38 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



stony places, generally where whin grows. 

 It is common on the top of the cliffs at 

 Flambro' Head and also on the downs at 

 Freshwater, Isle of Wight. It is also known 

 in Ireland and Scotl.ind. 



Abroad it is distributed over all the tem- 

 perate countries of Europe, also North and 

 South Africa, Asia Minor, and India. 



Nest. — The nest is commenced early in 

 the season, generally early in April. It is 

 placed on the ground and under banks, or 

 slightly elevated at the bottom of a whin- 

 bush, and is composed of moss and dry 

 grass, lined with feathers, hair, or fine grass. 



Eggs. — Five or six eggs are laid, pale 

 blue, paler than those of the whinchat, 

 generally much spotted with red-brown at 

 the large end. 



Varieties. — The eggs vary very much in 

 the spotting. Sometimes the large end of 

 the egg is very thickly spotted, the rest of 

 the egg blue ; and sometimes the egg is 

 entirely blue, duller than the whinchat's. 



35. WHINCHAT. 

 Sylvia ruhetra. 



RUBETRA, red or reddish. 



Size. — Length, about 5 in. ; expanse, a 

 little over 9 in. 



Plnmage.— The adult male has the 

 bill black ; eyes hazel ; whole of the upper 

 part of the head and back light brown, each 

 feather with a black centre ; a white streak 

 runs over the eye; ear coverts and wing 

 coverts black; lesser wing coverts partly 

 white, but almost hid by the other feathers ; 

 primaries blackish brown with narrow light 

 margins ; tail black, all except the centre 

 feathers white for halt their length ; throat 

 and breast rich reddish buff, edged with 

 white near the darker colours and shading 

 off paler towards the vent ; legs black (fig. i) . 



The Female has the colours less distinct ; 

 the ear coverts and wing covers being brown, 

 the breast less brilliant and without the 

 white edge (fig. 2). 



The Young in the nest plumage are much 

 lighter than the adult female, and much 

 spotted and striped with yellowish white. 

 After the autumn moult they are similar to 

 the adult female. 



Varieties are rare. Mr. Bond has two 

 in his collection pied with white — one of 

 them is given upon the plate. 



Varieties. — The only variety I have seen 

 is in Mr. Bond's collection. It has the 

 greater part of the plumage white. 



Note. — The ordinary note of the Whin- 

 chat is a " chat, chat," which assumes a 

 sharper note resembling " u tick, w tick," 

 uttered in a very impatient manner, when 

 the vicinity of the nest is approached. The 

 song is not of great power, but is sweet and 

 agreeable, and generally uttered from the 

 top of a small isolated bush, or upstanding 

 plant among long grass. 



Flight— The flight is from plant to 

 plant, or from one small bush to another, 

 generally selecting the uppermost branch, 

 and uttering its well known note. Occassion- 

 ly it will hover in a kind of butterfly, fashion 

 as if selecting a suitable place on which to 

 alight. 



Migration. — This species arrives in 

 this country from the south towards the 

 end of April, sometimes not until the first 

 or second week in May, and departs again 

 in October. Gilbert White gives the 

 Whinchat among the soft billed birds 

 which remain with us through the winter, 

 but I know of no authentic cass ; he must 

 have confounded it with the last species. 



Food, — Insects of all kinds, especially 

 caterpillars, flies, and those with soft bodies. 



In Confinement it may be treated like 

 other soft -billed birds. 



Habitat. — This bird is common 

 through the summer in all parts of Britain, 

 except the extreme north. It delights in 

 rough places where whin or furze grows, or 

 among mowing grass. From which habit 



