144 
MERTJLIDiE. 
neighbourhood of Belfast.* On the 22nd of February a nest 
with three eggs was seen ; on the 1st of April, the young made 
their appearance in a nest at the Falls ; on the 14th of this month 
a nest containing three young birds some time “ out,” was dis- 
covered at Cromac House. Three broods were produced in this 
nest, the last of which made their appearance on the 3rd of July. 
The three broods followed immediately after each other, and were 
all seen by Mr. J. B. Garrett, to whom the nest itself from first 
to last, did not seem in the least degree altered.! The nest is 
generally placed in low situations,! as in small shrubs, white- 
thorn hedges, among ivy on the stem of a tree or on a wall, &c : 
• — the obvious difference between it and that of the thrush, 
as remarked by my friend at the Falls, is, the latter being lined 
with clay or cow-dung only , the former with grasses, &c., although 
either of the two substances just named is also used in its construc- 
tion. Mr. Macgillivray describes the blackbird's nest very particu- 
larly (B. B. vol. ii. p. 90). This species, like the missel thrush, has 
the good taste, when an opportunity presents itself, of lining its 
nest with lace. A valuable piece of this material, which had been 
laid out to bleach in a garden at Larne, belonging to a lady of my 
acquaintance, was carried off, and the servant was blamed for the 
theft ; but when winter came, the missing article was found lining 
a blackbird's nest. A correspondent mentions a nest of this 
species having for its foundation the nest of a ring-dove of the 
preceding year. 
In the north of Ireland, blackbirds are very destructive to 
fruits of almost every kind ; in many gardens around Belfast, 
* A brief “ Comparison of the Periods of Flowering of certain Plants in the early 
spring of 1846, in the Botanic Garden of Belfast, and the Jardin des Plantes at 
Paris, 55 drawn up by the author, will be found in the 19th volume of the Annals of 
Natural History, p. 228-226. 
f My informant surmised that the first and second broods had, on leaving the nest, 
fallen victims to cats, which were in the habit of visiting the locality. 
| Professor Wilson is aware of this, and treating of the bird in his own eloquent 
manner, places the nest at the foot of a silver fir, from the top of which the male 
pours forth his song. — Recreat : Chr. North, vol. iii. p. 14. 
