THE WHEATEARS. 



289 



Ran^e in Great Britain. A regular winter visitor, principally 

 along the southern coast of England as far as Devon and Corn- 

 wall. We have seen several specimens captured near Brighton, 

 and the late Mr. Gatcombe used to obtain the species pretty 

 regularly near Plymouth every winter. It also visits Scotland 

 and Ireland in winter. 



Range outside the British Islands. The Black Redstart is chiefly 

 a bird of Central and Southern Europe, extending northwards 

 to Holland, but only straggling to Denmark and the south of 

 Norway and Sweden. The eastern breeding limit is marked by 

 Mr. Seebohm as 70 E. long., and the bird only occurs in 

 Western Russia as a straggler, in the same way that it reaches 

 occasionally the north of England and Scotland, the Faeroes 

 and Iceland. Its winter range extends to North-eastern Africa. 



Habits. The present species is more like a Robin in its 

 ways, and is found near houses rather than in the woods, 

 where the common Redstart is so often observed, but it is 

 also found nesting in the south of Europe among the rocky 

 valleys. In most countries it not only frequents the towns, 

 but more especially the neighbourhood of gardens and farm- 

 houses, and, unlike the common Redstart, it sometimes seeks 

 for its food on the ground. The song, as with the latter bird, 

 is heard in the night, and especially in the early morning, but 

 it consists only of a few rich notes. 



Nest. A large structure externally, and somewhat ragged and 

 loose, but neatly lined inside. It is made of straw and grass, 

 with moss and a few twigs, and lined with horsehair and a few 

 feathers. It is built in holes of walls and ruins, and in summer- 

 houses and sheds in gardens, verandahs, under eaves of houses, 

 &c., often without any attempt at concealment. 



Eggs. From four to six in number. They are white, some- 

 times with a very faint tinge of greenish. Axis, 0-75-0-85 

 inch ; diam., 0-6. 



THE WHEATEARS. GENUS SAXICOLA. 

 Saxicola, Bechst., Orn. Tascheub., p. 216 (1802). 



Type, S. (cnanthe (Linn.). 

 The Chats have a longer bill than the Redstarts, but resemble 



