The economy and habits of the ring-ouzel are pretty analogous to those of the blackbird, but its note is much weaker. It affects wild, mountainous, and woody or heathy districts ; appears in some countries of Europe, as, for example, in France, only in spring and autumn, fattens on its erratic expedition, and haunts the hilly re gions of Sweden, Britain, Switzerland, Greece, &c. be sides many parts of Asia and Africa. In this country, it statedly visits the isle of Portland every spring and au tumn, on its arrival and departure; and it breeds in Wales, Cornwall, Devonshire, &c. During their passages on the Continent, these birds proceed in small groups, along woods and hedges, feeding as they advance. If molested in the breeding season, they are very clamorous ; but they are, on the whole, less shy than the blackbird ; and they are tamed without difficulty if taken young. Their fat tened flesh is reckoned delicate eating. The Turdus saxatilis or of some authors, is only the young of the present species.
7. weru/a, Lin. Ste. ; Blackbird, or Blackbird Thrush. Prov. Amsel. Black, with the bill, eyelids, and feet, tawny yellow.
The common blackbird inhabits the greatest portion of the temperate regions of Europe and Asia. In Russia it migrates in the dead of winter ; and there is reason to believe that it partially shifts its station in other coun tries, or at least that the females do so. Its habits are solitary, for it associates only with its mate, and often lives singly. Yet, though shy and suspicious, it is more easily tamed than the thrush, and more willingly resides and nestles near houses. At the same time, owing to,the acuteness of its sight, it spies the fowler at a distance, and is not'easily approached. The male begins his song in the first fine days of spring, and, except during the period of moulting, continues it till the commencement of winter. This species breeds twice or thrice in the year, placing its nest in thick bushes, at a moderate height from the ground, or on old trunks of pollards. Moss, which al ways occurs on the trunk that is selected, and mud, which is to be found at the foot of it, and which tile bird works with moisture like the swallows, are the materials which form the body of the nest, the moss being outermost, and stalks of grass, small roots, feathers, Sce. are the sub stances with which they line it. By the co-operation of the male and female, the whole is usually constructed in the course of eight days, when it becomes the recep tacle of from four to six eggs, of a bluish-green hue, with frequent but inconspicuous spots of rust-colour. Alunt
beillard has stated, that, during incubation, the male merely supplies his partner with food : but Vieillot has frequently seen him on the nest, from ten or eleven till two or three o'clock in the afternoon. Naturally jealous and distrustful, these birds have been frequently known to abandon or devour the first laid eggs, or even the newly hatched young, if they happened to be touched by any person. But, even when unmolested by importunate visi tors, the first brood frequently fails, in consequence of the severity of the weather. Both parents feed their young with earth-worms, caterpillars, and the larvx of all sorts of insects; but, as soon as they can shift for themselves, they give way to their natural unsocial propensities, and each individual becomes insulated, superadding to its former diet, berries and fruits of every description. In they select the most sheltered situations, corn monly settling in the thickest woods, especially when sup plied with permanent springs, and consisting of ever greens, as firs, pines, laurels, cypresses, myrtles junipers, &c. which at once afford them subsistence and protection against the rigour of the season. They also occasionally seek for food and corn in our gardens and shrubberies. Olina fixes the term of their life at seven or eight years. Their flesh is much esteemed as an article of food. Per sons who are desirous of rearing them for the sake of their song, or with a view to train them to whistle airs, or to prattle, should take them from the nest as soon as they are fledged, and accommodate their fare to the state of their growth.
T. cyanus, Lin. Sce. ; T. solitarius, and Manillensis, Lath. ; Blue, Solitary or Pensive Thrush. Blue, with the margin of the feathers grey ; mouth and eyelids yel low ; rather smaller than the blackbird. In the female, the blue of the upper parts is blended with brown and cinereous. Native of the mountainous districts of the south of Europe. Nestles in the holes of inaccessible rocks, or in old deserted towers, or even in the hollows of trees, laying four or six eggs, of a greenish and spot less white, though, to some, they are mottled with blackish. It has rnost•of the habits of the other thrushes. Its song, which has been compared to that of the nightingale, is louder and stronger, and is heard in greatest perfection before sunrise. NVhen confined, it requires nearly the same treatment as the nightingale : but it is easily prevented from exerting its musical pow ers, being remarkably shy and capricious.