'<?38 HISTORY or 



some tree, as all of this kind are found to do, and lays four or 

 live eggs in the season. Its song is very fine, which it begins in 

 spring, sitting on the summit of a high tree. It is the largest 

 liird of all the feathered tribe that has music in its voice; the 



grouud. We have found tlipm in hedges, thorn bushes, and amongst the 

 under branches of spruce and silver firs. These last conceal it, for the 

 branches must be lifted up or put aside before the nest can bo discovered ; 

 but in hedges it is easily seen, as instinct compels the bird to build so early 

 in spring, that the foliage has not time to conceal it." 



Red-vnng. — Tliis species, like the field-fare, is a periodical visitant, and 

 generally makes its appearance a few weeks prior to that bird, arriving 

 upon our north-eastern coa-'ts about the middle or latter part of October. 

 During its residence here, it remains gregarious, and haunts the meadows 

 and pastures, as long as open weather continues ; on the approach of frost, 

 repairing to woods and hedges, where the hawthorn, holly, and some other 

 trees attbrd, by their berries, the necessary means of subsistence. Should the 

 weather prove very severe, or a failure of food occur, they continue their mi- 

 gration southward, an instance of which happened in the winter of 1822. In 

 the first storm of snow, which lasted for nearly three weeks, large flocks of 

 field-fares and redwings were collected about the hedges, and on the out- 

 skirts of woods, where they li^ed upon the berries of the hawthorn, and 

 which, fortunately for them, were in great abundance. This supply, how. 

 ever, rapidly decreased ; but before its total failure, a few days of thaw in. 

 tervened previous to the commencement of the second severe storm. Taking 

 advantage of this change of weather, they were enabled to pursue a more 

 extended southern migration, and scarcely an individual was afterwards 

 seen in Northumberland Jlontagu mentions, that, in the hard \rinter of 

 1799, vast numbers of tliese birds resorted to the west of England, where a 

 sudden fall of snow deprived them of all food, and being previously too much 

 reduced for farther travel to a warmer climate, thousands of them, as weU 

 as of field-fares, perished from starvation. The same accident occurred in 

 the year 1814, the winter of which proved particularly fatal to the thrush 

 tribe, to larks, and other small birds, as was evinced in the striking diminu- 

 tion of their numbers for some years afterwards. The habits of this bird 

 are very similar to those of the other species. — It has a clear and melodious 

 note, and its song, when in its native or summer residence, is said to be 

 scarcely inferior to that of o>ir common thrush. Upon the approach of 

 ispring it returns to the northern provinces of Europe, where it breeds, and 

 passes the summer. It is very abundant in Sweden, NorHay, Lapland, 

 and Russia. — In these coiuitries it inhabits the woods and thickets adjoin. 

 ing to low or marshy tracts, and builds in maple, birch, and other trees, 

 laying from four to six eggs, of a bluish-green colour, marked with blackish. 

 bromi spots. — In addition to fruits and berries, it feeds upon insects and 

 worms. 



Black-hird. — This bird is well known as a native of the British Islands. 

 It is of a shy and restless disposition, always anxious to escape from obser. 

 vation, and generally successful in that effort, as it hops with singular cele. 

 rity through the closest hedges or thickets, and its presence is often ouly 

 known by the note it utters on alarm. It never associates ostensibly, i re- 



