THE FIELDFARE f 



after by the fowler, its flesh being considered by many superior to 

 that of the Quail and Woodcock. It owes perhaps some of this 

 unfortunate distinction to the fact of its arriving in France in time 

 to fatten on grapes, for in this country it is often too lean to be 

 worth cooking. Being impatient of cold, it is less abundant in the 

 north of England than the south ; but even in the mild climates 

 of Devon and Cornwall, where it congregates in large numbers, it 

 is so much enfeebled by unusually severe weather, as to be liable to 

 be hunted down by boys with sticks, and a Redwing starved to 

 death used to be no unfrequent sight in the course of a winter's 

 ramble. As long as the ground remains neither frozen nor snowed 

 up, the open meadows may be seen everywhere spotted with these 

 birds, but when the earth becomes so hard as to resist their efforts 

 in digging up worms and grubs, they repair to the cliffs which border 

 the sea-coast, where some sunny nook is generally to be found, to 

 woods in quest of berries, or to the water-courses of sheltered val- 

 leys. At these times they are mostly silent, their only note, when 

 they utter any, being simple and harsh ; but in France they are 

 said to sing towards the end of February, and even in this country 

 they have been known to perch on trees in mild weather, and execute 

 a regular song. Towards the end of April or beginning of May, 

 they take their departure northwards, where they pass the summer, 

 preferring woods and thickets in the vicinity of marshes. Mr. 

 Hewitson states that while he was travelling through Norway ' the 

 Redwing was but seldom seen, and then perched upon the summit 

 of one of the highest trees, pouring forth its delightfully wild note. 

 It was always very shy, and upon seeing our approach would drop 

 suddenly from its height, and disappear among the underwood. 

 Its nest, which we twice found with young ones (although our unceas- 

 ing endeavours to find its eggs were fruitless) , was similar to that of 

 the Fieldfare. The Redwing is called the Nightingale of Norway, 

 and well it deserves the name ', and Turdus Iliacus because it 

 frequented in such great numbers the environs of Ilion-Troy. 



THE FIELDFARE 



TURDUS PILARIS 



Head, nape, and lower part of the back dark ash colour ; upper part of the 

 back and wing-coverts chestnut brown ; lore black ; a white rim above 

 the eyes ; throat and breast yellowish red with oblong dark spots ; 

 feathers on the flanks spotted with black and edged with white ; abdomen 

 pure white without spots ; under wing-coverts white, beak brown, 

 tipped with black. Length ten inches, breadth seventeen inches. 

 Eggs light blue, mottled all over with dark red brown spots. 



The Fieldfare is little inferior in size to the Missel Thrush, with 

 which, however, it is not likely to be confounded even at a distance, 

 owing to the predominant bluish tinge of its upper plumage. In 

 the west of England, where the Thrush is called the Greybird, to 



