68 MUSCICAPIDJ^. 



flying insects. At any time during the months of June, 

 July, and August, in most country and suburJDan gardens, 

 one may observe perclied on a railing, standard rose, or 

 the low branch of an apple-tree, a small brownish bird, 

 with a speckled breast, about the size of a sparrow, but 

 more slender in form, taking no notice of human beings, 

 but nevertheless evidently on the look out for something. 

 Suddenly it darts from its position, flies raj)idly forwards 

 for a few yards, performs an evolution in the air, and 

 returns either to the exact spot which it had previously 

 occupied or to a similar one hard by. After a rest of a 

 few seconds, it performs the same manoeuvre, and always 

 with the same object and success. Every time it quitted 

 its perch, some ill-fated fly or beetle was discovered, 

 winging its way through the air, and captured to be de- 

 voured on the spot, or to form part of a pellet of insect 

 food for a hungry nestling. The nest, composed of moss, 

 straws, and hair, and lined with feathers, is usually placed 

 either against a wall, hidden by the leaves of a trained 

 fruit tree, or on the horizontal bough of a standard apple- 

 tree. During the year 1859, a pair of these birds had 

 taken up their quarters in my own garden in a situation 

 such as that first described, but becoming dissatisfied 

 with the locality even after the nest had received its 

 complement of eggs — five — deserted it, and built another 

 nest in an apple-tree a few yards off, choosing a position 

 on a short branch, where their workmanship was concealed 

 from the sight of passengers by a cluster of large apples. 

 The bough overhung a path by which many persons 

 passed to and fro every day ; but the nest was built, and the 

 old birds hatched their eggs, neither noticed nor noticing, 

 until one day when I happened to stop underneath, upon 

 which the bird took flight, and so revealed her place of 

 retreat. I do not mention this incident as anything re- 

 markable, but simply to exemplify the habits of the bird 

 when it has taken up its residence in a frequented garden. 



