SONG THRUSH. 
83 
believe, by human means; the rough grass which formed 
the bottom was all that was left. At ten the next dav, 
much to my astonishment, I found that the birds had 
completely restored the nest — had again lined it with 
plaster, and that the female was then laying an egg : this 
time, as their perseverance deserved, they successfully 
reared their young ones. 
The thrush lays four or five eggs spotted usually with 
deep black, rarely with red or purple-brown; sometimes 
they are without spots ; those which are laid early in the 
year, and during cold weather, are often less and of a 
lighter blue than those which are produced afterwards. 
