200 MERULIDZ. 
soon delighted by the discovery of several of their nests, 
and were surprised to find them (so contrary to the habits 
of other species of the genus Turdus with which we are 
acquainted) breeding in society. Their nests were at 
various heights from the ground, from four feet to thirty or 
forty feet or upwards, they were, for the most part, placed 
against the trunk of the spruce fir; some were, however, at a 
considerable distance from it, upon the upper surface and 
towards the smaller end of the thicker branches: they 
resembled most nearly those of the Ring Ouzel; the out- 
side is composed of sticks, and coarse grass and weeds 
gathered wet, matted with a small quantity of clay, and 
lined with a thick bed of fine dry grass: none of them yet 
contained more than three eggs, although we afterwards 
found that five was more commonly the number than four, 
and that even six was very frequent; they are very 
similar to those of the Blackbird, and even more so to the 
Ring Ouzel. The Fieldfare is the most abundant bird in 
Norway, and is generally diffused over that part which we 
visited ; building, as already noticed, in society, two 
hundred nests or more being frequently seen within a very 
small space.” The eggs are light blue, mottled over with 
spots of dark red brown; the length one inch three lines, 
the breadth ten lines. 
Wm. Christy, Esq., Jun., who, with a party of natural- 
ists, visited Norway in the summer of 1836, says, on the 
mountains called the Dovrefeld, Fieldfares were rearing 
their young; they were just able to fly about on the 6th of 
August. 
The call-note of the Fieldfare is harsh ; but its song is 
soft and melodious. In confinement it soon becomes recon- 
ciled, and sings agreeably. At night when at large it fre- 
quents evergreens and thick plantations; but, unlike its 
