THE STONECHAT. 15 



chat, for besides being found throughout the 

 greater part of Europe to the Mediterranean, it 

 goes by way of Senegal to South Africa, and 

 extends eastward through Asia Minor, Palestine, 

 and Persia, to India and Japan. In Europe, 

 however, its distribution is somewhat remark- 

 able, inasmuch as it is confined chiefly to the 

 central and southern portions of the continent, 

 and in Norway and Sweden is unknown. The 

 Whinchat, on the other hand, breeds in these 

 countries, and has been met with as far north 

 as Archangel. In winter the male Stonechat 

 loses the black head, and the colours in both 

 sexes are much less vivid than in summer. 

 Here again, as with the Wheatear, the change 

 of plumage seems to be effected by a change of 

 colour in the same feathers, and not by a moult. 

 Apropos of this subject, the reader may be 

 referred to an article contributed by me to the 

 Natural History columns of " The Field," i6th 

 September, 1871, on variation of colour in 

 birds. 



