BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 315 



begins in August, but drags on till October, and to a 

 slight extent for some time longer. 



The nest is placed in a sheltered spot of some sort — 

 a natural hole or crevice in a bank or among rocks, a 

 rabbit-burrow, a hole in a wall, or even an old tin. 

 The nest itself is loosely made of dry grass, and lined 

 with feathers, hair, rabbit's fur, &c. The five to seven 

 pale-blue eggs are sometimes faintly spotted with purple, 

 but are more often plain. Two broods are reared in 

 a season. The parents are not shy, but are restless 

 and wary, and rarely give one any clue to the site of 

 the hidden nest. 



In autumn the new feathers have broad, buff-coloured 

 margins, and thus alter the dominant tone of the plumage; 

 but the pattern remains much the same. Immature birds 

 have also a good deal of buff, and their plumage is 

 spotted. 



THE WHINCHAT 



(Pratincola rubetra). 

 Plate 117. 



This Chat is not only smaller than the Wheatear, 

 but is also quite different in plumage. With no bird 

 can it possibly be confused, except perhaps with the 

 female or immature Stonechat. The adult male Whin- 

 chat has a broad white eye-streak and a large wing-patch 

 of the same colour. In the female the wing -patch is 

 smaller ; and although the eye-streak is pale buff, it is 

 still a good point for identification purposes, seeing that 

 the female Stonechat has none. 



Like the Wheatear, the Whinchat is a summer visitor 



