alien’s naturalist’s library. 
256 
very shy and not easily induced to fly. Some of them, on 
being disturbed more than once, mounted high into the air and 
flew straight away towards the coast of Germany. 
Nest. — A compactly-built structure, formed exactly on the 
same lines as a Blackbird’s, and built gradually, in the same 
way. There is, in fact, nothing by which the nest can be 
identified from that of the ordinary Blackbird, except its 
situation, which is generally different from that of the last- 
named bird The Ring-Ouzel generally places its nest on the 
ground, but also in bushes of heather or ling, especially on 
banks where the heather conceals it. Occasionally a hole in a 
rock is selected. 
— Four or five in number. Mr. Robert Read tells us 
that in Scotland he has never found more than four in a nest, 
though in the north of England six are often met with. The 
eggs are generally like those of the Blackbird, but are more 
richly marked, and with a clearer blue ground. Equal variation 
in markings takes place to that which obtains in a series of 
Blackbird’s eggs. In some the ground-colour is pale bluish, 
with the reddish markings small and distributed over the whole 
egg. Others are brighter blue, and these have the markings 
Generally larger, and in the form of blotches. Others have the 
Sround-colour greenish-olive, and in these, again, the reddish 
markings are large. Only a few eggs have a collection of spots 
at the larger end, and in all the underlying spots are never 
prominent, being of a lighter reddish-brown colour. Axis, 11- 
1-3 inch ; diam., o'8-o‘9. 
the black-throated ouzel, mf.rula atrigul.yris. 
Tardus atrogularis, Temm., Man. d’Orn., i., p. 169 (1820); 
Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 276 (1872); Dresser, B. Eur., ii., p. 
83, pi. 11 (1878); B. O. U. List Br. B., p. 2 (1883); 
Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. ii. (1886) ; Saunders, Man., 
p. 9 (1889). 
Merula atrigularis , Seeb., Cat. B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 267 (1881) ; 
id. Br. B., i., p. 249 ( i88 3)- 
Adult Male. — General colour above light olive-brown, the 
wing-coverts like the back; bastard-wing, primary-coverts and 
