THE WHEATEAR AND THE REDSTART. 359 



part of the body and grayish white below, the throat being of a lighter 

 hue than the breast and abdomen. The entire length of the bird rather 

 exceeds six inches. 



.A small but very interesting group of birds now claims our attention. 

 These are the Erythaciuse, or Redbreast kind, including the Redbreast, 

 the Wheatear, and other birds. 



The Wheatear, or Fallow Chat, is a well-known visitant of the 

 British Isles, and on account of the delicate flavor of its flesh when 

 fat is sadly persecuted throughout the whole time of its sojourn. 



Being in great favor for the table, where it is popularly known as 

 the English ortolan, and consequently fetching a good price in the 

 market, it is caught in great numbers, and sold to the game-dealers of 

 London. The trap by which it is captured is a remarkably simple 

 affair, consisting merely of an oblong piece of turf cut from the soil 

 and arranged crosswise over the cavity from which it was taken. A 

 horsehair noose is supported under the turf by means of a stick, and 

 the trap is complete, needing no bait or supervision. It is the nature 

 of the Wheatear to run under shelter at the least alarm, a passing 

 cloud sufficing to drive it under a stone or into a 'hole in a bank. 

 Seeing, therefore, the sheltering turf, the Wheatear runs beneath it, 

 and is caught in the noose. These simple traps are much used by the 

 shepherds, who can make and attend to four or five hundred m a day, 

 and have been known to catch upward of a thousand Wheatears within 

 twenty-four hours. 



As a general rule, the nest of the W^heatear is hidden in the most 

 perfect manner, the bird ordinarily choosing to place its domicile with- 

 in the recesses of large stone heaps, in deep rocky crannies, and in 

 similar localities; so that, even if it should be discovered, the work of 

 obtaining it is very severe. In some parts of the cliff*-bound seacoast, 

 the Wheatear's nest is so deeply buried in the rocky crevices that the 

 only mode of obtaining the eggs is to hook out the nest by means of a 

 bent wire at the end of a long stick. 



The upper part of the body is light silver gray, and the quill 

 feathers of the wings, together with their coverts, are deep black. The 

 middle tail feathers and the tips of the various rectrices are of the same 

 hue, and a black streak passes from the edge of the beak .to the ear, 

 enveloping the eye, and spreading widely upon the ear-cov^erts. The 

 breast is buff*, with a decided orange tinge, and the abdomen is beauti- 

 fully white. The female is not quite so handsome, the wings, tail, and ear- 

 coverts being dark brown, and the lighter portions of the body tinged 

 with brown. The total length of the bird is about six inches and a half. 



The specific title of phcenieura, which is given to the Redstart, 

 signifies " ruddy-tail," and is attributed to the bird in consequence of 

 the light ruddy chestnut feathers of the tail and upper tail-coverts. 



