File:Stories about birds of land and water (1874) (14770707663).jpg

Identifier: storiesaboutbird00kirb (find matches)
Title: Stories about birds of land and water
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Kirby, Mary, 1817-1893 Kirby, Elizabeth, 1823-1873
Subjects: Birds -- Juvenile literature
Publisher: Hartford (Conn.) : American Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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yards, his principal food is ofan animal character. He devours slugs and earthworms, and you may seedozens of thrushes on the lawn after rain, walking about and picking up theworms. His bill is as long as his head, and is very useful to him in procuringhis food. He has a great fancy for snails, and he breaks the shells to getthem out; and he has been seen to place the snail between two pebbles thathe used for the purpose, and hammer with his beak until the shell was broken. Towards the autumn a great many thrushes come from the north ofEurope to winter in England. Great numbers of these birds are often met with THE SONG THRUSH. 99 at that time, and they fly in company with the redwings and the fieldfares.Indeed, they are often sold in the market with other small birds as an articleof food ; but such diet is not very popular in England. We must not forget to mention that the thrush is a very orderly bird, anddocs not allow any litter near the nest. If any stones or rubbish happen to be
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::^ THE SONG THRUSH. there, he carries them away. And the parent birds keep the little ones veryclean. A naturalist once rubbed the backs of the young thrushes with mud,to see what the old birds would do. When they came back they were quitein a fuss, and took grass in their bills, and rubbed away at the feathers untilthere was not a speck of dirt left upon them. G 2 STORES ABOUT BIRDS. THE BLACKBIRD. The two most famous singers among our feathered friends are the blackbirdand the thrush, and they both belong to the same family. Indeed, the black-bird might be called a black thrush. Yet his note is very different from thatof his relative. It is not so lively, but makes up for it by richness andmellowness. On a spring evening, especially if it rains, what music is moredelightful than that ct the blackbird, as he pours out his heart to his partner ) You may often see the blackbird on the lawn hunting for worms. Hekeeps his eye on the ground for a few minutes, and then hops up to the spot

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