;^G4 The Red-breasted Flyeaicher. 



" to be partial to tlie woods of beech and hornbeam, or those Avhere 

 'beecl. and fir are mixed. The nest, built early in June, is 

 ■'rather deep and cup-shaped, neatly formed of moss and a few 

 "lichens, with a lining of dry grass and liair. It is usually placed 

 " in a hole in the trunk oi- some rotten branch of a beech tree, 

 "but occasionally in a fork against the stem, from six to seven 

 '■ feet fiom the giound. In appearance the eggs, 5 — 7 in numbei', 

 "are intei-mediate between those of the Eedbreast and tlie Spotted 

 " Flycateher, having a very pale greenish 'gl^ound-colour, with 

 '' mottJings of rusty -bi'own: measurements .63 by .5in. The young 

 "are hatched towards the end of June, and their food, like that of 

 "till- adults, consists of insects, in scaixdi of wliich the birds soon 

 "leave tlicir breeding-grounds in the forests for gardens an(i 

 "oi'chards in the vicinity. The habits of this species are lively 

 " and active, and in pugnacity, as in plumage, the male resembles 

 " onr Redbreast. It has a pleasant song, resembling the syllables 

 " iivi several times repeated, while the alarm note is a clear 

 " finlv, fink." 



Bescripiion. AduU Male: Above, mostly ashy-brown, 

 with the crown and nape browner; sides of face and car- 

 coverts grey, which merges into the grey -brown of the sides of 

 the neck; lores hoary; round the eye a narrow idng of Avhite 

 feathers; quills dark brown, the primaries edged narrowly with 

 ashy -brown; upper tail-coverts and tail dark brown, the latter 

 consists of twelve feathers, of which the outer four pairs have 

 very conspicuous white bases; chin, throat, and upper breast 

 ruddy-orange; remainder of under surface dull white, sides of 

 body pale buflflsh and thighs ashy; bill and legs brown; iris 

 brown. Total length 5|in., tail 2. 



Adult female: Above brown, which is also the colour 

 of the sides of face and ear-coverts; wings brown, the coverts 

 and flights edged with lightish brown; throat, upper-breast 

 and sides of body tinged with fulvous; abdomen and under 

 tail-coverts wdiite. Total length 4|in., tail 2. 



Young: According to Howard Saunders the nestling 

 plumage is spotted, and later the wing-coverts and secondaries 

 become tipped with buflf; otherwise it resembles the female. 

 The young male pairs in the immature plumage of the first 

 year; the orange-red on the throat does not extend to the 

 breast til! the third year. 



Mr. Goodchild's drawing was made from the liird ex- 

 hibited by Mr. C. T. Maxwell at the L.C.B.A. Show of 1911, 

 where it was awarded second prize, the premier honours of 



