6 7 6 



The Sparrow-like Birds 



below. It ranges throughout northern and central Europe and eastern Asia, 

 breeding at the north and wintering partially in the more southern districts, 

 being for example particularly abundant in the British Islands, where it has 

 greatly increased in recent years and where it frequents woods, orchards, parks, 

 and gardens the year round. During the nesting season it apparently recog- 

 nizes the protection afforded by the proximity to human habitations and is there 

 fairly tame ; but when the young are reared they congregate in flocks of a dozen 

 to fifty or more and become very shy and difficult to approach. Their food in 

 summer consists largely of insects, worms, snails, etc., but in winter they sub- 

 sist on berries of the mistletoe, yew, service trees, and such insects as they chance 

 to get. They mate early, usually the first part of February, and soon set about 



nest building, placing the bulky Robin-like 

 nest in a tree, usually at some distance 

 from the ground, and deposit four or five 

 eggs, which are reddish gray or brownish 

 olive spotted with chocolate. They are silent 

 at this season unless disturbed, when they 

 become clamorous and vigorous -in the de- 

 fense of their treasures, not hesitating to 

 attack birds of large size; two or three 

 broods are reared in a season. The Mistle- 

 toe Thrush is one of the few birds that 

 sings during the winter and in the most 

 inclement weather, "and it is this habit," 

 says Hudson, "and something in the wild 

 and defiant character of the song, heard 

 above the tumult of nature, which has won 

 for him the proud name ()f Storm-cock." 



Fieldfare. One of the commonest Thrushes of the north is the Fieldfare 

 (T. pilaris), which in summer occurs from the Atlantic as far east as Yenisei 

 valley in Siberia, coming south in winter to Turkestan on the east and North 

 Africa on the west, being especially abundant in Great Britain at this season. It 

 is gregarious all the year round, often occurring in immense flocks during the 

 migrations which are performed at night. It breeds in scattered colonies, usu- 

 ally placing the nest in low trees such as fir trees and birches, constructing it of 

 grasses, pine twigs, and moss, with a shell of mud and an inner lining of fine grass ; 

 the four or five eggs are greenish blue spotted with reddish brown. The young 

 at first are quite tame, but they soon become shy and in their winter homes are 

 usually seen in fields and meadows if the ground is bare of snow, otherwise they 

 repair to hedges and shrubbery, where they feed upon hips and haws. Their 

 ordinary note is loud and harsh, but in summer they have a lower, rather indif- 

 ferent song which is generally uttered while the birds are on the wing. In color 

 the Fieldfare has the head and neck ashy gray, the back and wing-coverts chest- 

 nut-brown, and the throat and chin yellow streaked with black, while the lower 

 parts are reddish brown spotted with black. 



FlG. 196. European Song Thrush, 

 Turdus musicus. 



