112 THE HABITS OF THE RING OUZEL. 



Ring Ouzel. His wild note will first apprize you of his proximity, and you 

 will then catch a sight of him, perched on the top of some grey rock, at a 

 cautious distance from you, and looking at you with a degree of shy curiosity, 

 as if he had never before seen a human being — which is very likely the real 

 state of the case. 



His similarity to the common Blackbird will immediately strike you ; but 

 there is an air of freedom and wildness about him which his more tame 

 congener does not possess. To my mind, there is almost as great a difference 

 between them as between the waddling tenant of the farm-yard, and the fine 

 old Mallard, who, on some bright, frosty morning, starts from the sedges on 

 some river bank, and with the water dripping from his orange feet, wings 

 his way thi-ough the bi'ight, cold air! Far be it from me, however, to 

 depreciate the Blackbird. Every lover of the country and nature must love 

 him, but, whilst he savours of the smoothly -mown lawn and trim hedge-row, 

 the Ring Ouzel reminds you of the purple heather and granite rocks among 

 which he makes his home. 



Like the Golden Oriole, his beautiful though rare relation, he is one of 

 our summer visitors. Gilbert White (blessings on his memory !) was the 

 first to establish the fact of his migration. He makes his appearance about 

 the same time as the swallow, at which period he will occasionally linger 

 about the gardens and plantations which adjoin his native moors. About 

 the end of September, or beginning of October, the mountain ash berries, 

 which grow in abundance about the banks of the Dart, would detain him for 

 a short period from his southern migration. I have been assured, by resi- 

 dents on the moor, that Ring Ouzels may be found there duiing the winter, 

 even in snow storms ; but I must coufess that I have never seen them at 

 such times. I do not know, however, why he should not manage to pick up 

 a subsistence during winter, as well as various more delicate birds than 

 himself. In summer he feeds luxuriously on the whortle berries, (vaccinium 

 myrtillus), w^hich cover a considerable part of Dartmoor ; and from his 

 partiality to the neighbourhood of water he doubtless picks up worms and 

 small mollusca about the edges of the stream. 



Rather late in May, the business of incubation commences, which process, 

 again, bears great similarity to that of the Blackbird. The nest of the Ring 

 Ouzel, however, is almost invariably placed on the ground, that of the 

 Blackbird rarely so. It is concealed with great care under shelter of a tuft 

 of heath, or furze, upon the bank of some rivulet. It is composed of similar 

 materials to that of the Blackbird, with the exception of no clay being 

 emploj'ed, which gives it a somewhat lighter and looser construction. The 

 eggs vary much in shape and colour, but generally are very similar to some 

 varieties of the Blackbird, though of a rather rougher texture. Those in my 

 collection are of a pale green colour, with rather large blotches of a reddish 

 brown, and I have seen many others like them. I have also one egg from 



