48 
BIRDS OF LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND. 
left its ordinary habitat of “ the whin-covered moor and wild for the cultivated 
field and hedgerow.” C. Adcock informs me (1888) that, some ten years 
ago, pairs were occasionally seen, but that he never knew them to nest, and 
remarks that they are now very rare. I saw, at Elkington’s, an immature 
male specimen, shot at Ansty on 28th Sept., 1885, and two others shot at the 
end of October. 
I have no note of its nesting save that furnished by Harley, who wrote; — 
“ IMay 2nd, 1849 — To-day in my rambles through our outwoods and along the 
skirts of Charnwood Forest, I met with a whole brood of Stone Chats attended 
by their parents. This certainly indicates early breeding.” Further : — “ The 
nest is not invariably placed on the ground as affirmed by some observers, 
for we have met with it occasionally lodged on the horizontal bough of the 
Scotch fir and other newly planted forest trees. It is more generally built 
at the bottom of a bush consisting of gorse, or broom, or ling, and, from the 
adroit manner in which it is concealed, it is not easily found. The nest is 
rather large, and is chiefly composed of moss, bents, and strong, withered 
grass, and lined with hairs and feathers. — Eggs five, and sometimes six in 
number, pale greenish-blue faintly marked at the larger end with dull, 
reddish-brown or rufous spots.” 
In Rutland. — Resident and sparingly distributed, as in Leicestershire. — 
The Earl of Giainsborough remarks that it is “ seen in winter in woods,” thus 
bearing out Harley’s observation for Leicestershire, and Mr. Horn writes 
me: — “I saw a solitary female on Seaton Common on 10th April, 1886; I 
visited the Common many times after, but did not see it again, nor any others 
of the species. On May 22nd, 1886, I visited Barrowden Heath, and saw a 
pair of Stonechats, also found the nest from which the young ones had flown 
or crept; probably the latter, because the old birds were very much excited, 
but we saw nothing of the young ones. I saw also two female Stonechats, but 
not a single Whinchat, which I consider the more extraordinary, as Barrowden 
Heath is distant but three miles from Seaton Common, where Whinchats are 
exceedingly numerous.” 
REDSTART.* Ruticilla yjhcenicurus (Linnaeus). 
“ Firetail,” “ Redtail.” 
A summer migrant, sparingly distributed, and breeding ; sometimes double- 
brooded. Probably not so common as formerly. — Harley noted the arrival of 
the males several days before the females, saying that they haunt walls and 
ruins, as those of Bradgate, Gracedieu, ITverscroft, Leicester Abbey, and even 
within the town, flitting about the ancient walls of the Castle, and ruined 
gateways within the Newark, and adding; — 
“ With us it affects pollard willows and ashes, nesting on the crown of 
♦ i.e. Red-“ steort ” = Red-tail (see CIub-“ steort,” ‘ Zool.,’ 1884, pp. 153-4). 
