MERULID^I. 71 



The food of the Ring Ouzel consists of insects, 

 snails, fruit and berries, particularly the berries of 

 the mountain ash, of which it appears to be very 

 fond : ivy-berries, it is said, afford this bird its 

 principal food on its return in the spring. 



The nest is said to be usually placed on or near 

 the ground, or on the side of a bank, under cover of 

 some bush or stone, or amongst heather : the one in 

 my collection, which was taken at Pixton, is much 

 like that of the Blackbird, being made of rough 

 coarse grass, fibrous roots and mud, and lined with 

 long bents. 



The Ring Ouzel has the point of the beak dark 

 horn-colour ; the centre of the upper mandible, and 

 all the rest of the lower, yellow ; the base of the 

 upper mandible dark horn; irides dark brown; 

 head, neck, throat, back, scapulars and tail-coverts 

 black ; there is a white crescent on the breast, all 

 the rest of the under parts are black, each feather 

 being edged with grey ; tail dusky ; greater and 

 lesser wing-coverts, primary and secondary quills 

 dusky, more or less edged with grey; the tertials 

 are dusk}'', without any grey edging ; legs, toes and 

 claws brownish black. 



The female differs slightly ; all the upper surface 

 is a rusty black ; the feathers under the throat are 

 slightly edged and tipped with white; the white 

 crescent on the breast is quite as conspicuous as in 

 the male, but not quite so broad in the centre ; the 



