126 
s of the gardens and shrubberies. Regularly every. 
year the birds will come, and, if they are not molested, remain stationary throughout the winter, 
giving animation by their presence to the landscape, and filling the wintry air with their cheerful 
pleasing notes. But the Red-wing has other haunts, quite as dear to it as those in our own land. 
In spring the Red-wings seek the northern forests for the purpose of propagating their species. In 
Scandinavia they frequent the fir- and birch-woods. Here amongst these scattered forests, which 
lie at the feet of the high stony ranges of the fells, the Red-wing finds a summer home. Wild and 
romantic are its breeding-grounds—plains and valleys, meadow and cultivated land, and dells 
covered with the marsh-loving alder and willow and birch trees growing in wildest luxuriance. 
Vast morasses, rivers, inland lakes whose margins are fringed with a heavy growth of various reeds 
and sedges, forest lands, meadows and plains are the features of the ever-changing landscape. In 
such wild and secluded regions as these, the border land between forest and fell, the Red-wing 
breeds, far from those busy haunts of men which the bird 
the blasts of winter render its northern home untenable. 
“The migrations of the Red-wing form a prominent 
woodlands are painted with the ruddy hues of autumn and the corn is garnered, the first flocks of 
the Red-wing may be looked for. They come to our islands during the latter days of October— 
although their arrival is very irregular : for occasionally Red-wings come in the opening days of the 
month; yet in other seasons not a bird has arrived until the first week in November, the state of the 
season possibly influencing their movements. Red-wings, like Song-Thrushes, perform their migra- 
tions under the cover of darkness. On the clear starlight nights of October their peculiar call-notes 
may be often heard as the birds flit across the sky above, invisible of course in the gloom. The 
Red-wing's early arrival on our shores, as compared with that of the Fieldfare, is attributable to two 
causes. In the first place Red-wings are more susceptible to cold than Fieldfares ; and, secondly, 
At their arrival Red-wings are exceedingly shy and wary; 
vercome, and they are then one of the 
when the dusk is falling they seek the evergreen 
delights to frequent so confidingly when 
feature in its life-history. When the 
they are more exclusively insectivorous. 
but after a few weeks this natural shyness of disposition is o 
most trustful members of this charming family of choristers. Towards the latter end of March the 
Red-wings visibly decrease in number, and as the month of April approaches they rapidly leave us 
for the north ; flock succeeds flock ; and by the middle of the month few are left behind. 
<“ Red-wings remain perhaps later on their feeding-grounds than any other British Thrush. As 
you wander over their favourite pastures at nightfall, when most other birds have gone to rest, you 
will often flush the Red-wings from their evening meal. Here and there they rise from the herbage, 
uttering their plaintive whistling note, fly quickly off, and are soon lost in the gloom. If disturbed on 
the pastures in the daytime they rise irregularly, and when in the air there is none of that uniformity 
or precision of movement observable which is so characteristic of the Common Starling. They pass 
through the air on rapid wing, often at a considerable elevation ; and their flight is rather undulating, 
being performed by a series of quick flappings, 
closed, and during which they descend a little out of the direct line of flig 
Red-wings perform en masse the most graceful evolutions in the air, almos 
This is usually the case when they are disturbed from their ro 
manceuvre in the air, and pass round amongst the topmost branches 
dipping near to the earth or alighting on the top of some tall tree, un 
vanishes, and they can seek their nightly perches in peace. As a rule, 
to roost, Ше Red-wing is not a noisy bird ; and when a whole tree-top is С 
or two notes will be heard. How different from a flock of Starlings or 
delight in making as much noise as possible when congregated together. 
with short intervals between, when the wings are 
cht. Sometimes, however, 
t like a flock of Starlings. 
osting-places. They wheel and 
of the forest trees, occasionally 
til the cause of the disturbance 
except when a flock is going 
overed with them only one 
Bramblings! who seem 10 
—9 
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