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which it frequents have been recorded by various 

 writers, no one seems to have had any certain 

 information as to its true home, or the country 

 wherein it breeds, till about the year 1858, when 

 Mr. Wolley first introduced the eggs from Finland. 

 The nest, which is fixed on the fork of a branch, 

 eight or ten feet from the ground, is composed of 

 dry stalks of grass, and the inside is lined with 

 very fine stalks of the same material. The eggs, 

 of which there are three or four, are of a dingy 

 bluish white, marked with spots and blotches of 

 black of various sizes and shades. 



WHEATEAR, THE. 



SYLVIA (ENANTHB, Penn. 



The Wheatear is one of the earliest of our sum- 

 mer visitants, arriving about the middle of March. 

 It is generally dispersed, betaking itself to sandy 

 downs, pastures, and stony slopes, both on the 

 coast and in the interior. It is a very lively and 

 active bird, hopping along with great celerity. 

 Its food consists of insects, worms, and small tes- 

 taceous mollusca. It has a short, lively, and plea- 

 santly modulated song, which is heard sometimes 

 when it is perched on a rock, wall, or turf, and more 

 frequently while hovering in the air, or during its 

 short flights. The nest, which is composed of 



