Muscicapa. BIRDS. PASSERES. 63 



insects. Breeds in the southern counties of England. Arrives in May and 

 departs in September. 



Since the days of Willoughby the Wood Shrike (Lanius an minor primus, 



Will. Orn. 54 Wood Chat', Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 217-— Lanius rufus, Tern. 



Orn. i. 146.) has been enumerated among the birds of Britain, though that 

 author gives no indication of its habitat; and even states (p. 18.), that it had 

 no English name. No succeeding observers have detected a native example, 

 so that it no longer seems to merit a place among British Birds. It differs 

 from the preceding species in the nape and neck being bay, the back and wings 

 black, the rump grey, the scapulars white. The plumage, beneath, white; 



Gen. XXIII. MUSCICAPA. Flycatcher.— Bill angu- 

 lar, the base and nostrils armed with bristles. The first 

 quill short, the third and fourth the longest. Hind claw 

 much bent. 



41. M. atrkapitta. Pied Flycatcher. — Plumage, above, black, 



front and beneath white. 



Goldfinch, Will. Orn. 170.— M. at. Linn. Syst. i. 326 — Piedfinch, Penn. 

 Brit. Zool. i. 351. — W. Clochder y mynydd — Inhabits the northern 

 counties of England. Feeds on insects. 



Length about 5 inches. Wings black, with the middle and greater covers 

 white ; the extremity of the inner webs of the latter black. Tail black. In the 

 female the white front is wanting ; the plumage, above, is greyish-brown, and 

 the three lateral tail-feathers bordered with white. The nest is in a hole of a 

 tree, consisting of a few leaves, fibres and hair. The eggs are 5 or 6 in number, 

 of a pale blue colour. The young are of a greyish colour. The quills are black. 

 In the young male of the first year the margins of the two lateral tail-fea- 

 thers are white. In the second year, the margins of the outer only is white, 

 and by the third year the whole white disappears. Montagu is inclined to 

 consider this species as stationary. A nest was sent him from Yorkshire by 

 the Reverend Mr Dalton, taken in the beginning of May. Few of our early 

 breeders are migratory. 



The species now described is the M. luctuosa of Tern. Orn. i. 155. An- 

 other species, confounded with " atricapilla" he describes under M. albicollis, 

 ib. i. 153. In this last, the plumage, including the head, cheeks, back, lesser 

 wing-covers, and tail-feathers, is black. The front, a ring round the neck, 

 and all beneath white. Rump tinged with white. Base of the quills white. 

 The middle and greater wing-covers white, with the extremities of the inner 

 webs of the latter black. In the female, the spot in front is small, and grey- 

 ish-white. The plumage above is cinereous, except the great wing-covers, 

 which are white, and the tivo lateral tail-feathers, which are edged with white. 

 The collar is greyish. Nest as the preceding, but the eggs, which are bluish, 

 have brown spots at the larger end. It is probable, that the M. albicoUis 

 should rank among British birds ; the descriptions of our ornithologists justi- 

 fying the conjecture, but still leaving the subject in doubt. 



42. M. Grisola. Spotted Flycatcher. — Plumage above, 



brown. Head, and sides of the neck, with longitudinal brown 



spots. 



Stoparola, Will. Orn. 159. Sibb. Scot. 17— Spotted F., Penn. Brit. Zool. 



i. 350 — M. gris. Temm. Orn. i. 152 E, Rafter, Bee-bird, Cherrysucker, 



Chanchider ; W, Y Gwybedog. — A summer visitant of England ; rare 

 in Scotland. 



