298 BRITISH BIRDS' XESTS. 



of the liead, and edged with a lighter tinge on the 

 wing-qnills. Throat, breast, and nnder-parts pale 

 tawny yellow ; lighter on the vent and under tail- 

 coverts. The space from the throat to the thighs 

 is studded with arrowhead-like spots. Legs and 

 toes pale brown ; claws darker. 



The female is smaller than the male, and the 

 spots on her breast are larger and the ground colour 

 lighter. 



Situatiuu and Locality. — In evergreens, especially 

 early in the spring, hedgerows, bushes, in ivy growing 

 against walls and trees, in holes and on " throughs " 

 of dry walls ; on ledges of rock, on beams and in 

 holes of barns, and sometimes quite on the ground ; 

 in woods, plantations, on commons, hedges, trees 

 and bushes growing by the side of brooks. Our 

 illustration is from a photograph taken early in 

 the spring. Throughout the British Isles, with 

 few exceptions, and those where no cover is afforded. 



Materials. — TVigs, coarse grass, moss, and clay, 

 with an inner lining of cow-dung or mud ; sometimes 

 thickly studded with bits of rotten wood. 



Eggs. — Four to six, of a beautiful deep greenish- 

 blue, spotted with black. The spots sometimes 

 describe a well-defined ring round the larger end, 

 at others they are sparingly scattered over the 

 Qgg, and in rare cases are absent altogether. Very 

 variable in siz^. Average measurements about 1*05 

 by '8 in. 



Tijiie. — February, March, April, May, June, and 

 July ; sometimes as late as August, and even October. 

 I have seen the bird bravely covering her eggs when 

 the ground has been thickly mantled in snow. 



Memarlxs. — Resident, subject to local movement, 

 and partially migratory. Notes : call, siJ^, sil-, sil-, sil-, 

 siJti, tsal-, tsaJx. The song of the cock is well known 



