60 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 



The eggs often vary greatly in shape, and I have one 

 in my collection which scarcely tapers at all, but is almost 

 cylindrical, with obtusely rounded ends. I have also 

 taken some which distinctly differed from the usual 

 markings in having the ground colour of a clearer blue, 

 while they were rather sparingly freckled with rich red- 

 dish-brown spots, with here and there a more prominent 

 dash, approaching the general appearance of the eggs 

 of the ring ouzel. 



With regard to the song of the blackbird, I am half 

 inclined to consider it superior to that of the thrush ; 

 though lacking the variety and continuance of the latter, 

 it has a far richer and fuller tone, its few notes being 

 most exquisitely modulated, and to hear it at sunrise 

 pour forth its joyous song, when perched on the extreme 

 top of a high tree, is peculiarly pleasing ; it seems to be 

 not merely for the amusement of its mate, but the ex- 

 pression of intense happiness, a hymn of praise to the 

 great Creator. 



There are few of our British birds of which we know 

 so little generally as the. Ring Ouzel (T. torquatus) ; 

 it is by no means what may be called common any- 

 where, and its partiality for wild and unfrequented 

 localities, such as the mountain and the moor, tends still 

 further to diminish our acquaintance with it. In addi- 

 tion to this, its natural habits are shy and retiring, and 

 excepting when it assembles for its migrations it is only 

 met with in single pairs. In other parts of the country 

 its visits are chiefly confined to the spring and autumn, 

 though occasional instances are recorded of its breeding 

 in places at variance with its natural habits. I was 

 pleased to meet with a pair in the summer of 1856. 

 The nest, which was very similar to a blackbird's, was 



