SONG BIRDS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



with the storms of spring."* Several writers in the 

 Magazine of Natural History maintain with Mon- 

 tagu that it has a perfect song, and is far from 

 a contemptible musician. 



The Missel Thrush is a very bold bird during 

 the breeding season, drives all others from the 

 neighbourhood of its nest, and will even attack 

 the Magpie and Jay. Its food, like the other spe- 

 cies of Thrush, is insects and berries, particularly 

 those of the misseltoe (whence its name). It has 

 been observed to take up its station on some tree 

 near to a favourite holly-bush, to guard it from the 

 depredations of other birds, which on their ap- 

 proach he immediately attacks, chattering and 

 screaming, chasing them to a distance, and striking 

 at them in the air with hawk-like fury. 



The nest of the Missel Thrush is constructed 

 with considerable ingenuity. After it has reared 

 a rough scaffolding of the withered stems of plants, 

 dry grass, and moss, which are placed in great 

 quantity and with little art, it constructs a sub- 

 stantial wall of clay. The masonry is not much 

 better finished than the scaffolding, being inferior 

 perhaps to that of the Blackbird, and decidedly 

 so to that of the Song Thrush ; but the rudeness 

 of the scaffolding, and the clay-walls built upon 

 it, is amply compensated by the ingenious basket- 

 work by which these are subsequently conceal- 

 ed. The nest itself is usually placed in the fork 

 of a tree, such as the pine in wilder districts, or 



* Journal of a Naturalist. 



