CHAPTER XVII.
SOME FAMILIAR BRITISH BIRDS.
55. THE THRUSH FAMILY.
1. The song-thrush, mavis, or throstle.—Throstles are to be seen throughout the year. Take every opportunity of observing their habits, and make careful notes of these at the time. Especially attend to the following characters:
(a) General appearance.—What is the average size of the bird? What is the length of the tail? At what angle is the tail held? Does the bird move it in any special manner? What is the prevailing colour of the body? Notice the light-coloured and spotted breast. Compare the male and female as regards size, colouration, etc.
(b) Habits.—What situations do throstles chiefly inhabit? Do they keep near the edge of the wood, or have you often seen them inside thick woods? Does the bird hop, or walk, when on the ground? Upon what does it feed? Have you ever seen it cracking the shell of a snail? If you find a heap of snail-shells near a stone, watch, at a little distance, for the throstle coming to crack snail-shells on the stone. Does it also eat worms, or fruit? Describe a throstle’s beak. How would you describe the flight—as high or low, swift or slow, straight, in wide curves, or undulating? Does the bird perch on trees? How does it use its toes in perching?
(c) Song.—In what months does the throstle sing? Does it sing late at night and early in the morning? How does it compare with other birds in this respect? In what positions have you seen the bird singing—when flying, perching, or on the ground? Try to write down the syllables which seem to you most like the throstle’s song, and notice how the phrases are repeated. Notice that throstles sing less during August than in autumn. Listen, in September or October, for young thrushes learning to sing, and contrast their efforts with the song of the adult birds.
(d) The nest.—At what time of the year do throstles pair and build their nests? In what situations have you found the nests? Write a description of the shape, size, and materials of the first throstle’s nest you find. Visit it frequently, try not to disturb the birds, and note the dates of laying of the eggs. How many eggs are laid? What are their size and colour? How are they arranged in the nest? Do the broad or the narrow ends point inwards? What are the advantages of this arrangement (i) for purposes of packing, (ii) when the eggs hatch? Do both birds sit on the eggs? If only one, which? What is the time of incubation?
(e) The young.—Are the young birds naked and helpless, or feathered, at hatching? How do the parent-birds feed them? What is the appearance of the fledglings? In what respect do they (i) resemble, (ii) differ from, the parents? How long do the birds remain in the nest after hatching? Write an account of any education you have observed them to receive from the parents.
{Make similar observations and notes on other birds, in addition to the special observations mentioned below, and learn to recognise their appearance, flight, song, nest, and eggs. A field-glass will be found of great assistance.}
2. The missel-thrush, or storm-cock.—Compare the missel-thrush with the song-thrush. Notice its larger size, the brighter colour of its spotted breast, and its somewhat less musical song. Listen for its song during, or immediately after, a storm, even in winter. In the nesting season observe the marked courage and pugnacity of the bird.