190 MERULIDK. 



tliat, arriving licrc in large flocks in searcli of food, and if 

 the weather continues open and mild, spreading themselves 

 over pasture-lands to look for worms, slugs, the larvae of 

 insects, and any other soft-bodied animals of that sort ; but 

 on the occurrence of snow or frost, they betake themselves 

 to the hedges, and feed greedily on haws and various other 

 berries. At this time they are much sought after by youth- 

 ful gunners, Avho find them shy and difficult to approach : 

 the whole flock taking wing and keeping together, settle by 

 scores on some distant tree, from whence, if again disturbed, 

 they wheel off in a body as before. Should the weather 

 become very severe, the Fieldfares leave us to go farther 

 south, and are again seen on their return. They are known 

 to go as far to the south and to the east as Minorca, Smyrna, 

 and Syria. The Fieldfare does not return to its breeding- 

 ground till late in the season. I have known them shot on 

 the 12th of May, and others have been seen much later. 

 White of Selborne says, that one particular season they 

 remained till the beginning of June ; and he asks, why do 

 they not breed in the Highlands ? Some instances have 

 occurred of the Fieldfare breeding in this country ; and Pen- 

 nant, or the editor rather of the last edition of the British 

 Zoology, mentions two instances that came to his know- 

 ledge, ^lore recently, a nest has been found in Kent, and 

 others in Yorkshire and Scotland ; but in Orkney and Shet- 

 land, according to the observations of Mr. Dunn, it is only 

 seen on its passage to and from other countries. Mr. W. C. 

 Hewitson, whose zeal in the cause of Natural History in- 

 duced him to visit Norway a few summers since in the hope 

 of obtaining many rare specimens for illustration in his ex- 

 cellent work on the Eggs of British Birds, thus describes the 

 nesting habits of the Fieldfare : — After a long ramble through 

 some very thick woods, " our attention was attracted by the 

 harsh cries of several birds, which we at first supposed must 



