6o 



THE NATURE BOOK 



Redwing by its axillary or armpit feathers, 

 which are white ; "whilst in the Song 

 Thrush thev are huffish yellow, and in the 



BLACKBIRD'S NEST AND EGGS. 



Redwing, as its name implies, they are a 

 decided chestnut-red. Redwing and Song 

 Thrush may also be known apart, in that 

 the former has a well-defined whitish 

 stripe over the eye, extending from the 

 beak nearly to the nape. There are dark 

 spots on tiie throat and breast of all four 

 species, but they are largest and most 

 conspicuous in the Missel Thrush, their 

 surrounding ground colouring being also 

 lighter than in either of the other three 

 birds. The entire upper plumage of the 

 Fieldfare is strikingly different from the 

 uniform sombre olive-brown of Mavish, 

 Redwing, or Missel Thrush, although it 

 has the white armj)it of the latter. His 

 head and rump are slate-grey ; wings 

 and tail are conspicuously dark ; throat 

 rich brown, streaked rather than spotted 

 with l)lack ; and the belly is white ; the 

 latter being clearly seen in flight. In 

 some seasons Fieldfares stay with us as 



late as the first week in May, by which 

 time the beaks of the males have become 

 brightly suffused with yellow. Neither 

 the Fieldfare nor Redwing remains to breed 

 or sing in England, and so their call or 

 alarm notes alone can assist us in distin- 

 guishing them by ear, the noisy " chack- 

 chack " of the former being more fre- 

 quently heard than the softer and subdued 

 " se-you " of the latter. Both of these 

 birds are more or less gregarious, feeding, 

 flying, and roosting in small parties. It 

 is a habit of the wily Fieldfares, whilst 

 resting on tree or fence, for all members 

 of the assembly to face one way, ready 

 to take wing at once should their sentinel 

 give the alarm note. Curiously enough, 

 both these winter visitors from more 

 northern climes succumb to frost and snow 

 sooner than Song or Missel Thrush, being 

 probably less omnivorous and more chary 



SONG niKL'SllS NEST AND EGGS. 



of a])j)roaching the habitations of man, 

 even when hunger jiresses. 



The song of Mavish and Missel Thrush 

 may sometimes be dilficult of identification. 



