THE BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 
THE MISTLE-THRUSH. Tmdus viscivorus, Linnseus. 
Local names — Stormbibd ; Stormcock ; Wood-Thrtjsh ; 
Felty ; Feltiflier. 
A common resident throughout the county. Formerly rare. 
That the Mistle-Thrush was formerly a rarity in the south 
of Scotland we have good evidence. In 1791, in an account 
of the parish of Kirkmichael, we find it mentioned among 
the ** rare birds " thus — " there is great plenty of the rarer 
species of birds, the land and the water rails, the quail, 
the missel thrush,"* etc. Sir WilHam Jardine writes in 
1832 as follows : " Fifteen years ago they were rarely to 
be seen, but in consequence of the increased extent of 
plantations, they are now frequently met with in pairs, 
or in parties of five or six." f In a letter to P. J. Selby, 
dated April 15th, 1836, he mentions a Mistle-Thrush's 
nest near Jardine Hall. Dr. Grierson (who, it is only fair 
to note, was at the time a boy of sixteen) describes, in 1834, 
a nest and eggs of the Mistle-Thrush given to him by J. 
Douglas, a gamekeeper at Drumlanrig ; but they were 
so far unknown to him that he records them as those of the 
Starhng,J a bird equally rare in the county in those days. 
Thomas Aird, in 1864, speaks of the species as " multiplying 
yearly "§ in the vicinity of Dumfries. 
The Mistle-Thrush is now distributed throughout the 
county, and its welcome song may be expected by the middle 
of January, should there be sunny intervals between the 
squally showers so prevalent at that time. 
* Stat. Acct. Scot., Vol. I., p. 60. 
t New Stat. Acct. Scot., Vol. IV., p. 178. 
X Grierson's MS. Diary, May 5th, 1834. 
§ Trans. D. and G. Nat. Hist. Soc, December 6th, 1864. 
B 
