THE WHEATEARS. 
289 
Range in Great Britain. — A regular winter visitor, principally 
along the southern coast of England as far as Devon and Corn- 
wall. We have seen several specimens captured near Brighton, 
and the late Mr. Gatcombe used to obtain the species pretty 
regularly near Plymouth every winter. It also visits Scotland 
and Ireland in winter. 
Range out3ide the British Islands. — The Black Redstart is chiefly 
a bird of Central and Southern Europe, extending northwards 
to Holland, but only straggling to Denmark and the south of 
Norway and Sweden. The eastern breeding limit is marked by 
Mr. Seebohm as 70° E. long., and the bird only occurs in 
Western Russia as a straggler, in the same way that it reaches 
occasionally the north of England and Scotland, the Faeroes 
and Iceland. Its winter range extends to North-eastern Africa. 
Hahits. — The present species is more like a Robin in its 
ways, and is found near houses rather than in the woods, 
where the common Redstart is so often observed, but it is 
also found nesting in the south of Europe among the rocky 
valleys. In most countries it not only frequents the towns, 
but more especially the neighbourhood of gardens and farm- 
houses, and, unlike the common Redstart, it sometimes seeks 
for its food on the ground. The song, as with the latter bird, 
is heard in the night, and especially in the early morning, but 
it consists only of a few rich notes. 
Nest. — A large structure externally, and somewhat ragged and 
loose, but neatly lined inside. It is made of straw and grass, 
with moss and a few twigs, and lined with horsehair and a few 
feathers. It is built in holes of walls and ruins, and in summer- 
houses and sheds in gardens, verandahs, under eaves of houses, 
&c., often without any attempt at concealment. 
Eggs. — From four to six in number. They are white, some- 
times with a very faint tinge of greenish. Axis, o’75-o'85 
inch ; diam., o-6. 
THE WHEATEARS. GENUS SAXICOLA. 
Saxicola, Bechat., Orn. Tascheub., p. 216 (1802). 
Type, S. ananthe (Linn.), 
The Chats have a longer bill than the Redstarts, but resemble 
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