SPOTTED GREY FLYCATCHER. 523 



menced feeding their young. From that time until four o'clock, 

 they fed them ten times ; from four to five o''cloek, sixteen 

 times ; from five to six o'clock, twenty-eight times ; from six to 

 seven o'clock, twenty-nine times ; from seven to eight, thirty- 

 four times ; from eight to nine, forty times ; from nine to ten, 

 thirty-nine times ; from ten to eleven, thirty-five times ; from 

 eleven to twelve, forty-four times ; from twelve to one, forty 

 times ; from one to two, thirty-three times ; from two to three, 

 forty-eight times ; from three to four, thirty-seven times ; from 

 four to five, thirty-eight times ; from five to six, twenty-one 

 times ; from six to seven, sixteen times ; from seven to eight, 

 twenty times ; and from eight to ten minutes before nine 

 o'clock, they fed them nine times. They thus fed their young 

 in the course of the day five hundred and thirty-seven times. 

 Their motions were so uncommonly rapid, that I could not for 

 a single moment keep my eye off the nest. Before they fed 

 their young, they alighted upon a tree for a few seconds, and 

 looked round about them. By short jerks they usually caught 

 the winged insects. Sometimes they ascended in the air, and 

 dropped like an arrow ; at other times they hovered in it like 

 a hawk, when set on its prey. They beat off" most vigorously 

 all kinds of small birds that approached their nest. It is im- 

 possible to give the precise number of flies that might have 

 been consumed by their brood, as they sometimes brought to 

 them one large fly, at other times two, three, four, five, and 

 even more flies of different sizes." 



Young. — The young when fledged have the bill light brown, 

 with its basal margins yellow, the feet greyish-brown, and the 

 claws dusky. The upper parts are dull yellowish-grey, the 

 feathers edged with dusky ; the wing-coverts, quills, and tail- 

 feathers chocolate brown, the former tipped, and the latter 

 margined with pale brownish-red. The sides of the head, and 

 the fore part of the neck are reddish-white, the feathers tipped 

 with dusky, the breast and belly greyish- white, the sides faintly 

 marked with dusky. 



Progress toward jNIatcrity. — At the first moult in August 

 and September the plumage assumes the colours of the adult. 



