The Chats. 



'47 



and resonant as that of the former, as I have 

 satisfied myself after careful observation of both ; 

 the Stone-chat penetrating to my dull ears at a 

 greater distance than his cousin. 1 This really 

 means that the bill of the one, and in fact his 

 whole muscular system, is stronger than the same 

 in the other, and the TO ^^^sg of his constitu- 

 tion is more largely developed. 



If I walk alongside of the railw r ay, as it passes 

 between the water-meadows and the corn-fields 

 which lie above them, divided on each side from 

 these by a low-lying withy-bed, I always keep an 

 eye upon the telegraph-wires ahead, knowing by 

 long experience that they will tell me what birds 

 are breeding or have bred about here. As 

 autumn approaches, great numbers indeed of 

 visitors, Swallows, Martins, Linnets, and others, 

 will come and sun themselves here, and even 

 tempt a Sparrow-hawk or Kestrel to beat up and 

 clown the line ; but in early summer, beside the 

 Whin -chats, and the Whitethroats nesting in 

 great numbers in the thick quickset hedges which 



1 The chat of the Whin-chat is a dissyllable, ' u-tic ' ; that of 

 the Stone-chat a monosyllable, 'chat.' (O. V. A.) 



L 2 



