i 3 2



More about the Mountain Chat.



I then wrote and tried to induce Major Horsbrugh to write

a full account of this species, from personal observation, for the

Magazine ; but I suppose he was weary of this particular species,

or had no more to add respecting it; at any rate I heard nothing

further from him and have at length decided no longer to keep

back the interesting notes in his letter.


The hen Chat is in very vigorous health and does not seem to

grieve over the loss of her brother : she moulted without trouble

about the end of August and beginning of September, becoming

—at this her second moult—perhaps a trifle more smoky in tint

—but still in no sense what anybody with an eye for colour could

call black.


I found that she accepted red currants with as great plea¬

sure as grapes, but they seem to have been scarce in 1908 as I

only twice succeeded in obtaining them for her: grapes she eats

■every day of her life, tearing a hole, catching them by the edge

of it and slinging them away, thus gradually breaking them up

and swallowing them piecemeal.


The commonest call-note of this bird appears to be a rat¬

ling and rather shrill “ Hrrreet,” with which I am often greeted

when I approach the flight-cage in the morning. On one occa¬

sion this was followed by a succession of about six not unpleasing

notes almost amounting to a short song. One other note, which

struck me as being either indicative of alarm or perplexity, was

uttered for the first time on January 2nd of the present year

while the floor of the conservatory was being scrubbed, it sounded

like the sharp yap of a little dog and was repeated at intervals

for about a quarter of an hour.


When I look at the perfect condition and abounding health

■of this neat little Wheatear, I must confess that I often feel

annoyed to think that the male bird also was too far gone for

restoration when it reached me. The slight nervousness which

the lieu bird exhibited at first when I changed her food has en¬

tirely passed away, though she often takes exercise in the same

manner. I have never seen others of my birds act quite like it

when taking flying leaps :—she starts from one perch across to

the opposite end of the cage which she uses as a spring-board

from which she returns to the opposite end and then to the perch



