18 
MERULID.E. 
eggs, and young birds are frequently hatched about the middle 
of the month. 
The Sonff Thrush is watchful and cunning when it thinks 
danger is near ; if pursued by a sportsman along a hedge 
it skulks into a thick part, where it carefully lies concealed 
until its pursuer has safely passed the spot, and then flies off 
in an opposite direction, with a loud chattering noise, as if 
rejoicing in the disappointment of its enemy. 
The entire length of the Song Thrush is nearly nine 
inches. The beak from the forehead to the tip measures 
eight lines ; from the tip to the gape one inch. The wing 
from the carpus to the tip is four inches and a half; the 
tail extends an inch and a half beyond the closed wings. 
The tarsus is one inch four lines in length ; the middle toe 
about one inch. 
The plumage of the upper parts from the forehead to 
the tail, olive brown ; the wing-coverts and tertials wood- 
brown, edged and tipped with pale buff. The spurious wing 
and secondaries edged with rufous; the primary quill-fea¬ 
thers dusky, bordered with pale ochre, yellow at the roots ; 
the tail wood-brown ; under-coverts of the tail white. On 
the under plumage the chin, belly, and vent are white ; the 
breast and flanks are rust-colour, more or less tinged with 
olive ; the ear-coverts dusky. The upper mandible is dusky; 
the ridge of the upper mandible and the greater part of the 
lower mandible straw-colour ; the orbits are straw-colour, and 
an irregular line of the same passes from the lower mandible 
and borders the ear-coverts. A dusky grey line passes from 
the nostril to the orbit of the eye, over which runs a line 
of flesh-colour, extending backwards above the eye. The 
legs and feet are brownish flesh-colour. The iris is rich 
dark-brown ; the eyelid grey. 
The young bird when still a nestling has the top of the 
head hair-brown, mottled with rust-colour; the wing-coverts 
