by many observers ; but, though the species commonly breeds
in society, and two hundred nests or more have been seen
within a very small space, it is not invariably gregarious,
single nests being not rarely discovered, while in treeless
districts the birds will build on the ground, or even occupy
an unfrequented hut. The eggs are light bluish-green, varying
in shade, and mottled over with small blotches or streaks
of dark or light red-brown ; they usually measure from 1'25
to l -09 by from -87 to ‘73 in., and exceptionally small ones
not more than ‘85 by *67 in. This bird breeds early, the eggs
being often laid, even in Northern Lapland, towards the end
of May; but has two broods in the season, and Mr. William
Christy, who visited Norway in the summer of 1836, found
(Entomol. Mag. iv. p. 476) a nest with eggs in it near Iiaa-
fjord, in West Finmark, so late as the 6th of August.
The call-note of the Fieldfare is harsh, and its song is
poor, though by some called soft and melodious. At night
it usually frequents plantations; but unlike its congeners, it
is sometimes known to roost on stubble-fields.
This bird is well known throughout the three kingdoms.
I t is said by Grliemann to have once occurred in Iceland, and
it has been occasionally obtained in the Faeroes, but it is one
of the commonest species in all parts of continental Scandinavia;
whence, a few birds only remaining in favoured spots,
it generally migrates in autumn, journeying over all the
southern countries of Europe, and though of rare occurrence in
the Iberian peninsula, crossing the Mediterranean to Morocco
and Algeria. Further eastward it has of late years been found
to breed in lower latitudes, even in Bavaria, according to Pastor
Jäckel, and possibly in the Alps. I t is also found in most
parts of the Russian Empire, its northern range being probably
only limited by that of the forests ; but it becomes less
numerous in Oriental Siberia. As, however, it is pretty
common in Cashmere in winter, it can scarcely he otherwise
than proportionally abundant to the northward, and a single
example is known to have been obtained in India, near Simla.
Returning westward, it is found in winter in Turkestan,
Palestine, Egypt and Nubia.
The tip of the hill is black, the base of the upper mandible
dark brown, and that of the lower, pale yellow-brown, but in
spring the whole becomes orange; the lores black : the irides
hazel-brown: the upper part of the head ash-grey, spotted
with dark brown, and a white line extends on each side
from the nostril backward over the eye ; 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; primaries dark slate-
grey, the outer edges and tips lighter, the shafts black ; the
sliglitly-forked tail nearly black above: chin and throat
golden-amber, streaked with black; the breast reddish-brown,
spotted with black; the belly, flanks and lower tail-coverts
white—the two last spotted with greyish-brown and dark
brown; lower wing-coverts white; quills dark slate-grey
beneath : legs and toes very dark brown ; claws black.
The whole length is fully ten inches: the wing from the
carpal joint, five inches and five eighths; the second quill a
little longer than the fifth ; the third and fourth equal in
length, and the longest in the wing.
The female has the bill darker ; the head and back less
pure in colour, and the legs paler.
The young has some resemblance to the adult, but wants
the grey head and nape-—those parts being of a dark brown,
and the superciliary streak is buff; the mantle is of a deep
wood-brown, the feathers bearing a median streak of ochre ;
and the flanks are tinged with orange.