FIELDFARE. 199 
that, arriving here in large flocks in search of food, and if 
the weather continues open and mild, spreading themselves 
over pasture-lands to look for worms, slugs, the larve of 
insects, and any other soft-bodied animals of that sort ; but 
on the occurrence of snow or frost, they betake themselves 
to the hedges, and feed greedily on haws and various other 
berries. At this time they are much sought after by youth- 
ful gunners, who find them shy and difficult to approach : 
the whole flock taking wing and keeping together, settle by 
scores on some distant tree, from whence, if again disturbed, 
they wheel off in a body as before. Should the weather 
become very severe, the Fieldfares leave us to go farther 
south, and are again seen on their return, They are known 
to go as far to the south and to the east as Minorca, Sicily, 
Malta, Smyrna, and Erzeroom. The Fieldfare does not 
return to its breeding-ground till late in the season. I have 
known them shot on the 12th of May, and others have 
been seen much later. White of Selborne says, that one 
particular season they remained till the beginning of June ; 
and he asks, why do they not breed in the Highlands? 
Some instances have occurred of the Fieldfare breeding in 
this country; and Pennant, or the editor rather of the last 
edition of the British Zoology, mentions two instances that 
came to his knowledge. More recently, a nest has been 
found in Kent, and others in Yorkshire and Scotland; but 
in Orkney and Shetland, according to the observations 
of Mr. Dunn, it is only seen on its passage to and from other 
countries. Mr. W. C. Hewitson, who visited Norway a 
few summers since, thus describes the nesting habits of the 
Fieldfare :—After a long ramble through some very thick 
woods, ‘‘our attention was attracted by the harsh cries of 
several birds, which we at first supposed must be Shrikes, 
but which afterwards proved to be Fieldfares. We were 
