THE FIELDFARE. 233 



resembling a very handsome Blackbird's egg. Some varieties are pale 

 greenish, with the spots and streaks distributed equally over the whole 

 surface and very pale and indistinct, like the duller eggs of the Blackbird ; 

 in others the egg is paler in ground-colour, but thickly and boldly blotched 

 with reddish brown, like typical eggs of the Ring-Ouzel; while yet, again, 

 specimens are more rarely met with almost as blue as Song-Thrush's, and 

 with but one or two streaks of liver-brown on the larger end. They vary 

 in length from T35 to T02 inch, and in breadth from *9 to '7 inch. When 

 their nests are approached the birds often become very noisy and behave 

 like Missel-Thrushes, flying round the head of the intruder, and en- 

 deavouring to drive him away from their haunt. This conduct is more 

 noticeable should the nests contain young birds ; but their constitutional 

 shyness soon prevails over their parental instincts, and before you have 

 climbed your second tree, all trace of the Fieldfares has vanished, except 

 the sound of their tsak, tsak in the distance. 



When the young quit the nest they still keep in their parents' company, 

 wandering about the edges of the woods and open localities, appearing 

 in the morning and evening on their feeding-grounds, retiring to the 

 thickets at noon and at nightfall. Their food now is principally insects ; 

 but in July, when the wild strawberries are ripe, these constitute 

 their principal fare. This regular mode of life continues throughout this 

 month until the latter end, when the moulting-season commences. By 

 the end of August the moult is over, and the birds begin to flock, and then 

 their regular nomad life commences. They frequent all the large woods, 

 and draw near to those districts where the rowan tree and the wild rose 

 abound, on the berries of which they live for the most part, until the 

 autumn sends them southwards to their winter haunts. 



The upper parts of the Fieldfare are slate-grey, except the wings and 

 tail, which are dark brown, and the head, which is spotted with black. 

 The centre of the back is dark chestnut-brown. The throat and breast 

 are rich brown, and the centre of the belly is pure white. With the ex- 

 ception of the centre of the belly, the whole underparts are spotted and 

 marked with rich brown. The bill is yellow, feet and legs black, and irides 

 very dark brown. The female resembles the male. Upon its arrival in this 

 country the bird has very broad margins to the feathers of the lower parts, 

 giving it a pale appearance ; in fact they are newly-moulted feathers ; but 

 after the winter has passed these edges are cast and the spots are more 

 clearly defined, leaving the bird in its nuptial dress. Like the young of 

 all other Thrushes, the Fieldfare is spotted on the back when it leaves the 

 nest, but moults again with its parents, before it migrates, almost into 

 fully adult pTumage. 



The Fieldfare has no very near ally. 



