THE SPOTTED OR GRAY FLYCATCHER, 95 



himself into the circumambient air, to feed on the 

 insects, wliich in fine weather soar in clouds as high or 

 higher than the tallest trees. Though the Spotted Fly- 

 catcher is often found in woods and plantations, still he 

 is most frequently seen on their borders, these situations 

 abounding with his insect-food, which is not found so 

 plentifully in their arboreal depths. Thus we often see him 

 sitting on fences and posts, or flitting about the walls of 

 woods and plantations, and hear his call note from the 

 branches which droop gracefully over into the surround- 

 ing fields. He frequents the neighbourhood of man's 

 habitation, too, living in the gardens and orchards ; and 

 a more unobtrusive and quiet little bird it would be 

 difficult to find. 



The song of the Flycatcher is heard but rarely, and 

 it is uttered in such a low tone as to be scarcely heard 

 a few yards away. It is given forth both when the bird 

 is sitting at rest or when fluttering in the air after insects. 

 It consists of a few rambling notes, and puts you in mind 

 of the Whinchat's song. Their call notes, too, are very 

 similar to the call notes of the Whinchat, only the first 

 note is not so broad, and the birds utter them when on 

 the wing as well as when stationary. You may often hear 

 them for a long time giving forth these call notes of 

 ckce-tic, chce-ticy chre-tic-tic-tic, in rapid succession, from 

 one perching-place, and if you notice the birds closely 

 you find that every now and then the tail is wafted 

 to and fro with graceful motion. 



The Flycatcher is, as his name implies, a deadly foe 

 to insect life. We often see him sitting motionless on 

 the decayed limb of a tree, or on a low stump or fence, 

 or not unfrequently on the ivy-covered wall, looking as 

 if he were dozing away the blazing hours of noonday. 

 But the Flycatcher's inactivity is a treacherous calm, and 



