FIELDFARE —Turdus pilaris. 



year. Tliey were, f<3r the most part, placed against the tnmk of the spnice fir ; some were, 

 however, at a considerable distance from it, upon the iipper surface, and towards the 

 smaller end of the thicker branches. They resembled most nearly those of the ring 

 ouzel. Tlie outside is composed of sticks and coarse grasses, and weeds gathei'ed wet, matted 

 together -«dth a small quantity of clay, and lined with a thick bed of fine long grass. 

 None of them yet contained more than three egg.s, although we afterwards found that five 

 Avas more commonly the number than four, and even six was very frequent. They are very 

 similar to those of the Ijlackbird, aiid even more so to the ring ouzel. 



The Fieldfare is the most abundant bird in Norway, and is generally diffused over that 

 part wliich we visited ; building, as already noticed, in societies ; two hundred nests or 

 more being frequently seen M-ithin a very small space." 



In their general aspect, the nests are not unlike those of the blackliird, and the errcjs 

 are of a light lilue gi'ound colour, covered with dark reddish-bi'own mottlings. Althougli 

 tlie bird is essentially a winter visitant to this coimtiy, there are seasons which are too 

 cold and stormy even for this hardy bird. In the j'ear 1798, there was a ten-ible 

 and lengthened storm of sleet, wind, and snow, which killed thousands of the Fieldfares, 



