Natural History of Ireland. 435 



over it. This also was at a place abounding in the ordinary situations 

 that are selected. This same person once saw a nest in a pear tree 

 in a well-kept garden, where mosses were scarce, that, excepting the 

 inner coat of plaster, was entirely formed of hay. The thrush has 

 commonly a second brood. I have several memoranda of young 

 birds being unfledged late in August. The following remarkable 

 instance of fecundity, &c. which seems worthy of being fully de- 

 tailed, has been furnished me by Mr Edward Benn, an accurate 

 observer : — Very early in 1836, a thrush built her nest in a beech 

 hedge in our garden, at Saul, near Downpatrick. When the leaves 

 were blown from the beech by the gales of early spring, she was 

 quite exposed to view, but on perceiving herself looked at remained 

 on the nest without being disturbed. We commenced feeding her 

 with worms, which, to avoid startling her by a too near approach, 

 were offered on the end of a long rod ; then with bread, which was 

 taken from the hand ; she was now as tame as a domestic fowl. 

 There were three young. When these were fledged a second nest 

 was formed near the same place, and now she fed as before, but in 

 a bolder manner. There were in this instance five young. When 

 these were well grown, so as to fill the nest, she would perch on the 

 edge, and feed from the hand, allow her plumage to be stroked, but 

 if too much disturbed, became noisy, and struck with her wings at 

 the intruder. When this brood could provide for themselves, a 

 third nest was constructed, when the same part was repeated, and 

 five young produced. These gone, she built a fourth nest at the far- 

 ther end of the hedge from the house, but on going to feed her here 

 one morning as usual, she appeared in great consternation on the 

 bank, and the nest was found torn to pieces. A day or two after- 

 wards she began the erection of a fifth, and, evidently for the sake 

 of protection, this time chose a site quite close to the house. On this 

 occasion four young got offin safety, after which we saw her no more. 

 Thus seventeen young altogether were produced. Thirty persons 

 at least witnessed what is here related, and fed the bird in her nest. 

 She was indifferent to the presence of strangers. 



Although thrushes are very destructive to our cherries and other 

 fruits, the admiration in which their song is held generally pleads 

 so strongly in their favour as to save them from destruction. In a 

 friend's garden near Belfast, I have known a few of them to forfeit 

 their lives by eating of the fruit, with which traps were baited for 

 blackbirds. In the hothouse at this same place, the gardener one 

 day caught a few of them regaling on his grapes. By several Bri- 

 tish authors, the Helix nemoralis is particularized as a favourite re« 



VOL. II. NO. 11. Gff 



