lO OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS. 



be a female, or male in winter plumage, of the 

 Stonechat — a species which is known to reside 

 with us throughout the year, yet receiving a 

 large accession to its numbers in spring, and 

 undergoing corresponding decrease in autumn. 



In the southern counties of England the 

 Whinchat is sometimes very numerous, and may 

 be found in every meadow perched upon the 

 tall grass stems or dockweed. The abundance 

 or scarcity of this species, however, varies con- 

 siderably according to season. In some years 

 I have noticed extraordinary numbers of this 

 little bird, and in others have scarcely been 

 able to count two or three pairs in a parish. 

 I have generally found that a cold or wet 

 spring has so affected their migration as to 

 cause them apparently to alter their plans, and 

 induce them to spend the summer but a short 

 distance to the north or north-west of their 

 winter quarters. 



It is a little remarkable that in Ireland the 

 Whinchat is far less common than the Stone- 

 chat, the reverse being the case in England. 



