SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. 167 



birds, who feed them, and soon learn them, by their exam- 

 ple, to catch insects for themselves. When on the look-out 

 for food, they generally take their stand on the top of a post, 

 on the upper bar of a flight of rails, or the extreme end of a 

 branch of a tree, from whence they dart off on the approach 

 of an insect, appear to catch it with ease by a short and rapid 

 movement, returning frequently to the spot they had quitted, 

 to keep watch as before. These birds are believed to feed 

 almost exclusively on winged insects. They have been ac- 

 cused of eating cherries and raspberries ; but they seem ra- 

 ther to be induced to visit fruit-trees for the sake of the flies 

 which the ripe fruits attract, since on examination of the sto- 

 machs of Flycatchers killed under such circumstances no 

 remains of fruit were found. 



White, in his History of Selborne, says that the Spotted 

 Flycatcher only rears one brood in this country ; but I have 

 known some instances of this bird's producing a second hatch, 

 and have been told of several others ; and as it does not leave 

 England till near the end of September, there is ample time 

 to bring up a second brood. 



The Spotted Flycatcher is common during summer in 

 most of, if not all, the counties of England ; and Mr. Thomp- 

 son of Belfast informs me, it is also a regular summer visiter 

 to the North of Ireland. Dr. Fleming says it is rare in 

 Scotland. Mr. Selby observed it in Sutherlandshire in June 

 1834 ; and it is also found in Denmark, Norway, and Swe- 

 den. It is a common bird on the European Continent , and 

 its range extends to western and southern Africa, even as far 

 as the Cape. 



The beak is dark brown ; the irides hazel ; the head and 

 the whole of the upper surface of the body and wing-coverts 

 hair brown, the quills and tail-feathers being a little darker, 

 with a few dark brown spots on the top of the head ; the ter- 

 tials with a narrow margin of light brown ; the under parts 



