326 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATUKE. 



[Thrushes. 



seven or eight feet, from the ground, or even lower. 

 The nest is destitute of any layer of mud, but is 

 compact, consisting of dry weeds, leaves, and long 

 grasses firmly intertwined ; the inside is lined with 

 slender fibres of grass arranged in a circular manner, 

 and laid very smoothly and neatly. The eggs, from 

 four to six, are of a light-blue colour sprinkled with 

 dark dots about the large end. Two broods are reared 

 during the summer. The male is altogether de- 

 stitute of musical powers, and utters only a low 

 plaintive cry, scarcely audible at the distance of 

 thirty yards. The food of this species consists 

 almost wholly of wild fruits and berries, which at 

 all seasons abound in its native woods, such as 

 those of the holly, myrtle, gall-bush (a species of 

 vaccinium), the yapon shrub, &c. In the winter, 

 when the swampy retreats which it affects during 

 summer are flooded, the hermit-thrush retires to the 

 nearest hills, and there, mixing with the wood- 

 thrush and other species, remains till the spring. 



The length of the hermit-thrush is seven inches. 

 The general colour of the upper parts is yellowish 

 brown, changing on the rump and tail into dull- 

 yellowish red; quill-feathers dusky, margined ex- 

 ternally with yellowish brown ; under parts greyish 

 white; the neck and breast spotted with dark 

 brown. 



A bird called the Solitary Thrush has been de- 

 scribed by Col. Montagu, Mr. Knapp, and Bewick 

 as a native of our island. The former writer says 

 it frequents mountainous situations, and is always 

 seen alone, except in the breeding season, preparing 

 its nest like the starling in old ruined edifices, 

 church-towers, and other similar places, but no two 

 nests are ever found in the same place ; the young, 

 he adds, are easily brought up, and repay the trouble 

 by their sweet native song. The bird is described 

 as being of a pale yellowish brown, mottled with a 

 darker shade. 



Mr. Knapp, writing in Gloucestershire, says, "It 

 is not an uncommon bird with us, breeding in holes 

 and hollows of trees, and hatching early." This 

 bird is undoubtedly not the hermit-thrush of America, 

 an opinion which some, strange to say, have enter- 

 tained; we believe it to be a mere variety of the 

 common starling, and no thrush at all. Selby 

 asserts that it is the young of the starling in its 

 first dress, previous to the autumnal moult ; but if, 

 as asserted, it breeds, this cannot be the case; a 

 variety, however, it may be. We have never seen it. 

 The anterior figure at 1466 represents this misnamed 

 bird ; it is copied from Montagu's delineation, and 

 the form of the beak and outline of the head are 

 sufficient to prove its true character. The figure 

 behind it is the hermit-thrush of America. 



1467. — The Golden Oriole 



(Oriohis galbula). This is supposed by Belon and 

 others to be the x Koi pi<0v of the Greeks : Galgulus, 

 Vireo, and Oriolus, Lat., and the Picus of which 

 Pliny (book x. , c. 33) speaks as suspending its nest 

 on a twig of the topmost branches of a tree, after the 

 manner of a cup. It is the Becquafiga, Brusola, 

 Galbedro, Garbella, Giallone, and Gravolo gentile 

 of the modern Italians ; and Rigogolo commune of 

 the ' Stor. degl. lice.' ; Turiol of the Spanish ; Loriot, 

 Compere Loriot, and Orio of the French; Gel be 

 Rache, Gelber Pirol, der Pyrold, Wiedewal, &c, 

 of the Germans and Netherlander ; Goutmerle of 

 the Low Dutch; Witwall of Willughby and Ray; 

 and y Fwyalchen felen of the ancient British. 



In the genus Oriolus the beak is broad at the 

 base, notched and somewhat bent at the tip. Wings 

 rather long; tarsi short. The species are all natives 

 of the Old World, where they tenant the recesses 

 of woods in pairs, building most artful nests. 



The Golden Oriole, which may be regarded as 

 the type of the genus, is only an occasional visitor 

 to our islands, making its appearance in April ; it 

 has been found in Hampshire, Devonshire, Corn- 

 wall ; near Manchester, near Lancaster ; near Walton 

 in Surrey, and near Godalming ; at Cheshunt (Herts) ; 

 near Saxmundham in Suffolk; in Norfolk; atTyne- 

 mouth in Durham; and in South Wales. It has 

 been seen, though rarely, in Ireland, but never, as 

 far as we can learn, in Scotland. 



On the Continent it advances as high northwards 

 as Sweden, where it occasionally breeds ; it also 

 visits some of the districts of Russia, and is found 

 in Germany and Holland, but more plentifully in 

 France, Spain, and Italy, everywhere being a bird 

 of passage. The Prince of Canino says that it 

 arrives near Rome in the spring and departs in au- 

 tumn. It is found in Malta and Greece, and along 

 the whole of the northern line of Africa. An allied, 

 but distinct species is common in India. 



The Golden Oriole is a shy and suspicious bird, 

 haunting lonely groves and thickets on the skirts of 

 woods, excepting in the fruit season, when it always 

 frequents orchards, to the no small loss of the owner. 

 It is difficult to get near these birds, though they are 

 sometimes approached by the sportsman, under the 

 deception of his imitative whistle; but it requires 



great accuracy both of lips and ear to perform this 

 fraud, for the least mistake, or one false note, will 

 send the bird off at once. The food consists of 

 insects and their larvse, berries, and fruits, among 

 which figs, grapes, and cherries are favourites. The 

 whistle of the oriole is loud but flute-like, and 

 Bechstein expresses the sound by the word puldo. 

 The cup or rather saucer shaped nest is formed of 

 wool and slender grass-stems, and placed in the 

 fork of a tall branch, usually towards its extremity. 



The eggs are generally four or five, purplish 

 white with a few ash-grey and claret spots, and the 

 female watches over them with such maternal care, 

 that it is said she will suffer herself to be taken 

 rather than abandon them. In this country nests 

 have been taken in Suffolk and Norfolk. Fig. 1468 

 represents the nest of this species. 



The Golden Oriole gets very fat after its summer 

 feed of fruits. Willughby saw many of them in the 

 poulterers' shops at Naples, and says that " it hath 

 very delicate flesh, and yields wholesome nourish- 

 ment." 



Description. — Male : — Golden yellow, a blackish- 

 brown spot between the eye and the bill ; wings 

 and tail black; a yellow spot on the quills, not far 

 from the middle of the wing when closed : and the 

 tail-feathers terminated with yellow; bill reddish 

 maroon; iris red; feet bluish grey. Length, rather 

 more than ten inches. Mr. Hoy agrees with Mr. 

 Yarrell that the male does not obtain its brilliant 

 yellow and black till the third year. 



Female:' — Greenish-olive above; greyish-white 

 with a yellowish tint below, where the plumage is 

 marked by somewhat distant greyish-brown short 

 stripes or dashes disposed longitudinally; wings 

 brown, bordered with olivaceous grey; tail oliva- 

 ceous tinged with black ; yellowish beneath with a 

 brownish black mark somewhat in the form of an 

 irregular Y ; no dark streak behind the bill and the 

 eye. 



The young of the year resemble the female; but 

 the longitudinal stripes of the lower parts are more 

 numerous and deeper in colour; bill blackish grey 

 and iris brown. The upper figure represents the 

 female, the lower the male. 



1469, 1470, 1471, 1472.— The Mockixg-Bird, or 

 Polyglot Thrush 



{Orpheus Polyglottus). Turdus Polyglottus, Wil- 

 son. 



We have several pictorial specimens of this cele- 

 brated bird, which if it be not overpraised, stands 

 unrivalled in powers of song : it is a native of the 

 New World, and, according to Wilson, whose his- 

 tory we follow, it inhabits a very considerable ex- 

 tent of both North and South America, having 

 been traced from the States of New England to 

 Brazil, and also among many of the adjacent islands. 

 They are, however, much more numerous in those 

 States south than those north of the river Delaware, 

 being generally migratory in the latter, and resi- 

 dent (at least many of them) in the former. A 

 warm climate, and low country not far from the 

 sea, seem most congenial to their nature ; the spe- 

 cies is accordingly found to be less numerous to 

 the west than east of the great range of Alleghany, 

 in the same parallels of latitude. In these regions 

 the berries of the red cedar, myrtle, holly, many 

 species of smilax, together with gum berries, gall 

 berries, and a profuse variety of others, abound, 

 and furnish them with a perpetual feast. Winged 

 insects also, of which they are very fond, and which 

 they are very expert in catching, are there plenti- 

 ful even in the winter season. 



The precise time at which the mocking-bird 

 begins to build his nest varies according to the 

 latitude in which he resides, from the beginning of 

 April to the middle of May. There are "particular 

 situations to which he gives the preference. A 

 solitary thorn-bush, an almost impenetrable thicket, 

 an orange-tree, cedar, or holly-bush, are favourite 

 spots and frequently selected. It is no great ob- 

 jection to the bird that a farm or mansion-house 

 happens to be near; always ready to defend, but 

 never over-anxious to conceal, his nest, he very 

 often builds within a small distance of the house, 

 and not unfrequently in a pear or apple tree, rarely 

 at a greater height than six or seven feet from the 

 ground. The nest varies a little according to the 

 conveniency of collecting suitable materials. Gene- 

 rally it is composed of, first, a quantity of dry 

 twigs and sticks, then withered tops of weeds of the 

 preceding year, intermixed with fine straw, hay, 

 pieces of wood and tow ; and lastly, a thick layer 

 of fine fibrous roots, of a light brown colour, lines 

 the whole. The female sits fourteen days, and 

 generally produces two broods in the season, unless 

 robbed of her eggs, in which case she will even 

 buiW and lay the third time. She is, however, 

 very jealous of her nest, and very apt to forsake it 

 if much disturbed. 



During the period of incubation, neither cat, dog, 

 animal, nor man can approach the nest without 



being attacked. The cats, in particular, are per- 

 secuted whenever they make their appearance, till 

 obliged to retreat. But his whole vengeance is 

 more particularly directed against that mortal 

 enemy of his eggs and young, the black snake. 

 Whenever its insidious approaches are discovered, 

 the male darts upon the reptile with the rapidity 

 of an arrow, dexterously eluding its bite, and 

 striking it violently and incessantly about the 

 head, where it is very vulnerable. The snake soon 

 becomes sensible of its danger, and seeks to escape ; 

 but the intrepid defender of his young redoubles- 

 his exertions, and, unless his antagonist be of great 

 magnitude, often succeeds in destroying him. All 

 his pretended powers of fascination avail it nothing 

 against the vengeance of this noble bird. As the 

 snake's strength begins to flag, the mocking-bird 

 seizes and lifts it up partly from the ground,"beat- 

 ing it with its wings, and when the business is com- 

 pleted, he returns to the nest of his young, mounts 

 the summit of the bush, and pours forth a torrent of 

 song in token of victory. 



The plumage of the mocking-bird is soberly 

 coloured, but the figure of the bird is very graceful 

 and web proportioned. The ease, elegance, and 

 rapidity of his movements, the animation of his 

 eye, and the intelligence which he displays in 

 listening and laying up lessons from almost every 

 species of the feathered race within his hearing, 

 are really surprising, and mark the peculiarity of 

 his genius. To these qualities may be added that 

 of a voice full, strong, and musical, and capable of 

 almost every modulation, from the clear mellow 

 tones of the wood-thrush to the savage scream of 

 the bald eagle. In measure and accent he faith- 

 fully follows his originals ; in force and sweetness of 

 expression he greatly improves upon them. In his 

 native groves, mounted on the top 4 of a tall bush or 

 half-grown tree, in the dawn of the morning, while 

 the woods are already vocal with a multitude of 

 warblers, his admirable song rises pre-eminent over 

 every competitor. The ear can listen to his music 

 alone, to which that of all the others seems a mere 

 accompaniment. Neither is his strain altogether- 

 imitative. His own native notes are bold and full, 

 and varied seemingly beyond all limits. They con- 

 sist of short expressions of two, three, or, at the 

 most, five or six syllables, generally interspersed 

 with imitations, and all of them uttered with great 

 emphasis and rapidity, and continued with undi- 

 minished ardour for half an hour or an hour at a 

 time. His expanded wings and tail glistening 

 with white, and the buoyant gaiety of his action, 

 arresting the eye as his song most irrisistibly does 

 the ear, he sweeps round with enthusiastic ecstasy, 

 and mounts and descends as his song swells or dies 

 away. While thus exerting himself, a bystander 

 destitute of sight would suppose that the whole 

 feathered tribes had assembled together on a trial 

 of skill, each striving to produce his utmost effect. 

 He often deceives the sportsman, and sends him in 

 search of birds that are not, perhaps, within miles 

 of him, but whose notes he exactly imitates : even 

 birds themselves are frequently imposed upon by 

 this admirable mimic, and are decoyed by the 

 fancied calls of their mates, or dive with precipita- 

 tion into the depth of thickets at the scream of 

 what they suppose to be the sparrow-hawk. 



The mocking-bird loses little of the power and 

 energy of his song by confinement. In his domes- 

 ticated state, when he commences his career of 

 song, it is impossible to stand by uninterested. He 

 whistles for the dog ; Caesar starts up, wags his tail, 

 and runs to meet his master. He squeaks out like 

 a hurt chicken, and the hen hurries about with 

 hanging wings and bristled feathers, chuckling to 

 protect its injured brood. The barking of the dog, 

 the mewing of the eat, the creaking of a passing 

 wheelbarrow, are followed with great truth and rapi- 

 dity. He repeats the tune taught him by his master, 

 though of considerable length, fully and faithfully ; 

 he runs over the quaverings of the canary, and the 

 clear whistlings of the Virginian nightingale, or red- 

 bird, with such superior execution and effect, that 

 the mortified songsters feel their own inferiority, and 

 become altogether silent, while he seems to triumph 

 in their defeat by redoubling his exertions. 



This excessive fondness for variety, however, in 

 the opinion of some injures his song. His elevated 

 imitations of the brown thrush are frequently inter- 

 rupted by the crowing of cocks ; and the warblings 

 of the blue-bird, which he exquisitely manages, are 

 mingled with the screaming of swallows or the 

 cackling of hens. Amidst the simple -melody of 

 the robin, one is suddenly surprised by the shrill 

 reiterations of the whip-poor-will, while the notes 

 of the kildeer, blue jay, martin, baltimore, and 

 twenty others, succeed, with such imposing reality, 

 that the auditors look round for the originals, and 

 with astonishment discover that the sole performer 

 in this singular concert is the admirable bird now 

 before us. During this exhibition of his powers, 

 he spreads his wings, expands his tail, and throws 



