MIGRATORY OUZEL.
Merula migratoria, Swains.

Le Merle erratique.

Tus beautiful species of Thrush, if not the theme of poets, has nevertheless called forth many spirited and
flowing descriptions, the most animated of which are to be found in the works of Wilson, Audubon, and
Dr. Richardson. From the latter author we find that few of the feathered race seek a more northern region for
the purpose of breeding than the Migratory Ouzel. “It arrives in the Missouri (in lat. 413°), from the east-
ward, on the 11th of April; and in the course of its northerly movement, reaches Severn River, in Hudson’s
Bay, about a fortnight later. Its first appearance at Carlton House, in lat. 53°, in the year 1827, was on the
22nd of April. In the same season it reached Fort Chepewyan, in lat. 582°, on the 7th of May, and Fort
Franklin, in lat 65°, on the 20th of that month. Those that build their nests in the fifty-fourth parallel of
latitude, begin to hatch in the end of May; but eleven degrees further to the north, that event is deferred till
the 11th of June. The snow even then partially covers the ground; but there is, in those high latitudes,
abundance of the berries of the Vaccinium uliginosum and Vitis idea, Arbutus alpina, Empetrum nigrum, and
of some other plants, which after having been frozen up all the winter, are exposed, on the first melting of
the snow, full of juice and in high flavour. Shortly afterwards, when the callow young require food, the
parents obtain abundance of grubs.”

When we take into consideration the migratory habits of this bird, and the extreme high northern latitudes
it affects, the fact of its occasionally occurring in Europe is not so startling as it would otherwise appear: a
single glance at a globe will in fact make it plain to our readers, that when migrating from these high lati-
tudes, a slight deviation from its regular course would carry it on to the continent of Europe, where, as we
have before stated, it is occasionally seen. In the third part of his ‘Manuel’ M. Temminck states that it has
been killed in Germany; and M. Brehm informs us that it has been seen in the neighbourhood of Vienna.
In its affinities we are inclined to consider this bird as a true Merula, or as belonging to that section of the
Meruhde which includes the Common Blackbird, and we also find that its habits, manners, song, and
nidification are much in accordance with those of that bird. “So much,” says M. Audubon, ‘ do certain
notes of the Robin (the American name for the Merula migratoria) resemble those of the European Black-
bird, that frequently while in England the cry of the latter, as it flew hurriedly off from a hedge-row,
reminded me of that of the former when similarly surprised, and while in America the Robin of that country
has in the same manner recalled to my recollection the Blackbird of England.”

The sexes are alike in plumage, but the tints of the female are somewhat paler, and she is also smaller in
size.

Head and sides of the face deep sooty black ; round the eye a circle of white; all the upper surface fuli-
ginous grey tinged with brown on the shoulders ; wings and tail blackish brown externally edged with grey ;
two outer tail-feathers tipped with white ; chin white spotted with brownish black ; breast and under surface
reddish orange, each feather delicately fringed with grey ; vent and under tail-coverts mingled white and grey ;
bill yellow ; irides hazel ; feet pale brown.

We have figured an adult of the natural size.