. Coloured illustrations of British birds, and their eggs . rs this largefamily has been as variously divided and subdivided, in ac-cordance, with their different views. At the head of the Sylviada, has been placed by somerecent authors the genus Saxicola, on account of the affinitywhich its members have with the rock thrushes among theMerulida, and as forming a proper connecting link betweenthat division of the Dentirostres and the summer warblers,of which the Sylviada chiefly consists. Waste and barren districts, open downs and moors arethe chief resort of most of the birds included in the g
. Coloured illustrations of British birds, and their eggs . rs this largefamily has been as variously divided and subdivided, in ac-cordance, with their different views. At the head of the Sylviada, has been placed by somerecent authors the genus Saxicola, on account of the affinitywhich its members have with the rock thrushes among theMerulida, and as forming a proper connecting link betweenthat division of the Dentirostres and the summer warblers,of which the Sylviada chiefly consists. Waste and barren districts, open downs and moors arethe chief resort of most of the birds included in the genusSaxicola. They are lively, shy, and difficult of approach,except during the breeding season. Their food consists en-tirely of insects, which they take after the manner of theflycatchers, by darting upon them from the summit of ahillock, stone, or bush, or by pursuing them on the ground,which they are enabled to do with much celerity on accountof their long and slender legs. All the species at presentknown are confined to the ancient Continent. The few. •-#5% PI. 5A WHEAT-EAR. 39 members of this family that are reckoned British, which areonly three, are readily distinguishable by their peculiar man-ners. In form they are stout, and the shortness of thetail adds to that appearance; and their heads are ratherthick and round ; but their long and very slender legs, andthe sprightliness of their actions, give them a peculiar cha-racter. They are continually flitting from bush to bush,or from stone to stone, and when alighting to rest and gazeabout, the tail is continually in motion. They are birds ofhandsome and varied plumage, and the young and old, maleand female, in spring and autumn plumage, all present dif-ferent appearances. The Wheat-ear is a summer resident in these islands, andalthough too local in its distribution to be called common,is yet, in many places, very numerously dispersed. In springand autumn, the periods of their arrival and departure, theyare found in imm
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookidcoloured, booksubjectbirds
