450 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



and white; tail-quills black, except the two out- 

 side feathers, which are nearly all white. Chin, 

 throat, sides, and flanks black ; breast, belly, 

 and under -parts white. Legs, toes, and claws 

 black. 



The female is somewhat smaller, and dusky-grey 

 on the back, where the male is black. 



Situation and Locality. In ivy, growing against 

 walls and trees, in holes in dry walls, bridges, niches 

 of rock, on ledges, and tufts of grass growing from 

 crevices of rock ; in faggot, hay, and brick stacks, 

 collections of rough boulders, and numerous other 

 situations, generally near fresh water, throughout 

 the British Isles. It has been recorded in such 

 curious situations as a potato top, and under a 

 railway switch. 



Materials. Dry grass, roots, and moss ; some- 

 times a few dead leaves or fern-fronds, with an inner 

 lining of wool, feathers, horsehair, cowhair, and 

 rabbit down. The materials vary both in quantity 

 and character, according to situation. 



Eggs. Four to six, greyish-white, thickly speckled 

 with ash-grey or light brown. They vary a good 

 deal, according to the tint of the ground-colour, 

 size of the spots, and their colour. Those in the 

 nest represented on page 449 were of a bluish- 

 white, marked all over with small ash-grey spots. 

 Indistinguishable from those of the White Wagtail 

 or certain varieties of the House Sparrow, except 

 by the parent birds in the former case and the 

 nest and its position in the latter. Size about .8 

 by .6 in. (See Plate III.) 



Time. March, April, May, and June. 



Remarks. Partially resident, but with a southern 

 winter movement. Notes: chiz-zit, chiz-zit. Local 



