THE WHEATEARS. 
293 
ing season, it places its nest out of sight in various kinds of 
places, sometimes far under a ledge of rock, or under a clod 
of earth, sometimes also in the hole of a wall. Mr. Seebohm 
likewise mentions a cairn of stones on the sea-shore as a 
favourite resort, and also the stacks of peat on the moors, 
and he says that the nest is sometimes to be found at a 
distance of several feet from the place where the birds enter. 
A rabbit-burrow is also often selected, and the group which 
illustrates the nesting of the Wheatear in the British Museum, 
shows the nest, with the young birds, concealed just inside the 
burrow, and as the latter was occupied, the Rabbits must have 
been passing in and out during the whole time of the incubation 
of the eggs and the rearing of the young. 
Eggs. — Four to seven in number. They are entirely pale 
greenish-blue, or greenish-white, usually without any spots, but 
occasionally showing some faint spots of purplish-brown, prin- 
cipally at the larger end. Axis, oS-o'g inch ; diam., 0-6-0-65. 
(Plate xxix., fig. 4.) 
THE 1SABEI.LINE WHEATEAR. SAXICOLA 1SABELLINA. 
Saxicola isabellina , Cretzschm. in Rupp. Atl., p. 52 (1826); 
Dresser, B. Eur., ii., p. 199, pi. 22 (1874); Seeb., Cat. 
B. Brit. Mus., v., p. 399 (1881) ; Saunders, Man., p. 21 
(1889). 
Adult Male. — General colour above earthy-brown, with an ashy 
shade, slightly more rufescent towards the rump ; the upper 
tail-coverts white ; wing-coverts dark brown, edged with sandy- 
brown ; bastard-wing blackish, narrowly margined with sandy- 
buff; primary-coverts and quills dark brown, edged externally 
with’ ashy-grey, less distinct on the latter, the secondaries 
fringed with white at the ends, the inner ones broadly margined 
with sandy-buff; centre tail-feathers black, with a while base, the 
rest of the feathers white for more than the basal half, the end of 
the tail black, forming a very broad terminal band, the feathers 
tipped with white ; head like the back ; a broad streak from 
the base of the bill to above the ear-coverts, white, the hinder 
part of this eyebrow sandy-buff ; lores black ; ear-coverts and 
under-surface of body isabelline-rufous, paler and inclining to 
sandy-white on the cheeks and throat ; the abdomen and 
under tail-coverts paler isabelline ; axillaries and under wing- 
