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the hen utters her notes by jerks, in a broken fashion, 

 pausing after each short effort. After the moult is over, 

 the males are not long in discovering themselves by their 

 song alone, for they sing out boldly and fearlessly as they 

 recover their strength and spirits, and improve every week until 

 they reach the period of full song. 



Song. — The song of the Mavis is loud and melodious, 

 ringing out with round, sonorous notes, repeated with great 

 distinctness, and much varied ; sometimes these notes are clear 

 and flute-like, again short and shrill, then elongated and de- 

 pressed, and full of mellowness and thrilling sweetness. The 

 Song Thrush repeats some notes or phrases with great dis- 

 tinctness, so that they frequently resemble words. Some birds 

 utter their notes more distinctly, and with greater emphasis, 

 than others, and with more gusto, and evident appreciation 

 of their own merits ; others (young birds mostly) are more 

 gushing and verbose, but not so fluent and refined in ex- 

 pression. For singing purposes, a bird not less than three years 

 old should be selected, as the Thrush never attains proficiency 

 before that age. 



Points to be Observed in Judging, — For show purposes, 

 choose a sleek, well-shaped bird, with a small, compact head, 

 a full chest, close and fine body feathers, of a rich, clear, 

 soft olive brown (they differ greatly in colour, according to 

 age, &c.), with a bright, richly coloured neck and breast, 

 and white belly. The spots or markings should be clearly 

 defined. The wings and tail must be well formed, closely 

 and tightly braced together (not loose or drooping), and 

 perfect — that is, not twisted, broken, or frayed at the edges. 

 The whole of the feathers should be smooth and bright, 

 the legs and feet well formed, and the nails straight. The 

 bird should be in good condition, bright in the eye, with 

 a bold, majestic attitude, and, above all, scrupulously clean 

 in every part. Such a bird would be sure to attract the eye 

 of a good judge. Some birds are more profusely spotted 

 than others. The great thing is to have the markings distinct 

 and uniform. 



General Eemarks. — A Song Thrush is preferable to a 

 Missel Thrush, or Eedwing, as a show bird, for it will bear 

 a considerable amount of hardship. A bird intended for 

 exhibition should be liberally fed, and kept in a room where 



