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Case 1 70. 



REDSTART {Ruticilla fhcenicurus). 

 Local name : Jenny Redtail. 



An early spring immigrant, sparingly distributed. The Redstart 

 frequents the skirts of forests, orchards and gardens and is partial to 

 old walls and ruins overrun with ivy. The food consists of worms, 

 insects, fruits and berries. The nest, loosely constructed, is formed of 

 dry grass and fine roots, lined with hair and feathers, and is usually 

 placed in some hole in a tree, wall or roof. The eggs, from five to 

 seven and even eight, are pale greenish-blue (see British Bird Egg 

 Cabinet, drawer 1). Two broods are often produced in a season, the 

 young of the first being fledged by the second week in June. 



Case 171. 



STONECHAT {Pratincola ruUcola). 

 Local names : Stone Chack, Flick-tail. 



This species is resident throughout the year, but is irregularly 

 distributed, frequenting commons and furzy wastes. It closely 

 resembles the Whinchat both in its nesting habits and number of eggs, 

 the nest being placed on or near the ground in some furze bush, but it is 

 built much earlier in the year, about the middle of April, and the eggs 

 are somewhat greener in colour (see British Bird Egg Cabinet, drawer 1). 

 The nest is here shown in a gorse bush. 



Case 17 2. 



WHINCHAT {Pratincola rubetra). 



A summer visitor, generally distributed over Great Britain from 

 the middle of April to early in October. In Ireland it is limited to some 

 of the southern counties. The food consists of insects, worms and 

 berries. Its nest, constructed loosely of dry grass and moss, lined 

 with hair, is made about the beginning of May, and is usually formed 

 in some hollow in the ground well concealed by surrounding foliage. 

 The eggs are greenish-blue faintly zoned with rust colour, and are 

 usually six in number (see British Bird Egg Cabinet, drawer 1). Two 

 broods are sometimes reared in a season. 



Case 173. 



HEDGE ACCENTOR {Accentor modularis). 

 Local names : Hedge Sparrow, Hedge Dunny, Dunnock, Dykey. 



A resident,^ generally distributed over the British Islands. It 

 frequents woods, hedgerows, and gardens, and feeds indiscriminately 

 on insects, worms and seeds, but not fruit. It is very nearly the first 

 bird to build its nest, which is placed in an almost leafless hedge and 



