8 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



TURDUS PILARIS, Liimaeua. 

 FIELDFARE. 



Turdus pilaris, i/'i". ■S'i/-s<. Nat. i, p. '291 (1766); Seebohm, Cat. Birds 

 Brit. Mus. V, p. 205; Locke, Expl. Sci. Ahj. Ois. i, p. 185 (1867); 

 Koenig, J.f. 0. 1888; p. 191, id. J.f. 0. 1892, p. 389. 



Description. — Adult male, winter, from Tunis, North Tunisia. 



Crown ashy -grey with dark streaks ; nape slate-grey ; back and upper 

 wing-coverts chestnut-brown ; rump slate-grey ; quills brown ; tail-feathers 

 blackish-brown ; a slight buff-coloured superciliary stripe ; ear-coverts ashy- 

 brown ; throat buffy-white, striped with blackish-brown ; breast, sides and 

 flanks buff, suffused with yellowish-brown, and thickly marked with dark 

 centres to the feathers, which are fringed with white ; centre of abdomen 

 creamy-white ; axillaries and under tail-coverts pure white. 



Iris dark brown ; bill yellowish, darker at tip ; feet dark brown. 



Total length about 10-50 inches, wing 5-70, culmen -80, tarsus 1-25. 



Like the preceding species, the Fieldfare is merely an irregular 

 winter migrant in Tunisia, occurring in moderate numbers, or even 

 fairly abundantly in some years, but being scarce, or entirely wanting 

 ill others. Of the two species the Redwing is perhaps rather more 

 often met with in the Eegency. 



The Fieldfare occurs also in Algeria and Marocco as a winter 

 migrant, and, according to Captain Shelley (Birds of Egypt, p. 65), is 

 to be found as a winter visitant in Egypt. 



In Tunisia I have obtained examples of the species from one or 

 two districts in the north of the Eegency, but have no note of its 

 having ever been met with south of the Atlas. 



Like the Eedwing, it frequents the more wooded hilly districts, 

 particularly those where berry-bearing trees and bushes flourish, and 

 is fond of perching on lofty trees, from which a good look-out can be 

 obtained. Of all the Thrushes, not even excepting the Mistle-Thrush, 

 the present species is perhaps the most wary and suspicious, and 

 seldom allows itself to be caught napping. It is no doubt due to 

 this instinctive shyness that the Fieldfare rarely resorts to the 

 neighbourhood of human habitations for food and shelter in severe 

 weather, as many other Thrushes do. South of the Mediterranean 

 very severe cold is seldom experienced, but even in northern countries, 



