14 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Breeding-habits. — Haunts commons, bracken-covered hillsides, 

 open glades in woods, etc. No nest, eggs laid on ground in scrape, 

 often sheltered by bits of dead wood. Eggs. — 2 normally, but 

 exceptionally 3 and even 4 on record. Much elongated and 

 elliptical in shape ; ground greyish -white to creamy, spotted and 

 marbled or blotched irregularly with yellowish -brown and some- 

 times dark sepia markings as well as clouded and blotched with 

 leaden-grey. Sometimes dark markings are obsolete, or irregular 

 brown streaks and hair-lines prominent. Average of 100 eggs, 

 31.5 x 22.3 mm. Max : 36.5 X 21 and 34 X 24. Min. : 27 X 20.4 

 and 30.4 X 20. Breeding -season. — From about mid -May onward, 

 but most eggs laid end of May and early June. Also eggs in July 

 and first half August. Incubation. — By both sexes ; period 15 

 days from laying (Evans), 16-18 days (Heinroth), 18 days (Gurney, 

 Walton). Undoubtedly sometimes double brooded. 



Food. — Insects taken on the wing, especially in twilight : principally 

 coleoptera (Meloloniha, Geotrupes, Aphodius, Phylloperiha, Rhizo- 

 trogus and Elater) ; lepidoptera (Sphinx, Hepialus, many species 

 Noctuse, and Geometrse) ; diptera (Tipula, etc.). Naumann states 

 that neuroptera are also taken (Odonata, Phryganeidse, etc.) and 

 Hartert that orthoptera are picked up. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Summer-resident. Generally dis- 

 tributed in suitable localities, except Orkneys and Shetlands, where 

 only a vagrant, and O. Hebrides, where only occurred three times 

 (Ghlaiss, Aug. 14, 1897, N. Uist, June 2, 1907, July 18, 1916). 



Migrations. — British Isles. — Early arrivals of summer-residents 

 begin fourth week April (early dates Apr. 4, 1869, Yorks. Apr. 6, 



1912, Derby, Apr. 15, 1908, Surrey, Apr. 16, 1909) ; main arrival 

 first week May, lasting to end May or first week June. Very little 

 evidence of passage-migration. Nesting -haunts begin to be deserted 

 about mid-Aug. and emigration from south coast commences at end 

 of month and lasts to third or fourth week Sept. (late dates More- 

 cambe Bay Lt.-v. (Lanes.), Oct. 7, 1910, I. of May (Forth), Oct. 9, 



1913, Wigtown, Oct. 10, 1914, Suffolk, Oct. 27, 1910, Devon, Nov. 10 

 to 13, 1911). A few records suggest that east and west coastal 

 routes are used Aug. -Sept., but it is not clear whether travellers are 

 passage-migrants. Irish summer-residents apparently arrive and 

 depart by south-east coast. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe from about lat. 63° north south- 

 wards, in winter in Africa south to Cape Colony. Casual Madeira 

 and Salvages ; also Faeroes. Replaced in Spain, Corsica and 

 Sardinia, parts of Italy, south-east Europe north to Hungary, 

 Crimea, and south-east Russia, Asia Minor, north-west Africa, 

 and various parts of Asia by other races. 



