74 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF 



bird for the most part is gregarious during the breeding 

 season, and nests in colonies of varying size according 

 to the abundance or rarity of the individuals in a 

 certain area. Many outlying nests are made some 

 distance from each other on the outskirts of the colony, 

 but in the colony itself they are close together. The 

 nests are made on the flat branches of the pines, in 

 forks of the birch trees close to the trunks, or in suitable 

 crotches in the alders. Occasionally an odd nest will 

 be made in an outhouse or amongst a heap of wood 

 near the peasants' cottages. Nests on the tundras are 

 usually placed on the ground near a ridge or ledge. 

 Mr. Seebohm remarked that the colonies of this species 

 were not so large in Siberia as in Norway, and that the 

 bird either bred in isolated pairs or in small parties. The 

 nest is made on a similar plan to that of the Blackbird, 

 being composed externally of dry grass, moss, and a few 

 twigs, then lined with mud, and finally with an abundance 

 of fine grass. The birds become very noisy when dis- 

 turbed, but do not remain long in the vicinity of their 

 nests, being nothing near so bold as the Missel Thrush. 

 The birds in a colony do not all begin nesting together, 

 and young birds and eggs in various stages of develop- 

 ment may be found at the same time, just as is the case 

 in a rookery or a gullery. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement : 

 The eggs of the Fieldfare are usually from four to six in 

 number, but occasionally seven are found, and excep- 

 tionally only three. They are subject to enormous 

 variation, but probably every type is represented in the 

 eggs of the Blackbird and the Ring Ouzel. They vary 

 in ground colour from bluish-green to greenish-blue, 

 blotched, spotted, freckled and marbled over the entire 

 surface with rich reddish-brown. A rare variety is 

 almost blue in ground colour with only a few rich brown 



