ROCK THRUSH. 247 



as winter approaches, to Sicily, Turkey, the Grecian 

 Archipelago, and have been killed on very high mountains 

 in Algeria. 



The male bird is an excellent songster, his notes resem- 

 bling those of the Blackcap "Warbler, and this bird has 

 been known to live five years in confinement, singing even 

 at night if a candle was placed near the cage. In its 

 natural state, the Rock Thrush is a very shy bird, and 

 difficult of approach, avoiding pursuit, and settling on the 

 upper parts of pointed rocks, from which it is able to com- 

 mand the view all around. The pair make their nest among 

 fragments of rock, or among the loose rough stones at the 

 base ; the nest is constructed of moss, lined with hair, in 

 which five eggs are deposited of a uniform pale blue colour, 

 generally without spots. 



I have followed Mr. Vigors in placing this bird near 

 the Alpine Accentor, and the similarity in some of their 

 habits will be obvious. The Rock Thrush feeds upon 

 insects and berries. 



The male bird has the beak black, the hides hazel ; 

 the whole of the head and the neck all round bluish grey ; 

 upper part of the back the same, but passing into brown- 

 ish black on the scapularies ; the greater part of the back 

 white, varied with a few bluish grey feathers ; tail-feathers 

 chestnut brown, the two in the middle rather darker in 

 colour than the others ; wings and wing-coverts dark brown, 

 almost blackish brown ; the greater wing-coverts and the 

 secondaries tipped with bufiy white ; the whole of the 

 under surface of the body, and under tail-coverts, light 

 chestnut brown or bay ; legs and toes dark reddish brown. 



The whole length of the bird seven and a half inches ; 

 the wing from the anterior joint to the end of the longest 

 quill -feather four inches and three quarters. 



The female has all the upper surface of the body of a dull 



