a0 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
well as on the under parts: this I believe to be 
common to both the young males and females. 
The eggs have a sort of light greenish ground, 
with darker spots, making a sort of broad zone near 
the larger end: some have a more rufous tinge, 
both in the ground colour and the spots. Hewitson 
says the zone of spots is sometimes near the narrow 
end: I have never seen this variety myself. 
Family Muscicapip®. 
Of the family of Flycatchers I am only able to 
include two in this list, out of the four now usually 
considered as British. 
SporteD Frycatcuer, Muscicapa grisola. The 
Spotted Flycatcher, though by no means one of the 
earliest, may be considered one of our most numerous 
summer visitors. I have generally noted the appear- 
ance of this bird in these parts between the 4th and 
the 9th of May: its stay is short with us, as it leaves 
again earlier than many other of our summer birds. 
It is a most familiar little bird, frequenting our 
gardens, and making its nest in the creepers against 
our houses, and in our summer-houses. 
I once found a Spotted Flycatcher’s nest in a 
summer-house, on a little corner of matting that 
had accidentally been twisted down: this, however, 
