The Wheatear 



sunny shores of the Mediterranean and to North Africa, 

 though a few stragglers may possibly be found during the 

 winter in some warm and sheltered nook of Cornwall or 

 Devon. They have gone — October has brought the cold 

 weather, trees are rapidly becoming bare — we go out one 

 morning and find to our surprise that apparently our 

 summer friend has returned ; by the next morning he is 

 gone again, and we realise that these passing birds had 

 only stopped to rest before undertaking another night 

 stage on their long journey from the Arctic. 



The male is grey on the head, neck, and back ; wings 

 black ; rump, forehead, and superciliary streak white ; lores 

 and ear coverts black. Tail feathers, except the two central 

 ones, which are black, white with broad black tips ; under- 

 parts white, huffish on the throat and breast ; under wing 

 coverts mottled with dark grey and white. The female is 

 brown on the back and ear coverts and much more buff 

 below. The young are greyer and spotted above and below 

 with buff. Length (of small race) 6 in. ; wing 3*75 in. 



THE ISABELLINE WHEATEAR 



Saxicola isabellina, Ruppell 



This is a south-eastern species inhabiting the plains of 

 South Eussia and Asia Minor in summer, and being a 

 permanent resident in Palestine, Egypt, and East Africa. 

 Only one example has been known in Western Europe ; it 

 was shot in Cumberland on November 11, 1887. 



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