174 FIELDFARE. 



The flight of this species is easy and somewhat slow, 

 performed with slight but rather lengthened undulations, the 

 effect of a series of about a dozen pulsations of the wings, 

 with then as it were an intermission of the effort. While 

 thus proceeding, they utter their wild cry until about to 

 settle, when after wheeling about for a short time they alight. 

 'After settling,' says Mr. Macgillivray, 'each is seen to stand 

 still with its wings close, but a little drooping, its tail 

 slightly declined, and its head elevated. It then hops rapidly 

 a few steps forward, stops, picks up a seed, an insect, or 

 other article of food, and again proceeds. They generally 

 move in the same direction, always facing the wind if it be 

 high, and those in the rear, especially if left far behind, fly 

 up to the front. When alarmed, they all stand still for a 

 short time, some utter a low scream, and presently all fly off 

 to a distance, or alight on the tall trees in the neighbourhood. 

 There they sit gracefully on the twigs, with their tails declined, 

 and generally with their heads all directed one way, unless 

 they have settled for the purpose of resting or amusing 

 themselves after procuring a sufficiency of food. In fine 

 weather they often enact a concert of long duration, which, 

 although their song is neither loud nor very melodious, is 

 very pleasant.' 



The Fieldfare feeds on a variety of food oats and grain 

 of different kinds, snails, beetles and other insects, caterpillars, 

 chrysalides, worms, and grass, berries, such as those of the 

 hawthorn, the barberry, the juniper, the mountain ash, the 

 blackberry, the wild rose, the ivy, and the holly, and even 

 turnips in extremity, to which latter they do considerable 

 damage, by rendering them exposed, through their depredations, 

 to the action of the weather. Insect food, however, is that 

 which they prefer, but when the season has been favourable 

 to the ripening of the hawthorn berries, and they hang in 

 well-ripened clusters on the sprays, a comely and a beautiful 

 sight, they tempt the bird to forsake the ground for the 

 leafless hedge, even when other food may be to be found 

 elsewhere, and no stress of weather compels to it. When it 

 does, they will come even into gardens near houses to feed 

 on berries, though usually so extremely shy: at such times 

 too the borders of streams are much frequented by them, on 

 account of the thaw there produced by the higher temperature 

 of the water. They swallow also a small quantity of fragments 

 of stone, to aid the triturition of their food. 



