272 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



towns, to hunt for berries. Thus we have seen them in hard 

 weather frequenting the gardens of the Natural History 

 Museum at South Kensington along with Redwings and 

 Mistle-Thrushes. 



The note of the Fieldfare is a harsh cry of tsak, generally 

 uttered from the top of a tree, where the bird keeps a good 

 look-out for danger, and they have also a chattering note which 

 is often uttered by the birds as they fly high overhead, and is 

 quite unlike the note of any of the other British Thrushes. 



In its northern home the bird nests in colonies in the birch- 

 trees, and several nests will be found on the same tree. Farther 

 north Mr. Seebohm says it loses its gregarious habits, and on 

 the barren tundra the nest is placed on the ground like that of 

 the Ring-Ouzel, the bird choosing a niche under the turf on the 

 edge of a cliff. 



Nest. Built in the branches of a birch-pine, or an alder-tree, 

 sometimes in out-houses, or in a low bush. Mr. Seebohm says 

 that it is very similar in construction to that of the Blackbird 

 or Ring-Ouzel, the outside being made of coarse dry grass, with 

 sometimes a few birch-twigs or a little moss interwoven, then 

 plastered with mud, and finally lined with a thick bed of fine 

 grass. 



Eggs. From four to six in number. The colour varies im- 

 mensely, scarcely two clutches being alike. The ground-colour 

 is bluish-green, and the markings and spots are rufous or 

 chestnut-brown, sometimes so thickly distributed as to hide the 

 ground-colour of the egg, at other times consisting of large red 

 blotches, distributed widely, or congregating round the larger 

 end. Sometimes nearly unspotted eggs are found. The under- 

 lying markings are light reddish-brown, scarcely to be distin- 

 guished. Axis, ri-i'25 inch; diam, o'8-o'8. 



THE AMERICAN THRUSH. TURDUS MIGRATORIUS. 



Turdus migratorius, Linn., Syst. Nat, i., p. 292 (1766); Seeb., 

 Cat. B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 220 (1881); Ridgw. Man. N. 

 Amer. B., p. 577 (1887); Saunders, Man., p. 10, note 

 (1889). 



Adult Male. General colour above ashy-grey, the lesser wing- 

 coverts like the back ; lesser and median coverts dusky, 



