10 



8 



twelfths in length, by ten twelfths, flesh-coloured, or purplish white, marked with irregular 

 scattered spots of light brownish red and more obscure spots of purplish red. 



" Two bi'oods are generally reared in the season ; and the young of the first nest keep 

 together, or even unite with those of other nests, so as to form small flocks. As an instance of 

 the early flocking of Missel Thrushes I may mention that on the 25th of June, 1837, I saw 

 seventeen of them flying over the fields in the evening, and settling on some tall trees, in the 

 neighbourhood of Craigmillar Castle, near Edinburgh. By the middle of September, large flocks 

 are generally met with ; and during that month and the following they eat great quantities of the 

 berries of the Mountain Ash and Service Tree. Even in the breeding-season they are shy, 

 although then it is not so difficult to approach them when in the fields, and still less so if you 

 have discovered their nest. They defend their eggs and young with great courage, drive off the 

 Magpie and other suspected birds, and even assail the Sparrow Hawk, although not always with 

 success. 



" The food of the Missel Thrush consists, in summer, of earthworms, larvae, gooseberries, 

 rasps, and insects ; in autumn of geans or wild cherries, rowans, moor berries, worms, and snails ; 

 in winter and spring, of haws, snails, Avorms, and especially seeds of oats, wheat, and other plants. 

 In the latter seasons it keeps in the open fields, very seldom betaking itself to gardens, unless 

 during a protracted snow-storm, when it searches the hollies and hedges for berries, and drives 

 off the other Thrushes which may betake themselves to the same places. 



'"The Missel Thrush,' says Mr. Weir, in a communication dated 21st March 1837, 'is the 

 earliest songster of the spring. Even on those cold and rainy or snowy evenings in which all the 

 rest of the musical tribe are mute, we hear him, perched on the top of some high tree, pouring 

 forth his strong, shrill, monotonous song. It is not generally known, at least I do not recollect 

 of having seen it mentioned in books of natural history, that the Missel Thrush is one of the 

 most voracious of our native birds. Having shot all the Magpies and Carrion Crows which 

 infested my immediate neighbourhood, I could not conceive for a long time what had been the 

 cause of the destruction of so many young birds and eggs, until I observed one of them flying out 

 of a nest in which he had been carrying on his murderous operations. As I was passing by 

 Balbairdie Loch, I saw one flying with something in its bill. It was, I suppose, a young Hedge- 

 Sparrow, as the robber was keenly pursued by an old one, which attempted again and again to 

 make it drop its prey, but, alas ! to no purpose ; for it carried it off to its nest, where it no doubt 

 afforded an agreeable repast to its greedy young ones. One forenoon, when going to my garden, 

 I looked into the nest of a Thrush which was built on the branch of a small spruce tree a few 

 feet from the ground, and contained four young ones nearly fledged. Having returned in the 

 course of a few hours I again peeped into it, when, to my astonishment, I beheld one of them 

 severely cut in the breast and almost at the point of death. I could not imagine what had been 

 the cause of this sudden catastrophe. The gardener, however, told me that, whilst he was 

 watching his bees, he heard the male and female thrushes setting up the most doleful screams. 

 He immediately ran to the spot in the expectation of seeing a cat or a weasel ; but in place of 

 them he beheld a Missel Thrush in the very act of killing one of their brood. So determined 

 was it in carrying into effect its daring attempt at murder that he got within a few yards of it 

 before it observed him. A few days after this, the same person, in company with a friend, 



