104 FAUNA OF SHROPSHIRE. 



in its beak, and there batters the shell to pieces against 

 the stone, which at length bristles with the sharp 

 fragments glued to it by the snails' slime. A beautiful 

 variety was shot near Shrewsbury in 1898, in which 

 the whole plumage was suffused with bright buff colour. 

 Redwing, A common Winter visitor, often associated 

 T. iliacus. in flocks with the Fieldfare. It looks 



Oct. ii. Apl. ii. like a small Thrush, but may be dis- 



tinguished from it by the whitish streak 

 over the eye and the bright red colour of the under- 

 wings hence its name. The Redwing can often be 

 heard at night uttering its call note as it flies along, high 

 overhead, and this is usually the first intimation of its 

 arrival in autumn. It feeds almost exclusively upon 

 insects and grubs, though Mr. Benson says that in the 

 severe winter of 1894 several were found dead at Pulver- 

 batch with their crops crammed full of hips and haws. 

 Fieldfare. Provincial name, Feltyfare; Common Winter 

 T. pilavis. visitor, generally found in flocks fre- 



Oct. in. Apl. ii. quenting fields and hedge-rows. Has 

 been known to remain in the County 

 as late as the beginning of May, but has never nested 

 here. The upper part of the plumage is bluish, while 

 the under parts are paler than in the other Thrushes, 

 and in flight this latter feature is very conspicuous. 

 Besides eating grubs, the Fieldfare feeds largely upon 

 berries. 



White's Thrush. A specimen of this large and very 



T. varius. rare species was shot at Moreton 



Corbet, January I4th, 1892, and is in 



the collection of the late Mr. Beckwith. The photograph 



on page 70 shows well the boldly marked plumage and 



