326 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



' Ohlen ' than for theii- home lessons, the government put a tax on 



the nets, wliich had the eti'ect of restricting the capture of small 

 birds within desu'able hmits. 



In the capture of Wheatears a sunple draw-net is employed. 

 The birds are found in very large numbers on the upper edge of 

 the clitf, and are fond of perching on small elevations : it is 

 accordingly usual to heap up on that part of the island a small 

 hillock, about five feet long and from eight to ten inches high ; 

 parallel to this mound a net is placed, which, b}' means of a long line, 

 is let down with a jerk over the hillock, and any birds which happen 

 to be sitting on it. Formerly the net used to be drawTi over each 

 single bird as it settled on the hillock. Recently', however, experience 

 has sho\vn that if one makes use of a colony of ants in the heaping 

 up of the earth, the insects and insect larva' contained in such a 

 heap form such an excellent bait that one has succeeded in getting 

 as many as live and even ten birds at one draw. During a very 

 strong migration of Wheatears, the proceeds of one net may mount 

 up to from five to ten score. As a rule, however, live score is a 

 very satisfactory haul. 



138. — Black-eared Chat [Ohren-Steinschmatzek]. 

 SAXICOLA AURITA, Temminck.i 



Heligolandish : Witt Ohlen = White Stonechat. 



Saxicola rufesceus. Naumann, xiii. ; Blasius, Naclttrdge, 134. 



Black-eared Chat. Dresser, ii. 203. 



Traquet oreillard. Temminck, Manuel, i. 241, iii. 165. 



The Heligolandish name of this species is connected with the 

 fact of one of the examjjles killed being an extraordinarily fine 

 old male in summer plumage, in which all the upper parts are 

 pure white, and in strongest contrast with the deep black sides of 

 the head, wings, and tail marking. This bird was shot on the 

 12th of Ma}' 1860. I had j^reviously obtained an old male, in 

 very beautiful rich isabelline rust-coloured autumn plumage, on 

 the 26th of October 1851. These are the only examples of this 

 species hitherto observed here. It should finally be noted that 

 the black marking at the tip of the tail is considerably broader 

 in the autumn examples than in the bird shot in Maj' : in the 

 latter this marking extends, on the outer webs of the third, fourth 

 and fifth feather only, '35 in. (9 mm.) upwards, while in the former 

 it extends for 71 in. (18 mm.). 



1 Saxicola aibicollix (Vieillot). 



