332 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



143. — Whin Chat [Braunkehliger Wiesenschmatzek]. 

 SAXICOLA RUBETRA, Linn-i 



Heligolandish : Kapper ; name for Chat. 



tia.ricola rubetra. Naumann, iii. 903. 



Whhi Chat. Dresser, ii. 255. 



Traquet tarinr. Temminck, Manud, i. 244, iii. 164. 



Warmth seems to be a condition specially necessary to the life 

 of this little bird, since in spring it never makes its appearance 

 before the weather has become settled, warm, and tine, in the first 

 or second week in May ; similarly it departs as early as Angiist 

 before the least noticeable fall of temperature has taken place. 

 During the spring migration the birds principally frequent the 

 gardens of the island, where they perch on the end of almost every 

 bare twig, flying upwards from these almost perpendicularly in 

 pursuit of any msects that may happen to be roaming above theni^ 

 and then redescending to the same twig with a slight and graceful 

 turn. During its passage in August and the beginning of Septem- 

 ber, the birds by preference resort to the potato-fields, which on 

 calm warm days literally teem with them. In spring also, however, 

 the bird may be counted among the most numerous visitors to the 

 island. 



The breeding home of this species extends through central and 

 northern Europe to beyond the Arctic Circle. The western range 

 of its breedmg stations in Asia aj^pears not to be definitely estab- 

 lished ; they must, however, exteiid to the longitude of Turkestan, 

 inasmuch as Sewertzoff cites this bird both as a breedmg species 

 and a bird of passage for the latter coimtr}-. 



144. — Stone Chat [Schwarzkehligek Wiesenschmatzek]. 

 SAXICOLA RUBICOLA, Lmn.^ 



Heligolandish : Swart-boaded Kapper = i)?(icA'-/icarferf Chat. 



Saxicola rubicola. Naumann, iii. SS4. 



Stone Chat. Dres.ser, ii. 263. 



Traquet rubicoU. Temminck, Manuel, i. 246, iii. 16S. 



Quite contrary to the preceding closely related species, the 

 Stone Chat starts on its journey for the nesting stations when 

 winter has hardly yet departed, viz. durmg the first days of March, 

 and sometimes even, as in 1882, as early as the 26th and 27th 

 of February. It occurs, invariably, only in isolated instances, it 



' Pralincola rubetra {hiun.). - Pratincola rubicola {Linn.). 



