WILD LIFE : FURRED AND FEA THERE D. 43 



him easily distinguished, even at dusk. In the South he is 

 commoner than the thrush, but in the North I think the 

 latter bird, which emulates the blackbird in the richness 

 of his note, is the more often noted about the gardens. 

 Both birds should be welcomed, on account of the slugs, 

 snails, and insects, with their laroe, that they devour. Later 

 on they may steal some fruit, but " the labourer is worthy 

 of his hire," and man is often only too selfish in his cha- 

 racter of ruler over the beasts of the field and the fowls 

 of the air. 



Chack ! chack ! cries the wheatear as he flits along the 

 hillocky pastures, having arrived early, to spend his summer 

 with us. On open ground, on warrens, and the poorer 

 land near the coast you will find him ; and especially in 

 numbers about our South Downs. Owing to that jerky 

 white tail of his, he gets the name everywhere of "white- 

 rump." A blue-grey back and rich rufous-coloured breast, 

 dark wings, and broad, black tips to his white tail, make 

 the wheatear a very noticeable bird. He is wary and shy to 

 a degree, however, and next month at your approach he will 

 flit uneasily from place to place, in order to divert your 

 attention from the nest that will be so cautiously formed 

 right up some old rabbit burrow, or hidden in a peat stack 

 or the deep crevice of a stone wall. The eggs, of which 

 you may see as many as seven in a nest, are of a very 

 lovely pale blue, sometimes having tiny purple spots on 

 them. 



A Son of the Marshes says of the wheatear, "A timid 

 creature and gentle, the shadow of a crow's wing thrown 

 on the turf as the bird flies overhead, is enough to make 

 him crouch and run for shelter. The shepherd and his 

 lads know his weakness ; and when he runs to hide from 



