132 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



wild moorlands, even up to the wind-swept summits of 

 some of the higher peaks and tors. It may be found 

 breeding on the rock-strewn hillsides studded with 

 birches and gorse coverts and patches of bracken, or by 

 the tumbling trout-streams that race down the slopes 

 which lead up to the more level plateaux where the true 

 moors begin. It arrives in flocks of varying size, but these 

 soon disperse over the surrounding country in pairs, and 

 nest-building commences almost directly afterwards. The 

 nest is either made on the ground amongst the heath and 

 ling, or in a low bush on a rocky bank. Frequently it is 

 placed on the edge of a sloping bank, where a rough 

 road has been cut by the moorland farmer for his sheep, 

 or the keeper for his game-cart in August. The nest is 

 very similar to that of the Blackbird, and is made on 

 precisely the same plan. First a deep nest of dry grass 

 and a few dead leaves is formed, often strengthened by 

 some twigs ; this is then well lined with a thick coating 

 of mud ; and finally a second lining of dry grass is 

 added, the whole forming a very strong and compact 

 structure. The birds are neither gregarious nor social 

 during the nesting season, but several pairs may be 

 found breeding within a small area, each keeping ex- 

 clusively to themselves. When disturbed from the nest, 

 even if it does not yet contain eggs, the parents become 

 remarkably bold and noisy, flying about uttering their 

 loud tac-tac-tac, and frequently sweeping past the 

 observer's head. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement : 

 The eggs of the Ring Ouzel are four or five in number, 

 and so closely resemble those of the Blackbird in size, 

 shape, and variation of colour, that it is quite needless 

 to repeat their characteristics. Incubation, performed 

 chiefly by the female, lasts fourteen or fifteen days. 



Diagnostic characters: The eggs of this Ouzel 



