Passeres 



23 



earliest spring migrants, arriving in mid-March, and 

 making pretty straight for its breeding quarters, while 

 it leaves the comitry by October. But it is not till 

 April or May that it builds its nest of grass lined with 

 fur, hair, or feathers, which is placed in a rabbit-burrow 

 or similar excavation in most cases, though it may be 





Wheatear 



in holes in walls or peat-stacks on the moors, while a little 

 building material at the entrance generally betrays 

 the site. The five or six eggs are very pale blue, rarely 

 with a few purplish specks. The Wheatear, from its 

 similar note, is often confounded with the Stonechat, 

 but may readily be distinguished by its grey back, 

 black cheeks, wings, and tail, white rump and breast. 



