298 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



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

 wing-quills. Throat, breast, and under-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. 



Situation 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. Twigs, 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 

 egg, and in rare cases are absent altogether. Very 

 variable in size. Average measurements about 1'05 

 by -8 in. 



Time. 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. 



Remarks. Resident, subject to local movement, 

 and partially migratory. Notes : call, sib, sik, sik, sik, 

 sikij tsakj tsak. The song of the cock is well known 



