168 NATURAL HISTORY 
few remained of them) did not depart as usual, 
but were seen lingering about till the beginning of 
June. 
The best authority that we can have for the nidi- 
fication of the birds above mentioned in any district, 
is the testimony of faunists that have written pro- 
fessedly the natural history of particular countries. 
Now as to the fieldfare, Linneus, in his Fauna 
Suecica, says of it, that ‘ maaximis in arboribus nidi. 
ficat ;’ and of the redwing he says in the same 
place, that “ nidificat in mediis arbusculis, sive sepi- 
bus : ova sex ceruleo-viridia maculis nigris variis.” 
Hence we may be assured that fieldfares and red. 
wings are bred in Sweden. Scopoli says, in his 
Annus Primus, of the woodcock, that “nupla ad 
nos venit circa equinoctium vernale,” meaning in 
Tyrol, of which he is a native. And afterward he 
adds, “ nidificat in paludibus alpinis : ova ponit 3-5,” 
It does not appear from Kramer that woodcocks 
build at all in Austria ; but he says, “ Avis hec sep. 
tentrionalium provinciarum estivo tempore incola est ; 
ubi plerumque nidificat. Appropinquante hyeme aus. 
traliores provincias petit: hinc circa plenilunium 
potissimum mensis Octobris plerumque <Auslriam 
transmigrat. Tunc rursus circa plenilunium po- 
tissimum mensis Martii per Austriam matrimonio 
juncta ad septentrionales provincias redit.” For the 
whole passage (which I have abridged), see Elen- 
chus, &c., p. 351. ‘This seems to be a full proof of 
the emigration of woodcocks, though little is proved 
concerning the place of their building. 
P.S.—There fell in the county of Rutland, in 
three weeks of this present very wet weather, seven 
inches and a half of rain, which is more than has 
