THE HOCK-THRUSH. 



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and feet black ; irides hazel. The female is a speckled brown bird, with a 

 shade of rufous underneath, but the tail is similar to that of the male. 

 After the autumn moult the feathers of both sexes have pale margins, and 

 the white on the back of the male is not so conspicuous. Birds of the 

 year are very similar to the female. The nestling resembles birds of the 

 year, but the spots are larger. 



The Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola cyanea) has been said to have been 

 once obtained in Ireland. The bird is now preserved in the Museum of 

 the Royal Dublin Society, and is stated to have been killed in the county 

 of Westmeath, on November 17th, 1866 (see 'Zoologist/ 1870, p. 2019). 

 Although this bird has occurred as a straggler on the island of Heligoland, 

 it is a strictly southern species; and considerable doubt attaches to the 

 example in question, which was examined by Sharpe and Dresser, and 

 pronounced by them to have the appearance of a specimen mounted from 

 a previously prepared skin, and not from a fresh-killed bird. 



