The Stone-chat 1 an early breeder, and begins to eonstrnct its nest in the beginning o f M arch; conseqnently
¡■BUI „est before I eonld make them rise, so closely do they sometimes | The nest 1 composed
1 1 i ntnsc lined with hair and feathers, and sometimes with wool. The eggs are usually six m
° W m pile greenish blue with small spots o f reddish brown at the larger end. I have seen the brood,
when they were very yonng, come out from under a bush to be fed by the old birds, and then rmmedratel,
B M i H H ^ H H I says Macgillivray, B the old birds evince much anxiety, flutter and flit
about^ incessantly emitting their sharp snapping note, and endeavouring to lead the mtruder off m pnrsu.t
■ winter I have seen this species about the gardens and even the doors of cottages, apparently not
much less familiar than the Robin. But this happens only in severe weather; for at this season itgenerally
continues in its summer haunts, or betakes itself to thickets and hedges. Its song is short, B H | ^ H
not unpleasant, being very similar to that of the Whinchat. and frequently performed wlnle the b,rd
hovering over a bush. I t is seldom heard before the beginning of April, or after the middle of J g
A fine nest, sent to me by Mr. Smitber from Chnrt, was mainly composed exteriorly of dried grass inter,
woven witb moss; the walls were thick, and the interior was neatly lined with horsehair, between whic
and the exterior was an interlining of fine dried grass-stalks: it contained live beautiful eggs, which are
n°The eg g lse em 'te differ considerably in the intensity of the blue ground-colour, some being much deeper
than others ; both, however, are finely freckled with light brown. ¡ ¡ M B
The food consists entirely of insects of various kinds, but principally of Cokoptera
The sexes are at all seasons sufficiently different in colour to be readily distinguishable, hut a marked
sea“ hange takes place in spring and autumn, the male having those parts which are deep black in
summer of a rusty brown in winter, the change apparently being effected by the loss, in summer of he
brown tips of the feathers, which before were so conspicuous, leaving the black bases more visible; the
rnfons colour of the breast, too, is b rig h te r, and the white on the wings purer —
Continental examples differ from those obtained in this country in being of a larger sine, bnghte
colour, and in having a g reater amount of white on the lower part of the back.
The Plate represents the two sexes, of the sise of life, in summer plumage.