I 



THE FIELDFARE. 157 



they seemed to be flying about in search of food, of which one 

 might imagine they could find but little in such a place. But on 

 the greensward of the Pentlands, where the mole is found nearly 

 to the summits, the Ring Ouzel, besides insects, can readily procure 

 a plentiful supply of earth-worms, for which I have seen it looking 

 out in the manner described under the habits of the preceding 

 species ; like which, it hops about with great celerity, stands with 

 drooping wings and slightly elevated tail, and digs up its prey with 

 great vigour. It feeds also on insects, testaceous mollusca, and 

 berries of different kinds. The stomach of one which I examined 

 on the 2nd October 1837, was filled with berries of the Eowan, 

 Pyrus aucuparia. In the statistical account of the parish of 

 Galashiels in Selkirkshire, the Eev. Nathaniel Paterson states that 

 ' the Moor Blackbird, too, has of late years become a most trouble- 

 some spoiler of the garden. It is nearly of the same size as the 

 singing Blackbird (somewhat larger), but dingy and tuneless a 

 daring thief that comes before the window and carries off a plum 

 nearly as large as itself, showing by its chatter more of anger than 

 of fear when it is disturbed in the work of depredation. Currants, 

 gooseberries, cherries, plums, and the finest wall-fruit are its prey. 

 Its flight is strong and direct, or with very little undulations. 

 When pursued, it generally flies off at once to a considerable 

 distance, and it is only when you come near its nest or young that 

 it ventures within shooting distance. Like the Song Thrush, it 

 conceals itself among the bushes, but is much more easily put to 

 flight. When alarmed, it utters a repetition of strong clear notes, 

 like those of the Blackbird, but louder ; its song consists of a few 

 loud and mellow notes.' 



THE FIELDFARE (Turdus pilaris). This is the Chestnut- 

 backed Thrush, sometimes called the Feldyfar or Feltyflier ; 

 in Gaelic it is Liatli-Troisg. The length of this bird is 

 generally about ten inches and a half, therefore it is 

 considerably larger than the Song Thrush. In Britain 

 it is a winter visitor only, generally arriving from the 

 North of Europe about the end of October, and depart- 

 ing towards the end of April. The prevailing colours of 

 its plumage are chestnut-brown, intermixed with grey in 

 the upper parts, the under parts being of a reddish yellow. 

 Very few instances have occurred of Fieldfares breeding in 

 this country. Mr. Hewitson, who visited their nesting- 

 places in Norway, says : l Their nests were at various 

 heights from the ground, from four feet to thirty or forty 

 feet or upwards, mixed with old ones of the preceding 



