THRUSHES AND THEIR ALLIES 
139 
in their course. The cup-shaped hollow is very deep, so that 
when the supporting reeds are bowed low in the breeze the 
eggs rest perfectly safe. 
We must pass now to a consideration of the Thrush Tribe, 
which, as we have already hinted, are very closely allied to the 
Warblers. 
Birds like the COMMON Thrusii and the Blackbird are so 
common and so well known that they scarcely need comment 
here. The same perhaps is true of many other members of 
this group not popularly associated with the Thrush Tribe ; such 
are the Red-BRE.\ST, or ROBL\ Red-BRE.\sT, as it is more generally 
called, and the Nighting.ale. Few birds have inspired so many 
writers as the nightingale; it even holds a place in classical 
mythology. Professor Newton gives us one variant of a very 
common but pretty story: “ Procne and Philomela were the 
daughters of Pandion, King of Attica, who in return for warlike 
aid rendered him by Tereus, King of Daulis in Thrace, gave 
him the first-named in marriage. Tereus, however, being 
enamoured of her sister, feigned that his wife was dead, and 
induced Philomela to take her place. On her discovering the 
truth, he cut out her tongue to hinder her from revealing his 
deceit; but she depicted her sad story on a robe which she 
sent to Procne, and the two sisters then contrived a horrible 
revenge for the infidelity of Tereus by killing and serving to 
him at table his son Itys. Thereupon the gods interposed, 
changing Tereus into a hoopoe, Procne into 
and Philomela into a nightingale, while Itys was 
ROBIN 
The young robin ‘zvears a distinct li'very^ 
quite different from that of its parents 
Photo by A. S. Rudland < 5 ^* Sons 
NIGHTINGALE 
The s%ueetest and most renoivned of all the songsters 
a swallow, 
restored to 
life as a 
pheasant, 
and Pandion (who had died of grief at 
his daughters’ dishonour) as a bird of prey 
[the osprey].” 
A not infrequent error with regard 
to the red-breast may be pointed out 
here. Many people seem to suppose that 
the female is less brilliantly coloured than 
her mate. As a matter of fact this is not 
so ; what are generally regarded as females 
of this species are the dull, spotted young, 
which, as we have already pointed out, 
assume this peculiar livery throughout the 
tribe. 
No less common in Britain, during 
the summer months at least, are the Wheat- 
ears, Stone-chats, Whin-ch.vi's, and 
Red-starts. Small and prettily coloured 
species, these are all insect-eaters, and, with 
the exception of the wheat-ears, lay blue 
eggs, deposited in somewhat coarsely con- 
structed nests, placed on or near the 
ground ; or in holes in ruins, trees, or walls, 
in the case of the red-starts; or in bur-- 
