Clifton College Scientific Society. 77 



song-thriish, blackbird, missel-thrush, redwing, and fieldfare. All 

 these are more or less common here. The first two, at least, must 

 be very familiar to every one. The fieldfare is a migratory bird, 

 arriving iu this country about the beginning of October, and thus 

 avoiding the winters of the north. It comes in large flocks, and 

 again leaves us about the end of February. The fieldfare is 

 common in Clifton during the winter months, and I have frequently 

 seen great niimbers on King's Weston Down. In very severe 

 winters they frequent gardens and cultivated districts, hawthorn 

 and other berries supplying them with food when such is the case. 

 They are nearly always seen in large flocks, sometimes of as many 

 as several hundreds. Occasionally, however, two or three with- 

 draw themselves from the rest, and frequent the same localities 

 as the thrush and blackbird. Last February I saw a single 

 fieldfare on King's Weston Down, and that is the only instance I 

 remember. Mr Knapp, speaking of the fieldfare, says, ' In this 

 country (Gloucestershire) the extensive lowlands of the river 

 Severn are, in open weather, visited by prodigious flocks of these 

 birds ; but they leave these marshy shores as soon as the snow 

 falls or hard weather comes on, most likely retreating to a more 

 genial neighbourhood until the weather breaks up again. They 

 may then be seen returning to their worm and insect food in the 

 meadows.' 



The missel-thrush is, in many of its habits, similar to the field- 

 fare. It is a permanent resident with us, and pretty generally 

 distributed. Like the fieldfare, these birds are frequently seen in 

 flocks of from fifty to seventy. They are constantly found in the 

 Clifton district, especially at King's Weston Down and Penpole. 

 In March the flocks disperse, and individuals unite themselves 

 into pairs, frequenting some wood or orchard. The chief foods of 

 this bird are the berries of the mountain-ash, juniper, holly, ivy, 

 and many other trees. The nest is often placed in the hollow 

 caused by the growth of two branches from the trunk ; the eggs 

 are from four to five in number, and are of a greenish or reddish- 

 white colour. 



I will now pass on to the rook family. The most important here 

 are the rook, crow, jackdaw, magpie, and starling. The habits of 

 these birds are amongst the most interesting to study. Rooks are 

 truly gregarious, for they build together in trees, always going in 

 company, too, when in search of food. The most important 

 rookeries I know about here are two or three at Long Ashton, 

 one near Leigh Court, and on the Clifton side of the Avon theie 

 is one in the grounds of an old mansion on the road to Stoke, and 

 several others of smaller size. The food of this bird consists of 

 the larvte of cockchafers, beetles, and moths. Early in March the 



