The Stone-chat is an early breeder, and begins to construct its nest the beginning of March ; consequently

by midsummer the brood are strong fliers, and the old birds ane occupied wel a second hatching.

Mr. Weir informed Macgillivray that of all the nests of which he had been in pursuit, he found that of the
Stone-chat “ the most difficult to discover, as It 1s usually built in a collection of whins, and covered by them.
The best way to find it is to watch the female when she comes om her eggs to take food. Even then, she
will not go in until you retire to so great a distance that you will scarcely be able to observe her, she hops
so quickly from bush to bush, and in a moment disappears. I have again and again beat the sl in which
they had their nest before I could make them rise, so closely do they sometimes sit. ‘The nest is composed
of dry grass and moss, lined with hair and feathers, and sometimes with wool. The eggs are usually six in
number, of a pale greenish blue, with small spots of reddish brown at the largerend. I have seen the brood,
when they were very young, come out from under a bush to be fed by the old birds, and then immediately
retire to their place of concealment.”

«When the nest is approached,” says Macgillivray, ‘the old birds evince much anxiety, flutter and flit
about, incessantly emitting their sharp snapping note, and endeavouring to lead the intruder off in pursuit
of them.

‘Tn 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 it generally
continues in its summer haunts, or betakes itself to thickets and hedges. Its song is short, modulated, and
not unpleasant, being very similar to that of the Whinchat, and frequently performed while the bird is
hovering over a bush. It is seldom heard before the beginning of April, or after the middle of June.”

A fine nest, sent to me by Mr. Smither from Churt, was mainly composed exteriorly of dried grass inter-
woven with moss; the walls were thick, and the interior was neatly lined with horsehair, between which
and the exterior was an interlining of fine dried grass-stalks : it contained five beautiful eggs, which are
now in my collection.

The eggs seem to differ considerably in the intensity of the blue ground-colour, some being much deeper
than others; both, however, are finely freckled with light brown.

The food consists entirely of insects of various kinds, but principally of Coleoptera and their larvee.

The sexes are at all seasons sufficiently different in colour to be readily distinguishable; but a marked
seasonal change 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 the
brown tips of the feathers, which before were so conspicuous, leaving the black bases more visible; the
rufous colour of the breast, too, is brighter, and the white on the wing's purer.

Continental examples differ from those obtained in this country in being of a larger size, of a brighter
colour, and in having a greater amount of white on the lower part of the back.

The Plate represents the two sexes, of the size of life, in summer plumage.

cee Os