314 



EUROPEAN WATEROUZEL. 



the rest of the upper parts, the belly, vent, and 

 tail, are black : the feathers on the back and wings 

 are edged with ash-colour : legs black : tail very 

 short. Montagu describes the following interest- 

 ing variety in the Appendix to the last volume of 

 the Ornithological Dictionary: " Length about 

 seven inches: beak and irides as usual: the upper 

 parts of the head and neck are of a blueish black, 

 with a slight mixture of brown, the middle of 

 each feather being lighter than the margins: the 

 back, scapulars, rump, and coverts of the wing, 

 blueish black, dashed with hoary grey, the middle 

 of the feathers being of the latter colour: the 

 primary and secondary quills black, tipped with 

 white : the tail wholly black : the throat, breast, 

 and belly, white ; the extremity of each feather 

 marked with a black semicircular line, which gives 

 those parts a pretty undulated appearance ; these 

 markings are fainter on the throat than on the 

 other parts, and not the least appearance of the 

 rufous band on the lower breast usual in the 

 species : vent and thighs blueish black, the former 

 with a mixture of white, the latter with brown: 

 the legs and toes black." The above was com- 

 municated by Mr. John Wilson of Edinburgh, an 

 acute ornithologist: it was shot at Roslin, near 

 Edinburgh : another similar variety has also been 

 under his inspection. 



The Penrith Ouzel of Dr. Latham is referrible 

 to this species. It is said to be larger than the 

 common Water Ouzel : the head and whole upper 

 parts of the body dusky : chin and throat white. 



