STONECHAT. "VVHINCHAT. 101 



and the "Kttle bit of bread and no eheese" of the 

 drawling yellow amnier. Some of these birds evidently 

 remain with us throughout the year^ having been noticed 

 in the most exposed situations during very severe 

 weather. 



SAXICOLA RUBETRA (Linnffius). 



WHINCHAT. 



Common in summer, and breeds in the county. In 

 habits the Winchats much resemble the last named 

 species, with which they commonly associate on our 

 heaths and sandhills, though less numerous ; but in 

 the spring of 1864, I saw the contents of some four- 

 teen or fifteen nests, all taken amongst the furze on 

 Household, near Noi-wich, with only a few eggs of the 

 stonechat amongst them. Mr. Hewitson speaks of find- 

 ing the nests of this bird in rough pasture fields and 

 grassy meadows, in Westmoreland; and on one occa- 

 sion I met with an old pair and a young one, in what 

 seemed to me a very strange locahty — namely, on a 

 wet marsh adjoining the broad at Surlingham. This 

 was in the month of June, 1859, when, after spending a 

 night on the water, I was endeavouring to find the nest 

 of some grasshopper warblers, which were ^^ creaking," 

 in various directions, about three o'clock in the morning. 

 A strange note from a neighbouring sallow bush 

 arrested my attention, and, wondering what new 

 discovery I was destined to make, I observed a pair 

 of whinchats jerking their tails up and down, and 

 uttering their peculiar cry in an agitated manner. On 

 searching the bush I soon found a half-fledged young 

 one, but no nest; yet, being unable to fly, it must 

 have been bred on the marsh, a very swampy and 

 unusual locality. Being in want of specimens I se- 



