136 



8 



remarks on its power of mimicry, and says he has " heard it imitate exactly the call of the 

 Ortolan." M. Carl Sachse, writing from Coblenz, observes : — "As a cage-bird it is highly valued, 

 as its wild song is sweet, and it is easily taught to whistle tunes. A nest of half-grown young 

 birds will fetch from three to four thalers (nine to twelve shillings) ; and it is therefore difficult 

 to procure the eggs." 



The food of this species consists chiefly, if not entirely, of insects, which they take either on 

 the wing or pick up from the ground ; beetles, grasshoppers, and larvse of various sorts are their 

 favourite food, but they also seek after earthworms, if they cannot find a sufficiency of the first- 

 named insects. Naumann states that they also feed on berries of the Daphne, and various wild 

 berry-bearing bushes. 



The Rock-Thrush breeds amongst the rocks, placing its nest on the ground in any convenient 

 crevice of the rocks, or amongst the stones. The nest is a loosely made structure of roots, moss, 

 and fine straws, and is lined with feathers and hair, according to Naumann, and fine roots and 

 bents, according to Bailly. When they build on the ground, at the foot of a rock or a small 

 bush, they scratch out a sufficiently large bole to contain the nest. They generally deposit 

 four or five eggs. The following note on the breeding of the present species has been forwarded 

 to us by our friend Mr. Sachse: — "It generally nests amongst the inaccessible rocks, but occa- 

 sionally in the vineyard walls. In the rock opposite Coblentz, on which Ehrenbreitstein is built, 

 and in boles in the masonry work, as many as six or eight pairs bred formerly. When the nest 

 is not placed in a cranny, it is amongst the stones covered with an overhanging stone, and is 

 always hidden by a bunch of grass. It has two broods in the year." Von Homeyer relates that in 

 the Balearic isles he found a nest in a hole in an old olive-tree, about six feet from the ground. 



\\ e are indebted to another kind friend, Mr. Crowfoot, of Beccles, for the loan of two 

 nests of this species, obtained in Lombardy by Count Turati. One of these is well formed and 

 neatly constructed, solely of very fine roots, the entire structure being very slight. The other 

 is heavy and bulky, roughly constructed, and almost flat; the foundation is composed of moss, 

 upon which is a layer of dried grass ; and the lining, or upper layer, is composed of fine roots and 

 slight grass bents. The first nest measures in outside diameter 4| inches, and is about 2 inches 

 high ; the second measures G inches by bh inches outside diameter, and, though nearly flat, is 

 fully 2J inches in height. 



In Dresser's collection are eggs of this species collected by Dr. Krupcr in Greece, which 

 measure 1 .,'„- by f-J of an inch, and are light blue in colour, without any spots or markings. 

 Dr. E. Key writes to us that the song of this species so closely resembles that of the Blue Thrush 

 that he never could, when in Southern Portugal, distinguish with certainty the two species from 

 the song alone. 



In the preparation of the above article we have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. Sharpe and Dresser. 



a. Savoy {Fuirmaire). b. Switzerland, c. Malta, d, d. Macedonia, May 1st, 1870 {Th. Kriiper). 



E Mus. Lord Walden. 

 a,h, c? . Turkestan, May 18th, 1866 (Dode). c, d. Senafe, April 25th, 1868 {W. Jesse). 



