ROCK THRUSH. 237 



breed also in Provence and in the north of Italy, retreating 

 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 in a 

 fissure of the rock, or among the loose rough masses at the 

 base, and M. Temminck states that the nest is constructed 

 of moss, in which four eggs are deposited of a greenish 

 blue colour, 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 irides hazel ; 

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

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

 on the scapularies ; the greater part of the back white, 

 varied with a few bluish grey feathers ; upper tail-coverts 

 dark brown ; 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 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 ; 



