THE COMMON OR SONG THRUSH. 
137 
The thrush has commonly a second brood : several memoranda 
are before me of young birds being unfledged late in August, and 
on one occasion the young were unable to leave the nest before 
the 1st of October. The following remarkable instance of fecun- 
dity, & c., which seems worthy of being fully detailed, has been 
furnished me by Mr. Edward Benn;- — “Very early in 1836, a 
thrush built her nest in a beech hedge in our garden, at Saul, 
near Downpatrick. When the leaves were blown from the beech 
by the gales of early spring, she was quite exposed to view sitting 
on the nest, but on perceiving herself looked at, remained there 
without being disturbed. We commenced feeding her with worms, 
which, to avoid startling her by a too near approach, were offered 
on the end of a long rod ; then with bread, which was taken from 
the hand. She soon became as tame as domestic fowl. There 
were three young. When these were fledged, a second nest was 
formed near the same place, and she fed as before, but in a bolder 
manner. There were in this instance five young. When these 
were well grown, so as to fill the nest, she would perch on the 
edge, and feed from the hand, allow her plumage to be gently 
smoothed down, but if too much disturbed, became noisy, and 
struck with her wings at the intruder. When this brood could 
provide for themselves, a third nest was constructed, the parent 
bird was fed as formerly, and five young were produced. These 
gone ; a fourth nest was built at the farther end of the hedge 
from the house, and a person going to feed her here one morning 
as usual, remarked her in great consternation on the bank, and 
found the nest torn to pieces. A day or two afterwards, she began 
the erection of a fifth, and, evidently for the sake of protection, 
chose in this instance, a site quite close to the house. Eour young 
got off in safety, after which we saw her no more. Thus in one 
season, five nests were formed, and seventeen young produced.* 
Thirty persons at least witnessed what is here related, and fed the 
bird in her nest. She was indifferent to the presence of strangers.” 
Mr. Benn attributes the fecundity of this bird to its being par- 
* An instance of a blackbird producing three broods in the same nest is men- 
tioned in p. 144. 
