140 MIGRATION. 



that dreadful winter, 1739-40, that cold north-east 

 winds continued to blow on through April and May, 

 and that these kinds of hirds, (what few remained of 

 them) did not depart as usual, but were seen linger- 

 ing about till the beginning of June. 



The best authority that we can have for the nidifi- 

 cation of the birds above mentioned, in any district, 

 is the testimony of faunists that have written pro- 

 fessedly the natural history of particular countries. 

 Now, as to the fieldfare, Linnaeus, in his Fauna 

 Suecica, says of it, that " maximis in arboribus nidi- 

 ficat " " it builds in the largest trees." And of the 

 redwing, he says in the same place, that " nidificat 

 in mediis arbusculis, sive sepibus : ova sex ceeruleo- 

 viridia maculis nigris variis." " It builds in the midst 

 of shrubs or hedges ; it produces six eggs, of a sea- 

 green colour, with varied black spots." Hence we 

 may be assured that fieldfares and redwings breed in 

 Sweden. Scopoli says, in his Annus Primus of the 

 woodcock, that " nupta ad nos venit circa cequinoctium 

 vernale :" " when mated, it comes to us about the 

 vernal equinox ;" meaning in Tyrol, of which he is a 

 native. And afterwards he adds, " nidificat in palu- 

 dibus alpinis : ova ponit 3 5." " It builds its nest in 

 the alpine marshes, and lays from three to five eggs." 

 It does not appear from Kramer that woodcocks 

 breed at all in Austria; but he says, " Avis h&c sep- 

 tentrionalium provinciarum cestivo tempore incola est ; 

 ubi plerumque nidificat. Appropinquante hyeme austra- 

 liores provincias petit: Jiinc circa plenilunium potissi- 

 mum mensis Octobris plerumque Austriam transmigrat . 

 Tune rursus circa plenilunium potissimum mensis Martii 

 per Austriam matrimonio juncta ad sept entrionales pro- 

 vincias redit." " This bird, in summer, inhabits the 

 northern provinces, where it generally nests. On 

 the approach of winter it seeks more southern pro- 

 vinces; it usually leaves this at the October full- 



