SG 
FIELDFARE. 
eggs. In these instances, the nests have been 
quite solitary. 
A specimen shot in December, presented the 
following colours, which, with a slight variation 
of depth and clearness, will come near to the ordi- 
nary winter dress of the species : — Bill black at the 
tip, yellow towards the base, particularly of the 
lower mandible ; crown, cheeks, nape of the neck, 
rump, and upper tail coverts gray, (the lavender 
purple of Syme ;) the centre of the feathers on 
the crown streaked with black, which, towards 
the breeding season, appears to widen, and be- 
come deeper tinted ; before the eye, and beneath 
it, there is a patch of the same black which some- 
times runs narrowly over the auriculars ; above 
the eye there is a streak of pale gray sometimes 
inclining to pale yellowish white ; the centre of 
the back and wing coverts are rich umber-brown, 
deeper in the centre, and on the coverts edged 
with paler ; quills blackish brown ; secondaries 
edged with paler brown, primaries with gray ; 
tail blackish brown, feathers at the base edged 
with grayish brown ; throat, breast, and flanks 
ochraceous yellow, the centre of the feathers 
dashed with black, these markings broadest on the 
sides of the breast and flanks ; centre of the belly 
and under tail coverts, pure white, the latter at 
their base having grayish blotches running up 
the outer part of the webs ; under wing coverts 
and axillary feathers pure white. Length about 
ten to ten and a half inches. The Fieldfare is 
sometimes found with the whole colours of a paler 
