THE ROCK-THRUSH. 105 



summer with a little fruit, and in autumn feeds 

 on berries. 



The nest is always built in a hole, and, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Seebohm, is a very difficult one to 

 discover. It closely resembles the nests of the 

 Wheatear and Redstart, and is somewhat loosely 

 put together. "You may search for hours," writes 

 the above-mentioned ornithologist, "and turn over 

 tons of rocks and stones, unsuccessfully, and at 

 last owe its discovery to mere accident. It is 

 usually placed in some convenient rock crevice, at 

 various heights, sometimes under a mass of rock 

 lying on the ground, sometimes in heaps of stones, 

 and sometimes in holes of ruined buildings ; and, 

 more rarely, in holes in houses, and in trees and 

 stumps. Vineyard-walls, holes in mountain 

 fortresses, and amongst the debris carried down 

 the mountain-sides by the melting of the snow, 

 may be also cited as places selected by the bird 

 for its nest. Wherever it is found, however, it is 

 usually well concealed from view, and always in 

 a hole. The bare ground will not unfrequently 

 be chosen, under a bush, or even under a dense 

 overhanging grass-tuft. The materials of diiferent 

 nests vary to a great extent, according to the 



