quents evergreens and thick plantations; but, unlike its
congeners, it has frequently been known to roost on the
ground among fern, heath, or furze, on bushy commons.
This bird is well known in Sweden, Russia, and Siberia,
where it is found only in summer: in Poland, Prussia, and
Austria, it remains the whole year; but in France, and the
still more southern countries of Europe, it is only a winter
visitor, extending its migration, in that season, as before
stated, to Minorca, Smyrna, and Syria.
The point of the beak is black; the base of the upper
mandible dark brown, the base of the lower mandible pale
yellow brown; the space between the beak and the eye
black ; the irides hazel brown; the upper part of the head
ash grey, spotted with dark brown; the neck, ear-coverts,
upper part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, ash
grey; the back, wings, and wing-coverts, rich hazel brown ;
greater wing-coverts edged with grey; wing-primaries dark
slate grey, the outer edges and tips lighter grey, the shafts
black : upper surface of tail-feathers nearly black ; the tail in
form slightly forked : chin and throat golden amber, streaked
longitudinally with black; the breast reddish brown, spotted
with black : the belly, flanks, and under tail-coverts, white ;
the two latter spotted with greyish brown and dark brown :
under wing-coverts white ; under surface of wing-primaries
and of the tail-feathers dark slate grey : legs and toes dark
brown ; claws black.
The whole length of the Fieldfare is full ten inches : the
length of the wing from the carpal joint, five inches and five-
eighths ; the first wing-feather very short; the second a little
longer than the fifth ; the third and fourth feathers equal in
length, and the longest in the wing.
The female has the beak darker brown ; the head more
clouded with brown ; the colour of the back less pure, and
the legs of a paler brown.
1NSESSORES.
DENTIROSTRES.
MERUL1U/E.
TH E SONG THRUSH.
Turdus musicus, The Song Thrush, P enn. Brit. Zool. vol. i. p. 407.
,, ,, ,, ,, Montagu, Ornith. Diet.
,, ,, ,, ,, B ewick, Brit. Birds, vol. i. p. 119.
,, ,, Common ,, F lem. Brit. An. p. 64.
Merula musica, Song ,, Selby, Brit. Ornith. vol. i. p. 162.
Turdus musicus, ,, ,, J enyns, Brit. Vert. p. 100.
,, ,, ,, ,, G ould, Birds of Europe, pt. iv.
,, ,, Merle Grive, T emm. Man. d’Ornith. vol. i. p. 164.
T he Song T hrush is not only well known, but is also a
general favourite, from the prevailing opinion that of our
larger singing birds the Thrush is the best, possessing to a
greater extent than others a combination of the three requisites
;—power, quality of tone, and variety. Its song is also
continued through a large portion of the year, beginning early