WHINCHAT. 225 



two birds are alike ; the constantly fanned tail as it perches on 

 a furze bush, selecting the topmost spray, or clings to a swaying 

 grass-stem, and its repeated wee-tic, tic, remind one of the other 

 bird, though the note is less insistent and harsh than that of 

 the Stonechat. Furzechat, Grasschat and Utick are names 

 descriptive of haunt and call. It will perch in a tree, and in 

 one favourite haunt, the floral slopes of a railway-cutting, the 

 telegraph wires make excellent look-outs. With expanded tail 

 it balances on a wire, singing a short, rather metallic and 

 vibrating melody, not unlike that of the Redstart. It will leave 

 its perch for a short aerial journey, singing as it flies, or cleverly 

 catch a dodging fly ; a green caterpillar looping up a grass 

 blade, or a beetle moving below catches its keen eye and it 

 drops to the bank. Beetles, phytophagous and coprophagous, 

 form a large portion of its insect diet, and the diptera over the 

 hay-grass are diligently hunted. At dusk it chases crepuscular 

 moths, feeding until dark. Near the nest it has a soft anxious 

 peep, and this is uttered in addition to the ticking calls when 

 both birds flit with jerking flight uneasily from plant to plant in 

 their endeavour to draw us from their home. When thus 

 excited the male will sing fitfully, but towards the end of June, 

 when still feeding young, he becomes silent. As a migrant the 

 Whinchat travels in little parties, those in autumn apparently 

 consisting of the family, but in spring, when spreading over the 

 country, it will consort with other insectivorous birds. I have 

 seen it arrive with wagtails and w^heatears. 



The nest, built of grass and moss with a lining of finer bents 

 and hair, may be at the foot of a bush or in thick cover, or 

 simply in a hollow in the open field, well hidden by surrounding 

 grasses ; it is usually on the ground and cleverly concealed. 

 Five to six, rarely more, greenish-blue eggs, often faintly speckled 

 with rusty dots towards the larger end (Plate 84), are laid late 

 in May, and a single brood is the rule. The cock at times 

 collects nesting material, though what further share he takes 



Series I. q 



