FIELDFARE. 191 



be Shrikes, but wliich afterwards proved to be Fieldfares, 

 anxiously watching over their newly-established dwellings. 

 We were soon delighted by the discovery of several of their 

 nests, and were surprised to find them (so contrary to the 

 habits of other species of the genus Tardus Avith which we 

 are acquainted) breeding in society. Their nests Avere at 

 various heights from the around, from four feet to thirtv or 

 forty feet or upwards, mixed with old ones of the preceding 

 year : they were, for the most part, placed against the trunk 

 of the spruce fir ; some were, however, at a considerable 

 distance from it, upon the upper surface and towards the 

 smaller end of the thicker branches : they resembled most 

 nearly those of the Ring Ouzel ; the outside is composed 

 of sticks, and coarse grass and weeds gathered wet, matted 

 together with a small quantity of clay, and lined with a thick 

 bed of fine dry grass : none of them yet contained more 

 than three eggs, although we afterwards found that five was 

 more commonly the number than four, and that even six 

 was very frequent ; they are very similar to those of the 

 Blackbird, and even more so to the Ring Ouzel. The 

 Fieldfare is the most abundant bird in Norway, and is gene- 

 rally diflTused over that part which we visited ; building, as 

 already noticed, in society, two hundred nests or more be- 

 ing frequently seen within a very small space." The eggs 

 are light blue, mottled over with spots of dark red brown ; 

 the length one inch three lines, the breadth ten lines. 



Wm. Christy, Esq. Jun. who, with a party of naturalists, 

 visited Norway in the summer of 1836, says, on the moun- 

 tains called the Dovrefeld, Fieldfares were rearing their 

 young ; they were just able to fly about on the 6th of 

 August. 



The call-note of the Fieldfare is harsh ; but its song is 

 soft and melodious. In confinement it soon becomes recon- 

 ciled, and sings agreeably. At night when at large it fre- 



