CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. II9 



" The breeding-season is from the beginning of 

 May ; the nest is on the ground, or, at most, a 

 few inches above it, among the stems of a small 

 bush or in coarse herbage and thick meadow-sfrass. 

 It is a loose structure of dry grass and moss, with a 

 lining of finer material ; the eggs — usually six in 

 number, being greenish-blue, sometimes dotted and 

 zoned with rust colour. . . . The bird has an 

 agreeable song, uttered on the wing or when 

 sitting on some low branch, accompanied with a 

 fanning movement of the tail. It roosts on the 

 ground " ( H .S.). This bird's migrations are somewhat 

 similar to those of the Stonechat in regard to 

 winter and summer quarters, only, perhaps, with a 

 somewhat wider range. 



The specimens in the case were shot in Radnor- 

 shire. 



The Wheatear. 



The Wheatear is about the earliest of our 

 spring migrants. It arrives on our coasts by the 

 middle of March, and departs early in October, 

 though some few may remain in the country 

 during mild winter. It distributes itself very quickly 

 over the British Islands. From my personal 

 observation, extending from the north and west 

 of Scotland, parts of England and Wales, to the 

 south of Ireland, there was hardly a spot where 

 this little bird was not in evidence. In its flight it 

 is easily recognizable by the white patch just above 



