THE BR AMBLING. 35 



entirely. It seeks its food in wild mountainous places, 

 audioes not approach inhabited localities unless driven 

 near them by stress of weather. The note of the bijxl 

 is a continuous ^' chuck, chuck/^ ^' fayh, fajh/' which 

 in confinement is often uttered during night-time ; but in 

 the spring time this is changed to a far more pleasing 

 warble, several low notes being uttered in succession, 

 followed by a hoarser note, which is somewhat prolonged ; 

 this portion of its song has been compared to the words 

 ^' Chip-u-wa-a-ay/'' 



As already intimated, the Bramblin^ ic a handsome 

 little fellow. The length of the bird is about six and a 

 quailciMuches ; the upper part of the bill is dusky, and the 

 lower portion yellowish-white; iris brown; top and sides 

 of the head and back of neck, in the winter, rich mottled 

 grey and black, the feathers being black at the base and 

 grey at the tip ; in the sj^ring these grey tips disappear, 

 leaving a beautiful velvety black, which remains until the 

 following autumn; chin, throat, and upper part of breast rich 

 orange fawn, lower part a yellowish-white; the greater wing- 

 coverts are black, tipped with orange fawn ; lesser coverts 

 a rich orange fawn, feathers tipped with white ; when the 

 wing is closed there is an oblique bar across it; the larger 

 under wing-coverts have a small tuft of elongated feathers, 

 and the lesser coverts are bright yellow ; the feathers on 

 the rump are white, which is very conspicuous in flight ; 

 tail is black, the feathers edged with bufpy white, the outer 

 feathers having a patch of white ; the tail is forked, upper 

 coverts are black, lower ones white or yellowish-white ; 

 legs, toes, and claws a lightish brown. 



The female is sm^aller than the nmle; her plumage is 

 less pure in colour, and the markings are more mottled in 



