CHEEPER. 71 



steep surfaces, and support themselves in their progress with 

 their tails, which are long and stiff, and inclined downwards.' 



The eggs, eight or nine at the former brood, laid in April, 

 and four or live at the second, are white, with a fe\v red 

 spots all over, or only at the thicker end. They are hatched 

 in thirteen days, and both birds sit on them by turns. The 

 young are fed with small caterpillars. 'If the young,' says 

 Meyer, 'are disturbed, they crawl out of the nest up the tree, 

 but if they should fall to the ground, they run quickly 

 amongst the grass and hide themselves, and are almost 

 certain to make their escape.' 



Male; weight, about two drachms; length, from five inches 

 to live inches and a quarter; bill, long, slender, and curved 

 downwards; it is compressed towards the tip, and ridged on 

 the upper part, which is larger than the lower one; the latter 

 is dull yellowish white, except at the tip, which, as is the 

 whole of the upper one, is dusky: the space between it and 

 the eve is brown ash-colour. Iris, brown; a white streak runs 

 over it, and ends in a spot of the same at the side of the 

 nape: from the eye backwards extends a dusky streak. Head 

 on the sides, brown ash-colour, spotted with white; crown, 

 dusky brown, with markings of dull white, and darker and 

 lighter yellow; neck and nape, the same, the spots larger; 

 chin .and throat, white. Breast, silvery soiled white, yellowish 

 on the sides and the lower part; back, as the neck. 



Wings; the first feather is very short, the second nearly 

 half an inch shorter than the third; the third, fourth, fifth, 

 and sixth nearly equal in length, the fourth rather the longest ; 

 greater wing coverts, dusky, white on the tips of the outer 

 webs, the edges of the white yellowish; lesser wing coverts, 

 dusky tipped with white; primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, 

 dusky tipped with white, more extended over the ends of the 

 three last feathers; from the fourth to the fifteenth feather, 

 a yellowish white band across the middle of each, which is 

 straight when the wings are extended, but is in heraldic 

 phrase 'wavy' or, rather, 'crenellee', when they are closed. 

 Tail, reddish or brownish ash-colour, yellowish towards the 

 outer edge, the shafts pale brown yellow; upper tail coverts, 

 as the back, tinged with tawny rust-colour; under tail coverts, 

 reddish yellow, tipped with white. Legs, toes, and claws, 

 pale yellow brown, the last named with a tinge of pale red; 

 they are very long and curved. 



The female nearly resembles the male. 



