300 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



spring, and the white wing patch is very plain. In the autumn 

 the fore-neck has some small black streaks. 



Kange in Great Britain. A summer visitant to the British Is- 

 lands, visiting the North of Scotland, as well as the Orkney, and 

 Shetland Islands, and also the Hebrides. In Ireland, however, 

 it is still considered as a rare and local summer visitor. 



Range outside the British Islands. As in Great Britain, the Whin- 

 chat is a summer visitor to most parts of Europe, and breeds 

 as far north as the Arctic Circle. It extends eastwards to the 

 Ural Mountains, and its breeding range even to 70 E. long. 

 In the south of Europe, the individuals which stay for the sum- 

 mer season only nest in the mountains. In winter the Whinchat 

 visits North-east Africa, and is frequently to be found in collec- 

 tions from Senegambia and the Gold Coast. 



Habits. The Whinchat is one of the prettiest and most 

 engaging of our summer visitors, but is seldom noticed by 

 anybody but the ornithologist ; and yet it is by no means 

 uncommon. It is found in a variety of situations, in the open 

 moorland, the fallows, and the grass fields before the hay- 

 season begins. Wherever it is found its habits are very similar, 

 and it may be observed on the open commons, sitting on the 

 top of a furze-bush like a Stonechat, or flying over the stand- 

 ing grass, and perching on a thistle or small bush in the middle 

 of the field ; or it may be found on the slope of a hill, over 

 which are scattered furze-bushes. On its first arrival in the 

 early part of May, the Whinchat may be seen in pairs, but after 

 the nesting season the female is seldom observed, and there is 

 no more difficult nest to discover. The male is observed on 

 the top of a bush, and from its actions one may fancy that the 

 nest is below ; this generally turns out to be the case. The 

 bird, however, will do everything in its power to mislead, flyim 

 off rapidly and reappearing at the top of a neighbouring bush, 

 uttering its note, u-tack, u-tack. This is a very good render- 

 ing of the note of the Whinchat and Stonechat, both of whose 

 calls resemble the sound of two stones being clinked together. 1 



* We notice that Mr. Seebohm says that the Whinchat is calle 

 " U-tick," from its note, in some country districts. In Leicestershir 

 in our young days, this name was always applied to the Wheatear. 



