136 SAXICOLINJE. SAXICOLA. 



brownish-red, the throat yellowish-grey, the breast dull brown- 

 ish-red, a white spot on the wings, and the upper tail-coverts 

 yellowish-red. Young with the upper parts dusky, streaked 

 with pale yellowish-red, the lower dull yellowish-brown, the 

 fore neck mottled with dusky, and some of the inner secon- 

 dary coverts white. Considerable diversity is produced by 

 the abrasion of the margins of the feathers, in summer. 



Male, 6i, 9, 2, T V, tf, 1?, T V Female, 5j, 9. 



Although it appears that many individuals of the species 

 leave us in autumn, it is to be found both in England and Scot- 

 land in winter. It is generally dispersed in summer, although 

 nowhere abundant, resorting to heaths and hill pastures over- 

 grown with furze, juniper, and other low shrubs. Its favourite 

 station is the top twig of a bush, whence it sallies forth in 

 pursuit of insects. It flits about by short starts, with a direct 

 flight, or alighting jerks its body and tail, and utters at intervals 

 a note resembling the syllables snack, chack, or chit. The nest, 

 which is placed on the ground among shrubs, is bulky, com- 

 posed of grass and moss, and lined with finer straws, fibrous 

 roots, hair and wool. The eggs, five or six, are light greenish- 

 blue, marked towards the larger end with pale brown dots, 

 their length eight-twelfths and a half, their breadth nearly 

 seven-twelfths. Although commonly named Stonechat, this 

 bird is not especially addicted to frequenting stony places; but 

 it may sometimes be found in such as are interspersed with 

 shrubs and briars. 



Stonechat. Stonesmich. Stonechatter. Blacky-top. 



Motacilla Rubicola, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 332. Saxicola Ru- 

 bicola, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. i. 246. Fruticicola, Black- 

 headed Bushchat, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, ii. 279. 



GENUS XLI. SAXICOLA. STONECHAT. 



Bill of moderate length, straight, slender, depressed at the 

 base, compressed toward the end ; upper mandible with its 

 dorsal line slightly declinate and nearly straight, the ridge 

 narrow at the base, and continuing rather sharp to the end, 

 the notches obsolete, the tip declinate, narrow, and rather 

 blunt ; lower mandible with the angle moderate, the dorsal 

 line nearly straight, the edges inflected, the tip narrowed to 

 a blunt point ; the gape-line straight. Mouth rather wide ; 

 tongue of moderate length, sagittate, emarginate, and papil- 

 late at the base, narrow, concave above, bristly on the edges, 



