THE BLACK-HEADED BUSHCHAT. 79 



But seldom thy wings through the yielding air sweep, 

 But seldom thy notes in the azure dome swell, 



Thou art not ambitious, but lovest to keep 



On the earth that hath fed thee and nourished thee well. 



And when the October gales whistle around, 



Away to the sunny south thou must be gone, 

 As here no subsistence for thee can be found, 



When winter hath put his white vestiture on. 



Thus ever the humble, the lowly, the meek, 

 Find safety in flight when the tempest prevails, 



While the haughty and proud by resistance may seek 

 To bear, or to vanquish, whatever assails. 



THE BLACK-HEADED BUSHCHAT (Saxicola, or Fruticicola 

 rubicola), sometimes called Stonechat, or Stonesmich, 

 Stonechatter, Blacky-top. Very like the Whinchat in 

 form, a little larger, and having a black head and throat, 

 brownish black back and upper parts, brownish red breast ; 

 sides of neck, spot on the wings, and base of tail, white. 

 The name Stonechat has been applied to this bird im- 

 properly, as it does not frequent stony or rocky places, its 

 usual haunts being commons, heaths, and hill pastures, 

 where whin, juniper, and other low bushes abound. Ex- 

 cept that it is a permanent resident in this country, and 

 only migrates from place to place, the description given 

 of the habits of the Whinchat will exactly suit this. ' If 

 you watch its motions (says Macgillivray) you will perceive 

 that it flits about by short starts with a direct flight, perches 

 on a twig, jerks its body and tail, utters at intervals a sharp 

 note, resembling the syllable snack, and then flies off in 

 pursuit of an insect, creeps among the foliage, and some- 

 times hops along the ground, and takes its stand on a turf, 

 or other eminence. 7 In severe weather it may be sometimes 

 seen about the gardens, and even at the doors of cottages, 

 apparently as tame and familiar as the Robin. It has a 

 short, modulated, and not unpleasant song, which is fre- 

 quently performed while the bird is hovering over a bush, 

 probably a whin or other shrub under which its nest is 

 placed. This is made in April, of stems and leaves of 

 grasses, interwoven with moss, and lined with fine straws, 

 fibrous roots, hair, wool, and sometimes feathers. The 



