MOUNTAIN BIRDS 



IN ascending from the cultivated belt which borders 

 the valley, the first bird that appears is the water- 

 ouzel. Everywhere among the beds of the fell 

 "becks " it is common; but a few hundred yards 

 higher up, where the stream becomes a torrent with 

 numerous waterfalls, the white crescented form of the 

 ring-ouzel is also seen. This bird comes to the fells 

 in spring, and is regular in making its appearance. 

 For four consecutive years the arrival of a flock, 

 generally numbering about a dozen, has been 

 comprehended between the 24th and 27th of March. 

 For some days after their arrival the only note 

 heard is a harsh chatter. At the commencement of 

 the second week the males sing freely, though mostly 

 in the evening. Soon the white-breasted birds 

 disperse to their lone haunts, to spend the summer 

 among the bright green moss and dripping falls, 

 where every beck and torrent has its pair. During 

 the early part of May I have heard five ring-ouzels 

 singing at one time, and all within the space of a 

 mile and a half. They build by the " becks " 

 sometimes beneath the very waterfalls themselves, 



in such cases being obliged to fly through the spray 



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