MONTICOLA CYANUS 19 



a scanty and dwarfed vegetation, and though at times found at 

 a considerable elevation, it generally occurs at a lower altitude than 

 the preceding species. Broken ground of any kind seems to attract 

 this species, and the bird appears to be as much at home among 

 crumbling marl cliffs and banks as on solid rocky ground. It is 

 also fond of ruins and old walls, and may sometimes be seen 

 perching on buildings, for although extremely watchful and wary, 

 it is not a particularly timid bird, and ventures near human 

 dwellings without fear, occasionally even building its nest in the 

 walls of houses. 



Colonel Irby ("Orn. Strs. Gib." p. 75) gives an interesting account, 

 which has also appeared in Mr. Dresser's " Birds of Europe," of 

 the nesting of a pair of this species in a hole outside the wall of 

 his stable at Gibraltar. 



In their more slender form and sprightly movements, as well 

 as in some of their habits, the Rock-Thrushes resemble Chats more 

 than true Thrushes, and there is no doubt that the genus Monticola 

 forms a connecting link between the two subfamilies, partaking as 

 it does of the characters of both. 



Like its congener, the present species is generally to be seen 

 perched conspicuously on a rock or other eminence, whence a good 

 look-out can be obtained. Should it be disturbed, the bird will 

 drop quietly off and fly away, reappearing again on a similar perch 

 at some distance. When met with, as is often the case, in under- 

 ground caves or very broken ground, it will sometimes disappear 

 entirely from view, making its exit tlirough some intricate winding, 

 or tortuous tunnel which is probably too narrow to admit of the 

 passage of a human body. 



Like the Chats, this species appears to be chiefly insectivorous, 

 and in Tunisia locusts and coleoptera form an important item of 

 its diet. In confinement, however, it will eat meal, fruit, and indeed 

 almost anything that is given to it, but to keep it in good health 

 a certain amount of animal food appears to be necessary. In most 

 cases chopped meat or liver, varied with a little meal, will be found 

 to be the best food, and on this the bird will thrive and live for 

 several years in captivity. Lizards are sometimes attacked by the 

 Blue Eock-Thrush, and a correspondent of the Italian journal, 

 " .4«tcu/a," writes that he has often seen one of these birds nip off 

 a lizard's tail and carry it away to its young brood. 



