THE BLACKBIRDS. 255 



58 N. lat, and breeds also in Northern Germany, on this 

 side of the Riesenberge and Silesia, and it is probably our 

 bird which nests in Guelderland in Holland and in Southern 

 Belgium. Mr. Seebohm likewise considers that the Ring- 

 Ouzel of the Vosges mountains will be found to be M. tor- 

 qitata ; but as Mr. Howard Saunders found M. alpestris 

 in the Jura, nesting at a height of from fifteen to forty 

 feet, the bird of the Vosges will certainly be the same 

 as that of the Jura. The latter form, which is distinguished 

 by white centres ^o the feathers of the under parts (in ad- 

 dition to the whr.e margins) is found in the Alps and the 

 Apennines in Italy, and breeds in suitable places in Germany 

 south of the Riesenberge and Silesia. In Transylvania Mr. 

 Danford has found its nest not near the ground, but at a 

 height of forty feet in a tree, so that the habits of the Alpine 

 Ring-Ouzel evidently differ from those of its northern ally. 

 It is probably M. alpestris which breeds in the Pyrenees and 

 the mountains of Spain, but whether it is M. torquata which 

 extends east to the Urals can only be determined by an ex- 

 amination of specimens. In winter our bird appears to visit 

 the countries of the Mediterranean and shares the winter-home 

 of M. alpestris. 



Habits. The Ring-Ouzel is a bird of the moors and fells, and is 

 rarely seen in the south-east of England, except during its migra- 

 tions, when it is often to be observed near Brighton in the 

 gardens near the town, resting for a short time on its southern 

 journey. In most of its habits the Ring-Ouzel resembles the 

 Blackbird, and has the same habit of elevating its tail, when it 

 alights on the ground or perches. The song is also a harsh 

 echo of the Blackbird's, though it is said to resemble those of 

 the Starling and Song-Thrush in a certain degree ; it is, how- 

 ever, inferior to that of both the Blackbird and Song-Thrush, 

 and contains many rough notes not uttered by the two birds 

 last-named. The food of the Ring-Ouzel consists of worms, 

 snails, and beetles, while in autumn it feeds on all kinds of 

 berries in its northern home and harries the vineyards of the 

 countries through which it passes on its way south. In 

 Heligoland at the end of September we found the Ring-Ouzel 

 passing in some numbers, and they were plentiful for a few 

 days in the bushes and grass on "Sandy " Island. They were 



