Dublin Natural History Society. 3965 



The former of these I find commences either early in November or December ; the 

 earliest note I find is the 12th of November, 1830. Its song is of course familiar to 

 all ; early in the season it sings either in a low bush, or else on the ground, and only 

 in the morning ; as the season advances, it sings in the evening and chooses a higher 

 station, till, in the height of the season, it sings from the highest trees : earlier, how- 

 ever, it prefers close brush-wood, and hence may be heard singing most regularly in 

 such places as abound in thickets. The low bushes on the Donnybrook road, near 

 Wellington road, are a favourite station for them, as are also the lowlands about Tal- 

 laght and Crumlin. Later in the season their song may be heard in great perfection 

 at Lough Bray, and in the valley of the Dodder, part of which, Glen-as-Moil, gets its 

 name from the numbers of these birds found in it. They cease singing about the third 

 week in June. The weather that seems most congenial to them is soft, open morn- 

 ings, although they may be heard singing sweetly during frost. They are our most 

 beautiful night-singers, and I have often heard them. One instance I will transfer 

 from my note-book : — 'March 5, 1852, moon very bright, though the night was misty 

 and soft, the thrushes {Turdus musicus) were singing as sweetly as though it were 

 morning/ 



" The next member of the group, the blackbird, generally begins his song in No- 

 vember, though sometimes he may be heard even as early as September; he is never 

 so regular a songster as the thrush, but ceases about the same time. Though a very 

 common bird, the peculiar charms of his song are known but to few, for though of far 

 less compass and fewer notes than that of the thrush, it far surpasses it in plaintive 

 mellowness. Indeed, we have no word in the English language which can convey a 

 notion of it ; that usually adopted, namely, ' whistling,' giving about as much idea of 

 it as it does of the sound of the trumpet. The thrush's note may surpass it in power, 

 but there is a melody in the blackbird's song much more pleasing than all the polished 

 execution of its rival's elaborate strain. To hear it in perfection, you should hear it in 

 early spring, on a calm, misty, soft morning ; or, better still, in early summer, in that 

 stillness which precedes or follows a summer thunder-storm, when the skies are black 

 with lowering clouds, all things else silent, save, perchance, the chirping of frightened 

 sparrows in a neighbouring hedge ; then may the blackbird's song be heard, like some 

 good spirit's voice, breaking through the solemn silence, and bidding us not despair, 

 for that though the storm may rage, it cannot utterly destroy. As far as my observa- 

 tions go, it invariably sings from an elevation, and in spring its song is generally the 

 precursor of wet. It sings at first only in the morning or at mid-day ; but about Fe- 

 bruary or the beginning of March, may be heard singing in the evening. 



" Our other native thrush, the missel-thrush, is not a regular resident in Donny- 

 brook, I can therefore only state that I have heard hirn in January, February, and 

 March, uttering his unmusical song in the tops of the tallest poplars. 



" The water-ouzel is not found about Donnybrook ; I have heard him, however, 

 singing in the valley of the Dodder, about Bohernabreena, during every month but 

 July. They always, I believe, sing perched ou a stone with quivering wings : it is a 

 night- warbler; the song is soft, low, and pleasing. 



" The titlark is the next bird which comes before us, and is truly a summer song- 

 ster. Its song is hardly ever commenced earlier than the second week in February, 

 and ends before the end of July. The song, which is short, is uttered on the wing ; 

 the bird, rising from the ground after the manner of the common lark, takes a short 

 circular flight, and concludes its song on some tree or other elevated position : it 



