196 
.NATURAL ' HISTORY 
The song-thrush, or throstle, is distinguished among 
the singing birds, by the clearness and fulness of his 
note; his song is sweet and various, which begins early 
in spring, and continues best part of the summer. 
Fieldfare. (PL 31.) This bird is somewhat less than 
the thrush. The bill is yellow; each corner of the mouth 
is furnished with a few black bristly hairs; the eye is light 
brown; the top of the head and back part of the neck are 
of a light ash colour, the former spotted with black; the 
back and coverts of the wings are of a deep hoary brown; 
the throat and breast are yellow, regularly spotted with 
black; the belly and thighs of a yellowish white; the tail 
brown, inclining to black; legs dusky yellowish brown; in 
young birds yellow. 
The fieldfare is only a visitant in England, making its 
appearance about the beginning of October, in order to 
avoid the rigorous winters of the north, whence it some- 
times comes in great flocks, according to the severity of 
the season, and leaves England about the latter end of 
February or the beginning of March, and retires to Rus- 
sia, Sweden, Norway, and as far as Siberia and Kamt- 
schatka. During the winter they feed on haws and other 
berries; they likewise eat worms, snails, and slugs. 
There is a variety of this bird, of which the head and 
neck are of a yellowish white: the rest of the body nearly 
of the same colour, mixed with a few brown feathers; the 
spots on the breast faint and indistinct: the quill feathers 
perfectly white, except one or two on each side, which 
are brown; the tail is marked in a similar manner. 
Fieldfares are sometimes seen singly, but in general 
form very numerous flocks, and fly in a body: and 
though they often spread themselves through the fields 
in search of food, they seldom lose sight of each other, 
but, when alarmed, fly off, and collect together upon the 
same tree. 
Cuckoo. ( Cuculus . Wih Pi. 31.) This singular bird 
is nearly the size of a pigeon, shaped somewhat like a 
magpie, and distinguished from all other birds by its 
round prominent nostrils. The head, neck, back, and 
wing coverts are of a dove colour: the breast and belly 
