358 THE THRUSH FAMILY 



in order to leave no doubt on the point, stated that these birds were 

 frequently caught in the wheat-stubbles by larkers, when dragging 

 their nets by night. 1 That they are found roosting on trees was put 

 beyond question by a more modern ornithologist, who adopted the 

 amiable expedient of issuing forth one night with a lantern and 

 knocking some off their perches with a stick. His view was that 

 this species only roost off the ground when driven to do so by snow 

 or storm, a statement that should not be difficult to verify. 2 In 

 Ireland fieldfares have been seen roosting on a bog whither they came 

 each evening in small flocks from the surrounding country, wheeling, 

 descending, and rising before finally alighting to sleep behaving, in 

 short, very much like starlings. 3 The immigrant blackbirds, and 

 no doubt also the song-thrushes, which arrive on our east coast in 

 autumn, may be seen roosting in flocks. One envies Mr. Cordeaux 

 who, one evening, witnessed 135 blackbirds enter a two-acre planta- 

 tion of young spruces. The figure given did not represent the total 

 number, as he was only able to watch one side of the roost. The 

 sight of three or four hundred blackbirds lifting up their united 

 voices against the indignity of being obliged to go to bed must have 

 been as entertaining as a chapter of Dickens. 1 



ii 



As winter passes into the spring there comes to the fieldfares and 

 redwings, and also to the migrant thrushes and blackbirds, a far call 

 from their northern homeland. Obedient to it, they gradually collect 

 into large flocks, and make ever steadily eastward and northward to 

 the coast. Their numbers are soon increased by those of their kin 

 that have wintered south of the English Channel, who, obeying the 

 same imperative summons, pass, with halts by the way, through our 

 eastern counties, bound for the same destination. Now, as in the 



1 Letter to Pennant, February 22, 1770. 2 Field, 1801, vol. xvii. p. 35. 



3 Irish Naturalist, 1907, p. 162 ( W. J. Williams). 



4 Birds of the Hutnber District. 



