WHEATEAR— BLUE-THROAT 197 



of the male varies with the season. In summer 

 it is a pale grey above, with wings and tail black, 

 the rump and base of the tail white, and the under 

 parts whitish. After the autumn moult he assumes a 

 plumage that closely resembles that of the female, the 

 feathers having long brown fringes, which wear off 

 as spring approaches. The female is dull brown 

 above, and the young are similar in colouring, but are 

 slightly spotted. The name "Wheatear" comes from 

 an old Saxon word. "Wheat" is a corruption of 

 white, and "ear" is from the old word "aers," mean- 

 ing rump, in allusion to the white patch above the 

 tail. See Plate 12, Fig. 60. 



An extremely lively and very pretty member of the 

 Thrush tribe is the Stonechat, common throughout the 

 whole of Europe, and especially abundant in the pas- 

 ture-lands of England. It is an insect-eater, and feeds 

 largely upon the destructive wire-worm. The Stone- 

 chat builds a nest of grass and moss on the ground, 

 or in the stems of bushes but a few inches from the 

 ground. See Plate 12, Fig. 62. 



A near relative of the preceding form is the 

 European Redstart, of which two species are figured, 

 the Common Redstart and the Black Redstart. Both 

 are extremely handsome little birds, and fairly com- 

 mon in the Old World. They are said to be increasing 

 in Great Britain and extending their range. Curi- 

 ously enough, the eggs of the two species differ con- 

 spicuously, those of the Black Redstart being a pure, 

 shining white, while those of its relative are a beautiful 

 pale blue. The Redstarts build nests of fine grass and 



