24 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 8. 
The above notes relate to making new plantations; 
but much may be done in renovating old ones, and the 
best time for that is summer, and copious drenching with 
liquid manure will be found of great service. Salt may 
also be applied at various times, although we never 
could exactly see that much good arose from it; but 
others have reported favourably. Another thing in the 
treatment must not be lost sight of—do not cut the shoots 
too severely; cease in time, and we have always thought 
the plan of cutting away everything up to a certain day, 
when cutting ceased altogether, was open to many ob¬ 
jections, but still more so is the barbarous plan of muti¬ 
lating the roots in winter in the process of digging the 
alley, or other space between the rows. But more of 
this anon. J. Robson. 
BRITISH SONG BIRDS. 
(Our readers will he pleased to find from the following 
that Mr. Rayner has resumed his excellent practical re¬ 
marks upon this interesting department of household agree- 
ables.) 
BLACKBIRD. 
Insessores Dentirostres. Merulidje. 
Tardus Merida; Merida Vulgaris. Ouzel; Garden Ouzel; 
Merle. 
YOUNG HEN. 
This bird is so generally and well known as scarcely to 
require description. Its glossy black plumage, and yellow 
gamboge bill, together with the yellow fringe around the 
eye, render it conspicuous, and readily distinguished; the 
tints of the female, however, are less bright, and rather 
resemble a dusky or amber brown. The solitary habit, 
brisk and restless flight, and vociferous chattering of alarm, 
if disturbed, proclaim at once the blackbird. Its food, in 
the natural or wild state, varies with the season; in the 
spring and early part of the summer it mostly consists of 
worms, snails, and the larvae of insects, the snail parti¬ 
cularly, which he dexterously kills by breaking the shell in 
pieces against a stone or stump of tree, by which means he 
readily arrives at the soft parts within ; when the season is 
more advanced, then fruit is often preferred, the currant- 
bush especially, on which his dainty dinner invitingly hangs, 
and much to the annoyance of the gardener, who threatens 
him with vengeance should he perchance to flit across his 
path. It is a matter of much doubt whether the blackbird 
is not entitled to a fair share of the summer fruits for his 
effective vigilance, and destruction of those pests of the 
gardener, the slugs, and snails, and other insect larvae on 
which for the most part of the year he feeds ; for myself, I 
should not grudge him his share of the luscious fruit of 
which he has been the watchful keeper so long before, more 
especially, too, when he delights one of an evening, and, in 
fact, all day long, with his enchanting song. 
I have kept these birds for many years, but I always have 
them and rear them from the nest, as they then become 
tame, and do not hesitate to breed in confinement. We are 
told their song is not so good as those taken wild ; that is 
not the result of my experience, and I think my ear is suffi¬ 
ciently good to detect any difference. I am well aware that 
if the bird be kept entirely with another of a different cha¬ 
racter it will, from its imitative power, very readily catch the 
song of the other, or the tune of a song if taught; but those 
I have had have been placed among other birds of almost 
every British variety, and I have hitherto found each 
kind has attained only its own peculiar song. The food 
I have usually given has been boiled bread and milk, 
made into a stiff paste, and crushed hemp-seed, well 
mixed together, and fresh daily; occasionally a bit of 
. meat, raw or cooked as the case might be, a snail or 
^ worm, or other insect, by way of treat, and in tlw summer 
a little fruit. I think a change in diet conducive to 
health, but they will thrive very well upon the boiled 
bread and milk and hemp-seed. 
I have already said they will breed in confinement. 
This has been frequently the case with me, both with 
blackbirds and thrushes, as well as others. I had a very 
large aviary, in which were planted fir-trees, and a 
fountain of water constantly playing; the birds were 
supplied -with the materials for nidification, which they 
readily appropriated, and I have been highly amused 
with their little ways, and admirable sagacity, while 
watching the building of their nests. Having adverted 
to the breeding of blackbirds, I will narrate a circum¬ 
stance which the blackbird calls to my mind, and 
which occurred to me some time ago. A pair of 
blackbirds having settled the whereabouts of their nest, it 
was in due course erected. One morning, on my return 
home after visiting my patients, I found the hen blackbird 
on the ground, with feathers rumpled, head distorted, the 
membrana nicticans nearly covering the eye, and, in fact, the 
bird having the appearance of being in the agonies of death, 
fluttering on the ground; I picked her up, and on close 
examination discovered that the bird was suffering from 
inability to deposit her egg, or in other words, was in that 
condition commonly known to bird-fanciers, as being egg 
hound. Having carefully placed her on her back in my left 
hand, I gently grasped the abdomen with the fingers of my 
right hand, and turned the position of the egg in the 
oviduct; by gradually pressing upon the egg, or rather 
behind, I pushed the egg forward, and in a minute the bird 
was released. I placed the egg in her nest, and the bird 
upon it. In the course of an hour, or less, the bird was 
quite well, and flying about the aviary. On the four 
succeeding days, the like circumstance happened, and on 
each occasion I was compelled to assist the bird in like 
manner ; the five eggs were left in the nest, which she 
eventually hatched. 
I have mentioned this circumstance in order to prevent 
the usual method adopted by bird-fanciers, that of crushing 
the egg while in the oviduct, a proceeding which too often 
ends in the death of the bird. That which I adopted is 
much better, and is attended with far less pain, while the 
result is far more satisfactory. W. Kayner. 
