BLACKBIRD 9 
and Manx stations, become more pronounced on those 
of Scotland and the Hebrides, where the Irish contingent 
has fallen in. On 28th October 1879 three hundred ‘ dark- 
grey birds larger than a common Thrush’ seen at the Point 
of Ayre are noted by the compilers as ‘probably Missel 
Thrushes, but might with equal likelihood be assigned to 
this species. 
Mr. Kermode records a small flock at Killabragga, Sulby, 
on 28th August 1889, a very remarkable date, if correct, 
for October is the usual time of arrival. I had no note 
of its occurrence in the early part of the year beyond the 
end of April—(Mr. Crellin notes a large flock on the 30th 
of that month, 1899)—until 1903, when the same observer 
Saw some on 12th May. (Y. L. MU. Report, 1904.) 
As a winter migrant the species is of very general dis- 
tribution in the surrounding districts and over all the 
British Isles, 
TURDUS MERULA, Linn. BLACKBIRD. 
Manx, Lhon, Lhon-doo, Lhon-ghoo (M. 8. D.); Lhon (Cr.). 
*Lhondhoo=Black Thrush is the usual form. (Cf. Irish, 
Londubh ; Sc. Gaelic, Lon, Londubh.) 
As above noted, the Blackbird was even a hundred years 
ago remarkably common in Man, and it is to-day an 
extremely abundant and widely-spread species, equally at 
home among the fuchsias and ‘trammans’ of a cottage 
garden, the ivy and woodbine coverts of the rocky coast, or 
the young larch plantations of the uplands, where it has 
already taken possession of the recently afforested common 
lands. In entirely heath-covered land, however, it is not 
to be found. On the Calf, where it is plentiful, we found 
