1891.  
July 13-16
(No 3)
England.
St. Ives. - minutes close to my window. Blackbirds are
rather numerous in the gardens all about but their
song period is evidently over. I see them chiefly on
their way to & from the strawberry beds of ten with 
a big, red strawberry in the bill. When flying
en silhouette so that no color can be seen they exactly
resemble our Robins in every detail of form, outline
and movement and the resemblance becomes positively
starting when, as is often the case, they give one
or other of the notes which are practically alike
in the two species. The Blackbird is ordinarily a
more silent and much shyer and more retiring bird
than his American cousin but when once the decides
on making a noise he can outdo the American Robin
easily enough. In addition to the calls common to
both birds the Blackbird possesses several [deleted][?][/deleted]
sharp, incisive notes peculiarly his own. On the
evening of the 15th I heard a pair of Blackbirds
making such a racket in a little piece of 
shrubbery near the road that at first I supposed
there were at least five or six birds engaged in
the row the cause of which, as nearly as I could
ascertain, was the presence of a cat.
  I have heard only our Chiffchaff at St. Ives, in
the Trevenna glen on the morning of the 14th
and again about noon (in the same place) on the 15th.
He sang rather freely on both occasions. I have
not heard a Willow Warbler for over a week
although I have seen several birds of this
species both here and at other places. They must
cease singing long before the Chiffchaff.