107 

 THE WHEATEAE. 



SAXICOLA (EXANTH^. 



Upper parts, in autumn reddish brown, in spring bluish grey ; wings and wing- 

 coverts, centre and extremity of the tail, legs and feet, bill and area which 

 comprises the nostrils, eyes and ears, black; base and lower portion of the 

 side of the tail pure white ; the chin, forehead, stripe over the eyes, and under 

 jjarts are also white, and in autumn the tail-feathers are also tipped with 

 white. Fejjiaie— upper parts ash-brown, tinged with yellow; stripe over the 

 eyes dingy ; all the colours less bright. Length six and a half inches ; breadth 

 twelve inches. Eggs pale bluish green. 



IJURING a considerable portion of its stay with us, open 

 downs near the sea are the faA^ourite resort of this lively 

 bird, to which it repairs from its transmarine winter 

 q.uarters towards the end of March. Here it may be 

 seen for several weeks flitting from rock to rock, and 

 occasionally soaring to the height of about twenty yards 

 into the air, warbling from time to time its pleasant song, 

 now aloft, and now restlessly perched on a rock, or 

 bank, or low stone wall, and making itself all the more 

 welcome that few others among our summer visitants 

 have as yet recovered their voices. We need not sup- 

 130se that Wheatears prolong their stay on the coast in 

 order to rest after their voyage. More probably they 

 make marine insects (for these are abundant even in 

 early spring) the principal portion of their food, and are 

 taught, by the same instinct which guided them across the 

 sea, to remain where their wants will be fuUy supplied 

 until land insects have emerged from their winter 

 quarters. As the season advances many of them pro- 

 ceed inland, and repair to barren districts, whether moun- 

 tainous or lowland, where they may enjoy a considerable 

 expanse without any great admixture of trees. A wide 

 common studded with blocks of stone, a rabbit-warren 

 or sloping upland, is likely to be more or less thickly 

 peopled by these shy birds. Shy we term them, because, 

 disposed as they are to be social among themselves 



