176 BRITISH BIRDS. 



The Whinchat is a solitary bird, frequenting 

 heaths and moors : it has no song, but only a 

 simple unvaried note, and in manners very much 

 resembles the Stonechat ; it makes its nest very 

 similar to that bird, and is generally seen in the 

 same places during the summer months : the fe- 

 male lays five eggs, of a lightish blue, very faintly 

 sprinkled with small rusty spots. In the northern 

 parts of England it disappears in winter: but its 

 migration is only partial, as it is seen in some of 

 the southern counties at that season. It feeds on 

 worms, flies, and insects. 



