HED-I5KKASTE1) FLYCATCHER. 225 



House, in the parish of Constantine, near Falmouth ; and 

 this gentleman, v/riting a few clays later to Mr. Rodd, says : 

 — " We first observed it on a dead holly tree; this tree and 

 the ground around the house were its favourite resort. It 

 was particularly active, skimming the grass to within about 

 a foot, then, perching itself, darted occasionally with a toss, 

 resting either on a shrub or the wire fencing. There is 

 another in the neighbourhood, for which a vigilant watch 

 will be kept. I saw it a few days back in a plantation which 

 is four hundred yards from my house." The specimen 

 killed, which proved to be a female, was sent in the flesh 

 to the British Museum, where its remains still are, the head 

 having been unfortunately destroyed by mice, but quite 

 sufficient was left to admit of the determination of the 

 species by authorities so high as Mr. George Gray and Mr. 

 Gould. The second example observed by Mr. Copeland was 

 not obtained ; but in the October following another bird of 

 this species was killed, in company with some young Pied 

 Flycatchers, upon one of the isles of Scilly, by Mr. Au- 

 gustus Pechell and a nephew of Mr. Rodd's. This was a 

 young male, as recorded by the gentleman last named 

 (Zool. p. 8841 and Ibis, 1864, p. 131), and is now in his 

 collection. On the 5th of November, 1865, as announced 

 by Mr. Rodd (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 3rd ser. xvi. p. 447, 

 and Zool. s.s. p. 31), a bird of this species again appeared 

 in Scilly, this time on Tresco Island, and, after having been 

 carefully watched by Mr. Pechell and Mr. John Jenkinson, 

 it was killed, but so much injured by shot that its sex could 

 not be determined. 



The geographical distribution of this species when com- 

 pared with that of others is somewhat exceptional. Though 

 not an uncommon summer-visitor to some parts of the 

 continent, the general line of its migration does not appear 

 to be in the usual north and south direction, but strongly 

 inclined from north-west to south-east ; and the birds which 

 breed in the central and eastern countries of Europe, instead 

 of retiring, as do most of our summer-migrants, across the 

 Mediterranean to Africa, would seem to turn their flight 



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