9.6 IN BIRD-LAND 



waiting for about an hour the hen took food to 

 her brood, and I was surprised to find that the nest 

 was at some distance from where I had thought 

 most likely it would be from previous observation. 

 When once the parent had entered, I still remained 

 concealed, and noticed that they kept on bringing 

 food as they would in an ordinary way. 



I was struck by the rapidity with which the 

 Wheatears disposed of the supplies for their young. 

 The nest was situated at some distance in the 

 burrow, beyond the reach of my arm ; but the 

 parent birds entered, disappeared from sight, and 

 returned in the space of a few seconds, the cock 

 being especially quick in his movements.- Above 

 the. nest there was a small stake driven into the 

 ground on which they always rested before entering 

 their nest, using it as a kind of half-way house, and 

 it is on this stake that the bird is shown to be 

 sitting in the photograph. They are very restless 

 in their habits, never remaining long in one position ; 

 and immediately on settling, the head is bent for- 

 ward, then quickly raised, when the bird will sit 

 very upright, but constantly jerking its tail. 



The name Wheatear has no connection with 

 wheat, as might innocently be supposed to be the 

 case ; it is a corruption of white, and of an Anglo- 

 Saxon word oers, meaning rump, so that the name 



