130 WOODLANDERS AND FIELD FOLK 



fieldfare is driven during times of severity is that of 

 drilling holes in the bulbs of turnips ; and this not 

 as in the case of the wood-pigeon when the root has 

 been injured by insects or the bite of hares or rabbits. 



Ill 



WINTER BIRDS 



THE thrush family is one of the most numerous 

 among British birds, and in winter comes much 

 under notice. No birds suffer sooner or more acutely 

 from severe weather; and the first frosts bring them 

 about our gardens and homesteads in search of 

 food. Many of them are instinctively wild birds; 

 but when their feeding-grounds are buried in snow 

 or hardened by frost, their tameness becomes pain- 

 fully conspicuous. And this applies not only to 

 those which are resident throughout the year, but 

 also to those which come to winter with us from the 

 dense forests of Northern Europe. 



Our resident winter thrushes are the song-thrush, 

 orange-billed blackbird, missel-thrush or storm-cock, 

 ring-ouzel, and dipper. The rest of the family is 

 made up of a number of rare and occasionally 

 occurring forms. Among these are White's thrush, 

 the beautiful rock- thrush, and the black- throated 

 thrush. 



