The Redwing. 



225 



Habits and Beeeding. — The Redwing is a bird of passage," 

 being a native of Norway and Sweden, where it breeds. The 

 birds arrive in this country about the middle of October, 

 and leave again, if not prevented by adverse winds, early in 

 May. They are gregarious, and travel in flocks. Like the 

 Fieldfares, with whom they associate, they frequent pastures 

 and stubble fields. In stormy weather, they betake them- 

 selves to hedges and thickets for shelter, as they are unable 

 to make the least headway in a high wind. They do not 

 appear to suffer from cold, so long as they can procure the 

 means of subsistence ; but as soon as the ground is covered 

 with snow, and the pools are frozen over, they commence to 

 travel southward in search of open country where they are 

 more likely to obtain the means of supplying their daily 

 wants. 



Methods of Capture. — Shoot one or two birds, and, having 

 previously prepared two or three hundred limed twigs, cut a good 

 stout branch from a birch tree, lop off the twigs, and make holes 

 where these have been with a bradawl, or small pocket gimlet. 

 Set the bough firmly, in an upright position, in the ground, 

 at some place where the birds come to feed ; then place the 

 twigs in the holes made. Lastly, fix the dead birds near 

 the top of the branch, in such an attitude as to give them 

 the appearance of being alive ; so that, when a flock of Red- 

 wings approaches, they may espy these decoy birds readily, 

 when they will hasten in large numbers down to the branch, 

 and become ensnared. The best time of the year to practise 

 this method of decoying them is about Michaelmas. After 

 a successful take, the process may be repeated in a few days' 

 time. 



Food and Treatment. — In a state of freedom, these birds 

 live principally on worms, and insects of various kinds. When 

 these are not obtainable, they resort to berries of various sorts, 

 such as those of the holly, juniper, hawthorn, and mountain 

 ash. In confinement, they should be fed and treated in the 

 same manner as the Song Thrush or Missel Thrush. They 

 must not be kept in a room heated by artificial means — that 

 is, one heated by an open fire or stove in the day time, and 

 by gas and fire at night — as this treatment will speedily ter- 

 minate their existence. Cold suits them best ; and they 

 never show any signs of suffering from that cause, however 



