250 THE FIELDFAEE. 



shape of fisher boys and men, taking advantage of starvation — 

 through an innate desire to hunt, were chasing and killing 

 them — as gentlemen, aye, and even ladies — through the same 

 manly prerogative, hunt the fox and timid hare for what is 

 called sport, when, as Wordsworth says — 



"The redbreast, ruffled up by winter's cold 

 Into a ' feathered bunch,' 

 And fieldfares pensive flock. " 



In crossing the North Sea it sometimes gives more 

 substantial sport to the fishes, for, when our fishing boats were 

 at sea, a fieldfare alighted, but, as the fishermen tried to catch 

 it, it fell into the sea, and, as it lay helpless, a large cod pulled 

 away the tail in trying to swallow the bird. Not to be baffled 

 the voracious fish sprang out of the water, and, diving down, 

 seized the poor fieldfare, and sank to digest it at leisure. I have 

 seen a full-fledged waterhen in the stomach of a cod, preserved. 

 But although helpjess in prolonged snow storms and on the sea, 

 in open winters it is not easily got, as the following notes when 

 gathering my collection will show. " On the 26th of January 

 1856 I went with my gun for some fieldfares. I saw several 

 flocks of them in a grass park near Eden ; they hopped and ran 

 fast, and would not allow me within shot. They gave a harsh 

 scream, flew about 400 yards, wheeled away four times that 

 distance, hovered, then alighted amongst turnips. I followed 

 other flocks without success. In going through the turnip field 

 I shot a partridge, but could not get a fieldfare." And " on the 

 12th February I saw a flock of about a hundred fieldfares 

 perched on the ash and beech trees at Balmungo. They flew 

 when they saw me, uttering their usual harsh screams, wheeled 

 above my head, then flew in the direction of Priormuir. Some 

 of our thrushes have eggs already, and on one of the ash trees 

 I got a chaffinch's nest with eggs — the best proof of a mild 

 season." Sometimes the swallows arrive before the fieldfares 

 leave, a strange mingling of summer and winter migrants. 

 After they leave in the end of April they seek their native 

 wilds, and begin the duties of reproduction, to sing, and build 

 their nests, when the swallows and other summer migrants 

 begin to breed with us, and have eggs when our indigenous 

 thrushes have young. As they are so like our own thrushes in 

 food and habits, it is strange that none remain to breed with us ; 

 but I recollect when the lapwing as regularly left us, many of 

 which now remain all year. So both fieldfares and redwings 



