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overlooked is from the fact that the birds leave so quietly, and that the Red-wings take their place 
and are mistaken for them. 
“ At feeding-time in early morni 
observed. Watch him hop cautiously 
and, with body crouching low amongst the grass, stand motio 
being discovered so far out in the open. Note well his elegant and sprightly form, his neat trim 
figure, his richly spotted breast, and large bright eye, as he sits so wary, yet unconscious of your 
presence. See him at last hop quickly forward and pull out a worm with a jerk from its hole in 
Not a sound escapes him as he hops hither and thither in search 
fly. But your careless movements 
ng and evening the actions of the Song-Thrush may be best 
from the laurels, just venturing a yard or so upon the lawn, 
nless for a few moments as if fearful of 
the earth. and swallow it at once. 
of worms, grubs, and snails, or snaps now and then at a passing 
have alarmed him ; he crouches low and timid for a moment, and then takes himself off to the cover 
whence he came. Although the Song-Thrush does not feed on berries so much as the Blackbird or 
the Fieldfare, still it eats them freely in autumn and early spring, especially those of the mountain- 
ash, the hawthorn, and the wild rose. "Тһе Song-Thrush is not so much a fruit feeder as the true 
Ouzels. He eats a few of the wild fruits of the woods, such as the blackberry, raspberry, and wild 
strawberry, and even visits the garden in cherry-time ; but his food is far more animal than vegetable. 
Тһе Song-Thrush is a large feeder оп the snails whose pretty shells are found in almost every 
hedgerow. In some retired situation you may not unfrequently find little heaps of shell-fragments near 
large stones and under the hedges. ''hese shells have been broken by the Song-Thrush to obtain the 
snails within them, and are a silent proof of the bird's usefulness. This bird obtains much of its food 
amongst the withered leaves and marshy places in woods and shrubberies, and in the autumn 
frequents the turnip-fields and cabbage-beds in search of snails and grubs. At this season of the 
year the fields of white turnips especially abound with Song-Thrushes, and you may sometimes flush 
them at every step. These birds are on migration, only resting here on their journey, and in a few 
days at most will be again on their way to their winter-quarters. In hay-time the Song-Thrush 
frequents the newly mown grass-lands near its favourite haunts in search of worms and insects. In 
all parts of the field they may be seen, some sitting upon the newly mown swathes, others digging 
away amongst the short herbage. То see them now, the inexperienced observer would think them 
gregarious birds ; but such is not the case, and, as soon as its wants are supplied, each returns to its 
haunts again, alone and solitary as it came. 
“Тһе Song-Thrush delights to sing when the soft summer showers are falling. He will perch 
among the branches under the broad leaves, or sometimes under a projecting rock, and there warble 
for hours. He has also been known to sing most vigorously during severe thunderstorms. 
«Тһе Song-Thrush is a remarkably tame and confiding bird. It is their music which make 
him and the Sky-Lark so prominent. At most times of the year he is а skulking bird; but as soon 
as the first signs of the coming spring warn him to choose a mate, he forgets his life of seclusion. 
Perching on the topmost branches of trees and shrubs, even on walls and other exposed situations, 
he then fills the air with his rich and powerful notes—notes so indescribably beautiful, so varied, 
and continued for such a length of time, as to irresistibly arrest the attention and win the warmest 
admiration. A peculiarity in the song of this bird, which distinguishes it from the songs of other 
Thrushes, is that it constantly repeats itself. Хо sooner has it uttered three or four notes, than, 
apparently pleased with the combination, it instantly repeats them. Then it tries another quite 
different combination, which it as constantly repeats. Тһе song has not the rich full melody of that 
of the Blackbird; but it is infinitely more varied and generally more prolonged. The call and 
alarm notes of the Song-Thrush are somewhat varied. Its call-note is a peculiar low cry, something 
like a Red-wing's; its note when alarmed is a harsh guttural cry, more like a low scream than 
any thing else ; and its alarm-notes when its nest is approached, or when disturbed at roost, are harsh 
