" The nest is made at the foot of a small furze-bush, !n deep heather, or in long, tangled grass." 



THE WHINGHAT 



T 



HE Whinchat, although it 

 cannot be justly called a 

 plentiful summer visitor, 

 is, nevertheless, well dis- 

 tributed over England, 

 Wales, and Scotland. In 

 Ireland it is rarer and 

 more local. 

 Whilst furze-clad commons and heath- 

 covered wastes are its favourite haunts 

 they are by no means essential to the 

 bird's well-being, for it may often be 

 found inhabiting meadow - fields and 

 railway cuttings in cultivated dis- 

 tricts. 



Its habits may not inaptly be described 

 as a mixture of those of the Stonechat 

 and spotted flycatcher. Like the for- 

 mer, it is very partial to the vantage 

 ground afforded by a tall furze-bush, 

 thistle, or other eminence, from which 

 it may frequently be seen to flutter into 

 the air in pursuit of a passing fly or 



moth, after the manner of the latter 

 named species. 



The male Whinchat is much more 

 boldly marked than the female, as will 

 be seen by a cursory glance at our photo- 

 gravure plate, and although he may 

 frequently be found inhabiting the same 

 ground as the Stonechat, the well- 

 marked differences in the plumage of 

 the two specjes is calculated to prevent 

 any kind of confusion. His song, which 

 is low, sweet and agreeable, is some- 

 times delivered on the wing, but more 

 often from the topmost spray of a 

 bush. The call-note sounds very like 

 the word " u-lick," and may easily be 

 mistaken for that of the Stonechat. 



The nest is made at the foot of a 

 small furze-bush, in deep heather, or in 

 long, tangled grass, and is composed of 

 dead grass and moss, with an inner 

 lining of horse-hair. It is very diffi- 

 cult to find, and the majority of those 



'33 



