2< M allen’s naturalist’s library. 
and the yellow of the under parts is much deeper and the spots 
smaller than in the adults. 
Range in Great Britain. — Breeds everywhere throughout the 
British Islands, but has not yet been known to nest in the 
Shetlands. The birds from the Outer Hebrides are said to be 
smaller and darker than those from the mainland. In autumn 
a considerable migration of Thrushes takes place, many of our 
home-bred birds moving southward, while many more visit 
us from the Continent. 
Range outside the British Islands. — Breeds generally throughout 
the Palsearctic Region to the valley of the Yenesei. In 
Norway it is found slightly beyond the Arctic Circle, but 
in Siberia it only occurs up to about lat. 60°. In the 
Jura, the Pyrenees, and Northern Spain, the Song-Thrush 
breeds high up in the mountains, but in Southern Europe 
it is better known as a winter visitor : it also winters in 
North Africa, but is said to have occurred as far south as 
Nubia. To the eastward it comes in winter to the Persian 
Culf. In Northern and Western China it is replaced by 
Ttirdus auritus, which differs slightly in colour and has the 
second primary shorter than the sixth, whereas in T. musicus 
it is longer than the fifth. 
Habits. — With the exception of the Robin and the Blackbird 
the Song-Thrush is probably the most familiar species to all 
people in these islands, for it is not only found universal!) , 
but is such a general favourite that it is everywhere prized as a 
cage-bird. There is scarcely any excuse, however, for keeping 
this pretty songster in a cage, for it is so common that its song 
can be heard in every kind of situation throughout the country, 
and is much more freely given in the wild state. It is, in the 
opinion of most people, by far the finest songster that we have, 
for, if it lacks the richness of tone of the Nightingale and some 
of the Warblers, the song is far more sustained and varied. The 
clever attempt of Macgillivray to put its song into words is 
familiar to most of my readers, and need no longer be re- 
produced, and though this is one of the best word-imitations 
of a bird’s song ever published, it does not give a full idea of 
that of the Thrush, for the simple reason that the bird never 
sings its song in the same order consecutively. When the 
