ate with redwings and fieldfares, and even with owls, jackdaws, and pigeons. The female makes an artless nest in the hollows of trees, rocks, or old walls, and sometimes in cliffs overhanging the sea: she lays four or five eggs, of a pale greenish ash colour: the young birds are of a dusky brown colour till the first moult. In the winter season these birds fly in large flocks, and, may be known at a great distance by their whirling mode of flight. M. de Buffon compares it to a sort of vortex, in which the whole collective body performs a uniformly circular revolution, yet progressively advances at the same time.

The principal food of Starlings is snails, worms, and insects; but they will eat grain, seeds, and fruit, and are said to be exceedingly fond of cherries. When confined, they will eat raw flesh cut small, or bread soaked in water. They are accused, we know not how truly, of getting into pigeon houses, to suck the eggs, and it is certain that they do great damage in Lincolnshire, by roosting in myriads on the reeds, which are used for thatching in that country, and which they break down by their weight.

the bill is dusky; the corners of the mouth and inside are yellow; the eyes hazel; its breast is distinguished by a crescent of pure white, which almost surrounds the neck, and from which it derives its name: its legs are of a dusky brown. The female differs in having the crescent on the breast much less conspicuous, and in some birds wholly wanting, which has occasioned some authors to consider it as a different species, under the name of the Roch Ouzel.

These birds are found in various parts of this kingdom; but chiefly in the wilder and more mountainous districts. In their habits they resemble the blackbird the female builds her nest in the same manner, and in similar situations, and lays four or five eggs of the same colour; they feed on insects and berries of various kinds, and are very fond of grapes.

THE Thrush tribe includes the Song Thrush, the Fieldfare, the Blackbird, and various other species. Its general character consists in a straightish bill, which bends towards the point, and is slightly notched near the end of the upper mandible; oval nostrils, mostly naked; the tongue a little jagged at the end; a few slender hairs at the corner of the mouth; and

the middle toe joined to the outer one as far as the first joint.

The SONG THRUSH, or THROSTLE, is about eleven inches in length. The bill is dusky, the base of the lower bill yellow; the eyes are hazel; the head, back, and lesser coverts of the wings are of a deep olive brown, the latter tipped with white; the lower part of the back and rump are tinged with yellow; the cheeks are of a yellowish white, spotted with brown, as are also the breast and belly, which are marked with larger spots of a dark brown colour; the quills are brown with pale edges; the tail feathers the same, the three outermost tipped with white; the legs are yellow; the claws black.

When

It begins to sing very early, often on the turn of the year in blowing showery weather, whence in some places it is called the Storm Cock, and its song is heard during nine months. Its note of anger is very loud and harsh, between a chatter and a shriek, which accounts for some of its names. Its usual strain, however, is among the sweetest of the grove, and is often kept up for hours without cessation. brought up from the nest with the woodlark or the nightingale, it will adopt their song. It subsists on various kinds of berries, and likewise on caterpillars and several kinds of insects, with which it also feeds its young. One kind, which is larger than the Fieldfare, while the real Song Thrush is smaller, is called the MISSEL THRUSH, from the berries of the misseltoe being its food.

This bird is found in various parts of Europe, and is said to be migratory in some places, but continues in England the whole year, and frequently has two broods. It builds in woods or orchards, and not seldom in thick hedges near the ground. Fine and soft moss, interwoven with dried grass or hay, forms the outside of the nest, and the inside is curiously plas

tered with cow dung. The female usually lays five or six deep blue eggs, marked with black spots. Buffon says that, in a few of the districts of Poland, Thrushes are sometimes caught in such immense numbers that the inhabitants export small ship loads of them.

THE FIELDFARE.

THIS bird is somewhat bigger than the song thrush, but less than the missel thrush. It has a yellow bill, and each corner of the mouth is furnished with a few black bristly hairs; the eye is light brown: the top of the head and back part of the neck are of a light ash colour, the former spotted with black; the back and coverts of the wings are of a deep hoary brown; the throat and breast are yellow, regularly spotted with black: the belly and thighs of a yellowish white; the rump is cinereous; the tail brown, inclining to black; and the legs are a dusky yellowish brown; in young birds yellow.

There is a variety of this bird, the head and neck of which are of a yellowish white; the rest of the body nearly of the same colour, mixed with a few

brown feathers; the spots on the breast faint and indistinct; the quill feathers perfectly white, except one or two on each side, which are brown; and the tail marked in a similar manner.

The Fieldfare is only a visitant in England, making its appearance about the beginning of October, in order to avoid the rigorous winters of the north, whence it sometimes comes in great flocks, according to the severity of the season, and leaves us about the latter end of February or the beginning of March, and retires to Russia, Sweden, Norway, and as far as Siberia and Kamtschatka. They breed in Sweden and Norway. They build their nests in high trees, and sit on trees during the day, but always roost on the ground. During the winter they feed on haws and other berries; they likewise eat worms, snails, and slugs.

Fieldfares are sometimes seen singly, but in general form very numerous flocks, and fly in a body: and though they often spread themselves through the fields in search of food, they seldom lose sight of each other, but, when alarmed, fly off, and collect together upon the same tree.

There is reason, says Mr. Bingley, to suppose that the flocks of these birds keep a kind of watch to remark and announce the appearance of danger. On any person approaching a tree that is covered with them, they continue fearless, till one at the extremity of the bush, rising on its wings gives a loud and peculiar note of alarm. They then all fly away, except one other, which continues till the person approaches still nearer, to certify as it were the reality of the danger, and afterwards he also flies off, repeating the note of alarm.

The Roman epicures held these birds in such esteem, that they fattened them with crumbs of bread mixed with minced figs, and their flesh is still esteem