EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 191 



THE STONE C HAT. 

 (Pratincola rubicola.) 



Plate 51, Fig. lfi, 



Unlike the Whinchat, the present species is, in our islands at 

 least, a constant resident, and may be seen in its favourite haunts 

 at all times of the year. Its distribution in Great Britain is 

 somewhat local, much more so than that of the Whinchat. The 

 Stonechat breeds in suitable localities in all the counties of Great 

 Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Hebrides, and 

 is occasionally found on the Orkney and Shetland Isles, but is not 

 known to breed there. On the Continent the Stonechat is not 

 found north of the Baltic or east of the valley of the Volga ; but 

 is a resident in North Africa, Palestine, and Asia Minor. 



The nest is composed of dry grass and moss, occasionally with a 

 few rootlets, and is lined with finer bents, hair, feathers, and some- 

 times a little wool. Although somewhat loosely put together and 

 exhibiting but little skill, the nest of this bird is a pretty one. 



The eggs of the Stonechat are from four to six in number, and 

 vary considerably in the extent and intensity of their spotting. 

 They are pale bluish-green in ground-colour, clouded and spotted 

 with reddish-brown. In most eggs of this bird the spots are 

 confined for the most part to a broad zone round the larger end, 

 and in some specimens the end is covered completely with them. 

 The pattern is very similar to that of the eggs of the Whinchat, 

 only far more intense and more widely dispersed. Eggs of the 

 Stonechat are sometimes found almost spotless, while others are so 

 richly marked as to resemble the eggs of the Spotted Flycatcher ; 

 and it will also be noticed that clutches of eggs are seldom 

 uniform in the intensity of their colouring, the last-laid eggs 

 being usually paler. They vary in length from 0"75 to 0"65 inch, 

 and in breadth from 059 to 0'55 inch. 



THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. 



{Muse icapa g risoli i . ) 



Plate 51, Figs. 17, 20. 



The Spotted Flycatcher is one of the latest of our summer 

 migrants. Throughout Great Britain it is a common bird from 

 May until September, breeding in every county, but becoming 



