THE WHEATEARS. 293 



ing season, it places its nest out of sight in various kinds of 

 places, sometimes far under a ledge of rock, or under a clod 

 of earth, sometimes also in the hole of a wall. Mr. Seebohm 

 likewise mentions a cairn of stones on the sea-shore as a 

 favourite resort, and also the stacks of peat on the moors, 

 and he says that the nest is sometimes to be found at a 

 distance of several feet from the place where the birds enter. 

 A rabbit-burrow is also often selected, and the group which 

 illustrates the nesting of the Wheatear in the British Museum, 

 shows the nest, with the young birds, concealed just inside the 

 burrow, and as the latter was occupied, the Rabbits must have 

 been passing in and out during the whole time of the incubation 

 of the eggs and the rearing of the young. 



Eggs. Four to seven in number. They are entirely pale 

 greenish-blue, or greenish-white, usually without any spots, but 

 occasionally showing some faint spots of purplish-brown, prin- 

 cipally at the larger end. Axis, 0-8-0-9 mcn , : diam., 0-6-0-65. 

 (Plate xxix., fig. 4.) 



THE ISABELLINE WHEATEAR. SAXICOLA ISABELLINA. 



Saxicola isabellina, Cretzschm. in Riipp. Atl., p. 52 (1826); 

 Dresser, B. Eur., ii., p. 199, pi. 22 (1874); Seeb., Cat. 

 B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 399 (1881) ; Saunders, Man., p. 21 



Adult Male. General colour above earthy-brown, with an ashy 

 shade, slightly more rufescent towards the rump ; the upper 

 tail-coverts white ; wing-coverts dark brown, edged with sandy- 

 brown ; bastard-wing blackish, narrowly margined with sandy- 

 buff; primary-coverts and quills dark brown, edged externally 

 with ashy-grey, less distinct on the latter, the secondaries 

 fringed with white at the ends, the inner ones broadly margined 

 with sandy-buff; centre tail-feathers black, with a white base, the 

 rest of the feathers white for more than the basal half, the end of 

 the tail black, forming a very broad terminal band, the feathers 

 tipped with white ; head like the back ; a broad streak from 

 the base of the bill to above the ear-coverts, white, the hinder 

 part of this eyebrow sandy-buff; lores black; ear-coverts and 

 under-surface of body isabelline-rufous, paler and inclining to 

 sandy-white on the cheeks and throat ; the abdomen and 

 under tail-coverts paler isabelline ; axillaries and under wing- 



