78 
THE MISSEL-THRUSH. 
dows or pasture grounds. They are remarkably 
fond of ripe geans, and commit great havoc among 
a crop of this fruit ; in winter we have seen them 
select the berries of the holly and the yew in pre- 
ference to those of the hawthorn, or our other 
native kinds. This thrush remains with us during 
the year, and we are not aware of any partial mi- 
gration taking place, or of any accession of num- 
bers, though we have sometimes thought that the 
small flocks of from twenty to fliirty before alluded 
to, appeared to be removing at least from one 
district to another. These may have been parties 
of the younger birds commencing a migration, for 
we have hardly an increase to account for all those 
which are bred in a district ; at the same time, we 
know that many pairs of old^ birds remain con- 
stantly, and without changing the range to a great 
distance, and some we have seen, for a year toge- 
ther, every day we remained at home. 
The general colour of the upper plumage is 
hair brown, varying in intensity, and sometimes 
tinted with yellowish or with oil-green, which 
prevails on the neck. The outer webs of the quills, 
coverts and scapulars, are edged with pale wood 
brown ; the inner webs umber-brown, tinted with 
ash-gray ; the tail is chiefly of the latter colour ; 
the outer feathers tipped with white. The under 
parts are clear and delicate yellowish white, often 
shaded on the sides of the breast and flanks with 
buff-orange ; the tip of each feather has an umber- 
brown spot, triangular in form on the throat and 
breast, on the belly and flanks of the shape of the 
