THE FIELDFARE. 
3 33 
which had been preceded by snow. Two wild-fowl shooters who 
were out in the bay every morning for a week previous to the 
commencement of the frost, heard large flocks of these birds 
flying overhead before daybreak. They all came from a northerly 
and proceeded in a southerly direction. The frost and snow setting 
in northwards probably before it reached us may have compelled 
the birds to migrate to a more genial climate. There was no 
moonlight at the time. 
On the 27th and 28th of January, 1848, when hard frost had 
for some time prevailed, and the ground was sparingly covered, 
with snow, an accurate observer, for a long time watched a large 
flock of from 150 to 200 of these birds, in a field of Swedish 
turnips at Island hill, near Strangford Lough. Lying behind the 
fence, hidden by a furze or whin-bush, he was within four yards 
of the nearest, and saw that the birds generally over the field 
were engaged pecking eagerly at the roots of the turnip. They 
were very pugnacious, attacking each other like game-cocks ; a 
couple thus engaged, sometimes springing even two feet into the 
air ; never less than about a dozen pair were thus off the ground 
at the same time. This singular appearance was the means of 
attracting from a distance the attention of my informant to the 
spot. When a couple were fighting, a third often came up 
and attacked one of them, which was no sooner done, than the 
previous combatant so relieved betook itself again to turnip-feeding. 
They never fought long , — “ only two or three blows at a time,”— 
but kept up a continual feast and continual battle. On afterwards 
examining the turnips in the field, he saw, to his surprise, consi- 
dering their being hard frozen, and the weak bills of the birds, that 
they had to a great extent been eaten by the fieldfares. As water 
would lodge where the roots had been pecked, they would, he 
conceived, be rotted in consequence, to the serious damage of the 
crop. Live of these birds having been shot and brought to Bel- 
fast, I had an opportunity of examining their stomachs ; which, 
even before being opened, all smelled strongly of turnips, and 
on being cut into, were found to be filled exclusively with that 
