BLACK REDSTART — STONECHAT. 57 



before the 24th March, 1852 [Zoologist, p. 3476), and Mr. W. 

 Warde Fowler (who is famihar with this species in the Alps) 

 watched one, at a distance of a few yards, enjoying the sun- 

 shine on some walls and heaps of stones close to King-ham on 

 the 6th November, 1884. It appeared to be an old male 

 {in lit.). On the 5th November, 1888, Mr. Fowler again 

 met with the Black Redstart at Kingham, near the Chipping 

 Norton Junction railway station. When first seen it was 

 sitting on the top twig of a hedge, but afterwards flew to the 

 signalman^s cottage garden, wdiere it was watched for some 

 time through the binoculars as it sat on a new stone wall 

 bounding it. Mr. Fowler thinks it was a bird of the year. 

 ' Head, neck, breast, and back were all brown, but suffused 

 with black ; and there was dusky white on the wing. It was 

 quite tame ' {in lit.). Unfortimately I just missed seeing 

 the bird, having only left Mr. Fowler an hour before. Other 

 instances of its occurrence have been reported, but are not 

 satisfactory. 



THE STONECHAT. '* ^ 



Saxkola riibicola. 



The Stonechat is a resident species, but is much less com- 

 mon in winter. From the fact that its summer haunts are 

 then for the most part deserted, and that there are some parts 

 of the county where it is never seen during the winter months, 

 it has been much overlooked at that season, and is generally 

 believed to be a summer visitor only. As a breeding species 

 the Stonechat is very local. Rather high ground, more or 

 less covered with gorse or juniper bushes, seems essential to it 

 in the nesting season, and in summer it is rarely found away 

 from such spots. It breeds on Wigginton and Hanwell 

 Heaths, on Tyne Hill, and on the top of Shotover Hill. In 

 the first-named locahty it is less nmnerous now than a few- 

 years since, consequent upon the heath land being gradually 

 brought into cultivation, or converted into rough pasture. 



