STONECHAT. 59 



male bird, of course, in a louder tone the first " music 

 of the wastes," except perhaps the Skylark's song. It 

 has been said that, strictly speaking, the term " Stone- 

 chat" should have been given to the Wheatear a bird 

 which never perches on trees or bushes, but always 

 upon stones, or on the ground. It is probable, however, 

 that the clicking notes of the Stonechat led to this 

 appellation being conferred upon it, instead of that of 

 the " Bushchat," which has been proposed by some 

 ornithologists. 



The food of the Stonechat consists in summer of 

 grubs and insects of various kinds ; in winter it may 

 partake of a few seeds. It is, however, a most inoffen- 

 sive, as well as a really beautiful, little bird, and one 

 which greatly enlivens the solitude of our commons and 

 mountain sides. 



The nest is often made upon the ground, always near 

 it, and is very carefully concealed, especially when 

 placed, as it sometimes is, in a furze bush ; there the 

 eggs, five in number, are laid, usually towards the close 

 of April. They are of a greenish-blue colour, with spots 

 upon the larger end of reddish-brown. 



In most parts of Europe, the Stonechat, like the 

 Whinchat and Wheatear, is a bird of passage ; but, 

 owing to our comparatively mild winters, it remains all 

 the year round in Ireland, and is, I think, equally 

 plentiful at all seasons. It is one of the few birds more 

 frequently found in Ireland than in England. 



