218 
THE BLACK-FACED THRUSH. 
THE BLACK-FACED THRCSn. 
trustful creature. He deliff] 
O 
sweetness," was heard but once in the 
bird's life, — that is, in the hour pre- 
ceding herdeath. The fable succeeded 
because it was picturesque, as indeed 
were all the fables of Greek poetry. 
It lived by virtue of the Greek genius; 
and the song of the swan has passed 
into the languacje of all modem 
peoples. 
A DIGRESSION. 
Among the dense shadowy forests 
which crown the southern slopes of 
the Himalaya is found the black- 
faced thrush, or Garrulax leucolo- 
phus. His head, neck, and breast 
are white, with gra^nsh tints, and 
consequently the black streak which 
runs from eye to beak is all the 
more conspicuous. The rest of the 
body is clothed in a reddish olive- 
brown plumage. This bird is found 
in bands of twenty individuals and 
upwards, who at intervals break out 
into a fanfaronade, well adapted to 
stupify and confound the traveller 
who heai-s it for the first time. He 
feeds upon worms, molluscs, insects, 
and in winter upon berries. His 
nest is but an indifferent affair; a 
heap of roots, moss, and grass, hid- 
den in the heart of a thick bush. 
Firth furnishes an interesting de- 
scription of the ways and doings of 
a captive garrulax, a very gentle and 
in being caressed ; and would unfold 
