Birds of Britain 



he disappears in a small gully. Following quickly we are 

 just able to see his mate come from the steep side of the 

 ravine, and almost simultaneously he appears and joins her 

 in fluttering round us in a terrible state of agitation, and 

 doubtless with a feeling that had he been more patient we 

 should have gone away without finding his home. As, 

 however, his cries produce no effect, he flies off and settles 

 some distance away. A few feet down the bank, and cun- 

 ningly hidden near a sheep-path, underneath an overhang- 

 ing tuft, is the nest, built almost entirely of grass and bents, 

 as is the case with most of the Thrushes, but with little or 

 no mud. The young, four in number, being well grown, 

 scramble out of the nest, calling out at the same time, and 

 bringing their parents round us again, more vociferous than 

 ever. We have, however, no evil intentions, and having 

 satisfied our curiosity we continue our walk. Suddenly a 

 bird rises from behind a stone at our feet, flies a few yards, 

 and disappears round another boulder, this action is repeated 

 several times, till finally, becoming really alarmed, he flies 

 rapidly away over the spur of the hilL His plumage is 

 uniformly dark, just a little lighter on the breast, and we 

 recognise (if we did not already know it) a young bird 

 strongly on the wing ; a few yards farther on we see a hen 

 bird, possibly his mother; she leaves her nest with four 

 eggs, which much resemble those of a Blackbird. The nest 

 was placed on the ground, under the shelter of a bramble. 

 On all the moorlands and hills of the British Isles this 

 King Ouzel may be found during the summer, nesting 

 either as already described, or in holes of old walls, barns, 

 or in fact wherever a spot can be found well concealed and 



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