M I S S E L T I R Ï Ï S H .
Turdus viscivoms. /ZirwiJ.
G e n u s T U R B Ü Í A u e t .
Lit Ait. Memk moderate, emarginated, compressed and ~ar<
'Utndible aligjlitly notched. . (rapt} fu rn ish ed with a few b r is tl
'valy p a rtly closed b y a n aked m em b ran e. Moctemai ¿¿« joined s
vineh )h sh o rte r than th e -tarsus.'* F iv tt t vcrv ¿short* ■
i f fri poiQT, u p p e r
i. Nostrils basal.: lateral,
•■ its, base to the middle one,
uurd or fourth the longest.
MI S SEL TB'RÏÏSH.
La
This bird has derived it», appellation from
ing upon toe uemes or
p i Misseltoe 1 and we place it at the head
‘Wt
s exhibiting the generic
characters in the greatest perfection.. Of ail
most extensively spread
over the older continent, being not oafy M is S$imnvj*\ but also
f.he Himalaya Mountains
- and die high lawbi of Asia which afford a tenijfrerniuire ntmiiar to o.
I l l U l (my the British
p | | 5 j | | e Mk»# Thrush I S H ì f i Í | dilfcñiig ¿
Nwate' &o&s iics common
ihvonnte, which'delighfri fo dwftS svdbkj the ctdrivRf*i»!i pvenneft o
•a»d' garde*»*. ASk'tifig
temóte situations, ít retiww ftaj» éte kurnt» $§: hdroaa É> <
i commons or meadows
skirted by orchards or grawiss. folding, like ite generic companions,
and, the lan;e of bisects,
during the months of spring and summer, but marts to berries,
n the g$0ttntain ash, the
haw,. and> according to authors, clic xnisscltoe, when liatpmn aad winter deprive It of mow esteemed hire.
If. is one of oar eárRest breeders, the commencement of March being the season of incubation * the place of
uidifitiation being sometimes orchard trees, at others those of more lofty growth, such as the elm òr oak * and
the nest, with a view to its concealment, ia artfully'placed cither close against the stein or in a fork of one of
the larger branches, being composed on the outside of coarse lichen, gray inoss, or such dried/vegetables as
are found on the spot and accord with the colour of the tree : the materials are carelessly interwoven. Within
this outside covering is a layer of mud neatly lined with fine grasses ; the female laying five eggs of a pale
blucish white spotted with dall red.
‘ As this bird is awe o f am? earliest breeders, so also may the note of the mide be bearti the earliest in the
, perched at the top of sointr tei! «ree, he serenades his mate with loud discordant nouìhìs, which
bt of monotonous impleasattt note«, repeated by the hour together. The Missel Thrush
cfous during the tnwaftig •scasò«, attacking- all birds i.iuhscriuii
distance o f bis nett. After «hr. - <rt w g .bM «fifa» '■ ■
never-in 6uch congi^jated lutmhers as the. &%r*&«?ry spet:ie* of é
Tlie male and female differ from each otbci* m Iwftc b swe #».ti
both : the young, however, have , their leathers edged with a dad
phnnage assumes the adult edouring.
The weight of the Missel Thrush is »car five ounces ; its total
The whole of the upper surface is of an ashy brown ; between
white.* The under •surface is white, more or irà» tinged witit- ye.
should it rude within ;
i temili còmmi!
« pugna-
certain
disappears, when the
spots, which become more oval on the low
enter tail-feathers ending in a lighter colos
The annexed Plate represents an adult t
tfe tfileven inches.
beak and eye the feathers are grayish
di red varied with barb-shaped brown
wingfCOverts edged and tipped with wliite j the three
»3 fiega y(dk*wii*h white, the former the darkest,
tpring plumage.
ill
ill