INSESSOEES. 43 



advances, become nearly of a uniform greyish brown. 

 The white upper tail coverts, however, at all times 

 remain conspicuous. 



Gilbert White says,* " Some Wheatears continue 

 with us the winter through ; " but I have never seen 

 any after September until the following March. 



Mr. Belfrage, writing to me from Muswell Hill, 

 says : " One day I wounded a Wheatear slightly, 

 and succeeded in capturing it. I took it home, 

 where I placed it in a lark's cage and fed it upon 

 worms and insects. It fed well, and soon got so 

 tame as to come down from its perch at my whistle. 

 While I continued to whistle, it walked up and 

 down in front of the cage, stretching its head out 

 and apparently enjoying the sound. It would also, 

 when called, come down and take a common house- 

 fly, of which it seemed very fond, from my fingers, 

 without showing any signs of timidity." Flies and 

 small beetles form the principal food of the Chats, 

 and, indeed, of all the Warblers. 



GRASSHOPPER WARBLER, Sylvia locustellaJ A 

 regular summer visitant, though not particularly 

 numerous as a species. Several specimens have 



* Letter XXXIX. 



f The rare Warbler, known as Savi's Warbler (Sylvia 

 luscinoides), has been found breeding on the Thames, but 

 not near enough to entitle it to be catalogued as a county 

 bird. (See ' Zoologist, p. 1307.) 



