Stonechat. 149 



known as Bee-fin rouge queue; in Germany, Schwarze Roth- 

 sckwanz ; in Spain, Coliroyo; and in Portugal, Raboruivo all 

 with the meaning of ' red-tail ;' but in the latter country it has 

 many provincial names as well, as Negrone, ' the black ;' Noite 

 negra, 'the night black;' and ' Pisco ferreiro,' 'the blacksmith 

 iinch.' 



43. STONECHAT (Saxicola rubicola). 



This and the two following species comprise the genus ' Chat/ 

 and all of them are tolerably numerous in this county. They 

 run with great celerity, being enabled to do so by the great pro- 

 portional length of the tarsus, and are pretty, little, lively, 

 restless, noisy birds, and their absence would cause a sad blank 

 on our downs, which they chiefly frequent ; their habit is to flirt 

 the tail up and down continually, but not after the manner of 

 the redstart. I met with Chats of many species in Egypt and 

 Nubia, where in some localities, especially above the first Cata- 

 ract, they are the most abundant birds seen; and it is quite 

 marvellous how well their colours are adapted to the ground 

 they frequent. Some, as S. leucomela, S. leucopygia and S. leuco- 

 vephala, in their respective dresses of black and white, readily 

 escaping notice amid the dark granite rocks which run inland 

 from the banks of the Nile to the desert, which hems it in on 

 either shore ; others again, as S. isalellina, S. stapazina, and 

 S. deserti, in their russet clothing, scarcely to be seen on the 

 sands of the desert. But the Stonechat, with which we are now 

 concerned, I found most abundant in Portugal, where I met 

 with it throughout the country in considerable numbers ; for the 

 wide tracts of heathland, covered with aromatic shrubs and 

 other bushes, and which often extend over many square leagues, 

 exactly suit its requirements. 



The Stonechat is the only one which partially remains with us 

 through the winter, and may generally be met with in stony 

 places or open pastures covered with small shrubs : it is of 

 bright plumage the head, neck, back, and throat nearly black ; 

 wing and tail coverts and sides of the neck white, and rich 



