RING OUSEL . — Tardus torqudtus. 
The Ring Ousel is another British bird, and derives its name from the ring 
or band of white that partly surrounds the lower portion of the neck. 
It is a shy and wary bird, shunning cultivated grounds and the human 
habitations, and withdrawing itself into the wildest and most hilly districts. It 
is a quick-flying, lively and active bird, and is said to afford fine sport to the 
falconer, owing to its singular adroitness and ingenuity in escaping the stroke of 
the hawk. It will quietly suffer the bird of prey to approach quite closely, 
screaming a defiance to the enemy and flitting quietly along a stone wall or 
rocky ground. Suddenly the hawk makes its swoop, and the Ring Ouzel dis- 
appears, having whisked into some hole in the stone, squeezed itself into a con- 
venient crevice, or slipped over the other side of the wall just as the hawk shot 
past the spot on which it had been sitting. 
The song of this bird is loud, clear, and sonorous, but contains a very few 
notes. 
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