HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE -GOSSIP. 



lOI 



of young men, who, thougli en diinanclics, showed by 

 their heavy, slouching gait they were tillers of the 

 soil, proudly paraded the heath, while others spent 

 their hard-earned coppers in short rides upon un- 

 fortunate skeleton horses and ponies brought from 

 Maidstone and surrounding districts. Perhaps this 

 Mas the only part of the scene that produced pain in 

 the beholder. To see those poor half-starved brutes 

 mercilessly belaboured with sticks in the vain effort 

 to make them move their weak, stiffened limbs at an 

 impossible speed, was really painful, and greatly 

 marred the pleasing effect of the scene, which in 

 every other respect seemed one of light, thoughtless 

 happiness. The " Society for the Prevention of 

 Cruelty to Animals " might have done good service 

 here, and would do well to have an agent present at 

 all such gatherings. 



From here we drove to Grove Green, the boyhood 

 haunts of my friend, in whom it stirred up many 

 sweet remembrances of the past, and who was thus 

 led to give me many reminiscences of those happy 

 days of yore that made one mentally sigh — 



I would I were a careless boy. 



Returning through country lanes bordered with 

 wood and high banks, a la Devonshire, we finally 

 struck the high road from Maidstone to Chatham. 

 It was now dusk, but our route up the long, steep 

 " Blue Bell Hill," along which we thought it right 

 to walk to ease the horse, was lightened by the 

 incessant singing of the thrush and blackbird, and 

 the occasional calls of other birds preparatoiy to their 

 final settling down for the night. 



We arrived home about 8.30, bearing our spoils 



for further examination, and a rich harvest of sweet 



recollections for future years. 



J. IIepworth. 



THE RING OUSEL. 



{Tiifdiis iorqiiatiis.) 



THIS bold and handsome Thrush is somewhat 

 thinly distributed over our islands, becoming 

 more frequent as we advance northwards. It is 

 common in France, Germany, and other parts of 

 Europe. Unlike the Fieldfare and Redwing, which 

 visit us in the winter, the Ring Ousel is a summer 

 visitant, arriving on our shores in April. 



It inhabits the wildest parts of our moors and 

 commons, among the secluded glens and large 

 boulders of rocks over which flow swift mountain- 

 torrents. Soon after their arrival the Ring Ousels 

 commence building their nests, which are generally 

 placed on or near the ground, on some bank, 

 especially one which is near to water. They are 

 somewhat common on the moors near Sheffield, and 

 in the Peak of Derbyshire : hence one of their local 

 names, " Moor Blackbird." It has for the last three 

 years bred, to my knowledge, on the banks of a large 



piece of water near Sheffield, The nest, something 

 like the Blackbird's in shape and materials, is com- 

 posed of coarse grass, cemented with mud, and lined 

 with fine grass and roots. The eggs, five in number, 

 one inch and a quarter long, by seven-eighths broad, 

 are of a bluish-green ground-colour, spotted and 

 blotched with brown. They bear a striking resem- 

 blance to those of the Blackbird. When their nest 

 is approached, they fly round in circles, uttering loud 



Fig. 84. The Ring Ousel {Tnidiis iorgimiiis). 



cries, and will feign lameness, fluttering along the 

 ground with drooping wings, and try every artifice to 

 lead the intruder from their coveted treasure. I have 

 known them fly into my face, and I have even 

 struck them with a fishing-rod, but still they have 

 darted at me, and turned away with the rapidity of 

 an arrow, and have followed me, keeping up their 

 incessant cries, until I have gone some distance from 

 the place where their nest was concealed. 



The food of the Ring Ousel is composed of snails, 

 insects, and berries ; it is also very partial to fruit, to 

 gain which, it makes great depredations in the 

 garden and orchard, for which penalty it sometimes 

 suffers death by the hand of the indignant gardener. 



The length of the male Ring Ousel is from ten to 

 twelve inches ; beak yellow, tipped with black ; 

 head, neck, back, wing-coverts, upper tail-coverts, 

 wings, and tail, all one colour, which is brownish 

 black, each feather of body bordered with blackish 

 grey ; throat, belly, and under tail-coverts, same as 

 upper parts. Across the chest is a band of pure 



