146 
MERULIM. 
strewn about, and inferred that it had been torn np by either 
the thrush or blackbird in search of food: from what is just 
stated, there can be little doubt of the correctness of my in- 
ference. Mr. Moore, now curator of the Botanic Garden, Glas- 
nevin, Dublin, informed me in the last-mentioned year, that when 
he was in the College Botanic Garden near that city, he remarked 
several species of plants to be much injured by birds ; and more 
especially the rare alpine plant, Clierleria sedoides. In the 
month of September of two different years, I remarked an 
old male blackbird regaling on the flowers of a fine large 
bushy Fuchsia coccinea, in the midst of which he remained 
for a considerable time; on the former occasion, which was 
at the end of the month, the plant was profusely in berry, 
but retained only a few flowers, — the last ones of summer, — 
yet of these only did he partake ; in the other instance it was 
covered with bloom. In the middle of June, 1843, two of my 
relatives living at Ballysillan, in the neighbourhood of Belfast, were 
attracted during a few successive days by numbers of blackbirds, 
thrushes, sparrows, and robins, flying to the grass of the verdure 
garden before the windows of the house, and bearing off white 
objects in their bills : — on going to the place, my friends found 
some of them, which on being brought to me, proved to be all 
ghost moths {Ilejoialus humuli). A blackbird which was often 
seen about the parlour window at a friend's country-house, was 
fed during frost with crumbs of bread thrown beneath a tree 
within view of the house; others came to join in the repast, and 
were sometimes beaten away by it, as was a missel thrush, which 
- — though its superior in size, and a bolder species — was not 
permitted to pick up a morsel. The presumption was, that the 
same blackbird “ ruled the roast " all the time, and was bold and 
confident from the locality being its home. Bobins may often be 
seen driving strange birds of their own species from their “ beats." 
Birds of various kinds have not only their homes, where they act 
like man in considering “ his house Iris castle," but lay claim also 
to the regions round about, and drive all others of the species 
from their locality. 
