86 FIELDFARE. 



eggs. In these instances, the nests have been 

 quite solitary. 



A specimen shot in December, presented the 

 following colours, which, with a slight variation 

 of depth and clearness, will come near to the ordi- 

 nary winter dress of the species : Bill black at the 

 tip, yellow towards the base, particularly of the 

 lower mandible ; crown, cheeks, nape of the neck, 

 rump, and upper tail coverts gray, (the lavender 

 purple of Syme ;) the centre of the feathers on 

 the crown streaked with black, which, towards 

 the breeding season, appears to widen, and be- 

 come deeper tinted ; before the eye, and beneath 

 it, there is a patch of the same black which some- 

 times runs narrowly over the auriculars ; above 

 the eye there is a streak of pale gray sometimes 

 inclining to pale yellowish white ; the centre of 

 the back and wing coverts are rich umber-brown, 

 deeper in the centre, and on the coverts edged 

 with paler ; quills blackish brown ; secondaries 

 edged with paler brown, primaries with gray ; 

 tail blackish brown, feathers at the base edged 

 with grayish brown ; throat, breast, and flanks 

 ochraceous yellow, the centre of the feathers 

 dashed with black, these markings broadest on the 

 sides of the breast and flanks ; centre of the belly 

 and under tail coverts, pure white, the latter at 

 their base having grayish blotches running up 

 the outer part of the webs ; under wing coverts 

 and axillary feathers pure white. Length about 

 ten to ten and a half inches. The Fieldfare is 

 sometimes frund with the whole colours of a paler 



