PLATE CLL 



lour inflead "of white. The forehead white as in the common 

 kind. 



That found about the Dwina is white above ; the throat, wings, 

 and almoft the whole of the two middle tail feathers black ; and two 

 fpaces of black on the outer feathers of it. 



In our Mufeum we poflefs alfo a bufF-coloured Wheat-ear, a fup* 

 pofed variety of this fpecies ; perhaps allied to, if not the bird in- 

 tended by Linnaeus under the fpecific name of Stapazina : the red or 

 ru^flfet-coloured Wheat-ear of Edwards. 



According to the cbfei vations of BufFon the Wheat-ear does not 

 attain the adult plumage till the third year. This may induce a per- 

 fuafion that fome, if not all the birds admitted heretofore as varieties 

 may prove to be no other than the common kind in an immature 

 Hate of plumage. Before the fiiil moult the young birds are a mix- 

 ture of reddiili, or rufTet, with brown on the head, the neck and up- 

 per part of the body to the rump faintly flreaked v/ith blackilh, the 

 rump itfelf white : the under parts reddiOi dotted with blackifh or 

 duiky, with the lower part of the belly white. The afh-coloured va- 

 riety is conceived to be the young of the male bird. The plumage of 

 the female is marked like that of the male, but the colours are more 

 obfcure. Preparatory to the commencement of the breeding feafon, 

 the Wheat-ear feeks fome convenient depofitary in the ground for 

 the conftrudlion of a nefl, felefting for this purpofe a hollow under 

 the flielter of a flone_, or clod of earth, or not unfrequently the defert- 

 €d burrow of a r^bbit^ The iiqft is formed of grafs^ or mofs^, mixed 



