Among British Birds in Their Nesting Haunts, Vol. 4

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Excerpt from Among British Birds in Their Nesting Haunts, Vol. 4: Illustrated by the CameraThe Mistle Thrush always seeks for its food in the Open, where it can easily detect the approach of dangerf Among the grass it Obtains snails, slugs, earthworms, and larvae of various kinds, many insects, too, are greedily devoured. During the autumn its favourite fare consists of fruit and berries, cherries, gooseberries, and raspberries being Obtained in gardens, and on the moorlands, blackberries, cranberries, cloudberries, and the fruit of the mountain ash, elder, and hawthorn. The bird has an intense liking for the fruit of the service-tree, and'it will soon strip one of these trees of its clusters of berries. The Mistle Thrush is popularly supposed to feed on the waxen berries of the mistletoe - hence its name, - but it does not do so to any great extent, as this famous parasite is rarely seen stripped of its berries, even though Mistle Thrushes abound in the neighbourhood. In sowing time these birds descend on the ploughed land and devour the scattered grain, varying this food with an occasional worm or grub.The Mistle Thrush sings throughout the winter, commencing in the early autumn after the young can take care Of themselves, and continuing till the breeding season commences in the following spring. Its song somewhat resembles that of the Song Thrush and Blackbird, but is much louder and wilder in its refrain. Though rich and mellow in tone it is rather monotonous, but is very welcome, as it is heard at a season when most of our songsters are silent. NO day seems too wild and stormy for the Mistle Thrush to sing, perched on some bare twig he pours forth his song in defiance of the sleet and howling wind, probably receiving his name of 'storm-cock' from this habit. The call-notes Of the Mistle Thrush are loud and harsh, and cannot be readily compared with those of any other bird, though they resemble very slightly the chattering cry of the Magpie.Early in February the Mistle Thrushes pair, and Often frequent the vicinity of their nesting-site for weeks before they commence building operations. They are very pugnacious at this season, and drive off any unfortunate bird that comes too near their unfinished nest.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.