19!^ MERULID.E. 



quents evergreens and thick plantations ; ])ut, nnlikc its 

 congeners, it has frequently been known to roost on the 

 ground among fern, heath, or furze, on bushy commons. 



This bird is well known in Sweden, Russia, and Siberia, 

 where it is found only in summer : in Poland, Prussia, and 

 Austria, it remains the Avhole year; but in France, and the 

 still more southern countries of Europe, it is only a winter 

 visiter, extending its migration, in that season, as before 

 stated, to Minorca, Smyrna, and Syria. 



The point of the beak is black ; the base of the upper 

 mandible dark brown, the base of the lower mandible pale 

 yellow brown ; the space between the beak and the eye 

 black ; the irides hazel brown ; the upper part of the head 

 ash grey, spotted with dark brown ; the neck, ear-coverts, 

 upper part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, ash 

 grey ; the back, wings, and wing-coverts, rich hazel brown ; 

 greater wing-coverts edged with grey ; wing-primaries dark 

 slate grey, the outer edges and tips lighter grey ; the shafts 

 black ; upper surface of tail-feathers nearly black ; the tail in 

 form slightly forked ; chin and throat golden amber, streaked 

 longitudinally with black ; the breast reddish brown, spotted 

 with black ; the belly, flanks, and under tail-coverts, white ; 

 the two latter spotted with greyish brown and dark brown ; 

 under wing-coverts white ; under surface of wing-primaries 

 and of the tail-feathers dark slate grey ; legs and toes dark 

 brown ; claws black. 



The whole length of the Fieldfare is full ten inches : the 

 length of the wing from the carpal joint, five inches and five- 

 eighths ; the first wing-feather very short ; the second a little 

 longer than the fifth ; the third and fourth feathers equal in 

 lena'th, and the longest in the wincf. 



The female has the beak darker brown ; the head more 

 clouded with brown ; the colour of the back less pure, and 

 the legs of a paler brown. 



