The Stonechat. 37 



Family—TURDID.K. Subfamily— TURDIN^E. 



The Stonechat. 



Praiiiicola nihicola, LiXN. 



INHABITS the central and milder parts of Northern Europe and southwards 

 to Asia Minor, Palestine and North Africa ; specimens have also been obtained 

 south of Senegal. 



In Great Britain the Stonechat is resident and breeds locally in every county 

 of Great Britain and Ireland, as also in the Hebrides : in the Orkne}- and Shetland 

 Islands it is known to occur, but not to breed. 



The Stonechat is a very handsome little bird, especialh' when in breeding 

 plumage. The male has the whole of the feathers of the upper surface (excepting 

 those of the upper tail-coverts which are white) dull black fringed with ta\\ny 

 brown ; the head from a line abo^'e the eye and the throat \-elvety-black ; wings 

 and tail blackish brown ; smaller wing-coverts, bases of inner secondaries and sides 

 of neck broadly white ; under parts tawny-rufous, deepest on the breast and sides, 

 almost white at centre of chest, but shading into buff on abdomen ; bill and feet 

 ebony-black, iris dark brown. The female is altogether duller in colouring ; the 

 white wing-patch smaller, the tail-coverts reddish brown, the throat mottled with 

 black. In winter the white on the sides of the neck becomes mottled with tawnj', 

 the secondaries have broad tawny borders and either whitish or tawny tips, the 

 tail-feathers are also broadly bordered with bu.ff; the ear coverts, chin and throat 

 feathers are also slightly- tipped on the fringe with tawny or white, and 

 the upper part of the white neck-patch is mottled with tawny. The nestling is 

 spotted above and below, and does not show the dark throat, or white patches of 

 the adult bird ; but, in other respects, resembles it in its winter plumage. 



Though so different from the Whinchat in pattern, this species resembles it 

 greatly in form and in its habits ; it frequents similar localities — wild heathery 

 moorland, gorse-clad commons, uncultivated broken ground, dotted with bush and 

 bramble, with here and there loose stones, or bedded rocks moss-grown and 

 venerable : in such haunts the Whinchat breeds, and there he may be seen poised 

 on the topmost spray of the flowering furze with ever restless tail, anon darting 

 from bush to bush with undulating flight, or hovering niothlike to seize some 



Vol. I. H 



