100 RING OUSEL. 



not sure whether the birds which arrive at once 

 here come directly from abroad, or are a part of 

 those which assemble for a short while on the 

 downs of the south, and then take their departure 

 after apparently resting. In the vicinity of their 

 breeding places, after their young are fully 

 fledged, they descend to the gardens and feed on 

 the fruit. At this time also they are occasionally 

 seen in the lower districts, and frequent the 

 mountain ash or holly for the berries ; but in the 

 north, when returning to their summer stations, 

 they are never seen on the lower grounds pre- 

 viously, but seem to hasten directly to the hills. 

 On many of the English " Downs," they appear 

 regularly in small flocks and parties, both in 

 coming and departing, and remain, at both pe- 

 riods, for a week or ten days. 



Entirely of a dull black ; the margins of the 

 feathers on the head, throat, and belly, blackish gray. 

 In the female this is much more conspicuous over 

 the whole body. The wings are of a black, rather 

 more gray, or paler, if we may so write, and have 

 the edges of all the feathers broadly margined with 

 gray. On the upper part of the breast there is a 

 crescent-shaped patch of pure white in the male, 

 contrasting finely with his darker plumage ; in the 

 female it is rather less in size and scarcely so pure 

 in colour, and the edges of the feathers are some- 

 times tinted with gray. In the young there is no 

 trace of the pectoral band ; the plumage is en- 

 tirely of a brownish black, varied above by the 

 edges of the feathers being wood-brown, and by 



