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in the beginning of July 1857, in the Sierra de los Anches, near Murcia. It was placed in a 

 large hole covered by another stone like a roof. The place was very carefully chosen, as this 

 part of the mountain was seldom visited by men ; only the bird never thought that the hole could 

 so very easily be reached. I found in it five young unfledged birds, and was not long in uncer- 

 tainty as to what species they were ; for I had not finished examining the nest when both parents 

 appeared with food. Never, not even out of the best hiding-place, could I have observed these 

 lovely birds to such advantage as now. Both these birds, otherwise so shy, seemed to forget 

 their usual caution, as the female was within fifteen paces of me and the male rather further off. 

 The female flew anxiously from one rock-pinnacle to the other, whilst the male was sitting on the 

 same place and singing as if begging me not to touch but to leave its nest in peace, and tripping 

 and dancing all the time. The scene became quite touching — on the one side the mother flying 

 and fluttering round me, on the other hand the male not knowing what to do in its anxiety to 

 entice away the dangerous enemy. I could not find in my heart to shoot the poor bird, and left 

 the nest, whilst the male seemed to thank me with a joyful song. Afterwards I saw both parents 

 teaching the young to fly, the parents flying before the happy company from stone to stone, from 

 rock to rock ; for the young ones feel themselves quite comfortable amongst the stones from the 

 beginning. If one of the old birds utters an alarm-note the whole brood is in a moment hidden 

 amongst the stones and clefts; but the next moment, when the enemy is out of sight, the whole 

 family reappears on the tops of the rocks in reply to the cry of one of their parents ; and when 

 an insect is caught, all the young ones may be seen running and crying to get it, and even their 

 short wings are used to accelerate their speed; but again the black male is the fastest and has 

 got it. Now the head of the enemy is again perceived, and an alarm-note from the male bird 

 sends all the young to their hiding-places. The whole brood remains thus under the protection 

 (if their parents until they have moulted; and then they scatter, as each has found a companion. 

 •July, August, and September are the months when they moult; at the end of October and 

 beginning of November the single pairs are already together, although they still affect the 

 company of others. In January they already begin to sing ; in February the autumn song is 

 heard ; it is very like that of the Blue Thrush, but not so loud and so clear, and generally 

 finishes with a peculiar churring sound, resembling that of the Black Redstart." 



I do not possess the egg of this Chat ; but my friend Mr. Howard Saunders has lent to me 

 one taken by himself at Alora, in Southern Spain, on the 9th of May, 1868. This egg is very 

 pale light blue, with the faintest greenish tinge, has a zone of pale reddish spots and blotches 

 round the larger end, and a few small, indistinct red dots scattered over the surface of the shell. 

 In size it measures f§ by f £. Canon Tristram (Ibis, 1859, p. 297) describes the egg as " some- 

 what larger than those of the Wheatear, of a rich deep greenish blue, covered towards the 

 larger end with rust-red blotches and spots," which does not agree with the specimens I have 

 seen from Spain. 



The adult specimens figured are in my own collection and in that of Canon Tristram, the 

 nestling being one belonging to Mr. Howard Saunders. 



