JOO 
RING OUSEL. 
not sure whether the birds which arrive at once 
here come directly from abroad, or are a part of 
those which assemble for a short while on the 
downs of the south, and then take their departure 
after apparently resting. In the vicinity of their 
breeding places, after their young are fully 
fledged, they descend to the gardens and feed on 
the fruit. At this time also they are occasionally 
seen in the lower districts, and frequent the 
mountain ash or holly for the berries ; but in the 
north, when returning to their summer stations, 
they are never seen on the lower grounds pre- 
viously, but seem to hasten directly to the hills. 
On many of the English “ Downs,” they appear 
regularly in small flocks and parties, both in 
coming and departing, and remain, at both pe- 
riods, for a week or ten days. 
Entirely of a dull black ; the margins of the 
feathers on the head, throat, and belly, blackish gray. 
In the female this is much more conspicuous over 
the whole body. The wings are of a black, rather 
more gray, or paler, if we may so write, and have 
the edges of all the feathers broadly margined with 
gray. On the upper part of the breast there is a 
crescent-shaped patch of pure white in the male, 
contrasting finely with his darker plumage ; in the 
female it is rather less in size and scarcely so pure 
in colour, and the edges of the feathers are some- 
times tinted with gray. In the young there is no 
trace of the pectoral band ; the plumage is en- 
tirely of a brownish black, varied above by the 
edges of the feathers being wood-brown, and by 
