THE DUSKY CHAT. 
689 
hill-side; indeed, the male is a most charming little 
fellow. Now he is seen dancing, or rather tripping it on 
the top of a stone, as though he had taken lessons from 
the Black Cock; now he vanishes out of sight in a crevice 
or under some boulder, or sings, rising in the air, whence 
he gently descends on outspread pinions, or stmts up 
and down before his partner. His pretty song is heard 
incessantly; the poetic fervour within him, as in the 
Lark, tempts him to soar heavenward, though love to his 
mate soon brings him back to the rock, where he breathes 
out the last strophe of his song to his spouse, who sits by 
him delighted to listen. He is unremitting in his endea¬ 
vours to seek some novel pose or antic, though he never 
omits to show off his especial beauty—his brilliant white 
tail—to the best advantage. He only rests, if such an 
ever mobile being can be said to do so, upon the highest 
available point of the beat or locality which he frequents. 
Devoid of fear he seeks the boundary-walls of the 
mountain-towns or villages, bowing and bobbing on wall 
or roof like a Redstart. I have often wondered that this 
bird, in particular, has never been noticed by travellers, 
an oversight which most clearly proves to me the truth 
of the old Bible saying: “ Eyes have ye, and ye see not!” 
for I cannot understand how such a restless being does 
not strike every passer-by. 
To this species is assigned the realm of boulders and 
barren rocks, as is indeed the case with the whole of the 
genus, so that it is only met with after we have left the 
fruitful hills and dales far behind us. Whoever in Spain 
has quitted the grass-green plains, intersected by a 
stream subdivided into a thousand silver threads, which 
change that rich land into the blooming “ Vega,” and 
wends his way towards the mountains, steps suddenly, as 
