3> \ ) a ■ ■■ Spa* •>> ■ ' J? s» . ! "" ■ ? 3*/ * » -> >V .'is?* »"* ~~c , ->"> -5S» •■: 7"> r > > » > > 3> - IK' 1 ^jlp J? 5?o - '■ a ^S@ L 3. • 33®* ' *SVS' M v^i^ < 33>1 D§jj| rV — > ■---__ J3ST^>Vl2-' - J •'■■J?.' ^ ;: >J 5 ' J ^> £ji » ) go >^»^* -1* , ^> ^.-'-^...-Sf 1 ] i J ~yV>i> J J ' >i* 1 ) ^m 'i^-^-- »so rty>3K) ■ SS»...,s-," fcTTiV* »' J330K«a> < JtsiTt^^EI. =fe>^?» j.; ^ r :^s >> 3 ■ - •f*'?-?^. JR7 « . V 1 > ".-> > 3v '■'-?,- fy ■• » 3-W 3 >- ^) ^»;^3, 3=> ■' _^^_,\.„_ ■t» "> ^^ -' "^ -JXJ ■■■ >;j 4 ..jot - .-».£* v . 3 !., ^-s>>:- i ^ >.Mt»>; ^ ^ ^j^ v^ ~^^ 5a^: J3EK i Ni\. v ^ "3» ' ?„ SJ J '.^ > A HISTOKY OF THE BIRDS OF EUROPE, INCLUDING ALL THE SPECIES INHABITING THE WESTERN PAL.EARCTIC REGION. BY H. E. DRESSER, F.L.S., P.Z.S., etc. VOLUME II. LONDON: PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 6 TENIERDEN STREET, HANOVER SQUARE. W. 1871-1SS1. FLAM.MAM. PRINTED BY TAYI.oli AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. * t LETTERPRESS TO VOL. II. Genera and Species. , , . r publication. 1. Turdus 1880 1. Turdus viscivorus 1871 2. Turdus musicus 1871 3. Turdus iliacus 1872 4. Turdus pilaris 1871 5. Turdus naumanni 1877 6. Turdus dubius 1877 7. Turdus ruficollis 1877 8. Turdus obscurus 1878 9. Turdus varius 1878 10. Turdus atrigularis 1878 11. Turdus sibiricus 1876 12. Turdus merula 1872 13. Turdus torquatus 1872 2. Monticola 1880 14. Monticola saxatilis 1872 15. Monticola (Petrocossypbus) cyanus . 1871 Monticola (Petrocossyphus) cyanus. Appendix 1872 10 15 149-163 3. Cinclus . . 1880 16. Cinclus aquaticus 1874 17. Cinclus melanogaster 1873 18. Cinclus albicollis 1873 4. Saxicola 1880 19. Saxicola cenantbe 1874 20. Saxicola isabellina ....... 1874 21. Saxicola stapazina 1874 22. Saxicola rufa 1874 23. Saxicola melanoleuca . . . . . . 1874 24. Saxicola deserti 1874 25. Saxicola erythrsea 1874 Issued in Part 80 Pages in article. 2 Pinal paging. 1,2 6 15 3- 17 5 15 19- -33 13 6 35- -40 9 18 41- -58 57,58 4 59- -62 57,58 4 63- -66 57,58 o O 67- -69 69,70 5 71- -75 71,72 6 77- -82 69,70 4 83- -86 50 3 87- -89 10 22 91- 112 10 13 113- -125 80 1 127 10 9 129- -137 8 9 139- -147 80 1 165 25 10 167-176 23, 24 4 177-180 23,24 3 181-183 80 1 185 31 11 187-197 28 4 199-202 25 4 203-206 25 4 207-210 25 3 211-213 25 4 215-218 25 4 219-222 IV „ ,„ . Date of Issued in Genera and Species. publication. Part 26. Saxicola philothamna (moesta) . . . 1873 17 27. Saxicola rncesta (xanthoprymna) . . 1873 16 Supplementary notes on Nos. 26 and 27 1874 29, 30 28. Saxicola leucomela 1874 27 29. Saxicola morio 1874 27 30. Saxicola monacha 1873 16 31. Saxicola leucopyga 1873 23,24 32. Saxicola leucura 1873 23, 2 1 5. Peatincola 1880 80 33. Pratincola rubetra 1873 23, 24 34. Pratincola rubicola 1873 23,24 35. Pratincola hemprichi 1880 77-79 6. Ruticilla 1880 80 36. Ruticilla phcenicurus 1874 26 37. Ruticilla mesoleuca 1876 54 38. Ruticilla rufiventris 1878 67, 68 39. Ruticilla titys 1874 29 40. Ruticilla moussieri 1873 23, 24 41. Ruticilla erythrogastra 1878 65,66 7. Cyanecula 1880 80 42. Cyanecula wolfi 1874 26 43. Cyanecula suecica 1874 26 8. Eritiiacus 1880 80 44. Erithacus rubecula 1873 23, 24 9. Calliope 1880 80 45. Calliope camtschatkensis 1875 46 10. Cossypha 1880 80 46. Cossypha gutturalis 1872 14 11. Nemura 1880 80 47. Nemura cyanura 1878 67, 68 12. Daulias 1880 80 48. Daulias luscinia 1876 50 49. Daulias philomela 1876 49 13. Sylvia 1880 80 50. Sylvia rufa 1876 50 51. Sylvia curruca 1876 48 Pages in Final article. paging. 3 223-225 2 227, 228 1 229 4 231-234 o O 235-237 3 239-241 4 243-246 5 247-251 1 253 7 255-261 10 263-272 2 273,274 1 275 7 277-283 6 285-287 4 289-292 8 293-300 4 301-304 3 305-307 1 309 5 311-315 10 317-326 1 327 9 329-337 1 339 4 341-344 1 345 6 347-352 1 353 5 355-359 1 361 6 363-368 5 369-373 1 375 5 377-381 6 383-388 Genera and Species. , f. ° ,°. 1 publication. 52. Sylvia subalprna . 1875 53. Sylvia conspicillata 1875 54. Sylvia deserticola 1880 55. Saxicola melanothorax 1875 56. Sylvia melanocephala 1874 57. Sylvia momus 1880 58. Sylvia orphea 1874 59. Sylvia rueppelli 1874 60. Sylvia atricapilla 1875 61. Sylvia salicaria 1876 62. Sylvia nisoria 1874 14. Melizophilus 1880 63. Melizophilus undatus 1875 64.. Melizophilus sardus 1875 15. Regulus 1880 65. Regulus cristatus 1874 66. Regulus ignicapillus 1874 67. Regulus maderensis 1874 16. Phylloscopus 1880 68. Phylloscopus superciliosus .... 1874 69. Phylloscopus tristis 1875 70. Phylloscopus collybita 1879 71. Phylloscopus trochilus 1879 72. Phylloscopus sibilatrix 1876 73. Phylloscopus bonellii 1876 74. Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus .... 1878 75. Phylloscopus borealis 1878 17. Hypolais 1880 76. Hypolais polyglotta ..'.... 1874 77. Hypolais icterina 1874 78. Hypolais olivetorum 1874 79. Hypolais opaca 1874 80. Hypolais languida 1874 81. Hypolais pallida 1874 82. Hypolais caligata 1875 18. Aedon 1880 83. Aedon galactodes 1874 84. Aedon familiaris 1874 Issued in Pages in Final Part article. paging. 43,44 4 389-392 43,44 4 393-396 77-79 2 397, 398 39 2 399, 400 33 6 401-406 77-79 3 407-409 29,30 6 411-416 29,30 4 417-420 43, 44 7 421-427 53 5 429-433 29,30 4 435-438 80 1 439 43,44 6 441-446 43,44 4 447-450 80 1 451 29, 30 6 453-458 29,30 6 459-464 29,30 2 465, 466 80 2 467, 468 29,30 8 469-476 46 7 477-483 73,74 6 485-490 73,74 6 491-496 47,48 5 497-501 47,48 4 503-506 69,70 2 507, 508 69,70 6 509-514 80 1 515 29, 30 Q 517-519 28 5 521-525 27 4 527-530 28 3 531-533 28 2 535, 536 31 4 537-540 38 3 541-543 80 1 545 32 6 547-552 32 o O 553-555 VI -, , „ . Date of Genera and Species. publication. 19. Acrocephalus 1880 85. Acrocephalus agricolus 1876 86. Acrocephalus dumetorum .... 1876 87. Acrocephalus streperus 1877 88. Acrocephalus palustris 1876 89. Acrocephalus arundinaceus .... 1878 90. Acrocephalus stentoreus 1877 91. Acrocephalus aquaticus 1876 92. Acrocephalus schcenobaenus .... 1876 20. Lusciniola 1880 93. Lusciniola melanopogon 1876 21. LOCTJSTELLA 1880 94. Locustella nsevia 1874 95. Locustella lanccolata 1875 96. Locustella fluviatilis 1874 97. Locustella luscinioides 1875 98. Locustella certhiola 1878 22. Cettia 1880 99. (Bradypterus) Cettia cettii .... 1876 Issued in Part 80 Pages in article. 1 Final paging. 557 53 2 559, 560 53 5 561-565 57,58 6 567-572 55, 56 5 573-577 69,70 5 579-583 61,02 5 585-589 51, 52 6 591-596 55, 56 5 597-601 80 1 603 55,56 3 605-607 80 1 609 31 6 611-616 35,36 4 617-620 34 6 621-626 38 6 627-632 67,68 4 633-636 80 1 637 48 6 639-644 PLATES TO VOL. II. No. Plates. . -n , in Part 1. Turdus viscivorus 6 2. Turdus musicus 5 3. Turdus iliacus 13 4. Turdus pilaris ad 9 5. Turdus pilaris juv 10 6. Turdus naumanni 57, 58 7. Turdus dubius 57, 58 8. Turdus ruficollis 57, 58 9. Turdus obscurus 69, 70 10. Turdus varius 75, 76 11. Turdus atrigularis 69, 70 12. Turdus sibiricus 50 13. Turdus merula 10 14. Turdus torquatus 10 15. Turdus torquatus (winter) . . . 11, 12 16. Monticola saxatilis 6 et 2 ... 10 17. Monticola saxatilis juv 11, 12 18. Petrocossyphus cyanus .... 8 19. Cinclus aquaticus 25 20. Fig. 1, Cinclus albicollis; fig. 2, C. melanogaster 23, 24 21. Saxicola cenanthe 31 22. Saxicola isabellina 28 23. Saxicola stapazina 25 24. Saxicola rufa 25 25. Fig. 1, Saxicola melanoleuca ; fig. 2, S. rufa 27 26. Saxicola melanoleuca 25 27. Saxicola deserti 25 28. Saxicola erythrsea ad 25 29. Saxicola erythrsea juv 29,30 30. Saxicola philothamna 17 No. ol. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. Plates. IsB £ ed f m Part Saxicola mcesta 16 Fig. 1, Saxicola xanthoprymna ; fig. 2, S. mcesta 29, 30 Fig. 1, Saxicola morio; figs. 2, 3, S. leucomela 27 Saxicola monacha 16 Saxicola leucopyga 23, 24 Saxicola leucura 23, 24 Pratincola rubetra 23,24 Pratincola rubetra ? et juv. . . . 23, 24 Pratincola rubicola 23, 24 Pratincola rubicola $ et juv. . . 23, 24 Ruticilla phcenicurus 26 Ruticilla mesoleuca 54 Ruticilla rufiventris 67, 68 Ruticilla titys 29 Ruticilla moussieri 23, 24 Ruticilla erythrogastra .... 67, 68 Cyanecula wolfi (autumn, and var.) 27 Cyanecula wolfi 26 Cyanecula suecica 26 Fig. 1, Cyanecula wolfi ; fig. 2, C. suecica 26 Erithacus rubecula 23, 24 Calliope camtschatkensis ... 45 Cossypha gutturalis (albigularis on Plate) 14 Cossypha gutturalis, juv. ... 17 Nemura cyanura 67, 68 Fig. 1, Daulias luscinia ; fig. 2, D. philomela 49 Sylvia rufa 50 vm No. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 74. 75. 76. 77. Plate,. ISS ™\ No. in Part Sylvia curruca 48 79. Sylvia subalpina 43, 44 80. Sylvia conspicillata 43, 44 Sylvia melanothorax 39 81. Sylvia melanocephala .... 33 82. Sylvia momus 80 Sylvia orphea 29, 30 83. Sylvia rueppelli 29, 30 84. Sylvia atricapilla 43, 44 85. Sylvia salicaria 53 Sylvia nisoria 29, 30 86. Melizophilus undatus 43,44 Melizophilus sardus 43, 44 87. Regulus cristatus 2 et juv. . . . 29, 30 Fig. 1, Regulus ignicapillus ; fig. 2, 88. R. cristatus 29, 30 89. Fig. 1, Regulus ignicapillus; fig. 2, 90. R. maderensis 29, 30 Phylloscopus superciliosus . . . 29, 30 Fig. 1, Phylloscopus colly bita ; 91. fig. 2, P. trochilus (autumn) . 69, 70 92. Fig. 1, Phylloscopus collybita ; fig. 2, P. trochilus (spring) . . 69, 70 93. Fig. 1, Phylloscopus bonelli; fig. 2. 94. P. sibilatrix 47,48 95. Phylloscopus bonellii 80 t>i , Issued Ilates ' in Part Phylloscopus borealis 69, 70 Fig. 1, Hypolais pallida ; fig. 2, H. polyglotta 31 Hypolais icterina 28 Fig. 1, Hypolais opaca; fig. 2, H. olivetorum 27 Hypolais languida 28 Hypolais caligata 38 Fig. 1, Aedon galactodes ; fig. 2, A. familiaris 32 Fig. 1, Acrocephalus agricolus ; fig. 2, A. dumetorum .... 53 Fig. 1, Acrocephalus streperus ; fig. 2, A. palustris 55, 56 Acrocephalus arundinaceus . . . 57, 58 Acrocephalus aquaticus .... 51, 52 Fig. 1, Lusciniola melanopogon ; fig. 2, Acrocephalus schceno- baenus 55, 56 Locustella nsevia 31 Fig. 1, Locustella fluviatilis; fig. 2, L. lanceolata 34 Locustella luscinioides .... 38 Locustella certhiola 69, 70 Cettia cettii (Bradypttrus ceitii on Plate) 48 Class AVES. Subclass AVES CARINAT^. Order I. PASSERES. Suborder I. OSCINES. Section I. OSCINES DENTIROSTRES. Family TURDIM. Subfamily TURBINE. Genus TURDUS. Merula apud Brisson, Orn. ii. p. 227 (1760). Turdus, Linnseus, Sy.st. Nat. i. p. 291 (1766). Alauda apud P. L. S. Midler, Natursyst. Suppl. p. 137 (1766). Sylvia apud Savi, Orn. Tosc. i. p. 203 (1827). Arceuthornis apud Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 93 (1829). Cichloides apud Kaup, ut supra (1829). Cojftsiclius apud Kaup, ut supra (1829). Oreocincla apud Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1837, p. 136. Cychloselys apud Bonaparte, Cat. Parzud. p. 5 (1856). Planesticus apud Bonaparte, ut supra (1856). Iliacus apud Des Murs, Ool. Orn. p. 293 (1860). Geocichla apud Jerdon, Ibis, 1872, p. 136. The present genus comprises all the true Thrushes, and forms a fairly natural group, though one somewhat hard to define sharply, as it merges very gradually into the Warblers, there beina; scarcely any character by which they can invariably be separated. Thrushes are found in all the zoogeographical regions and subregions into which the globe has been divided, with the exception of New Zealand. Within the limits of the Western Paleearctic Region thirteen species of this genus are found, of which six are resident and seven are only stragglers from the Eastern Palaearctic Region. Two American species have also been obtained within our limits, viz. Turdus migratorius and Turdus swainsoni ; but I cannot help thinking that the examples of the former which have occurred are birds escaped from confinement, and, after careful consideration, I do not find it advisable to include either species. The Thrushes are, as a rule, extremely fine songsters, and are amongst the more highly organized of the Passerine birds. They are omnivorous, feeding on fruits, seeds, insects, mollusca, &c. They build open cup-shaped nests, neatly and carefully constructed, and usually I place their nests on a tree or bush. All our European Thrushes deposit more or less spotted or blotched eggs ; but many of those inhabiting other regions, notably several of the small American Thrushes, lay unspotted eggs. All the Palaearctic species are spotted in nestling dress. Turdus viscivoras, the type of the present genus, has the bill tolerably strong, slightly declined and notched ; gape furnished with a few bristles ; nostrils elliptical, direct, in the lower and fore part of the nasal membrane, which is feathered; tarsus covered in front with a lon» plate and four inferior scutella?, posteriorly with two longitudinal plates ; feet and claws moderately strong ; wings rather long, rounded, first quill very small, third and fourth longest ; tail slightly emarginate, composed of twelve feathers. White's Thrush, which I also include in the genus Turdus, differs from the other Western Paleearctic Thrushes in having fourteen instead of twelve rectrices. .vllSSEL THRUSH. TUROUS V1SCIV0RUP. TUKDUS VISCIVOKUS. (MISSEL-THRUSH.) Turdus viscivorus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 291 (1766). Sylvia viscivora, Savi, Orn. Tosc. i. p. 208 (1827). Ixocossyphus viscivorus, Kaup, Nattirl. Syst. p. 145 (1829). Turdus major, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 379 (1831). Turdus arboreus, Id. torn. cit. p. 380 (1831). Merula viscivora, Selby, 111. Brit. Orn. i. p. 158 (1833). Turdus hodgsoni, Von Homeyer, Rhea, ii. p. 150 (1849). Missel-Thrush, Misseltoe-Thrush, Storm-cock, Holm-Thrush, Fulfer, English ; Grive Draine? French ; Tordela, Italian ; Charla, Drena, Spanish ; Tordeira, Tordoveia, Portuguese ; Malvitzun, Maltese ; Misteldrossel, German ; de groote Lijster, Dutch ; Misteldrossel, Danish ; Dubbeltrast, Swedish ; Kulorastas, Finnish ; Lrozd Deryaba, Russian. Figures notabiles. Werner, Atlas, Insectivores, pi. 11 ; Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 77 ; Yarr. Brit. B. i. p. 179 (1843) ; Nauru. Vog. Deutschl. Taf. 66. fig. 1 ; Kjserb. Orn. Dan. Afb. xvi. fig. 4 ; Schlegel, Vog. Nederl. pi. 106 ; Gould, B. of Gt. Br. part xv. ; Bett. Ucc. nidif. Lomb. tav. 19. O October,' and further gives (Zool. p. 1133) ' March 24' as the date of this bird's arrival at Laeken in the spring of 1845. The latter, in his 'List of the Migratory Birds of Provence,' not only includes it among the 'Regular Birds of Passage,' but says (Zool. p. 1118) 'This is the bird of passage par excellence, of our country,' and asserts that in its migration it crosses the Mediterranean. " I may add that my own experience tends to show that all these authors are right in their statements. Since the autumn of 1849, my brother Edward and myself have paid much attention to the presence or absence of the so-called 'resident' species of Turdus. The result of our observations is such as to leave on our minds not the slightest doubt of the regular migration of the Song-Thrush, as far as concerns the particular locality whence I write. Year after year we have noticed that, as summer draws to a close, the birds of this species (at that season very abundant) associate more or less in small companies. As autumn advances, their numbers often undergo a very visible increase, until about the middle of October, when a decided diminution begins to take place. Sometimes large, but more generally small flocks are seen passing at a considerable height overhead, and the frequenters of the brakes and turnip-fields grow scarcer. By the end of November, hardly an example ordinarily appears. It is true that sometimes, even in severe weather, an individual or so may be found here and there, leading a solitary life in some sheltered hedge-bottom, or thick plantation which may afford conditions of existence more favourable than elsewhere are to be met with ; but this is quite an exceptional occurrence. Towards the end of January or beginning of February, their return commences. They reappear at first slowly and singly ; but as spring advances, in considerable abundance, and without inter- ruption, until, in the height of the breeding-season, they by far outnumber their more stay-at- home cousins the Blackbirds. "I do not suppose for a moment that these facts are similar all over England ; indeed the testimony of many of my friends assures me to the contrary. Still I am induced to think that by constant and accurate observers some migratory tendency is to be detected in other districts ; and as we are often told that the subject of British ornithology is exhausted (an assertion I much doubt), I venture to call the attention of naturalists to this point as one on which it certainly cannot be said at present that we have ' too much light.' " In countries where the Thrushes migrate in great quantities, vast numbers are caught ; and a most interesting account of the Tenderie or " 6rrw-catching" in Belgium, will be found in Mr. Gould's magnificent work, the ' Birds of Great Britain.' From Italy, Count Salvadori has addressed to us the following note on this subject: — "Thrushes are much esteemed for the table; and there are many modes of capturing them. In some places there are tracts of wooded ground which every year are arranged with birdlime and nets ; and during the season on some mornings several hundreds are caught. In the Maremma Toscana men gain their livelihood by catching Thrushes and Blackbirds in snares, and each man looks after about three thousand snares. In Sardinia also large numbers are caught, boiled, and put into sacks with myrtle-leaves, and are sold at high prices in the markets." The nesting is thus described by Hewitson : — " The nest of the Thrush is composed of moss and dry grass, with the addition of a few sticks, straw, and roots, cemented together in the inside by a composition of clay and rotten wood. 2 t2 32 14 Nearly all our writers on the same subject state that the nest of the Thrush is plastered with cow-dung ; I am very much inclined to think that they are mistaken, and that if the material is ever used, it is in very rare instances only. Amongst a large number of the nests which I have examined, when the plaster was yet freshly spread, there did not appear to be any thing besides clay, in which were mixed up small pieces of rotten wood, forming together, when dry, a composition which in many instances is completely water-tight. When the spring has been a wet one, I have frequently found the newly finished nests half full of water, either causing their abandonment by the birds or delaying them some days from laying their eggs. In a few nests I have noticed particles of reeds and thistle-down mixed with the clay instead of rotten wood. In the south of England the Thrush begins to build early in March. In the north it is much later. " In Westmoreland, where, with a party of my schoolfellows, I spent all my play-hours in hunting birds' nests, each of us being on the alert and anxious to find the first of the season, we never met with the eggs of the Thrush earlier than the beginning of April, and for several years the first nest and eggs were taken between the 5th and 8th of the month. " The situation where we used to find them varied much — in thick thorn or holly bushes, tall fern or brambles, the top of a dead stake-fence, or amongst the exposed roots of trees on a bank-side ; they are also frequently built in gardens, on fruit-trees against a wall. Here, in Surrey, where evergreens abound, they are glad to make use of the early shelter of the laurel ; and two or three pairs every year make their nests high up upon the horizontal branches of some large cedars. Mr. J. H. Gurney says that ' a Song-Thrush in a plantation at Sprowston, near Norwich, instead of making her nest in the ordinary manner, laid and hatched her eggs on the bare ground without any nest, but simply in a little hollow scratched out at the foot and under the shelter of a small bush.' " It is sometimes no easy matter to remove an old nest of the Thrush when placed upon the boughs of the laurel ; the mud of which it is formed, kept moist by a wet season, will cause the branch to throw out roots which firmly bind it to the tree. The progress made by a Thrush in the construction of its nest varies as much as the weather does at the season. In cold weather the work goes on very dilatorily, and sometimes ceases altogether. In fine weather a nest will be completed from the first bit of moss plastered, and contain its first egg, within a week. This year I was witness to the most marvellous piece of architecture I ever saw. A Thrush had completed its nest in a fir tree against the house, and had early one morning laid its first egg. At ten o'clock the nest was torn out and taken away (how, I could not discover), but not, I believe, by human means ; the rough grass which formed the bottom was all that was left. At ten the next day, much to my astonishment, I found that the birds had completely restored the nest, had again lined it with plaster, and that the female was then laying an egg ; this time, as their perseverance deserved, they successfully reared their young ones. " The Thrush lays four or five eggs, spotted usually with deep black, rarely with red or purple-brown ; sometimes they are without spots ; those which arc laid early in the year, and during cold weather, are often less and of a lighter blue than those which are produced afterwards." This bird is often subject to albinism; and we have seen several partial and total albinoes in 33 15 collections. Herr von Pelzeln writes us that in the Vienna Museum are several light-coloured varieties and partial albinoes, and one pure white specimen. Yarrell records the following anecdote : — " Mr. Knapp, in his ' Journal of a Naturalist,' has related an interesting fact in reference to the Thrush in the following terms : — ' We observed this summer two Common Thrushes frequenting the shrubs on the green in our garden. From the slenderness of their forms and the freshness of their plumage, we pronounced them to be birds of the preceding summer. There was an association and friendship between them that called our attention to their actions. One of them seemed ailing, or feeble from some bodily accident ; for though it hopped about, yet it appeared unable to obtain sufficiency of food. Its companion, an active, sprightly bird, would frequently bring it worms or bruised snails, when they mutually partook of the banquet ; and the ailing bird would wait patiently, understand the actions, expect the assistance of the other, and advance from his asylum upon its approach. This procedure was continued for some days; but after a time we missed the fostered bird, which probably died, or by reason of its weakness met with some fatal accident.' " Count Salvadori in 1863 communicated to 'The Ibis' the following anecdote respecting a hybrid Thrush: — "In November 1861 I purchased in Florence a living bird which had the appearance of a Thrush, and in size, colour of the bill, legs, feet, and upper parts was quite like a Song-Thrush. The lower parts were almost entirely black, except the edge of each feather, which was of a light colour ; round the neck it had a narrow ring of feathers of a yellowish white ; on the belly were two or three white feathers, spotted with black, like those of the Song- Thrush ; the feathers under the tail were quite white. After a short time the yellowish circle of the neck disappeared. In July of the present year it began to change the feathers of the lower parts, and in September it already resembled very nearly the Song-Thrush, retaining only a few black feathers on the breast, which shortly disappeared. I was in expectation of future changes, when early in October it escaped. It ate chopped meat and the flour of maize. In spring it did not sing ; its zit was like that of the Song-Thrush. I believe it to be a cross of the Song-Thrush and the Blackbird (Turdus merula)." In the preparation of the above article we have examined the following specimens : — E Mus. Sharpe and Dresser. a. Hampstead, Middlesex {Davy) . b. Cookham, Berks (J. Ford), c. Beckenham, Kent {Wilson), d. Pagham, Sussex {R. B. S.) . e. Denmark {A. Benzon). f. Piedmont {T. Salvadori) . g, h, i,j, k, I, m. Lombardy {E. Turati). E Mus. J. H. Gurney, jun. a, b, c, d, e,f, g. Greatham, Durham {J. H. G.). h. Moscow, September 14th, 1869 {J. H. G.). E Mus. II. B. Tristram, a. Marsaba, Judaea, January 18th, 1864 {H. B. T.). 34 o- z: a ui i . ■ &£ 35 TUKDUS ILIACUS. (REDWING.) Turdus iliacus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 292 (1766). Turdus mauvis, Mull. Syst. Nat. Suppl. p. 141 (1776). Sylvia iliaca, Savi, Orn. Tosc. i. p. 215 (1827). Turdus betularum, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 386 (1831). Turdus vinetorum, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 386 (1831). Turdus gracilis, Brehm, Naumannia, 1855, p. 281. Iliacus illas, Des Murs, Ool. Ornith. p. 293 (1860). Iliacus minor, Des Murs, Ool. Ornith. p. 293 (1860). Grive mauvis, French ; Bothdrossel, German ; Rosciolo, Italian ; Malvitz, Maltese ; Roed- drossel, Danish ; Rbdvinge Trast, Swedish ; Rasdvinge, Bcegtrast, Norwegian ; Pimasupi- rastas, Finnish ; JJrozdoriechowyi, Bussian ; Drozd rdzawoboizny, Folish. Figurce notabiles. Month. PL Enl. iv. pi. 51 ; Naum. Vog. Deutschl. ii. taf. 67. fig. 1 ; Gould, B. of Eur. ii. pi. 78. fig. 2 ; Yarr. Brit. B. p. 198 ; Kjeerb. Om. Dan. Afb. xvi. fig. 6 ; Schl. Vog. Nederl. pi. 109 ; Fritsch, Vog. Eur. tab. xviii. fig. 5 ; Gould, B. Gt. Br. pt. vi. ; Sundev. Sv. Fogl. FIELDFARE TUROUS PILARIS 41 TUBDUS PILAEIS. (FIELDFARE.) Turdus pilaris, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 291 (1766). Alauda calandrotte, Miiller, Syst. Nat. Suppl. p. 137 (1776). Sylvia pilaris, Savi, Orn. Tosc. i. p. 209 (1827). Arceuthornis pilaris, Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 93 (1829). Turdus subpilaris, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 384 (1831). Turdus juniperorum, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 385 (1831). Turdus musicus, Pall. Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. i. p. 454 (1831). Merula pilaris, Selby, Brit. Orn. i. p. 161 (1833). Turdus fuscilateralis, Brehm, Naumannia, 1855, p. 281. Planesticus pilaris, Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 530 (1862). Fieldfare, Fulfer, Felt, Pigeon-felt, Feltyfare, Fendyfare, English ; Blue Pigeon or Big Felt, in Ireland (Thompson) ; Liatruisg, Gaelic (B. Gray) ; Grive Litorne, French ; Wachholder- Brossel, German ; Kramsvogel, Dutch ; Cesena, Italian ; Turdu polinu, Sicilian ; Tordo zornal, Portuguese ; Malvitzun, Maltese ; Snarredrossel, Graatrost, Fjeldtrost, Danish ; Bjorktrast, Swedish; Graatrost, Norwegian; Bdkdttirastas, Finnish; Brozd riabinnik, Russian; Kiviczol, Polish. Figures notabiles. Buff. PI. Enl. iv. 490 ; Hayes, Birds Osterl. Menag. pi. 31 ; Naum. Vog. Deutschl. ii. Taf. 67; Gould, B. of E. ii. pi. 76 ; Yarr. Brit. B. i. p. 189 ; Kjcerb. Orn. Dan. Afb. xvi. fig. 1 ; Schl. Vog. Nederl. pi. 107 ; Fritsch, Vog. Eur. tab. 20. fig. 17 ; Gould, B. of G. Br. part vi. ; Sundev. Svenska Fogl. pi. x. fig. 1. $ mstiv. pileo colloque postico cinereis, pilei plumis medialiter nigricantibus : supercilio albo : loris nigris : genis cards, obscure albiclo striolatis : striga malari fulva, nigro longitudinaliter notata, post regionem auricularem products. : interscapulio cum scapularibus et tectricibus alarum brunnescenti-castaneis, his paullulum cinereo lavatis, minimis magis conspicue notatis : remigibus brunneis, scapis nigricantibus, primariis extiis anguste cinereo marginatis, secundariis brunnescenti-castaneo lavatis : dorso postico, uropygio et supracaudalibus clare cinereis : cauda unicolori nigricante, ad basin cinerea, versus apicem vix pallidiore : gutture laete fulvescente, plumis quibusdam medialiter nigro striatis : pectoris superioris plumis et hypochondriis nigricantibus, obsolete ftdvido marginatis : pectore supeiiore laetius ocbrascente, pectore imo et abdomine toto albis, hypochondriis nigricantibus, plumis medialiter nigris : subalaribus albis : rostro fere omnino flavicante : pedibus rufescenti-brunneis : iride saturate brunnea. J Mem. similis ptilosi jEstivae, sed folvescentior, plumis omnibus obscure fulvo marginatis : remigibus cinereo distinctius marginatis, secundariis fulvido apicatis : corpore subtus albicante, pectore laste ochrascente, plumis pectoralibus et hypochondriis nigro variis, paullo rufescentibus. 4c 42 Juv. similis adultis, sed satiiratior : pileo saturate cinereo, valde brunneo lavato, nucha distiuctius cinerascente : uropygio albo maculato, et supracaudalibus brunneo margiuatis : interscapulio scapularibusque sordide brumieis, plumis omnibus nigro margiuatis et medialiter ochraceo lineatis : tectricibus alarum saturate brunneis, olivaceo lavatis, albido terminatis et medialiter ocbraceo lineatis, minoribus magis conspicue notatis : supercilio fulvo : genis cineraceis, fulvo striolatis : subtus fulvescens, pectore lsetius colorato, gutture fere immaculate* : corpore reliquo subtus intense nigro maculato, abdomine sparsius : sub- alaribus albis. Pull, nigricans, sub ccrta luce brunneo nitens : dorso angustissime fulvo striato, tectricibus alarum distiuctius eodem colore striatis et margiuatis : dorso postico et uropygio ocbrascenti-cineraceis : gutture et pectore superiore lsetissime ocbraceis, boc nigricante vario, abdomine imo albicante, hypocbondriis paullulum nigro notatis. Nestling. Above very dark brown, almost blackish, the head being especially dark, and only showing the brown tint when looked at in certain lights ; lores ocbre ; cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of the neck blackish, tbc former slightly streaked with ochre ; some of the dorsal feathers edged with black, and having an ochre stripe down the centre; the wing-coverts and scapulars coloured like the back, but perhaps a little more tinged with brown, while the median shaft-stripes are much broader and widen out conspicuously towards the tip of the feather, which is also edged with buff; the greater coverts certainly more brown in tiut, with whitish edgings ; quills and tail, as far as can be seen of them, deep blackish, with very narrow whitish edgings ; lower back and rump greyish, tinged with ochre-brown ; throat and chest rich ochre, the former unstriped, but the sides of the latter entirely black; lower breast and abdomen white, with blackish mottlings on the sides of the former and on the flanks. Obs. The specimen from which the above description has been taken is in the collection of cm - friend Mr. J. A. Harvie Brown, who took it from the nest during his expedition to Norway in company with Mr. E. R. Alston. It is so young that remains of the nestling-down, which is of a pale buff colour, still adhere to the feathers of the sides of the crown, back, and rump. The legs are of a fleshy-brown colour; and the bill is horn-brown, inclining to fleshy brown near the base, and having a white nail at the extremity. Professor Newton has been kind enough to lend us a specimen representing the next Mage of development. This bird is some days older than the one above described, and is altogether lighter in coloration ; the wings and tail are more fully grown, and the down has disappeared. The following is a description of Professor Newton's bird : — Nestling (a Utile older) . Upper surface of the body brown, the head darker and more inclining to olivaceous, with a few fulvous shaft-stripes indistinctly showing; the back lighter and richer brown, all the feathers plainly edged with black, and streaked down the centre with shaft-stripes of bright ochre ; the wing- coverts coloured like the back, the least ones spotted, the median ones streaked down the centre and edged with ochre, the greater coverts rather more bronzy brown, with edgings of light ochre ; quills blackish brown, externally washed with bronzy brown and tipped with whitish ; the rump dull ochre, with a very faint tinge of grey, and mottled all over with spots and streaks of paler buff; tail blackish brown, the leathers narrowly edged with fulvous white or pure white; lores and a very faint eyebrow dull ochre; car-coverts dark brown like the head, but exhibiting a few ochre shaft-stripes; cheeks bright ochre, the feathers rather broadly edged with black, giving a somewhat mottled appearance ; throat pale ochre, unspotted ; breast rather more bright, mottled all over with blackish spots ; centre of the breast and abdomen whitish ; the flanks and under tail-coverts tinged with ochre, the former mottled all over with black; the under wing-coverts whitish, very faintly tinged with ochre; feet yellowish flesh-colour ; bill born-brown, yellowish at the base, merging into fleshy brown towards the tip of the lower mandible. 43 Obs. The advance towards maturity, as exhibited by the foregoing bird, when compared with the tiny nestling first described, may be briefly summed up as follows : — The general colour of the plumage is browner, with the ochre shaft-stripes more developed on the back, but not so broad on the wing-coverts ; the rump is mottled with pale buff; the wing is washed with bronzy brown ; the chest is rich ochre, and the black spots are not so confused as in the nestling bird, but are more clearly separated, those on the lower part of the breast being much smaller and more rounded. The next stage to be described is the full-grown young bird. Young {fully grown). Head and neck dull grey, washed with olive-brown, and mottled with blackish on the forehead, where the black centres to the feathers show plainly ; interscapulary region, as well as the scapulars, dull chestnut-brown, with ochre shaft-stripes, much plainer on the latter, where they occupy the centre of the feather, and widen out into an oval drop towards the apex, which is narrowly edged with black j wing-coverts dark brown, with a bright ochre shaft-stripe and yellowish edgings, the greater coverts shaded with bronzy brown and tipped with fulvous ; quills blackish, washed externally with bronzy brown, which occupies the whole outer web of the inner secondaries ; lower part of the back and rump dull grey, strongly tinged with ochre, especially on the tail-coverts, and showing the remains of pale mottling ; tail blackish, shading into brown towards the tip of the outermost feathers, ■which are narrowly edged with whitish ; on the under surface, however, all the feathers more or less plainly shade off into a silvery white towards the apex ; lores and an indistinct eyebrow dull ochre ; feathers in front of and under the eye blackish ; ear-coverts dull grey, with a tinge of ochre and brown, and mottled with cross bars of black ; cheeks rich ochre, with little black markings which collect on the lower side and form a tolerably distinct moustachial stripe, running along each side of the throat ; under surface of the body rich ochre, shading off into white on the lower part of the breast and abdomen ; the throat almost unspotted, but showing a trace of one or two blackish markings on the centre ; the breast thickly covered with black spots, which become smaller and fewer in number towards the abdomen, till on the belly they are quite obsolete; the under tail-coverts whitish, with a few blackish markings at the base ; under wing-coverts whitish, with a few black mottlings on the edge of the wing; bill dark horn-brown, the lower mandible yellowish at the base; feet dark fleshy-brown. Total length 9'5 inches, culmeu 08, wing 5'4, tail 3'8, tarsus 1'3. Obs. In this stage of plumage the young Fieldfare very much resembles the Song-Thrush, especially in the pointed ends to the tail-feathers, a character which disappears afterwards, when the rectrices become rounded ; and it further resembles the last-named bird in the spotted appearance of the breast. When compared with the advanced nestling last described, its progress towards maturity is marked by the grey shade on the head and rump, as well as by the clearer development of the eyebrow and ear-coverts. The specimen last noticed is a young male, beautifully prepared by Herr W. Meves, and obtained by him in Upland on the 5th of August, 1871. A female procured on the same occasion differs in the following particulars, viz. in having the dorsal feathers edged with black (in the male only the scapulars show this peculiarity), while the hinder part of the neck exhibits the remains of whitish shaft-stripes, and the breast is more thickly spotted with black markings, which also cover the abdomen. As all these characters show that the bird is not quite so advanced, it is probable that the male attains maturity a short time before the female. The plumage gets much worn as the autumn progresses, and the bird moults into its winter dress, which is first shown by the appearance of bright golden-buff feathers on the breast, and the gradual disappearance of the ochre shaft-stripes on the back. The following is the description of a young bird of the year in its first winter's livery. Young Male (in first winter plumage) . Upper surface of the body didl brown, inclining to chestnut in the centre of the back ; the nape and rump greyish, this shade of colour also extending to the upper tail- 4c2 44 coverts, which are slightly shaded with brown. On being held towards the light a slight ashy edging to most of the back-feathers may be perceived. The wing-coverts are also dull chestnut-brown, with obsolete greyish margins ; the quills and tail dull brown, with narrow whitish edgings and tips, the secondaries being almost entirely of a dull chestnut-brown, like the back and scapulars, the tail also slightly washed with brown; lores and a narrow eyebrow golden buff; feathers in front of and under the eye blackish ; ear-coverts dull greyish, tinged with brown ; cheeks, throat, breast, and flanks rich golden buff, mottled with black, the two former marked with little triangular dots, which do not collect or form a moustachial streak, but extend high up the throat, the immediate chin being whitish ; the sides of the breast and flanks more thickly mottled with blackish, which has on the latter a strong chestnut shade ; the whole of the lower breast and belly snowy white, the under tail-coverts slightly washed with brown ; the under wing-coverts and feathers on the side of the upper breast pure white : bill horn-brown, the whole of the base of the lower mandible yellowish ; feet fleshy brown, the toes darker. Obs. The above specimen is one from Tangiers in our own collection, and was presented to us by Major Irby. In the following spring, when the bird takes his adult dress, no moult takes place, but the dull edgings to the feathers are cast off and the head and rump become blue-grey, this colour also pervading the edges of the quills; the brown triangular spots on the breast gradually dilate and widen out till they occupy the whole centre of the feather ; the golden tiuge on the breast is not so bright, and the flanks are strongly tinged with chestnut, while the black markings on them grow more pronounced and zigzag in shape; the bill becomes bright waxy yellow, and the feet simultaneously dark fleshy brown, the toes being exactly of the same colour. These changes are exhibited ill a specimen iu Mr. Howard Saunders's collection, shot by Dr. Kriiper in Macedonia on the 3rd of March, 1870. Adult in breeding-plumage. Head and hinder part of the neck ashy grey, the feathers of the former part blackish in the centre, producing a mottled appearance; centre of the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts dark chestnut-brown, the latter more or less washed with grey on the outer web, the least wing-coverts especially; quills dark brown, the shafts of the primaries blackish, of the secondaries brown; the primary-coverts and primaries externally washed with grey, inclining to white on the extreme margin of the feather, the secondaries also washed with this colour, but gradually becoming more and more shaded with brown, so that the dorsal ones are almost entirely of this colour ; under surface of the wing greyish brown, inclining to silvery white near the base of the quills, entire lower part of the back and rump bluish grey, lighter than the head, the shafts of the feathers whitish ; the tail-coverts also grey, but somewhat darker than the rump; tail blackish brown, the outer feather whitish at the tip, but when viewed on the under side the whole of the outer web, and the inner web for a quarter of its length, seem whitish ; lores buff; eyebrow whitish ; feathers in front of and under the eye black ; ear-coverts ashy grey, with whitish shaft-stripes; a malar stripe ochre, with a few dark longitudinal markings; under surface of the body white; the throat aud upper breast rich ochre, the throat having a l'ew black stripes in the centre, but the breast and flanks thickly spotted with black, owing to the centres of the feathers showing plainly; centre of the breast, and the entire abdomen, as well as the under tail-coverts, white, the latter broadly edged with grey on the outer webs of the feathers; under wing-coverts and axillary plumes white; bill entirely .yellow, excepting a little mark of horn-brown near the tip of the upper mandible; legs blackish, with a reddish tinge; iris dark brown. Total length 10*5 inches, culmen 085, wing 5 - 8, tail 4 - 5, tarsus 13. Winter plumage. In the winter season the plumage of the adult bird is very little different from the summer ili: s, except in being a little more obscure, and slightly shaded with brown on the head; the feathers 45 of the breast and flanks have broad fulvous-white edgings, so that the black centres to the feathers do not show so plainly. Explanation of the Plates. The first Plate represents the fully grown young bird on the right hand, the centre figure a male in breeding-dress, and to the left hand is the adult male in winter; all these specimens are in our own collection. On the second Plate is illustrated the nestling which Mr. J. A. Harvie Brown lent us, and the young male in its first winter plumage. The breeding-haunts of the Fieldfare are principally in Norway, Sweden, and the northern and central parts of Europe generally ; and it nests in certain localities in Poland and Germany, — the southernmost point where it has been found breeding being Bavaria, if we except the rather doubtful assertion that it nests in the Alps. In winter it is a bird of wide distribution, visiting most of the countries of Europe in considerable numbers, excepting Spain, where it is rare ; to the eastward it extends into Central Asia, and has been once procured in N.-W. India. Professor Baird, in his paper on the migration of North-American birds (Ibis, 1868, p. 281), mentions the present species as doubtfully occurring in Iceland ; but we do not know who has ever included it among the birds of that country. Professor Newton, whose Appendix to the work of Mr. Baring-Gould's ' Iceland : its Scenes and Sagas,' is our first authority on Icelandic ornithology, does not mention the occurrence of the Fieldfare ; nor, we believe, has any authentic record of its capture been received as yet. At the same time there would be nothing very surprising to hear of the bird turning up in that locality, which is accessible to the Redwing and other birds of migratory fame. The exact date of the arrival and departure of the Fieldfare in Great Britain has been a subject of much discussion among ornithologists ; but there can be little doubt that the records of these Thrushes having been noticed in September are always more or less open to question ; and the usual date of the appearance of the present species is about the end of October or the beginning of November. Mr. Stevenson, indeed, in the ' Birds of Norfolk ' (p. 77), mentions the 14th of October as a very early occurrence of the Fieldfare in that county, a projpos of which statement Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., in a letter dated " Northrepps, near Cromer, December 26th, 1871," writes to us as follows: — "Mr. Stevenson does not give an earlier appearance than October 14th; but in 1869 they were seen here by the keeper on the 2nd of that month; and Mr. Cater states in the ' Zoologist' (p. 2412) that he has seen them on the 10th of September at Waxham, in this county, which is very early." Doubtless the severity of the weather influences the arrival and departure of the Fieldfares. They leave us generally about the end of April or the beginning of May ; and Mr. Howard Saunders tells us that he once shot two specimens out of a flock on the 14th of the last-mentioned month in the immediate vicinity of London. Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear make mention of one having been killed at Cromer, in Norfolk, as late as the first week in June ; and White, of Selborne, records that they had in his experience once remained till June. The Fieldfare has likewise been reported to have bred in England, on apparently good authority. Mr. A. G. More thus writes : — " Tardus pilaris also is recorded by Mr. Blyth to have bred at Merton, in Surrey (Charlesworth's Mag. Nat. Hist. iii. p. 467) ; but unfortunately that gentleman did not see the birds himself." In his ' Tour in Sutherland ' (i. p. 206), Mr. St. John says, " I was shown a nest and eggs from near the Spey." Other 46 instances of supposed nests or of the bird having been observed in summer may be found in the ' Zoologist,' the ' Field,' and other periodicals ; but there is little doubt that in nearly all cases the Missel-Thrush has been mistaken for the Fieldfare." Mr. Blyth, however, has recently assured us that he is quite positive on the subject of his nest. The following account is given by Mr. Robert Gray in his ' Birds of the West of Scotland ' : — " There can be no doubt that the large migratory flocks of Fieldfares which visit Scotland come from the east and north-east. On this account they are first seen in Aberdeenshire and East Lothian. I have often witnessed their arrival in the latter county, having spent many seasons in watching the appearance of our migratory birds. On reaching the coast near Dunbar, for the most part about daybreak, they settle on the Links and arrange their plumage after long flight, remaining a few days in the vicinity of the rocks, which they frequent regularly at low tide. Continued frost, espe- cially if accompanied by snow, will afterwards, however, bring them down from the higher ground, whither they had betaken themselves ; and I have observed many hundreds resorting on these occasions to the beach at high-water mark, where they appear to pick up small marine animals by digging little holes in the rejectamenta thrown up by the tide. Along this mound, which was covered with a sprinkling of snow, the marks of the Fieldfares had a very curious appearance. Instances of the Fieldfare breeding in Scotland have been vaguely hinted at by Yarrell in his account of the species ; but these appear to want corroboration. Numerous flocks may be seen some seasons as late as May ; but these are doubtless birds that have been much further south, and are now on their return journey. On such occasions, if carefully watched, it will be found that, as a large flight passes overhead, the birds on seeing a suitable field will wheel round, and, after a short survey, alight, some on the neighbouring fir-trees, where they at once commence preening their feathers, others on the green sward, across which they hop actively in search of a meal. I have observed hundreds together near Moffat on the 29th of April; and small numbers were seen last year by Dr. Dewar on Loch-Awe side, at the foot of Ben Cruachan, in the first week of May. The Fieldfare is well known on the Outer Hebrides, but does not arrive there until midwinter ; it is chiefly observed in the pasture-grounds lying on the west side of North Uist and Benbecula. It is likewise a regular visitor to the Orkneys, a few remaining on these islands all the year ; but it has not been known to breed there." In the different counties of England it is found more or less frequent in the winter months, but certainly favours certain localities more than others: for instance, Mr. Gurney in the before-mentioned letter adds: — " There are neither Fieldfares nor Redwings here now." No doubt the birds are affected more or less by the cold weather ; and Mr. Rodd mentions that in Cornwall " there is always a great accession of numbers throughout this and the western counties, from their retreating as far southward and westward as possible for a less rigorous climate." Thompson says : — " It is a regular winter visitant to Ireland, appearing generally in the north towards the end of October or beginning of November. In 1840 they did not arrive at the Falls, near Belfast, until the 9th of November, on the morning of which day a flock was seen there by Mr. W. Sinclaire, at a great height in the air, coming from a north-easterly direction ; this gentleman is of opinion that in the course of the preceding moonlight night they may have come in one flight direct from Norway. This bird remains until a late period in spring. In seven different years flocks were observed about Belfast, from the middle to the end of April, and continued until the latter period in two years (1834 and 1842), 47 although there had been some weeks of fine summer-like 'weather previously, which we might imagine would have tempted them to move northwards." Kjserbolling states that in some winters it is common in Denmark, a few wintering there. Mr. R. Collett writes that in Norway it breeds all over the country, in the interior of the eastern portion in rather elevated districts, and in the birch-regions on the fells. Along the west coast it is found in very large numbers up to the Russian frontier. During migration and in winter it visits the lower regions in large flocks. Messrs. Harvie Brown and Alston, who made a trip to Norway in the summer of 1871, have very kindly sent us their notes on the present species, as follows : — "The 'Trost' is certainly the most abundant species met with in Norway, whether in the valleys or in the birch-region of the fjelcls. We found it breeding as high as the birch trees extend, and occasionally even higher; not unfrequently we observed birds among the dwarf birch (Betula nana) of the high fjelds; and one nest was found in that region on the bare unsheltered face of a lichen-covered rock." The accompanying remarks were published by Messrs. F. and P. Godman in their well-known paper on the birds observed by them near Bodo : — " A plentiful bird about Bodo, breeding there in tolerable numbers. We discovered two large colonies, from which we took many eggs. The nests were usually placed from ten to fifteen feet from the ground. The first colony we discovered May 20th. On the 27th we took two nests ; but as the greater number of them did not contain their full complement of eggs, we left them. On returning three or four days after, we found that the Magpies and Crows had forestalled us. This colony was situated among some willow and birch trees, on a hill in the marsh. The other colony, which we discovered some days later, was up the mountains. Besides these two colonies, we took several nests situated by themselves, and far away from what were apparently their headquarters. The latter we were careful to identify. Our attention was attracted to the second colony by the noise made by the old birds." Nilsson says it is the commonest Thrush in Scandinavia, and is found in summer from the pine-woods of Smaland and Blekinge up into the Arctic regions, being much more numerous in the north. Although large quantities migrate southward in the winter, its numbers appear undiminished ; and the remaining flocks wander about the woods and places overgrown with junipers, the berries of which form their chief food during the winter. In the spring these flocks migrate northward, and are replaced by others arriving from the south. In Hewitson's ' Eggs of British Birds' is published a note by the late Mr. Wolley to the effect that he discovered unfinished nests and fresh-laid eggs of the Fieldfare near Kalix, on the 30th of May, and that the four or five breeding-places which he found were amongst very young fir trees upon the borders of the forest, and near cultivated land. He adds : — " The Fieldfare is the most abundant in Norway, and is generally diffused over that part of the country which we visited, from Drontheim to the Arctic Circle. It builds, as before stated, in society. Two hundred nests or upwards may be found within a small circuit of the forest." Pastor Sommerfelt records it as common in summer on the Varanger-fjord ; and the late Mr. Wheelwright states that at Quickjock, in Lapland, it was the commonest bird in the forests, with the exception of the Brambling. Respecting its occurrence in Finland, Von Wright observes : — " It is our commonest Thrush, and is found all over the country. In Southern Finland large numbers remain over the winter, which is not the case as 48 8 far as the other Thrushes are concerned, excepting Tardus viscivorus in occasional instances." Dresser found the Fieldfare abundant in all parts of Finland, especially in the high north, near Uleaborg, and on the islands outside that town. Late in May and early in June they were breeding ; and fresh eggs were found in most of the nests then taken. They were nesting in the low woods, chiefly near the coast, and often in low swampy places where the clouds of hungry mosquitoes rendered it almost impossible to search after their nests. They were not breeding in regular colonies, although wherever one nest was found, several others were certain to be in the immediate neighbourhood. The nests were generally placed on fir trees or alder bushes, from five to eight feet above the ground, and contained from four to six eggs. Mr. John Henry Gurney, jun., writes to us: — " When I was at St. Petersburg I took a long walk to one of the islands in July, and coming to a wood I saw a beautiful young Fieldfare hanging in a cage outside a house." It is evident, therefore, as indeed might have been expected, that the present species breeds in the neighbourhood of the above-mentioned town. According to Meyer it is common in the Baltic Provinces, where it breeds twice in the year ; on the approach of the cold season it migrates southward, only occasional birds being met with in the winter. According to Naumann it is plentiful in Germany, arriving about the middle of October in North Germany from the north-east, and migrating in a south-westerly direction. In Central Germany they pass about the latter part of October to the end of November, a few remaining over winter in mild seasons, migrating northwards in March and April with the enormous flocks that pass up towards the north-east; and by the end of April all have left. Occasionally a few breed in Prussia and Silesia. The latter statement is rather vague, considering the author ; but probably at that time no certainty existed as to the fact. Since Naumann's day, however, positive evidence has been adduced; and the latest work on the birds of Germany, by Dr. Borggreve, contains the following observation: "whereas formerly it was only found in Germany during migration, for the last ten years it has been found breeding in colonies, here and there, in the eastern portion as far as Thuringia. In Western Germany it is found from the end of October to the latter half of March." Dr. Rey tells us that since 1864 it has bred near Halle, at first singly, but now in large colonics in almost all groves in the fields. Herr O. von Boenigk gives full par- ticulars in ' Naumannia' (i. 4. p. 30) of several colonies he himself discovered, viz. four pairs near Gross Glogau in 1834, a colony about two miles from Gorlitz, consisting of four or five pairs, another of about ten pairs near the large Hennersdorfer pond, and a colony of three pairs in the Leopoldshainer wood. Herr A. von Homeyer visited these breeding-places in 18G3, and gives a very careful description of them in the ' Journal fur Ornithologie ' for 1864 (p. 289). From his notes it appears that the colonies had increased ; for he speaks of from fifteen to twenty pairs in one, three in another, and fifteen in another assembly. Pastor Jiickel writes (Zool. Garten, 1868, p. 374) that the Fieldfare has been found breeding in Bavaria, which is worthy of record, as Herr von Homeyer considered that this species did not breed there. In Belgium, De Selys- Longchamps mentions that the present bird is numerous during the first frosts, appearing or disappearing according to locality during the winter season, without quitting the country. It migrates to the northward in March and April, a few pairs, it is said, remaining to nest in the higher parts of the Ardennes, and, according to M. Degland, near Berques. Schlegel states that it " arrives in Holland from the north in October, or later, in considerable numbers. It has been 49 9 found three or four times breeding near Groningen." In Alsace it is, according to Krcener, resident from November to March in the mountains and plains, and over the whole of France is a regular winter visitant. Bailly states that it arrives in Savoy in October or in November, in large flocks ; and in December or January, when the cold becomes severe, large numbers leave for more southern climes. As mentioned by MM. Jaubert and Barthelemy-Lapommeraye, the Fieldfare comes to Provence about the end of November, departing again in February. It migrates in small flocks, which meet in certain localities, forming large companies, and are then observed during severe weather in the forests of Cuges and Signes, and especially in the Hautes and Basses- Alpes, where numbers are captured by snares. As we proceed towards Spain and the south-western parts of Europe, the Fieldfare becomes a rarer bird. In Portugal it is stated by Professor Barboza du Bocage to be of uncommon occurrence ; and no specimen has yet rewarded the assiduous efforts of Lord Lilford or Mr. Howard Saunders to obtain examples from any of their collectors in Southern Spain. The latter gentleman observes (in 'The Ibis'), "This species certainly does occur in winter in the south-east of Spain ; but in the country round Malaga and Seville I never met with it ; and although I have examined bunches of Thrushes and Blackbirds without number in the markets during my search for Iccos ohscurus, yet I never found a single Fieldfare." In a private note communicated more recently to the authors, he adds : — " Up to the present time my collectors in Andalucia have not sent me a single specimen, though particularly requested to look out for it ; and when I do receive the bird, it will most likely be from the south-eastern provinces." Major Irby informs us that according to his experi- ence also it is a scarce bird in Andalucia; but he has known of its occurrence once near Gibraltar, in December. To the same gentleman we are indebted for a specimen from Tangiers, where, he tells us, it also comes occasionally in winter ; and, according to Loche, it occurs acci- dentally in Algeria, especially on the slopes of Zaccar. Mr. C. A. Wright says that in Malta it is " the latest of the Thrushes which visit the island in the winter. It is seldom seen before January, when a few are taken every year. It generally lingers a few weeks." Professor Doderlein observes that this species is but little known to Sicilian sportsmen, being often confounded with its congeners. It is, however, found in somewhat scanty numbers in the more alpine portions of the island, descending to the plains in winter. In the spring all take their departure for the north. Its appearance in Sicily is very irregular. Mina records an exceptional occurrence in January 1856, in the Madonie, where in previous years none had been observed; and the same thing happened near Palermo in the months of January and February of 1864 and 1867. By the middle of February they had all departed. It does not appear to be a frequent visitor to Sardinia. Count Salvadori, in his work on the birds of Italy, writes as follows concerning the Fieldfare in that country : — " When cold is intense, many of these birds arrive in Italy in company with other Thrushes ; and every year this species is very abundant in Piedmont and other subalpine regions ; on the other hand, in Central Italy they are generally scarce ; at least they remain about the mountains, and it is only in very cold weather that they descend to the plains in any numbers. It would appear that the Fieldfare occasionally nests in the Alps ; and this fact is also affirmed by Perini. They make their nests in high trees, laying from four to six eggs, of a greenish blue colour, with rusty markings." In Styria, according to Seidensacher, it appears in October or November, occasionally in large numbers, 4d 50 10 but at other times is not numerous ; in mild winters it remains there, leaving for the north in the latter part of March. Lord Lilford, in his essay on the birds observed by him in the Ionian Islands and Epirus, remarks as follows : — " I, on one occasion only, saw this species in these parts; this was near Kataito, in Epirus, on the 23rd February 1858." Dr. Kriiper writes to us that he has found it occasionally in Greece during the winter; and Lindermayer says that it arrives with other migrants in that country during severe winters, but is certainly rare in the Peloponnesus and on the islands. In Turkey, Messrs. Elwes and Buckley record it as plentiful during the winter in suitable situations; and Mr. Robson, of Ortakeuy, sends us the following note : — " These birds are numerous in European and Asiatic Turkey, where they arrive early in the autumn, leaving us about the middle of April ; they are never seen in summer. Quantities are shot by sportsmen in the winter for the table. I have noticed that they feed much on bare mountains." Professor Nordmann says that it is very common during winter in Southern Russia, arriving in the autumn in large flocks with the Missel-Thrush (Turdus mscivorus). He further states that he has killed individuals near Odessa a third larger than the ordinary-sized birds of this species. Professor Kessler says that it " arrives in Podolia, Volhynia, and Kiew in large numbers in October and November, and again in March and April. As far as I know, none winter with us at Kiew ; but a few remain through the summer." According to Professor BogdanofF it is very common in the Governments of Simbirsk and Kazan. It arrives at Kazan about the same time us the Missel-Thrush, at the end of March or early in April. It nests on the edge of the forests, in bushes and near groves of mixed non-evergreen and conifer trees, as also in the woods in the \ alley of the Volga, as far as Samarskaia Luka. Often several pairs inhabit a grove, building their nests a short distance from each other. . . . They leave later than the other Thrushes, about the latter half of October (old style), and even stay till the early part of November, when the ground is covered with snow, should the mountain-ash berries be plentiful. Dr. L. Taczanowski has sent us an interesting note : — " The Fieldfare is very common in Poland throughout the year : in summer they disperse through the forests and groves ; but in autumn they collect in large flocks in places where berries are found, and especially where junipers are common, these berries forming their principal food in winter, as, for instance, near Cracow and Lowicz. Thousands are taken in snares, and fill the markets in the large towns. At this season their flesh is much esteemed; it is aromatic and strongly impregnated with a flavour of juniper. They begin to nest early in April ; and the young are hatched early in May. At the end of May, as soon as the first brood leave the nest, the parents begin to build a second one. The latter is generally placed in a fir or alder of medium size, usually about halfway up, in one of the main forks. It occurs in Southern Siberia, but is not so common as in Europe. Specimens procured by Dr. Dybowski in Dauria and Lake Baikal are similar to our European bird." Dr. Henderson did not meet witli the Fieldfare during the Yarkand Expedition ; but Dr. Leith Adams records it as tolerably common in the oak- and pine-forests of Cashmere, though doubtless, as Dr. Jerdon suggests, only in the winter. A specimen exists in the Indian Museum from Saharunpoor, collected by Dr. Jameson ; and this, we believe, still remains the only recorded instance of its occurrence within Indian limits. We have seen a few specimens of the Fieldfare from Turkestan, collected by Severzow ; and Dresser, who is making a special collection of Thrushes, possesses one 51 n of these examples. De Filippi did not obtain it during his journey through Persia; but Messrs. Dickson and Ross procured a single specimen at Erzeroom on the 1st of April. Canon Tristram says that in Palestine he only " met with it once or twice, in winter." His collection contains a specimen from the vicinity of Jerusalem. Captain Shelley, in his work the ' Birds of Egypt,' writes : — " The Fieldfare is a winter visitant to Egypt. I saw a specimen at a bird-stuffer's shop at Alexandria, which had been killed in the man's garden that winter (1870); and he told me that it was common there during the winter months." The breeding-habits of the Fieldfare are only to be observed in the north and east of Europe ; for in every other part of the continent the bird is scarcely ever known as other than a winter visitant. Mr. Wheelwright, who writes from Quickjock, in Lapland, gives the following account of the bird : — " It was, next to the Brambling, the commonest bird in these forests ; and its hoarse laughing cackle (for I never heard this bird make the faintest attempt at a song) followed us wherever we went in the fir-forest (and I never saw the Fieldfare breeding anywhere else). These birds are, in fact, the greatest nuisance to the collector in these woods. They did not breed here in colonies ; for, although the nests are seldom far apart, we never found two in the same tree. I think no Thrush's egg is subject to so much variation as the egg of the Fieldfare; and it would be almost impossible to describe it better than that it much resembles the egg of the Blackbird, but is usually more highly coloured. We took our first nest on May 25th, and our last on July 7th ; but at this time some of the young were flyers." Von Wright, who, it will be seen, distinctly refers to the song of the bird, thus writes concerning it : — " It is fond of the neighbourhood of cultivated land, birch-woods, or those wherein birch and pine are mixed ; and it sometimes breeds in colonies. Its song is poor, and is uttered by the male when on the wing ; but its harsh cackling note is very loud : the call-note is a softer quiqui. When hopping on the ground it often jerks its tail and wings, but when sitting on trees only moves the former." For a further note on the habits of the Fieldfare, we are indebted to Messrs. J. A. Harvie Brown and E. R. Alston, who state as follows : — " The nests of the Fieldfare are placed in all kinds of situations, in birch, alder, pine, and other trees, in outhouses, in heaps of firewood or rubbish, at two or three feet from the ground, or, in the pine-woods, as high as sixty feet. They bear a general resemblance to those of the Blackbird (T. merula), and are composed of long, fine, dry grass, with a coating of mud or clay between the outer and inner layers of grass. This mud seems to be carried by the birds to the nest in the form of small round pellets, several of which we found hi a half-finished structure. A few nests have twigs of birch or other trees amongst the materials of the outer layer, others a few sprays of moss ; but these are generally wanting. The eggs were taken fresh, from the middle of May until the end of June, the first colony found by us being on the 25th of May. Great variety is apparent in the specimens selected for our collections, both as regards size and coloration ; some are not larger than average eggs of the Redwing (T. iliacus), while others are quite as large as those of the Missel-Thrush (T. viscivorus). Five or six seems the usual number ; but in one nest no fewer than seven were found. The birds' behaviour in their breeding-haunts is bold and noisy in the extreme — very different from the shy retiring habits of the Redwing. If a Hawk flies over a colony, all are at once silent ; but if a Hooded Crow (Corvus comix) appears, the noise is redoubled, and the bold birds attack the intruder and drive him off, stooping down at him like little Falcons. One day we came on a 4d2 52 K 12 wounded Hooded Crow, on the ground, which was running the gauntlet between some thirty or forty swooping chattering Fieldfares. When we first found the Fieldfares breeding we noticed that they frequently sung on the wing as they flew to and fro over the wood, uttering a rather pretty low warble, which, however, was constantly interrupted by their usual harsh note. As we did not observe this habit later, we think it likely that it is confined to the season of courtship, and abandoned when the female begins to sit. On many occasions we found the nests of this bird partially destroyed and the eggs broken and emptied ; but we failed to discover the cause." The observations above recorded were made during the recent trip of the two gentlemen men- tioned to Norway ; and Mr. Robert Collett writes to us concerning the species as observed by him in the same country : — " In treeless localities, as for instance in Bergens Stift and further north, it builds on the ground, placing its nest on the edge of a rock under heather, or else on the shepherds' huts, or fences near the houses. In Valders a milk-woman found a nest in a milk-pail far inside the dairy-hut. She placed the pail near the opening in the wall, and the old birds used to come in and out, and finally brought up their young in safety." Before closing our remarks on the nesting of the Fieldfare in Norway, we must cite the account given in the 'Zoologist' for 1850 by the Rev. A. C. Smith (p. 2046): — "By the time I reached Norway (the beginning of June) the season was too far advanced to give me much hope of obtaining any rare eggs. One of the few nests which I was fortunate enough to find with eggs was that of the Fieldfare. It was within three or four days of my landing in the country ; and I was wandering with my gun on a small island, in the midst of a roaring torrent, and admiring the activity of some little Wild Ducks just hatched, which were swimming merrily about with their anxious mother, who did not seem to approve of my inquisitiveness, when the loud chattering of some Fieldfares attracted me to a clump of trees in the middle of the island. After a very little March I descried the nest, about twenty-six feet from the ground, in an alder tree. I soon climbed the tree and brought clown the nest, which contained five eggs. The nest resembled that of a Blackbird (for I pulled it to pieces and examined its make thoroughly) ; only it was con- siderably larger and much more neatly made ; it was also extremely thick, and very securely fixed in the fork of a tree. This I found to be invariably the case with these nests ; for I examined many others afterwards, though I was never again fortunate enough to find any eggs. Those which I now obtained were very difficult to empty of their contents, as the young birds were nearly ready for hatching ; however, by making a large hole on one side of the egg, I succeeded pretty well ; and they are now safely housed hi my cabinet, with no damage from the two thousand miles of shaking they have undergone in a carriole without springs, on some of the worst roads in Europe. The eggs, in colour, size, and shape, very much resemble those of the Blackbird. I have been comparing them, by placing them side by side ; and I find the ground-colour of the Fieldfare somewhat greener, and the markings somewhat redder, the latter amounting rather to blotches or spots than specks or streaks ; the shape of the Fieldfare's egg, too, is a trifle rounder than that of the Blackbird, in this respect more nearly resembling that of the Song-Thrush. Comparing it with my own specimens, the figure in Mr. Hewitson's admirable work is much too red, the ground-colour being not sufficiently apparent, and the spots of red being far too numerous, and of too light a colour : but the eggs of this genus vary so much that perhaps the figure there given may be as correct a type as my own ; I would remark, however, that the specimens of this 5?j 13 egg in the Museums of Christiania and Trondhjem are identical in colour with my own, and that they approach far nearer to the figure Mr. Hewitson gives of the eggs of the Redwing than to that of the Fieldfare. I climbed many other trees, to inspect the nests of the Fieldfares, and found many with young birds. I was much struck by the parental love and undaunted boldness of the old birds, who would fly round and round, and dart at me within a few inches of my hat, screaming and chattering as loudly as they could — so very different from the wild, unapproachable bird which so often baffles the schoolboy in the winter. Fieldfares are certainly the most numerous birds in Norway ; and we may hear them chattering and clamouring from every cluster of low trees and bushes in the vicinity of a torrent. I have noticed that they usually build in the neighbourhood of a stream, and always in society. Mr. Hewitson says that the number of nests in one colony sometimes amounts to upwards of two hundred. I have never seen above eight or nine nests together." Dresser, who has had opportunities of observing the breeding of the Fieldfare, gives the following extract from his note-book : — " The nest itself is constructed of coarse grass worked together with earth, and lined with fine grass — in general appearance considerably resembling that of the Ring-Ouzel. Once, in Northern Sweden, near Lulea, I found a nest of the Fieldfare placed in the hollow top of a rotten stump, not a foot above the ground. This nest was very large, the foundation filling entirely the hollow portion of the stump. Whenever an intruder approaches their nest the old birds fly round, uttering, like the Missel-Thrush, harsh and loud cries ; and thus it is easy to discover their breeding-place." We have great pleasure in giving the following notes from the pen of the late Mr. John Wolley, which will shortly be published in the second part of the 'Ootheca Wolleyana;' and for this privilege we have to thank our kind friend Professor Newton. The first observation refers to a nest taken by Mr. Wolley himself at Pitea, on the 27th of May 1853, concerning which he writes as follows: — " I took this egg between Rosvik and Ervnas, having just seen the bird leave the nest and sit on a tree close by. It was in a fir tree, within reach from the ground. Other nests were in neighbouring trees ; but of several which I examined, none had eggs, except this. They were made of coarse grass and mud, lined with fine grass. The old Fieldfares kept flying from tree to tree ; snow was in deep wreaths beneath the trees." The second note refers to four eggs taken at Ranea, on the 27th of May 1853, and continues: — "These eggs I took in the afternoon between Perso and Ranea. There were several nests, but two only had eggs. The trees were young spruce, the nests generally not higher than my face. The birds were flying in trees near, all the time I was at the place, one with materials for its nest in its beak first attracting my attention. I shot one ; but I know not which nest of those around me belonged to it. The trees were open, and the nests at intervals, perhaps, of several trees." The next lot of eggs mentioned in the catalogue are several from Kalix and Saivits, taken on May 30th, 1853, to which the following note is appended: — "All the above I took this day in the drive from Kalix to Haparanda. Leaving Kalix gastgifvaregard at three o'clock a.m., I presently saw a Fieldfare descending with its kind of song towards some young firs bordering an open field or two ; and amongst these trees I found six or eight nests. The bird was sitting upon the first nest ; her side face was towards me, and I almost caught her upon her four eggs. Several of the nests were not finished ; but I found one with three, and two with five eggs each. This same 54 14 day, near Saivits, a Fieldfare crossed the road, with its harsh cry, towards some likely-looking young firs ; and going to them I found a nest with four eggs, near the top of a twenty-foot spruce. The day was cold and rainy ; so I did not stay to look for more nests ; but just as I was leaving the spot five or six birds flew rapidly homewards in great alarm." We much regret that space does not allow us to quote in extenso the whole of the notes which Professor Newton has placed at our disposal ; but the catalogue successively refers to four eggs taken at Piijkyla, in West Bothnia, on the 4th of June, 1853, one at Matarengi, on the 5th of June, "within two Swedish miles of the Arctic circle," and two nests of four and five eggs from Muonio CEfvreby, in Eastern Bothnia, obtained on the 16th of June. Then follows in order an account of three eggs from Muoniovaara, in West Bothnia, taken on the 8th of July, 1853, concerning which a note is given : — " The nest was at some height in a fir tree. It has more mud in its construction than a Redwing's, and is lined with beautifully white grass, of course of last year's growth." Afterwards mention is made of eggs taken by Mr. Wolley or by his collectors ; and to the record of one from Nuitka Uoma, on the 10th of July, 1854, is appended the following note: — "Being nearly ready to hatch, this is the only egg I took the trouble to blow, as it is unusual in its colouring. We found a good many nests at a good height in trees in different parts of the wood at the foot of the cliff, where are Hawks and Buzzards, near Nuitka Uoma, yesterday the 10th of June, very early in the morning. I saw the birds of some of the nests, and heard them in other cases. No one nest was near the ground." In England all observations on the habits of the Fieldfare have necessarily been made in the winter ; yet some very excellent accounts have been published, especially that given by the late Professor Macgillivray in his ' History of British Birds' (ii. p. 108), from which we make the accom- panying extract: — "About the end of October, sometimes in the beginning of November, the Fieldfares make their appearance in the northern and eastern parts of Britain, where some of them remain all the winter and spring, while others disperse over the country. In the wooded parts they s< 'in to roost at night on tall trees; at least I have seen them so roosting; but Montagu affirms that they repose on the ground, which may be the case ; and certainly they must sleep there, or on rocks, in the Hebrides, where they are met with during the cold season. I know no place where one can study their habits more effectively than in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, where they are met with in flocks of from several hundreds to three or four individuals. You see them at early dawn flying off to the fields in a loose body, or meet them there even in the dim twilight ; but it seems improbable that they remain at night in the open fields, as they are never observed to crouch in the manner of the Larks, Pipits, and other birds that repose on the ground. Their flight, which is easy and rather slow, is performed with little undulation, by quickly repeated flaps of the wings, the bird spreading out those organs, making about twelve short flaps, and as it were intermitting one or more. In this manner they proceed, uttering a kind of chuckling chirp, until they arrive over a field on which they have a mind to settle, when they perform several circling evolutions, and at length alight. After settling, each is seen to stand still, with its wings close but a little drooping, its tail slightly declined, and its head elevated. It then hops rapidly a few steps forward, stops, picks up a seed, an insect, or other article of food, and again proceeds. They generally move in the same direction, always facing the wind if it be high ; and those in the rear, especially if left far behind, fiy up to the front. When alarmed, they all 55 15 stand still for a short time, some utter a low scream, and presently all fly off to a distance, or alight on the tall trees in the neighbourhood. There they sit gracefully on the twigs, with their tails declined, and generally with their heads all directed one way, unless they have settled for the purpose of resting or amusing themselves after procuring a sufficiency of food. In fine weather they often enact a concert of long duration, which, although their song is neither loud nor melodious, is very pleasant. When they are upon trees, their attitudes resemble those of the Blackbird ; but they do not frequent bushy places, woods, or gardens, for the purpose of picking up snails, worms, or larvae, but repair to the open fields and meadows, where it is amusing to see them in calm weather hopping about in all directions, stopping now and then to pick up their food, or to look around them. In this respect they resemble the Song-Thrush, as well as the Redwing and Missel-Thrush, with the two latter of which they often temporarily associate. They are very shy, seldom allowing a person to approach within a hundred yards in an open field, although when on trees they are somewhat less suspicious. In the former situation they keep at a distance from the hedges or walls, and fly off in a body ; but in the latter several individuals remain behind the main body, and may sometimes be shot. Of the three species the Eedwing seems to be the least shy, and the Missel-Thrush the most so, but all are very easily alarmed. The Song-Thrush is the tamest of the genus, and next to it the Blackbird ; but these species are not gregarious, even in severe weather. When the ground is covered with snow the Fieldfares betake themselves to marshy meadows, where they are often shot in great numbers ; for, although repeatedly annoyed, they return at short intervals, and persons stationed here and there along the hedges are sure of obtaining many chances. The irrigated meadows to the west of Edinburgh are a favourite place of resort to all our Thrushes in frosty weather. On the 19th of January, 1835, I there shot ten Fieldfares, five Eedwings, four Song-Thrushes, and four Blackbirds. Should the pools and brooks be frozen, they repair to the woods and hedges, where they obtain a supply of hawthorn, holly, and other berries. Having neglected to note the alarm-cry of this bird, I sought an opportunity of supplying the deficiency during a snow-storm in March 1837, when I fell in with a great number of Fieldfares and Song-Thrushes, with three Lapwings, busily engaged in searching for food in a piece of marshy ground that remained uncovered. The Fieldfares when flying off uttered a chuckling cry, resembling the syllables yacJc, chuck, chuck, chuck." Sir William Jardine, in the ' Birds of Great Britain and Ireland' (Nat. Libr., Birds, ii. p. 81), has likewise given a capital account of the species, which we quote nearly entire. " Its time of arrival," he writes, " is late in November, generally at least a fortnight subsequent to that of the Eedwings ; and it appears sometimes in vast flocks, and commonly in parties of not less than thirty or forty together. On arrival they often betake themselves to the vicinity of the berry- bearing trees, where they remain until the crop has been entirely stripped. The fruit of the mountain-ash is a great favourite, and, being nearly ripe about the time of their arrival, is eagerly sought after. As the winter advances, and these supplies fail, they seem to seek and frequent the more moist upland pastures, and, as the storm sets in with severity, gradually seek the lower grounds, where there is more shelter and moisture. If a storm continues for some length, they are reduced to sad extremity ; many of them, in some years, perish with exhaustion and for want ; and their inability to exist during a continuation of frost and snow plainly shows the necessity 56 16 and wisdom of their migration ; for they never seem to attain the domestic habits of the common Thrush or Blackbird, which, when driven by distress, will seek relief with the poultry and the refuse of the farm-yard. In some severe winters we have repeatedly taken this commonly wild bird with the hand in a state of complete exhaustion. Colonel Montagu mentions the effects on this bird and the Eedwing during the snow-storm of 1798: — 'They became too weak to shift their quarters to a more southern climate, and thousands were picked up starved to death.' When the ground has been for some time frozen up, we perceive a sure indication of the distress of the Fieldfare, by small parties, of from a pair to five or six, frequenting the open springs and shallow ditches, remaining by the river's side, and endeavouring to find about the moist edges a precarious subsistence. This forenoon (29th January, 1838), after fourteen days of intense frost, we see them sitting associated with the Snipe ; and when alarmed, instead of the alert rising flight and loud chatter of prosperity, they weakly flutter off to the nearest cover, where they conceal, and will scarcely again betake themselves to flight. When the time of their remigration returns, which is sometimes not till May has far advanced, they have for some weeks been collected in bands larger than usual, as if the various flocks had been called in from the district around. They now regularly frequent some favourite feeding-ground, and may be seen scattered over the plains or passing overhead, now with renewed vigour and a noisy flight, as if preparing for the more lengthened journey which they are about to perform. Their roosting-places at night are either on trees, particularly the pines and evergreens, or on the ground. We have undoubted authority that they occasionally resort to the first for shelter ; and we have often, our- selves, intruded on the sleeping-grounds in the evening. One situation is a whin cover where there is abundance of tall grass ; another was a young plantation of two or three years' growth, among long heath : in both places the flock had alighted, and were disturbed so late at night as only to be known by their alarm-cry, uttered as they rose. Their roost, in these instances, was among the long grass and heath. Mr. White's observations long since corroborated this fact ; for he tells us ' that larkers, in dragging their nets by night, frequently catch them in the wheat- stubbles.' Mr. Thompson mentions having disturbed them from similar places in Ireland, after they had settled for the night." Macgillivray gives the following note about the food of the present species : — " The food of the Fieldfare during winter and spring consists of berries of various kinds, worms, larva?, pupae, and insects, as well as seeds of cereal and other plants. I have never seen it in corn-yards, how- ever, even in the most severe weather ; but it frequently enters gardens in time of snow, to eat the holly berries. It employs a small quantity of fragments of quartz and other hard substances to aid the trituration of its food." Thompson observes on the same subject: — "As a difference of opinion exists among authors on the subject of the Fieldfare's food, I give the contents of the stomachs of seven other individuals examined by me, and which were killed at various times and places during two seasons. Of these, one contained two limacelli (internal shells of naked snails belonging to the genus Limax, Linn.), the remains of coleopterous insects, and some vegetable matter ; this last substance only appeared in the second ; the third was filled with oats alone, though the weather was mild, and had been so for some time before; the fourth contained worms and bits of grass ; these last, together with pieces of straw and the husks of grain, were found in the fifth (the weather was severe and frosty for a week previously) ; the sixth was stored 57 17 with the husks, and one grain of oats ; the seventh, obtained in mild weather, was filled with the stones of haws of the white thorn. These birds have often been observed by a person of my acquaintance regaling on the haws or fruit of that plant during winter." The Fieldfare is stated by several authors to frequent turnip-fields in winter and cause considerable damage by pecking holes in the vegetables. Thus Mr. Thompson writes in the ' Birds of Ireland ' (i. p. 133) : — " On the 27th and 28th of January, 1848, when hard frost had for some time prevailed, and the ground was sparingly covered with snow, an accurate observer for a long time watched a large flock of from 150 to 200 of these birds, in a field of Swedish turnips at Island hill, near Strangford Lough. Lying behind the fence, hidden by a furze or whin bush, he was within four yards of the nearest, and saw that the birds generally over the field were engaged pecking eagerly at the roots of the turnip. They were very pugnacious, attacking each other like game-cocks, a couple thus engaged sometimes springing even two feet into the air ; never less than about a dozen pair were thus off the ground at the same time. This singular appearance was the means of attracting from a distance the attention of my informant to the spot. When a couple were fighting, a third often came up and attacked one of them, which was no sooner done than the previous combatant, so relieved, betook itself again to turnip feeding. They never fought long, ' only two or three blows at a time,' but kept up a continual feast and continual battle. On afterwards examining the turnips in the field, he saw (to his surprise, considering their being hard frozen and the weak bills of the birds) that they had to a great extent been eaten by the Fieldfares. As water would lodge where the roots had been pecked, they would, he conceived, be rotted in consequence, to the serious damage of the crop. Five of these birds having been shot and brought to Belfast, I had an opportunity of examining their stomachs, which, even before being opened, all smelled strongly of turnips, and on being cut into were found to be filled exclusively with that vegetable. The entire flesh also when dressed partook strongly of the flavour of the turnip." Concerning this propensity of the Fieldfare Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., writes to us : — " Mr. Stevenson (B. of Norfolk, i. p. 77) says, ' Mr. St. John (in his ' Natural History and Sport in Moray ') speaks of the Fieldfares in severe weather doing much damage by feeding on the Swedish turnips, scooping pieces out with their beaks, and thus letting the frost into the roots — a charge which I never remember to have heard made against them in this county.' During the late hard weather I remarked some holes about the size of sixpences, which I might have attributed to them if they had not been so remarkably scarce this season in the parish ; the keeper here has observed it, as has Mr. Cordeaux in Lincolnshire (Zool. p. 2079)." Varieties of the Fieldfare not unfrequently occur. We have already mentioned that Professor von Nordmann has sometimes noticed individuals of a larger size near Odessa ; and Macgillivray remarks : — " Slight differences as to size and colouring are observed, and albino individuals have been met with, as in the other species. In the collection of Mr. Stevenson, Edinburgh, is a cream-coloured individual, with pale reddish markings on the lower parts." Dresser's collection has a specimen, sent to him by Dr. Kutter, from Silesia, which has an admixture of white in its plumage ; and Mr. Collett informs us that in the University Museum at Christiania are numerous varieties, chiefly albinos in different states of albinism, and one showing the commencement of melanism. In Dresser's collection is a series of the eggs of this bird, taken chiefly by himself in Finland 4e 58 18 and Sweden. In colour they most resemble eggs of the Blackbird, but are in general brighter and less closely marked; some varieties are very rich blue, marked with blood-red, others so closely spotted as to look reddish brown in colour. In size they vary from 1^ by § § to l- 4 % by f§ inch respectively. Dr. E. Key writes to us that the average size of forty-three eggs in his col- lection, taken near Halle, is 28-0 by 20-9, the largest measuring 30-25 by 20-25, and the smallest 2025 by 20-50 millimetres respectively. The breeding-season is from the end of April to the end of May ; and if the first brood be destroyed, they do not lay again. They lay generally five, seldom four, and scarcely ever six eggs. In the preparation of the above article we have examined the following specimens : — E Mus. Skarpe and Dresser. a, J. Stockholm, March 18th, 18f3. b,c, 3 , 2,juv. Upland, August 5th, 1871. d, e. Cookham, Berks, February 11th and 1 1th, 1870 (J. Ford), f. Reading, Berks, January 3rd, 1870 (C. Howlett). g. Farn- borough, Kent (H. E. Dresser), h. Tangiers (/. H. Irby). i,j. Central Russia (Dr. Renard). E Mus. II. E. Dresser. a. Silesia (Dr. Kiitter). b, J. Smyrna, c. Jakutsk (Dr. Renard). d, $. Central Asia, January 18th, 1866 (Severzow). E Mus. II. B. Tristram, a. Durham (H. B. T.). b. Castle Eden, Durham (H. B. T.). c, 5 . Jerusalem, December 24th, 1863 (H. B. T.). E Mus. J. II. Gurney,jun. a. Avranches, January 4th, 1868 (J. H. G.). b, c, d, 3 . Greatham, December 8th, 1865, February 10th and March 5th, 1866 (J. H. G.). E Mus. Howard Saunders. a, tj . Macedonia, March 23rd, 1870 (Kriiper). E Mus. A. Newton. 11. Hoas, Romsdal, Norway, 1857 (E. C. Newcombe). E Mus. Feilden and Harvie Droivn. a. Vosservangen, Norway, May 25th, 1871, and Maristuen, Fillefjeld, Norway, June 25th, 1871 (E. R. Alston and J. A. Harvie Brown). E Mus. G. E. Shelley. a, b, c. Avington, Hampshire, December 2i)th and 31st, 1870, and January 1st, 1871 (G. E. S.). E Mus. Salvin and Godman. a. Ii. Kidsvold, Norway, June 1866 (Baker). E Mus. E. R. Alston. a. Muirburn, Lanarkshire (J. P. Alston), b. Stockbriggs, Lanarkshire, October 1864 (E. R. A.), c, , c,