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a number of the pretty little Redwings to every one of the wary

Fieldfares that fell to our gun.


Dr. Butler favours us with various details of the lives and

habits of these two birds both in their summer haunts and when

in their winter quarters in these Islands, but thinks it necessary

to defend a statement of his own that he once saw a flock of

Redwings on a thorn hedge feeding on the haws, and, as we

understand him, limits the feeding-time of these birds on haws

to the twilight soon after their arrival in this country. Not only

is the Redwing particularly fond of thorn trees and hedges with

their haws at all times, but a tall thorn hedge is one of its

favourite roosting-places, and a place where a roosting Fieldfare

will never, we think, be found. But here we may raise the

question, Where does the Fieldfare roost ? on this point we are,

unfortunately, not enlightened. Some say it roosts on the

ground ; certainly we never found it roosting in the hedges or

shrubberies, nor yet in the ivy-mantled elms or oaks along with

the Missel Thrushes, Wild Pigeons, Cuckoos, etc. We were

surrounded, however, by large woods, in which any number of

Fieldfares may have roosted unobserved. In our aviary, a

favourite roosting-place of one of these birds was a beam some

seven feet from the ground, where, on a moonlight night, it could

be plainly seen from the house ; this beam was in a very exposed

position, and, being smooth, did not afford any hold to the bird’s

feet ; and yet during a heavy gale we have seen it squatting on

this beam, head to the wind, as securely and immovably as if

it formed a part of it ; where the others roosted we cannot

positively say. We have had not less than five, and might have

had many more, and all from a man who used to net in the fen

country, from whom we received Snipes, Woodcocks, Thick-

knees, and other ground birds, but never a Redwing, so probably

the Fieldfares were netted on the ground ; but it never occurred

to us to ask the question, and we have since lost sight of the

man.


Dr. Butler has been more successful with his caged Field¬

fare than many people, for the captives of the latter are often

dirty and tailless. We have never tried a Fieldfare in a cage;

but in our garden aviary they did well, and were handsome

additions, particularly in the winter when the foreigners were

mostly in the house ; their familiar cry was ever a source of

delight to us, but they never distinguished themselves with their

song. It must be borne well in mind that they are by nature

wild and timid, and, although quiet enough in a small place, will

dash about wildly in an unsuitable large one. You must cut



