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birds will not let it have any peace. I remember well walking 

 with one of my fell friends and his collie. Two birds pursued the 

 dog with harsh wild cries, and flew close to him, as if attempting 

 to strike him with their wings. The dog was bewildered, and 

 came up to us as if to know what to do ; but, however, the birds 

 gave us the same salute, until we shifted a considerable way from 

 the place. 



The Ring Ouzel is a bold, handsome, and pugnacious bird ; and 

 when flying from rock to rock, his white gorget shows beautifully 

 contrasted with his dark plumage. His song is difficult to describe 

 — a mixture of the song of the Missel Thrush, some notes of the 

 Song Thrush, and a little of the Blackbird's song. It is a desultory 

 sort of strain : after a few lilts of song, he stops and looks around 

 him, as if daring any one to contradict him, then breaks forth with 

 a few harsh notes, as if deriding his own melody. 



If you should happen to come upon the Ring Ouzel suddenly, 

 so as to startle him, he flies away making the hills resound with his 

 harsh cries, startling the Meadow Pipits, the Red Grouse, the 

 Stonechat, and the Wheatear, and putting them all on the look 

 out ; he causes quite a consternation amongst all the birds in the 

 locality. 



Bechstein thinks the voice of this species, though hoarser and 

 deeper, more agreeable than that of the Blackbird. Tastes differ ; 

 I think the contrary. I have known instances where this bird has 

 been tamed and made a charming pet. If my memory does not 

 fail me, the Rev. H. A. Macpherson had one, which was a great 

 favourite. 



These birds lose no time in starting to build, as I have seen 

 their nests, with the eggs in different stages of incubation, in the 

 last week of April and the first week in May ; the young are fully 

 fledged by the middle of June. You will generally find the nest 

 built on some ledge of rock, or under a bank near to some small 

 stream, or in a stunted bush or under some heather; it is composed 

 of dry grass daubed with mud and lined with finer grasses ; and 

 around the outside at times a few dried brackens, and a few twigs 

 of heather. The number of eggs is five, and they are very similar 



