16 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



the former the nests are said to be situated in a cleft between the trunk and a 

 large branch, bnt further north these birds become less gregarious, and their nests 

 are then situated in low bushes, heaps of firewood, on fences and similar places, 

 after the fashion of our Blackbird ; whilst on the bare tundras of Siberia they 

 select a hollow under the grassy edge of a cliff or bank for a breeding-site, like 

 the Ring-Ouzel. 



The nest is very like that of the Blackbird, externally it is constructed 

 of coarse dry grass, sometimes interwoven with birch twigs and a little moss, 

 plastered inside with mud, and thickly lined with fine grass. The number of 

 eggs varies from three to seven, but usually from four to six ; according to 

 Seebohni, they vary more than those of any of our British Thrushes; but I 

 think most of those which I have seen could be matched among the almost 

 endless variations of our Blackbird's eggs; their ground-colour is either paler 

 or deeper green, blotched, mottled, and speckled with reddish brown, sometimes 

 over the entire surface, but more frequently concentrated at the larger end. 

 The markings of some examples (as with our Blackbird) are indistinct, evenly 

 distributed, in others they are few and rich brown upon a deep blue ground 

 (a variety which I have not seen in eggs of the Blackbird; though they are 

 sometimes as blue as those of the Song Thrush). 



The food of this species consists in summer of worms, insects, as well as their 

 larvae and pupae and small wild fruits; in winter, principally of berries, especially 

 those of the hawthorn, also insects, snails and worms when procurable, and seeds 

 of grain and grasses. 



The Fieldfare is a poor songster. He rarely sings excepting in the breeding 

 season, and his performance consists of a wild warble, at times interrupted by 

 chattering somewhat similar to that of the Starling. The example which I had 

 for two years never sang at all, but occasionally uttered a harsh guttural sound like 

 that of the Missel Thrush. 



As a cage bird the Fieldfare is most uninteresting, he soon becomes tame, and, 

 if allowed to bathe, keeps his plumage in beautiful condition; but, excepting for 

 show purposes, is only an expense: like all Thrushes, he is a large eater, and 

 therefore needs frequent attention. I parted with mine when I sold my Redwings, 

 and have never wished to keep another. 



I fed him on the same food as my other insectivorous species, adding a few 

 worms, snails, caterpillars, and berries when obtainable; he was always in perfect 

 health, even when moulting, and never showed restlessness at the seasons of 

 migration; in fact, he was one of the steadiest and most apathetic birds I ever 

 possessed. 



