ROCK THRUSH. 237 
breed also in Provence and in the north of Italy, retreating 
as winter approaches, to Sicily, Turkey, the Grecian 
Archipelago, and have been killed on very high mountains 
in Algeria. 
The male bird is an excellent songster, his notes resem- 
bling those of the Blackcap Warbler, and this bird has 
been known to live five years in confinement, singing even 
at night if a candle was placed near the cage. In its 
natural state, the Reck Thrush is a very shy bird, and 
difficult of approach, avoiding pursuit, and settling on the 
upper parts of pointed rocks, from which it is able to com- 
mand the view all around. The pair make their nest in a 
fissure of the rock, or among the loose rough masses at the 
base, and M. Temminck states that the nest is constructed 
of moss, in which four eggs are deposited of a greenish 
blue colour, without spots. 
I have followed Mr. Vigors in placing this bird near 
the Alpine Accentor, and the similarity in some of their 
habits will be obvious. The Rock Thrush feeds upon 
insects and berries. 
The male bird has the beak black, the irides hazel ; 
the whole of the head and the neck all round bluish grey ; 
upper part of the back the same, but passing into brown 
on the scapularies; the greater part of the back white, 
varied with a few bluish grey feathers; upper tail-coverts 
dark brown; tail-feathers chestnut brown, the two in the 
middle rather darker in colour, than the others; wings and 
wing-coverts dark brown, almost blackish brown; the 
greater wing-coverts and the secondaries tipped with white ; 
the whole of the under surface of the body, and under 
tail-coverts light chestnut brown or bay; legs and toes 
dark reddish brown. 
The whole length of the bird seven and a half inches; 
