TURDIN.B. 



THE REDWING. 



TuRDus iLiACUS, Linnaeus. 



The Redwing resembles a small Song-Thrush, but it may easily 

 be distinguished by the broad whitish streak over the eye, and by 

 the rich orange-red of the flanks and under-feathers of the wing : 

 whence the bird's trivial name. The Redwing has been obtained 

 in the British Islands on striking against lighthouses, from the 

 beginning of August onwards, but large flocks seldom arrive before 

 the middle of October. Although the most delicate of the 

 European Thrushes, the Redwing can resist a considerable amount 

 of frost, but should this be followed by a heavy fall of snow, such a 

 combination of hardships proves very destructive. In winter, there- 

 fore, though the species is generally distributed, and even abundant 

 in the Midlands, large numbers go past our shores, while com- 

 paratively few return by the same route on the spring migration. 

 Not many remain in the south after the early part of April, but in 

 the Shetlands they pass up to May, and though individuals are said 

 to have lingered occasionally through the summer, there is no proof 

 that the Redwing has ever bred in any part of our islands. 



The nest of the Redwing has been found by Herr Miiller in the 

 Faeroes, which are on the line of migration to and from Iceland. 

 This is the only Thrush that breeds on that island, and it is gener- 

 ally distributed there during the short summer ; while wanderers 



