BLACK WHEATEAB. 93 



venient rock. The song is very sweet and wild, but rather monotonous 

 after a time." Mr. Reid did not, unfortunately, get any eggs. 



Mr. Arthur C. Stark, of Hillstead, near Torquay, was, however, 

 more fortunate than Mr. Reid, having taken a nest of four eggs in 

 Andalusia. Major Irby having informed him how acceptable a spe- 

 cimen would be to me, he most kindly sent me the egg which I 

 have figured, and which he requested might be added to my collection. 

 It is, as will be observed, the largest of the eggs of European 

 Saxicolidce. The following is Mr. Stark's statement, which he kindly 

 sent with the egg: — 



"Nest and four eggs of Black Chat, {^Saxicola leucura), taken in 

 the Sierra, near Casa Vieja, Andalusia, April 25th., 1874. In a range 

 of sandstone rocks my attention was attracted by seeing something 

 that looked like a nest, in a small hole about twenty feet up. On 

 going to it, I found the hole was partially filled with small white 

 stones; behind these stones was a Black Chat sitting on a nest. 

 The bird slipped out before I could catch her, and I then saw that 

 the nest contained four eggs. I then hid some seventy yards from 

 the nest, and watched the bird (with telescope) until she returned 

 to nest. As I was anxious to shoot the bird, I tried to make her 

 leave the nest a second time, but she seemed determined not to 

 move; shouting, throwing stones, and firing a gun off were tried in 

 vain, and it was not until I sent a Spaniard above to lower a rope 

 over the hole that the bird flew out. I fired and missed the bird as 

 she left the nest. She flew a short distance, then returned almost 

 immediately, and re-entered the nest. This time I had to climb up 

 to the nest to get the bird out. She sat until I was close to the 

 hole, then flew out and perched on a rock close by. I got down 

 and followed her for nearly two hours, flred three times at her, but 

 missed, owing to the provoking way in which she kept just out of 

 gunshot. At last, as it was getting dark, I had to give up the chase, 

 and taking the nest and eggs, returned to Casa Vieja. The eggs 

 would have hatched in a couple of days. The nest is large, 

 measuring, outside, six inches across and three inches in depth; in- 

 side, two inches and three quarters across by one inch and three 

 quarters in depth. The outer part of the nest is rather loosely con- 

 structed of dry stalks of grass and small stems of various weeds, a 

 few bits of furze, and a dry leaf; the inner nest and lining almost 

 entirely of fine dry grass. In the lining is a large piece of the root 

 of Palmetto, and a few large white downy feathers, (I think Neophron^ s), 

 Irby says Grifibn's. 



"I noticed several Black Chats about this same range of rocks, but 



