222 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



dark red rings or spots, through a biift' and ochreous yellow (Host 

 und Okergelb) to a dull yellowish green ground colour (gelblich- 

 griin), with yellowish grey {gelhlichgrau) marking. Many of the 

 eggs, however, have a ground colour approaching nearer to a 

 greenish than one meets with in L. collurio. In size the eggs 

 range pretty closely with those of the Red-backed Shrike, as they 

 do also in form, though smaller ones occur amongst them than 

 are met with in the former species. Their average measurements 

 are: length, 0'90 in. (23 mm.); breadth, 0-67 in. (17 mm.). 



The material for the above descriptions, as well as skins for 

 comparison, I owe to the kindness and generosity of Mr. Tancre, 

 for whom they were collected in the Altai Mountains. 



Flycatcher Muscicajxi. — According to Sharpe, the genus of 

 these small harmless birds comprises about twenty species. They 

 are inhabitants of the Old World ; but Europe possesses only four 

 of them as breeding birds, all of which are represented in Heligo- 

 land. 



55. — Pied Flycatcher [Schwarzee Eliegenfanger]. 



MUSCICAPA LUCTUOSA, Temm.i 



Heligolandish : Swart Beskuts = Btoc4 Flycatcher. 



Miisciecqxi luctuosa. Nauniann, ii. 231. 



Ficd Flycatcher. Dresser, iii. 453. 



Gobe-mouche hec-figuc. Temminck, Manuel, i. 155, iii. 84. 



This neat little bird visits Heligoland in larger numbers than 

 any of its near relatives. It is especially abundant during the 

 autumn migration, returning from its nesting quarters as early as 

 the beginning of August, if the weather is fine and warm and the 

 wind from the south or south-east. For instance, in 1882, while the 

 last old birds passed through on the way to their breeding homes 

 as late as July 7th, the first of the young birds returned from the 

 latter as early as the 7th of August. From that date onward they 

 left daily, during the prevalence of a south-east wind, in large 

 flocks until the 20th of the month. From the 21st to the end of 

 the month, strong north-west winds interrupted almost completely 

 the migration of every species, at least throughout the lower strata 

 of the atmosphere, and near the surface of the ground. It was not 

 until the 4th of September that a change for the better set in, when, 

 besides Sylviidse, Stonechats, and other species, the black — by this 



' Musckapa atricapilla (Linn. ). 



