PLY-CATCHER. 537 
winter. Itis rarely met with in France. It is a very pretty bird, 
and is easily domesticated. 
The American species, familiarly known as the Cedar Bird (4m- 
pelts cedrorum), very much resembles the former in plumage and 
habits, but is not so large. 
The birds belonging to the Fly-catcher genus (AZuscicapide) have 
a flattened and hooked bill, furnished with a projecting edge, and 
with stiff hair at the base. They are divided into Fly-catchers 
proper, Tyrants, and Zurylaimi ne. ; 
The Fly-catcher proper feeds on insects, which it catches on the 
wing with a vivacity and agility which are extraordinary. It some- 
times adds to its fare caterpillars 
and ants, but it never settles on 
the ground except when in pur- 
suit of prey. They are birds of 
taciturn and solitary habits, fre- 
quenting alone the depths of 
forests, or the margin of sluggish 
streams. They are silent even 
during the pairing season, and 
are rather negligent in their mode 
of building, taking no care to 
hide their nests from the view of 
their enemies. According to the 
species, they build either on trees Fig, 247.—The Spotted Fly-catcher. 
and bushes, or in the crevices of 
walls, rocks, or under the eaves of roofs. In Europe, the female bird 
lays from three to six eggs once a year, but is more prolific in other 
parts of the world. 
The Fly-catchers are not larger than the Warblers. They are 
birds of passage, and various species of them are spread over the 
whole surface of the globe. Some are natives of Europe, among 
which we will name the Spotted Fly-catcher (Muscicapa grisola, Fig. 
247), and the Pied Fly-catcher (MJuscicapa atricapilla). The latter 
bird is very fond of fruit; and in the South of France it is killed 
for the delicacy of its flesh. 
The Royal Great Crests or King Tody (Zurylaimus serilophus, Fig. 
248) are birds of the same size and with the same habits as the Fly- 
catchers proper. ‘They differ in nothing but their plumage, which is 
much more brilliant, their more fully developed tail, and the beautiful 
tufts which adorn their heads. They are natives of tropical America. 
The species mentioned may serve as a type, on account of a mag- 
