BRITAIN^S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 313 



THE RING-OUSEL 



(Turdus torquatus). 

 Plate 115. 



The Ring- Ousel may be very roughly described as 

 a Blackbird with a conspicuous white gorget. A com- 

 parison of the two plates will reveal numerous less 

 conspicuous points of difference. The hen is browner 

 than the cock, and a duller bird altogether ; and the 

 collar is narrower, especially in immature examples. The 

 ordinary cries are harsh and the song rather monotonous. 



Preferring barren, treeless places as nesting -haunts, 

 this species is necessarily rather local in its distribu- 

 tion. Although sometimes breeding in the southern and 

 eastern parts of England, it is little known as a summer 

 bird in such places. Its chief strongholds are in the 

 south-eastern corner of England and the mountainous 

 parts in the north. In Wales, as in Scotland and 

 Ireland, the larger extent of suitable country gives it a 

 wider distribution. 



Unlike the previous three species, which are all more 

 or less resident as species in this country, the Ring- 

 Ousel is almost entirely a summer visitor. Withdrawing 

 from its breeding -haunts about the end of September, 

 it remains for some time longer in the lowlands — to 

 which it is therefore a ' bird of passage ' — before leaving. 

 It is again found in these places for a short time 

 after its arrival in spring, but it soon retires to the 

 hilly districts which it favours. 



The nest may be looked for on rocky moors or bleak 

 hillsides ; the bank of some small hill-stream is a typical 



