THE WHINCHAT. 181 



placed on the ground, and is not easily discovered, 

 for it is often hidden among the lower branches of 

 the furze-bush, or amid the tangling branches of 

 the low hawthorn, or of the bramble which winds 

 its flexible sprays far over the bank. Nor is this 

 concealment deemed enough by the birds, for diy 

 grasses and pieces of the surrounding herbage are 

 placed about the nest so as to eftectually cover it, 

 and it can be found only by watching the birds 

 on their way to and fro. The eggs are from five 

 to seven in number, of a bluish green, marked 

 with a few small specks of reddish brown. 



The whinchat is a pleasing bird, both from its 

 beautiful colours and its vivacious manners. Its 

 food consists of worms, slugs, and insects, caught 

 in the air; and it also eats several of the wild 

 berries, which hang on the boughs in autumn, as 

 a provision for the feathered race. 



