MUSCICAPIDE. 53 
Prep FiycatcuEr, Muscicapa atricapilla. Though 
a very rare bird, especially in this county, the Pied 
Flycatcher is in some parts of England a tolerably 
recular summer visitor. I am not myself aware of 
more than one specimen having been procured in 
this neighbourhood, and that was killed, some years 
ago, close to Taunton, by Mr. Haddon, in whose 
collection it now is. 
In food and general habits it much resembles the 
last-mentioned species; the principal difference 
seems to be in the choice of a place for its nest, 
which is usually placed in a hole in a decayed or 
pollard tree: it is made of roots, grass, dry leaves, 
bents and hair. 
This is a very conspicuous bird, and one, when 
once seen, not easily mistaken, in consequence of its 
distinct black and white colour. The adult male has 
the beak black, with a spot of white over its base on 
the forehead; irides dark brown; upper part of the 
head and neck dark brownish black; back of a 
decided black; wing primaries and secondaries 
brownish black; edges of the greater wing-coverts 
and the outer webs of the tertials pure white; the 
outer web and part of the inner web next the shaft 
of the outer and second tail-feathers white; the third 
from the outside white, on a small portion of the 
outer web only; all the rest of these and the other 
tail-feathers black; all the under surface of the bird 
to the end of the under tail-coverts white; legs, toes 
3 
EF 3 
