P I L A R I S , Lm n.
TURD US PILARIS, Um.
Field fans
Turdtis pilaris, Linn. Syst. Nat., torn. i. p. 291.
Silvia pilaris, Savi.
Merula pilaris, Selby, III. lin t. Ora., vol. i. p. 160.
Arceuthornis pilaris, Kaup.
T h e Fieldfare and Redwing are so intimately associated, t h a t when the mind reverts to one, the thoughts
are naturally led to the other. Both are migrants, which come to this country in autumn for the purpose of
spending the winter ; and both simultaneously depart again in spring, to breed and pass the summer in
Norway, Lapland, and Russia. Like the Jackdaw and the Rook, they frequently unite hi large flocks ; but
this baud of brotherhood is broken up a t the period of reproduction ; each then goes its own wav, and
selects its own locality,—the larger bird o r Fieldfare nesting in communities, the smaller or Redwing more
solitarily.
Thé countries bordering the Arctic Circle are more quickly influenced by the retiring of the sun than
those further south, hence in the early part of autumn or the months o f September and October mscct-Ufe
becomes more scarce; and, as no haws o r berries are produced there, the great hordes of these birds are
necessitated to proceed further south, some to the British Islands other* to France and Soain -mH •
to southern Russia and Persia : from north to wmth at >m- OMMO, mrrf rfoe uni at thé niininiidi ,r
the directions in which these bird* and to«*** a w n t o n •mimain imtnrf *** 4 a , ^
consciences by considering the destruction o f a Wrirrors* h ù Mtffft
beneath the hedgerows the entire day for a rfimmfi ffottf a t s
and the Blackbird to fly off unscathed from the «ideh àkrag ¿. orwotng
On their arrival in the mtamo. the F irk tf im spread tfotntekes no te n e n d h o r tr th c »hate o f the Britirf.
Islands, that then- & no pwrt of the n w a n in which the bird mav not ?«> found if the bo
Arable lands, pastures, «rtcMHV Iwaitbfc. s ^ t «ri&eiwdiv rostMssd iu ■ É H à 'h h t e
surface o f the ground, and search«* for the mseg», n tn h iuhI «.«cher lam« which carnt :t-iv :t f • 11
frost sets in, the berry-bearing trees o f the hedgerow .jfor.j it « ttttiirlr : if the wntfhti htrn q i , » «LU
more severe, and this kind o f food scant, a southerly and westeriv movement take* place and an navinot »*
sought in the warm and moist counties of Devonshire and Com wall • here it remains until the wttffher
breaks, when it again returns to its former localities. In ibis way the bird spends the winter and awni«*
the return o f the sun, some remaining until the end of April, and even til) the beginning o f Mm t
.hey wing their way across the northern seas to their summer hoirie Hut do they »11 go? Doe* »nt
remnant remain behind and breed in some part of Scotland ? I limik »uffk v u t evtdemN hns hem* adduced
by various writers that such is the case ; but I must caution my readers not to mistake for it th< MhwL
Thrush, which o f late years has become very numerous in that country. I bave no intention o f a
doubt upon the truthfulness o f those who have asserted that the Fieldfare breeds in the British fiforuL.
for some o f their remarks are certainly worthy of consideration, and, I think it IfaJv, v foqnderf
in fact, and that now and then a pair, or a few pairs, may remain and breed in came fo-fo-W- .• . (
Highlands. On this head the kite Mr. St. John says •• 30th of April : the Ffefcfifiwe» are *rr« Wry, be* >m
in numbers as they were a few days ago, when large flock* passed by. on their o-d \ ft
pairs I am told breed in the large woods near ?ht Spey ; «mi in IfkfS 1 s!j. =«■: a .«:• ■,.= - -s a p ........ r. ;,.
from that district by a brother of Mr, Dunbar, who described it a s ha v tog h»eo iihucuüd war
In some remarks communicated to the ‘ Field ’ by Mr. JfclcwaadteT Frnanr. of (t&mrfnvth, Halils*« -A' H h r
says :— “ I observe that several o f y o u r correwtmdtiHta numtinn os roe* tto o f 4m fMdHfanr in
Scotland as late as May. About a ftrtmglrt ago i had jwhttad **ct to me s*»t «twiewed to hs;
Thrush’s. The bird was evidently sitting. Tw» dm* after, vhe nest had been hnrrard. and m m
away ; however, I have the nest itself. It imswrr* dmeriathxi martdy. T u d w f hnrf éfo. ■ •.-. »-«v
another nest o f the same bird. It bas at p? * . -<0 = ; «W - , K>»Lti»re. «MdMdfcMdbi f t .
gamekeeper here tells me he has frequently seen nrsts o f f tc «mar hwd ; I w n d f f t h f l 'I lM t dhmma
it before. I believe it is generally supposed mn to hrae d tit à m «SMatn , f o » *** s i hfod tin* ■■
the contrary. Both nests were built in the for* cleft of two«. mlmt N
Mr. Hevvitspn, who, with the e&thtMttMi «>1 R a.-. . ■... M
nesting expedition to the coast of Norway in the ; d ; s-vfo amswrswwd
and B. Johnson, when speaking of thi* ltmiT « s y s - ' k.A.v^:.fo.v «hot the
to its native land, it was with jwculi.tr the*, we wuerftrd a- A s ittmf&im