Rock Thrushes 57 



the latter is the size of a robin, the former about 

 equals that of a starling. Picture him in his summer 

 plumage ; his whole head of a pale cobalt blue, that 

 colour extending to the throat and back of the neck, 

 where in front it is sharply met by the breast colour, 

 the whole of which, with the underparts, is a bright 

 yellowish chestnut ; whilst on the back there is deep 

 brownish grey extending to the wings, where the 

 brown becomes purer. The tail is truly " redstartian," 

 both in colour and movement ; and the conspicuous 

 white spot of the redstart's forehead appears in the 

 middle of the rock thrush's back, just where the wings 

 meet together : a white spot, the size of a two-shilling 

 piece. And this white patch serves, as with many 

 other birds of conspicuous plumage, to break up the 

 colours ; and is especially serviceable to a bird like the 

 rock thrush, dwelling constantly on stony ground ; for 

 when the bird's back is towards one, the white, 

 surrounded by rufous and brown, looks exactly like a 

 stone of the same colour, or like a bright light upon 

 the point or angle of a rock. 



The way in which most brilliant coloured birds 

 assimilate with their surroundings is a very wonderful 

 and striking provision of Nature's Creator. 



Now let us, without I hope running the risk of 

 repetition of parts of the preceding chapter, visit 

 another mountain of Italy : that beautiful one over- 

 hanging the Lugano lake, close to whose shores you 

 can ascend it. First of all through ravines which 

 overshadow villages, where steep paths and cobble- 

 stone by-ways lead you to higher ground until you 



