396 THE BIRDS OF HELIC40LAND 



should have to look for it among the thorn-bushes, which are from 

 fifteen to eighteen feet in height, and not where I actually did find 

 it — viz. in an elder-bush, about nine feet high, at a spot under 

 which I used to pass at all hours of the da3^ A stout branch had 

 broken oft' at a distance of several feet from the stem, and had 

 given off four shoots at the place of rupture, so that the whole had 

 the form of an open hand, in the cavity of which the nest was 

 placed. The male of the pair had perished early in the season, 

 having probably fallen a victim to the numerous cats on the island ; 

 nevertheless, the lone little widow laid her eggs, and faithfully 

 reared her young. Inasnuich as the whole family finally dis- 

 appeared one day, we may assume that they had happily set out 

 together on their autuum journey. 



No doubt can be entertained as to the identity of these birds, 

 for not only used the hen to sit daily beside a shady bench in my 

 garden, at a distance of from three to five feet above my head, 

 uttering her ' hiiet — hiiet ' plaintively, as though in solicitude for 

 her nest some few jaaces off, but I j^icked up from the ground on one 

 occasion two of the small rust-brown young ones who were as yet 

 too helpless to leave their nest, and restored them, after a long 

 inspection, to their home amongst the elder-branches. 



This species can be distinguished at a first glance from the 

 three preceding related species, being not only the smallest, but 

 also the darkest of the three. All the upper parts, including the 

 rump, are of a dark rich rust-brown, this colour not only occupying 

 the sides of the neck, upper breast and breast, but also extending 

 to the edges and tips of the greater and lesser wing-coverts and 

 the posterior flight-feathers, whilst even the red of the summer 

 plumage of the male has an admixture of this rust-colour. 



The measurements of the examples of this species shot here are 

 as follows: — Total length, 4'52 ins. (115 mm.); length of the wing, 

 264 ins. (67 mm.) ; length of the tail, 2-04 ins. (52 «im.) ; length of 

 tail imcovered by wings, 1-02 in. (26 vim.). The bill is -32 in. 

 (8 vim.) long, and by its elongated tip much resembles that of 

 F. linaria, whereas the bills of F. hornemanni and F. exilipes 

 resemble each other in shape. 



This species seems to nest nowhere except m Scotland and its 

 islands ; in England, throughout the north, and as far as the central 

 parts of the couiitry ; and also in the north of Ireland. Seebohm 

 says that these birds during their migration appear in large flocks 

 in the Orkney Islands ; ^ unless, however, their breeding range 

 extends to Scandinavia, or further east, it is difiicult to see whence 

 such flocks come, or whither they go. 



' History of Brilinh Birdu, vol. ii. p. 117. 



