22 Baby Birds at Home 



The male begins to sing as early as 

 March, if the weather should be mild and 

 sunny, but his notes are low, soft, and few 

 in number. He sings to his mate whilst 

 she is building her nest, but never appears 

 to think that he ought to attempt to help 

 her. He frequently sings whilst on the 

 wing. 



Fieldfares breed in colonies just like 

 rooks or herons, and in some Scandinavian 

 forests hundreds or even thousands nest to- 

 gether, and the noise they make when dis- 

 turbed is wellnigh deafening. 



The nest of this species is made of twigs 

 and straws, mixed with mud, and lined with 

 fine grass. It is generally placed in a 

 spruce or birch tree, at varying heights from 

 the ground. The writer has seen half a 

 dozen nests containing eggs, or young ones, 

 in quite a small birch tree. 



The eggs of the Fieldfare number four 

 to six, varying from light to dark bluish 

 green, mottled all over with light, or dark 

 reddish brown. 



As soon as the baby birds have been 

 hatched the old male helps to find food for 

 them. 



