time several large worms and snails. Before they 

 did so, however, they generally alighted upon two or three trees, remaining some seconds upon 

 each of them, and looking around with the greatest jealousy and circumspection. In the defence 

 of their brood they were very bold ; for no sooner did a Magpie make its appearance than they 

 immediately attacked it, and did not desist until they put it to fight. Except once or twice, 

 they swallowed the whole of the droppings of their family. 



"'In this neighbourhood, during autumn, they assemble in large flocks. On the 11th of 

 August 1837, on the estate of Sir William Baillie, Bart., of Polkemmet, about two miles from 

 Bathgate, I saw about seventy of them flying and feeding in the same way as the Fieldfares ; and 

 on the 8th of September, near my house, I observed another large flock of them.' 



" This species has obtained its common name from its being supposed to feed by preference 

 on the berries of the misseltoe (Viscum album), a curious parasitic plant, abundant on apple and 

 other trees in many parts of England, but extremely rare in the south of Scotland, and, I believe, 

 not found in any other part of that country. According to Pliny, the misseltoe will not grow 

 unless from seeds that have passed through the intestines of birds, especially Thrushes and 

 Wood Pigeons ; and many authors have adopted the erroneous notion that the bird of which we 

 treat is its principal disseminator. Montagu, however, discredits the necessity of the seed's 

 passing through the body of a bird in order to fit it for germinating, and remarks that, although 

 it may germinate after so passing, this is no more wonderful than that corn should grow when 

 voided whole by a horse. ' Such a preparation,' he asserts, ' is no more necessary in the one case 

 than the other, but may be considered as one of the methods nature takes to disperse the seeds 



