694 
BIRD-LIFE. 
knows that it is part and parcel, so to speak, of the 
former. The mountains of Spain are beautiful,—grand 
in their way,—but will not bear comparison with those 
of the North: they are rarely clothed with the living 
forest, and are never bedecked with green turf like ours; 
the light of heaven alone lends to them their radiant 
tints, softened by the misty distance; their rocks and 
boulders are their only decoration; their form is always 
impressive, and each portion is splendid in its wild and 
desert beauty. Man all the better appreciates the rest¬ 
less, active life he sees amongst them. 
Our German Stone Chat resembles, in many respects, 
the foregoing species: he also is sharp, cautious, and 
shy. He frequents stone-quarries, fields surrounded by 
loosely-built rough stone-walls, vineyards, and rocky 
mountains, and is easily recognizable at a distance by his 
constant bobbing and bowing. Like his dusky cousin, he 
is ever on the move, and knows how to enliven the 
desert landscape, though he cannot be compared with the 
former species. Besides this, he is forced to migrate 
southward to escape the rigour of our northern winters, 
whereas the Dusky Chat remains the whole year round 
under the milder skies of Spain. 
Both species are highly useful birds, and merit pro¬ 
tection at the hands of every sane person. 
